Without a teacher's guidance, even with a clear direction for their cultivation, Luo Feng and Chen Ao spent nearly a month searching the Treasure Vault for secret techniques that suited them.
"Senior, I've found a secret technique called Drifting Blood. It seems perfect for me!" That day, Luo Feng sought out Chen Ao, hoping to hear his opinion.
Chen Ao clicked his tongue. Was this destiny?
Still, even though he knew Drifting Blood suited Luo Feng extremely well, he wouldn't say so outright.
After all, in the original story, even someone as discerning as True Yan King had wondered whether recommending Drifting Blood to Luo Feng had done him harm.
If even True Yan King had felt that way, how could Chen Ao dare overstep? What if he ended up sabotaging Luo Feng?
Of course, he didn't truly care about Luo Feng. What he cared about was making Luo Feng shine brightly enough to serve as a shield that concealed him.
Luo Feng looked at Chen Ao. In his eyes, Chen Ao had a deep understanding of space law, and his knowledge of anything related to space should far exceed his own.
"If you think it suits you, give it a try. We're at the same level, after all. Perhaps you'll surpass me in three years. Giving you careless advice would only hurt you!"
"Senior, you always underestimate yourself!"
Luo Feng was speechless. Although Chen Ao had offered him pointers a few times, he always stopped short of anything substantive. At most, he pointed Luo Feng in a direction.
He firmly believed Chen Ao was formidable, but Chen Ao always held back, and he had no idea why.
There was nothing Luo Feng could do about it.
Chen Ao offered no opinion. As for the law of gold, Luo Feng knew Chen Ao didn't cultivate it, so he didn't ask about that either.
Luo Feng wasn't so incapable of making his own decisions that he had to ask about everything.
With three years to spend aboard the spaceship, Luo Feng and Chen Ao began cultivating diligently.
Chen Ao would have to wait until they reached Chaos City to obtain the Wood-Space Essays. For now, he could rely on Original Wood, a secret technique explaining the wood origin law that his Sunken Water Vine clone had already found in the Treasure Vault.
"It's time!" Chen Ao steadied his mind.
Empowerment!
The passive empowerment from Highlander's Blood soon took effect on his Sunken Water Vine clone. Within a single breath, Chen Ao knew that the clone's gene multiplier had reached the perfect gene level of 10,081 times.
Boom!
As though he had suddenly gone blind, Chen Ao found that his consciousness had entered a special space.
Even knowing where he was, he still found it unbelievable.
"So this is where the universe origin resides?"
Each of those spheres represented a fusion law. Even the fusion laws of the Eight Beast Gods were merely a foundation.
The ten origin laws could be combined in pairs, in threes, or even in a perfect combination of all ten. With differing degrees of fusion as well, the possibilities were endless.
These were the true essence of the universe origin.
And only special lifeforms and beings with perfect genes could receive these fusion laws as gifts.
Innate secret techniques were merely an outward manifestation of fusion laws.
"Once I take over the Original Universe someday, all of this will be mine!"
As his thoughts wandered, a sphere suddenly slammed into Chen Ao's mind.
The next instant, Chen Ao felt an innate secret technique appear within his soul.
"Secret technique: Void Slaughter!"
This was a secret technique combining the laws of space, wood, and gold. It was on the same level as his Sunken Water Vine's innate secret technique, Strangulation.
As long as he could comprehend even a little of it, he could easily create a supreme Universe Master-level fusion secret technique, making his combat strength soar.
With enough comprehension, he could even create a secret technique at the level of a Universe's Strongest One.
"What a shame. I can use it, but I don't understand a thing about how it works!"
In the past, it had always been:
Brain: Got it!
Hands: Nope.
But with this innate secret technique, it was now:
Hands: Got it!
Brain: Nope!
He didn't need to know how to use it. Simply activating its secret patterns would unleash it.
"With two secret techniques that each fuse three laws, as long as I devote myself to comprehending them, my future potential will be incredibly high!"
If I can fuse four laws, perhaps I can become a Void True God?
Of his two innate secret techniques, the Sunken Water Vine's Strangulation fused the laws of wood, water, and space. He could use it now, but its power would vary with his cultivation level.
Void Slaughter, the innate secret technique granted by his perfect genes, fused the laws of gold, wood, and space. He would have to become an Immortal before he could use it.
"But I can study and comprehend both of them!"
He had to take things one step at a time. First, he needed to comprehend the law of wood. It was the foundation, and with his Sunken Water Vine clone, it was also the easiest thing to accomplish.
He could take his time with the laws of water and gold. Once he reached the Initial Universe, there would be plenty of opportunities.
Time passed slowly. Luo Feng began studying the gold-space origin laws with fanatical dedication, even setting aside the task of raising his cultivation level.
Only when his comprehension hit a bottleneck would he learn a few secret techniques, using them to cross-check his understanding of the laws.
And whenever Luo Feng made progress, he would come to spar with Chen Ao.
Pestered beyond endurance, Chen Ao could only agree reluctantly.
"Senior, take my Sky-Splitting Claw!"
Luo Feng unleashed the claw technique with his human body, lunging straight at Chen Ao.
Watching the Sky-Splitting Claw, Chen Ao almost thought Luo Feng had embarked on the path of fusion laws ahead of time.
But after looking closely, he realized it was still the law of gold. Although Luo Feng was also using space law, his approach differed from Chen Ao's. Luo Feng used space law purely for movement, making it easier to evade attacks and land his own.
Thud!
Under Luo Feng's claw strike, Chen Ao put up an "earnest" defense, but was injured anyway.
"S-so powerful! As expected of a Child of Fortune. You've surpassed me so quickly!"
Luo Feng: ...
Could his acting possibly be any faker?
Chen Ao also felt he had overdone it, but he wasn't a professional actor. Managing even this much had been difficult enough.
Luo Feng pursed his lips. Chen Ao seemed extremely reluctant to fight.
If that was the case, he might as well forget it. Otherwise, he would only be asking for disappointment.
Still, he truly wanted Chen Ao to have a proper match with him.
Yet Chen Ao refused to indulge him at all.
"So this is a Child of Fortune? Your progress amazes me!" Chen Ao marveled.
Luo Feng no longer wanted to bother with Chen Ao. It wasn't just his talk about being a Child of Fortune. The main problem was that Chen Ao was simply no fun.
He was always holding back.
Even though Luo Feng knew Chen Ao meant no harm, that behavior was genuinely irritating.
After that sparring match, Luo Feng never came to bother Chen Ao again.
Chen Ao, meanwhile, focused entirely on studying the patterns on the Sunken Water Vine, striving to comprehend the law of wood as soon as possible.
As the three-year mark approached, the power of the laws around the spaceship began to stir faintly.
Sensing the fluctuations, Chen Ao was immediately alarmed. "Oh no!"
He hurriedly reined in his comprehension of the law of wood.
"That was close! I almost gained the law of wood's recognition!"
Once a law mark formed, anyone would be able to see it. Recognition from a law would directly prove his talent. How could he hide then?
"Gaining recognition can wait. I'll have to keep a low profile during those thirty years in Chaos City!"
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