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

Chapter 367 The Proposal to Join Forces, A Sudden Change Occurs

From Lin Yi's angle, you can see that Ya tide's shoulders and back are slightly tense, and then relax.

"I"

Ya tide spoke, her voice still carrying a sense of defeat and loss, but there was something else in her tone, as if she was weighing her options.

Lin Yi didn't speak, but simply hovered in mid-air, quietly watching her back.

Since Ya tide has stopped, there must be a reason. She will speak if she wants to, so there is no need to ask.

Ya tide hesitated for a moment, then turned around and looked at Lin Yi with her emerald eyes.

“Lord Lin Yi,” she said, “I know a place with a cluster of Sacred Source Fruit trees.”

Lin Yi's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't interrupt, waiting for what was to come.

Ya tide paused for a moment, as if organizing her thoughts, and then added, "The tree spirit guarding that Sacred Source Fruit grove is nearly at the peak of the Derivation Realm."

The realm of evolution is complete!

Lin Yi raised an eyebrow.

The difference in strength is quite large.

The tree spirit that was close to the late stage of the Evolution Realm was not easy for him and Ya tide to fight together. If it were one-on-one, his chances of winning would be slim.

A tree spirit at the pinnacle of its evolutionary realm has nearly 99% comprehension of the laws of life. Its inner world is stable, and its power is vast and boundless, making it no easy opponent.

“Not only that,” Ya tide’s voice continued, “there is also a large piece of accompanying Sacred Source Crystal next to that Sacred Source Fruit grove.”

Holy Source Crystal?
Lin Yi's pupils contracted slightly.

This stuff is far rarer than a simple cluster of Sacred Source Fruit trees!
He had seen descriptions of it in the information released by the Eldar and in the list of war merits.

Sacred Source Crystals are special crystals that can only appear alongside Sacred Source Fruit Trees at higher levels of the Sacred Tree Secret Realm. They contain highly concentrated and structurally stable life law essence, making them indisputable treasures for aiding in the comprehension of life laws.

A standard portion of Sacred Source Crystal can continuously provide insights into the laws of life for up to a year, with an amplification effect of up to five times!
Five times the efficiency, lasting for a year.

This is a coveted treasure for any powerful cultivator who practices the laws of life.

For this reason, this item is always in short supply in the Spirit Clan's war merit treasury. It is valuable but unavailable, and when a little is occasionally released, it is instantly exchanged.

He had previously obtained one by chance in the secret realm, which was about one-third of a standard portion.

The value of a large piece of accompanying Sacred Source Crystal is greater than that of more than twenty Derivation-level Sacred Source Fruits!
As for why Ya tide was able to see the situation of the area protected by the Perfected Tree Spirit of the Derivation Realm, Lin Yi was not surprised.

The Illusionary Law's technique of creating clones, while a single clone may not be strong in combat, or even very fragile, has the advantage of being able to create many clones, and possesses excellent stealth and detection capabilities.

It must have been that Ya tide created numerous illusory clones while exploring, which led her to discover that place and ascertain the strength of the guardian.

Lin Yi quickly went through the information in his mind.

A tree spirit approaching the pinnacle of its evolutionary realm carries extremely high risks.

But in return, there is an enormous reward far beyond what is usually expected: a cluster of Sacred Source Fruit trees, plus a large piece of Sacred Source Crystal.

Ya tide told this information to herself, who had just defeated her, and her intention was obvious.

She couldn't handle it herself and needed help.

Lin Yi roughly guessed what Ya tide meant, but still followed up by asking, "Why are you telling me this?"

Ya tide met his gaze and said without beating around the bush, "I only have fifteen days left to stay in the Sacred Tree Secret Realm. Even if I can make a significant improvement within these fifteen days, I still won't be a match for that Tree Spirit who is close to the Perfection of the Evolution Realm. Therefore, I need my companions to join forces."

She paused, then continued, "I have already witnessed Lord Lin Yi's strength in our exchange just now. His control over the laws of spacetime is indeed far superior to his peers. Joining forces with you offers the highest chance of success."

Lin Yi thought to himself, "Just as I expected."

Teaming up to defeat powerful enemies and then dividing the spoils according to the agreement is a common pattern in exploring secret realms, especially when facing tough opponents that one person cannot overcome alone.

"So, what's your suggestion?" Lin Yi asked.

“In fifteen days, my time will be up, and I will be expelled by the rules of the secret realm,” Ya Xi calculated. “I need at least one day to absorb what I have gained and to stabilize my cultivation. So, we still have fourteen days to improve our strength and make full preparations.”

