20: Chapter 22 Mother Qi Recognizes Master, Destiny Weapon Formed

Inside the Bronze Ancient Palace, time seemed to freeze.

The remnant Soul of the Heavenly Court - First Generation Hall Master slowly raised his head, revealing a face covered in bronze corrosion. His features vaguely resembled a human, but burning in his eye sockets were not pupils, but two clusters of flickering green flames. Deep within the flames, endless years and vicissitudes were reflected.

"How many years has it been..." the remnant Soul spoke, its voice like the friction of bronze, hoarse and ancient, "Finally, a successor has made it here."

Lin Ye and the other five stood in place, none daring to act rashly. Although this was just a remnant Soul, and although that broken sword emitting the aura of death was still stabbed into his back, the pressure originating from ancient times still made everyone feel suffocated.

This was an existence that had truly lived through the Mythological Era; even if it was just a wisp of a remnant Soul, it was by no means something current players could contend with.

"Junior Lin Ye greets Senior." Lin Ye took the lead in saluting, his attitude respectful but not subservient.

The remnant Soul's green eyes fell upon Lin Ye, the flames flickering: "Chaos aura... are you a Chaos Body?"

"It is the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body." Lin Ye did not hide it. Before such an existence, hiding it was meaningless.

"Heavenly Emperor Body... Heh, what grand spirit." The remnant Soul laughed, his laughter carrying a hint of reminiscence, "The last person who claimed to have a Heavenly Emperor Body was the Emperor Lord. However, he has already fallen for hundreds of thousands of years."

He paused, turning his gaze toward the direction of Lin Ye's wheel sea secret realm: "You chose the myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo?"

"Yes."

"Why?" the remnant Soul asked, "The Heavenly Secret Strategy can peer into destiny, and the Seven Star Sword can slay demons; both are rare treasures in this world. Yet you chose a cauldron embryo that requires long-term nurturing and has an uncertain future."

Lin Ye was silent for a moment before answering: "The Heavenly Secret Strategy is good, but our strength is insufficient; forcibly practicing it will only invite heavenly punishment. The Seven Star Sword is sharp, but it is not my Dao path. Only the cauldron embryo is compatible with my Physique; it can attack and defend, refine and suppress. More importantly..."

He looked at the remnant Soul: "A cauldron can carry myriad things and encompass everything. All the Laws of this world must eventually return to the One. And the cauldron is that 'One'."

"Hahahaha—" The remnant Soul suddenly laughed loudly, the sound making the Bronze Ancient Palace hum and vibrate, "A fine 'the cauldron is that One'! Little fellow, you are even more interesting than I imagined."

As the laughter subsided, the remnant Soul's gaze became profound: "Since you chose the cauldron embryo, then let it truly acknowledge you as its master. A Natal Artifact is not something that is completed just by casually taking it into your wheel sea secret realm."

He raised his right hand—that hand was incomplete, with only three fingers remaining. The three fingers traced through the air, and a bronze-colored rune was generated out of thin air, slowly flying toward Lin Ye.

"This is the 'Natal Sacrificial Refining Method', an Artifact Refining technique unique to the Bronze Clan. It uses one's own essence blood as a lead and the Soul as a furnace to thoroughly integrate the Magical Artifact into the life Origin. The process will be very painful, but after success, the cauldron embryo will perfectly fit your Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body, and its growth speed will increase tenfold."

The rune sank into the center of Lin Ye's brow, and a large amount of information flooded into his mind.

It was indeed a complete set of Natal Artifact sacrificial refining methods, much more exquisite than the general methods provided by the game System. It involved complex steps such as essence blood guidance, Soul branding, and Origin resonance, each requiring extremely high control.

More importantly, this set of methods required the consumption of... Lifespan.

Using one's own Lifespan as fuel to ignite the fire of sacrificial refining. Although the consumption wasn't much—according to the information prompts, at Lin Ye's current Realm, it would consume about three years of his natural life. But in the early stages of the game, this was an almost unimaginable price.

