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

Chapter 371 We Must Get to the Bottom

night.

Edith returned to her private suite.

The room has a simple yet distinctive Elven style, with soft life energy emanating from the walls and fresh air.

She sat in the large, comfortable chair, but had little interest in appreciating the decor.

The image of Lin Yi being seriously injured in the main hall during the day flashed through her mind again.

Lin Yi's injuries were personally arranged by the Moonflower Venerable, so he would definitely receive the best treatment and his life would not be in danger, so she was not worried about that.

She was thinking about something deeper.

When the three star-domain level geniuses were seriously injured last time, an eternal god appeared.

This time, it was actually Lord Yuehua who personally appeared to lead the people away, which in itself was a signal.

In addition, there was the absurdly high-profile "Secret Realm No. 1" incident.
Edith's blue eyes flickered slightly as she quickly weighed her options.

While the Spirit Race's public medical resources are top-notch, some things are not available in the public resource database, or the application process is cumbersome, so they may not be available to Lin Yi immediately.

But she has her own channels and resources.

"Starlight," Edith murmured to herself.

“Master, I am here.” The ethereal voice of the intelligent life form “Starshine” rang directly in her consciousness.

“Connect me to my brother,” Edith instructed.

"Yes, Master. Link established. Connection successful."

Edith closed her eyes, her consciousness sinking into the virtual network.

Almost at the same moment her figure solidified, another figure appeared in the space.

The newcomer was a young man with equally dazzling silver hair. His features were six or seven parts similar to Edith's, but his lines were more angular, and his demeanor was calm and composed, exuding the ease of someone who had long held a high position.

He was wearing a silver formal suit commonly seen on Elven nobles, and his face showed obvious surprise.

"Edith?" The silver-haired youth strode forward, carefully examining his sister. "Since you returned from the Myriad Secret Realms, aside from letting the family know you were safe when you first came out, this is the first time you've contacted me on your own initiative. What happened?"

His tone was concerned.

The silver-haired youth knew very well that his exceptionally talented and independent younger sister would never use this level of encrypted communication to contact him unless absolutely necessary.

Edith skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point, "Brother, do me a favor. Go to the family's core treasury, retrieve a Life Source Crystal, and then send it to me as quickly as possible via the family's emergency supply teleportation channel."

The core treasury of the Lanxing family stores the family's most precious assets. It requires contribution points or special permissions to exchange and withdraw, and there is usually a strict approval process.

Edith, as the first in line to inherit the family fortune, and her brother are both eligible to enter directly and have a certain quota of resources that can be transferred without review.

"Life Source Crystal?" Upon hearing this, the silver-haired youth frowned immediately. "What do you need a Life Source Crystal for? That's a treasure specifically for healing! Are you injured?"

He carefully examined Edith. Although the virtual projection was not accurate, he could still discern her basic mental state.

Although Edith looked slightly solemn at the moment, she showed no signs of weakness or listlessness after being seriously injured.

“No.” Edith shook her head.

"You're not injured?" The silver-haired youth was even more puzzled. Then, a thought flashed through his mind, and his eyes became somewhat strange. "Is that for someone else? Could it be... for that Lin Yi?"

He clearly remembered that after his younger sister came out of the Myriad Secret Realms, she spoke highly of that human prodigy, and the two seemed to have established a good cooperative relationship in the secret realm.

Edith neither admitted nor denied it, but simply watched her brother quietly.

The silver-haired youth endured his sister's stare for a few seconds, but finally gave in and raised his hands in surrender: "Fine, fine, I'll get it for you, okay?"

He sighed and said helplessly, "However, Edith, I have to remind you, there's really no need to use Life Crystals. No matter how badly Lin Yi is injured in the secret realm, with the healing level of our Spirit Clan, he'll be back to his old self in no time. These things have a high exchange value in the family treasury. Using Life Crystals will only help him shorten his recovery time from a month to a few standard days, which isn't very meaningful."

Edith sighed softly after hearing her brother's words.

“Brother, there are quite a few geniuses from the same batch of myriad secret realms as us, and they are all from the Spirit Clan.”

