Chapter 666: Efficiency

The Black Abyss Highlord had deliberately simplified the first three phases of the Supreme Technique out of concern that novice practitioners would fail to understand them. The key essence of the Supreme Technique lay in the fourth level.

When it came to constructing a miniature universe, simulating one without having condensed a True Spirit was nearly inconceivable. But that was not even the main challenge. The real difficulty lay in simulating a miniature universe outside the Astral World.

Any flaw in the simulated universe could lead to its complete collapse. Such a collapse was akin to the destruction of a Divine Being's Natal Planet. Once it collapsed entirely, it would be utterly annihilated.

However, due to the unique properties of the Astral World, combined with the power of the Eternal Oblivion, which absorbed and neutralized the forces of uncontrolled collapse, it was as if there was an external force helping to eliminate internal instabilities. This was why Cosmic Radiances could afford to fail three or five times and still continue their attempts.

Of course, leveraging the Astral World for breakthroughs came at a cost. Each failure burdened the Cosmic Radiance with a heavy load of Eternal Oblivion Force. The more they failed, the greater the burden. In the future, unless they succeeded in fully simulating a universe and were forcibly expelled by the Astral World, each failure would bring them one step closer to death.

Even with the Astral World providing multiple opportunities for trial and error—be it three, five, or even seven or eight attempts—many remained perpetually stuck at the threshold of achieving Supremacy.

As for the people trapped in the Heavenly Prison World, they had only one chance. If they failed to condense their miniature universe, the ensuing collapse would utterly consume them, reducing them to ashes.

"True Spirit..." Li Pin murmured.

He had been researching this for a long time but had made little progress.

True Spirit was supposedly a standard requirement for Cosmic Radiance. Yet... even his progress in the Dao Realm, a realm that surpassed the Supreme, Transcendent, and Highlord in essence, had already exceeded that of the True Spirit.

Li Pin said, "It seems I'll have to follow the example of those Eternal Solar Flares trying to achieve the Cosmic Radiance Realm and start using inner spirit secret arts to condense a True Spirit."

Wang Fuyun responded, "If it were in the outside world, with no pressing time constraints, creating an inner spirit secret art from scratch would be the best choice. A perfectly tailored secret art offers immeasurable benefits in condensing a True Spirit. But in the Heavenly Prison World..."

He sighed, his voice tinged with melancholy. "Creating an inner spirit secret art from scratch offers no guarantee of success in the short term. Unless you are certain you can complete it within a few thousand years and use it to condense a True Spirit, the wiser choice is to follow the paths laid out by our predecessors and learn from their experiences."

The Golden Land indeed offered a wealth of enhancements, and the Creation Gold Coins were imbued with profound mysteries. Despite this, the Heavenly Prison World had shattered the futures of far too many geniuses.

The Golden Land might have repurposed these fallen geniuses as nourishment to cultivate a select few inheritors, but a top-tier prodigy like Wang Fuyun didn't wish for his success to have been built upon the sacrifices of countless others. He might view the Golden Land as a sacred training ground, but deep down, the machinations behind it revolted him.

Some might dismiss his feelings as overly idealistic, even naive. After all, in the outside world, consuming resources meant fewer resources for others, which was, in essence, a similar dynamic. But at least... it wasn't as ruthlessly absolute as the system in the Golden Land.

This was why Wang Fuyun was so driven to advance his cultivation, to uncover the flaws in the Heavenly Prison World, and to strive for a way to change this oppressive system. His Worldbreaker Peak was founded on this very ideal, a gathering of like-minded individuals united by a shared purpose.

While some among them might harbor their own personal motives, the majority were aligned in their ultimate goal.

Wang Fuyun said, "Initially, within Worldbreaker Peak, there was widespread pessimism about achieving the fourth level of the Supreme Technique within 11,110 years. Many even began to adopt a mindset similar to that of Stormwind Tower, focusing on accumulating as many Creation Gold Coins as possible.

"The idea was that even if they were stripped of their status as inheritors, they could at least endure in the Silver Land, biding their time. They hoped to either wait for someone to break through the Heavenly Prison World or for the higher-ups of the Supreme Council to take notice of the Black Abyss Highlord's actions and eventually rescue them. But now..."

Wang Fuyun's gaze settled on Li Pin, a spark of renewed hope burning in his eyes. "Your arrival has reignited that hope within me."

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Li Pin nodded. "I had Sasha reach out to you for this very reason."

"What do you need?" Wang Fuyun asked.

"The cultivation insights and experiences for the Supreme, Transcendent, and Highlord Techniques, as well as all the research your group has conducted on the Heavenly Prison World," Li Pin stated.

"Cultivation insights for the three techniques, and all the research on the Heavenly Prison World..." muttered Wang Fuyun.

He lowered his head, retrieved his identity token, and connected it to a specialized device. After browsing through the data for a while, he spoke. "You should be aware that in both the Golden Land and the Silver Land, cultivation insights and secrets of the Heavenly Prison World are highly valuable. Accessing any of them requires payment in Creation Gold Coins."

