Chapter 691: Initial Exploration

Yu Xuexian was left speechless for a moment. She really didn't know what to say. She understood that every prodigy had absolute confidence in themselves. They firmly believed they were unique and the best. But the way Yan Qing spoke so confidently was really something.

Yu Xuexian took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "If failing to complete the cultivation task set by that great figure is because the prodigies are not outstanding enough, then... do you have the confidence to complete that cultivation task in ten stellar years?"

"Ten stellar years? How is that possible?" Yan Qing immediately denied it without a second thought. "No matter how special the Heavenly Prison World is, no matter how strong one's fortune, comprehension, or talent is, it is impossible for one to master a Supreme Technique in ten years!"

She continued firmly. "Moreover, since that great figure set the requirement that it would take more than ten thousand stellar years for someone to complete the cultivation task, it proves that even the most talented individuals would need thousands of years to achieve this goal. Ten stellar years? Are you questioning the judgment of a great Highlord?"

Yu Xuexian smiled and said, "Why is it impossible?"

Yan Qing was stunned. She was quick to catch on to what Yu Xuexian was insinuating.

"You mean... Li Pin!?" she said in disbelief. "Ten stellar years? How could that be?"

Yu Xuexian questioned, "We've only been trapped in the Heavenly Prison World for a little over twenty stellar years. So... is it really impossible?"

"But..."

Yan Qing instinctively wanted to deny that absurd notion. However, thinking about the sudden order from her master, coupled with the fact that her junior had no reason to lie about something that could easily be verified, no matter how unbelievable it seemed, she had to accept the fact that this information was most likely true.

"Ten stellar years... to master a Supreme Technique? How could such a person exist...?" Yan Qing couldn't help but look up at her junior again. "Even if the Heavenly Prison World is special... it's still impossible..."

"Currently, information on Li Pin has been deliberately kept low-profile because he was retained by that powerful Black Abyss Highlord. The higher-ups did this to avoid unwanted repercussions. But... think about it, what kind of person could catch the eye of a great Black Highlord and even make that Highlord personally request to keep him?" Yu Xuexian asked.

Having a Highlord personally request to keep someone from the human race by their side?

As she realized the implications, Yan Qing's pupils dilated.

"If nothing unexpected happens, there is a high probability that he will directly become that great Highlord's disciple because he has completed his cultivation mission exceptionally well... Doesn't this prove how outstanding Hall Master Li is?" Yu Xuexian asked again.

"A Highlord's disciple..." muttered Yan Qing.

She took a moment to collect her thoughts, taking a deep breath. Then, she asked, "That... Hall Master Li... is he really that exceptional?"

"Of course," Yu Xuexian nodded. "The fact that my martial uncle immediately ordered you to take care of the Gaian civilization is the best proof of that."

A Highlord's direct disciple carried no less weight than a Cosmic Radiance.

That Highlord had broken away from the Human Race's stance, acting independently, unbounded from the highest authority of the human institution, the Supreme Council.

But Li Pin was different. He was human. His civilization, family, relatives, and friends were all part of the Human Race. His stance was with the Human Race.

In the future, the Supreme Council might even use him to influence that great Highlord, pulling him back into the Human Race's camp. At the very least, they could ensure that when that Highlord acted recklessly, he would show a bit more goodwill toward the Human Race.

Under such circumstances, taking care of the Gaian civilization and showing goodwill to that Highlord's direct disciple was politically correct in itself.

Not to mention, Li Pin himself possessed astonishing talent and potential. Judging by his current performance, at the very least, he would become a Cosmic Tyrant in the future. Furthermore, now that he had become a Highlord's direct disciple, reaching the level of a Sacred Monarch or a Heavenly Emperor was not an unattainable dream.

Befriending such a future giant before he fully matured was undoubtedly an incredibly worthwhile investment. It was no wonder her master had hurriedly given her the order.

After understanding the cause and effect, Yan Qing finally grasped the weight of Li Pin's significance. She could no longer approach this mission to visit the Gaia Civilization with a casual or dismissive attitude.

***

While the in charge of Homo Sapien Alliance Yin Luo Galaxy Office was paying a visit to the Gaia Civilization, Li Pin was traversing between Astral World Fragments.

Previously, he had heard of the concept of the Astral World more than once, but he could never truly imagine what a shattered Astral World would look like.

It was only at this moment did he finally saw the true Astral World. It was like outer space filled with cosmic debris and fragments. Every piece of space debris was moving at an extremely fast speed along a specific trajectory.

The difference was that in outer space, what was shattered were the remnants of spacecraft. But here, what was shattered were mountains, islands, and even continents.

These mountains, islands, and continents varied in size. The smaller ones might be only a few hundred meters in diameter, while the larger ones stretched endlessly for millions of miles.

Due to the unique properties of the Astral World, a special light source existed here, illuminating every island, mountain, and continent, so it was not completely dark.

However, since all the fragments were moving at high speed, if the trajectory of a single fragment was disturbed, it would immediately trigger a chain reaction. Countless mountains and islands would face disaster. The smaller ones would be completely destroyed in the catastrophe, while the larger ones would suffer severe damage. Only massive continents and mountain ranges had the resilience to withstand such risks.

