Chapter 55: Showdown!
This... was the fundamental essence of the Heavenly Dao contained within the divine crystal of the Wild World.
In nearly every Chaos World, the Heavenly Dao was rooted in these "elemental foundations." They might be earth, fire, water, and wind—or gold, wood, water, fire, and earth. Weaker worlds might only have a single elemental force, like water or fire.
Although some of these elemental names seemed similar, in truth, they carried distinct differences.
The Heavenly Dao nurtured within divine crystals varied greatly between Wild World's many great realms. Let alone this current world—its fundamental laws operated on an entirely different framework.
Take, for example, the "Dao of Earth." The supreme laws of this source world outright rejected it. They forcefully distorted and transformed it into the "Origin Law of Earth."
If this transformation hadn't occurred, anyone who comprehended the former version—like the Silver-Clad Soul—would've been completely incompatible with this world's rules and unable to survive.
If not for Jiang Zhe's native soul origin, combined with the novel structure of the divine crystal—one with the potential to become a primordial universe—as well as the rare value of such a "self-evolving cosmic entity," the supreme laws would never have bothered to intervene at all.
According to the Silver-Clad Soul's earlier insights, there were ten distinct laws within the divine crystal:
The foundation layer held four basic elements: Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind.
The middle layer housed four higher-tier Heavenly Daos—paired and interdependent.
At the top, there existed the Chaos Dao… and a strange, parasitic Heavenly Dao that clung tightly to the Chaos Dao—its origins completely unknown.
Apart from the basic four, Jiang Zhe couldn't comprehend the other six at his current level. Those would have to be explored in time.
This massive reservoir of power and insight had been shattered, smelted, and reforged by the supreme laws of the source world.
Part of it was transformed into a life crystal core, enhancing his affinity with the laws.
The other part became a cosmic interior.
This "cosmic interior" resembled the concept of a "world within the body"—but at a far more advanced level.
The latter implies one has the traits of a World Lord in advance, whereas the former prefigures the traits of a Divine King.
Having thoroughly studied the secret manual Primordial Evolution, Jiang Zhe understood something clearly—so long as his comprehension of laws was deep enough, he could naturally evolve his inner world into a full cosmos without needing any external energy.
The divine crystal's vast reserves had been transformed into an unformed Chaos Universe within him—an entirely self-sustaining one.
"Primordial Evolution requires one to fully grasp an entire lower-tier Origin Law just to take the first step in cultivation?"
"No wonder it's a secret art bestowed by the supreme laws themselves—the baseline requirement is being an Immortal Deity!"
Faced with four options, Jiang Zhe hesitated.
His main body and the Silver-Clad Soul were two entirely separate entities. Each could comprehend Origin Laws independently, without interference.
He sighed.
"It looks like I have four options… but in truth, only two real paths."
The first: choose Earth, Fire, or Water—and pursue the Spatial Path.
"But without proper martial techniques to aid in law comprehension, this route is bound to be a rough one. The only advantage is a high law affinity."
"Ten-Thousand Strands Flow? That's a soul arts secret technique. The Silver-Clad Soul is an energy-based lifeform—it doesn't even have a soul, so no mental power either."
After all, a soul fragment decays after three reincarnation cycles—and that fragment had already dispersed into the divine crystal.
In short, the Silver-Clad Soul's death was due to consciousness collapse and complete erasure of its life imprint.
The second option: choose Wind, and walk the Temporal Path.
"The Silver-Clad Soul is wind, my main body is thunder. Wind and thunder complement one another, and I've already acquired a time-law insight board… Before I even join the Virtual Universe Company, this is practically a paved road."
"But there's no need to tread the same road twice."
So, Jiang Zhe made his decision—he would force himself into discomfort.
Let the Silver-Clad Soul walk the Spatial Path.
And with that, he cut off the shared comprehension link between the two souls.
"You do your thing, I'll do mine. Let's not interfere with each other."
The Silver-Clad Soul was stunned by the main body's operation.
You're seriously this ruthless?!
Left with nothing but law affinity and no viable cultivation manuals, it could only struggle forward through raw comprehension.
Meanwhile, the main body had two full insight boards and drooled over advanced law techniques.
As for the Martial Secret Techniques of the Inkfall Star?
Just as Babata said: completely subpar.
Oriana had reviewed them long ago. Only a few basic techniques for lower-tier laws were somewhat refined. As for those concerning upper-tier laws? Not a single one came close to Ten-Thousand Strands Flow.
Earth, Fire, Water—pick one, and pair it with spatial law cultivation.
This was the path now laid out for the Silver-Clad Soul.
As for Primordial Evolution, cultivation would have to wait until he fully grasped an entire lower-tier law.
After everything was arranged, the Silver-Clad Soul entered the World Bracelet, where it would remain for the foreseeable future—residing in the vast hall at the top of the tower.
Back in the pilot's seat, Jiang Zhe was now alone.