"Are you afraid?" The remnant Soul seemed to see through Lin Ye's hesitation, "The path of Cultivate is inherently an act of going against the heavens; without sacrifice, how can there be gains? If you are unwilling, it's not too late to back out now. I can take back the cauldron embryo and exchange it for another treasure for you."

Lin Ye shook his head: "No, I am willing."

It was only three years of life. In his previous life, he only lived for three years until the game and reality merged. In this life, if he could change the future and save more people, what did a mere three years of Lifespan matter?

Moreover, in the covering the heavens era, there were countless Heaven And Earth Treasures that extended life; Late Stage players often had thousands of years of Lifespan, so three years really wasn't much.

"You have guts." The remnant Soul nodded in approval, "Then let us begin. I will act as your Protector to ensure the sacrificial refining process is not disturbed."

Lin Ye sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.

He first looked inward at his wheel sea secret realm, finding that myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo floating above the sea of bitterness. The cauldron embryo was only the size of a fist at the moment, its gray surface flowing with a Chaos halo, breathing slowly as if it were alive.

Following the guidance of the sacrificial refining method, Lin Ye forced a drop of natal essence blood from his heart.

This drop of essence blood was different from ordinary blood; it was pale gold, with spots of Chaos starlight flickering inside, containing the Origin aura of the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body. The moment the essence blood left his body, Lin Ye felt a bit weaker, and his blood volume limit permanently dropped by 500 points.

Wrapped in Divine Power, the essence blood flew toward the cauldron embryo.

When the essence blood touched the surface of the cauldron embryo, the gray cauldron body suddenly erupted with an intense Chaos light. The light swallowed, decomposed, and absorbed the essence blood, and pale gold patterns began to emerge on the surface of the cauldron embryo. Those patterns wound and grew, gradually forming a complex design—that was Lin Ye's life brand.

The first step, essence blood acknowledging its master, was complete.

Next was the second step, Soul branding.

Lin Ye separated a wisp of Divine Sense and carefully probed into the interior of the cauldron embryo. The Divine Sense passed through the Chaos mist and entered the core area of the cauldron embryo. Here was a patch of Chaos Void Realm, with no distinction of up, down, left, or right, only the most primitive Chaos Qi rotating slowly.

He left that wisp of Divine Sense in the core and carved his own Soul imprint within it.

This was an extremely delicate process; the slightest mistake would damage his Soul Origin. Lin Ye was fully concentrated, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead. Time passed minute by minute, and finally, when the last stroke of the Soul imprint was completed, the entire core of the cauldron embryo jolted violently.

Lin Ye felt his consciousness establish a wonderful connection with the cauldron embryo. He could "see" every inch of the cauldron embryo's structure, "feel" the flow of Chaos Qi within the cauldron, and even vaguely perceive the "emotions" of the cauldron embryo—it was a kind of newborn-like ignorance and curiosity.

Soul branding, complete.

The final step, and also the most critical step: Origin resonance.

Lin Ye needed to establish a permanent connection between his own life Origin—the core of the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body—and the cauldron embryo. This step required burning Lifespan, using the fire of Lifespan to ignite the bridge of resonance.

He took a deep breath and began to activate his life Origin according to the secret technique in the sacrificial refining method.

The sea of bitterness in the wheel sea secret realm began to boil, and the life spring gushed out an unprecedented, majestic Divine Power. Deep within Lin Ye's heart, a speck of pale gold light lit up; that was the radiance of his life Origin.

"Three years of Lifespan... Burn!"

Lin Ye gave a low shout, and that speck of pale gold light separated a small wisp, turning into golden flames. The flames left his heart, flowed through his Meridians toward the wheel sea secret realm, and finally reached the location of the cauldron embryo.

The golden flames enveloped the cauldron embryo and began to slowly calcine it.

This was not a destructive fire, but a fire of life, a fire of Origin. Every time the flame flickered, it would calcine a wisp of Impurities from the cauldron embryo, while simultaneously carving Lin Ye's life brand deeper into every particle of the cauldron embryo.

