711: Path, career, system...

After leaving Wuhou Grotto-heaven, Yang Dian was not in a hurry to fully conquer Tiannan Star, nor did he go to Niu Ru Ren Planet or Canglan Star. Instead, he first toured around the Great Yu land.

At Kunlun Jade Pond, the abode of the Queen Mother of the West, the spherical cage remained still in the air, heavily guarded, and the Illusory Heavenly Palace within showed no changes...

In Sichuan Province's Qingcheng, the hidden residence of the Yellow Emperor, Old Daoist Qingfeng still lived in seclusion in the mountains, quietly reciting the Huang Ting while wearing a simple Daoist robe, occasionally taking his newly accepted Disciples and grand-Disciples on long hikes.

As for his Personal Disciple?

According to Old Daoist Qingfeng, he was a lost cause, beyond saving. It was better to focus that energy on the next generation.

In Zhejiang Province's Shaoxing, at the Mausoleum of Yu the Great, the 2,000 descendants of the Si clan, who had been guarding the Great Yu since the Xia Dynasty, still stood watch by the Great Yu Mausoleum, unwavering despite the passage of time.

He observed the node between the two realms from the top of Leifeng Pagoda and gazed at the mirage from Penglai Pavilion...

After touring all of Great Yu, Yang Dian discovered that there were indeed many anomalous areas appearing across the Great Yu land.

Some were due to special geomorphic features, where Spiritual Qi exhibited abnormal fluctuations under the influence of the earth veins.

Some were formed after star core fragments, which had fallen from dimensional rifts, fused with the Earth.

Still others were caused by creatures with special Awakening abilities misusing their powers, leading to strange regional legends.

In short, although there were many anomalous areas, none of them, like the one above Jade Pond, made Yang Dian feel a sense of dread again.

"That's not right either."

Standing on a wall in a deep mountain in the outskirts of Chengdu, Yang Dian slightly frowned as he looked at the overgrown sinkhole in the center of the wall.

"There's also the underground world."

This sinkhole in front of him led to the underground.

Yang Dian had once entered an underground world through a sinkhole.

One side of the underground world was an 'ancient world'.

The ancient world contained ancient animals and plants that should have been extinct, along with Ores that caused creatures to evolve magnetic storm abilities...

The other side was a long, deep passage. Yang Dian didn't know exactly how long the passage was.

The deepest he had reached was where the Ghost God Star wreckage lay beneath Fengdu, which is now the location of Fengdu Grotto-heaven.

Beyond that, the passage sloped further downwards, and the Iron-Eating Beast King of Sichuan Province was suspected to have ventured deep into this passage.

"Legend says that Chiyou was immortal and indestructible, and after his defeat, he was divided into five parts and buried separately."

"I wonder if it went to look for Chiyou..."

After a moment of thought, Yang Dian let out a long breath and turned to leave.

He stopped thinking about it, and he stopped searching.

Finding anomalies that he couldn't deal with would only be frustrating.

As long as one's strength is sufficient, what kind of crisis cannot be faced?

Instead of spending time searching for secrets, it's better to go home and Cultivate...

Withered vines, old trees, no crows.

Lying on a lounge chair in the courtyard, his gaze passed through the bare grapevines, looking at the black dot in the sky that was gradually expanding from the size of a sesame seed to a washbasin, he stroked the Little Black Cat in his arms:

"Heizi, do you think Earth can survive this calamity?"

"Meow?"

The Little Black Cat let out a confused meow, then rolled over, exposing its belly to the sky, allowing Yang Dian to pet it more smoothly.

Yang Dian, meanwhile, collected his thoughts and took a deep breath.

Endless Spiritual Qi transformed into a cloud of smoke and was drawn into Yang Dian's nostrils. As a refreshing coolness emerged in his chest, Yang Dian also pondered the power of rules.

"The Five Elements powers of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, I clearly mastered them all at once, but why is the disparity so great now?"

The earth rule, which provides the greatest combat power boost, can increase destructive power by nearly 80,000 times.

However, the water and wood rules only increase destructive power by a little over 10,000 times.

A difference of more than six times between them must have a reason.

He was busy before, so it was understandable that he hadn't found the reason.

Now that he had free time, he had to find out the reason.

"Why exactly is this..."

As a large amount of energy transformed into mist and surged into Yang Dian's Soul in the place where his Soul resided, endless spiritual light began to flash in his mind.

"Earth tides, planetary fragmentation, illuminating all directions..."

"Aside from forcefully comprehending the Dao by consuming energy, it seems that every major realization about the power of rules has begun after doing a certain thing."

"So..."

"Practice?"

"Practicing the principles of rules, gaining the favor of rules, comprehending the true meaning of rules..."

Lost in thought, Yang Dian rose from the lounge chair and, with the Little Black Cat, arrived at the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

Tiger Jiu was leading the orca pod, riding tsunamis across the Pacific Ocean.

Standing in mid-air, entering the state of Unity of Man and Nature, Yang Dian vaguely seemed to see the endless power of the tides rising on the ocean, transforming into ripples that surged into Tiger Jiu's body.

Tiger Jiu's aura slowly climbed as the ripples surged in, and the tsunami beneath it, already a thousand meters high, also became even more turbulent.

Gazing into the distance, the Fire Flame Turtle took one step at a time, traveling along the continental plates from the Asian continent to North America.

As it lifted and lowered its feet, the somewhat 'crowded' plates, influenced by various factors, seemed to have instantly passed through countless years, and the earth became harmonious and stable amidst its pulsations.

Yang Dian could also see strands of earth power surging into the Fire Flame Turtle's body, making it even more massive and robust.

"Besides actively comprehending the power of rules, one can also practice the principles of rules, gaining 'heavenly bestowal' to increase their mastery of rules."

"Tiger Jiu, by commanding tsunamis, naturally obtains the power of water tides."

"The Fire Flame Turtle, by managing the earth veins, naturally wields the authority of the earth."

"I spread the Spark, shattered star cities, and often used Dragon Claw Hand, which is the sharp, tearing power of metal to rip space. Therefore, my mastery of the metal, fire, and earth rules is the deepest."

"The fire I control is indeed the fire of civilization, the fire of will."

"It illuminates the spiritual platform with fire, strengthens the will, and enhances oneself to achieve a doubling of strength, rather than increasing destructive power through the explosive properties of the fire rule and its effect on Qi and blood..."

Above the clouds, Yang Dian stroked his chin, thinking of more.

"So, should I create some professional templates?"

"For example, an Arsonist, who gains the favor of explosive fire through arson, would that reduce the difficulty of Cultivating fire-element Cultivation Techniques?"

"Besides arson, there could also be 'fire-spreading,' spreading the fire of civilization, the fire of hope. Would that also lead to a possible backlash?"

"Western deities all have divine duties, and Eastern gods also have their respective responsibilities. Fulfilling divine duties is an instinct, but perhaps it is also a path to becoming stronger."

Casually pulling out a star core fragment, Yang Dian pondered for a moment, then a wisp of fire light lit up in his palm.

Under the licking firelight, the star core fragment, which was countless times harder than diamond, began to melt, eventually transforming into a complex yet incomplete three-dimensional rune woven from five colors.

"First, create several professions."

"Taking the Five Elements as an example, positive aspects include forest nurturing, water vitalizing, fire spreading, and the growth of all things..."

"Negative, but powerful, aspects include earth-rending, torrential rain, arson, and scorched earth for a thousand miles..."

"All in all, I should be able to come up with a few hundred professions."

"Or should I create a System and find a lucky person to test it out?"