Star Crystal Beast

"Our Jin World is vast and boundless, far more expansive than the tribal region you see now." Clan Leader Heye seemed to sink into memory.

"The tribe is merely the most basic cradle, a place where young lives grow. True experts, true opportunities, all lie outside—in those perilous lands, those secret realms known as danger zones, and even more so... in the military!"

"The military?" Amu couldn't help but press further.

"Grandpa Clan Leader, did you really join the military? I've heard it's a gathering place for the strong, with extremely strict rules and the most brutal battles!"

"Indeed." Clan Leader Heye nodded, his expression turning somewhat solemn.

"In my day, it was only after breaking through to the Law Master (Universe Master) realm that I made up my mind to leave the tribe and enlist in the Eastern Army."

"The military is divided into four major camps—the Eastern, Southern, Western, and Northern Armies. Each camp is packed with experts, and the hierarchy is as strict as a mountain. They don't care about your background there, only your strength and military merits! If you want to obtain more powerful inheritances, rarer treasures, or accelerate your growth, you must go to the military and trade real battle achievements for them!"

"When I first enlisted, I was just the most ordinary soldier. I went through countless squad-level purge missions, and the most dangerous one..." A hint of gravity flashed in Clan Leader Heye's eyes.

"It was an order to purge an ancient nest occupied by an existence surpassing True God (Void True God). Our squad naturally wasn't the main force against that being, but even the peripheral sweep was extremely perilous. I was only at the Law Master level back then, yet I had to face the frenzied counterattacks of several opponents at the same rank, nearly falling into a dead end. In the end, on the brink of death, I broke through on the battlefield, stepping into the True God realm, and barely managed to turn the tables and kill my foes, surviving."

"Life in the military is dull, dangerous, and you could fall at any moment, but it's also the fastest way to improve. Later, during a mission exploring the 'Nine Smoke Marsh,' I was fortunate enough to obtain a crucial later part of my main cultivation inheritance. After that, I went through countless more battles, accumulated enough military merits, and exchanged them for several treasures vital to my breakthrough. Thus, after an unimaginably long span of time and countless life-and-death ordeals, I barely managed to take that final step and achieve Void True God. In the end, I chose to return to the tribe that raised me, to protect its peace."

Clan Leader Heye spoke lightly, but Qin Ming and Amu could both feel the endless slaughter, life-and-death trials, and the solitude and perseverance of long years hidden behind those plain words, along with that thread of extreme desire for strength that ran through it all.

"So, little ones." Clan Leader Heye looked at the two youths, whose minds were racing with awe and reverence, and spoke earnestly.

"The tribe is home, the foundation. But if you truly want to become top-tier experts, see a broader world, and obtain those opportunities that can defy fate and change your destiny, the military... is an unavoidable step. That is the true crucible for the strong, the ultimate proving ground for all cultivation achievements!"

His gaze shifted to Qin Ming, carrying encouragement and expectation: "A-Ming, you have excellent talent and temperament, and lofty ambitions. Hone your foundation well; don't rush. When you go to the military in the future, with your abilities, you're sure to shine brightly. Grandpa looks forward to seeing that day."

"I understand, Grandpa Clan Leader!" Qin Ming nodded solemnly.

In the blink of an eye, thirty years had passed.

Thirty years in the Initial Universe, converted to Primal Universe time, was nearly a century.

The members of Qin Ming's Genius Tournament batch were nearing the end of their thirty-year comprehension period in Chaos City. They were about to return to the Primal Universe, heading to their assigned secret realms to begin new training and mission careers.

Following Chaos City Lord's instructions from back then, Qin Ming sought an audience at the Inner Palace again before leaving.

Within the Chaos Ruins, Chaos City Lord looked at his disciple before him, a helpless smile on his face: "You little rascal, in thirty years in Chaos City, you never once came to seek my guidance. If I hadn't occasionally seen your progress, I'd have wondered if you were slacking off."

Qin Ming rubbed his nose, a bit embarrassed: "Master, in these years of cultivation and insight, I felt I could comprehend things on my own and never encountered a truly insurmountable bottleneck, so I dared not disturb your meditation lightly."

Hearing this, Chaos City Lord gave him a deep look.

Thirty years in the Initial Universe was a long and critical accumulation period for Star-level and Universe-level cultivators.

Other disciples, no matter how talented, would encounter confusion at some point and come to seek advice. Only Qin Ming had never come once.

This could only mean two things: either he had hit a true bottleneck that even Chaos City Lord might not easily solve—but that was extremely unlikely.

Or... his progress in comprehension was so smooth it was beyond imagination, requiring no external guidance at all.

Thinking of Qin Ming's monstrous law affinity and fusion talent, Chaos City Lord leaned toward the latter. This brought him both relief and silent amazement.

"Forget it. You have your own path; I won't interfere too much."

Chaos City Lord dropped the matter and shifted topics: "I called you here today, first to see you off, and second to formally give you the disciple-gift I promised back then."

With that, he waved his hand, and a ball of light wrapped in a soft glow, radiating a strange life aura, appeared before Qin Ming.

Inside the light ball, a curled-up, oddly shaped life form made of starlight and crystal could be faintly seen. Its aura was gentle yet carried a natural, awe-inspiring nobility.

"This is the 'Star Crystal Beast,' an extremely rare Universe-level special life." Chaos City Lord explained.

"I spent considerable effort and time to find this suitable one for you. It possesses two extremely rare talents."

"First, it has an extraordinary affinity for laws, regardless of which law. Once you possess it, your comprehension of laws will be twice the result with half the effort."

"Second, it has the ability to create avatars. By obtaining a small piece of tissue from a target creature, it can incubate and nurture an avatar of that race. Generally, life forms with avatar talents have low genetic levels, and the avatars they can produce are limited. But the Star Crystal Beast has an extremely high life level. It can nurture almost all life forms in the universe, except for a few particularly heaven-defying special beings."

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

"Correct." Chaos City Lord nodded.

"The avatars it produces are completely identical to the original body in life level and soul origin. The avatar has an independent consciousness, can cultivate and grow independently, yet is perfectly connected to the main soul, sharing all insights and memories. More importantly, even if the main body falls, as long as any avatar survives, it can consume star power to recover fully—this is considered a top-tier life-preservation talent."