Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 357 is still at the bottom, but
Upon hearing Lin Yi's words, the atmosphere in the booth instantly froze.

Yueming, Lan, and Minglu were all stunned for a moment, and then all three of their eyes focused on him.

"Saying goodbye?" Mingluo was the first to react, her voice rising several decibels, "Brother Lin Yi, what do you mean by this? Just because the captain said to give up on this mission? It can't be that bad! We're not blaming you, really! All newbies go through this!"

Lan quickly put down the crystal in her hand. "Brother Lin Yi, please don't be impulsive. We can choose another mission. A longer adjustment period is normal. Your talent and potential are undeniable; your future achievements are limitless. It's our team's good fortune to have you. Please don't leave because of temporary setbacks."

Even the usually aloof Yue Ming had a flicker of emotion in her pale purple eyes. She looked at Lin Yi and said slowly, "Lin Yi, we've all seen your progress. Giving up high-reward missions was a comprehensive consideration for the team's safety, not a denial of your personal abilities. Since the Star Silence Team invited you, they're prepared to grow together."

They had clearly misunderstood, thinking that Lin Yi had chosen to leave voluntarily because he felt guilty for holding the team back, so that the team could take on high-yield missions without restrictions.

Lin Yi felt a warmth in his heart as he looked at the reactions of his three teammates, but at the same time, he was also a little amused and exasperated.

He quickly waved his hand and explained, "Captain, Lan, Brother Mingluo, you've misunderstood. I'm not leaving the team."

"Huh?" Mingluo was taken aback.

"Not quitting?" Lan was also a little confused.

Yueming's gaze sharpened slightly as he awaited the next part.

“It’s like this,” Lin Yi said after organizing his thoughts, “I just received a message from the main body. The main body has made some crucial progress in its cultivation on Origin Star. It feels that in the current state of my clone, it may not be able to fully bear and unleash its latest power. Therefore, it is necessary for me to go back and summon a 'newer' clone.”

He phrased it rather euphemistically, but his meaning was very clear.

The characteristics of the Time Reversal Clone Technique dictate that the clone is summoned from a certain point in the past, and its understanding of the laws is basically fixed at the moment of summoning.

If the original body's understanding of the laws makes a leap forward, the old clones will not be able to obtain these improvements in sync.

The best way to give the clone the latest power is to disband the old clone and summon a new one from the more recent past.

Upon hearing this, Yueming and the other two realized what was happening and their eyes showed surprise.

"So that's how it is!" Mingluo slapped his thigh and laughed, "You need to go back specifically to change your clone? Brother Lin Yi, your progress is quite significant, isn't it? Could it be that your comprehension of the spatial laws has broken through 20%? Or even 30%?"

Lin Yi smiled, neither admitting nor denying.

Seeing this, Lan, who was standing nearby, also laughed.

He remembered that when Lin Yi first joined, the law of time was perfected, but the law of space was only just beginning.

How long has it been?

Two years is but a short time for a god-level being with an endless lifespan; it's just the time it takes to take a nap.

In just this short time, Lin Yi's main body had made such great progress in his seclusion on the Origin Star that he needed to update his clone.

This rate of progress is rather alarming.

However, having stronger teammates is obviously a good thing. The reason they tried so hard to invite Lin Yi to join the team was because they thought that with the talent Lin Yi had shown, his strength would increase quickly.

His initial regret vanished instantly: "If our strength has truly improved significantly, then we can indeed reconsider this Shadow Locust mission. If our team's overall combat power can be raised to a higher level, we'll have a much better chance of dealing with it."

They weren't too surprised that Lin Yi's physical strength would increase so rapidly.

After all, Lin Yi had just returned from the Myriad Secret Realms with a full load of loot and had made great contributions, receiving a generous reward from his clan.

Although they didn't know the exact amount, they guessed it wouldn't be small. In their view, with Lin Yi's talent, combined with the superior environment of Origin Star and the treasures he exchanged, it was inevitable that his strength would enter a period of rapid development.

They just didn't expect that this speed would be so fast; in just over two years, they would need to specially update their clones to match.

