Chapter 778: Overload

A heartfelt smile spread across Li Pin's face. "I've finally broken through."

He glanced at his updated attribute panel.

[Quantum Sword Intent: Overload]

He nodded in satisfaction.

The panel had been simplified so much that the skill section had been removed entirely. But since he had designed the panel himself to monitor his condition, he could modify it however he liked.

Now that he had created what might be his first Supreme-level sword art—born from surpassing his former self—he decided to revisit the streamlined panel.

It no longer had any real purpose, but it still served as a form of self-affirmation.

"The Ruoxi Sword is still far from reaching its peak, but its essence already nears the threshold of a Sovereign Divine Weapon.

"By studying the space-time concepts it embodies and refining them through the Illusion Pagoda, I was able to elevate this sword technique beyond perfection, pushing it into an entirely new realm.

"The entire process took only half a year, which equates to roughly four hundred stellar years within the Illusion Pagoda."

Li Pin called this new realm "Overload."

The results were outstanding.

It was inconvenient to use his Great Dao Radiance to simulate matter and energy. However, that same process was what gave him far greater command and control than most other Cosmic Radiance-level cultivators, even Tyrants.

With the enhancement of "space," the power of Quantum Sword Intent surged to new heights.

Its only flaw was that he needed to rely on the Ruoxi Sword to fully unleash the power of the Overload technique.

Additionally, since the Ruoxi Sword hadn't been fully restored, the space-time power it contained was still too weak. Although its destructive force had increased, its execution speed had clearly lagged behind.

Just like before, he unleashed twenty-six consecutive strikes. Each slash carried tremendous power, yet the enemy dodged every single one.

If such lethal moves missed in the outside world, the Eternal Oblivion Force would quickly teach him a harsh lesson.

To unlock the full potential of the sword technique, he needed either to master the laws of space, allowing him to use spatial teleportation for close-quarters strikes, or to comprehend the laws of time and accelerate the sword's execution speed, leaving no chance for the enemy to evade.

Li Pin reflected,

Mastering the laws of space and time isn't easy. It might be more feasible to fully restore the Ruoxi Sword, upgrading it from a High-Grade Cosmic Radiance Divine Weapon back to its complete form as a Sovereign Divine Weapon.

The Quantum Sword Intent already embodied transformations of matter, energy, and space. If I could fully restore the Ruoxi Sword, its nature as a Sovereign Divine Weapon would not only amplify the sword intent's power but also significantly aid me in understanding the law of space.

Perhaps... even beyond space.

Once the Ruoxi Sword was restored as a Sovereign Divine Weapon, it would contain the power of spacetime. Aside from space, it would also be infused with the law of time.

With this sword in hand, he could push forward, not only toward becoming a Supreme, but also to fully mastering the fourth level of the Phantom Space Technique.

"I need to find the last piece of Ruoxi Sword."

Li Pin followed the faint sense of resonance and tracked the third fragment of the Ruoxi Sword.

Back when he emerged from the Void Divine Treasure World, he had already sensed that mysterious presence. It was extremely far away.

He had no idea how many Star Abysses he had to cross. So, at the time, he could only push the thought aside.

But now, with a complete Ruoxi Sword, his cultivation would receive tremendous support.

Moreover, having already stepped into the ranks of the strong by becoming a Cosmic Radiance, he had earned the qualification to cross those countless Star Abysses in search of the third Supreme Demonic Sword.

Li Pin's resolve steeled.

Once I secure a spot in the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War, I'll go search for the third piece and fully restore the Ruoxi Sword.

As for now... his gaze fell on the person closest to the Supreme Ladder. With a leap, he stepped off the stairs.

The moment he stepped away, the figure, along with another who had accompanied him, approached at the same time.

"Congratulations. You've made it past the eighty-fifth step of the Supreme Ladder," said Heavenly Emperor Mo Xuan, his expression somewhat complicated.

Behind him, Tyrant Yuan Guang had nothing more to say.

A supreme prodigy's cultivation progressed with each passing moment.

Others pushed themselves, grinding twice or even three times as hard in hopes of closing the gap. They believed that with enough effort, they could slowly catch up. But in truth... for every additional step they took, the supreme prodigy had already advanced miles ahead.

In the end, the gap didn't shrink. It only grew wider. Until one day, they fell into despair, unable to even glimpse the supreme prodigy's shadow in the distance.

This reality was now unfolding in full through Li Pin.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Li Pin said. "Time is of the essence. Let's head to the Myriad Astral God Hall. If we don't leave now, we won't make it in time."

Mo Xuantian paused slightly at Li Pin's urging, then seemed to realize something. "Don't tell me... you stopped after the eighty-fifth step because you were afraid you wouldn't have time to reach the Myriad Astral God Hall?"

Li Pin shook his head. "Not entirely."

This time, his goal in challenging the Supreme Ladder was to test the true strength, and the limits, of the Quantum Sword Intent in its Overload state.

Now, the results were clear. Its power was overwhelming, but it required time to fully activate.

Having confirmed both its strengths and its flaws, there was no longer any reason to continue climbing.

