Chapter 3897: Lesson

Lu Yin looked away from Gu Duanke and refocused on Venerable Lan Ye.

Without personally attempting to do so, it was impossible for a person to understand the sensation of their body going through the cycle of destruction and rebirth. It was different from death, and it was more of a self-manifestation. It was mysterious and profound, and simply watching or imagining the experience was worlds apart from personally experiencing it.

“How likely is he to succeed?” Lu Yin casually asked. From his tone, it was unclear if he had been speaking to Gu Duanke or possibly just to himself.

Gu Duanke did not answer. How could odds be considered during a breakthrough to the Immortal realm?

Venerable Lan Ye appeared to be attuned to the Orchid Megaverse, which seemed to make it easier for him to have a breakthrough than others, but even so, even the smallest error could result in failure.

Soon, the peak Dukkhan who Lu Yin did not know also arrived, and he stared intensely at Venerable Lan Ye.

While watching the man continue to attempt his breakthrough, the stranger said, “I remember that Greater Sancte Blood Tower once said that it takes countless coincidences to create an Immortal. The Immortal realm cannot be reached simply by cultivating.”

Lu Yin raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

Gu Duanke nodded. “It requires indescribable opportunities. The Spirit Nidus’s Qing Cao was nothing remarkable before he became an Immortal. Greater Sancte Blood Tower even said that, if they had both been in the same realm, he could have killed Qing Cao with a single blow. Despite that, the man still became an Immortal, rising past countless, stronger peak Dukkhans. That’s why the Immortal realm is so difficult to comprehend—not even Immortals themselves are guaranteed to understand how they broke through.”

That unfamiliar Dukkhan glanced at Lu Yin. “Some may appear weak, yet they are still able to step into Immortality. Some believe themselves to be invincible and yet can never succeed. It’s perfectly normal.”

Lu Yin’s brow furrowed slightly.

Is he taking a jab at me?

No one spoke any further. They silently watched as Venerable Lan Ye experienced the cycle of destruction and rebirth. Someone appeared in the distance, but they did not understand what they saw, and so they left. For those who had not reached a high enough level, seeing too much could actually impair their future progress.

After half a month, Venerable Lan Ye opened his eyes. He had failed. As expected, it would not be easy. He glanced at Lu Yin and the other two men, and after giving them a slight nod, returned to seizing more Immortal matter.

As long as he could gather enough Immortal matter, he could attempt another breakthrough, and he was able to gather faster than anyone else.

During the initial, most valuable phase of the reset, if Gu Duanke was able to make two attempts, Venerable Lan Ye would be able to try five times, possibly even more. This was one reason why he was thought to have a much better chance at becoming an Immortal during the Orchid Megaverse’s reset than anyone else.

In fact, at their level, what they wanted to know the most was if they had any real chance to reach the Immortal realm.

How many tries would they need to successfully break through? Ten attempts? A hundred? A thousand? Ten thousand?

If the probability could be determined, then the direction of the Nine Odysseys Megaverse’s cultivation would completely change. Even if they needed to sacrifice a generation or two, it would be completely worthwhile if they could guarantee producing an Immortal.

Unfortunately, that probability could never be calculated.

That was because no one had ever become an Immortal by simply making more attempts.

Neither Awe Gate, Blood Tower, nor even Qing Cao had broken through to the Immortal realm through blind repetition. They had succeeded by relying on their own perception and by borrowing insight from the cosmos.

As for Greater Sancte Green Lotus, no one knew how he had become an Immortal. After all, the man himself had never said anything.

“He may have failed, but he can still try a few more times. Hopefully, he’ll succeed. Our Nine Odysseys Megaverse needs a new Immortal Greater Sancte,” Gu Duanke said with a sigh.

Some distance away, the unfamiliar Dukkhan spoke up. “Each chance is incredibly precious. The more people there are, the fewer chances we each have. I thought that it would be just the three of us this time, and yet someone else is interfering. Brother Gu, what do you say?”

Gu Duanke reflexively glanced at Lu Yin.

Lu Yin stared at the man. “And you are...?”

“Lei Gong.”

“Never heard of you.”

