152: Chapter 152 Ancient Road Intelligence, Prodigies of Myriad Races

The night in Chaos Valley has no stars.

That pale blue shimmering shield, formed by the combined effect of the spiritual energy escaping from the Spirit Gathering Array and the Eternal Star Domain's energy shield generator, enveloped the entire Heavenly Court headquarters in a constant, artificially controlled twilight. Above the shield was the real starry sky of the Big Dipper Star Field—the seven main stars of the Ziwei Star Field were slowly rotating at the zenith, casting down ancient starlight that had remained unchanged for ten thousand years.

Below the shield, in the tactical conference room on the third floor of the main hall, the dome star map had been switched to its maximum display range.

It was an unprecedented map of the distribution of all races, covering the first seven passes of the Human Race Ancient Star Road, the entire Eternal Star Domain, the star sectors surrounding the Hegemon Body Ancestral Star, and over a dozen newly discovered coordinates.

Qin Ruoxue stood directly beneath the star map.

Her thousand faces cloak had been repaired—not the original one. The original one had been torn into seventeen rags by spatial turbulence on the Trial Ancient Star and was currently lying quietly in the deepest part of her Storage Ring, waiting for the day she might find an epic-grade tailor to restore it.

The one she wore now was a temporary substitute.

Rare quality.

Its stealth effect was only 67% of the original.

Yet, as she stood beneath the star map wearing it, no excess aura leaked from her body, as if she were a natural part of this deep purple canopy.

[Qin Ruoxue · Current Status]

[Rank: Level 49 (Dao Palace Peak)]

[Gravity Adaptation: Completed]

[Mental Energy Load: 37% (Intelligence Analysis Overload)]

[Current Task: First Round of Ancient Road Intelligence Summary]

[Intelligence Sources:]

[1. Heavenly Secret Pavilion Temporary Node at Reception Station (Zhao Wuji / Qin Ruoxue personally, updated in real-time)]

[2. Eternal Star Domain Seventh Fleet Intelligence Exchange (Authorized by Carl Reynolds, Level 2 Decryption)]

[3. Trial Ancient Star Legacy Detection Device (Deployed by Lu Xinghe before he fell in battle, now inactive)]

[4. Third-Party Intelligence Broker in the Ziwei Star Field (Paid, 300-3000 Spirit Stones per item)]

[5. star tablet Internal Light Filament Pulse Analysis (Exclusive to Lin Ye, limited to "star tablet Ranking Leader" authority)]

[Total Data: 2.7 TB (Compressed)]

[Analyzed: 41%]

[Estimated Completion Time: In 72 hours]

— — —

Lin Ye sat in the main seat.

On the tactical light screen in front of him, first-hand intelligence from the Eternal Star Domain Reception Station was scrolling and refreshing every 3 seconds.

It was an intelligence node left by Zhao Wuji and Qin Ruoxue—a temporary device modified from a civil communication base station of the Eternal Star Domain, with an encryption level reaching the B-class standard of the Seventh Fleet, with hardware integration completed personally by Chen Hao and signed off remotely by Dr. Ailin.

At this moment, that device was quietly operating in the temporary office of the 300-square-meter outpost in the East Zone of the Reception Station.

And its first official intelligence output had arrived at Chaos Valley 47 minutes ago.

File Name: [All-Race Prodigy Ranking · Era Calendar Year 1972 · First Edition]

— — —

[All-Race Prodigy Ranking · First Edition]

[Compiling Agency: Eternal Star Domain · Seventh Fleet Intelligence Center × Heavenly Court · Heavenly Secret Pavilion (Joint Release)]

[Compilation Notes: This ranking is based on a comprehensive sorting of publicly available or detectable battle records, levels, inheritance grades, and internal evaluation parameters of the Ancient Road Guardian System since the opening of the first pass of the Ancient Star Road. The data collection scope covers 113 race/civilization factions confirmed to have entered the Ancient Road, including the Human Race, God Race, Holy Demon Race, Archaic Race, Blood Race, Winged Race, and Spirit Race.]

[Update Time: Era Calendar Year 1972 · Day 321 · 14:27]

[Update Cycle: Dynamically refreshed every 72 hours]

[Current Number of Ranked Individuals: 1,000]

[Ranking Threshold: Ancient Road Points ≥ 500 or Level ≥ 58 with Saint-Grade or higher Physique/Legacy]

[Special Note: This ranking is only an evaluation of current stage strength and does not represent final achievement. The Ancient Road is long, and those who laugh last are the true heroes.]

