Overlord Xin Ya, Overlord Shan Jin, and Overlord Xue Li exchanged glances.

Overlord Xin Ya shook his head. "Yan Kui. Deep down, you and I both know that Ming Jian is destined to reach the late-stage Sovereign phase. Even without Primordial Matter, it is only a matter of time.

“And for advancing to the Overlord level, Primordial Matter has very little effect.

“Though Primordial Matter is precious and rare, it only aids in comprehending Greater Laws, helping one reach the late-stage Sovereign level faster," Overlord Xin Ya said. "Giving Ming Jian this headstart grants him a better fighting chance in the Megaverse Crossroads. The opportunities in the Crossroads are what's truly crucial for him."

Overlord Yan Kui slightly furrowed his brow, momentarily unsure how to counter, because Overlord Xin Ya was indeed correct.

"Xin Ya, Shan Jin, we understand where you’re coming from." Another Overlord said in a low voice, his body like a mass of flames.

"However, the numerous Sovereigns of the divine court headquarters pay a huge price and only get one chance in their lifetimes. Even then, they can only cultivate for a thousand years in the Primordial Hall. Ming Jian is indeed a monstrous prodigy, but does that warrant letting him cultivate for three thousand years?

“Don't you think this is a waste of Primordial Matter?" asked the fiery Overlord.

Primordial Matter was an extremely precious substance obtained by True Saint Taiyuan. Even as Overlords, they couldn't acquire it, and it was tremendously helpful for the cultivation of super powerhouses. Its usage and dosage were strictly regulated.

The eight Overlords were administrators of the divine court headquarters, yet handled this precious resource with great caution.

For instance, if a Sovereign powerhouse wished to absorb Primordial Matter, at least three Overlords had to give their approval.

If Overlord Xin Ya, Overlord Shan Jin and Overlord Xue Li had decided to let Wu Yuan cultivate in the Primordial Hall for a thousand years, Overlord Yan Kui and the others wouldn't have voiced their dissatisfaction, if any.

However, a full three thousand years was equivalent to taking away the opportunities of three Sovereigns. This naturally led to dissatisfaction among Overlord Yan Kui and others, as this threatened their interests.

Within the divine court headquarters, there were factional divisions and conflicts of interest. The usage rights of Primordial Matter was one such crucial interest.

The Eternal Sun Immortal Nation of the Greenridge Macrocosm was under Overlord Xin Ya's direct management, so naturally Wu Yuan belonged to Overlord Xin Ya's faction, and would remain closer to Overlord Xin Ya even if he became an Overlord in the future.

If the divine court headquarters could produce another Overlord, Overlord Yan Kui's group would welcome it and even rejoice. But if it directly affected their interests, Overlord Yan Kui's group would similarly be dissatisfied. After all, they had numerous Sovereigns under their command and had to consider various aspects.

This time, Overlord Xin Ya, Overlord Shan Jin, and Overlord Xue Li had bypassed other Overlords and directly granted Wu Yuan a large quantity of precious resources. If Overlord Yan Kui didn’t speak up, then there was no guarantee that Overlord Xin Ya's group wouldn't continue to ignore them when it came to future matters. Therefore, Overlord Yan Kui's group had to raise objections.

Benefits were allocated based on strength, but still needed to be fought for!

"Yan Kui." Overlord Xin Ya was about to explain.

"Hmm?" Overlord Shan Jin's eyes suddenly flashed with joy: "Haha, excellent! Very good. Ming Jian is indeed worthy of being a prodigy even the True Saint values highly."

"What is it?" Overlord Xin Ya asked, puzzled.

"Shan Jin, what happened?" Overlord Yan Kui and the fiery Overlord similarly asked in confusion.

"The Primordial Hall. You can sense it for yourselves. We're all Overlords, we all have the authority," Overlord Shan Jin smiled.

Immediately, the other Overlords closed their eyes. Then, they opened their eyes one by one, their pupils alight with amazement.

"Ming Jian, he actually reached this step so quickly?" Overlord Xin Ya was shocked.

