Secret Technique

Every impact was like using an egg to strike a stone. World Lord power crashed against the surface of the Origin Core without leaving even the slightest crack, while Fang Yan himself was shaken until his blood and qi churned.

"As expected."

Fang Yan gave a bitter laugh and withdrew his World Lord power.

The Spring Autumn Cicada avatar was a special life-form with a thousandfold genetic level. This identity granted him combat power far beyond others of the same rank, but it had also given him an Origin Core so sturdy it was outrageous.

For a World Lord to break through to Immortal, he needed to shatter the Origin Core and fuse his soul with divine power, thereby condensing an Immortal divine body.

But if the Origin Core was too sturdy to break open, one would be permanently stuck at the peak of the World Lord level, unable to advance another step.

This was the predicament faced by all special life-forms.

Although Fang Yan's Spring Autumn Cicada was not as heaven-defying as Luo Feng's Golden Horned Beast, its thousandfold genetic level was there for all to see. The sturdiness of its Origin Core could not be broken by ordinary means.

"Looks like I can only create a secret technique myself."

Fang Yan wailed. He did not have much experience fighting others, and that was a major weakness for him.

But this was the path all special life-forms had to take to break through to Immortal.

Over the remaining months, Fang Yan did not attempt another breakthrough. Instead, he devoted all his energy to comprehending the Chaos Steles.

Like a parched sponge, he frantically absorbed every shred of temporal law insight from the eight Chaos Steles.

The essence of shifting between illusion and reality within the Illusory Martial Chaos Stele, the unstoppable dominance within the Giant Axe Chaos Stele, the profound and unfathomable artistic conception within the Darkness Chaos Stele...

A year passed in the blink of an eye.

When Gui Yi King appeared at the edge of the plaza again, Fang Yan was sitting cross-legged where he had been. Compared to a year ago, his aura had undergone earth-shaking changes.

The Law of Wind had already reached completion, while his mastery of Time Stop was just one final step away.

"Time is up."

Gui Yi King's voice was as calm as still water.

Fang Yan opened his eyes, rose to his feet, and cupped his fists toward Gui Yi King in salute.

"Thank you, Senior, for your care over the past year."

"No need to thank me. If you want to thank someone, thank Teacher."

Gui Yi King waved a hand.

"What are your plans next?"

Fang Yan pondered for a moment before saying, "This junior intends to purchase some secret technique manuals left behind by senior experts for reference, then enter seclusion to create my own secret technique."

"Create your own secret technique?"

Gui Yi King raised a brow slightly, his silver-gray eyes sweeping over Fang Yan.

He recalled his teacher's evaluation, so he did not try to dissuade him.

Gui Yi King sighed.

"If you need any help, just ask."

Fang Yan said, "This junior truly needs to purchase some secret techniques for reference. I hope Senior can recommend the Virtual Universe Company's trading channels."

Fang Yan was clearly asking Gui Yi King for a bargain. Although he still had nearly ten billion chaos elements in his account, Fang Yan, once a poor Gu Immortal in the Gu World who had wished he could split one Immortal Essence Stone into eight pieces, naturally retained the Gu World's tradition of "frugality."

Gui Yi King smiled faintly, understanding at once. He nodded and casually waved his hand.

"I've already granted you authorization. You can purchase all resources circulated internally by the company at a thirty percent discount."

Fang Yan was delighted.

"Thank you, Senior!"

Gui Yi King waved him off and turned to leave.

Inside the Flightless Bird, Fang Yan immersed his consciousness in the Virtual Universe Company's trading system and began a frenzied shopping spree.

The first thing he decided to buy was a secret technique manual titled Chaos Conjecture.

Its author was the Chaos Lord. Even the first six levels still cost eighty million chaos elements after the discount.

Fang Yan's eyelid twitched as he stared at the price.

Eighty million chaos elements—this was already more than half the fortune of a King-level powerhouse.

"Ei... eighty million?!"

Before Fang Yan could react, Little Fox Fairy's projection sprang out of the sensor on his wrist. Her fox ears stood straight up, and her tail puffed into a ball of fur.

"Master, calm down! Eighty million chaos elements! Do you know how many tasty energy blocks that could buy? It would be enough for me to eat through the menus of every dessert shop in the Virtual Universe!"

Fang Yan's mouth twitched. "You're an intelligent life-form. Why would you eat energy blocks?"

"Th-then it could buy lots and lots of pretty data skins!" Little Fox Fairy anxiously bounced around on his shoulder.

"Look, I'm still using my factory default skin! I don't even have a decent tail effect!"

"Buy it!"

Fang Yan gritted his teeth and pressed the confirmation button. After all, Chaos Venerable had previously given him ten billion chaos elements as startup capital.

Little Fox Fairy let out a howl and covered her fox face. She peered through the gaps between her fingers as that string of numbers was deducted from the account. Her whole body wilted, her tail drooping like a furry scarf that had lost its dreams.

Fang Yan continued browsing the trading list, and his eyes soon settled on another manual.

The first five levels of Time Illusory Martial cost one hundred million chaos elements.

Fang Yan's eyelid twitched even harder.

One hundred million chaos elements.

At that price, it was the entire fortune of an ordinary King-level expert.

However, Fang Yan guessed that this should have been created by Origin.

"One hundred million?!"

This time, Little Fox Fairy jumped completely out of the sensor, transforming into a palm-sized miniature fox. Her two front paws clung desperately to Fang Yan's finger.

"Master! Think this through! Six hundred million of your ten billion has already been spent on God-Killing Powder, and now you're spending another one hundred eighty million! If we keep spending like this, we'll be drinking the northwest wind sooner or later!"

She looked up at Fang Yan with tear-filled eyes.

"How about we only buy the first two levels for now? We can buy the rest when there's a sale? I'll keep an eye on promotion notices for you, really! I swear!"

Fang Yan looked down at this intelligent life-form, who had even resorted to swearing an oath to save money, then expressionlessly pulled his finger free.

"Buy it!"

Fang Yan clenched his back teeth and pressed the confirmation button again.

"Awooo—"

Little Fox Fairy let out a mournful cry and turned into a ball of blue light that burrowed back into the sensor, leaving only the tip of her tail outside, trembling.

"...This world is too terrifying. I want to go back to factory settings."

Her muffled voice came from the sensor, and Fang Yan could not help laughing aloud.

After receiving the manuals, he did not linger at the Virtual Universe Company headquarters.

Having purchased the necessary supplies, Fang Yan piloted the Flightless Bird and set off on the journey back to Yinghuo Star.

Time Illusory Martial landed in Fang Yan's hands. It was made of a translucent silver crystal, icy cold in his grip, as though he were holding a block of ice.

When he opened the cover, there was only one line on the title page—

"Time's most vicious hatred is..."

٩(๑^o^๑)۶

Fang Yan stared at that line for a long time, then solemnly stored both manuals in his world ring.

One hundred and twenty years later, when that crimson planet appeared beyond the porthole once more, an indescribable emotion surged within Fang Yan.

Yinghuo Star, Sky Pillar Peak.

He was back!

Fang Lie had been waiting at the foot of Sky Pillar Peak early on.

The Seventh Elder of the Fang Family still looked rugged and uninhibited. Wearing dark-red battle armor, he stood there boldly like an iron tower.