189: Chapter 189 The Final Step of the Ninth-Order Insect Arrow

Qin Ye raised her right hand.

"The World."

The Stand raised its hand in sync.

There was not the slightest delay in the movement.

Her gaze locked onto a falling red point of light ahead.

"Time Stop."

There was no violent mental storm.

No roar of laws swept across the entire space.

A small area around that red point of light quietly solidified.

It stopped in mid-air, a mere half-foot away from Qin Ye's fingertips.

However, the mental projections of Su Bai and Li Qingyue were not affected in the least.

After a few breaths, Qin Ye released the ability.

The red point of light continued to fall, gently landing on the pure white ground.

Qin Ye lowered her head to sense her own state.

"The consumption is very low."

"The Time Stop just now was probably only about one-thousandth of the normal state."

A flash of pleasant surprise crossed Su Bai's eyes.

"What about the range?"

"About one meter in diameter."

"Can it be shrunk further?"

"It should be possible."

Qin Ye raised her hand again.

This time, her target became a slowly flowing red law beside Su Bai.

"Time Stop."

The red law suddenly solidified.

The other surrounding laws still flowed normally, without producing any conflict with each other.

Su Bai's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

What Qin Ye gained was not a simple increase in strength.

Her control over the Law of Time had evolved from a crude interception to precise interference.

Large-scale Time Stop was more like blocking an entire river with a giant boulder.

And the current Qin Ye was like using a single finger to ripple a specific drop of water in the river.

"This is the truly terrifying part of time abilities."

Su Bai muttered.

"If in the future the range can be shrunk to a certain part of the enemy..."

"For example, the eyes, the heart, or the law core that the enemy is operating."

Qin Ye nodded.

"I will continue to practice."

Beside them, Li Qingyue listened to the discussion between master and apprentice and couldn't help speaking up:

"Don't be anxious to practice attacking the human body first."

"Directional Time Stop has extremely high demands on Mental Power control. Even a slight deviation will affect yourself at the same time."

"Especially when living beings are involved; once the timeline is misaligned, the backlash caused will not be lighter than that of large-scale Time Stop."

Qin Ye nodded.

"I know."

She looked down at her palm.

In the trial of the philosophers stone, she not only completed the confrontation with her past, but also made [The World] truly acknowledge her will.

Nowadays, that vague confrontation of the past no longer existed between her and her Stand.

[The World] remained arrogant, powerful, and still like a tyrant looking down on all living beings.

But it would no longer tear her apart in return.

This was the reward from the philosophers stone to her.

Not strength.

But stability.

[Detected that the user's mental structure has achieved self-consistency.]

[Deep synchronization of soul wavelengths between the Stand and the host has been completed.]

[Acquired trait: Golden Spirit.]

[Mental pollution resistance increased.]

[Probability of forced dissipation of the Stand decreased.]

[Control precision of the Law of Time increased.]

Su Bai looked at [The World] behind Qin Ye, already having a judgment in his heart.

Her Stand had not undergone a traditional sense of evolution.

There was no exaggerated growth in destructive power, speed, or endurance.

But from a combat perspective, Qin Ye was already several times more dangerous than during the National Competition.

The past [The World] was like a heavy hammer with infinite power, but one that could only be swung with brute force.

And now, it began to possess the precision of a scalpel.

"Your trial is complete."

Li Qingyue looked at Qin Ye.

"You can leave the mystic realm first."

But Qin Ye shook her head.

"Su Bai hasn't finished yet."

"I will stay."

"Are the aura of laws here helpful to you?"

"No."

"Then why are you staying?"

Qin Ye was silent for a moment.

"Watch him make cards."

Li Qingyue: "..."

She looked at Su Bai.

"You, this Magic Card Master, are quite popular."

Su Bai didn't hear the other implications in her words, only looking forward.

As Qin Ye completed her trial, the red laws in the deepest part of the pure white space began to slowly gather.

Countless mental, material, and time structures were dragged toward the same location.

It looked like a giant furnace that did not exist in reality.

The furnace had no flames.

Yet it was continuously refining the laws.

When the red points of light entered it, they were disassembled into their most basic structures.

Mental Power was separated.

Matter was disassembled.

Time was folded.

Causality was rearranged.

The illusory hourglass on Su Bai's arm emerged once again.

The grayish-white fine sand in the hourglass began to flow backward.

Li Qingyue's expression also gradually grew solemn.

"Furnace of Truth."

"The true power of the philosophers stone is not to directly bestow a certain ability upon someone, but to disassemble concepts down to their lowest layer."

Su Bai looked at that law furnace.

"Can it upgrade the Rank 2 Bug Arrow to Rank 9?"

"It can't be done directly."

Li Qingyue replied.

"The philosophers stone can provide Rank 9 laws, but it won't define the Stand for you."

"Moreover, your original Bug Arrow is already a complete card; you cannot simply pour high-rank energy into it."

Su Bai nodded.

He naturally understood this principle.