"Such rapid cultivation speed. Before entering the Primordial Hall, he had just reached the ninth-level True Intent stage of Spacetime True Intent," Overlord Yan Kui said in a deep voice tinged with shock: "Less than two thousand years after entering the Primordial Hall, he's already mastered a Sovereign-level technique?"

"That sword technique, there's no mistake! It is a Sovereign-level technique. The Spacetime profundities harnessed are profound even to our senses," said the fiery Overlord softly. "Ming Jian truly creates miracles time and again.

“In terms of Dao comprehension, he's already on par with Wu Yuan of the Eldritch Court and Mu Long of the Immortal Court.

“When the Megaverse Crossroads opens, he might truly stand a chance," the fiery Overlord sighed.

Those skilled in the Great Dao of Spacetime naturally had better chances. Moreover, with mastery of a Sovereign-level technique, Ming Jian's direct combat strength had also greatly increased.

"Yan Kui, Gui Guang." Overlord Xin Ya smiled. "This is why we granted Ming Jian three thousand years of cultivation in the Primordial Hall, do you now approve?"

The temple fell silent.

Overlord Yan Kui and Overlord Gui Guang exchanged glances, shook their heads helplessly, and raised no further objections.

Ming Jian’s achievements proved he hadn't wasted the Primordial Matter, and demonstrated that he truly had hope of competing for a Saintcrest.

"I hope our Taiyuan Divine Court can truly produce a Saintcrest Prodigy," Overlord Yan Kui said softly. "Since the beginning of heaven and earth, the Megaverse Crossroads has opened dozens of times, yet our Taiyuan Divine Court has never claimed a Saintcrest."

Saintcrest Prodigy was a title given to peerless geniuses who claimed a Saintcrest.

It was far more prestigious than simply being a Supreme Genius. After all, each time the Megaverse Crossroads opened, anywhere from ten to eighty Supreme Geniuses would participate, yet at most three would claim Saintcrests. More than half of those who claimed Saintcrests eventually became Overlords.

Among the countless geniuses born throughout the generations of the Taiyuan Divine Court, only Overlord Shan Jin had come closest to claiming a Saintcrest.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Overlord Yan Kui and Overlord Gui Guang vanished instantly.

"Just over a thousand years left. I wonder if we can help Ming Jian break through the bottleneck and reach the Dao Field stage in one go," Overlord Xin Ya smiled.

"Hard to say. Primordial Matter provides less and less help as time goes on," Overlord Shan Jin said in a deep voice. "And from mastering a Sovereign-level technique to truly obtaining Sovereign-level comprehension, considerable accumulation is still required.

“In particular, he needs some tempering. Ming Jian already exceeded our expectations by mastering a Sovereign-level technique in one go," Overlord Shan Jin smiled. "Everything now depends on Ming Jian's destiny."

The Overlords all nodded in agreement.

…

Inside the Primordial Hall, shrouded in chaos, Wu Yuan stood on the jade bed with his eyes gently closed.

Before him, countless Dao patterns of the Law of Space and Law of Time interweaved, forming a sword light of immeasurable power that seemed able to simultaneously affect both Time and Space.

At the same time, Wu Yuan's aura grew increasingly ethereal and unfathomable, as if he no longer existed in this spacetime.

Time and space... this perfect fusion.

Wu Yuan murmured to himself.

Is this truly what a unified Spacetime strike looks like?

The seventh step of the Nine Swords of Spacetime - Spacetime Intersection.

This step represented mastery at the Sovereign level, also representing that Wu Yuan's comprehension of the Great Dao of Spacetime had reached an extremely profound level, truly touching upon its fundamental nature.

How unexpected. After training in this Primordial Hall for two thousand years, not only did I comprehend the Law of Space to the seventh-level Dao Field stage, but my understanding of the Great Dao of Spacetime has also reached the pinnacle of True Intent.

Wu Yuan revealed a slight smile.

Without even realizing it, I can now basically execute the seventh step of the Nine Swords of Spacetime.