— — —

Lin Ye did not look at the top 1,000.

His gaze fell on the 28th line of the ranking.

[28th Place]

[Codename: Night Emperor]

[Affiliation: Heavenly Court (Big Dipper Star Field)]

[Race: Human Race]

[Level: 60 (Four Poles Peak)]

[Ancient Road Points: 4,730 (star tablet Ranking Leader Reward + 3,000)]

[Physique/Legacy: Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body (Unique)]

[Battle Record: Star Core Giant Beast First Kill, star tablet Millennium Coronation, First Pass Clearance Time: 2 days 18 hours 47 minutes (1st in history)]

[Current Status: Active]

[Comprehensive Rating: 8,741]

[Trend: ↑ (Newly Entered)]

— — —

28th place.

Lin Ye looked at that line of numbers.

There was no anger.

There was no frustration.

There wasn't even any deliberate calmness of "learning from shame."

He just looked at that ranking very calmly, looking at the 27 names above his own ID, looking at those 27 All-Race Prodigies whom he had never heard of but who were far ahead of him in the System's rating.

Then he spoke.

"Top 27."

"Go through them one by one."

— — —

Qin Ruoxue did not look up.

Her fingers swiped rapidly across the holographic projection, and the first detailed file unfolded in the center of the star map.

[1st Place]

[Codename: Odin]

[Affiliation: God Clan Council (God Spirit Star Field)]

[Race: God Race (Light Race)]

[Level: 65 (Four Poles Peak)]

[Ancient Road Points: 12,470]

[Physique/Legacy: Sun God Body (Saint-Grade) — Suspected complete Legacy, Third Stage Awakened]

[Battle Record:]

[1. Ancient Star Road First Pass Clearance Time: 1 day 22 hours 7 minutes (7th in history)]

[2. Main output of the Star Core Giant Beast first kill team (Era Calendar Year 1971)]

[3. Completer of the Ancient Road hidden mission "Sun Temple" (Unique)]

[4. The number one person of the younger generation in the God Spirit Star Field, key cultivation target of the main temple]

[Current Status: Ancient Road Second Pass · Eternal Star Domain · Cleared, currently raiding the Third Pass]

[Threat Rating: ★★★★★ (Global)]

[Heavenly Secret Pavilion Note: This person's status within the temple is equivalent to the first in line of succession to Michael. Eternal Star Domain intelligence shows that he once solo-killed a Level 68 Fallen Paladin projection when he was at Level 62, with the battle lasting 11 minutes. He is suspected of mastering the Sun God Body exclusive forbidden technique "Eternal Day".]

— — —

Lin Ye looked at that "Level 65."

He didn't ask "How did he level up so fast?"

He didn't ask "How much higher is the God Clan Council's leveling efficiency than ours?"

He just looked at that 12,470 Ancient Road points—2.6 times his own.

Then he said:

"Next."

— — —

[2nd Place]

[Codename: Zachariah]

[Affiliation: Holy Demon Palace (Abyss Star Field)]

[Race: Holy Demon Race]

[Level: 64 (Four Poles Peak)]

[Ancient Road Points: 11,830]

[Physique/Legacy: Abyss Demon Body (Saint-Grade) — Second Stage Awakened, suspected of having signed a contract with a Fallen Ancient Saint]

[Battle Record:]

[1. Ancient Star Road First Pass Clearance Time: 1 day 23 hours 41 minutes (9th in history)]

[2. Killed 3 God Race prodigies in the Ancient Road special event "God-Demon Battlefield · Fragments," triggering Star Domain-level diplomatic disputes]

[3. The first person in the Abyss Star Field in ten thousand years to obtain the title of "Demon Palace Saint" before Level 60]

[4. Known to have mastered the forbidden technique "Abyss Gaze": Has a probability of directly erasing the consciousness of enemies with lower Mental Energy than himself]

[Current Status: Ancient Road Second Pass · Eternal Star Domain · Cleared, whereabouts unknown]

[Threat Rating: ★★★★★ (Targeting God Race / Human Race)]

[Heavenly Secret Pavilion Note: This person has a blood feud with the God Race and once publicly declared, "The prodigies of the God Spirit Star Field, kill one whenever I see one." The Eternal Star Domain Seventh Fleet suggests: If you encounter this person on the Prodigy Arena, prioritize diplomatic avoidance. His Demon Body Legacy has an additional 30% damage bonus against non-darkness-type classes.]

