Chapter 761: Unknown

"Follow me..." muttered Li Pin.

In truth, he didn't need many followers.

He released a wave of inner spirit fluctuations. "Sasha, check the trading price of a Dragon Origin Dojo Token for me."

"Transactions involving the Dragon Origin Dojo Token are extremely rare, mainly because of the dojo's unique entry requirements. The highest price for a token was six Top-Tier Cosmic Radiance Divine Equipment, while the lowest was a single vial of Daylight Sacred Water—cheaper than even the most basic Cosmic Radiance Divine Equipment."

Sasha quickly compiled the data. "The massive price disparity comes from the fact that only those 'blessed with fortune' can enter the Dragon Origin Dojo. Out of the 1,842 tokens ever recorded as traded, only 43 buyers actually gained entry."

"That's a success rate of just 0.02 percent. The most recent transaction occurred last epoch, when a token was sold for one high-grade Cosmic Radiance Divine Item."

Listening to the explanation, Li Pin understood the situation.

He turned to Di Yiliu and said, "You have two choices. First, I offer you an opportunity to achieve Cosmic Radiance. I won't promise it guarantees your ascension, but should the chance arise, or if I'm capable, I will lend you a hand on the path to Cosmic Radiance."

As soon as he said this, Di Yiliu's breath hitched.

Cosmic Radiance!? An opportunity to achieve Cosmic Radiance!?

Even if I didn't succeed, he would still try to support me?

Li Pin was someone with the potential to one day become a Heavenly Emperor. If someone like him were to offer full support, the chances of reaching Cosmic Radiance would increase dramatically.

For someone like Di Yiliu, whose talent was far from average, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was practically guaranteed to reach Cosmic Radiance.

"The second option," Li Pin continued, "I buy this Dragon Origin Dojo Token from you with a Top-Tier Cosmic Radiance Divine Weapon."

Di Yiliu's eyes widened.

A Top-Tier Cosmic Radiance Divine Weapon!? That was a treasure even some newly ascended Tyrants, or those with weaker backgrounds, might never possess!

"I don't need many followers," Li Pin added. "Besides, I'm someone who acts directly. I'm bound to offend others easily."

"I..."

Di Yiliu instinctively leaned toward taking the Divine Weapon. After all, such a treasure would instantly enhance his strength.

As for the opportunity to achieve Cosmic Radiance? He believed that, with his talent and aptitude, it would only be a matter of time until he achieved that realm.

But soon, he composed himself.

As the saying goes, "An ordinary man's guilt lies in harboring a precious gem."[1]

For someone like him, outstanding, but not enough to attract the entire Humanity Sanctum's attention, a Top-Tier Cosmic Radiance Divine Weapon would bring more risks than rewards. If someone targeted him, there would be no one to speak on his behalf.

On the other hand, the opportunity to attain Cosmic Radiance was invaluable. Even if he could achieve it on his own, doing so within a short time was a completely different matter from waiting dozens of epochs.

More importantly, with this promise, a connection would naturally form between him and Li Pin. With that bond, and by playing his cards right, he might not become a mere follower, but could still stay close, perhaps even closer than a follower.

After taking a deep breath, he spoke. "I still hope to follow you. But if that would be a burden, I'll take the opportunity to achieve Cosmic Radiance instead. I hope that, once I've made more progress in my cultivation, I can serve by your side."

"Good." Li Pin nodded. "Sasha, prepare a training plan for him."

"A standard human prodigy? Leave it to me," Sasha responded without hesitation.

She transformed into the form of a young girl and led Di Yiliu away to assess his condition so she could tailor a suitable training plan.

Of course, only a portion of Sasha's processing power had accompanied him. Her main system remained with Li Pin.

Under Li Pin's command, streams of data related to the so-called Dao Realm quickly surfaced.

However, the information was chaotic—vast in volume, vague in accuracy.

Sorting through and verifying it all would take an unimaginable amount of time.

After observing for a while, Li Pin finally spoke. "You should know what I mean by Dao Realm. At the very least, it should be a realm on par with Supreme, Highlord, or Transcendent."

"I understand," Sasha replied. "But unfortunately, the data I retrieved from the connected databases on Dao Realm is limited to what you see here."

She added, "And this is already the optimized version."

"So... there's nothing useful?"

"There's nothing that matches your standards for what the Dao Realm should be," Sasha clarified. Then, after a pause, she added, "Perhaps this power simply goes by a different name now?"

"That's possible," Li Pin murmured.

Li Pin had only come across the term through the Void Emperor, and he adopted it to describe his own unique state.

The Void Emperor was a figure from the era of the Ancient Astral World. It was entirely possible that, in the present age, that same power was known by a different name.

Li Pin fell into thought. "Can I search for information related to the Void Emperor and the Ancient Astral World era?"

"There's some," Sasha replied, "but nothing in-depth. As for the truly core information... I'm afraid your current clearance isn't high enough."

"Core information? You mean the truth behind the destruction of the Ancient Astral World?" Li Pin asked.

"I'm sorry. I don't know either," Sasha said. "Information about the Ancient Astral World is beyond my capability. Even the computational models within the Ocean of Time haven't been able to produce a satisfying explanation for that mystery."

