On the 3000th step.

Ming Jian and Wu Yuan exchanged a silent, cold glance, neither one speaking.

Very good. Both true selves have broken through.

Wu Yuan felt quite pleased.

My qi refiner self indeed has a Greater Dao Body. With the assistance of my body refiner self, it truly shows its talent for spacetime matter analysis.

The three chapters of the Primordial Doctrine were the Spacetime Chapter, Myriad Things Chapter, and Life Chapter. Though they branched out in different directions, they shared some commonalities.

The comprehension of Wu Yuan's two true selves progressed in different directions. Although most insights couldn’t be connected due to the singularity of eternity, the occasional sparks of inspiration would produce many different insights.

More importantly, I seem naturally suited for the path of matter. Whether analyzing the Life Chapter or Spacetime Chapter, I'm adapting faster and faster, and my comprehension speed is accelerating.

Wu Yuan thought to himself.

It's as if I've walked a similar path before.

It was bizarre. In Wu Yuan's memory, he had never encountered the Primordial Doctrine before, so where did this feeling come from?

Never mind. Let's just assume I'm truly suited for this path, blessed with extraordinary talent.

Both of Wu Yuan's true selves calmed their minds, each comprehending the first Primal Force Diagram.

Though they both appeared to be working on the first diagram, his qi refiner self had just begun, while the body refiner self was not far from fully understanding the profundities of the first diagram.

"Ming Jian!"

"Truly worthy of being a monstrous prodigy who became a Supreme Genius in just over twenty thousand years."

"The Taiyuan Divine Court has produced a real monster."

"The Immortal Court, with its vast territory and numerous Supreme Geniuses, can't even compete with a genius from the Taiyuan Divine Court."

"Has any genius from the Taiyuan Divine Court ever shone this brightly?" The crowd of geniuses sighed with emotion. Most participants greatly admired Ming Jian.

…

Just over ten years later, another faint ripple spread out as You Feng, previously ranked third and now fourth, broke through to the 3000th step.

"As expected of the Abyssal Devil race."

"Countless beings inhabit the Abyss, and their geniuses are as numerous as clouds. You Feng emerged from there." Geniuses from various Saintdoms marveled.

The Abyssal Devil race had countless powerhouses, and if added together, their numbers far exceeded both the Immortal Court and Eldritch Court, as the Abyss existed in every universe.

However, the Abyss was too chaotic to be unified. Among the nearly twenty Supreme Geniuses from the Abyss participating in the Heavenly Domain stage, almost none belonged to the same faction - they each had different Overlords and even different supreme beings backing them.

Chaos was synonymous with the Abyss, but this internally chaotic, mutually warring Abyss could still become a nightmare for many Saintdoms across the endless megaverse.

The Saintdoms of the endless megaverse were collectively known as the Outer Space Affiliation. The Outer Space Affiliation and the Abyss were in direct opposition, and both sides had engaged in numerous wars over countless years, both major and minor.

…

Time flowed on, and in the blink of an eye, another hundred years passed.

Li Guang and Inconstance successively broke through, finally ascending to the 3000th step, standing at the same height as Wu Yuan, Lie Jin, Ming Jian and the others who had arrived earlier. The six most brilliant geniuses in the beginning now appeared to stand at the same level once more.

Whoosh!

At this moment, a black-robed figure with ordinary features leisurely stepped onto the 1000th step.

He was now ranked last. But his breakthrough instantly drew the attention of almost all participants. In particular, the Eldritch Court and Immortal Court geniuses noticed almost immediately, looking toward that last figure.

"Zhu Shan!"

"He's finally broken through."

"The flowers in my grotto-heaven artifacts have bloomed almost five hundred times while waiting." Many participants sighed with emotion.

Nearly five hundred years! Within the special environment of the Primordial Steps stairway, genius after genius had been breaking through rapidly. Even those who initially only climbed to the 600th to 700th step had mostly ascended beyond the 1000th step now.