Gu Duanke coughed lightly. “Brother Lei, since you understand just how rare this opportunity is, why not make the most of it? It’s not every day that we are able to witness a megaverse’s reset. Next time, you may not even be allowed to join.”

Lei Gong glanced at Lu Yin, but then he nodded to Gu Duanke and turned to leave.

Lu Yin did not try to stop the man, and he simply watched him leave. “Who is he?”

Gu Duanke replied, “An ancient powerhouse. He’s been in cryostasis for a long time, waiting for a megaverse to be reset. Mr. Lu, don’t mind him. He’s not targeting you specifically—he’s just too focused on this one opportunity. He’s already sacrificed everything possible to come here and see this reset, so it’s only natural for him to hope to be able to make one or two attempts.”

Lu Yin understood. “Warn him not to provoke me again, or else he won’t get a second chance.”

With that, he also turned and left.

Gu Duanke sighed, but he still chased after Lei Gong. It was necessary to warn the man not to antagonize Lu Yin. The younger man’s strength was absolutely unfathomable, and he also acted without restraint. Clearly, he had no reason to care about offending a peak Dukkhan.

Since ancient times, the Nine Odysseys Megaverse had produced countless peak Dukkhans who had attempted to break through to the Immortal realm, but how many had actually succeeded?

Without succeeding in taking that last step, no one had the qualifications to provoke Lu Yin.

Another year passed as the megaverse’s reset continued. During that time, Lu Yin mostly focused on capturing Immortal matter, but he did occasionally run into some acquaintances.

He saw Lu Sizhan’s sword rise and fall with the collapsing stars as the man created a sword technique that was truly his own. He was stepping onto his own path, moving past merely fusing the sword intent of the Four Commands Sword Sect.

Lu Yin saw Ru Guo sitting where two universes overlapped, enduring the agony of time and space shattering, remaining completely unmoved.

There was also someone from the Rift of Suffering. They were very young, but they were already a peak powerhouse. The man’s demeanor was very similar to Luo Ning’s, but his aura was even deeper.

Lu Yin saw Jian Hong and Jing Lian. Most people had gathered near where the Mother Tree had collapsed.

However, what left the deepest impression on Lu Yin were the orchid beasts. As the Orchid Megaverse reset, a startling number of the orchid beasts died en masse. It was a scene with a shocking amount of death.

After catching a glimpse, Lu Yin stopped and simply watched. If such a scene played out in the Tianyuan Megaverse, he thought that it might break him.

He had long worked to prevent the Tianyuan from being reset, to prevent a similar scene from playing out there. At this moment, all of his efforts felt worthwhile.

“Out of the way!” A harsh shout rang out, spreading across the collapsing universe in all directions.

Ru Guo was sitting where two universes were overlapping. His hand rose, and he caught an arrow of lightning that had been shot through the void. His body merely swayed slightly, though he shot a furious glare at his attacker.

Lei Gong lifted his head to look at Ru Guo. “Move now! Do not waste my time!”

Ru Guo released the arrow, revealing that his palm had been scorched black. He frowned. “Lei Gong, huh? I know who you are.”

“Enough talk, brat! Move!”

Behind Lei Gong, lightning roared as multiple arrows shot at Ru Guo, who furiously shouted back, “Lei Gong, there’s no grudge between you and I. Why are you attacking me?”

“I told you to move! Did you not hear me?”

Stars shattered, and the universe was pressed down, crushed beneath the arrows that rained down upon Ru Guo. He let out a breath and rose to his feet, allowing the arrows to strike him, as they did not leave so much as a scratch.

Lei Gong’s expression changed.

What is this?

Ru Guo’s expression grew cold. He had finally reached the third level of mastery of the Wayfinder Sutra: when the mind moves, the spirit does not. By sitting amidst the destruction of the megaverse’s reset, Ru Guo had finally reached the third level of mastery, which was the same level that his elder brother had once obtained.

With the power that he obtained upon reaching this level, Ru Shi had successfully become a Lesser Sancte and then challenged the High Seraph. While Ru Shi had lost, he had not lost due to being weak, but simply due to being overconfident. He had hoped to use the Wayfinder Sutra to directly step into the Immortal realm.