Space Dao Body, Apotheosis Yuan Soul, combined with the special environment of the Primordial Hall. It was simply perfect for Wu Yuan's cultivation, allowing him to undergo a true transformation.

If my body refiner self took this step through the pressure of life or death and bloody battles with powerful enemies, then my qi refiner self achieved it through steady accumulation finally paying off.

Wu Yuan thought to himself.

Two thousand years of cultivation here equaled tens of thousands of years of previous cultivation. Achieving this breakthrough didn't surprise him.

However, although I've mastered a Sovereign-level technique, achieving a true breakthrough?

Wu Yuan found it thorny.

Nearly four thousand years had passed since his battle with Mu Long. During these four thousand years, his body refiner self had also been cultivating in seclusion in the Greenridge Macrocosm, with increasingly profound comprehension of the Law of Life and Law of Death.

Yet, he still couldn't find the opportunity to break through. It was as if a heavenly moat blocked his path.

There were no shortcuts to breaking through this bottleneck. He could only continue to comprehend and deduce the profundities, waiting for the day when his accumulated insights would finally shatter the limits.

Once he crossed over, that would be Sovereign-level comprehension, another realm entirely!

In terms of Dao comprehension level, my qi refiner self has caught up to my body refiner self.

Wu Yuan thought.

However, my qi refiner self's accumulation of insights still falls short of my body refiner self’s.

I still have a thousand years left to cultivate in this Primordial Hall, I can't waste it. Let's continue.

After briefly testing the Nine Swords of Spacetime, Wu Yuan settled back into deep meditation.

Over the last two thousand years, Wu Yuan could feel the boost from that mysterious substance gradually weakening as time passed, though it remained far superior to cultivating without its support.

My qi refiner self's mastery of a Sovereign-level technique mustn’t be revealed yet. Once exposed, word would spread immediately.

I must keep it hidden until the Crossroads - it shall be my trump card.

Wu Yuan thought to himself.

While his true self cultivated in seclusion within the Primordial Hall, his mana body continued engaging in combat with various Astral Monarchs. While sparring, he naturally wouldn't employ such killing moves.

Of course, Wu Yuan was unaware that Overlord Xin Ya and the others already knew his secret.

Several hundred more years passed in the blink of an eye.

Both of Wu Yuan's true selves remained stuck at this level, unable to break through. As his qi refiner self continued cultivating in the Primordial Hall, the influence of that mysterious substance weakened considerably.

On this day, within the Primordial Hall.

I finally succeeded.

Wu Yuan, sitting in lotus position on the jade bed, suddenly revealed a smile.

One of my lifebound flying swords has finally evolved into a high-grade celestial artifact.

Within his amethyst cradle, nine incomparably sharp flying swords floated alongside two Space Essence Stones.

At this moment, among the nine lifebound flying swords, one emanated a particularly powerful aura. This flying sword was frantically devouring the essence of Space from the Space Essence Stones. Every particle of Space Essence Stone contained Space’s essence.

Meanwhile, countless complex Space Dao patterns faintly appeared on the sword’s surface. New patterns were generated continuously, fusing into the blade.

Refine!

Wu Yuan's Yuan Soul controlled the lifebound flying sword, employing methods to upgrade his lifebound flying sword.

This process continued for a long while.

Boom!

Finally, that brilliant lifebound flying sword trembled, absorbing countless strands of Space’s essence. The Space Dao patterns on the sword completely retracted, withdrawing into the core of the blade.

Swish!

An invisible sword qi was released, containing no mana, yet causing the vast amethyst cradle to shake violently.

The terrifying sword pressure completely enveloped the entire amethyst cradle, thoroughly suppressing the other eight flying swords.

A high-grade celestial lifebound flying sword, following the optimal evolution pathway! I’ve finally upgraded the first one, nurtured to the limit with external resources.

Wu Yuan observed it silently, his emotions surging.

Such power is absolutely the pinnacle of artifacts possessed by High Immortals and High Deities.

Even the Hundred Stars Saber wielded by my body refiner self falls far short of this lifebound flying sword.