— — —

3rd place.

Codename: Frost Burial.

Chief Saint of the Kingdom of the Undead.

Level 64.

Physique: Pluto Body (Saint-Grade / Incomplete).

4th place.

Codename: Cang Xuan.

First Warrior of the Dragon Clan Alliance.

Level 64.

Bloodline: Golden Dragon Royal Family (71% purity).

5th place.

Codename: Star Moon.

High Priest of the Garden of Nature.

Level 63.

Legacy: Moon God Priest (Unique).

6th place.

...

10th place.

...

20th place.

...

27th place.

[Codename: Sword Nameless]

[Affiliation: Sword Pavilion (Big Dipper Star Field)]

[Race: Human Race]

[Level: 62 (Four Poles Peak)]

[Ancient Road Points: 5,010]

[Physique/Legacy: None (Mortal Body) — Suspected of creating his own sword path, has severed all class paths granted by the System]

[Battle Record:]

[1. Ancient Star Road First Pass Clearance Time: 1 day 19 hours 3 minutes (6th in history) — Teamed up with drones, solo main force]

[2. Completer of the Ancient Road hidden mission "Enlightenment Ancient Pass" (The only one to complete it as a Mortal Body in the first five passes)]

[3. Triggered the phenomenon of ten thousand swords resonating during the Big Dipper Star Field All-Race Council]

[4. Known Sword Skills: Nameless Sword Technique · Three Forms. Those hit by this sword cannot be resurrected by any healing skill (Must return to the main city to respawn after death)]

[Current Status: Ancient Road Second Pass · Eternal Star Domain · Resting]

[Threat Rating: ★★★★☆ (Potential ★★★★★)]

[Heavenly Secret Pavilion Note: This person is marked as "Unevaluable" by Eternal Star Domain intelligence analysts. His level is not improved through conventional cultivation, suspected to be deeply bound to his insights into the Sword Dao. The Seventh Fleet suggests: If you encounter this person on the Prodigy Arena, prioritize attempting to befriend rather than antagonize.]

— — —

27th place.

Sword Nameless.

Sword Pavilion.

Level 62.

Mortal Body.

Lin Ye looked at that name.

On the day of the All-Race Council, ten thousand swords resonated in the great hall, and the young man in green cloth robes rose from the tenth seat and said faintly, "Sword Pavilion... approves."

He did not fight Sword Nameless that day.

At this moment, on the ranking list, Sword Nameless was 27th.

He was 28th.

A difference of one position.

— — —

"27th to 1st." Lin Ye said.

"How many are from the Human Race?"

Qin Ruoxue did not answer immediately.

Her fingers paused on the holographic projection for 0.7 seconds.

"Counting you." She said.

"Three."

"Sword Nameless, 27th."

"You, 28th."

"And one more —"

She brought up the 83rd line.

[83rd Place]

[Codename: Middle Emperor]

[Affiliation: Qishi Mansion (Big Dipper Star Field)]

[Race: Human Race]

[Level: 61]

[Ancient Road Points: 2,170]

[Note: One of the three strongest of the current generation of Qishi Mansion, entered the Ancient Road via the Five-Color Altar a month ago, currently training in the Second Pass. Intelligence is limited, temporarily ranked 83rd.]

— — —

Lin Ye looked at that line "Qishi Mansion."

He remembered this name.

In his past life, Qishi Mansion opened once every ten thousand years, screening Saint-level prodigies from the five regions of the Big Dipper, and sending the strongest three to the Ancient Star Road via the Five-Color Altar. This was a strategic layout of the Human Race forces in the Big Dipper Star Field that had continued for ten thousand years—to bypass the suppression of proving the Dao and to Cultivate Saints and even Emperors on the Ancient Road.

He remembered the Middle Emperor.

Xiang Yufei.

One of the leaders of the Human Race in the middle section of the Ancient Road in his past life.

Eventually stopped at the Seventh Pass, failing to return home.

— — —

"The three from Qishi Mansion." Lin Ye said.

"What about the other two?"

Qin Ruoxue shook her head.

"They haven't entered the Ancient Road yet." She said.

