Star Crystal Beast

"We, the Jin World, are vast beyond measure, countless times larger than the tribal regions you see now." The Heye clan chief seemed lost in his memories.

"Tribes are merely the most basic cradles, places where young lives grow. True powerhouses and true opportunities lie beyond them—in those forbidden lands known as perilous places and secret realms, and, above all... in the army!"

"The army?" Amu couldn't help asking.

"Grandpa Chief, did you really serve in the army? I heard it's a gathering place for powerhouses, with extremely strict rules and the fiercest battles!"

"That's right." The Heye clan chief nodded, his expression growing more solemn.

"Back then, I didn't decide to leave the tribe and enlist in the Eastern Army until I had broken through to the Law Master (Universe Master) realm."

"The army is divided into four legions—the Eastern, Southern, Western, and Northern Armies.

Every army is filled with powerhouses, and its rules are as rigid as a mountain. There, no one cares about your background. Only strength and military merit matter!

If you want more powerful inheritances, more precious treasures, and faster advancement, you have to join the army and exchange genuine military merit for them!"

"When I first enlisted, I was just an ordinary soldier. I took part in countless squad-clearing missions. The most dangerous one..." A grave look flickered in the Heye clan chief's eyes.

"We were ordered to clear out an ancient lair occupied by an existence beyond the True God (Void True God) level. Our squad wasn't the main force sent to deal with it, of course, but even sweeping the outskirts was perilous.

At the time, I was only a Law Master, yet I had to face the frenzied counterattacks of several opponents at the same level. I was nearly driven into a corner.

In the end, I broke through in the middle of the fight, with death all but certain, and entered the True God realm. Only then did I manage to kill my opponent and survive."

"Life in the army was dull and dangerous. You could fall at any moment, but it was also the fastest way to improve.

Later, during a mission to explore Nine Smoke Marsh, I was lucky enough to find a crucial later portion of the inheritance I cultivated.

After that, I went through countless more battles and amassed enough military merit to exchange for several treasures that were vital to my breakthrough.

Only after an unimaginably long stretch of time and countless brushes with death did I finally manage to take that last step and become a Void True God.

In the end, I chose to return to the tribe that had raised me and protect its peace."

The Heye clan chief spoke as if it were all trivial, but Qin Ming and Amu could sense the endless battles, trials between life and death, and long years of solitude and perseverance hidden behind those calm words. They could also feel the intense yearning to grow stronger that had run through it all.

"So, youngsters..." The Heye clan chief looked at the two boys, who listened with longing and awe, and spoke earnestly.

"The tribe is your home, your foundation. But if you truly want to become a top powerhouse, see a wider world, and gain opportunities that can defy fate and change your life, then the army... is a step you can't avoid.

That's where powerhouses are truly forged. It's the ultimate battlefield, where the results of every bit of cultivation are put to the test!"

He turned to Qin Ming, encouragement and hope in his eyes. "A-Ming, you have both talent and character, and you're ambitious too. Keep building a solid foundation. There's no need to rush.

When you join the army one day, I'm sure you'll shine with your abilities. Grandpa is looking forward to that day."

"I understand, Grandpa Chief!" Qin Ming replied, nodding solemnly.

In the blink of an eye, thirty years passed.

Thirty years in Chaos City was nearly a century by the time it was converted to Primal Universe time.

The thirty-year cultivation period in Chaos City for the members of Qin Ming's Genius Tournament cohort was about to end. They would soon return to the Primal Universe and head to the secret realms assigned to them, beginning a new chapter of training and missions.

Following Chaos City Lord's instructions from back then, Qin Ming went to the Inner Mansion once more before leaving to pay his respects.

Inside Chaos Ruins, Chaos City Lord looked at his disciple and smiled wryly. "You rascal. You spent thirty years in Chaos City and never once came to ask me for guidance. If I hadn't occasionally seen your progress, I would have wondered whether you'd been slacking off."

Qin Ming rubbed his nose, looking a little embarrassed. "Master, over the years I've been cultivating and studying my insights. I felt I could understand them well enough, and I never ran into a real bottleneck I couldn't overcome. So I didn't dare disturb you while you were in seclusion."

Chaos City Lord looked at him deeply.

Thirty years in the Initial Universe was a long and crucial period of accumulation for those at Star Level and Universe Level.

The other disciples, no matter how talented, encountered difficulties from time to time and came to ask for guidance. Qin Ming was the only one who had never come.

There were only two explanations: either he'd encountered a genuine bottleneck that even Chaos City Lord might not easily resolve, though that was highly unlikely,

or... his insights had progressed so smoothly it was beyond imagination, and he hadn't needed any outside guidance at all.

Considering Qin Ming's monstrous affinity for and talent in fusing laws, Chaos City Lord was inclined to believe the latter. It pleased him, but also left him marveling.

"Very well. You have your own path, and I won't interfere too much."

Chaos City Lord stopped dwelling on the matter and continued, "I summoned you today for two reasons. First, to see you off. Second, to formally give you the apprenticeship gift I promised you back then."

As he spoke, he waved his hand. A sphere of light wrapped in a gentle glow and radiating strange life fluctuations appeared before Qin Ming.

Within it, he could just make out a curled-up, beautiful lifeform of strange shape, seemingly made of starlight and crystal. Its aura was gentle, yet it possessed a natural, awe-inspiring nobility.

"This is a Star Crystal Beast, an extremely rare Special Lifeform at the Universe Level," Chaos City Lord explained.

"I spent quite a bit of effort and time finding a suitable one for you. It has two extremely rare talents."

"First, it has an unimaginably strong affinity for the laws, no matter which laws they are. If you take over its body, you'll comprehend the laws twice as fast."

"Second, it can create clones. You only need a small portion of a target creature's tissue to hatch and nurture a clone of that species.

"Most lifeforms with the talent to create clones have low Gene Levels, and the clones they can nurture are limited.

"But the Star Crystal Beast is an exceptionally high-level lifeform. It can nurture nearly every lifeform in the universe, except for a few particularly defiant Special Lifeforms."

"Law comprehension and clone creation?" Qin Ming's gaze sharpened.

"That's right." Chaos City Lord nodded.

"The clones it creates have exactly the same life level and soul origin as the original body. Each clone has an independent consciousness and can cultivate and grow on its own, yet remains perfectly linked to the main soul, sharing all insights and memories.

"More importantly, even if the main body dies, as long as any clone survives, it can expend stellar power to recover. This is practically the ultimate life-saving talent."