Oriana had gone below to instruct the slaves on protocols to follow upon arrival on Earth.
Jiang Zhe lightly slapped his cheeks to refocus, then took out a rusty, ancient bronze furnace and gently rubbed its surface.
The Jiang family's outdated cultivation beliefs had finally been corrected by him.
"Still practicing gene-based primal energy?"
"Everyone—start honing your mental state, your force control techniques, and study secret arts tied to Origin Laws!"
Grind away for decades, and if one day a breakthrough happens—from insight to domain-level power—it'll all have been worth it!
Once the family no longer needed "furnace slag" for cultivation, this bronze furnace had remained in Jiang Zhe's hands.
After gaining some understanding of the Law of Time, he finally uncovered some of its secrets.
"Which genius designed such a ridiculous lock mechanism?! You must attain entry-level Time and Space laws, and possess a domain—just to piece the thing together?"
"It's close now… Just a bit more, and I'll finally see what treasure lies inside."
After carefully inspecting the crystal core inside the furnace once more, Jiang Zhe stored it away and resumed internalizing the gains from his dreamscape.
Ten days passed as they traveled through the Dark Universe.
Jiang Zhe finally returned to the Solar System.
"29x Strength Amplification."
"36x Mind Power Amplification."
Sitting cross-legged on the couch in the pilot cabin, Jiang Zhe's eyes snapped open. A faint smile curled on his lips as the sharp light in his gaze slowly faded.
With a thought, dark-purple lightning danced across the room—the Lightning Domain had fully enveloped the space.
"Fifth-layer domain? Still room for growth."
"As for my comprehension of the Thunder Origin Law, I'm confident. I just need to map it onto the 'circuit board' and verify the results."
"But that can wait. First, I need to inform the family."
"Anna, send a message to Grandpa. Have all planet-level cultivators in the family come find us."
Oriana piloted the ship into Earth's atmosphere and landed it in a wilderness zone over 300 kilometers outside Lanling Base City.
Less than ten minutes later, four streaks of light shot toward the valley—only to halt midair, stunned by the massive disc-shaped starship parked between the two mountains, nearly 150 meters wide.
The four men exchanged confused glances, bodies tense, on high alert.
Such a sleek, pristine spacecraft…
Did Xiao Zhe betray Earth and become a collaborator? Is he trying to take us with him?
Only after Jiang Zhe came out with Oriana to greet them did the four reluctantly step aboard.
What Jiang Zhe explained next completely shattered their worldview:
Light-speed travel.
Dark Universe.
320,000 light-years away.
The Qiu Long Star of the Heilongshan Empire.
The cost of habitable planets.
Universe-level slaves...
Some of it went over their heads, but the term "Universe-level" was familiar. They'd seen the War God Palace's preserved footage.
They knew such beings could battle on white dwarfs and shatter continents with a single punch—rulers of entire star systems.
But to hear the word slave attached to that?
The two young slaves behind Jiang Zhe wore shock collars and exuded terrifying pressure—they weren't faking that.
Universe-level warriors as slaves?
Then what are we?
Yet, if Xiao Zhe could command such beings, what kind of status must he hold in the universe?
A mix of emotions filled them—fear, awe, and yearning.
Even the usually calm old patriarch flushed red, his body trembling slightly.
Jiang Zhe explained further.
The four eagerly examined their new smart wristbands, setting up their AI assistant avatars following the tutorials.
Going forward, any Jiang family member interacting with the universe would need to learn the universal language, master the basics of cosmic knowledge, and, only under Oriana's monitoring, would be permitted to access the Virtual Universe.
As for outsiders?
Jiang Zhe had no plans to let the general public near the wider universe just yet.
Once the Genius Battle was over and interstellar migration became encouraged, he would claim a vast territory in the Americas for the Jiang family. Not only would it offer space to grow, it would serve many other purposes.
"But to make that happen, I must apprentice under a Universe Master, or at the very least, a National Lord. Otherwise, once Earth is exposed, we'll never keep hold of such a prize."
Jiang Zhe silently worried over this.
After sending away the second generation—including his father—the old patriarch remained behind to speak with him alone.
"Xiao Zhe, even if you don't want Earthlings to touch the universe just yet, could you still do something for Hanxia?"
"Grandpa, don't worry. I'll send some cultivation resources and secret techniques to Jia Yi… Uncle Grandfather. How he distributes them is up to him."
That title felt… painfully low in seniority. Jiang Zhe was mildly annoyed.
"What about the beast outbreaks?"
"We need them, Grandpa. Without access to the universe, humanity needs pressure to force them to grow stronger."
"Ah… you're right." The old man's eyes dimmed a little.
After a few breaths of silence, he spoke again:
"You should really speak to Hong and Thunder God about this."
Jiang Zhe nodded.
They had roles to play in his plans.
"And Xiao Zhe… you're nineteen now. It's time to find yourself a partner."
"Mm… huh?!"
(End of the Chapter)