Yet Zhu Shan, the strongest in the Heavenly Domain stage, undefeated in the Divine Domain World for nine thousand years - remained unable to cross the 1000th step until now. It seemed absurd, but this was indeed the reality.

The 1000th step?

Zhu Shan felt the numerous gazes on him, but remained quite calm inside.

Comprehending the Spacetime Chapter from scratch and reaching a thousand diagrams in less than five hundred years shows I do have considerable talent in spacetime matter.

He was actually rather proud of himself. Others thought he had spent nearly five hundred years crossing from nine hundred some diagrams to a thousand Foundation Diagrams. But in reality, he had started from zero.

This body refiner self of mine is destined not to tread the path of matter, so achievements in the Spacetime Chapter don't matter.

Zhu Shan's gaze was calm as it rose to the highest figure, a mysterious smile touching his lips.

Wu Yuan? I wonder if you'll be shocked when you learn the truth in the future.

Zhu Shan continued at a leisurely pace, methodically comprehending step by step.

…

Time flowed on, and more and more geniuses broke through to the 2800th step.

After more than eight hundred years, even more geniuses had broken through to the 3000th step. The number had soared from six to thirteen.

"Thirteen have reached the 3000th step bottleneck."

"No one can take another step forward, is it really that difficult?"

"The gap between Foundation Diagrams and Primal Force Diagrams is probably like the difference between mastering a Sovereign-level technique and becoming a Supreme Genius." The participants discussed among themselves. But in reality, most participants didn't understand the complexity of the Primal Force Diagrams.

Those who could enter the Heavenly Domain stage all had decent talent, and given enough time, they could definitely comprehend the Three Thousand Foundation Diagrams.

However the Five Thousand Primal Force Diagrams demanded even higher comprehension aptitude; without sufficient talent, no amount of time spent would be enough for a breakthrough.

For the dozen or so geniuses who had reached the bottleneck early on, they would all eventually grasp it given enough time. But merely a few hundred years? Even with a miniature Primordial Star, reaching the introductory threshold alone was extremely difficult.

Breakthrough? These Primal Force Diagrams are hundreds, thousands of times more complex than the Foundation Diagrams. How can pure research into matter reach such profound levels?

High Immortal Bai Lian sighed inwardly.

She was the seventh to reach the 3000th step, yet even after two hundred years of contemplation, she still had little insight. Deep down, High Immortal Bai Lian had a feeling that she might gain some understanding after several hundred more years, but advancing further would be nearly impossible.

What to do?

Li Guang was equally troubled. He was the Immortal Court's foremost genius, yet his brilliance on the Primordial Steps paled in comparison to Wu Yuan and Lie Jin. Naturally, this frustrated him.

Hmph!

High Deity Li Guang frowned slightly, glancing at several figures in the distance.

Even with a few hundred more years of contemplation, Wu Yuan and Lie Jin might not be able to take the next step either.

He had realized that even with another thousand years of cultivation, he would likely struggle to ascend any further.

Perhaps I should further perfect the Primordial Technique instead.

Li Guang thought silently, making his decision.

Deep comprehension of the path of matter was one thing, gaining sufficient combat power also required considerable time.

…

Thirteen peerless geniuses remained trapped at the 3000th step, some with serene expressions, others with worried faces. Some seemed to have grasped profundities, unconsciously revealing smiles.

Finally, I've decoded it.

Wu Yuan's gaze fell upon the Primal Force Diagram not far from the step he was on. This intricate diagram was only visible to him.

Over eight hundred years, Wu Yuan first discovered the basic operational logic of the Life Primal Force Diagram, then analyzed it step by step, spending several hundred more years before finally succeeding.

In truth, the subsequent breakthroughs of other participants to the 3000th step had affected him slightly. But Wu Yuan quickly regained his composure.

The path of cultivation isn't about competing with others, but with oneself. As long as I keep improving, I'll eventually reach the pinnacle.

Wu Yuan silently reflected.

This is something I should learn from Senior Brother Jiang Huan.

With a heart that remained undisturbed by external matters, Wu Yuan had advanced to the forefront.