“So, I think we should meet here in fourteen days,” she said, pointing to the platform beneath their feet. “Then we can head to that location together. As for the spoils, they will be distributed according to our contributions. Whoever contributes more in the battle will have priority in choosing and a larger share.”

This proposal is fair, at least on the surface.

The agreement was made to join forces first, with each party making preparations, and then let their abilities and contributions speak for themselves. This avoided the risk of disagreements arising from the current uneven state of affairs, or one party deliberately hiding their strength and then turning against the other at the last minute.

Although this risk still exists, everyone is a decent person, and in a secret realm that will not cause death, this situation usually does not occur. The risk is usually in secret realms that will cause death. After all, if a person dies in a secret realm, even if they are resurrected, they will not know what happened in the meantime.

Lin Yi hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."

He knew that Ya tide was repaying the favor he had shown earlier.

Because with Ya tide's ability to create clones using the illusory law, she can find other geniuses to join forces with whenever she wants, so she doesn't necessarily have to do it herself.

However, Lin Yi did not point this out. He simply raised his hand and gestured for him to enter.

Without further ado, Ya tide nodded to Lin Yi again, and her figure slowly became ethereal, eventually disappearing as if merging into the air, leaving only extremely faint ripples of law, which quickly subsided.

Lin Yi then used his soul perception to carefully scan the surrounding tens of thousands of kilometers, confirming that Ya tide had indeed left and that there were no other lurking individuals before he could finally relax completely.

He landed on the platform and walked to the cluster of bluish-gold sacred fruit trees.

More than twenty fruits of the Origin Realm level—this harvest is enough to elevate his strength to another level.

Lin Yi didn't waste any time reminiscing. He immediately picked all the fruits one by one, then found a depression at the edge of the platform and waved his hand to set up several layers of spacetime concealment barriers and early warning disturbances.

The barrier slightly distorted and obscured the light, energy fluctuations, and even spatial coordinates of the area where he was located. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary aerial rock wall.

After doing all this, Lin Yi sat down cross-legged, took out a Sacred Source Fruit, and put it in his mouth.

boom!
An energy surge several times more powerful than the previous fruit that had just entered the realm of evolution exploded within his body in an instant.

The starry sky of the Fourth Star Region, which had just expanded to twenty-three star vortices, was now expanding wildly as if it had been thrown into a blazing star.

One after another, new star vortices were lit up, their steady light shining in the void of the star field.

Lin Yi focused all his attention on guiding and refining this immense energy.

Twenty-five, twenty-eight, thirty.
When the energy of the first fruit was fully absorbed, the number of star vortices in the fourth star field within his body reached a staggering seventy-five!

Without pausing, he took out a second pill and swallowed it again.

Time flies by during cultivation.

After refining this batch of Sacred Source Fruits, Lin Yi completely entered a cycle of hunting and devouring.

During the day, relying on the concealment of the veil of illusion and the mobility of the laws of space and time, he actively seeks out and hunts down tree spirits in the early and middle stages of the evolutionary realm.

With a clear objective, decisive actions, and a desire for swift victory, his most frequently used tactic has been to use time-space freeze followed by high-burst attacks.

A tree spirit in the early stages of the Evolution Realm couldn't last three seconds in front of him.

For those in the mid-stage of the Transcendent Realm, unless they are particularly difficult to deal with or possess special abilities, a battle can be resolved within ten minutes.

During lulls in the hunt, he would find secluded spots to set up barriers and quickly absorb the Sacred Source Fruits he had obtained.

The energy of a fruit of the Evolutionary Realm is enormous. Even without any side effects, it often takes more than half a standard hour to absorb one. However, the boost it brings is real.

New star vortices were born in various star regions within his body, and his total source energy increased wildly like a snowball rolling downhill.

During this period, he encountered another prodigy at the star domain level.

That was when he was searching for an energy anomaly, and their soul perceptions detected each other almost simultaneously.

The two faced off for a while, separated by the floating mist of light.

There was no audio transmission, no communication.

In the end, that prodigy made the first move.

Instead of approaching or provoking him, he turned around and transformed into a streak of light, speeding towards the flank that was completely opposite to the direction Lin Yi was exploring, and soon disappeared into the distance.

Lin Yi didn't give chase, but silently memorized the other party's aura and law characteristics before continuing his hunt.

This is a tacit understanding.

When both sides are in good condition, have no direct conflict of interest, and at least at that time, no treasure worth fighting for has been discovered, top geniuses rarely start a war without a reason.