Yue Ming didn't immediately respond. After a moment's thought, she looked at Lin Yi's clone and asked a crucial question: "This mission in the XT-7783 star sector requires completion within two standard years. Even if we take a god-class spaceship, is there enough time for a round trip from the fortress back to Origin Star?"

The fortress is extremely far from the origin star located at the core of the human territory, and conventional travel takes a long time.

Lin Yi's clone nodded firmly: "There's enough time. I won't take the regular route. I'll use the Divine Kingdom teleportation channel. Although it's more expensive, it can directly teleport me to a designated coordinate near the Origin Star region, and then I can take a spaceship for a short journey. The return trip will also be via the Divine Kingdom teleportation, which will save a lot of time. A round trip should take about a month to get back to the fortress."

Hearing Lin Yi say that, the last trace of doubt in Yue Ming's eyes disappeared.

Without further hesitation, she lightly tapped the task screen with her fingertip.

“Alright. Mission accepted.” Yue Ming said, “Lin Yi, set off as soon as possible. We will make other preparations before the mission and continue to gather detailed intelligence on the XT-7783 star sector and the Shadow Locust. We will finalize the operation details after you return with your new clone.”

"Understood." Lin Yi stood up. "I'll go prepare now and we'll depart immediately."

Having said that, he didn't linger any longer and turned to leave the "Stardust Afterglow" tavern.

A moment later, a jet-black spaceship silently departed from the No. 3 spaceport of the front-line fortress. The spaceship's tail thrusters lit up with a ghostly blue flame, and it rapidly accelerated, disappearing into the vast sea of ​​stars.

This is the Shadow Shuttle, a god-level spaceship that Lin Yi purchased for himself. It has a balanced performance, combining speed, stealth, and a certain level of defense, making it suitable for long-distance solo travel.
-
Origin Star, Lin Yi Manor Cultivation Room.

Lin Yi sat cross-legged, his aura harmonious and restrained.

After returning from the Dingkong Hall, he did not immediately begin new cultivation. Instead, he spent some time carefully reflecting on and consolidating his insights after the leap forward in the laws of space, and experiencing the wondrous resonance and synergy between the laws of spacetime and time deep within his soul.

"The hardware has finally taken a big step forward," Lin Yi thought to himself. "But, having an understanding of the laws alone is not enough."

His foundation in the two superior laws is now very solid, even far surpassing that of ordinary gods. However, he needs the corresponding "software" to transform this solid foundation into real combat power.

That is, a secret method.

"Time Rift" is a time-space-based god-level attack technique; "Veil of Illusion" is a time-space-based god-level support technique.

These two secret techniques cost him 100,000 clan merits. Now that his comprehension of the laws has reached the required level, it is time to put them on his cultivation schedule.

“My clone is on its way back.” Lin Yi calculated the time. “It will take some time. Perfect, I can use this time to use the spiritual energy to learn the first level of these two secret techniques.”

He made this decision after careful consideration.

The cultivation of secret techniques, especially profound secret techniques at the divine level, is extremely difficult and takes a very long time.

If it were left entirely to the clone to slowly comprehend and explore, it would probably take thousands of years to barely grasp the first level.

This is too slow.

Time is the measure of victory, time is the measure of strength.

With stronger clones, they can play a greater role in carrying out missions for the Star Silent Squad and earn more battle merits more efficiently.

Military merits can be exchanged for more resources, creating a virtuous cycle.

"Sharpening the axe won't delay the work of chopping wood." Lin Yi thought to himself, "It's worthwhile to use some spiritual energy to accelerate the entry into these two key secret techniques. What I lack now is not this little bit of spiritual energy to quickly cultivate the secret techniques, but battle merits, and a large sum of money to exchange for auxiliary law comprehension treasures."

Of course, there is an even more important reason.

While summoning a new clone doesn't consume as much energy as resurrecting someone else, it still puts a burden on the soul and the power of time. Generally, a buffer period of several decades is needed in between, and it's not feasible to update it every few days.

Therefore, with each update, it's best to ensure that the clones maximize their current strength.

Having made up his mind, Lin Yi sat down cross-legged and retrieved all the cultivation information for the first level of "Space-Time Rift" and the first level of "Veil of Illusion" from his mind.