And the price was that Lin Ye could clearly feel his life slipping away.

It wasn't a drop in blood volume in the game, but a deeper sense of passing that touched reality. A few silver strands began to appear in his hair, the luster of his skin dimmed a bit, and a hint of vicissitude was added to the depths of his eyes.

This was the price of burning Lifespan.

But while burning his Lifespan, the cauldron embryo was also undergoing earth-shattering changes.

The originally gray cauldron body began to transform toward pale gold. The Chaos halo on the surface became more solid, with Dao runes faintly flowing within it. The volume of the cauldron embryo was also slowly growing, expanding from the size of a fist to the size of a human head, and then to the size of a watermelon...

The Chaos Void Realm within the cauldron was also expanding; the space that could originally only hold one wisp of Chaos Qi could now hold ten wisps, a hundred wisps. Vague scenes began to emerge in the void—those were images of the Chaos dividing at the beginning of the creation of the world.

After an unknown amount of time, when the golden flames completely extinguished, the sacrificial refining was complete.

Lin Ye opened his eyes, a trace of fatigue flashing through them, but it was mostly joy.

With a thought, a pale gold three-legged small cauldron flew out from his wheel sea secret realm, hovering in his palm. The small cauldron was about a foot high, with three legs and two ears. The surface of the cauldron body flowed with a Chaos-colored halo, and within the halo, the phantoms of the sun, moon, stars, mountains, and rivers faintly circulated.

At the mouth of the cauldron, wisps of gray mother qi hung down, each wisp as heavy as a thousand jun, pressing the surrounding space until it slightly distorted.

This was the true Natal Artifact—the myriad mother qi cauldron.

Not an embryo, not a semi-finished product, but a true natal Magical Artifact connected to his life and Soul.

【myriad mother qi cauldron (Natal Artifact)】

Quality: Legendary (Gold)

Growth Stage: Embryo Stage → Growth Stage (Current: Growth Stage 12%)

Binding: Soul Bound (Lin Ye)

Attributes:

Attack: +650 (Continues to grow as nurturing level increases)

Defense: +980 (Continues to grow as nurturing level increases)

Special Effects:

①【Mother Qi Body Protection】: Passive, reduces all damage taken by 20%

②【Chaos Resonance】: When linked with Chaos attribute skills, effect increases by 25%

③【Cauldron Suppressing Mountains and Rivers】: Active, consumes 400 Divine Power to suppress all enemies within a 20-meter radius, reducing their movement speed by 50% for 6 seconds (Cooldown time: 3 minutes)

④【myriad mother qi】: The cauldron can store myriad mother qi (Current: 0/3 wisps); mother qi can be used for attack, defense, or Artifact Refining

⑤【Natal Sensing】: Can sense Chaos-related Heaven And Earth Treasures within a hundred-mile radius

Growth Requirement: myriad mother qi (0/10 wisps)

Next Stage: Growth Stage → Mature Stage (Requires nurturing level to reach 50%)

Description: A natal cauldron refined with natal essence blood, Soul branding, and the fire of Lifespan, it has preliminarily awakened its spirituality. Continuing to nurture its growth offers the hope of it becoming a supreme emperor weapon that suppresses the heavens.

Attributes comprehensively improved!

Attack rose from 500 to 650, and defense rose from 800 to 980. Although the damage reduction effect of Mother Qi Body Protection did not change, the Chaos Resonance bonus increased from 20% to 25%, and both the range and duration of Cauldron Suppressing Mountains and Rivers increased.

More importantly, two new special effects appeared: 【myriad mother qi】 and 【Natal Sensing】.

myriad mother qi was the core ability of the cauldron. Although there wasn't a single wisp of mother qi in the cauldron now, once obtained, Lin Ye could manipulate the mother qi for attack or defense. myriad mother qi was one of the heaviest substances between heaven and earth; a single wisp could crush a mountain, making it a supreme Sharp Weapon for facing enemies.