Ru Guo had always believed that his elder brother could have succeeded, but he no longer had that same confidence. The Immortal realm was too illusory. Ru Shi had also once seen a megaverse’s reset, and he had realized what the third level of the Wayfinder Sutra was, but could he have actually reached the fourth level: when the spirit moves, the universe moves? Even if he had, would success have resulted in him stepping into Immortality?

Lei Gong’s eyes glinted. “The Wayfinder Sutra... What is your connection to Ru Shi?”

Ru Guo’s tone was low. “He was my older brother.”

Lei Gong nodded. “No wonder. You are about as strong as he was back then, but that alone is no threat to me.”

Ru Guo did not deny it. Lei Gong was an ancient powerhouse who had been in cryostasis for far too long, having once been a rival of both Ru Shi and Yue Ya. Lei Gong was one of the top experts in the entire Nine Odysseys Megaverse, standing equal to the leaders of top factions and even the Odyssey Commanders.

“You’re wasting my time.” Lei Gong had no interest in speaking any further with Ru Guo. The two overlapping universes had already collapsed, which meant that he had to find another location.

As he turned around, he caught a glimpse of Lu Yin, which triggered a flicker of disdain to appear in the older man’s eyes. “I don’t know how an Ortuser like you can touch Immortal matter, but this is a rare opportunity. I suggest that you stay out of my way, or else...”

With that, the man turned to leave.

Lu Yin arched a brow and stepped forward to block Lei Gong’s path. “Or else what?”

The man’s eyes grew sharp as he glared at Lu Yin.

In the distance, Ru Guo shook his head. It was one thing for Lei Gong to target him, but targeting Lu Yin was simply courting death.

Lu Yin had not intended to do anything to Lei Gong, but the man had repeatedly antagonized him, which was not acceptable. Since the moment Lu Yin had entered the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, no one had dared to challenge him in such a manner.

The last person to openly curse him had already been destroyed.

Lei Gong evaluated Lu Yin. It had been a year since Gu Duanke had warned Lei Gong not to provoke Lu Yin, claiming that the young man was invincible beneath the Greater Sancti. Lei Gong refused to believe it, and he also assumed that Gu Duanke had been exaggerating.

He had been in cryostasis for far too long, and when he awakened, he had only had enough time to travel to the Seventh Night Pillar. He had not spoken to anyone, and no one knew of his movements, which had led the ancient powerhouse to know absolutely nothing about what Lu Yin had done in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse.

Still, even if Lei Gong believed that Gu Duanke had been exaggerating, anyone capable of making Gu Duanke so wary as a mere Ortuser had to be an extraordinary person. This was not the time for a confrontation.

“Move,” Lei Gong threatened.

Lu Yin smiled. “Fearlessness comes solely from ignorance. Let me see if you’re truly fearless, or if you’re simply ignorant.”

Lei Gong barked out an angry laugh. “Such an arrogant brat. You clearly have reason to be arrogant, given Gu Duanke’s caution of you, but I don’t have time to waste on you right now. I’ll return after this opportunity is over.”

The man then immediately chose another direction and moved to leave.

Lu Yin stayed with the man, and he once again blocked his path. As Lu Yin moved, he kept his hands clasped behind his back and looked completely relaxed.

Lei Gong cocked an eyebrow. “Boy, you’re just an Ortuser, and you have absolutely no chance of stepping into the Immortal realm here. And yet, you insist on competing with us for Immortal matter, ruining our chances for this opportunity. Not only do you refuse to see your mistake, but you also are trying to pick a fight and waste my time. What is it you want?”

Lu Yin slowly smiled. “You make some good points, but I don’t care.”

He then reached out for Lei Gong.

The Dukkhan’s eyes grew sharp.

Do you really think that I’m afraid of you?

Lightning surged as sequence particles erupted in blinding arcs that obscured the man’s face. He looked like a human-shaped lightning bolt.

Bang!

There was a deafening crash, and the lightning vanished as the sequence particles dispersed. All of Lei Gong’s tremendous power disappeared. Lei Gong stared at the hand resting on his shoulder in a daze for a split second before he was sent flying.

“This is just a little lesson.

“Now, get back to your opportunity.”