Chapter 680: Prodigy

The clouds above Sky Martial Peak split apart, revealing a massive hole over a hundred kilometers in diameter.

Through the gap, the vast starry sky beyond Heavenly Prison World came into clear view. Its entire expanse was a construct of virtual matter, operating under a precise and orderly framework.

For the cultivators of the Heavenly Prison World—where even the weakest had surpassed the Tier Four Legendary realm—such a sight was nothing remarkable.

Forget tearing through the sky or creating a hundred-kilometer-wide hole in the atmosphere; any of them could easily destroy a celestial body and reduce it to cosmic dust.

But this was different. This was the Heavenly Prison World, a place where everyone was nearly suppressed to the level of mortals. Even those who had mastered the third level of Supreme, Transcendent, or Highlord Technique could only rely on Singularity Collapse to temporarily access power beyond their limits, thereby unleashing extraordinary divine abilities.

Yet now, someone had torn open the sky with a single strike.

This broke all the rules. It was far too outrageous!

As the rolling atmosphere was forcibly parted, triggering violent celestial reactions, everyone gazed upward in shock.

It had been hundreds, even thousands, of stellar years since they had last witnessed such a miracle. For a long time, they stood frozen, unable to recover from their disbelief.

Finally, someone broke the silence.

"Legendary power! This is Legendary power! Someone has finally unleashed cosmic-level strength in the Heavenly Prison World!"

Even if Li Pin's current strength was only at the Quasi-Legendary level, it was still Legendary. The greatest difference between Legendary and those below was the leap from planetary life to cosmic life.

One remained forever trapped within a planet, bound by its limits, while the other ventured into the vast cosmos, exploring and embracing limitless possibilities.

Another voice rang out, brimming with excitement. "No! This is hope! The hope of escaping the Heavenly Prison World!"

"It's more than just hope! This is the reality! If he can already manifest a cosmos, how far is he from fully mastering the fourth level of Supreme Technique?"

Emotions long suppressed erupted all at once.

"Li Pin had already reached the fourth level of the Supreme Technique. The only reason he hadn't fully mastered its power was his lack of a condensed True Spirit.

"It was just like those unique beings with Astral God-level energy—once he condensed his True Spirit, he would truly complete the fourth level of the Supreme Technique. When that moment arrived, all of us would finally see the light of escape."

"Six thousand years... I've been trapped in the Heavenly Prison World for six thousand years... Now... can I finally leave this cage?"

"I've waited for you. I'm glad I never gave up."

Everyone turned their gaze toward the figure standing atop Sky Martial Peak, radiating power that surpassed the very laws of the Heavenly Prison World. Their eyes burned with hope and longing.

Some, unable to contain themselves, bowed deeply toward Li Pin.

"Prodigy Li, please allow us to follow you!"

Their voices triggered a chain reaction.

"From this day forward, Prodigy Li, whatever orders you give, our Dragon Soaring Association will spare no effort in assisting you to condense your True Spirit and fully master the fourth level of the Supreme Technique!"

"I, Shu Yi, may not claim to be among the absolute strongest in the Heavenly Prison World, but I do have some talent in battle. Five thousand years ago, I attained the third level of the Supreme Technique, and I believe I can rank within the top ten. Prodigy Li, I am willing to become your sword, clearing every obstacle in your path of cultivation!"

"Me too!"

One by one, the leaders of factions second only to the four great powers, along with numerous third-level Supreme Technique experts known for their formidable strength, voiced their allegiance.

At this moment, all eyes were on Li Pin.

Wang Fuyun, who had been about to stop the others from Prodigy Hall and Clearheart Society, halted in place. He mumbled in a daze, "The fourth level... ten stellar years.... The fourth level of the Supreme Technique in... ten stellar years...."

For as long as he could remember, he had heard the distinction between a prodigy and a supreme prodigy.

A prodigy could dominate an entire star domain, commanding the sincere admiration and respect of their entire generation.

But a supreme prodigy... dominated an era. In the vast human territories, spanning countless star systems, only one or two supreme prodigies emerged every hundred thousand stellar years. They were like the stars in a galaxy—under their brilliance, all others paled, unable to muster even the thought of competing with them.

Wang Fuyun had heard this theory before, but he never believed it. After all, they were all exceptionally gifted and incredibly diligent humans. The gap couldn't possibly be so vast that it would extinguish even the desire to challenge.

Even if that supreme prodigy could defeat him time and time again, he firmly believed that he would grow stronger with each setback, learning from every failure and becoming more formidable. One day, he would surpass that supreme prodigy, stand above him and prove to the world that Wang Fuyun, Prodigy Wang, had lived a life of unyielding pride, never inferior to anyone.

However, at this moment, as he stared at Li Pin... a supreme prodigy who had attained the fourth level of the Primordial Supreme Technique in just ten stellar years... he truly understood for the first time why the world spoke of supreme prodigies in such terms.