The silver-haired youth was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized and nodded: "Now that you mention it, it's true. At this time, we really can't leave without giving something. After all, you've fought your way out of a desperate situation together, and now you've both entered the Sacred Tree Secret Realm. Putting aside the fact that other races are far away, if other spirit race prodigies give gifts and you don't, it'll look bad and make you seem distant."

Edith, too lazy to explain further, simply went along with him, saying, "Good that you know. Just get it done for me as soon as possible."

"No problem, leave it to me. As for the family's emergency passage, it should be delivered to you by noon tomorrow at the latest." The silver-haired youth readily agreed, then couldn't help but gossip, "But speaking of which, with Lin Yi's strength, what exactly did he do in the Sacred Tree Secret Realm to be so severely injured that he needed to use a 'Life Source Crystal'?"

Edith glanced at him, and her figure began to slowly fade.

"Hey, wait a minute." The silver-haired youth wanted to say something, but Edith's virtual projection had already completely dissipated into the pure white space.

"Tsk," the silver-haired youth stood alone in the empty virtual space, shook his head and smiled bitterly, and then his figure disappeared from the virtual space.
-
Two days later.

Lin Yi slowly opened his eyes in the pool water, which was filled with the glow of seven-colored clouds.

He gently moved his limbs, and a slight but solid and powerful grinding sound came from his body.

The shattered bones have begun to heal, and the severely damaged internal organs have largely regained their vitality.

Although there is still a long way to go before fully recovering to its peak condition, and the essence needs time to be further nurtured, at least basic movements are no longer a problem.

"I wonder what kind of treasure this pool of water is," Lin Yi thought to himself.

The effect of the pool water was even better than he had expected.

Just then, the light screen at the palace entrance rippled slightly, and a figure walked in.

The newcomer was a male member of the Spirit Race, and judging from his energy fluctuations, he possessed a Star Domain level cultivation.

He walked respectfully to the edge of the pool and stopped, bowing slightly: "Lord Lin Yi, your injuries have stabilized initially. As instructed by Lord Yuehua, please proceed to the Healing Hall for further treatment."

Lin Yi stood up from the pool, having already changed his tattered azure battle suit into a new one.

He stepped out of the pool, and the water on his body evaporated instantly.

"Please lead the way," Lin Yi said calmly.

"Please follow me." The staff member stepped aside to lead the way.

Stepping out of the palace, you enter a wide passageway with walls bathed in soft white light.

At the end of the passage was a small take-off and landing platform, where a sleek, silver-gray shuttle was parked.

The two boarded the shuttle, and the hatch closed silently.

About ten minutes later, the shuttle arrived at its destination and docked on the landing pad of another building.

Lin Yi stepped off the flying shuttle, and what came into view was a building with a style completely different from the previous palace.

It is made entirely of some kind of white alloy, with a simple structure and a strong sense of technology.

Above the entrance is a sign that reads "Hall of Healing" in both Eldar script and Common Tongue.

The staff led Lin Yi into the building, through several clean and bright corridors, and to a private treatment room.

The door to the treatment room slid open automatically, revealing a spacious interior. In the center was a semi-transparent treatment chamber connected by numerous pipelines, surrounded by many sophisticated instruments that Lin Yi did not recognize. A faint energy aura permeated the air.

A graceful woman in a light green dress was standing next to the treatment pod, operating the control panel.

Sensing someone coming in, she turned around.

The woman was beautiful and looked to be no more than twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, but her deep eyes and the harmonious and vast power of the world emanating from her body clearly indicated her cultivation level.

It's at the Transcendent Realm level, and definitely not at the initial stage.

"Welcome, Lord Lin Yi." The woman's voice was gentle, carrying a reassuring strength. "You can call me Qinglin. I will be in charge of your recovery treatment."

Lin Yi nodded slightly in acknowledgment: "Lord Qinglin, thank you for your trouble."

"It's my duty." Qinglin smiled slightly and gestured for Lin Yi to enter the semi-transparent treatment chamber. "Please enter the treatment chamber. I will formulate the most suitable treatment plan based on the remaining hidden injuries and the extent of your source energy depletion to help you complete your final recovery as soon as possible."