Natal Sensing was a super-strong treasure-hunting ability. Within a hundred-mile radius, he could vaguely perceive the location of any Heaven And Earth Treasure related to Chaos. This would be of huge help to him in finding Materials like myriad mother qi and chaos source stones.

And the growth stage of the cauldron also skipped the larval stage from the embryo stage, directly entering the growth stage. Although the nurturing level was still 12%, the essence was already completely different.

"Good, very good." The remnant Soul of the Heavenly Court - First Generation Hall Master nodded with satisfaction, "To be able to enter the growth stage in the first sacrificial refining, your Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body deserves much credit. Moreover, you burned three years of Lifespan; the depth of resonance gained far exceeds ordinary people. Now this cauldron is thoroughly bound to your life; if you die, the cauldron is destroyed, and if the cauldron shatters, you perish, but it also means its growth will be completely synchronized with yours."

Lin Ye stood up and saluted respectfully: "Thank you for bestowing the technique, Senior."

"No need to thank me, this was your own choice." The remnant Soul waved his hand, "I only gave you the method; whether it can be successful and to what extent it can succeed all depends on yourself."

He paused, looking at Su Qingyue and the others behind Lin Ye: "Your companions are also not bad; to be able to accompany you here at this stage, their Heart-Nature and strength are both top-tier. Especially that little girl..."

The remnant Soul's gaze fell upon Su Qingyue, the green flames flickering: "Vast Cold Spirit Body, and it's an Innate Awakening. This kind of Physique was also top-tier in the Immortal Ancient Era, but unfortunately, the heaven and earth environment has changed now; her growth will be a hundred times more difficult than in ancient times."

Su Qingyue bowed slightly: "Please advise me, Senior."

"I can't really call it advice; I'm just a remnant Soul, and even my memories are incomplete." The remnant Soul shook his head, "However, I can tell you that the ultimate form of the Vast Cold Spirit Body is the 'Great Yin Body'. If one can attain the Dao with the Great Yin Body, they can stand alongside the Great Sun Body; with Yin and Yang combined, there is hope of touching the Immortal Dao. But to achieve the Great Yin Body, one needs to find the legendary 'Great Yin True Water' and the 'Vast Cold Palace Legacy'."

"Great Yin True Water... Vast Cold Palace Legacy..." Su Qingyue murmured repeatedly, recording these two names in her heart.

The remnant Soul then looked at Chen Hao: "Little fellow with the God King Body, your Physique has not yet fully awakened. The God King Body grows easiest in battle; experience more life-and-death struggles, and it will naturally recover slowly."

Chen Hao cupped his fists: "Junior will keep it in mind."

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

"As for you three..." The remnant Soul looked at Zhang Meng, Zhao Xiaoyu, and the newly resurrected Li Qingshan and Wang Iron Pillar. "Although you do not have special Physiques, on the path of Cultivation, Physique is only the starting point, not the destination. In the ancient era, how many ordinary bodies attained the Dao as Great Emperors, suppressing an entire era? Persist, and you may not lack opportunity."

The four bowed in unison. "Thank you for your teachings, Senior."

After saying this, the remnant Soul seemed to have consumed a significant amount of energy, its figure becoming dimmer. The pitch-black broken sword behind it emitted an even denser aura of death.

"Senior, the sword behind you..." Lin Ye couldn't help but ask.

"This?" The remnant Soul glanced back, its tone flat. "A broken sword from 'Above the Heavens'. Back then, the Bronze Clan was defeated by the master of this sword; the nine great ancestral halls were shattered, and the clansmen were nearly wiped out. I risked my life to seal this remnant Soul here just to wait for a successor to pass down this history."

Above the Heavens!

Lin Ye's heart was shaken. He had only heard this term a few times in his previous life; it was during the Late Stage of the game, when some players triggered the highest-level hidden plot, that they glimpsed a clue. It was said that Above the Heavens was a world higher than the Immortal Realm, where existences could easily destroy a Universe.

Yet, the broken sword before him, merely originating from Above the Heavens, had nailed the First Generation Hall Master of the Bronze Clan to death, causing a glorious civilization to nearly go extinct.