Li Pin's expression was serious. "This is the Astral World..."

This world was completely different from what he had imagined.

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Sasha's voice echoed in Li Pin's ears. "The most important thing in the Astral World isn't anything else but maps.

"Each map marks the trajectories of mountains, islands, and continents in this region. If you ventured into the Astral World without such trajectory diagrams, you might unknowingly be struck by an object moving at the speed of light. Of course, you could destroy it, but the moment you took action, it would trigger a chain reaction, and the next thing you would have to stabilize would be an entire region."

As she spoke, Sasha, a member of the Intelligent Lifeform Race, joked in a manner almost indistinguishable from that of a human. "And what if what crashes into you is a continent spanning tens of millions of miles? How would you destroy it? Even if you were powerful enough to shatter such a vast landmass in one blow, how would you ensure that not a single trace of your power leaked? After all, the Astral World is filled with the ever-present power of Eternal Oblivion."

Li Pin gazed into the distance.

There were far too many shattered objects scattered throughout the Astral World.

Moreover, a person should know better than to assume that the mountains in the Astral World were the same as those in the outside world. The fundamental particles here were known as Starlets, and their structural stability and energy level exceeded those of external atoms by 1,024 times.

This superiority was all-encompassing. It was similar to how doubling a person's stats could allow them to fight against eleven opponents of power equal to their previous self.

Such was the nature of the Astral World.

Theoretically, a factor of 1,024 meant that a powerful existence with a Power Level of one million would find their Power Level reduced to a mere one thousand.

Of course, Astral Gods' control and application of their own power enabled them to perform at a level far beyond the theoretical limit. That was especially the case for Cosmic Tyrants. Having mastered cosmic evolution, matter and energy were nearly infinite to them. If it weren't for the existence of the Eternal Oblivion, their energy and power levels could have skyrocketed to the trillions.

If Astral Gods truly wished to settle in the inner layers, they would opt to enhance their energy and power levels. However, while the suppression was not as extreme as a thousandfold, a hundredfold reduction still applied. This was why many weaker Astral Gods found it nearly impossible to survive in the core layer of the Astral World.

In the core layer, they would essentially be reduced to beings with only a few points of combat strength.

"Currently, in the human territory, the Heaven Ordainment Sect has the most comprehensive records of maps and the trajectories of Astral World Fragments. They had acquired nearly all maps of human-occupied territories in the Astral World, and even explored maps of some foreign races' territories.

"These maps were extremely important. In battles between opposing forces, if one could leverage the countless Astral World Fragments scattered throughout the outer world, the scales of victory would immediately tilt."

Sasha spoke with a smile. "Because they hold the complete maps, many factions that wished to use the inner and core-layer Astral World Fragments as transit points have to pay the Heaven Ordainment Sect a hefty fee. To this day, the Heaven Ordainment Sect has become the wealthiest force in the Astral World, surpassing even the Omni-Merchant Guild, which was founded on commerce."

"I remember there are six major factions in the Astral World. The Heaven Ordainment Sect is one of them?" Li Pin asked.

"That's right. Supreme Ordainment and Supreme Great Heaven are the ones behind the Heaven Ordainment Sect," Sasha answered. "The Supreme Council is composed of nine Supreme beings of the Human Race, one Highlord, and one nearly detached figure who had mastered Supreme and Transcendent phases. Together, they controlled all decisions of the human race."

"Eleven people?" Li Pin was somewhat surprised. "This is the entirety of humanity's foundation?"

"This is the entirety of the Supreme Council's foundation." Sasha replied, "Take the Black Abyss Highlord, for instance. Can you guarantee that he will choose to simply stand by and watch if humanity were truly on the brink of destruction?"

Li Pin quickly understood. Immediately after, he asked, "Among the six major factions, with only eleven Supreme Council members, which one has only one Supreme or Highlord?"

"You should be asking which one has three Supremes or Highlords," said Sasha, smiling faintly. She responded, "The Myriad Astral God Hall was a force elected by the Supreme Council to govern the human race in the Astral World. It is not the inheritance of any particular Supreme or Highlord."

Saying this, she did not continue her introduction but instead glanced ahead and said, "This is the boundary of the Frostbound Star Abyss. My map ends here. Sorry that I'm unable to escort you smoothly back to the Yin Luo Galaxy."

"It's enough that you've brought me to the Frostbound Star Abyss," replied Li Pin. He then added, "Besides, carrying a Divine Being like myself while traversing the Astral World would probably cause you to take on the burden of the Eternal Oblivion, isn't it?"

"Although there are some impacts, it is negligible for us Intelligent Lifeform Race who walk the path of the Supreme," Sasha replied. After a pause, she said, "This place will do. From here on, I will accompany you in an avatar form."

Li Pin trembled slightly as he began to descend at an extremely high speed.

When the sensation of falling disappeared, the vast and familiar starry sky once again emerged in his perception.