Star Level

Li Xin paid no attention to the affairs of the outside world. After returning to Kyoto Base City, he resumed his cultivation. Increasing his strength was still quite easy for him now.

The second level of Star Annihilation requires a mental power amplitude of twenty-five times before I can practice it. Mine is twenty times now, so I'm not far off. I can work on that.

I've just comprehended the first stage of the Light Domain. While training my mental power, I can incorporate my domain and deepen my understanding of it.

The Eternal Divine Furnace still has plenty of energy. I should hurry and reach the planetary ninth rank. Then I can start working toward a breakthrough to Star Level.

After arranging his cultivation plan, Li Xin devoted himself to training.

Although Li Xin himself did not interfere with outside affairs, the entire Earth underwent tremendous upheaval because of him.

As Li Xin's factory expanded, it produced Mechanical Puppets faster and faster. To purchase even more of them, China's military naturally deployed large numbers of the Mechanical Puppets it had bought in the war against the monsters.

It then harvested materials from the monsters, developed valuable metal deposits in monster-occupied territory, and absorbed the monsters' bioenergy. Only this way could it sustain the enormous Mechanical Puppet Legion.

At first, the China Military Region merely swept away the monsters surrounding the Six Great Base Cities. But as it intensified its operations, the nearby monsters rose up one after another, unleashing an immense Beast Tide.

Just as the other factions thought China's base cities would suffer devastating damage or even be destroyed, countless Mechanical Puppets charged out of the cities and clashed with the Beast Tide in an earth-shaking battle.

That battle darkened the skies and left rivers of blood. There was no telling how many monsters died in it.

Yet not a single base city in China suffered serious damage. The monsters could not even approach their walls.

That battle showed everyone in the world that China no longer needed to fear the monsters. It even had the power to wipe them out and reclaim the territory it had once lost!

Ever since the Great Nirvana began, monsters had been humanity's greatest enemy, keeping humans so thoroughly suppressed that they could never hold their heads high.

Now, they saw hope of eliminating the monsters once and for all!

"No matter what, we have to buy those robots!"

At that moment, almost every faction became desperate to purchase robots.

"Only factions in China's camp may purchase them!"

After that battle, Li Xin opened up access to Mechanical Puppet purchases. They were no longer available only to the China Military Region. Any faction in China's camp could buy them, provided it could afford them.

At the same time, the Extreme Martial Hall and the Thunder Dojo both announced that they were joining China's camp.

"Li Xin's ambitions are too great. He wants to unite every faction in the world. He's forcing us to bow our heads!"

The HR Alliance and the other major factions understood Li Xin's ambitions perfectly. But as the saying went, better to rule a small kingdom than serve in a great one. Accustomed to standing above everyone else, how could they possibly surrender to China?

The stalemate lasted half a year. During that time, China hunted monsters on a massive scale and reclaimed its territory.

This provoked monsters all across the world into rampaging, leaving the other factions in misery.

"My cultivation has slowed down!"

Li Xin frowned as he looked back on his progress over the past six months.

He had now reached the planetary ninth rank, with a mental power amplitude of forty times and a fifth-stage Light Domain. But as his strength increased, he increasingly felt that his progress was slowing.

Is it mainly because I have no opponents? Training in isolation is too slow, after all!

During this period, Hong and Thunder God had often come to spar with him. But as his strength continued to rise, neither could withstand even a single move from him, so naturally, they stopped sparring afterward.

[Eternal Divine Brain No. 1 upgrade progress has reached 100%. The Eternal Divine Furnace has sufficient energy. Upgrade available.]

Over those six months, Eternal Divine Brain No. 2 had been researching and upgrading Eternal Divine Brain No. 1 using the technology in the Eternal Divine Brain's legacy. After more than half a year, the Eternal Divine Brain had finally reached the limit of Planetary Level!

"Advance!"

After returning to the spaceship, Li Xin brought himself into peak condition and fully activated the ship's defenses. Only then did he choose to upgrade.

The next instant, an immense flood of information about the Eternal Divine Brain came crashing in. Even though Eternal Divine Brain No. 1 had already reached the limit of Planetary Level, it was not enough.

Faced with this vast torrent of information, its Calculation talent operated at full capacity, yet still could not withstand the terrifying impact.

"Aaaah!!!!"

The agonizing pain Li Xin knew all too well returned to his head. It felt as though something inside it was swelling, or something was endlessly digging through his skull. The pain was so unbearable that he wished he were dead!

With a heart clear as ice, remain unshaken even if the heavens fall...

Despite the excruciating pain, Li Xin gritted his teeth and forced himself to sit cross-legged on the floor. Rather than pound his head with his hands, he sat there like a Taoist in meditation.

During this period, he had collected and carefully studied various classics from the Hundred Schools of Thought throughout China's history. He had also consulted Hong and Thunder God about cultivating his state of mind.

He had gained a basic grounding in cultivating the mind. In the past, this pain would have been unbearable, forcing him to vent in various ways to ease it.

Now, however, he could force himself to endure it, making his heart as clear and cold as ice. A cool sensation flowed through his blood, easing the pain in his body.

In this state of unspeakable agony, he forced himself to endure for half a month.

"Cut through it!!"

At the final moment, Li Xin used his formidable will to condense the power of his mind into a sword. A flash of sword light cut through everything. Even the pain in his body was severed and extinguished in that instant.

The heart is like a clear mirror, unstained by a single speck of dust. The mind condenses into a sword, cutting through all illusions.

I've taken my first real step in cultivating the mind, haven't I?

Li Xin opened his eyes and exhaled a stale breath. His entire body felt wonderfully light, and his eyes were clear and bright as he looked directly into his own heart!

At the same time, Eternal Divine Brain No. 1 finished upgrading, and Li Xin's own strength reached the first rank of Star Level.

I never imagined that both my advancement to Planetary Level and this advancement to Star Level caused such terrible pain in my head and soul because the Eternal Divine Brain was undergoing the process of fully merging with my soul.

Now that I've advanced to Star Level, the Eternal Divine Brain has completely merged with me. Even if the flesh of my human main body dies, I can still be reborn from Eternal Divine Brain No. 1, just like the Eternal Divine Brain's other sub-brains.

As long as I keep Eternal Divine Brain No. 1 from being destroyed, I'm immortal!

Within the Eternal Divine Brain's legacy information, Li Xin found the true reason for his earlier splitting headaches. This immediately filled him with a sense of security.

He no longer feared Soul Attacks. No one could subject him to Soul Enslavement, nor could anyone kill him through his soul.

With the Eternal Divine Brain, he could be reborn even if the flesh of his human main body died. As long as Eternal Divine Brain No. 1 remained intact, he truly had no reason to fear death.

There's no suitable avatar for Eternal Divine Brain No. 3 to merge with yet. I'll set it aside for now.

Li Xin intended to use his third avatar to merge with a form that would help him comprehend laws. Ideally, it would be a special lifeform. Failing that, it would at least have to be a starry sky behemoth whose attributes matched his own.

"Sixth-stage Light Domain!"

Li Xin unleashed his Light Domain. With the calculations performed by the Star Level Eternal Divine Brain No. 1, his understanding of the Light Domain advanced by leaps and bounds.

Standing in the sunlight, he unconsciously immersed himself in comprehension. With a sudden flash of inspiration, his Light Domain advanced from the fifth stage to the sixth!

His ability to comprehend was even stronger than before!