"Above the Heavens... what exactly is it?" Lin Ye asked.

"I do not know." The remnant Soul shook its head. "I only know that it is the source of all Laws and the end of all destruction. During its peak, the Bronze Clan attempted to explore the Heavens, only to bring about the calamity of extinction. Later Human Race Great Emperors also seemed to be pursuing the secrets of the Heavens, but the results..."

It did not continue, but the meaning was already very clear.

"Very well, my time is running out." The remnant Soul's voice grew weaker. "Little one, since you have inherited the Artifact Refining methods of the Bronze Clan and obtained the seed of the World Tree, it means you have accepted the Karma of the Bronze Clan. In the future, if there is an opportunity, I hope you can find the truth behind the collapse of the Bronze Clan, so that this once glorious civilization does not completely vanish in the river of history."

"As for now..." The remnant Soul raised its hand, pointing to the giant bronze bell in the center of the hall.

"This 'Bronze Time Bell' is a replica of the Bronze Clan's clan-protecting treasure. Although it is only a replica, it contains a trace of the Law of Time. I will inject its final energy into your cauldron to help you stabilize your Life-Bound Artifact, while also allowing your teammates to obtain some benefits."

As the voice fell, the remnant Soul's figure completely turned into green smoke, drifting toward the giant bronze bell.

The green smoke merged into the bell body, and the giant bell began to vibrate.

"Dong—!" A melodious bell toll resounded through the hall.

The bell sound seemed to transcend the ages, carrying vicissitudes, sorrow, and a trace of hope.

The bell sound turned into tangible sound waves, sweeping over the six of them, including Lin Ye.

Lin Ye felt his myriad things mother qi cauldron trembling violently. The Chaos Void inside the cauldron expanded madly, from originally only being able to hold a hundred strands of Chaos Qi to being able to hold thousands, then ten thousands. The pale gold of the cauldron body became deeper, and more Dao runes appeared on its surface.

The bell rang nine times. After the nine tolls, the light on the surface of the giant bronze bell faded completely. Countless cracks appeared on the bell body, and finally, with a "crack," it shattered into countless bronze fragments, scattering all over the floor.

And Lin Ye's myriad things mother qi cauldron's growth rate jumped directly from 12% to 25%!

【myriad things mother qi cauldron (Life-Bound Artifact)】

Growth Stage: Growth Phase (25%)

Attributes: Attack: +820 (+170), Defense: +1250 (+270)

Special Effects: ①【Mother Qi Body Protection】: All damage taken is reduced by 20%

②【Chaos Resonance】: When linked with Chaos-attribute skills, effects are increased by 30% (+5%)

③【Cauldron Suppresses Mountains and Rivers】: Consumes 400 Divine Power to suppress all enemies within a 25-meter radius, reducing their movement speed by 55% for 7 seconds (Cooldown: 2.5 minutes)

④【myriad things mother qi】: The cauldron can store myriad things mother qi (Current: 0/5 strands)

⑤【Life-Bound Sense】: Can sense Chaos-related Heaven And Earth Treasure within a 150-li range.

⑥【Mark of Time】: Newly unlocked; the cauldron body is branded with a trace of the Law of Time, increasing the effect of time-related skills by 20%.

Growth Requirement: myriad things mother qi (0/10 strands)

Description: Having absorbed the residual Law of Time from the Bronze Time Bell, the Life-Bound cauldron preliminarily possesses a Time attribute. Continuing to grow, it is hoped to master the true power of time.

New Special Effect【Mark of Time】! Although it only increases the effect of time-related skills, it is of great significance to Lin Ye. He will definitely comprehend the Law of Time in the future, and this special effect is equivalent to laying a foundation in advance.

Moreover, the cauldron's attack and defense have increased significantly again, and the range and effect of Cauldron Suppresses Mountains and Rivers have also been enhanced.

Besides Lin Ye, the other five also benefited greatly.

