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

Chapter 373 Growth-Promoting Eternal Artifact Armor

Ya tide looked at the pile of treasures shimmering with alluring light in Lin Yi's hands and let out a soft breath.

"Impressive! I heard that you came out seriously injured and that Lord Yuehua personally saw you off, so I guessed that you had gone there again. I just didn't expect that you would actually succeed."

Lin Yi smiled and moved the treasure floating in his palm forward.

"It was a stroke of luck. Being able to escape under those circumstances and get the items was largely due to luck."

"This is your share, don't be shy," Lin Yi said solemnly. "If it weren't for your help at the end, I would have been slapped out of the secret realm by that tree spirit long ago. This is what you deserve, and it's what we agreed on before."

Ya tide gave Lin Yi a deep look, then smiled and said, "Then I won't stand on ceremony."

As she spoke, she gestured with her hand and put the item into her storage space.

Her decision to help Lin Yi at the last moment in the secret realm was certainly motivated by a sense of duty to her ally, but deep down, she also harbored a rational calculation: "If he succeeds, given his strength and character, he will certainly not treat me unfairly."

This is simply an unspoken way of doing things among top talents.

Now that the results have far exceeded expectations, Ya tide naturally won't be coy or refuse, as that would seem hypocritical.

After putting away the treasures, Ya tide continued, "You've probably heard about the First Secret Realm, haven't you?"

"Hmm." Lin Yi's expression turned serious. "It seems that the interior of the secret realm will be the new battlefield from here on out."

“It seems everyone’s judgment is consistent.” Ya tide nodded slightly. “Similar information has also come from my clan. The resource allocation has been initiated. Only gods-level beings can be allowed to enter. Those of us who are considered quasi-gods will inevitably become the priority targets for elimination.”

"That's why we need to hurry," Lin Yi said in a deep voice. "The stronger we are, the more we have to survive and compete in the game."

The two exchanged brief views on the entry requirements for the first secret realm, possible competition modes, and short-term plans after returning to their respective clans.

After exchanging a few more words about the cultivation facilities that might still be open to the Spirit Clan, Ya tide took her leave.

Although her injury is stable, she still needs further treatment, and she also needs time to plan how to use the large sum of resources she has just acquired.

"Keep in touch," Ya tide said finally, her figure slowly becoming ethereal, as if merging into the air, and disappearing from the lounge.

The following day, the Lord of Qinglin Realm arrived on time.

The pale green life energy enveloped Lin Yi once again. This time, Lin Yi focused even more intently on experiencing every detail of the pure power of law flowing through his body.

Qinglin's technique remained exquisite, not only repairing the damage but also guiding Lin Yi's own life force for optimal reorganization and sublimation.

After the treatment, Lin Yi did not immediately let Qing Lin leave, but respectfully asked, "Lord Qing Lin, my injuries are almost healed. Thank you for your meticulous treatment over the past few days. However, I have one more request."

"Please speak," Qinglin said.

“I also have some knowledge of the Laws of Life,” Lin Yi said. “This treatment has benefited me greatly, and I have witnessed the profound application of the Laws of Life in the field of healing. I wonder if there are any suitable cultivation sites for comprehending the Laws of Life near this Healing Hall or on Sacred Tree Star? I would like to try to improve them further before leaving the Spirit Clan.”

Upon hearing this, Qinglin pondered for a moment and then said, "As one of the sacred lands of the Spirit Clan, Sacred Tree Star naturally has treasure troves suitable for comprehending the laws of life. Not far from the Healing Hall, there is a Valley of Echoes of Life, where the rhythm of the laws of life accumulated over the years permeates, which is very helpful for consolidating one's foundation and experiencing the nourishing properties of the laws."

"In addition, the ancient tree courtyard in the southeast direction was built in imitation of part of the environment of our clan's sacred tree. It also has a good boost to the understanding of the laws of life and is closer to the way of natural growth. It may help you understand the laws contained in the Sacred Source Fruit and Sacred Source Crystal."

Lin Yi memorized these place names and sincerely thanked him: "Thank you for your guidance, Realm Master Qinglin!"

"No need to be polite." Qinglin smiled. "It's good that you have this intention. The laws of life are profound and beneficial to combat, cultivation, and oneself. Alright, that concludes today's treatment. The hidden danger in your body has been eliminated, so I don't need to come again tomorrow. You only need to rest for more than ten days to fully recover."

"Thank you again." Lin Yi stood up and bowed.

After Qinglin left, Lin Yi immediately asked Xuanji to check the specific information, entry requirements, and reservation status of these locations.