Of course, the urgency of heading to the Myriad Astral God Hall also played a part.

Mo Xuan studied him.

Not entirely...

He didn't think Li Pin's words were arrogant in the slightest. A supreme prodigy was never meant to follow the rules of the ordinary.

Li Pin urged, "Let's go. To the Myriad Astral God Hall."

Mo Xuantian nodded.

Earlier, he hadn't held much hope that Li Pin could defeat Luo Wuji or Zi Zaitian.

But now, after personally witnessing his rise from the eightieth to the eighty-fifth step on the Supreme Ladder in just twenty-two years, his perspective had changed.

He thought to himself.

A true supreme prodigy, worthy of the title. Only someone like him could dominate this era, sweep across an entire age, and, with unstoppable momentum, break through layer after layer of barriers to reach the summit.

He was now eager to witness just how far Li Pin could go.

Luo Wuji? Zi Zai Tian? Or perhaps others, like Xuan Chengming, Yue Shu, or even... Emperor Ara!?

There were still forty years before the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War officially started. If Li Pin kept improving at this pace, in four decades, he might very well possess the strength to reach the ninetieth step, enough to rival Emperor Ara himself.

***

Li Pin made his way to the Myriad Astral God Hall, escorted personally by Heavenly Emperor Mo Xuan.

Meanwhile, within the Divine Martial Emperor Palace, located inside the Hall, the Divine Martial Emperor, responsible for leading battles against foreign races, entered a training hall.

Inside, thirty-nine individuals had already gathered. They have all been summoned in advance.

The Overlord Competition had thirteen key conflicts that needed resolution, but participation wasn't limited to just thirteen people. Each conflict could involve up to three matches, and the side that triumphed in the end would be declared the victor.

During the early days of the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War, humanity once deployed more than a dozen Tyrants to a single conflict, exhausting a Supreme-level opponent to the point of death.

That incident led to the eventual rule limiting participation to no more than three individuals per conflict.

Among the thirty-nine present, not a single one had strength weaker than that of a Cosmic Tyrant.

Particularly striking was the man seated casually at a tea table to the right, seemingly playing chess against himself.

He deliberately suppressed his aura, yet still exuded the presence of an unsheathed divine sword. Its edge was so sharp it seemed capable of tearing through the sky, splitting the Astral World, and illuminating the cosmos.

That was Emperor Ara, the personal disciple of Divine Emperor Xi.

While he was not the personal disciple of a Supreme, a Divine Emperor's disciple was even rarer than one of a Supreme in the Astral World.

Humanity's strength was in numbers, not in individual power. The Supreme Council already had eleven members.

And if those of human origin who weren't part of the council, such as Supreme Dao Origin or the Black Abyss Highlord, were included, the total number of Supremes and Highlords together would easily exceed twenty.

That number was more than double the known Supremes among the Divine Race, humanity's greatest foes.

Despite the sheer number of Supremes, there had only ever been three Divine Emperors who stood at the peak of the Astral World.

That alone spoke volumes about how rare a Divine Emperor's personal disciple truly was.

And Divine Emperor Xi... had never once disappointed.

Take this moment, for instance. When the Divine Martial Emperor entered the hall, all the Tyrants rose to greet him with respectful salutes. Emperor Ara, however, merely gave a slight nod in acknowledgment, and yet, no one found it out of place.

Divine Emperor Xi swept his gaze across the room, then smiled. "I've gathered you all today to discuss one thing. You've probably heard of Li Pin, the so-called Light of Origin?"

At his words, many in the room turned to look at the fifth and ninth-ranked figures—Yan Sheng and Wu Meng.

Those two had been chosen by the Sacred Flame Hall to participate in the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War.

"What are you looking at me for?" Yan Sheng smiled faintly. "I don't know much more about the Light of Origin than the rest of you. When we began our training, he hadn't even made a name for himself yet."

Chosen by the Black Abyss Highlord? Suspected to be a Highlord's disciple?

For ordinary Starlights, Solar Flares, or even Cosmic Radiances, such recognition might stir envy, admiration, and longings. But this was not the case for those gathered here. Every one of them had been personally mentored by Supremes not long ago.

Almost all were either direct disciples, bloodline descendants, or chosen successors of a Heavenly Emperor or Supreme.

With backgrounds like that, why would they envy or even pay much attention to someone like Li Pin?

Even the bits they knew about him had reached them passively.

Confident in their own strength, they saw no need to concern themselves with someone who wasn't even a real threat yet.

Wu Meng gave a fair evaluation, "I heard he's a talented Cosmic Radiance. It took him less than two hundred years to reach this level. He might carry some Eternal Oblivion Force... but he's certainly no weaker than any of us. He'll probably take part in the Prodigy Competition, won't he?"

"If the Divine Martial Emperor brought him up, then the chances are high," Zi Zaitian replied, a hint of regret in his tone. "It's just a shame... he's still too young. If he had a few more millennia to solidify his foundation, he might've had the qualifications to stand with us in the Overlord Competition."

"There's no need for pity," the Divine Martial Emperor gave Zi Zaitian a peculiar look and said calmly, "He's already here."