Especially in this sacred tree realm, time is precious, and wasting it on battles with no chance of success would be a losing proposition.

Fourteen days passed in the blink of an eye.

On the platform where he parted ways with Ya tide, the space rippled slightly, and Lin Yi's figure quietly emerged as if rising from the bottom of the water.

He stood quietly, without any powerful energy emanating from his body, but the overwhelming sense of power originating from the essence of life made the surrounding light seem to bend slightly in his direction.

"It seems Ya tide hasn't arrived yet."

Lin Yi scanned the area with his soul power but did not find Ya tide's figure. He then landed on the platform, waiting while sorting out his gains over the past period.

Within his body, the original second star domain had already expanded to its limit, and the third, fourth, and even the twenty-first star domains were arranged in an orderly manner in the vast void of the Origin Sea, like twenty-one miniature star skies.

A total of twenty-one internal star domains!
This far exceeds the standard of the most ordinary star field level perfection.

Once a person reaches the peak of the ordinary star domain level, they only need to condense nine star domains to attempt to break through to the evolutionary realm.

Lin Yi's source energy foundation at this moment, in terms of quantity alone, has reached an extremely terrifying level.

He silently estimated that his current total source energy had reached the level of the mid-stage of the Evolution Realm.

Of course, this is just the most optimistic estimate.

The biggest gap between the Star Domain level and the World Transformation level, besides the laws, lies in the "power of the world." World Transformation level experts possess an inner world, and their source energy is refined through this world, transforming into a more condensed and powerful force of the world—this is a qualitative difference.

Lin Yi knew very well that when facing a late-stage cultivator, especially one who was close to perfection, the opponent's world power was overwhelming in quality. It would take ten parts of his source energy to exchange for one part of the opponent's world power, which was still a huge disadvantage in terms of energy confrontation.

But in any case, the improvement over these fourteen days was tremendous.

If before he could only barely rival someone who had just entered the late stage of the Origin Realm, now, with his advantage in the laws, he is confident that he can fight someone who has reached the peak of the Origin Realm without being at a disadvantage.

Lin Yi waited for a short while, and then, on the other side of the platform, ripples of pale purple spread out like pebbles thrown into water.

Ya tide's figure slowly emerged from the center of the ripples.

She wore a light purple battle suit, her long silver hair was tied up, and her face was aloof.

Lin Yi could clearly feel that the energy fluctuations on her body were significantly stronger than they had been fourteen days ago. The ethereal feeling remained, but it was more solid, carrying a subtle sense of mental pressure.

Ya tide made no attempt to conceal herself after appearing, so Lin Yi was able to determine her current strength with just a slight sense.

Judging from the fluctuations of source energy, Ya tide has also exceeded the standard of the perfect star domain level. If measured by the number of star domains, it is about the level of nineteen star domains.

It seems that she did not waste these fourteen days either.

Because this is already the limit that she can theoretically control.

If you want to go further, you need to continue to comprehend the second law. For every 10% increase in the comprehension of the new law, you can condense one more star domain within your body. When you break through the evolutionary realm in the future, your inner world will become even larger and more stable.

Their eyes met in the air, and they nodded to each other as a greeting.

“It seems that Lord Lin Yi has made quite a haul,” Ya tide said first.

"Likewise," Lin Yi replied succinctly, getting straight to the point, "How are you feeling? Are we ready to set off?"

“Okay.” Ya tide nodded, then raised her hand, and a stream of information containing complex spatial coordinates and spiritual imprints flew toward Lin Yi.

Lin Yi took it, scanned it with his consciousness, and immediately a clear path and the final destination appeared in his mind.

It was a giant tree branch platform located at a higher altitude, half-hidden by a dense green energy cloud. In the center of the platform, a cluster of Sacred Source Fruit Trees, larger than any they had seen before, was lush and green. Beside it, a crystal that flowed with cyan-gold liquid light and seemed to have a pulse of life inside stood quietly. It was the Sacred Source Crystal!

Beside this cluster of treasures, a massive tree spirit, its entire body a deep purple-brown, stood absorbing the energy of the Sacred Source Fruit.

Even through the mental imprint, one could feel that powerful aura, as solid as a mountain.

It does indeed appear to be close to the perfection of the evolutionary realm.

"It seems this is our target." Lin Yi's figure slowly floated into the air. "Let's go."

Ya tide also took off at the same time, and the two of them concealed their auras and continued upwards.