Fifteen days later, he recovered to 100% and officially left the Healing Hall.

On the very day he recovered, an official notification from the Spirit Clan was sent to all the non-Spirit Clan prodigies who were stranded there.

The notice was clear: Given the imminent opening of the "Number One Secret Realm," all races needed to recall their prodigies for final preparations. The Spirit Race would provide all prodigies from other races with a five-year grace period. During these five years, the prodigies could remain on Sacred Tree Star, utilizing the environment and resources provided by the Spirit Race for their final push. After the five-year period, the Spirit Race would make unified arrangements to escort each prodigy back to their respective races.

"Five years," Lin Yi pondered the timeframe.

It's not long, but it's enough to do a lot of things.

His first task was to deal with the "miscellaneous items" he had brought out from the Sacred Tree Secret Realm.

The wooden cores, special sap, and tough vine materials collected after killing the Tree Spirits of the Transcendent Realm, although individually not particularly valuable to him at present, ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of gold battle merits, are abundant in quantity.

Lin Yi didn't waste time looking for private channels to sell them. He directly submitted a list of all the materials that needed to be processed through the Spirit Clan's official battle merit recycling system.

The Eldar's assessment efficiency is extremely high.

A day later, a detailed assessment report and quotation were sent back.

"A total of 23147500 golden battle merits," Xuanji reported.

More than 23 million!

Lin Yi was certain.

This is a huge sum of money.

Adding to his remaining nearly 10 million gold battle merits, his total disposable battle merits now amount to 33 million.

With a huge sum of money in hand, Lin Yi did not hesitate at all and immediately began a new round of spending.

The goal is clear: to fully enhance one's understanding of the laws of life.

"Xuanji, apply for an ancient tree courtyard, usage period: three years." Lin Yi issued the first instruction.

Qinglin's recommendation makes a lot of sense. The environment of the Ancient Tree Courtyard is closer to that of the Sacred Tree Secret Realm, which may better help him digest the harvest of Sacred Source Fruit and Sacred Source Crystal and transform it into a real increase in his comprehension.

"Application submitted, under review and approved. Requires payment of 1000 million battle merits," Xuanji replied.

More than three million a year, ten million in three years—this price would be painful for an ordinary god-level being, but Lin Yi didn't even blink.

"Pay."

"Payment successful. Access granted. You may travel at any time."

"Next, select all the treasures in the Golden Battle Merit Treasury that can assist in comprehending the Law of Life. Requirements: significant effects, preferably with a single use or an effective period of more than two years, and priority should be given to categories that can create synergistic benefits with the ancient tree courtyard environment that I will be using," Lin Yi continued to instruct.

The light screen unfolds, revealing a list of dozens of precious treasures.

Lin Yi quickly filtered the options and, based on the effect analysis report provided by Xuanji, soon narrowed it down to two items.

[Life Source Rune Crystal]: A unique crystal collected from the core of an ancient life-bearing star, naturally inscribed with some of the fundamental source runes of the laws of life. After refining, these runes can be briefly reflected in the soul, greatly enhancing the understanding and resonance with the basic structure of the laws of life. The effective period is approximately 2.5 standard years. Requires 500 million battle merits to exchange.

【Dew of Life and Vitality】: Dew collected from the "Spring of Life," a cosmic wonder, contains extremely pure and vibrant life essence. After consumption, it greatly stimulates the user's life potential and affinity for the laws of life, maintaining this active state for a considerable period, aiding in comprehension. Effective for approximately 3 standard years. Requires 450 million battle merits to exchange.

The two combined amounted to 9.5 million battle merits.

"The treasures that grant insights into the Law of Life are much cheaper than those that grant insights into the Law of Spacetime," Lin Yi remarked, then decisively said, "Exchange them for the Crystallized Life Origin Runes and the Dew of Life and Life of All Things."

With these two treasures, combined with the approximately three-fold increase in basic comprehension environment provided by the Ancient Tree Courtyard, and the added blessing of the Sacred Source Crystal, he was confident that he could push his comprehension of the Law of Life to a new level within the next three years!
"Exchange application submitted. Payment authorization completed. The treasure will be transferred from the Spirit Clan Treasury to the Divine Kingdom and is expected to arrive at your residence within ten standard days," Xuanji confirmed.

In a short period of time, 20 million battle merits were spent like water, but he felt no heartache, only anticipation for the upcoming closed-door cultivation.

After arranging his personal cultivation resources, Lin Yi used Xuanji to invite the members of the Star Origin Society to a small gathering, which was to be held in a reception room next to his private rest room.

