Qian Yu suddenly recalled the mark he had sensed when the petals merged into him.
He closed his eyes and sank his consciousness deep into his soul.
Sure enough, an intricate mark hovered silently above his soul.
The mark was incomparably complex, countless times more profound than the patterns of the Law of Fire, as though it were the imprint of some origin.
The instant his consciousness touched the mark, a flood of information surged into his mind.
"Innate Secret Art: Space-Time Manipulation."
Qian Yu abruptly opened his eyes.
Space-Time Manipulation?!
He froze for a moment, then memories concerning this secret art surfaced in his mind.
As far as he knew, there were exceedingly few beings in the universe who possessed the Talent Secret Art known as "Space-Time Manipulation."
The most famous among them was the World Tree of the Ancestral God Sect. That true World Tree was merely in the Venerable Realm, yet with this secret art and its own Gene Level, it could rival a Universe Master!
"So it's Space-Time Manipulation..."
Qian Yu was deeply shaken.
He had originally thought that the first Talent Secret Art nurtured by the Primordial Dao Tree might be a clone technique, an enhancement, or some kind of combat secret art.
He had never expected it to directly grant him the most elite space-time Talent Secret Art.
As its name implied, Space-Time Manipulation allowed one to control the operations of space and time within a certain range.
Such an ability was practically unbeatable in battle. Especially against opponents below one's own realm, once Space-Time Manipulation was unleashed, they could not even move and could only be slaughtered at will.
Even against opponents of a higher realm, Space-Time Manipulation could greatly restrict their movements and create an advantage.
"Although it isn't a secret art like cloning that can raise my upper limit of strength, Space-Time Manipulation is absolutely among the very best combat secret arts. Below the realm of Universe Master, it's practically unbeatable."
Qian Yu nodded in satisfaction.
He looked into the space within his body again.
The flower bud atop the crown of the Primordial Dao Tree had completely vanished. In its place hung an extremely tiny fruit.
The fruit was only the size of a fingernail, emerald green all over, with faint patterns flowing across its surface.
It hung quietly from the branch, like an infant still being nurtured.
"There's more?"
Qian Yu was slightly taken aback.
He had thought the blooming of the flower bud marked the end.
But now it seemed that the flower bud was merely the beginning. Or rather, the bud had nurtured the Talent Secret Art, while the fruit was what the Primordial Dao Tree truly intended to give him.
He simply did not know how long this fruit would need to mature, or what it would bring him.
Qian Yu stared at the fruit for a long while before finally withdrawing his consciousness.
No matter how long it took, he could afford to wait.
Ten years had nurtured Space-Time Manipulation and a Hundredfold Gene. Even if the next one took a hundred years, a thousand years, or ten million years, it would still be worth it.
He rose to his feet and walked to the window.
Outside, the night was deep, and the sky was filled with stars.
Gazing at that starry expanse, Qian Yu felt a peace unlike any he had known before.
After ten years of fleeing, he finally possessed the capital to truly establish himself.
Hundredfold Gene, Law Recognition, Space-Time Manipulation—with such a lineup, even if he encountered the Fire Phoenix Organization now, he had the strength to fight.
"It's time to go out for a walk."
Qian Yu pushed open the door to the cultivation room and, for the first time, truly stepped out of the manor where he had lived for ten years.
The lake remained tranquil, starlight reflected upon its surface, shimmering in ripples.
Standing by the lake, he suddenly raised his right hand.
With a thought, the space in his palm abruptly twisted. This was the simplest application of Space-Time Manipulation: freezing a section of space.
On the lake, the rippling surface suddenly stilled. Even the wind stopped.
A second later, he relaxed his hand, and everything returned to normal.
The corners of Qian Yu's lips lifted slightly.
Very good.
From this day onward, though the universe was vast, he truly had a place to stand.
"Fire Phoenix Organization..."
He softly spoke those four words. His tone was calm, yet the air around him seemed to grow colder by several degrees.
Hundreds of years.
He had been enslaved by the Fire Phoenix Organization for hundreds of years.
During those hundreds of years, he had been a slave, a commodity, merchandise that could be bought and sold at any time.
Like countless lives of different races who had been abducted, he had been enslaved, displayed as merchandise, and forced to fight as a gladiator for others' amusement.
He did not want to recall those days for even a moment, yet those memories had been carved into his bones.
Qian Yu raised his hand and looked at his palm.
"Fire Phoenix Organization, a slave-trading organization. Its strongest member is Realm Lord Pan Xi, who possesses two Realm Lord Level plant lifeforms..."
Qian Yu silently calculated.
His current strength was Cosmic Level Third Order, with a Hundredfold Gene, recognition from the Fire Origin Law, and the Talent Secret Art, Space-Time Manipulation.
With the combination of those three, his true combat power could indeed rival a Domain Lord, but only a Domain Lord. Pan Xi, however, was a true Realm Lord.
Cosmic Level, Domain Lord, Realm Lord—the gap between every major realm was as vast as heaven and earth.
Under normal circumstances, a hundred Cosmic Level Ninth Order warriors could not defeat a Domain Lord Level First Order warrior; likewise, a hundred Domain Lord Level Ninth Order warriors could not defeat a Realm Lord Level First Order warrior.
Being able to cross one major realm was already a miracle born from the combination of his Hundredfold Gene, Law Recognition, and Talent Secret Art. But crossing yet another major realm to challenge a Realm Lord was still far beyond him.
"At the very least, I need to reach Domain Lord Level."
Qian Yu quickly came to a conclusion.
Once he broke through to Domain Lord Level, even if he were only at Domain Lord Level First Order, with his Hundredfold Gene, his future comprehension of laws, and Space-Time Manipulation, he would absolutely be confident in killing Pan Xi.
However, Pan Xi was the leader of the Fire Phoenix Organization, not the entirety of it.
The Fire Phoenix Organization had operated in the Cui Lang Starfield for who knew how many years. Its influence spread across dozens of star systems, and the mining planets, trade stations, and slave camps under its control were too numerous to count.
The heads of those branches, the lackeys who aided evil, the butchers whose hands were stained with slaves' blood—they were not Realm Lords.
Most of them were Cosmic Level, and quite a few were merely Stellar Level.
"If I can't deal with Pan Xi, can't I deal with them?"
A cold glint flashed through Qian Yu's eyes.
Over his hundreds of years as a slave, he had seen far too many members of the Fire Phoenix Organization.
Back then, he had been a slave and could only lower his head and endure.
Now, it was time to collect some interest.
It just so happened that he was terribly poor right now, while the Fire Phoenix Organization was famously rich, especially its leader, Pan Xi.
This guy had some of the best damned luck in the entire Devouring World. Who knew where he had gotten so much Locke Divine Water?
He held wealth worth billions of Hunyuan Units, yet was only a minor Realm Lord. Wasn't that like a child clutching a mountain of gold?
Among the transmigrators who entered the world of Devouring Starry Sky, who wouldn't come fleece this sheep? He was practically a beginner's gift pack.
Qian Yu happened to be in desperate need of sufficient wealth to help raise his strength.
He could rival a Domain Lord, yet only had a few hundred million Ganwu Coins left.
Right now, he was practically the poorest Domain Lord in the entire Primordial Universe.
He would first make gradual moves against the outer ranks of the Fire Phoenix Organization and fleece them for some profit.
Once his strength truly rose, he would go settle the score with Pan Xi.
And with that, the decision was happily made.
Before you continue