Chapter 649: Creation

Yun Lai, Gao Shengyan, Yu Xuexian, Yu Li, and the others all lit up with joy.

Yun Lai asked, "Can we really practice all these inheritances without any issues?"

Is this true? Supreme, Transcendent, and Highlord-level inheritances, all freely accessible to us?

If the man in the white robe is telling the truth, how could this possibly be a disaster? This was nothing short of a heaven-sent fortune.

But the white-robed man saw right through their thoughts and let out a cold laugh. "You think this is a great opportunity, don't you? If you truly believe that, you're already halfway to your doom.

"Let me make this clear—these techniques are divided into four levels. Once you choose one, you must master the first level within ten stellar years. After that, you have a hundred stellar years to reach the second level. As for the third and fourth levels, you are only given a thousand and ten thousand stellar years, respectively."

He swept his gaze across the crowd. "Do you know what it means to fully master all four levels? It means you'll have officially stepped onto the path of the Supreme, the Transcendent, or the Highlord!

"Listen carefully, not the path of Cosmic Radiance, but the Supreme, Transcendent, and Highlord paths! After that, all you'll need is to accumulate strength in other areas.

"Just like those so-called prodigies, the Legends and Divines who, even before entering the Astral World, had already comprehended the Perfect Realm. Once they filled in the gaps, reaching the Supreme would no longer be an impossible dream."

As his words sank in, the expressions of those who had initially been overjoyed turned pale.

"11,110 stellar-years... to step onto the Supreme, Transcendent, and Highlord paths?" Gao Shengyan couldn't help but exclaim. "How is that possible!?"

The prodigies in the Eternal Ascent of Humanity Initiative had always revered the goal of becoming an Astral God within a hundred years, an Eternal Solar Flare in a thousand, and stepping into Cosmic Radiance in one epoch.

One epoch was a hundred thousand stellar years.

Their ultimate aim was to reach the level of Cosmic Radiance, and even that would likely take an entire epoch. Yet here, they were being asked to step onto the Supreme, Transcendent, and Highlord paths in just 11110 stellar years?

Many beings at the Cosmic Radiance level hadn't even achieved that.

Anyone who set foot on these three paths had, without exception, already begun their ascent toward the highest realms. In addition to being called Cosmic Radiance, they were granted additional titles, such as Tyrant, Sacred Monarch, Heavenly Emperor, and Divine Emperor.

In terms of the Supreme Ladder, they started at the eightieth step.

Such figures stood at the very peak, just below the Supreme existence itself, being icons that even many Cosmic Radiance Beings looked up to. And now, these prodigies were being told to reach that level in just 11,110 stellar years.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Gao Shengyan couldn't help but exclaim. "How is that even possible?"

"Whether you believe it or not, these are the requirements set by Sasha. Anyone who fails to meet these milestones is sent to the periphery of the world, reduced to nothing more than energy sources, sustaining others," the white-robed man explained.

At that moment, everyone finally felt the weight of the situation.

Even Li Pin now understood why the man seemed so hurried. It was pure urgency. There simply wasn't enough time.

"No matter what, we have to endure. At the very least, we need to get through the first level in ten stellar years and the second in a hundred. This mysterious being, or rather, this mysterious force, has already angered too many factions by abducting us from across the universe. They've trampled on the interests of too many races. There's no way they'll just sit back and let this continue."

The white-robed man said in an uncertain tone. "So, if we can hold out long enough to reach the second or third level, there might be a chance for reinforcements to arrive and rescue us from this predicament."

The others remained silent, their expressions grim. They were all seasoned cultivators, their wills unshakable. None of them would blindly trust someone else's words without verifying the truth for themselves.

"You may call me Bai Chan. I've been assigned as the guide for your batch of newcomers. My term lasts for one stellar year. During this time you may ask me directly if you have any questions about common knowledge. If you need guidance in cultivation, you can also seek my help."

Bai Chan briefly introduced himself before adding, "But you should know, mastering the first level in ten stellar years and the second in a hundred is an extreme challenge. I don't have time to teach all of you for free. If you want my guidance, you'll have to pay a price. This world operates on only one currency, the Creation Gold Coins."

As he spoke, his expression grew complicated, caught somewhere between disgust and longing. "They are... treasures that can make your deepest desires come true."

"Make desires come true?" Gao Shengyan was stunned. "What do you mean? Don't tell me these coins can actually put me on the Supreme path?"

"It's exactly what it sounds like," Bai Chan replied, looking directly at Gao Shengyan. "It's precisely because of these coins that people haven't completely given up hope of reaching these Supreme levels within 11,110 stellar years."

He paused briefly, then continued, "What I mean is, if you had billions of Creation Gold Coins, you could really use their power to ascend all the way to the Supreme path in one go."

His words sent a shockwave through the crowd. The gathered Astral Gods couldn't help but exclaim in disbelief.

"How is that possible!?"

"Does a treasure like that actually exist!?"

"The Supreme path!? Not even a Supreme can help a Cosmic Radiance step onto that path! And yet, these Creation Gold Coins... are they really capable of that!?"