The original [Rank 2 Stand Bug Arrow] was the second core prop he created.

It was through this card that Qin Ye awakened [The World].

Wei Xiaoyu had also tried it back then.

It was just a pity that her mental state could not withstand the interrogation of [The World], and she ultimately awakened distorted parasitic vines.

The function of the Bug Arrow was never to directly stuff a certain Stand into the user's body.

It was more like a key.

The Stand template was pre-engraved in the card, and after the arrowhead stabbed into the target's soul, it would complete adaptation according to the target's mental state.

If adaptation succeeded, the user awakened a Stand.

If adaptation failed, the mentality would suffer a backlash from the Stand template.

But the Rank 2 Bug Arrow also had its own limits.

Its card body was of too low a rank to carry the true Rank 9 laws for a long time.

If used by a Rank 9 powerhouse, the Bug Arrow might be able to temporarily open the door, but it couldn't maintain the stable existence of a Rank 9 Stand.

This was the real reason why Su Bai competed for the philosophers stone.

What he wanted was not a ready-made reward.

But to let the key that was the Bug Arrow possess the qualification to open the door of Rank 9 laws.

"Therefore, what we need to do is not to forge a new arrow again."

Su Bai looked at Li Qingyue.

"Rather, it is to let the original Bug Arrow complete its promotion."

"That's right."

Li Qingyue nodded.

"The Rank 2 Bug Arrow is the seed."

"The philosophers stone provides the Law of Truth."

"And I am responsible for forging them into a true Rank 9 card."

"What is Su Bai responsible for?"

Qin Ye suddenly asked.

Li Qingyue glanced at her.

"Responsible for defining the Stand."

"Be more specific."

"Without him, the philosophers stone is just a law fragment with infinite possibilities."

"Without him, the Rank 2 Bug Arrow is just a special card capable of manifesting Mental Power."

"Only Su Bai knows what a Stand should truly be."

Qin Ye nodded.

"In other words, Master is responsible for making cards, and Su Bai is responsible for wild daydreaming."

Su Bai raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean by wild daydreaming?"

"Didn't you say before that the Stand is just getting started?"

Qin Ye looked at him.

"Then to what step are you planning to let it go now?"

"At least go to Rank 9 first."

Su Bai answered matter-of-factly.

Li Qingyue took a deep breath.

She had decided not to comment on this answer for the time being.

The Furnace of Truth began to accelerate.

The Rank 2 Bug Arrow card that was originally suspended in front of Su Bai was pulled by a force and slowly flew into the furnace.

As soon as the card entered it, dense cracks appeared on the surface.

Qin Ye instinctively clenched her fists.

"It's going to shatter."

"It's not shattering."

Su Bai's gaze stared closely at the card.

"It is stripping away useless structures."

Accompanied by Su Bai's voice, the ordinary materials on the surface layer of the Bug Arrow card began to peel off layer by layer.

Those materials had once supported the first awakening of [The World], and had also withstood the impact of Qin Ye's massive Mental Power.

But facing the philosophers stone, the Rank 2 card body appeared as fragile as thin paper.

The card face peeled off.

The edge circuits dissipated.

In the end, only an extremely tiny dark red point of light remained, suspended in the center of the Furnace of Truth.

That was the most core concept of the Bug Arrow.

It was also the first mental anchor initially left behind when Su Bai designed this card back then.

Su Bai looked at that point of light, suddenly feeling that his mind had formed a connection with it.

The studio before the National Competition.

The explosion when engraving the Stand circuits for the first time.

Qin Ye's questioning when she first picked up the Bug Arrow.

Wei Xiaoyu's vines when she failed.

The golden light when Qin Ye finally awakened [The World].

Scene after scene flashed through the point of light.

This card had no memories.

But it recorded all the traces of the Stand System from its birth to the present.

"So this is its core."

Su Bai said softly.

Li Qingyue raised her hand, and a law of space-time fell into the furnace.

She fixed that dark red point of light in the long river of time.

"Su Bai."

"Mm."

"Starting now, you will redefine this card."

"What should I do?"

"Write in what you think is most important."

"The Stand's ability?"

"No."

Li Qingyue gazed at that point of light.

"It is the meaning of the Stand's existence."

Su Bai fell silent.

Strength?

The Stand can turn the mind into reality.

Growth?

The Stand will evolve along with the host's soul.

Laws?

The Stand can touch time, space, and causality.

But none of these are the most core things of the Stand.

Su Bai looked at Qin Ye.

She stood beside the Furnace of Truth, with [The World] quietly floating behind her.

This Stand had once turned into vines because of Qin Ye's fear.

And after Qin Ye faced her fear squarely, it truly acknowledged her will.

The Stand was never a power bestowed by the outside world.

It is the shape of a person's soul.

It is the choice a person makes when facing destiny.

Su Bai reached out his hand.

Mental Power turned into a pen, falling onto that dark red point of light.

The first law was written into it.

[Stands originate from the soul.]

The second law followed closely behind.

