Chapter 488: Register

The information search area was a dome-shaped structure built from countless stacked servers. Though it had only one level, its height soared beyond a hundred meters.

At first glance, countless lights flickered like stars. Each of these lights held within it an astonishing amount of information. A single point of light could store the entirety of the Gaian civilization's information—its history, data, culture, and technology—from its beginnings to the present day.

And yet, before him lay countless such points of light. This abundance reflected how civilizations like Gaia were all too common in the vast cosmos.

Though Gaia had risen as the dominant force within the Dragon Swamp Nebula, it remained no more than a speck of dust in the boundless universe.

It was like a university student from a rural village excelling in academics—admired in their hometown, but insignificant on the global stage.

At present, Li Pin was reading an ancient manual about the Ancient Astral World.

The manual provided a detailed description of a novel microscopic particle known as the Starlet—a mysterious energy that unified matter, energy, mental spirit, inner spirit, and space into one.

The Starlet's nature resembled photons in the double-slit experiment, capable of shifting states depending on whether it was under observation.

The Starlet had as many as five distinct forms. However, research from the manual revealed significant changes.

Its most basic material form had completely collapsed, and the energy form had mostly dissipated. As a result, individuals needed to rely on physical matter to establish a foothold in the Astral World.

In essence, only their true bodies could enter the Astral World — and for many, bringing their true body was a heavy burden.

The most notable consequence of the energy form's disappearance was the emergence of the Eternal Oblivion Force.

The residual mental spirit form, inner spirit form, and spatial forms were all significantly impacted.

Even beings powerful enough to pulverize planets with mental spirit no longer dared to release it freely. Inner spirit became prone to corruption, swinging from one stable extreme to utter chaos.

The spatial form had fared no better. The entire Astral World fragmented, devolving into chaos. Astral World Fragments drifted aimlessly, creating a disordered space where no one could discern the movement patterns of these countless shards.

Li Pin put down the book, sighing.

I really wonder what happened in the Ancient Era that caused the Astral World to fall from a higher dimension to a high-energy one.

Unfortunately, records about the upheaval in the Ancient Era were scarce, as though the information had been deliberately suppressed.

Occasionally, rumors emerged claiming that the changes of the Ancient Era stemmed from an excess of Astral Gods, causing the Astral World to become unsustainable and ultimately leading to a natural devolution akin to a cataclysm.

However, these whispers carried no authority, resembling mere hearsay and fabricated rumors rather than credible accounts.

At this moment, a voice called out from behind Li Pin. "Li Pin, I knew I'd find you here."

Li Pin turned to see Mia approaching with a tall and elegant woman beside her.

It had been nine stellar months since Li Pin arrived at the Mara Divine Treasury Hall.

In that time, he had used Astral Beast Blood Crystals and Primordial Spirit Essences to expand his Natal Planet to over a thousand kilometers in diameter.

His mental spirit had reached a new peak, placing him on par with Tier Four Legends.

Meanwhile, his Level Five inner spirit potential had also drawn considerable attention, and many sought to establish connections with him.

This was the case with Fei Bo and Cang Beiyou previously, and Mia was no different now.

Li Pin nodded at Mia and glanced at the woman beside her.

Mia said with a playful blink, "Let me introduce you to Xu Qingcheng, our newest member in Dawn Blossom Gathering. She's also the younger sister of Xu Anping, a Tier Six Legend and Gold Pioneer."

Li Pin glanced at Xu Qingcheng. "Tier Six Legend?"

A Tier Six Legend held authority in place of the Astral Gods. Though slightly inferior to the Divine in realm, their importance often outweighed it.

Given the perilous nature of Divine Treasure Worlds, Astral Gods rarely set foot in them. Even Tier Six Legends and those who had attained Divinity drastically reduced their visits after reaching that stage, focusing instead on gathering resources and pursuing the path to becoming Astral Gods.

However, every Divine Treasury Hall had its share of Tier Six Legends and Divine Beings.

If Tier Five Legends—those who had completed their inner spirit cycles and could resist external influences—represented the elite, then Tier Six Legends and Divine Beings were the true aces. They stood at the core of the Pioneers and were no longer bound to any single Divine Treasury Hall.

When facing difficulties, other halls would even pay a considerable price to invite them to overcome the challenges within these divine treasure worlds.

The Mara Divine Treasure World had been open for over six hundred stellar years, trapping tens of thousands of Pioneers. The first generation of Pioneers, the eldest among them, were now nearing the end of their lifespans.

The Mara Divine Treasury Hall could no longer remain passive and initiated a widespread recruitment of aces from various fields.

In the past thirty stellar years, two ace squads had been sent in.

Not long ago, Fang Chunyang—a figure considered the "Senior Disciple" within the Hall's divine hierarchy—along with five other Tier Six Legends and Divine Beings invited from other halls by the Hall Master, Astral God Mi Meng, formed a six-person ace squad once more and were projected through the Divine Treasury Gate into the Mara Divine Treasure World.

Xu Anping was among them.

