Preparations for the Primal Star

He pondered for a moment before making a decision. "This time, you'll be in my group."

Everyone present looked surprised.

Chaos City Lord was the Human Race's strongest expert in the Primal Universe, a peak seventh-order Universe Master whose combat power rivaled that of a True God. He rarely took action in person, much less brought a newcomer along. Yet this time, he had volunteered to group up with Qin Yuan?

Qin Yuan was stunned as well.

Being in Chaos City Lord's group would naturally be the safest option. But if he stayed by Chaos City Lord's side the whole time, how could he strike out alone and kill Universe Masters of the Alien Races? The main quest required him to personally kill three of them. If he followed Chaos City Lord, he might not even get a chance to fight.

"City Lord, I..." Qin Yuan tried to say something.

Chaos City Lord waved a hand, cutting him off. "I know what you're thinking. You're worried that if you follow me, you won't have a chance to fight, aren't you?"

Qin Yuan fell silent, tacitly admitting it.

"Don't worry." A faint smile appeared on Chaos City Lord's face, a rare sight. "I'm taking you along to protect you, not to restrict you. Once we're on the Primal Star, I'll give you opportunities to act on your own, depending on the situation. But first, you must prove that you can protect yourself."

He gave Qin Yuan a meaningful look. "I believe you can."

Qin Yuan's heart jolted.

What did Chaos City Lord mean by that? Had he seen through something?

"Thank you for your trust, City Lord." Qin Yuan took a deep breath and bowed solemnly.

"All right, go and make your preparations." Chaos City Lord waved his hand. "Gather outside the Primal Star in thirty-six days. I'll send you all a detailed map of the Primal Star and the known locations of its treasures then."

"Yes!"

Everyone rose and left the main hall one after another.

Qin Yuan had just stepped through the hall doors when a voice called out behind him. "Qin Yuan, wait."

He turned and saw Lord Peng Gong.

"Senior Peng Gong." Qin Yuan bowed slightly. Though they were both Universe Masters, Lord Peng Gong was a long-established expert of the Human Race, far surpassing him in both seniority and strength. Calling him senior was only proper.

Lord Peng Gong walked up to him and looked him up and down before suddenly smiling. "You're an interesting one, kid."

"What makes you say that, Senior?" Qin Yuan asked without betraying his thoughts.

"The City Lord rarely takes such an interest in newcomers," Lord Peng Gong said. "If he's willing to take you along himself, it means he has high hopes for you. Don't let him down."

"I understand."

Lord Peng Gong nodded and added, "Still, I should give you a warning. Danger lurks everywhere on the Primal Star. The Alien Races aren't the only threat; the Primal Star itself is full of dangers. Some of the restrictions and traps in ancient ruins can trap and kill even Universe Masters. This is your first time entering the Primal Star, so be sure to exercise caution. Don't rush ahead recklessly in pursuit of merit."

"Thank you for the advice, Senior," Qin Yuan said sincerely.

Lord Peng Gong patted him on the shoulder, then turned and left.

Qin Yuan watched him disappear into the distance, then logged out of the Virtual Universe.

When his consciousness returned to reality, Qin Yuan found himself still sitting cross-legged on the cushion in the warehouse. Outside the window, daylight had fully broken. Sunlight streamed through the dilapidated window, casting mottled patches of light and shadow across the floor.

"Thirty-six days..." Qin Yuan murmured.

He needed to increase his combat power as much as possible in those thirty-six days.

He had only 400 System Points left, not enough to exchange for Law Comprehension Acceleration. But he had another path open to him-creating his own secret technique.

Experts at the Universe Master Level would create secret techniques best suited to themselves based on their own Law Comprehension and fighting styles. A set of secret techniques that suited its user could multiply their combat power severalfold or even more than tenfold.

In the original story, Luo Feng had relied on self-created secret techniques such as Star Preaching and One Thought Universe to roam the Universe Ocean unchecked.

Qin Yuan closed his eyes, and countless law patterns surfaced in his mind.

Time and space were the two higher laws he excelled at most. His fighting style favored control and explosive power: he used the Time Law to restrict his enemies, the Space Law to launch surprise attacks and evade, and then his strongest attack to kill with a single blow.

Based on that style, the secret technique he wanted to create needed three characteristics: first, it had to be unleashed instantly, without requiring a long buildup; second, it had to work in conjunction with the Time and Space Laws to form a combination of moves; third, it had to be powerful enough to severely injure or even kill an opponent of the same order in a single strike.

"Time Stop... Space Lockdown... and then..."

Qin Yuan's consciousness sank completely into the ocean of laws as he began working out every detail of the secret technique.

The days passed one by one.

In the warehouse, Qin Yuan sat motionless like a statue. Yet law patterns constantly flickered and flowed around him, sometimes freezing like ice, sometimes shifting like clouds.

On the twentieth day of his secluded cultivation, a powerful fluctuation of law suddenly erupted in the warehouse.

Qin Yuan's eyes snapped open, and his hands formed a profound seal before his chest.

"Time-stop!"

Time and space abruptly froze within a hundred-meter radius around him. A bird flying past the window stopped in midair, falling leaves hung suspended, and even the light seemed to grow viscous.

This was not merely localized Time Deceleration, but a higher-level application-Time Stop! Within this area, the flow of time for everything except Qin Yuan himself temporarily fell to zero.

Although it could last only three brief seconds, three seconds were enough to decide life or death in a battle at the Universe Master Level.

"Space-Space-Shattering Slash!"

Qin Yuan loosely closed his right hand, and an invisible blade formed from the pure Space Law appeared in his palm. He swung it gently forward, sending a wave invisible to the naked eye sweeping out.

The space frozen by Time Stop shattered like glass beneath the slash. Countless Space Fragments flew in every direction, each containing enough terrifying power to severely injure a Universe Master.

With Time Stop combined with Space-Shattering Slash, the enemy would first be trapped by Time Stop, unable to move or defend, then struck head-on by Space-Shattering Slash. The power of that combination was enough to instantly kill any Universe Master below the fourth order who had no resistance to the Time Law!

"I did it."

Qin Yuan let out a long breath, his eyes shining with excitement.

He named this set of secret techniques "Time-Space: Space Shattering." Although it was only a first attempt and still far from perfect, it was already impressive enough as his first self-created secret technique.

"System, evaluate this secret technique of mine."

[Analyzing...]

[Secret technique name: Time-Space: Space Shattering (self-created)]

[Secret technique level: Universe Master ultimate secret technique (prototype)]

[Secret technique type: Compound attack/control secret technique]

[Power assessment: With the combined effects of Time Stop and space shattering, it can inflict fatal damage on Universe Masters below the fourth order, severe damage on Fifth-Order Universe Masters, and has limited effect on Universe Masters of the sixth order and above.]

[Recommendations for improvement: 1. Increase the duration of Time Stop (currently 3 seconds); 2. Improve the spatial penetration of Space-Shattering Slash; 3. Incorporate a third law (recommended: Law of Metal or Law of Thunder) to sharpen the attack.]

A prototype of a Universe Master ultimate secret technique!

Qin Yuan was overjoyed. Many long-established Universe Masters might spend their entire lives without managing to create an ultimate secret technique. He had created a prototype in just twenty days. Although he had the system's help and ten eras' worth of accumulated comprehension, it was still an achievement he could be proud of.

Over the next dozen or so days, Qin Yuan continued refining the secret technique while cultivating his Divine Power and adjusting his condition.

At last, the day the Primal Star would open arrived.