Li Pin felt disappointed.

Either his authority wasn't enough, or even the highest authority of the human race had no idea what the Dao Realm was, nor the truth behind the Ancient Astral World's collapse.

𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

However, Li Pin leaned toward the first possibility.

"Level 94 access... That already falls within the Sacred Monarch tier. The gap between Sacred Monarch and Heavenly Emperor isn't all that wide, yet even at this level, I can't retrieve a single piece of useful information.

"I doubt Level 95 would be any different. So, do I have to reach Level 100, accessible only to the Supremes, the Highlord, and the Transcendents?"

After thinking it over for a long time, he decided to set the matter aside.

As the saying goes, "When the boat reaches the bridge, it will straighten itself out."[2]

He believed that as long as his rank kept rising, the answers would eventually reveal themselves.

With that in mind, he said, "Connect me to the cultivation method database."

"Establishing data link," Sasha replied promptly. "I'll need your authorization. However, even with it, due to the limitations of us Intelligent Lifeforms, the First Galaxy will still block me from performing deeper access.

"At most, I can only grasp a general understanding of the available methods, combat techniques, and secret arts. From that, I can offer you cultivation suggestions based on what's suitable..."

She paused briefly, though her tone remained calm and unbothered. "If you want more precise recommendations, you'll need to connect directly to the First Galaxy."

"I understand," Li Pin nodded. "Go ahead and connect."

He had already made up his mind.

What he needed now was to quickly fill the gaps in his combat techniques—and that included the Inner Spirit Secret Arts.

Aside from the Primordial Abyss True Demon Form that he had already decided to cultivate, he also had to include the

Galactic Starburst

.

With both defense and offense in place, if he added a perception-type Inner Spirit Secret Art, his combat system would finally be complete.

At the very least, when facing a Tyrant-level opponent, he wouldn't be at a disadvantage in these key areas.

It was clear that these secret arts—along with the movement techniques and battle skills he would choose next—were going to stay with him for a long time.

***

While Li Pin was focused on selecting secret arts and battle techniques to strengthen himself, news of his breakthrough to Cosmic Radiance and his climb to the eightieth step of the Supreme Ladder spread like wildfire.

He had already gained attention due to his connection with the Black Abyss Highlord. Then, decades ago, when the Divine Race ranked him ninth on their Black List, his name became widely known.

Not only did ordinary Astral Gods take notice, even some Supremes were said to have asked about him. Fortunately, the timely gathering of the Sacred Flame Hall had provided a somewhat reasonable explanation.

With all this, even if he wasn't a household name, Li Pin's reputation had already spread throughout the human race.

***

The Homo Sapien Alliance, as the governing body under the Supreme Council overseeing countless civilizations across the universe, naturally maintained a corresponding outpost in the Astral World.

On one of the vast continents under the jurisdiction of the Myriad Astral Gods Hall, a floating island, dozens of kilometers in diameter, bathed in a radiant blue glow, hovered in the air.

Atop the island stood a figure, completely enveloped by the blue brilliance, her features hidden from view. Yet, the aura she exuded spread outward relentlessly. Judging by its intensity, she had clearly reached the Eternal Solar Flare Realm.

Not far from the island floated another woman, draped in a long cyan robe. Occasional streams of True Spirit radiance drifted from her form.

Whenever the woman in cyan sensed even the slightest fluctuation in the cultivation of the blue-lit figure, she would promptly issue a reminder. This kind of attentive guidance...

Not even personal disciples would typically receive such care. Yet, there was no trace of impatience or annoyance on her face.

Whoosh!

At that moment, several streaks of light sliced through the sky and arrived at once. Two of them greeted, "Palace Lord Qing Yu."

The woman gave a slight nod in return. "Palace Lord Han Su, Palace Lord Shu Huang."

When her gaze landed on the man accompanying them, a hint of surprise crossed her face. She politely lowered her head. "Tyrant Ju Mang."

The man before them exuded a warm, gentle presence. He held the title of Spring God at the Four Seasons Divine Hall and was known as Ju Mang. As one of the four top-ranking officials within the Heaven Oracle Twenty-Four Palaces, he had come in person.

"No need to be nervous," Ju Mang said with a smile, his gaze moving toward the glowing blue figure on the floating island. "How is her refinement of the power left by the Light of the Ark progressing?"

"Her refinement speed is quite fast, but that was never the real challenge. The true issue has always been control. As her mastery improves, her energy levels increase accordingly," Qing Yu explained.

Though she didn't fully understand why Lord Ju Mang was so interested in this, she answered honestly. "At this rate, she should reach peak Solar Flare within a thousand years."

"A thousand years?" Ju Mang smiled faintly. "That's far too slow. Get her to peak Solar Flare within seventy years. Then, take her to a celebration, a celebration to mark the triumphant return of our human prodigy from the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War!

1. Implies someone without proper means or protection to defend themselves is vulnerable if they hold onto something others might want. In this case, a Top-Tier Cosmic Radiance Divine Weapon. ☜

2. A Chinese idiom that conveys the message "Go with the flow." ☜