"You'll understand once you start using them for cultivation," said Bai Chan. "There was once someone who spent several million Creation Gold Coins and instantly leaped from the first to the third level of a Supreme Technique."

Yu Li couldn't hold back her question. "How do we obtain these coins?"

Bai Chan explained, "They are awarded for mastering Supreme, Transcendent, and Highlord techniques. The faster you succeed, the greater the reward. Completing the first level of a Supreme Technique grants a base reward of one hundred coins. If you manage it within the first year, you'll receive an additional nine hundred.

The base reward for the second level is one thousand coins, and for every ten stellar years you complete ahead of schedule, the reward doubles, up to a maximum of ten thousand coins."

The proud and ambitious prodigy, Yu Xuexian, spoke up, "What if I manage to reach the second level of the Supreme Technique within a stellar year?"

Gao Shengyan and Yu Li's eyes sparkled with confidence and determination.

"That's a good question," Bai Chan replied calmly. "If you reach the second level of the Supreme Technique within a stellar year, your rewards will increase a hundredfold. You'll receive one hundred thousand Creation Gold Coins. If you reach the third level, the reward will be ten million. And if you reach the fourth level, you'll earn one billion Creation Gold Coins."

"One billion!?" Yu Xuexian's voice trembled. "If just a few hundred million Creation Gold Coins are enough to secure our path to the Supreme. Then, a billion..."

"It's more than enough," Bai Chan responded coolly. "You could even bring along two or three companions and help them embark on the Supreme path. In other words, once you complete your cultivation here, all you need is time to consolidate your foundation. At the fastest, a thousand years, and at the slowest, ten thousand years, you'll ascend from an Astral God to a being on par with a Tyrant."

His words sent a sharp glint through the eyes of every prodigy present.

"This isn't danger. It's a tremendous opportunity, a stroke of divine fortune!"

Confidence and determination surged through their hearts. Each of them felt invincible, as if mastering a mere cultivation technique was nothing more than a trivial task.

Bai Chan chuckled softly at their reactions. "Do you know how Creation Gold Coins are made?"

Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "As I mentioned earlier, those who fail to complete their cultivation tasks will become offerings, essentially, batteries. This world operates under a unique rule: any lifeform that leaves this region, including the thousand-kilometer perimeter around it, will have a certain essence drained from them.

"As this essence is extracted, their intelligence will decline, their comprehension will dull, their thoughts will slow, and their luck will fade, until one day... they simply perish in some forgotten corner."

He looked at the crowd and spoke each word deliberately, "This very trait is the key to forging Creation Gold Coins."

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Astral God's Legacy..."

Li Pin suddenly recalled the inheritance left behind by Astral God Yin Luo.

Could it be that this entire system was designed to sustain a select few victors at the expense of countless others? But unlike Yin Luo's legacy, which relied on astral energy, this system seems to harvest the talents, comprehension, aptitude, and even the fortune of other cultivators.

"This world isn't as complicated as you might think," Bai Chan continued. "At its core lies the most important region, known as the Golden Land. This is where we reside and cultivate. The population here is roughly ten thousand, but it fluctuates constantly, so this is only an estimate. The Golden Land is completely unaffected by the world's rules. In fact, it's blessed and favored in certain ways."

Bai Chan glanced at the group. "Take a moment to focus inward. Do you feel your inner spirit becoming more active?"

At his words, everyone's expressions shifted slightly. They realized that their emotional fluctuations had become more pronounced. Until now, they had attributed this to the shock of recent events. But now... that didn't seem to be the case anymore.

"The world's rules partially suppress the flow of inner spirit power, but in the Golden Land, its blessings invigorate our minds. Here, emotions are heightened, enlightenment comes more easily, and breakthroughs happen more frequently."

Bai Chan continued calmly, "The Golden Land spans less than a hundred kilometers. Beyond it lies the Silver Land, stretching a thousand kilometers. Those who live there aren't affected by the world's suppressive rules either, but they must carry at least one Creation Gold Coin at all times. Once its power is depleted, they are sent to the outermost region, the Exile Zone, where the population exceeds a hundred million."

The crowd was stunned. "A hundred million?!"

Yun Lai, with his sharp intuition, sensed something amiss. "Earlier, you mentioned that we were all taken from sacred lands across the universe because of our extraordinary talents. So... what about those others?"

"The same," Bai Chan replied with a cold laugh. "The hundreds of millions of people in the Exile Zone—all of them are geniuses, chosen ones, prodigies from across the universe, handpicked by Sasha's master."

He let out a bitter chuckle. "I, too, was once hailed as a prodigy in the Dragon Sparrow Abyss, holding a respectable rank in the Eternal Ascent of Humanity Initiative. And yet... after eight hundred stellar years, I still haven't even come close to reaching the threshold of the third level of the Primordial Supreme Technique..."

His words struck like a thunderbolt.

Just moments ago, Yun Lai, Yu Xuexian, Gao Shengyan, and Yu Li had been filled with confidence, already dreaming of earning a billion Creation Gold Coins in a single stellar year, and ascending to the rank of the Supreme.

But now, a sense of deep unease started to grip their hearts.