The first Primal Force Diagram is the foundation. Being able to comprehend the first means there’s a possibility of comprehending the second, the third... until all five thousand Primal Force Diagrams are understood.

Wu Yuan contemplated silently.

Moreover, fully comprehending the first Primal Force Diagram means I can cultivate the Primordial Technique to higher levels, achieving a fundamental transformation. It should only take ten years to perfect it.

The Primordial Technique was intimately linked to one’s progress in the Primordial Doctrine.

Wu Yuan didn't rush to climb the steps; his greatest gain this time was fully comprehending the first Primal Force Diagram.

For Wu Yuan, perfecting the Primordial Technique and maximizing his power took precedence. As for comprehending the second and third diagrams, the benefit to his mastery of the Primordial Technique wouldn't be as significant. The former represented a transformation in his fundamental nature. The latter was merely supplementary.

As for my qi refiner self, with some assistance from my body refiner self, a breakthrough should come soon.

Wu Yuan thought silently.

His qi refiner self was also progressing extremely rapidly.

Time passed silently, and no one knew of Wu Yuan's breakthrough as he remained motionless.

The dozen or so peerless geniuses who had reached the 3000th step also remained still.

Decades passed. On this day, thousands of figures stood like silent statues on the Primordial Steps stairway.

Whoosh!

A subtle fluctuation swept through the steps, instantly noticed by Lie Jin, Li Guang, You Feng, Inconstance, and other geniuses. They all turned to look in shock.

Swoosh!

Wu Yuan suddenly moved, effortlessly stepping onto the next step. And he didn't stop there.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Wu Yuan ascended four more steps. Only then did he stop.

"What?"

"Wu Yuan?"

"He climbed five steps in succession? This! This!" The other dozen or so geniuses watched in disbelief. Even Lie Jin was no exception. They had all attempted to comprehend the Primal Force Diagrams and understood just how profound they were.

Some hadn't even grasped the operational logic behind the diagrams, let alone analyzed and deduced them. Yet Wu Yuan had climbed five steps in succession? This wasn't just a difference of five steps, but represented a fundamental disparity between Wu Yuan and themselves.

"Wu Yuan has broken through."

"It's still him. Wu Yuan is still the first to break through."

"Among thirteen supreme geniuses, Wu Yuan is the first to cross the bottleneck of the Primal Force Diagrams." The thousands of geniuses below the 3000th step watched in amazement.

Though they didn't understand the difficulty of analyzing the Primal Force Diagrams, Wu Yuan's solitary breakthrough once again established his position as the front runner, and this scene couldn't be fabricated.

"This!"

"Wu Yuan's talent is too terrifying." The Immortal Court geniuses were even more shocked and apprehensive. Such cultivation speed was truly frightening.

Five Primal Force Diagrams?

Wu Yuan remained quite calm internally.

With eight hundred years to lay the foundation and decades more of contemplation, I could naturally master the first few Primal Force Diagrams in no time, though later ones will be more challenging.

Although the later diagrams were more difficult to comprehend, Wu Yuan wasn't worried at all, having glimpsed a hint of the fundamental nature of the Primal Force Diagrams.

As long as he cultivated systematically, he would eventually comprehend all five thousand Primal Force Diagrams, though that would take an extremely long time.

Most importantly, right now, his body refiner self had gained mastery of the Primordial Technique, achieving a fundamental transformation.

Just one final step remains. The final part of Creation Saint Prohibition.

Wu Yuan thought to himself, his eyes gleaming.

If I can make a breakthrough, combined with the Primordial Technique, I should be able to face Zhu Shan in battle.

Zhu Shan! For ten thousand years, he had been a shadow looming over Wu Yuan's head, yet also a goal driving him forward.

Both were part of the Eldritch Court, with no mortal grudge. In fact, they could even be somewhat considered friends now, but this didn't prevent Wu Yuan from viewing him as a target to surpass.

Now, Wu Yuan finally saw hope of defeating him.