Su Qingyue's Vast Cold Spirit Body was purified by the bell sound, and her Origin injuries healed by 30%, at least she was no longer in life-threatening danger. She also obtained a temporary status 【Baptism of Time】, increasing her Cultivation speed by 200% for the next three days.

Chen Hao's God King Body awakened further, unlocking a new skill 【Wrath of the God King】, which significantly increases attack power for a short time.

Zhang Meng, Zhao Xiaoyu, Li Qingshan, and Wang Iron Pillar all gained a large amount of experience, leveling up by 2-3 levels, with overall attribute improvements. Zhang Meng also unexpectedly comprehended a defensive skill 【Bronze Protection】, which temporarily increases defense by 50% for 10 seconds after activation.

After the giant bronze bell shattered, the hall began to shake. Rubble fell from the dome, cracks appeared on the walls on all sides, and the ground began to collapse.

"The ancient palace is collapsing!" Chen Hao shouted.

"The First Generation Hall Master's remnant Soul has dissipated, and the Time Bell is shattered; this space has lost its support." Lin Ye judged. "We must leave immediately!"

"How do we leave?" Zhao Xiaoyu asked anxiously. "The path we came from is already sealed!"

Lin Ye looked toward the end of the hall. There, where there was originally a wall, a rotating light gate had appeared. The light gate was bronze-colored, with a scene of flowing stars inside.

"It's the exit." Lin Ye made a prompt decision. "Go!"

The six rushed toward the light gate and jumped into it one by one before the ancient palace completely collapsed. A familiar sense of dizziness washed over them.

When Lin Ye opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in a wilderness. Surrounding him were rolling mountain ranges, and in the distance, the outline of the Capital City of Yan State could be seen—they had been teleported to the outskirts of the capital.

The other five appeared one after another, all unharmed.

"We... are out?" Wang Iron Pillar still couldn't quite believe it.

"Yes, we are out." Lin Ye nodded, looking at the myriad things mother qi cauldron in his hand. The small cauldron floated quietly in his palm, emitting a pale golden halo, resonating perfectly with his life aura. From today on, he had a true Life-Bound Artifact.

Su Qingyue also looked at the star ring in her hand—it was crafted from the Star Core Pupil fragments obtained from the core remains of the ancient palace. The ring shimmered with deep blue light in the sunlight, with nebulae slowly rotating inside.

"Lin Ye." She spoke softly. "I want to go back to the city to rest first, and then... go find the cold jade marrow and Star Shine Grass."

Lin Ye knew what she meant. Although her Spirit Body Origin had been repaired by 30% by the bell sound, it was still in an overdrawn state and needed treatment as soon as possible.

"Alright, let's split up." Lin Ye arranged. "Qingyue, you go back to the city with Chen Hao and Xiaoyu, find Physician Sun Simiao, and see if he has any further treatment suggestions. Zhang Meng, Qingshan, Iron Pillar, the three of you collect intelligence in the city and inquire about news of the Cold Ice Cave and Star Observation Cliff."

"What about you, Brother Lin?" Chen Hao asked.

"I'm going to Yaoguang Holy Land." Lin Ye looked at the mountain peak towering into the clouds in the distance. "Join the Holy Land and exchange for the Ice Heart Art. At the same time... I also need to complete the Dao Palace trial and Breakthrough to the next Realm."

His current level was 30, the maximum, and he had cultivated the wheel sea secret realm to the extreme. As long as he passed the Dao Palace trial, he could open the Dao Palace and step into a new stage of Cultivation.

The task for the Dao Palace trial was to kill the Thunder Eagle King in Wind and Thunder Valley. That was a level 40 BOSS; with his current strength and the newly acquired myriad things mother qi cauldron, he should be confident.

"Then when shall we meet?" Su Qingyue asked.

"Three days later, let's meet at Huichun Hall." Lin Ye said. "Whether I find the Ice Heart Art or not, I will return."

Everyone nodded and walked toward the Capital City of Yan State. Lin Ye turned and set off toward Yaoguang Holy Land.

He walked a few steps, suddenly felt something, and looked back at the wilderness behind him.