"The Qishi Mansion's teleportation has a fixed cycle, the next batch is in three months."

She paused.

"If those two come in, their rankings will be higher than yours."

— — —

Three months.

Lin Ye did not speak.

He looked at the distribution map of all races on the dome, looking at the colorful light spots marked with the God Race, Holy Demon Race, Dragon Clan, Kingdom of the Undead, and Garden of Nature, like a spark spreading into the depths of the Ancient Road.

And him.

Human Race.

Heavenly Court.

Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body.

star tablet Ranking Leader.

At this moment.

28th place.

— — —

The silence lasted for seven seconds.

Shi Potian spoke.

His right arm was still wrapped in a nano-repair membrane, with 41 hours left in the 72-hour degradation cycle. The state of deep depletion made his voice much deeper than usual, like muffled thunder from distant mountains.

"28th." He said.

"972 places higher than before the Ancestral Star trial."

He paused.

"It's only been a month."

— — —

Zhou Tieshan did not speak.

He sat at the edge of the conference table, his right hand—that right arm reinforced with giant beast carapace bone plates—tapping gently on the table.

Every tap left a very shallow, almost invisible dent on the alloy tabletop.

0.3 millimeters.

That was the minimum force he could control at the moment.

40% more precise than before the injury.

— — —

Chu Yunxi lifted her head.

Her body temperature had stabilized at 37.1°C for three days, the source of infection was completely cleared, and the adaptation training for her backup bow had been completed.

She looked at that "28th Place" line.

She did not speak.

But her fingers plucked gently on the string of the flame feather bow.

Hum—

The sound was very light, so light that only she could hear it.

— — —

Chen Hao stood at the end of the conference table.

He was not looking at the ranking.

He was looking at his right hand.

That hand which had recovered from electric shock injuries, had gripped the control ball for 2,820 seconds during the 47-minute limit load test, and was currently trembling slightly.

Not because of weakness.

It was because he was suppressing himself—suppressing the urge to blurt out, "Boss, let me pilot the mecha to the Ancient Road and blow all those God Race prodigies down."

He knew that was not the answer the Boss needed.

So he just looked at his hand.

— — —

Lu Xinghe sat in the corner.

His mental sea was still dead silent.

But his fingers were unconsciously tracing on his knees.

Those were array patterns.

It was the simplest Spirit Gathering Array pattern—the one he had tried for the 47th time in 17 days, failed for the 47th time, and started over for the 47th time.

The 47th time.

Still no spiritual power response.

He did not stop.

— — —

Yun Qianxue stood by the window.

[part:gemini-3.0-flash]

Her green lotus staff—the head shattered, the body covered in cracks, the flame of life within completely extinguished—was gripped horizontally in her hands.

She looked at no one.

She looked at the faint blue shimmering barrier outside the window, watching the Ziwei Enclosure Main Star slowly rotating at the zenith beyond it.

———

Su Qingyue sat beside Lin Ye.

She didn't look at the rankings.

She didn't look at anyone's reaction.

She simply adjusted her light screen next to Lin Ye's, lining them up side by side.

Then, on her own screen, she created a new blank document.

The cursor blinked.

Waiting for input.

———

Lin Ye watched the blinking cursor.

Three seconds.

He spoke.

It wasn't "Why are we ranked so low?"

It wasn't "How can the God Race and Holy Demon Race be 7 levels faster than us?"

It wasn't any complaint, questioning, or emotional venting.

He just said:

“Three months.”

“Enter the top ten.”

———

[System Prompt: You have created a personal goal “Ten Thousand Races Prodigy Rank · Top Ten”]

[Goal Time Limit: 3 months (game time)]

[Current Ranking: 28]

[Goal Achievement Reward: None (The System does not provide this achievement)]

[Goal Failure Penalty: None]

[This goal is visible only to you personally]

———

Lin Ye closed the prompt.

He looked at Qin Ruoxue.

“Intelligence,” he said.

“God Clan Council, Holy Demon Palace, Dragon Clan Alliance, Kingdom of the Undead.”

“In the top 10, these four factions take up seven spots.”

“How are they leveling up?”

———

Qin Ruoxue pulled up the second layer of data.