Two complex beams of light and shadow, composed of countless runes of spacetime laws and energy circulation diagrams, slowly unfolded in his consciousness.

This information is as vast as the starry sky, involving the intricate combination of spacetime forces, the special construction of energy circuits, the coordinated oscillation of law fluctuations, and so on, and is extremely profound.

For ordinary deities, it might take decades just to understand these basic pieces of information.

Lin Yi calmed his mind and carefully reviewed the cultivation method of the first level of "Time Rift" from beginning to end.

The core of this attack technique lies in combining the stagnation, acceleration, and disorder properties of the power of time with the cutting, folding, and shattering properties of the power of space in a specific ratio and sequence to form an attack that can simultaneously act on the spacetime structure.

"I roughly understand the principle; the key lies in grasping the connection point and ensuring the stability of energy output."

The next moment, Lin Yi's thoughts sank into the depths of his soul's origin, to that vast ocean of purple mist.

"Spiritual Enlightenment, Ignite!"

boom!
A purple flame of enlightenment rose within his soul, and Lin Yi's thinking speed, comprehension, and deductive abilities instantly soared to their peak.

The vast and complex cultivation information of the first level of "Space-Time Rift" was like being thrown into the most efficient analytical furnace. Every difficulty was quickly overcome, every key node was clearly grasped, and the trajectory of energy circulation was as clear as if one were seeing it with one's own eyes.

He saw how the power of time, like the most sophisticated catalyst, was injected into the cutting edge of space, causing a qualitative change in its destructive power.

He sensed the terrifying frequency that could tear apart the protective divine power of ordinary gods when the spacetime ripples overlapped and resonated.

He simulated the energy output process countless times, searching for the most stable and energy-efficient path.

With the relentless burning of spiritual energy, Lin Yi is absorbing and mastering this divine-level attack technique, which would normally take a long time for a deity to learn, at an astonishing speed.

Time passed little by little.

When the spiritual energy equivalent to 120 years' worth of enlightenment was completely exhausted, Lin Yi slowly opened his eyes.

He raised his right hand, his index and middle fingers together, and gently drew a line in the air in front of him.

Where his fingertips traced a line, a thin, silvery-gray crack quietly appeared.

The space around the crack was slightly distorted, and light was strangely deflected when it passed through it. There was also an obscure fluctuation that seemed to freeze and rupture time itself.

The crack lasted for more than three minutes before slowly healing and disappearing, leaving behind a tiny ripple in the space.

Time Rift, Level 1, Introduction!

"It consumed a little more than expected." Lin Yi sensed the consumption of his spiritual energy and silently assessed it in his mind. "However, the effect is indeed domineering. The power of this strike, combined with the sharpness of the Sky-Piercing Shuttle, can definitely pose a fatal threat to ordinary gods. It's also thanks to my high level of comprehension of the laws of space and time. My comprehension of the laws of space is only about 50%. To enter the realm of the laws of space, I estimate I would need at least 250 years of spiritual energy."

After taking a short break to catch his breath, Lin Yi turned his attention back to "The Curtain of Illusion".

This auxiliary secret technique focuses more on the precise manipulation and deception of spacetime information. Its principle is to simultaneously disturb the flow of time and spatial fluctuations in a small area around oneself, and release carefully designed false law fluctuations, thereby achieving the purpose of concealing one's true state, position, and even presence.

The cultivation difficulty is also extremely high, requiring a profound understanding of the laws of spacetime and extremely precise control. Lin Yi once again activated his spiritual energy.

The purple flames reignited.

His consciousness was immersed in how to weave this invisible curtain, how to make the time difference so natural as to go unnoticed, how to make the spatial refraction seamless, and how to simulate the false law fluctuations that were indistinguishable from reality.
This is an extremely delicate "weaving" process.

After the ninety-year share of spiritual energy had burned out, Lin Yi's thoughts stirred slightly.

A hazy halo, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, quietly spread out from him.

Within this halo, his aura became erratic, sometimes as powerful as a god, sometimes as faint as stardust, and his positional perception also became quite inaccurate.

The Veil of Illusion, Level One: Introduction!

"It's done." Lin Yi withdrew his secret technique, and the aura dissipated.

A look of satisfaction appeared on his face.