The surrounding aerial roots grew thicker and thicker, like a winding, majestic mountain range, with the wood grain on the surface gleaming with a metallic sheen.

The energy concentration in the air rose steadily, and the rhythm of the laws of life almost materialized, forming a pale green mist that flowed slowly.

The pressure is also increasing simultaneously; ordinary star-level beings would probably have difficulty even maintaining flight here.

Lin Yi and Ya tide both pushed their concealment techniques to their limits.

Lin Yi's illusory veil enveloped the two of them, not only concealing their figures and auras, but also smoothing out the faint energy ripples caused by their flight, allowing them to blend into the natural flow of the surrounding environmental laws.

A faint purple halo enveloped Ya Xi, making her appear like an unreal reflection. Even if someone scanned her with their soul power, they would most likely mistake her for a natural light and shadow formed by energy mist.

The two walked one in front of the other, maintaining a distance of several meters, moving at a moderate pace to ensure both concealment and time efficiency.

About half a standard hour later.

The area shrouded in a light green fog was getting closer and closer. According to the coordinates provided by Ya tide, the destination should be less than 100,000 kilometers away.

Even with the extremely high viscosity of energy within the secret realm, this distance is still an instantaneous journey for cultivators of their level.

But at that moment, Lin Yi suddenly frowned, slowed down without warning, and raised his hand to make a "stop" gesture to Ya tide behind him.

Ya tide was puzzled, but she knew that Lin Yi's perception and awareness of danger far surpassed her own, and he would never speak without reason.

She immediately stopped, hovering in mid-air, her ethereal aura rippled slightly, and she concealed her aura even more thoroughly. Then, she asked telepathically, "What's wrong?"

Lin Yi did not answer immediately. He closed his eyes slightly, the power of spacetime flowing deep within them. His soul perception, like the most intricate tentacles, pierced through the dense energy mist ahead, extending towards the area where the coordinates were located.

Three seconds later, he opened his eyes and replied telepathically, his voice carrying a hint of seriousness: "There are people in that place. They're fighting."

Ya tide frowned.

Someone beat them to it?!
She thought again. Although the Sacred Tree Secret Realm was vast, the other geniuses were not weak either, especially the other genius who cultivated the Illusionary Law. He would definitely send out a large number of clones to explore, so it was not entirely unexpected that he would be discovered.

Ya tide did not doubt Lin Yi's words.

First, Lin Yi's strength is indeed greater than hers, so it's normal for him to sense her presence. Second, Lin Yi has no reason to deceive her at this time.

"What should we do?" Ya tide asked quickly.

"Let's hide first, then get closer and assess the situation," Lin Yi said in a deep voice. "Conceal all your movements and follow me."

"it is good."

Ya tide nodded slightly and said no more. She pushed the illusory laws to their limit, and her figure almost completely blended into the surrounding light and shadow. If Lin Yi hadn't locked on her with the spacetime marker, it would have been almost impossible to detect her presence.

Like two invisible ghosts, the two continued to float upwards, slower and more cautious than before.

After flying upwards for about half a standard hour, the two passed through a "curtain" formed by luminous vines hanging down, and the view in front of them suddenly opened up.

It was an extremely open, giant platform. In the center of the platform, a cluster of Sacred Source Fruit Trees, far larger than any they had seen before, was lush and verdant. There were no fewer than thirty cyan-gold fruits hanging among the branches and leaves, some of which were almost transparent in color and seemed to have liquid laws flowing inside. They were clearly the best of the best.

Beside the fruit trees, a crystal containing a liquid, cyan-gold light stream stood quietly; it was the Sacred Source Crystal.

Even from a great distance, the two could feel the pure life force emanating from the crystal.

However, at this moment, both of these treasures were firmly enveloped by a thick, condensed light green light shield.

Runes appeared and disappeared on the surface of the light shield, radiating strong fluctuations of world power, clearly a protection set up by the guardian tree spirit.

On the other side of the platform, the battle raged on.

A massive tree spirit, its wood grain resembling ancient battle armor, was wielding dark green vines, frantically attacking two figures that appeared rather small in comparison.

Each of the tree spirit's attacks was imbued with immense world power, causing the surrounding space to tremble violently. Its emerald eyes burned with flames of rage, and the fluctuations of its life laws were as vast as the sea, already reaching the critical point of 99%. It was just one step away from attempting to condense the embryonic form of a divine kingdom.

The two prodigies were engaged in a fierce battle with the tree spirit.

