36: Highest plane

"Low-Energy State Universe?" Lin Yuan's sword-like brows furrowed tightly, the confusion in his eyes almost tangible. This title carried a coldness as if looking down upon a speck of dust.

"Hahaha! Brother Lin, sit!" Feng Tianxiu laughed heartily, his laughter carrying a heroic air of one who understood everything. The space behind Lin Yuan rippled like water, and a spiritual jade bench, warm to the touch and flowing with green Dao charm, silently emerged.

Lin Yuan sat as told. Feng Tianxiu picked up the ancient bronze teapot, and as he poured, what flowed from the spout was not tea, but Law Golden Dew, thick as syrup and shimmering with stardust! As the golden dew fell into the jade cup, the rising mist transformed into a miniature galaxy, its fragrance piercing into his Divine Soul and causing his Spirit Terrace to tremble with clarity.

"Where we are is called the Primal Plane. Among the countless subordinate Universes, the Primal Plane is also known as the Supreme Plane," Feng Tianxiu's voice carried a distant resonance that pierced through time and space. "It is like an endless, beginningless, and boundless 'Ocean of Origin'! And the Central Continent is the unique, eternal, and all-consuming 'Guixu Giant Vortex' within this ocean!" He casually traced a finger across the table—

Buzz!

A brilliant screen of light instantly filled the air above the courtyard, transforming into a projection of a star map that shook the cosmos!

In the projection, trillions of dim points of light floated like dust. "This is a One-Star Small World, where Spiritual Qi is almost non-existent and living beings are ignorant." Feng Tianxiu tapped his finger, and the image rose, the points of light becoming denser and slightly brighter. "Lesser Thousand Worlds, Middle Thousand Worlds, Major Thousand Worlds... their numbers are as many as the grains of sand in the Ganges." The light and shadow changed again, and three thousand massive clusters of light, radiating a majestic Aura and structured as complexly as galaxies, emerged, each containing power fluctuations capable of destroying heaven and earth. "These are the Three Thousand Dao Worlds! Each one is equivalent to a Ten-Star Major Thousand World, and each is ten thousand times greater than a Six-Star Great World! Powerhouses are as numerous as the stars, and Secret Realms are like the stars in the Nine Heavens!"

With a wave of his hand, those three thousand majestic Dao Worlds, along with the endless light and shadows of the large and Small Worlds below, were instantly compressed and shrunk! Finally, like tiny planets orbiting a sun, they clustered around a blurred phantom in the center of the projection that radiated a terrifying presence which made Lin Yuan's Soul tremble—the Central Continent!

"Do you see, Brother Lin?" Feng Tianxiu's voice was like a great bell. "All worlds, regardless of strength, have the Foundation of their existence dependent on the insignificant breath of Origin dissipated from the Central Continent! They are merely vines and moss clinging to the Primordial Divine Tree!"

Lin Yuan's Adam's apple bobbed as he was about to speak. Feng Tianxiu's gaze was like a torch, already seeing through his confusion; he shook his head slightly, a trace of almost pitying emotion flickering in his eyes: "As for the Low-Energy State Universe you originally came from..."

He lightly pinched the most dim corner at the edge of the projection, and a speck of dust, almost invisible and so fragile it seemed it would extinguish at any moment, was magnified.

"In the eyes of the Supreme Plane, it is but a... dewdrop at the edge of the 'Ocean of Origin' that could be wiped away by the tide at any time. Fragile, tiny, with incomplete Laws and energy so thin it is suffocating." Feng Tianxiu's tone was low. "If the Spirit Martial Hall had not used supreme power to construct the 'All-Heavens Guidance Array' across endless dimensions to screen for seeds with world-shaking Mental Energy like yours... you would never have been able to set foot here!"

"Then how do I go back?!" Lin Yuan suddenly stood up, his fingers clenched so hard his knuckles cracked, his voice carrying an urgency suppressed to the extreme. "Hall Master Feng! My home, Blue Star, is being swallowed by a terrifying existence called the 'Burial God Abyss'! Is there a way?!"