The first level of the two divine-level secret techniques consumed a total of approximately 210 years' worth of spiritual energy.

This consumes a lot of resources, but the resulting increase in combat power is real. The means of attack, stealth, and deception are more abundant, and the ability to survive and kill has been greatly improved.

"Xuanji," Lin Yi said, "with my current level of understanding of spatial laws, and having initially mastered the 'Space-Time Rift' and the 'Veil of Illusion,' where would my strength be roughly at the god level?"

Xuanji's palace attire appeared in the shadows. After a moment, she respectfully replied, "Master, based on the analysis of the Pan-Spirit Alliance's public database and the data on battles between gods, combined with your perfected Time Law and 81.7% comprehension of the Space Law, as well as the two newly mastered god-level secret techniques (first level), a comprehensive evaluation has been conducted."

She paused for a moment, then concluded: "Your basic strength has reached the mid-level of a powerful deity."

"Oh?" Lin Yi raised an eyebrow slightly.

Xuanji continued, "However, the evaluation model also shows that, in terms of god-level combat experience, on-the-spot adaptability, and strategies for dealing with different types of opponents, there is a significant gap between you and those veteran gods. These shortcomings will weaken your actual performance in actual combat."

"Therefore, taking all factors into consideration, it is more appropriate to position your current actual combat strength as just stepping into the threshold of a powerful god."

Hearing Xuanji say this, Lin Yi's face showed no disappointment, but rather a satisfied smile.

He chuckled and shook his head. "So, I'm still at the bottom. But the good news is, I've gone from being at the bottom among ordinary gods to at the bottom among powerful gods."

Xuanji quickly said, "Master, with your talent and growth rate, the powerful god level is just a small stop on your journey. In time, these shortcomings in experience will be quickly made up for."

Lin Yi chuckled: "Xuanji, I didn't realize your emotional intelligence had improved so much. How's the clone doing? Where is it?"

“Reporting to Master,” Xuanji replied immediately, “The Shadow Shuttle has entered the outer perimeter of Origin Star’s alert zone and is expected to arrive at the manor’s airport tomorrow afternoon.”

"Yes." Lin Yi nodded, looking out the window. "The timing is perfect."

The next day, afternoon.

Origin Star, Lin Yi Manor's underground secret chamber.

The interior is bathed in a constant, soft light, and the walls and floor are inscribed with complex energy-isolating and stabilizing runes.

Lin Yi sat cross-legged, his aura harmonious and restrained, as if he were one with the surrounding space, carrying an unfathomable meaning.

The alloy door to the secret room slid open silently, and a figure walked in.

The silver-gray streamlined divine body is Lin Yi's clone, equipped with the Fearless War God-T714 mechanical divine body.

He finally arrived from the distant fortress front, via teleportation from the divine kingdom and the Shadow Shuttle.

"I'm back," the clone said.

Lin Yi opened his eyes, looked at his clone, and nodded slightly.

The clone stopped a few meters in front of Lin Yi. "Over at the fortress, the Star Silence Squad has accepted the Shadow Locust mission in the XT-7783 star sector. They will set off after I return. There is still plenty of time."

"Hmm." Lin Yi's main body stood up and walked to his clone.

The two stood face to face, like looking in a mirror, one a body of flesh and blood, the other a cold, mechanical divine body.

"Let's begin," Lin Yi said.

The clone nodded, touched Lin Yi's fingers, and transferred the spiritual energy it had accumulated over the past two and a half years to him.

Although it's not much, every little bit counts, and we can't afford to waste a single bit.

"So, what's next?" Lin Yi's main body looked at his clone.

"Understood," the clone replied calmly.

He knew his mission was complete and it was time to disband and make way for a stronger clone.

There was no farewell, nor was it necessary.

A clone is simply a shadow of the past.

With a thought, Lin Yi's main body caused the Time Law imprint deep within his soul to tremble slightly, and an invisible wave enveloped his clone.

The clone's silver-gray mechanical body began to blur, like a faded image.

Its core, the "anchor" from a point in the past, was released, and the spacetime force that sustained its existence flowed back.

The entire process was quiet and swift. In just two or three seconds, countless tiny specks of light drifted from the mechanical body. These specks of light quickly dissipated into the air like stardust, leaving no trace.