Lin Yi followed instructions and entered the treatment chamber. The chamber automatically adjusted to a support structure suitable for his body shape, and the texture was soft and comfortable to the touch.

Just before the hatch slowly closed, Lin Yi suddenly asked, "Lord Qinglin, could you please trouble the staff inside to retrieve my personal belongings that I temporarily stored before entering the Sacred Tree Secret Realm? Especially my intelligent life support device."

He knew that places like the "Healing Hall" usually had very strict rules and regulations.

But he urgently needs to retrieve Xuanji's equipment and find information about "Secret Realm No. 1".

Since Lord Moonflower has asked him to "show some skill," he can't possibly be completely ignorant of what that means.

Upon hearing this, Qinglin pondered for a moment and then nodded: "Okay. According to the procedure, the items you temporarily stored will be returned after you leave the secret realm. I'll have someone take care of it right away."

"Thank you," Lin Yi said, feeling somewhat relieved.

The treatment chamber door closed completely, and a pale green energy liquid began to slowly flow in, enveloping Lin Yi.

At the same time, countless tiny beams of energy shot out from the bulkhead, beginning to scan every detail of his body.

Qinglin returned to the control panel and looked at the vast thirty-one star domains within Lin Yi's body and the perfected marks of the two laws of space and time displayed on the screen. A hint of amazement flashed in his eyes.

“Star Domain level, thirty-one star domains, perfected in both spacetime and time laws, no wonder Lord Moonflower personally delivered it here.”

She thought to herself, but her hands didn't stop moving as she began to finely adjust the treatment parameters.

The treatment chamber door closed, and a pale green energy liquid enveloped the entire body, bringing a comfortable, slightly cool sensation.

The surrounding instruments emitted a low hum, and various probe beams swept across the body, feeding back the most minute data to the control console.

But Lin Yi knew very well that in this kind of advanced treatment, the instruments and the well-prepared life energy medicine were only auxiliary and carriers.

The one who truly plays the leading role is always the caster who controls the laws of life. Sure enough, after operating the control panel for a while and confirming that the various parameters of the treatment chamber were stable, Qinglin slowly walked to the side of the treatment chamber and gently placed a fair hand on the transparent wall.

A warm yet vibrant power penetrated the special material of the treatment chamber and flowed into Lin Yi's body without any hindrance.

The power of the world!

Moreover, it is a world power that is highly integrated with the laws of life.

This power is completely different from the gentle, nourishing, and self-repairing feeling I had in the pool before.

It is more purposeful and guiding, accurately locating those parts of Lin Yi's body that appear to have healed but actually still have subtle hidden injuries or loss of essence.

At the joints of the broken and reconnected bones, a trace of residual erosion was gently peeled away and purified; the newly formed tissue cells on the inner walls of the internal organs were further optimized in their arrangement under the gentle force, making their strength and resilience closer to their perfect state before the injury; in the source sea, the slight sluggishness that occasionally occurred when the internal star field was operating was also smoothed out and straightened by this force.

Even the signs of exhaustion deep within their souls, left by the forced tearing apart of the divine kingdom's projection and the intense burst of power, were gently nourished by this vibrant force.

Lin Yi could clearly sense that his body and soul were moving toward true healing at an efficient and stable pace.

A slight stirring ran through him, and he quietly separated a wisp of his senses to carefully experience the life force surging into his body.

Lin Yi secretly assessed the quantity and purity of this law.

As someone who has also mastered the laws of life and whose comprehension level has reached 21%, he is extremely sensitive to fluctuations in the laws of life.

The life law power that Qinglin unleashed was, in terms of total quantity, boundless, relying on his realm of evolution and the vast power of the world.

However, considering only the quality of the law itself, that is, the depth of understanding of the law represented by the degree of perception.
Lin Yi silently estimated that it was around 15%.

It was 6.7 percentage points lower than his own.

However, the exquisite and efficient power of this life law, with a comprehension level of only 15%, displayed in his hands left Lin Yi in awe.

It's not just about roughly pouring life energy into the wound to promote its growth and healing.

