Nine Universe Chaos Stele

The Reception Envoy's voice suddenly rang out beside him.

Qian Yu looked up and saw that he had already walked over. The screen on his arm glimmered faintly, waiting to record his choice.

He fell silent for two seconds.

Then he slowly spoke.

"I choose the Nine Universe Chaos Stele."

The Reception Envoy nodded. The screen on his arm instantly recorded Qian Yu's choice, and he then moved on to the next person.

Qian Yu stepped aside and closed his eyes, his mind still reliving the shock brought by those fifty-two diagrams.

Especially the rubbing of the Nine Universe Chaos Stele—nine raindrops, thirty-six raindrops, one hundred and eight raindrops, followed by a Star Chart, a Stellar System Chart, a Galaxy Diagram, and finally, portraits of strange beasts in the last three diagrams.

Every diagram seemed to contain endless profundities, making his soul tremble.

His choice of the Nine Universe Chaos Stele had not been an impulsive one.

The Mother Ancestor Chaos Stele's path of deduction did suit him exceptionally well, but it was simply too vast and complex. With his current foundation, even getting started would likely be difficult.

Though the Heart Mark Chaos Stele's blade path was pure, he had always felt that he shared a deeper connection with the Space Origin Law.

The Nine Universe Chaos Stele, meanwhile, began with the Space Origin Law. It was precisely the field he excelled at most.

The Primordial Dao Tree was currently focused on comprehending the Law of Space, while his Wild Beast Clone was blessed by the Fire-Space Law and was likewise closely tied to the Law of Space.

Moreover, he vaguely sensed that the Nine Universe Chaos Stele resonated inexplicably with one of the cultivation arts he practiced.

After recording everyone's choices, the Reception Envoy turned to face them and smiled.

"I have transmitted your choices. Now, follow me."

The group followed the Reception Envoy, leaving the corridor and heading deeper into the City Lord's Mansion.

A short while later, they arrived at a vast training ground.

The training ground was enormous, stretching dozens of kilometers in both length and width, with no end visible at a glance. The seventy-two of them looked especially tiny within it.

The Reception Envoy stood at the front and spoke.

"Of the fifty-two Chaos Stele comprehension chambers, forty-one are currently unoccupied. Those who chose those forty-one Chaos Steles may go directly to their chambers to comprehend them."

He pointed toward a nearly thirty-meter-high entrance on the left at the far end of the training ground.

"You may go."

As soon as he finished speaking, more than sixty people turned into streaks of light and shot toward that direction.

Qian Yu remained where he was, unmoving.

The Nine Universe Chaos Stele he had chosen was currently being used by someone else.

The Reception Envoy looked at the remaining eleven people and said,

"The Chaos Steles you selected are currently being comprehended by others. It is absolutely forbidden to open a chamber and disturb someone while they are comprehending. Once they finish, you may enter. You will wait no longer than three days."

He pointed at a watchtower some distance away.

"Go up to the City Lord's Mansion watchtower and cultivate there for now. I will notify you when it is your turn."

Qian Yu and the others could only nod and head toward the watchtower.

The City Lord's Mansion watchtower stood a hundred zhang tall, and from its summit, one could overlook the entire mansion.

Qian Yu chose a corner and sat down cross-legged.

He did not rush to cultivate. Instead, he closed his eyes and repeatedly recalled the rubbing of the Nine Universe Chaos Stele in his mind.

Nine raindrops.

Within his consciousness, those nine raindrops seemed to come alive, slowly rotating, shifting, and combining.

Every raindrop contained a unique artistic conception, like nine different fragments of laws continuously evolving within his sea of consciousness.

His awareness sank into them, and before he realized it, everything around him became blurred.

Time passed second by second. Who knew how long had gone by before a voice suddenly sounded by his ear.

"Qian Yu, it's your turn."

Qian Yu abruptly opened his eyes and found the Reception Envoy standing before him.

He rose to his feet and followed the Reception Envoy toward the cultivation chamber.

When they arrived before the Nine Universe Chaos Stele's cultivation chamber, Qian Yu saw the hundred-and-twenty-meter-tall Bronze Giant Gate.

Two ancient characters in the universal language of the universe were carved upon it—"Nine Universe."

Beside the bronze gate stood an elderly man with a vertical eye between his brows. He had a kindly face, and not the slightest aura leaked from his body.

"Lord Kandri."

The Reception Envoy bowed respectfully, then turned to Qian Yu.

"This is Lord Kandri, the guardian of the Chaos Stele cultivation chambers. Before each of the fifty-two Chaos Stele cultivation chambers stands one of Lord Kandri's clones. He has guarded this place for more than a million eras."

Qian Yu hurriedly bowed with respect.

"Greetings, Lord Kandri."

Kandri smiled and nodded, giving Qian Yu a once-over before speaking.

"It's good to be young. Go in. The people inside are about to come out."

The moment he finished speaking, the Bronze Giant Gate slowly opened with a rumble.

Chaotic Airflow poured from within, swirling around the entrance and obscuring the interior from view.

Several figures flew out through the Chaotic Airflow. Some clutched their heads, while others reluctantly glanced back, yet they could only leave.

"Go in," Kandri said.

"Seven days from now, the gate will open. Come out immediately."

Qian Yu nodded and stepped through the Bronze Giant Gate.

The cultivation chamber was incredibly vast. Chaotic Airflow filled it, making it resemble a world before chaos had been divided.

Qian Yu headed deeper inside. Passing through layer after layer of Chaotic Airflow, he finally saw the legendary Chaos Stele.

It was a gigantic stone stele, a hundred meters tall and nearly a hundred meters wide, standing silently in the center of the chamber.

Nine diagrams were carved into the stele. Every one was identical to the rubbing he had seen in the corridor before, yet they felt entirely different.

The rubbing had merely been a stiff drawing, but the real Chaos Stele seemed to possess life and contain endless profundities of laws.

Qian Yu's gaze fell on the first diagram—the Nine Raindrop Diagram.

In that instant, his consciousness seemed to be drawn in by an invisible force and sank into it at once.

In his perception, the nine raindrops were no longer motionless drawings. They became nine agile trajectories of laws.

They slowly rotated, intertwined, and evolved within his sea of consciousness. Every change deepened his comprehension of the Space Origin Law by another degree.

He seemed to see one blade technique after another containing the power of space, streak after streak of fierce sword light, and one mysterious body movement after another...

Nine raindrops, nine artistic conceptions, nine initial forms of laws.

Too powerful, far too powerful! This feeling—this was the feeling!!

Qian Yu hurriedly sat down cross-legged, while the Wild Beast Clone in his Inner World began comprehending at the same time.

Qian Yu immersed himself completely, forgetting time, forgetting space, forgetting everything outside.

Seven days later.

Rumble—

The Bronze Giant Gate slowly opened.

A voice like thunder entered the cultivation chamber.

"Everyone, come out!"

The voice echoed continuously through Qian Yu's mind, growing louder and louder until it finally woke him from his immersion.

Qian Yu abruptly opened his eyes and reluctantly looked back at the Chaos Stele. But Chaotic Airflow swirled around it, and the nine diagrams could no longer be seen clearly.

He turned and rushed outside.

The instant he crossed the threshold, the endlessly echoing voice finally vanished.

Qian Yu stood outside and looked back at the Bronze Giant Gate, an indescribable emotion rising in his heart.

Seven days.

Far too short.

So short that he had not even had time to savor all of its profundities.

But he also understood that these were the rules. Resources were limited. Being given the chance to comprehend it was already an immense opportunity.