The smile on Feng Tianxiu's face instantly vanished, replaced by a solemnity as deep as an abyss. He let out a long sigh, one that seemed to contain the weight of eternal ages:

"With your status as a Saint of the Spirit Martial Hall, you can activate the cross-realm teleportation array and return at any time. However, Brother Lin!" His gaze was burning as he looked directly into Lin Yuan's eyes, each word falling like a heavy hammer. "Going now is no different from striking a stone with an egg! The terror of the Burial God Abyss is far beyond your imagination! More fatal still are the—Supreme Rules!"

He raised his hand, and a phantom of an invisible Law shackle flickered in his palm.

"Once a Cultivator of this plane sets foot in a low-energy Universe, it is like a giant whale entering a shallow beach! They will surely suffer the backlash of that fragile Universe's 'Heavenly Dao'! At best, their dao foundation will collapse, their cultivation will dissipate, and they will become a cripple! At worst... Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, with their True Spirit eternally falling into the void!" Feng Tianxiu's tone was categorical, cutting off Lin Yuan's last shred of hope.

Seeing the despair that instantly dimmed in Lin Yuan's eyes, Feng Tianxiu suddenly slapped his shoulder with such force that space itself rippled! That heavy slap seemed to pour infinite conviction into him:

"Therefore! This tribulation can only be broken by you! The fate of Blue Star rests on your shoulders!" His voice suddenly rose, carrying a passion that pierced the future. "In the Supreme Plane, Spiritual Qi is so dense it can turn into Divine Crystals! Laws are as clear as the lines on your palm! One year of cultivation here is better than a hundred or a thousand years of bitter cultivation in a low-energy Universe! Once you have enough power, what is the Burial God Abyss? Even the legendary 'Eye of Guixu' that swallows ten thousand worlds would be like dust to be brushed away before you, destroyed with a flick of a finger! Brother Lin, trust your elder brother! Focus on the present; power is the only antidote!"

Lin Yuan still had a thousand questions, but Feng Tianxiu had already grabbed his shoulder, his heroic posture like that of long-lost brothers reuniting: "From this day forth, you, Lin Yuan, are my, Feng Tianxiu's, brother! In this Xuanxiao Great World, whoever dares to touch a single hair on your head..." A cold light flashed in his eyes, and the temperature of the entire courtyard plummeted, "I will exterminate his nine generations! Destroy his lineage! Ensure he never attains reincarnation!"

Before he finished speaking, three items were shoved into Lin Yuan's hands, brooking no refusal.

A token, made of purple-gold and engraved with the words 'Spirit Martial' and the stars of the heavens, felt as heavy as a mountain in his hand and radiated the majesty of ruling all directions—the First Saint Command of the Tianqing Domain Spirit Martial Hall! "All resources within the hall are yours for the taking! Wherever the Saint goes, it is as if I am present!"

A jade pendant, warm and translucent, containing a glow like the beginning of Chaos with phantoms of a Dragon and Phoenix circling within—the Protective Dao Jade! "This item can block all attacks below the Myriad Dao Realm! It will ensure your life is safe once!"

A storage ring, simple and unadorned, but with spatial fluctuations as deep as the starry sky—a Universe Within! "The 'Void-Piercing Star Shuttle' inside is a meeting gift from your elder brother! Traveling ten thousand miles in an instant, traversing the Void Realm... ahem, a must-have for exploring Secret Realms and escaping!"

Lin Yuan looked at the three treasures in his hand, enough to make even giants of the Myriad Laws Realm go mad with envy, and was momentarily speechless: "Hall Master, this is too..."

"CALL! ME! BIG! BROTHER!" Feng Tianxiu's eyes widened, his hair and beard bristling as his majestic Aura pressed down like a mountain. "What? Do you think the meeting gift your elder brother gave is too meager? Do you look down on me?!"

Lin Yuan felt that undeniable 'enthusiasm' and could only smile bitterly as he accepted them. Only then did Feng Tianxiu beam with joy, sit back down, and lean closer to Lin Yuan, lowering his voice mysteriously as if sharing a shocking secret:

"Brother, do you know why I lost my composure and insisted on becoming sworn brothers with you?"

He answered his own question, his eyes burning with a scorching fire: "A Red Dao Foundation, unique throughout the ages! But that is only part of it! More crucial is—Chaos Law!" His voice carried a pilgrimage-like fanaticism. "This is the source of all Laws, the ancestor of the Great Dao! The Xuanxiao Great World has stood for endless ages, and how many brilliant geniuses have tried to touch even its surface, only to be turned to ashes! But you... you carry its seed!"

