Time slipped silently away, like sand through one's fingers.
Two full months had passed since Lin Yuan announced he was going into seclusion.
During that month, the outside world had undergone sweeping changes.
Luo Feng had entered Ancient Civilization Ruin No. 9, the place that would change his fate, and was undergoing a trial of life and death.
Meanwhile, the world's strongest man, Hong, had personally led his guards to Mist Island on the Australian Continent, where they stood off against the various factions.
Everyone knew that a place capable of producing a wondrous treasure of Heaven and Earth like the Cloud-Touching Vine must surely harbor something even more precious than Spirits of Vegetation—or even the Ten-Thousand-Year Willow Heart.
But for now, none of this had anything to do with Lin Yuan.
Ten thousand meters above the ground, a pitch-black Qiankun Intelligent Fighter Jet hovered deep within the clouds. Its highest-level stealth mode was active, making it seem as if it had become one with Heaven and Earth.
Inside the fighter jet, in the training room.
Lin Yuan sat cross-legged, his eyes closed.
At that moment, visible waves of energy rippled around him. The air twisted and trembled, as if unable to withstand the terrifying pressure radiating from within his body.
The immense essence of vegetation within the Ten-Thousand-Year Willow Heart, powerful enough to make one's heart quake, had long since been swallowed. It had become a surging torrent, rushing through his limbs, bones, meridians, and dantian.
And yet, the barrier of life that spanned the gap between the Apprentice Level and the Planetary Level remained as solid as a rock.
"Just a little more... I'm almost there!"
Lin Yuan's brows twitched faintly. The power inside him had already built up to a critical point!
The Ten-Thousand-Year Willow Heart's medicinal power was formidable, but external forces alone weren't enough to let him ascend in a single step and complete his leap in life level.
What mattered more was his will!
What was will?
For an ordinary warrior, it might be the resolve to protect their family, or an obsession with pursuing power.
But for Lin Yuan, who possessed the Path of the Strongest system, his will came from the vast, boundless starry sky!
His consciousness seemed to break free from the restraints of his body, soaring beyond the heavens.
He saw the blue Earth beneath his feet. On this planet, a War God might reign supreme over a region, and a councilor might be invincible in the world.
But on the scale of the universe, Earth was no more than a speck of dust.
"So what if I'm invincible on Earth?"
He knew that before long, one challenge after another would come. He didn't want to drift along with the tide. He wanted to be the one in control!
And then there was the Milky Way Galaxy, galaxies, star regions, Universe Country...
It was a world so vast it left people breathless, so cruel it filled them with despair.
If anyone else learned of all this, they might feel deep fear and helplessness.
But Lin Yuan was different.
As these images flashed through his mind, what he felt wasn't fear, but a strange shudder that came from deep within his soul!
It was excitement! His blood was surging!
"That's the stage that belongs to me!"
"Since I'm here, I'm going to see what lies at the very top!"
Boom!
His fierce will became an indestructible spiritual blade and slashed hard at the invisible barrier.
Crack—
Somewhere in the depths of Lin Yuan's soul, a crisp sound of shattering rang out.
The shackles that had bound him for so long finally broke apart!
Hum!
In an instant, an earth-shaking change took place in the depths of Lin Yuan's sea of consciousness.
His formerly liquid Spiritual Force spun and compressed at a frenzied pace. At last, a tiny orb of brilliant light condensed at its center!
It was like a newborn star, illuminating his once-chaotic sea of consciousness.
At the same time, the energy from his breakthrough surged through his entire body.
His bones crackled as their density increased wildly, growing as hard as diamond!
His muscle fibers tore and reformed, becoming stronger and more resilient. Deep within every cell, his gene chains were broken, reassembled, and optimized!
This was an evolution of life that began at the microscopic level.
A faint golden glow began to appear in his formerly red blood—the sign of a leap in life.
The transformation lasted only an instant, but to Lin Yuan, it felt as if he had lived through an entire century.
When everything finally settled.
Whoosh!