A being enveloped in pure, milky-white light, with three pairs of wings of light on its back, wielding a dazzling lightsaber in its hand. Wherever the sword light passed, it left scorching marks in the space. Its attacks were fierce, swift, and incredibly powerful.

The other one had a slightly ethereal appearance, with dreamlike pale blue light spots flowing across its body. With every move it made, it stirred up ripples in space, forming twisted force fields that bound or cut, attempting to restrict the tree spirit's movements.

Lin Yi immediately recognized that it was using the law of illusion, and was now simulating the law of space to interfere with the tree spirit.

The two worked together seamlessly, one attacking and the other supporting. Although they were forced to constantly dodge and move around due to the tree spirit's ferocious attacks, making them look somewhat disheveled, they remained composed and continued to methodically deplete the tree spirit's power, leaving new wounds on the tree spirit's trunk or vines from time to time.

After recognizing the two, Ya tide immediately transmitted her voice to Lin Yi: "It's Paslan from the Holy Radiance Clan and Xikan from the Star Spirit Clan! How could they join forces?"

Lin Yi recognized those two names.

These two were among the top talents who entered the secret realm, and it was unexpected that they would end up together and find this place.

“I estimate that one of them also discovered this location, but knew that he could not deal with a Tree Spirit at the Perfected Realm on his own, so he found an ally.” Lin Yi’s gaze swept across the battlefield. “Judging from the energy fluctuations of both sides and the Tree Spirit’s injuries, the battle should have just begun. The Tree Spirit’s power loss is not too great, and the two of them are still in the probing and attrition phase.”

Ya tide asked, "What do we do?"

Lin Yi pondered for a moment, then transmitted his voice, "Logically speaking, if we hide here and wait for them and the Tree Spirit to fight to the death, or even for one side to be seriously injured before they reappear to fight for it, given our current state, we have a very high chance of succeeding."

Ya tide looked at Lin Yi, waiting for him to finish his sentence.

Sure enough, Lin Yi changed the subject: "However, this would make us enemies for good. These two prodigies are backed by powerful races. Although I'm not afraid of them, it's unnecessary to make enemies for no reason. Besides..."

He looked at the pale green light shield covering the treasures in the battlefield: "Before the battle, the tree spirit specially used the power of the world to protect the Sacred Source Fruit grove and the Sacred Source Crystal. It is clear that it is prepared for a protracted battle. The battle here is quite intense. If we just wait like this, it will only increase the variables."

Ya tide understood Lin Yi's meaning: "You mean we should directly intervene and propose cooperation?"

“Not bad.” Lin Yi nodded. “If you and I join forces, along with the two of them, the four of us attacking together will quickly take down this tree spirit. We can propose that we work together to deal with the tree spirit first, and then each of us compete for the treasure based on our own abilities. If they agree, we can compete fairly, and there will be no regrets about the outcome. If they don’t agree…”

Lin Yi grinned. "Then don't blame us for taking advantage of their misfortune. They abandoned the more secure plan themselves."

Ya tide thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement: "That makes sense. They've already engaged the tree spirit, and it won't be easy for them to break free. If they disagree with our suggestion, they might end up with nothing, or even be in danger themselves. If they agree, they might still have a chance to obtain the treasure."

Ya tide didn't say what would happen if they failed. In her opinion, if the two of them joined forces, the other side would definitely be no match for them.

Having fought against Lin Yi, she understood even more clearly how troublesome Lin Yi's spacetime laws were in actual combat.

This straightforward approach is actually a good way to obtain the treasure without making enemies.

"I'll contact them first." Lin Yi's soul power quietly condensed, transforming into a hidden voice transmission that bypassed the raging energy turbulence in the center of the battlefield and accurately targeted Paslan and Xikan, who were dealing with the tree spirit.

"Gentlemen, I am Lin from the human race."

However, the word "yi" was not uttered yet.

A sudden change has occurred!

hum!
An invisible, intangible, deep green light curtain suddenly descended!

Lin Yi felt a sudden heaviness around him, as if a mountain of immense weight had fallen from the sky. It was not just a physical pressure, but also a confinement from the level of his soul and the laws of nature.

The primal energy flowing within him instantly stagnated, as if it had been trapped in viscous glue, causing its circulation speed to plummet. The illusory curtain, which had been operating perfectly, melted away rapidly the instant the pale green ripples swept across it, just like ice and snow exposed to the scorching sun.

Beside Lin Yi, the illusory aura surrounding Ya tide fluctuated violently before shattering, revealing her slender figure with a look of astonishment.

(End of this chapter)