Grow stronger with each setback? Learn from every failure? Becoming more formidable?

What about it? That supreme prodigy could do just the same, and he would do it even better. He would improve faster, accumulating more experience, and become even more formidable.

In such a situation, no amount of effort or refusal to accept defeat could close the gap. Instead, it would only widen, growing larger and larger until it reached this insurmountable chasm before him.

Ten stellar years ago, when Li Pin first arrived in the Heavenly Prison World, Wang Fuyun had been at the third level of the Supreme Technique already. Yet, ten stellar years later, Li Pin had caught up. As for Wang Fuyun, he was still stuck at where he had been.

And now, after another ten stellar years, Li Pin had broken through to the fourth level, while Wang Fuyun was still struggling at the third!

What an overwhelming gap—what utter despair!

Wang Fuyun let out a long breath. "

Phew...

"

He could already foresee what would happen once Li Pin became the disciple of the Black Abyss Highlord and left the Heavenly Prison World. It wouldn't be long before his title changed from "Sacred Li" to...

Tyrant—Cosmic Tyrant.

***

When the devastating shockwave that obliterated King Tianyu and Shen Duxiu spread outward, Liu Suxin, the Stormwind Tower's Hall Master, was caught in its force. She staggered uncontrollably, forcing her to retreat several steps before collapsing into her seat.

She gazed through the window at the figure atop Sky Martial Peak, her mind going completely blank.

She wasn't the only one. Tai Xi and Xiao Huan were equally stunned. They stared blankly at the figure in the sky, their thoughts seemingly frozen.

It wasn't until the deafening cries from the crowd—pledging allegiance, swearing loyalty—grew louder that they finally jolted back to reality, as if waking from a dream.

"This... this can't be..." Tai Xi looked utterly shaken. "Reaching the third level was already unbelievable, but the fourth!? This is absurd! Completely absurd!"

He couldn't believe it. More than that, he refused to believe it. It was simply too inconceivable. Attaining the fourth level of the Supreme Technique in just ten stellar years was something they wouldn't have dared to even dream of.

Yet, the sheer power Li Pin had just displayed, annihilating King Tianyu, Shen Duxiu, and Chi Mang in an instant, left no room for doubt. No matter how impossible it seemed, this was real. An event so outrageous it defied reason, yet undeniably true.

"This... is what it means to be a supreme prodigy?" Xiao Huan muttered.

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

As the cries of admiration and allegiance outside grew even more fervent, Tai Xi thought of something, and his face turned deathly pale. "To draw the Prodigy Hall's attention to Li Pin and buy time for Stormwind Tower to recover, we've been fanning the flames behind the scenes all along...

"Though things have unexpectedly worked in our favor, anyone with a discerning eye can see our original intent..."

The moment those words fell, Liu Suxin, whose mind had been blank, and Tai Xi, still in shock, snapped to their senses.

Then, as they listened to the unified chants of hundreds of thousands—many of whom were even their own Stormwind Tower members—they finally understood the consequences they were about to face. Fear surfaced in their eyes.

"How... did things end up like this...?"

***

I knew it. The moment I revealed the power of a nascent universe, this battle was over,

thought Li Pin.

But then again, that was how the world worked. Things rarely went as one wished.

Li Pin withdrew his energy fluctuations and scanned his surroundings.

Every human who met his gaze cupped their hands and bowed in excitement. As for the alien races, whether they belonged to the Prodigy Hall or the Clearheart Society, or were unaffiliated, they all lowered their heads in submission.

As the saying goes, "A wise man knows when to yield."

Li Pin had likely completed the task set by the Black Abyss Highlord. This would mean he was close to becoming the Highlord's disciple and would gain control over their very lives.

However, even without that status, his sheer talent alone was enough to crush all hope of resistance. Before such an overwhelming force, no one dared entertain the thought of opposing him, especially not in a place like the Heavenly Prison World.

Submission was their only choice.

Li Pin set aside his thoughts.

Forget it.

The Heavenly Prison World was said to be a land teeming with geniuses, where prodigies roamed freely. Yet, under the weight of its restrictive laws, how many could truly rise and shine?

Be it formation prodigies, divine weapon prodigies, or even combat prodigies—many struggled just to survive. Some barely clung to life in the Silver Land, while others, unable to endure even there, were cast into the Exile Zone, dying in obscurity.

Could they truly be considered untalented? Of course not.

If he sought a worthy opponent, it had to be someone capable of unleashing their full strength. There was no meaning in exploiting the world's rules to suppress them.

"My true battlefield lies in the Eternal Ascent of Humanity and the clashes among the prodigies of various races."

With that thought, Li Pin nodded at Wang Fuyun and Yun Lai of Dragon Abyss Tower before turning and heading back toward the Golden Land.