[God Clan Council · Leveling Path Analysis]

[Core Advantages:]

[1. God Spirit Star Field Exclusive Secret Realm “Sun Temple”: Can be entered for 1 hour daily, experience multiplier 300%, Holy Light skill proficiency gain +500%]

[2. God Race Physique Talent “Light Affinity”: Cultivation speed +50% in sunlight environments, 100% extra experience for killing darkness-type creatures]

[3. Temple Main Branch Legacy System: Can borrow Saint-Grade NPC mentors for free before level 60; unlocks “Divine Revelation” state every 10 levels, all attributes +200% for 30 minutes]

[4. Resource Allocation: As the first in line of succession, Odin's monthly cultivation resources are valued at approximately 12 million Spirit Stones]

[Current Bottleneck: God Race Physique requires completing the “God-Slaying Trial” after level 70, with a failure rate of 91%]

———

[Holy Demon Palace · Leveling Path Analysis]

[Core Advantages:]

[1. Abyss Star Field Forbidden Secret Realm “Abyss Corridor”: Exchange combat time for experience; experience gain per minute ≈ 23 times that of normal field grinding, but death penalties are doubled]

[2. Holy Demon Race Talent “Abyss Contract”: Can sign contracts with Ancient Saint remnants to share experience and skill proficiency]

[3. Demon Palace Saint Exclusive Benefits: Zachariah can receive 3 “Abyss Essences” per month, each providing ≈ 470,000 experience points]

[4. Battle Frenzy: The Holy Demon Race is inherently warlike; Zachariah has averaged 19 hours online daily for the past 30 days, with 1,732 kill records]

[Current Bottleneck: Abyss contractors must feed back into the Ancient Saint remnants after level 80, otherwise the contract will backfire]

———

[Dragon Clan Alliance · Leveling Path Analysis]

[Core Advantages:]

[1. True Dragon Star Field Ancestral Dragon Secret Realm: For every 1% increase in Bloodline purity, a corresponding experience multiplier is gained. Cang Xuan's current Bloodline purity is 71%, experience bonus +142%]

[2. Dragon Clan Longevity Advantage: NPC mentors can provide over 300 years of cultivation experience summaries (compressed into memory crystals)]

[3. Dragon Blood Tempering: Can undergo a Dragon Blood bath every 10 levels, permanently increasing all attributes by 8%-12%]

[Current Bottleneck: Dragon Clan members must hunt sub-dragons of the same Rank to break through level 70; failure results in decreased Bloodline purity]

———

[Kingdom of the Undead · Leveling Path Analysis]

[Core Advantages:]

[1. Undead Creature Double Experience: Gain an extra 100% experience when killing targets with a level ≥ one's own]

[2. Hades Physique Exclusive Secret Realm “Styx Ferry”: Can be entered once every 7 days, providing ≈ 800,000 experience points each time and a chance for legendary-grade Soul Artifacts to drop]

[3. Frost Burial's Personal Special Channel: Suspected secret deal with a certain Ancient Saint of the Underworld; specific intelligence is missing]

[Current Bottleneck: Kingdom of the Undead players must undergo the “Life and Death Tribulation” in the Saint Realm; failure results in forced Rebirth and level reset to zero]

———

Lin Ye read through them one by one.

300% experience Secret Realm.

200% all-attribute Divine Revelation.

2300% per-minute experience gain.

142% Bloodline bonus.

Abyss Essences with 470,000 experience points each.

Resource allocation valued at 12 million Spirit Stones monthly.

———

[Lin Ye · Current Leveling Efficiency]

[Regular Monsters: 100% Experience]

[Chaos Valley Cultivation Room: 170% Experience (Spirit Gathering Array + Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body passive)]

[Star Origin: Unused (Can provide a one-time Breakthrough ignoring Bottlenecks)]

[Monthly Cultivation Resource Valuation: Approximately 370,000 Spirit Stones (Faction supply limit)]

[Average Daily Online: 14-16 hours (including commanding/management/meetings)]

———

28th place.

The gap with 1st place.

It wasn't talent.

It wasn't Physique.

It wasn't any “If I also...” hypothesis that could compensate.

It was resources.

It was the Legacy System.

It was—time.

———

Lin Ye closed all the light screens.

He stood up.

He walked to the window.

Outside, the night in Chaos Valley was still starless.

Beneath that faint blue shimmering barrier, the dome of the Mecha Workshop was slowly rotating—that was the cooling System designed by Chen Hao, using the low nighttime temperatures to perform a 12-hour cooling cycle for the workshop's interior.