Mia smiled and invited, "The founder of Dawn Blossom Gathering is Hua Xiyu, a Tier Six Legend.

"Though she is currently within the Mara Divine Treasure World and unable to personally instruct us on the precautions and relevant information, Dawn Blossom Gathering remains one of the largest Pioneer groups in the Hall, with over three hundred members. What do you think, Li Pin? Want to join?"

"Three hundred members...."

That was a significant size.

The total number of Pioneers in the Mara Divine Treasure Hall was just over twenty thousand. A gathering of three hundred members was comparable to a large university club with a similar number of members.

"I appreciate the offer, but you know my personality. I'd rather not spoil the atmosphere, so I'll pass," Li Pin replied.

"It's fine. Everyone knows your personality and can tolerate you," Mia said.

"Not necessarily. The more people, the more complicated their thoughts." Li Pin smiled. "Miss Mia, you wouldn't want anything to go wrong at the gathering, would you?"

Mia hesitated for a moment before responding, "In that case, perhaps you could join us from this group for a little get-together when you have the time."

Li Pin nodded. "Sure."

Mia and Xu Qingcheng quickly bid their farewell and left.

After walking a short distance, Xu Qingcheng said telepathically, "I'd heard rumors that a once-in-a-generation genius with Level Five potential had emerged from this group of Provisional Pioneers, but that he was terribly cold and unapproachable.

"Having seen him myself, it's clear that 'unapproachable' is an understatement... How do you all tolerate him?"

Mia smiled. "It's normal for capable people to have strong personalities.

"Those who choose to become Pioneers usually fall into three categories: some are older with no other options, some take unconventional paths hoping for a quick rise, and others are exceptionally talented but eccentric, unable to fit into regular factions. We need to be more tolerant."

Xu Qingcheng replied, "My brother had Level Five potential too. Now he's a Tier Six Legend, and with the help of Hall Master Ran Shenji, he's close to becoming an Astral God. Yet, he's still easy to get along with."

"People have different personalities. Besides, geniuses like him may seem unapproachable at first, but it also means they have very few true friends. If we invest time in getting to know them, earning their trust can be far more valuable than befriending regular talents," Mia explained, understanding the importance.

To gain something, one must be willing to give—this was a principle she had learned long ago.

Xu Qingcheng shrugged, unfazed. "Suit yourself. Don't call me next time you visit. I'm not dealing with his mood."

***

Meanwhile, Li Pin picked up another book. This one described the ancient Astral Gods.

"To condense a 'Starlet' of my own, infuse it with qi and blood, mental spirit, will, and inner spirit, and finally integrate it into the Astral World... So..."

Li Pin focused on the Natal Planet within his inner spirit.

Qi and blood, mental spirit, will, and inner spirit—these matched perfectly.

He pondered inwardly.

Are you the prototype of a Starlet? Because the Astral World is shattered, you can't integrate into it?

[1]

Maybe I should emulate the Divine Path and find an Astral World Fragment to test if there's any resonance between the two....

Or perhaps, I should complete my inner spirit cycle first, making my inner spirit flawless, then begin to comprehend the Astral World. I could acquire an Astral World Fragment, or even... directly enter it.

Li Pin muttered as his gaze shifted to the metallic-looking bracelet on his arm. Displayed on it was his balance in the Divine Treasury: 1,413 points.

He sighed. "Not enough."

Astral World Fragments could also be exchanged at the Divine Treasury Hall, they cost a staggering three million points.

And that was after a discount.

Even so, it was still more expensive than the base price of Divine Equipment, which started at one million points.

He advanced his physical body from the Heavenly Realm to the peak of the Celestial Martial Artist level, achieving the ability to fight Tier Three Legends with only his physical skills and techniques.

His mental spirit was also enhanced to the Tier Four Legendary Realm by the Primordial Spirit Essence.

Yet, the materials consumed only amounted to slightly over ten thousand Divine Treasury Points. This clearly demonstrated the extraordinary purchasing power of three million Divine Treasury Points.

It was no exaggeration to say that, given no bottlenecks, ten thousand Divine Treasure Points could elevate someone to Tier Three Legend in a stellar year.

Even accounting for bottlenecks and breakthroughs, as long as the person had decent talent—at the quasi-genius level—one hundred thousand points would be more than enough to reach Tier Three Legendary.

Given three million Divine Points, it would be entirely possible to reach Tier Four Legend by investing them fully into a single talent.

Buzz, buzz!

Just as Li Pin was sighing with emotion, his bracelet vibrated slightly.

With a tap on his bracelet, a notification appeared: Registration for the divine treasure world had begun a month ahead of schedule.

Li Pin steadied his mind and muttered, "So it's finally here."

Without any hesitation, he selected the registration option.

Due to the fact that he had been a member of the Mara Divine Treasury Hall for less than a stellar year and was not a Silver-level Pioneer or above, a prompt window popped up. He ignored it and quickly entered his name.

"Nine stellar months... one more, and it would've been a full stellar year," he muttered sincerely.

He had waited long enough.

"I can't wait any longer...."

1. The you refers to his Natal Planet. ☜