That evening, Edith, Aoba, Huiyao, Valerie, Liuyun and other members of the Star Source Society arrived one after another.

There wasn't much small talk at the gathering. Lin Yi mainly provided a batch of purified source material to the geniuses who needed it, based on the proportion of the deposited amount. After all, these five years were a period of rapid improvement, and many geniuses had an urgent need for improvement.

After the gathering ended, everyone dispersed, making the most of their remaining time to engage in cultivation.

The next morning, as dawn was breaking.

"Xuanji, prepare the aircraft to travel to the Holy Forging Institute," Lin Yi instructed.

He also had a very important matter to deal with: the "Eternal Artifact Embryo with Growth Potential" that had been promised to be tailor-made for him when he won the Genius Battle Championship.

This is the perfect opportunity to complete the initial communication and plan formulation for the artifact embryo.

“Yes, Master. It has been reserved for you,” Xuanji replied.

Lin Yi straightened his clothes, recalling his thoughts on his own fighting style and law inclinations over the years, as well as the suggestions he received from Venerable Xuan Yan and his senior brother regarding the customization of divine artifacts.

Fifteen minutes later, a small aircraft emitting a faint silver-blue glow silently glided onto the landing pad.

This is the "Spirit Wind Shuttle," a unique feature of the Eldar race, renowned for its extreme speed, stability, and stealth.

Lin Yi boarded the Lingfeng Shuttle, and the hatch closed.

The Spirit Wind Shuttle took off lightly, accelerated rapidly, and transformed into a streak of light that was difficult to see with the naked eye, heading towards the Holy Forging Site on the Holy Tree Star, which was shrouded in layers of law barriers.

Soon, the Spirit Wind Shuttle arrived at its destination.

Pale golden runes flowed across the surface of the Holy Forge, slowly shifting as if alive, emanating an ancient and powerful aura.

Lin Yi stood before the magnificent gate of the Holy Forge, gazing at the building woven from special metals and unknown energy, and waited patiently.

Soon, a middle-aged male Eldar dressed in a silver robe walked out of the door.

He wore the emblem of the Holy Forge on his chest, a sword forged in a furnace, with seven stars gleaming on it.

"Welcome to the Holy Forge, Lord Lin Yi. I am Eric, the receptionist."

Lin Yi nodded: "Yes, I have an appointment today to consult about the forging of defensive treasures."

Eric smiled and said, "Please come with me. Master smith Astra is already waiting for you."

Lin Yi followed Eric into the Holy Forge.

After passing through several areas, they arrived at a relatively quiet foundry.

The door here is made of a translucent crystal, and behind the door, a tall figure can be vaguely seen standing in front of a furnace that emits a soft white light.

"Master Astra, Lord Lin Yi has arrived," Eric said respectfully from outside the door.

The crystal door slid open silently, and a tall, muscular yet well-proportioned figure turned around. This master foundry had bronze-colored skin, and his forehead had slightly protruding ridges on either side, resembling two small horns.

His eyes were pure molten gold. After glancing at Lin Yi for a moment, he nodded, signaling Lin Yi to enter the casting room.

The layout inside the foundry is very simple. Apart from the white furnace in the center, there are various forging tools and material samples placed around it.

"Sit." Astra gestured to a chair carved from black rock beside her, and sat down in a forged chair herself. "Have you decided what kind of treasure you want?"

“It’s confirmed,” Lin Yi said. “My attack methods are sufficient, but I lack in defense. I’m worried about encountering a fatal blow that I can’t react to in time, so I want a treasure that’s like armor.”

Astra's molten gold eyes gleamed with a thoughtful light: "Interesting. With your ability to control the laws of space and time, you should have an extremely strong ability to escape. I thought you would want an offensive treasure."

“Even the fastest escape requires reaction time,” Lin Yi said calmly. “If the attack is so fast that there is no chance to react, even the strongest escape ability is useless.”

A hint of appreciation flashed in Astra's eyes: "A wise understanding. Many cultivators perish not because their attacks are not strong enough, but because they are ambushed and severely injured."

He stood up, walked to the wall, and gently ran his fingers over a piece of fiery red armor: "This is the armor I forged for an eternal god who is skilled in the laws of fire."

He then pointed to another piece of silver-white armor: "This is the Frost Core Guardian, which has a strong defensive amplification effect against water and frost laws."

Lin Yi carefully examined these works; each one was a masterpiece, radiating an energy fluctuation that made his heart tremble.

“But none of these are suitable for you.” Astra changed the subject. “These are defensive treasures specifically designed for certain laws. Although they are powerful, their application is limited. As a potential master of spacetime and time, a seed of a sovereign, and someone who will inevitably master multiple laws in the future, defensive treasures that specialize in a single law will only become a limitation.”