To the east of the workshop, the foundation for the Mecha Pilot Training Camp was complete, and steel structure hoisting would begin tomorrow.

Further away, the Martial Arts Practice Field of the Azure Dragon Hall was brightly lit, the shouts from night training penetrating the shimmering barrier, faintly audible in the night wind.

On the watchtower of the Vermilion Bird Hall, the archer on duty was calibrating the nighttime visual range of the Eagle Eye Technique.

The patrol team of the Black Tortoise Hall had just departed from the north gate, beginning their 7th round of night patrol along the outer defense line of Chaos Valley.

All of this.

A 300-square-meter outpost.

99-year usage rights.

A 7:3 profit split.

370,000 Spirit Stones.

28th place.

———

Lin Ye turned around.

He looked at Qin Ruoxue.

“Three months,” he said.

“I need the detailed combat records of every Prodigy in the top 10 from these four factions—the God Clan Council, Holy Demon Palace, Dragon Clan Alliance, and Kingdom of the Undead.”

“Not a summary of their results.”

“The ‘records’.”

“How they move, how they open, how they turn the tables when near death, how they make mistakes when at an advantage.”

“Every single frame.”

———

Qin Ruoxue didn't ask “why.”

She didn't say “how much this level of intelligence will cost.”

She didn't perform any professional risk assessment.

She simply nodded.

“7 days,” she said.

“The first batch.”

———

Lin Ye looked at Shi Potian.

“Your right arm has 41 hours until full recovery.”

“After recovery, back at the Ancestral Star, the unlocking condition for the middle volume of the ‘Hegemon World Scripture’ is level 90.”

“Three months.”

“Is it enough?”

———

Shi Potian looked at his right arm.

The nano-repair film was slowly degrading, its edges already beginning to curl.

He used his left hand to tear off a small piece.

He placed it on the table.

“Enough,” he said.

———

Lin Ye looked at Chen Hao.

“chaos unit no. 1 has passed combat testing.”

“The next stage is mass production.”

“Three months.”

“I want to see the entire Azure Dragon Hall equipped with mechas.”

———

Chen Hao's right hand was no longer shaking.

He pressed that hand onto the table.

Palm down.

Fingers spread.

No trembling.

“3 months,” he said.

“60 units.”

“Pilot training will proceed simultaneously.”

———

Lin Ye looked at Zhou Tieshan.

“The black tortoise shield is destroyed.”

“Over in the Eternal Star Domain, Zhao Wuji is coordinating the procurement channel for giant beast carapaces.”

“Three months.”

“I want you standing at the entrance of the second stage of the Ancient Star Road with a new shield.”

———

Zhou Tieshan didn't speak.

He simply took his right fist—the one reinforced with giant beast carapace bone plates, which could now smash a 3-centimeter deep hole into the ground with one punch—

And placed it gently over his heart.

That was the etiquette of the Black Tortoise Hall.

———

Lin Ye looked at Chu Yunxi.

“The flame feather bow is broken.”

“The backup bow's range is 30 meters shorter.”

“Three months.”

“The Vermilion Bird Hall needs new standard-issue equipment.”

———

Chu Yunxi stood up.

She took that backup bow—the one that had accompanied her in the Crystallized Forest as she shot through 300 crystal threads, and outside the Star Core Giant Beast's nest as she fired her last 9 flame feather arrows—

And placed it on the table.

“The Vermilion Bird Hall,” she said.

“Is not short of bows.”

———

Lin Ye looked at her.

Three seconds.

He nodded.

———

Lin Ye looked at Lu Xinghe.

Lu Xinghe was still sitting in the corner.

His finger was still tracing that Spirit Gathering Array pattern on his knee.

The 47th failure.

He looked up.

“...The array,” he said.

His voice was very soft and raspy, as if he hadn't spoken for 47 days.

“I will fix it.”

———

Lin Ye looked at him.

“Not fix it,” Lin Ye said.

“Surpass it.”

———

Lu Xinghe's finger paused in mid-air.

0.3 seconds.

Then he lowered his head.

And continued tracing.

The 48th time.

———

Lin Ye looked at Yun Qianxue.

Yun Qianxue stood by the window.

That green lotus staff in her hand—its head shattered, its body covered in cracks, the flame of life within completely extinguished—was gripped horizontally in her palm.

She didn't look at Lin Ye.

She looked at the shimmering barrier outside the window.