He continued, "Moreover, the price for each set of insights is determined by the contributor. Some are affordable, while others come with additional conditions. For instance, take the collection at Worldbreaker Peak.

"We currently have twenty-three records of insights into the third level of the Supreme Technique, six for the Highlord Technique, and two for the Transcendent Art. Among these, twenty-five can be purchased directly with Creation Gold Coins. The remaining six, however, require fulfilling specific conditions or completing certain trial tasks."

Li Pin listened patiently.

"As for the classified information regarding the Heavenly Prison World, the same principle applies. After thorough deliberation, all the elders of Worldbreaker Peak have categorized these materials into three levels of access. Different individuals are permitted to view different levels of information. To gain access to higher levels, one must undergo a series of assessments, each corresponding to tasks of varying difficulty..."

"Assessments... tasks..."

Li Pin pondered this and found it reasonable. After all, how could they trust him without him demonstrating his capabilities?

It was just like Liu Suxin from Stormwind Tower. She had immediately asked to gauge his strength upon their first meeting.

"Are the tasks... very difficult?" asked Li Pin.

"The difficulty varies. The more demanding the task, the harder it becomes. Some assessments may even involve life-threatening dangers, and two of them are set in the Exile Zones."

As Wang Fuyun spoke, he glanced at Li Pin. "Given the high risks involved in these missions and the considerable time they will demand..."

Buzz, buzz!

At that moment, Li Pin felt a slight vibration from his identity token.

Wang Fuyun then said, "I've already sent you the relevant information."

Li Pin focused his spiritual sense on the token and sensed that it had indeed received a vast stream of knowledge and data.

He looked at Wang Fuyun and said, "Will this be alright? Won't it affect the unity and stability within Worldbreaker Peak?"

"Of course it will." Wang Fuyun nodded. "That's why I want you to join Worldbreaker Peak and take on the role of Vice Hall Master."

"Alright," Li Pin agreed without hesitation. "What do I need to do?"

Wang Fuyun explained, "Worldbreaker Peak has been operating for many years and has a well-established system in place. Aside from me, the Hall Master, there are four Vice Hall Masters, twenty-two Elders, and over two hundred core members. To become a Vice Hall Master, you must first become an Elder. This requires convening the Elder Council and securing a majority vote of approval.

"After becoming an Elder, you would then compete in the decennial conference for the Vice Hall Master position. Only with the approval of more than two-thirds of the Vice Hall Masters and Elders can you officially take the role."

He paused briefly before adding, "As I mentioned earlier, I am the Hall Master of Worldbreaker Peak. Since I hold that authority and you've agreed to become a Vice Hall Master..."

With a quick adjustment, he turned back to Li Pin. "Alright, you're now the Vice Hall Master of Worldbreaker Peak."

Li Pin's identity token vibrated once more.

A special insignia representing the Vice Hall Master position had been imprinted onto it. With this mark, he could exercise the authority of a Vice Hall Master anywhere within Worldbreaker Peak and in front of its members.

"That's it?" Li Pin felt a bit speechless. "What about the formalities?"

"What else is needed?" Wang Fuyun gave him a puzzled look. "I approved it, and you accepted."

Then, as if realizing something, he added, "Or were you expecting a more dramatic process? Like, perhaps, a scenario where there's just one Elder short of the required votes, and you'd have to win over that particular Elder?

"And maybe that Elder happens to have a cherished granddaughter, so you'd need to befriend her, stage a heroic rescue, earn her favor, and have her persuade her grandfather to cast the deciding vote at the last moment during the election?"

Li Pin found Wang Fuyun's example a bit exaggerated, but having things proceed this smoothly did make it feel like something was missing.

"With only six thousand years left to break through to the fourth level of the Supreme Technique, everything needs to be kept simple," said Wang Fuyun.

"Anyway, do you have any plans next?"

"I'll need to review these materials first," Li Pin replied. "No world operates without flaws, not even those crafted by the Supremes. At the very least, the boundary between this world and the Astral World is an irreparable gap. If we can identify these flaws, we can break through this world."

After saying that, he paused briefly. "If I can't find any weaknesses, I'll focus on cultivating an inner spirit secret art to prepare for condensing my True Spirit.

"I'll strive to reach the True Spirit Realm as soon as possible and complete the fourth level of the Supreme Technique, delivering a result for Black Abyss Highlord's experiment."

"The flaws left at the boundary between this world and the Astral World..." Wang Fuyun mused, then declared, "We've located them."

Li Pin was slightly surprised. "

Hm?

"

He thought,

Worldbreaker Peak has indeed put in serious effort to escape the Heavenly Prison World....

"Where is it?"

"It's extremely dangerous," Wang Fuyun said with a grave expression. "That place, once a fractured remnant of the world's connection to the Astral World, is filled with terrifying hurricanes, raging flames, and relentless thunder.

"On top of that, the natural laws there are in complete disarray, and it's saturated with distorted mental and inner spirit power. It's a place of immense peril. Even those who have cultivated the third level of the Supreme Technique for years struggle to enter."

"Is there no way through?"

"No." Wang Fuyun shook his head. "No one has ever made it past."