Fragments of the Rules

The atmosphere was heavy in the sealed stone chamber deep within New Fire Valley.

Lu Yuan stood in the center of the Soul Guidance Array, its lines shimmering with a faint silver light. Yun Youzi, Mo Chen, Shen Moxin, Lin Xiao, and Su Yan stood at the edge, their faces grim.

"What are you going to do?" Yun Youzi asked in a deep voice.

"Guide a wisp of the turbulent flow of rules at the edge of the ' Crevice Space ' and refine it into the cornerstone of the ninth Soul Ring." Lu Yuan said calmly.

A gasp filled the stone chamber.

"Are you crazy?!" Mo Chen almost jumped up. "A mere touch of the chaotic rules will cause your soul to be scattered!"

Shen Moxin's fingertips turned white. "It's too risky. There's no precedent for this, and it could affect the entire valley."

Lin Xiao stared at Lu Yuan, his pupils shrinking to slits.

"It's not the core turbulence, but the 'aftereffects' on the periphery." Lu Yuan raised his hand and lightly touched his brow. "I'm bound to the stone gate, so I have an 'affinity' and 'resistance' to that kind of chaotic rules, and I can distinguish relatively stable fragments."

"That's only relative!" Yun Youzi interrupted. "The bottleneck at level 89 can be overcome slowly, why gamble with your life?"

Lu Yuan remained silent for a moment.

"There's no time left." His voice was soft. "The Zhao Clan won't give up, and the Spirit Hall may have already noticed us. More importantly... the 'noise' in the background of our Soul Power is becoming clearer, and the resonance from the northeast is intensifying. I need a stronger ' Key ' and 'anchor'."

"What are the odds?" Lin Xiao asked hoarsely.

"Theoretical calculations show a success rate of no more than 30%. In practice, it's likely even lower."

"But we must try." Lu Yuan said decisively, "Inheriting a ready-made godhood is not my wish. The ' Key ' I need must be forged by my own hands."

The stone chamber fell silent.

Yun Youzi sighed heavily, "I can't stop you, can I?"

"Yes."

"What do you need us to do?" Mo Chen asked through gritted teeth, a fanatical fervor resurfacing in his eyes.

Shen Moxin took a deep breath. "All data must be recorded throughout the entire process, even if it fails, an analytical record must be left."

Lin Xiao walked up to Lu Yuan: "Come out alive. Otherwise, I'll tear this valley apart."

Lu Yuan's lips curved slightly. "Okay."

Su Yan stepped forward, her voice firm. "I'll stay at the closest point. Leave any external Soul Power nodes that require fine-tuning to me."

For the next seven days, the core area of New Fire Valley will be under the highest level of alert. Non-core disciples are not allowed to approach the stone chamber within a hundred feet.

Inside the stone chamber, Mo Chen led his men to inscribe and adjust the magic array. Shen Moxin set up the observation Soul Tool, while Yun Youzi oversaw the details from the central control.

Lu Yuan then entered a deep adjustment phase. He meditated in the quiet room, adjusting his Soul Power, spiritual power, and "Primordial Qi" to the most harmonious resonance state, and repeatedly deduced mathematical models.

By evening of the seventh day, everything was ready.

Lu Yuan walked barefoot into the stone chamber. The magic array was activated, a pale silver halo flowed, and the air stagnated.

Five people stood behind the protective barrier at the edge.

"Remember," Yun Youzi's voice was hoarse, "If it gets out of control, we will forcibly cut off the core energy of the magic array. You have a maximum of three breaths to stop it yourself."

"Understood." Lu Yuan sat cross-legged in the center of the magic array and closed his eyes.

A faint green halo emanated from the Stone Gate Mark between the eyebrows.

The first step is to establish contact.

My mind sank into the imprint, cautiously extending along the invisible link with the "Crevice Space," like a thin thread hanging down from the edge of a raging ocean.

The fluctuations of Soul Power within the stone chamber suddenly became chaotic. The magic array flickered and hummed.

The data on the observation soul guide plate was fluctuating wildly.

