178: Three years

Lin Chen glanced at the system panel and noticed that the 'Mind' section had also changed to 'true spirit'.

Name: Lin Chen

Realm: Venerable Realm Ninth Level + (Can be upgraded after integrating laws)

true spirit: Dao Realm Early Stage + (Costs 500 energy points to upgrade)

Golden Body: Saint Tier Fourth Forging + (Costs 30 energy points to upgrade)

...energy points: 1288.15 P

"The next true spirit upgrade actually increased to 500 energy points. It seems the difference in true spirit power between Dao Realm stages is quite significant."

"Let's integrate the laws first!"

Integrating laws only required 36 energy points, a negligible amount for Lin Chen at his current stage.

With a thought, he spent 36 energy points, and the law integration began!

The next moment, celestial phenomena reappeared. Countless streaks of law light emerged in the volcanic region where Lin Chen was, and the aura of the laws became increasingly terrifying, spreading outwards.

Fortunately, the secluded cultivation area Lin Chen chose was a cluster of volcanoes, and no living beings discovered the anomaly here.

The streaks of law light in the heavens and earth intertwined in the air, then began to merge together in an orderly fashion.

This was precisely the sign of law integration.

A normal Venerable Realm Ninth Level cultivator would need to spend a long time slowly comprehending to integrate a single law, and the difficulty increased with each subsequent integration.

Especially starting from the seventh law, the difficulty instantly soared dozens of times!

Integrating laws was extremely dangerous. Each additional law integrated required finding a new balance point, rather than forcefully blending different laws together, which had a high probability of causing a law backlash.

Law backlash, in severe cases, could lead to a regression in cultivation and Dao injuries; in minor cases, it could destroy the physical body!

Therefore, ordinary Venerable Realm Ninth Level cultivators were extremely cautious when integrating laws, only doing so slowly after thorough preparation.

Finding the balance point was just the first condition; the next was comprehension.

After different laws merged, the essence of the laws would undergo tremendous changes, and their power would surge.

Only by allowing the integrated laws to perfectly blend, without flaws or omissions, could it be considered a truly successful integration!

And this second step actually carried no risk; it just required countless years of slow refinement and comprehension.

Thanks to the system's help, Lin Chen wasn't integrating them one by one.

Instead, 90 branch laws were divided into 10 groups and integrated directly. The first step of finding the balance point was completed in an instant!

However, the second step, the perfect blending of laws, was very slow.

Generally speaking, even for a monstrous talent at the Emperor's Son level, achieving perfect blending of two laws would require at least a hundred years!

Among the most monstrous Dao Realm powerhouses in the Endless Realm, it took at least a thousand years to break through!

At the Dao Realm, a very ordinary secluded cultivation session might consume over a hundred years... And for Lin Chen to perfectly blend 90 branch laws, even the most monstrous genius, with the aid of countless treasures that enhance comprehension, would still need a thousand years!

At this moment, Lin Chen, relying on his heaven-defying system, was rapidly shortening this time.

The celestial phenomena in the entire volcanic cluster area became increasingly terrifying, eventually even being discovered by some indigenous living beings from distant lands.

"Look, what is that over there?"

"Such a sight, could it be that some treasure has been born?"

"Our world is almost withering, how could a treasure be born? Truly foolish."

From a decaying city, an old man with white hair and beard walked out. He was the patriarch of a clan.

He was also a Venerable Realm Early Stage cultivator.

As a Venerable Realm cultivator, he could leave this small world at any time.

However, his race was born in this world, and the cost of relocating them was something he couldn't bear.

To migrate a clan to a new world, according to Hong Country law, a high fee had to be paid in the new world.

His clan was already incredibly weak and simply couldn't afford that fee, so he intended to accompany his clan through these last years.

After sensing the heart-pounding auras from the infinitely distant place, he looked aghast.

This clearly indicated a terrifying being was in secluded cultivation!

"Pass down the order: no clan members are to approach that volcanic cluster. Violators will be executed on the spot!"

"Additionally, send more people to establish outposts near the volcanic cluster. No living beings are allowed to approach!"

Under the old man's series of commands, the entire clan sprang into action... Although Lin Chen's breakthrough progress was infinitely accelerated by the system, compared to his previous breakthrough times, this one was exceptionally long!

The perfect blending of 90 laws lasted for a full three years!

Because dream travel could only be maintained for a maximum of one year, Lin Chen had returned twice during this period.

On this day, a huge roar echoed through the heavens and earth. The countless streaks of law light that had been swirling in the void now all converged.

Atop a gigantic volcano, Lin Chen sat cross-legged, suspended in mid-air.

At this moment, eleven strands of light of different colors encircled his fingertips.

These strands of light were only one-millionth the thickness of a hair, yet they emitted an incredibly terrifying aura!

Lin Chen slowly stood up, looking at the light in his hand, his expression excited.

"Is this the power of the Great Dao?"

Slowly retracting the power of the Great Dao at his fingertips, Lin Chen looked at the system panel.

Name: Lin Chen

Realm: Dao Realm First Level + (Can be upgraded by improving Great Dao comprehension)

true spirit: Dao Realm Early Stage + (Costs 500 energy points to upgrade)

Golden Body: Saint Tier Fourth Forging + (Costs 30 energy points to upgrade)

...Source Great Dao:

Chaos (0.1% +)

Time (0.1% +)

Space (0.1% +)

Lightning (0.1% +)

...energy points: 1252.15 P

"Finally, I've broken through!"

The time spent on this secluded breakthrough was longer than all of Lin Chen's previous cultivation time combined.

Lin Chen was now 21 years old.

During this breakthrough, all the Source Great Dao were directly condensed from laws.

Time, Space, Lightning, Yin, Yang, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth—these ten Source Great Dao were condensed from 9 branch laws, and their Great Dao comprehension was only 0.1%.

The Chaos Great Dao, formed and transformed from just 1 Chaos Law, also reached 0.1% comprehension.

One can imagine the absolute supremacy of the Chaos Great Dao!

After breaking through to the Dao Realm, Lin Chen's Inner World also underwent tremendous changes, the most intuitive being the scope of his Inner World.

It directly expanded to a hundred times the size of the Azure Cang Realm.

Then, the World Power, compared to the Venerable Realm, had another qualitative improvement.

He previously had a Level 10 Inner World, leading every step of the way.

At this moment, the scope and World Power of his Inner World were also a hundred times that of an ordinary Dao Realm First Level cultivator!

"Let's see how many energy points it takes to improve the comprehension of the Source Great Dao."

With a thought, Lin Chen chose to improve the Chaos Great Dao and the Great Dao of Time, opting to increase comprehension by 0.1%.

The system panel flashed, and the comprehension of the two Great Dao changed to 0.2%.

They consumed 100 energy points and 10 energy points, respectively.

The Chaos Great Dao still consumed ten times more... Lin Chen had long had a premonition that after breaking through to the Dao Realm, the energy points required would be an astronomical figure, but he didn't expect it to be this exaggerated.

His face immediately turned red and pale.

Calculated this way, reaching perfection in the Chaos Great Dao would require 100,000 energy points.

And for the other 10 Source Great Dao like Time and Space to reach perfection, they would collectively require another 100,000 energy points!

200,000 energy points—Lin Chen even suspected that even the Hong Country imperial family couldn't afford so many resources... "Let's take it one step at a time. If it really doesn't work, I'll borrow some from the Asura Clan and the Spirit Clan."

Lin Chen's eyes narrowed slightly, a terrifying murderous intent flashing within them.

He still remembered the Black Dragon Clan and the Blood Clan.

"For now, I'll try my best to improve my strength!"