Lin Yuan's eyes snapped open.
Two beams of solid-looking light shot from his eyes, stirring two clear ripples in the air of the dim training room. They lingered for a long time.
"Hah..."
He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. It shot several meters like a sharp arrow and struck the alloy wall with a soft thump.
"From Apprentice to Planetary Level—a leap in life."
Lin Yuan spoke slowly, his voice carrying an indescribable magnetism and authority.
He instinctively clenched his fist.
Crack!
The air in his palm burst apart instantly.
An unprecedented sense of power filled his body.
He could clearly feel the terrifying strength it now contained.
If a King-level monster stood before him, he wouldn't even need a weapon. His bare fists alone would be enough to beat it full of holes!
"So this is the Planetary Level!"
Lin Yuan stood up and casually stretched his limbs. His joints cracked like thunder.
The sheer exhilaration was so overwhelming that he nearly let out a long roar.
At that moment, he could feel that the pull of gravity had become almost negligible. Walking on air and crossing the Void were now effortless.
This was what it meant to truly have the foundation to stand firm in the universe!
Just as he was basking in the joy of his breakthrough—
[Ding!]
A long-absent, cold, mechanical voice abruptly rang out in his mind.
[Congratulations, host, on breaking through to the Planetary Level!]
[Detected a fundamental leap in the host's life level. Hidden mission "The Transformation of Life Genes" has been completed!]
[Issuing rewards...]
[Reward obtained: Special Auxiliary Plant Life—Star Vine!]
Hum!
A pale blue Crystal Giant Screen instantly appeared before Lin Yuan.
[Star Vine: An extremely rare plant life in the universe. It does not feed on vegetation, but devours starlight and ore. When mature, it can transform into a starry armor. Its defensive power is ten times that of a Cloud-Touching Vine of the same level, and it can also devour energy and feed it back to its master.]
[Evaluation: You have transcended the essence of an Apprentice and earned the right to stand among the stars. May this Star Vine, bearing the light of the sun and moon and the stars, join you in creating endless glory.]
Looking at the dizzying lines of text on the screen, Lin Yuan froze.
It took a full half minute for him to come to his senses. His mouth curved upward in an uncontrollable grin.
"Star Vine? An evolved mutation of the Cloud-Touching Vine? Ten times the defensive power?"
"Is this... for real?"
Everyone knew that Hong's position as the world's strongest was largely thanks to his Cloud-Touching Vine.
And now, the system had directly gifted Lin Yuan a Star Vine ten times more powerful than the Cloud-Touching Vine!
It was like installing the most advanced energy shield on his "interstellar fighter"!
The next moment, a flash of light.
A strange vine appeared out of thin air in his palm.
It was only as big as his palm, and its entire body was a deep, dusky purple. Instead of leaves, its surface was dotted with tiny crystals that glittered like stars.
"So this is the Star Vine..."
Lin Yuan's eyes were full of affection.
Without hesitation, he moved a thought, and lightly nicked his fingertip.
Hiss!
A Planetary-level warrior's skin was incredibly tough, but when he deliberately controlled his strength, a tiny cut still opened on his index finger.
A drop of pale golden blood slowly fell.
Plop.
The blood landed on the Star Vine's dusky purple tendril and was instantly absorbed.
Hum—
The Star Vine shuddered violently, and the starlight on its surface suddenly blazed brighter.
Then Lin Yuan felt an affectionate, admiring emotion travel through their spiritual connection and enter his mind. It was like a newborn child seeing its father for the first time.
"What a strange feeling."
Lin Yuan could clearly sense countless threads connecting him to the Star Vine, as if it had become a part of his body.
Just as Lin Yuan was overwhelmed with delight and preparing to study his new companion's abilities—
[Ding!]
The cold, mechanical voice rang out once again!
Lin Yuan froze. There was another reward?
He quickly looked up at the Crystal Giant Screen. The original text gradually faded, replaced by a line of blood-red writing. This was... a mission!
[...]
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