Lin Yi's heart skipped a beat: "Does the master mean..."

Astra walked back to the furnace and gently pressed her palm against its surface.

White flames instantly rose inside the furnace, revealing a complex three-dimensional structure within them.

“This is the embryonic form of an Eternal Artifact,” Astra explained. “It’s not a complete Eternal Artifact, but a basic framework. You can think of it as an empty container. As you master more laws, you can infuse it with treasures that correspond to those laws, allowing the armor to continuously evolve.”

Lin Yi's heart skipped a beat: "So, the armor can become stronger as the number of laws I master increases?"

“That’s right.” Astra nodded. “Every time you master a new law, you can evolve the armor once. Theoretically, once you have mastered all nine laws, the armor will have undergone nine evolutions and reached its final form. If all conditions are met, the materials are top-notch, and the evolution is perfect, the armor’s defensive power in its final form will barely touch the threshold of a Lord-level treasure.”

Lord-level!
Lin Yi's heart skipped a beat.

A treasure of the Venerable Lord level—that's a supreme treasure that only Venerable Lord level experts can afford!

“However,” Astra’s tone turned serious, “this requires extremely demanding conditions; every single material needed for evolution is incredibly precious.”

"Master, what materials are needed for the evolution?" Lin Yi asked tentatively.

Astra took a crystal-clear memory crystal from the workbench next to the furnace, then casually wiped it and injected information into it. "This is a list, detailing the names and characteristics of the treasures available for each law, as well as their approximate difficulty of acquisition."

Lin Yi took the crystal and probed it with his divine sense. Instantly, a massive amount of information flooded into his mind.

Spatial Law Fusion Treasure:

Void Crystal (Top Grade) - Produced deep within spatial rifts from the very beginning of the universe.

Boundary Stone (Advanced) - Core remnants formed after the collapse of a small world.

Space source crystal (intermediate) - a product of highly condensed space energy.

Time Law Fusion Treasure:

Time Sand (Top Grade) - Strange grains of sand occasionally washed out from the edge of the river of time.

Leaf of Time (Advanced) - The leaf of an ancient plant that grows in an area with an abnormal flow of time.

Dust of Time (Intermediate) - Dust that naturally condenses in areas rich in the laws of time.

Metal-based Law Fusion Treasure:

Immortal Refined Metal (Top Grade) - A metallic essence forged in the core of a star over tens of thousands of epochs.

Law of Gold Source (Advanced) - A metal ore containing the essence of the gold law.

The list outlines the three levels of treasures corresponding to the nine laws Lin Yi cultivates, ranging from top-level to intermediate-level, totaling twenty-seven types.

Lin Yi glanced through the list and found that even mid-level treasures required a large amount of battle merits or clan honors to exchange for, not to mention the top-level materials, some of which he had never even heard of.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to gather these materials in a short time," Lin Yi said honestly.

Astra was not surprised at all: "Of course. But there's no need to rush. Evolving the armor is just a long-term goal. The rough prototype only needs a hundred years to be made into armor. Even without anything being incorporated, it can reach the defensive standard of a high-level god-level armor just by the material itself."

"Therefore, I suggest that you gradually collect higher-level treasures as your strength increases. Remember, it's best to use treasures of the same level for evolution to ensure the stability and potential of the armor's evolution. If you use a mid-level treasure the first time but a top-level treasure the second time, it may cause structural imbalance."

"Thank you for the reminder, Master. I agree with this plan," Lin Yi said solemnly. "Please forge the embryo of this evolving armor for me."

Astra smiled slightly: "Very good. Among the divine-grade materials, only the top-tier ones can be called eternal. I will naturally take charge of the embryo's forging myself."

"One hundred standard years later, the embryo will be completed, and I will notify you. At that time, you will need to come in person to complete the final binding ceremony. Now, you can begin preparing the evolution materials."

Lin Yi bowed deeply in gratitude: "Thank you, Master."

After leaving the Holy Forge, Lin Yi felt both excited and heavy-hearted.

What excites me is that I am about to possess a growth-type armor with unlimited potential; what weighs heavily on me is the long list of materials, which weighs on my mind like a mountain.

"Let's take it one step at a time," Lin Yi thought to himself. "First, I need to improve my strength to qualify for more materials."

Fifteen days later, the Life Source Crystal and the Dew of All Things' Life that Lin Yi had exchanged were delivered on time through the Spirit Clan's Divine Kingdom Teleportation System.