Only the mechanical body of "Fearless War God-T714," which had fallen into a state of silence after losing its soul binding, remained standing.

Lin Yi silently pondered the experience transmitted back by his clone, then let out a soft breath.

Each time I disband my clones, even though I know it's just a return to the river of time, I still feel a subtle sense of emptiness as I watch them disappear.

It felt like I had personally killed my past self.

However, he quickly suppressed this feeling.

He needs to summon a new clone.

Lin Yi walked to the silent, fearless war god's body and closed his eyes to concentrate once more.

As the power of the laws of time surged, Lin Yi precisely anchored himself on his trajectory at a point approximately "one second ago".

"Anchoring successful. Time and space serve as a bridge, summoning the shadow to the present world."

Lin Yi simultaneously activated the laws of space to construct a stable summoning channel, with source energy surging in as fuel.

Inside the sealed room, ripples spread across the space like water.

A figure identical to Lin Yi slowly stepped out from the ripples of time and space.

Black hair, a calm face, and a natural, obscure fluctuation of time's fullness and space's depth flowing around him; his eyes are sharp and clear.

A new clone has been successfully summoned.

After the clone appeared, it exchanged a glance with Lin Yi's main body, and without saying a word, walked towards the body of the fearless war god.

The same process is being repeated.

The clone touched the forehead of the metallic divine body with its finger, and then turned into a point of light and was absorbed.

The patterns on the surface of the fearless war god's body lit up again. The silver-gray streamlined shell, the law patterns engraved on the shoulder armor and arm armor seemed to be more complex and profound than before, faintly resonating with the clone's powerful understanding of spatial laws at this moment.

The Sky Shuttle that surrounded him appeared automatically, and the runes flowing on the surface of the silver shuttle appeared even more dynamic.

"How are you feeling?" Lin Yi asked.

The new clone stretched its arms, clenched its fist, and felt the surging power within its divine body. A flash of silver light appeared in its eyes: "Very good. The resonance between the laws and the divine body is stronger, and the control over the Sky Shuttle has also improved by more than one level. The operating paths of the Time Rift and the Illusion Veil are clear. My strength is much greater than before."

"That's good." Lin Yi nodded. "Time is of the essence. You should immediately board the Shadow Shuttle and return to the fortress. The Star Silent Squad is still waiting for you."

"Understood." The clone turned and walked out of the secret room without hesitation.

As he reached the door, he stopped and glanced back. "That clone from the battlefield over there at the fortress—should we wait a hundred years before bringing him back?"

Lin Yi understood the meaning of the clone.

Besides the clone that is about to return to the Stardust Squad, he also left another clone at the front-line fortress.

That clone mainly operates on the surface battlefield, serving as the core of the warband and controlling the Source Giants in combat.

However, since the Eclipse Clan and the Abyss Clan are currently on the defensive, the clone only needs to show up periodically and exert its power to earn a decent amount of battle merits, which can be considered a stable source of resource income.

"Yes, he'll stay put for now," Lin Yi nodded. "The situation on the surface battlefield is stable, his mission isn't too stressful, but the rewards are consistent. And..."

He paused, then said helplessly, "As you know, I've summoned three clones in three years, and my soul power is already overloaded. I won't be able to summon clones again for a while; it will take at least a hundred years."

The clone nodded silently. He naturally knew, but he was just confirming it again before leaving. Since Lin Yi didn't seem to have any intention of changing his mind, he reached out and said, "Give me the things. I have to go."

Lin Yi then took out a palm-sized metal box with simple sealing runes engraved on its surface from his storage equipment and handed it to his clone.

This contains some treasures containing Lin Yi's insights into star domain-level rules, which he prepared for Ellie.

With his current strength and ability to acquire resources, the cultivation resources at the rule stage are no longer a burden. He only spent a small fraction of his clan merits to prepare a complete set for Ellie.

The clone nodded, carefully put away the metal box, and then left the secret room without saying another word.

A moment later, the Shadow Shuttle once again quietly took off from the Origin Star Port, disappeared into the hyperspace channel, and sped toward the distant front-line fortress.

(End of this chapter)