[Stands can amplify desires, but cannot forge the self.]

The third law gradually took shape.

[Stands share existence with the host and grow with the host's mind.]

When the last stroke fell, the Furnace of Truth suddenly erupted.

Red-gold light pierced through the entire white space.

The philosophers stone vibrated violently.

Li Qingyue's law of space-time was drawn into it at the same time.

"Hold steady!"

She let out a low shout.

Countless silver space threads flew out from her palm, forcibly fixing the runaway furnace.

Yet Su Bai found that his Mental Power was being consumed at a terrifying speed.

The mental sea of a Rank 3 Card Creator bottomed out almost instantly.

He gritted his teeth and continued to engrave the last part of the structure.

Not the Stand's ability.

But the Stand's restrictions.

[Stands cannot grow independently apart from the host's true will.]

Boom!

The entire Furnace of Truth quieted down.

The dark red point of light re-condensed.

A brand new card slowly took shape in the center of the furnace.

The card face was still an arrow.

But the originally ordinary arrow shaft was already wrapped by nine layers of rainbow laws.

The four-color radiances of red, gold, purple, and silver intertwined with each other, resembling a long river of time compressed into a card.

Su Bai reached out and took out the card.

[Card completion detected.]

[Card Name: Stand Bug Arrow · Truth.]

[Rank: Rank 9 Rainbow Card.]

[Original Rank: Rank 2.]

[Current Status: Promotion complete.]

[Chief Card Creator: Li Qingyue.]

[Concept Designer: Su Bai.]

[Assistant Card Creator: Qi Yuan.]

[Core Law Source: Law of Truth of the philosophers stone.]

Qin Ye looked at the test results and said softly:

"Is it still the original card?"

"Yes."

Su Bai nodded.

"It just walked further."

Li Qingyue raised her hand to take the card and carefully inspected it for a moment.

A genuine sense of satisfaction surfaced on her face for the first time.

Not because she manufactured a Rank 9 Rainbow Card.

But because this card, from beginning to end, did not violate Su Bai's initial conception.

At Rank 2, it was a key that opened the mental world.

At Rank 9, it became a door that allowed the soul to touch the laws.

"Success."

Li Qingyue said softly.

Su Bai looked at his master.

"Master, you've worked hard."

Li Qingyue handed the card back to him.

"You are responsible for creation."

"I am responsible for sending your creation to the height it should reach."

"This is what a master should do."

Just the moment Su Bai took the Rank 9 Bug Arrow, the card suddenly let out a soft hum.

The blurry Stand projection inside his body emerged once again.

The figure of [The World] also turned its head at the same time.

The two Stands looked at each other across the void.

On the Truth Bug Arrow, the nine layers of rainbow light suddenly condensed into a symbol that had never appeared before.

The system prompt sounded accordingly:

[Detected that the host is attempting to awaken an exclusive Stand.]

[Do you wish to use the Rank 9 Stand Bug Arrow · Truth?]

Su Bai looked at the card in his palm.

Li Qingyue's expression changed slightly.

"Su Bai."

"Don't be anxious to use it."

"Using the Rank 9 Bug Arrow for the first time may directly rewrite your soul structure."

"I know."

Su Bai replied calmly.

"But this card was originally made for me."

He raised his hand, aiming the card at his chest.

Qin Ye instinctively took a step forward.

[The World] also slowly raised its fists.

Yet Su Bai smiled.

"Rest assured."

"I just want to see what my soul actually looks like."

The arrow light suddenly bloomed.

The next second, time, space, and sound stagnated simultaneously.

The entire Furnace of Truth seemed to have been pressed pause by an invisible hand.

The Rank 9 Bug Arrow turned into a red-gold stream of light, passing through Su Bai's chest and stabbing directly into the depths of his soul.

[Beginning Stand adaptation.]

[Reading the host's mental structure.]

[Matching existing Stand templates.]

[[The World]... Matching failed.]

[Star Platinum... Matching failed.]

[Time-type Stand... Matching failed.]

[Growth-type Stand... Matching failed.]

[Detected that the host's soul structure is overly complex.]

[Existing templates are insufficient to complete adaptation.]

Li Qingyue's pupils shrank sharply.

Qin Ye also showed a look of shock.

The Rank 9 Bug Arrow actually couldn't match a Stand for Su Bai?

No.

It's not over yet.

The nine-layer law rainbow light in the card began to spin crazily.

All preset templates dissipated simultaneously.

A mass of black-and-white light and shadow, so blurry it was indescribable, slowly emerged from behind Su Bai.

It had no fixed color.

No fixed form.

No face.

Not even any attributes that could be recorded.

The detection array only had the last line of data left.

[Detection Result: Rank 9.]

[Stand Name: Undefined.]

[Stand Ability: Unknown.]

Su Bai looked at the nameless figure behind him.

That figure also slowly opened its eyes at this moment.

Boom!

The laws of the entire philosophers stone mystic realm stopped operating simultaneously.