Rather, it is like the work of the most masterful artist.

She can simultaneously perform dozens of different delicate procedures, such as stripping, purification, guiding growth, structural reshaping, energy harmonization, and soul healing. These procedures are interwoven and linked together, forming a flawless healing symphony.

Every bit of the power of the laws of life was used perfectly, without any waste, and without causing any additional burden or conflict to Lin Yi's body.

She could even skillfully adjust the rhythm and method of life force intervention based on the natural flow of the spacetime laws within Lin Yi's body, allowing the treatment process to resonate positively with the operation of Lin Yi's own laws, achieving twice the result with half the effort.

Lin Yi asked himself, although his understanding of the laws was higher, if he were to heal others, he might be more effective in the crude aspects of promoting vitality and forcibly healing, but he could never do it with such precision, such comprehensiveness, and such ease.

Lin Yi estimated that if he and Qing Lin were at the same level and only used the Law of Life to fight, even if his comprehension was a notch higher, in a real fight, given Qing Lin's mastery and proficiency in the Law, he would probably be able to easily defeat him.

"As expected, comprehension alone is not enough; one must also apply what one has learned." Lin Yi thought to himself, "The application of laws is also a profound subject. I have perfected the two laws of spacetime, but in terms of application, I have only just begun to understand the 'Spacetime Rift' and 'Veil of Illusion,' and there is still a lot of room for improvement. As for the law of life that I have just begun to comprehend, this Lord Qinglin is a ready-made teacher."

With this in mind, Lin Yi no longer passively accepted the treatment, but instead immersed most of his mind in comprehending Qing Lin's methods of manipulating the laws of life.

For Lin Yi, observing a powerful cultivator specializing in healing apply the laws up close was a rare learning opportunity.

His foundation in the laws of space and time was there, allowing him to draw inferences from one instance to another. Although he couldn't fully understand many of the subtleties immediately, they left a deep impression and broadened his horizons.

Time slips away quietly as you focus on contemplation.

About one standard hour has passed.

The warm, nourishing energy that had entered the body began to weaken, eventually receding slowly like a tide.

The level of the energy fluid inside the treatment chamber began to drop as it was drawn away through special pipes.

The hatch made a slight depressurization sound and slid open.

Lin Yi opened his eyes and sat up in the treatment pod.

At this moment, he felt completely relaxed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his body. The source energy within his body flowed smoothly and freely, and his soul was clear. His condition was much better than before he entered the treatment chamber.

Although multiple treatments may be needed before she fully recovers to her peak condition, the results are already very significant.

Qinglin withdrew his hand from the bulkhead, walked to the control panel, checked the last monitoring data, and nodded slightly.

"Lord Lin Yi, that concludes today's treatment." Qing Lin's voice remained gentle. "The hidden injuries and depletion of your vital essence have been largely repaired. What remains is the need for time and your body to adapt and recuperate on its own."

She paused, looked at Lin Yi, and added, "When time permits, it's best to have an interval between deep treatments using the power of the Law of Life. This isn't because the power of the Law is insufficient, but because the body needs a buffer and adaptation process. Forced healing and growth are ultimately not as stable and perfect as the body's natural recovery based on its own potential after proper guidance. The interval is the time for this natural recovery to consolidate its results."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yi nodded in realization: "I see, thank you."

He understood this principle immediately, just like how fertilizing plants also requires time for them to digest and absorb the nutrients.

Qinglin smiled slightly, "I will come for another treatment at the same time tomorrow."

"Thank you for your trouble," Lin Yi said.

Qinglin nodded slightly, said no more, and turned to leave the treatment room.

The door closed silently behind her.

Silence returned to the treatment room, with only the faint sound of energy flowing and the dim light of the instruments in standby mode.

Lin Yi stepped out of the treatment chamber and began to slowly stretch his muscles and bones.

About ten minutes later, the door to the treatment room slid open again.

A Spirit Clan worker wearing the same uniform walked in, carrying a silver, sealed metal box.

"Mr. Lin Yi, your personal belongings are temporarily stored here." The staff placed the sealed box on the table next to him, and after a few maneuvers, the lid opened silently, revealing the neatly arranged items inside.