Lu Yuan's body trembled slightly. The chaotic aura of rules poured into his soul like ice water. He steadied his mind and carefully discerned the truth amidst the chaos.

We found a trace of "afterglow" hovering on the edge of the raging vortex, relatively stable, with a regular pulsation.

The second step is guidance.

Lu Yuan suddenly opened his eyes and formed a hand seal. His Soul Power, spiritual power, and "Primordial Qi" resonated together, transforming into a slender and resilient "Soul Power rope" that pierced through the void and caught the lingering trace of the rules.

Boom--!

An indescribable pressure descended!

The stone chamber shook violently, and the magic array's light surged. The data from the observation soul guide plate exploded, and the crystal probe shattered.

Mo Chen rushed to the control panel and channeled his Soul Power into it.

Countless fine bloodstains burst open on Lu Yuan's body! Cracks appeared in his Soul Power structure, meridians, flesh, and bones under the pressure of the rules. Blood mist swirled around his body.

His face was contorted, his jaw clenched, and a suppressed growl escaped his throat. It was as if his soul had been thrown into a meat grinder.

But he did not stop. His hand seal remained as steady as a mountain, and the rope of Soul Power trembled but did not break amidst the violent impact. The mathematical model was running at high speed, adjusting its own Soul Power structure to adapt to the buffer.

The blood mist thickened. Blood seeped from Lu Yuan's seven orifices, and cracks spread across his skin.

"Interrupt! Interrupt it now!" Yun Youzi were bloodshot with rage.

"Wait!" Lin Xiao pressed him down. "His Soul Power fluctuations are still adjusting! He's sorting out that thing!"

Lu Yuan's Soul Power fluctuations were struggling to synchronize with the lingering resonance of the rules, like a craftsman using his own energy structure as a mold to accommodate and organize the chaotic fragments of the rules.

Time seemed to stand still.

Lu Yuan's consciousness began to blur. The excruciating pain, the feeling of his soul being torn apart, and the overwhelming amount of information about the rules almost burst his head. Only that deep-seated obsession sustained him—to construct the Key, master the rules, and break the Shackles.

The mathematical model reached its limit. The "buffering and sorting" structure of the magic array was activated, and the light contracted inward to form a pale silver cocoon, enveloping Lu Yuan and the afterglow of the rules.

The cocoon of light trembled violently.

The five people outside held their breath.

After an unknown amount of time, the cocoon of light suddenly stopped vibrating.

The violent energy suddenly contracted and collapsed inward! The oppressive force receded like a tide, the light of the magic array dimmed, leaving only a single, dazzling source of light in the center.

The light source rose, hovering three feet above Lu Yuan's head.

The light gradually faded, revealing its true form—an illusory halo that could not be described by color.

It is sometimes transparent, sometimes shimmering with iridescent light, and at its core, a miniature, pale green Stone Gate Mark slowly rotates. The halo is composed of countless tiny rays of light and runes, which are direct manifestations of the fundamental rules of the world, constantly changing and dying.

The moment the halo took shape, the cracks on Lu Yuan's body rapidly healed. The blood mist dissipated, and his aura became long and steady. Instead of a surge in Soul Power, it became even more profound and deep, as if it had merged into the background of space.

He slowly opened his eyes.

A fleeting image of starlight flashed across his eyes before he regained his composure, revealing a depth that seemed to see through appearances.

At the edge of the stone chamber, the five people stood frozen in place.

At that moment, Lu Yuan's expression suddenly changed!

He covered his forehead, and the mark between his eyebrows flashed violently at an unprecedented frequency, conveying a rapid and sharp warning! A strong sense of unease surged through him.

The direction was crystal clear—straight above! Above the heavens!

Lu Yuan suddenly looked up, his gaze seemingly piercing through the layers of rock and clouds, looking directly at the invisible realm of rules.

He "saw" it.

From the highest levels of the rules, seemingly because of his act of "stealing" fragments of the rules, a cold, indifferent, and boundless "gaze" quietly descended.

That gaze, devoid of emotion, sent a chill down Lu Yuan's spine.

It was as if the manager of a vast system had discovered that a tiny node had engaged in an unnatural self-correction.