“...Three months,” she said.

“Is enough for me to find a way to repair it.”

———

Lin Ye didn't ask “What if you can't find it?”

He simply nodded.

———

Finally.

Lin Ye looked at Su Qingyue.

Su Qingyue was still sitting beside him.

On her light screen, that blank document still had only a blinking cursor.

Not a single word had been entered.

But she was looking at him.

Her icy blue eyes were as calm as the surface of an eternal glacial lake.

She didn't ask “What about me?”

She didn't say “What should I do?”

She just waited.

———

“Vast Cold Descent,” Lin Ye said.

“At the time of your second Awakening, you were level 49.”

“Three months.”

“I want to see you standing on the Prodigy Arena with the complete Vast Cold Spirit Body Legacy.”

———

Su Qingyue nodded slightly.

Then she moved the cursor to the first line of the document.

And typed:

[Goal: Three months, Top Ten of the Ten Thousand Races Prodigy Rank.]

[Path Decomposition:]

[1. Level: 60→70 (Requires an additional 3 hours of Secret Realm cultivation daily)]

[2. Vast Cold Spirit Body Third Stage Awakening Conditions: 78% completed (Requires 100 cumulative hours of combat in extreme cold environments)]

[3. Prodigy Arena Simulated Combat: Need to collect at least 3 combat records for each of the top 30 prodigies]

[4. Equipment: Need a new legendary-grade ice-type longsword]

[5...]

———

She didn't stop.

The cursor advanced line by line.

Like the first ray of morning light seeping through a glacial crevice after a polar night.

———

Lin Ye withdrew his gaze.

He looked again at the distribution map of the various races' factions on the dome.

The cursor for the God Clan Council was currently blinking at the entrance to the third stage of the Ancient Star Road.

The cursor for the Holy Demon Palace had already passed the third stage and entered an unknown area.

The cursors for the Dragon Clan Alliance were scattered between the second and third stages.

The cursor for the Kingdom of the Undead was hidden somewhere in the second stage, unable to be precisely located.

And the Heavenly Court's cursor—

Was still in Chaos Valley.

It had not yet officially set foot on the second stage of the Ancient Star Road.

———

“Three months,” Lin Ye said.

He reached out.

On the holographic star map, he drew a line starting from Chaos Valley.

Passing the second stage Reception Station.

Passing the third stage unknown area.

Passing the fourth, fifth, sixth stages...

Stopping at the seventh stage.

That line of pale gold message left inside the tablet by the Nameless One 814 years ago seemed to pulse in the depths of his consciousness at this moment:

[You are 1 minute and 47 seconds slower than I imagined.]

[But the road is still long.]

[I will wait for you at the seventh stage.]

———

“Three months,” Lin Ye repeated.

“Enter the top ten.”

“Not for the ranking.”

He paused.

“It's so that in front of those prodigies who are over level 60, have trained for three months, and have 30 times our resources—”

“We are qualified to draw our swords.”

———

No one spoke.

But in the conference room, nine sounds of breathing, at the same instant—

Missed a beat.

That wasn't fear.

That was... confirmation.

Confirmation that their leader had not lost his way in the disparity of being 28th.

Confirmation that what he saw was not the gap between himself and the 1st place.

But what lay behind those 27 names—

The resources, legacies, Secret Realms, privileges, and the path to heaven paved with the lives of countless prodigies over ten thousand years.

And he.

Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body.

Top of the star tablet.

Lord of the Heavenly Court.

Would use three months to tear open a rift for the Human Race on this path.

———

Outside the window, the faint blue shimmering barrier flickered slightly.

That was the automatic adjustment of the Spirit Gathering Array's overload protection.

The dome of the Mecha Workshop was still slowly rotating.

The shouts from the Azure Dragon Hall's night training still penetrated the Nightfall.

On the Vermilion Bird Hall's watchtower, the Eagle Eye Technique of the archer on duty swept across the defense line.

The patrol team of the Black Tortoise Hall was returning from the north gate, their magnetic anchors thudding with heavy metallic echoes on the alloy walkway.

Chaos Valley.

Day 47.

28th place.

———

Lin Ye turned off the dome star map.

He stood up.

“Starting tomorrow,” he said.

“Everyone.”

“Double your cultivation time.”

———

Nine sounds of breathing.

Simultaneous.

———

[Chapter 152 · End]