The most eye-catching item was the simple silver bracelet.

"Please verify." The staff member took a step back.

Lin Yi glanced at it, confirmed it was correct, and nodded: "No problem, thank you."

"It's my duty." The staff member bowed slightly and turned to leave.

The door closed again.

Lin Yi immediately stepped forward, picked up the silver bracelet, and put it on his left wrist without hesitation.

A slight energy fluctuation flashed the moment the bracelet touched the skin.

Almost simultaneously, a voice, filled with excitement and concern yet forcibly maintained calm and restraint, resounded directly in his heart:

"Master! You've emerged from the secret realm? It's two standard days later than expected. Did something happen?"

It was Xuanji.

"I'm fine, Xuanji," Lin Yi replied in his mind. "It's just a minor injury, almost healed. There are more important things to do now."

He paused, then cut to the chase: "After I came out, I heard a term, 'Secret Realm Number One.' Lord Moonflower mentioned it before she left, saying she hoped I would make a name for myself there. But I know nothing about it. Xuanji, immediately search for all information about Secret Realm Number One; I need to know what's going on."

"Okay, master."

About half a minute later.

Xuanji's voice rang out again.

"Master, preliminary intelligence has been compiled."

"According to the 'Global Emergency Notice' issued by the Supreme Command of the Pan-Spirit Alliance approximately twenty standard days ago, while you were still in the Sacred Tree Secret Realm, a new super-large composite high-level secret realm, tentatively named 'Secret Realm No. 1,' has been discovered in the boundary zone of 'Silent Star Abyss.'"

"To this end, the highest levels of the Pan-Spirit Alliance, the Abyss Clan, and the Eclipse Clan have reached a temporary agreement: from the date of this announcement, the all-out war will be unconditionally suspended for one hundred standard eras. During this period, all military forces will be redirected to prepare for and select candidates for the exploration of secret realms."

"The entry level range for the No. 1 Secret Realm is from Star Core level to God level. Specific sub-rules and selection mechanisms will be announced later."

"What? A ceasefire among the three races?"

Lin Yi was immediately shocked. How could this be?

Xuanji continued, "Yes, Master, this news is absolutely true. In addition, I also noticed that after the announcement, all discussions and information flow regarding this matter within the Pan-Spirit Alliance, the human intelligence network, and even the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance were subject to some kind of invisible control or guidance. There were very few in-depth discussions, and the information circulating was highly unified and vague, as if a hand was controlling the depth of the information's spread."

Lin Yi frowned.

Sure enough.

The truth behind a secret realm that could bring a truce between three warring factions for a hundred epochs is far more complex than the announcement suggests.

There's definitely something fishy going on!
Moreover, this event has had a huge impact on the situation of the human race.

It seems that the sudden ceasefire is a good thing for the human race, as it gives them a chance to catch their breath.

But is that really the case?

Upon closer examination, if this No. 1 Secret Realm is so important that all three races have ceased hostilities for it, then the power struggles and gains of the three races within the Secret Realm during these hundred eras will likely directly determine the balance of power after the war resumes.

If the human race experiences information lag, insufficient preparation, or inadequate investment during this period, or if they reap meager rewards in the secret realms and fall behind, then it is not impossible for their status to plummet precipitously after the end of the hundredth era.

It should be noted that the Xia Kingdom had only failed to keep up with the pace of world development for a little over a hundred years, and as a result, it went from being a world-class power to becoming an object of division by the great powers.

It was precisely because the foundation of civilization remained and the indomitable spirit endured that the opportunity for revival was later realized.

Competition between ethnic groups is even more brutal, like rowing against the current; if you don't move forward, you fall behind.

The key point is that, looking at the history of all races in the universe, if a race declines, it is extremely difficult to rise again.

"We must find out what's going on with this secret realm."

Thinking of this, Lin Yi immediately said, "Xuanji, help me contact Lord Xuanyan and request a virtual meeting. The reason should be that it concerns the First Secret Realm and the suspension of the war, and I want to ask for instructions."

“Yes, Master!” Xuanji replied.

(End of this chapter)