Feng Tianxiu made a throat-slitting gesture, his eyes flashing with sharp light: "If you can thoroughly comprehend it, condensing the chaos dao fruit and mastering the Chaos Great Dao... hehe! At that time, those old monsters hiding at the end of the river of time, calling themselves immortal..." A wild, arrogant curve hooked the corner of his mouth, "they will all have to crawl over on their knees and beg you to call them grandson!"

"Brother Feng," Lin Yuan suppressed the waves in his heart and took a small sip of the Law Golden Dew containing the galaxy, a sharp edge appearing in his eyes, "The Tian Yuan Secret Realm still needs ten days to open. In these ten days, is there a place where I can improve my strength further?"

Feng Tianxiu stroked his beard in contemplation, dipping his finger into the golden dew in his cup and quickly sketching five dazzling Law spiritual runes on the Soul-nurturing jade table:

The first rune, Spiritual Power Crystallization: "The Ten Thousand Star dao foundation is complete, solid as a rock. To form new crystals, the 'Star Dao Fruit' within the Tian Yuan Secret Realm is the best choice! That item will be within your grasp in ten days!"

The second rune, Divine Weapon and Battle Robe: "The chaos heavenly extreme sword is already a peerless divine blade, its sharpness unmatched! However..." He glanced at Lin Yuan's somewhat 'plain' clothing and chuckled, "This outfit doesn't match your status as the first Saint of my Spirit Martial Hall! In a moment, I will personally take you to the 'Ten Thousand Treasure God Cave' and pick out a 'Chaos Battle Robe' for you that can withstand the bombardment of myriad Laws and trigger Law resonance! How can a Saint's appearance be sloppy?"

The third rune, Mental Energy Sea of Consciousness: "Your Mental Energy has reached the Gathering Origin Peak, with no further room for progress? Wrong!" Feng Tianxiu's expression suddenly became serious, his gaze like a torch. "The Spirit Refining Realm is the beginning of the Soul's transformation! The thicker the Foundation, the deeper the potential! The limit of Mental Energy in the Gathering Origin Realm... is definitely not what you see before you!"

The fourth rune, Physical Body Golden Body: "Body Refining?" Feng Tianxiu couldn't help but look Lin Yuan up and down again, clicking his tongue in wonder. "This physique of yours... to say you are the number one person in the Gathering Origin Realm from past to present is no exaggeration! Even many old ghosts of the Myriad Laws Realm who specialize in this path would feel ashamed of their Physical Body strength before you!"

The fifth rune, Law Martial Skill: "As for Martial Skill and Laws..." Feng Tianxiu recalled the scene on the ten thousand battles platform and shook his head with a helpless, bitter smile, "Your combat instincts are already near the limit, and your Law comprehension is... a Prodigy! I'm afraid many old fellows who have been immersed in the Myriad Laws Realm for years would be hung up and beaten by you!"

The five spiritual runes shone brightly on the jade table. Finally, the third rune representing the Mental Energy Sea of Consciousness burst with light, overshadowing the others!

"Thinking it over, what can help you reach even greater heights right now is this Mental Energy!" Feng Tianxiu's eyes flashed with sharp light, as if he had found a rare treasure. "It just so happens! I know of an excellent place—Refining Spirit Valley!"

He flipped his hand and took out a Jade Slip flowing with deep blue Soul light, handing it solemnly to Lin Yuan:

"This valley opens in three days! At the bottom of the valley is the 'Soul Origin Spiritual Pool,' and the 'Soul Liquid' condensed at its core has a miraculous effect on tempering Mental Energy, as if stealing the craftsmanship of heaven and earth!" Feng Tianxiu's eyes were full of expectation and encouragement. "With your Aptitude... perhaps you will have a chance to touch the legendary, once-in-ten-thousand-years... 'Soul Heart Origin' at the deepest part of the valley floor!"

Feng Tianxiu stood up abruptly, waving his large sleeve, and the courtyard scene rippled and changed like water:

"Let's go! First, follow me to the 'Ten Thousand Treasure God Cave' to see the hidden treasures of our Spirit Martial Hall! I must pick out a battle robe worthy of a Chaos Saint for you!"