Without any delay, he took the two treasures and, most importantly, the ten standard portions of Sacred Source Crystals, and went directly to the advanced meditation room in the "Ancient Tree Courtyard" that he had reserved.

The Ancient Tree Courtyard is located in a core area of ​​the Sacred Tree Star that is shrouded in a special barrier. Its environment is completely modeled after the internal ecology of the ancient sacred tree of the Eldar.

The towering ancient trees, gnarled and intertwined, exude a tangible, verdant life force, and the energy permeating the air contains a unique rhythm of life.

Cultivating the laws of life here is at least several times more efficient than outside.

Lin Yi sat cross-legged in the center of the meditation room and first took out the Dew of Life of All Things.

It was a jade bottle that appeared to be carved from a single piece of jade, and it contained a translucent liquid.

He uncorked the bottle, tilted his head back, and drank the dew in one gulp.

A cool yet vibrant energy instantly swept over my entire body.

Lin Yi felt as if his soul was being immersed in the purest source of life, and his perception and affinity for the laws of life around him were rising at an incredible speed.

Without pausing, he immediately took out the Life Source Crystal.

This is an irregularly shaped, light green crystal with countless complex and mysterious patterns of laws naturally engraved on its surface.

Lin Yi cupped the crystal in his hands and immersed his divine sense into it.

Instantly, those complex source runes of law seemed to come alive, flowing out from the crystal and directly reflecting into the depths of his soul.

His understanding of the most essential structure of the laws of life is analyzed and presented with unprecedented clarity and depth.

Finally, with a thought, Lin Yi summoned the Sacred Source Crystal, which floated beside him. The cyan-gold energy within it, resembling liquid light, began to be slowly and continuously drawn out, merging into the already rich environment of life laws in the ancient tree courtyard, and perfectly superimposing with the effects of the Dew of All Things and the Crystallized Life Source Pattern.

In an instant, Lin Yi felt as if he were in the "Original Ocean" of the laws of life.

The ancient tree courtyard provided an excellent basic environment and resonance with the laws. The dew of life of all things raised his own perception and affinity to the extreme. The crystal of life source patterns revealed the underlying structure and mystery of the laws to him. The special insight enhancement provided by the holy source crystal, which is up to five times, is the "multiplier" that pushes all these effects to the peak.

Lin Yi slowly closed his eyes, activating the "spiritual enlightenment energy" stored in the purple mist space.

The purple aura permeated his comprehension process, acting as a top-tier catalyst, causing a qualitative leap in his thinking speed, comprehension ability, and efficiency in integrating and deducing various laws and information.

The effects of spiritual enlightenment perfectly synergize with those of all other treasures, without any conflict or attenuation, which is its most precious quality.

Cultivation knows no time.

Lin Yi was completely immersed in the vast world of the laws of life.

The level of understanding of the laws of life is steadily increasing.

22% 45% 58%
Lin Yi was like the most precise instrument, efficiently and steadily absorbing and digesting the nutrients from all directions.

In addition to the continuous long-term support provided by the Sacred Source Crystal, the effects of the Dew of All Things and the Crystallized Life Source Pattern reach their peak one after the other, and then slowly diminish over time.

However, Lin Yi's foundation of understanding has been solidified to an extremely high level.

Time passed day by day.

On this day, the three-year usage period of the ancient tree courtyard ended, and Lin Yi slowly awoke from his deep cultivation.

He opened his eyes, a deep emerald light swirling within them, and the life force emanating from his body was harmonious and restrained, almost blending into the environment of the ancient tree courtyard.

Lin Yi carefully sensed the "Comprehension of the Laws of Life," and a clear value appeared in his mind: "77%."

It has increased from 21% to 77%!

If word got out, this speed would be enough to shock any powerful cultivator of the Law of Life.

"That's not enough. Ideally, I should be able to fully master the laws of life within these five years," Lin Yi thought to himself.

His reason for this idea was simple: the cultivation grounds for the Law of Life on Sacred Tree Star were numerous and highly effective. Once he returned to the human territory, such convenient conditions would no longer be available.

"Only three Sacred Source Crystals have been used so far. Based on the speed of comprehension, a maximum of five crystals will be needed to fully master the Law of Life. In that case, we'll have about six more left over."

"My current problem is that I don't have enough battle merits. If I want to fully master the Law of Life before entering the secret realm, I might consider selling a few Saint Source Crystals."

As for the trading partner, Lin Yi immediately had someone in mind.

Lin Yi stood up and left the ancient tree courtyard, while instructing in his mind: "Xuanji, call back the flying shuttle for me, and at the same time, contact Edith."

(End of this chapter)