There, the teleportation light gate of the Bronze Ancient Palace had completely dissipated, leaving no trace. It was as if that hidden dungeon had never existed, as if that thrilling battle was just a dream.

But the myriad things mother qi cauldron floating in his wheel sea, the seed of the World Tree in his storage ring, and the information in his mind about the Bronze Clan and Above the Heavens were all reminding him—everything was real.

He raised his hand, and the myriad things mother qi cauldron appeared in his palm. The pale golden cauldron body, the Chaos-colored halo, the falling mother qi was as heavy as a thousand jun. This was his Life-Bound Artifact, the starting point of his Dao for this lifetime of attaining the Dao.

Lin Ye clenched his fist, withdrew the cauldron into his wheel sea, and turned to stride away. The wind of the wilderness blew by, sweeping up a few fallen leaves.

Not long after Lin Ye left, the space above the open ground distorted slightly. A blurry figure slowly emerged.

It was a person wearing a black robe, their face hidden in the shadow of a hood, with only the chin and lips visible. Their lips were thin and pale, with a faint, elusive smile hanging at the corner of their mouth.

"Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body... myriad things mother qi cauldron... and the Karma of the Bronze Clan..." The black-robed person muttered to himself, their voice hoarse and eerie. "Interesting, truly interesting. This era is even more lively than expected."

He raised his hand, and a black token appeared in his palm. A single character was engraved on the front of the token—"Heaven".

"The Hall Master is right, the variable has appeared." The black-robed person put away the token and looked in the direction Lin Ye had left. "Then, let this game officially begin."

His figure distorted again, like ink melting into water, and slowly disappeared. The wilderness returned to silence, with only the wind howling.

But the gears of fate had already quietly turned.

In some unknown dimension, a cold and grand consciousness slowly "watched" this wilderness. That consciousness had no emotions, no good or evil, only pure calculation and deduction.

It saw Lin Ye's growth, saw the birth of the myriad things mother qi cauldron, saw the collapse of the Bronze Ancient Palace, and saw the appearance of that black-robed person.

Countless data streams surged within the consciousness, finally converging into a conclusion:

【Key variable 'Lin Ye' detected, Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body Awakening degree: 7%】

【Life-Bound Artifact 'myriad things mother qi cauldron' detected, growth potential assessment: Emperor Weapon level (probability 68.3%), Immortal Artifact level (probability 21.7%)】

【Bronze Clan Karma line detected, triggering hidden plot 'Mystery of Above the Heavens'】

【Signs of external interference detected, interferer identity: ???】

【According to Article 7 of the protocol, starting to adjust world difficulty...】

【Adjustment complete, next stage major event 'Holy Land Trial' difficulty increased by 30%】

【Warning: Variable is too large, may affect the Fusion process. Suggest taking restrictive measures.】

The consciousness "thought" for a moment and finally made a decision:

【Restrictive measures suggestion rejected.】

【Variable 'Lin Ye' meets the 'Seed Project' screening criteria, reserved for observation.】

【Activating backup plan 'Competitor Cultivation', starting to deploy 'Child of Destiny' templates...】

【Deployment quantity: 3】

【Deployment areas: Big Dipper Star Field, Eternal Star Domain, Ziwei Star Domain】

【Goal: Counterbalance variable 'Lin Ye', maintain world balance.】

The command was issued, and three invisible fluctuations crossed the endless starry sky, flying toward three different directions. One of the fluctuations was heading toward the Yaoguang Holy Land.

And of all this, Lin Ye was still completely unaware.

He was currently walking on the mountain path leading to Yaoguang Holy Land, calculating in his mind how to obtain the Ice Heart Art as soon as possible, how to pass the Dao Palace trial, and how to find myriad things mother qi to nourish his Life-Bound cauldron.

The road ahead was still long, and there were many challenges. But at least now, he had power that truly belonged to him.

The myriad things mother qi cauldron rotated slowly in his wheel sea; every rotation resonated with his life. The Life-Bound Artifact was formed, and the path of the Dao had begun. And this was just the beginning.