The Cosmic Boundary

Back in the Gravity Room, Lu Yuan evolved the Emperor Spirit Liquid, upgrading it to Divine Grade. A single drop now contained Spirit Power equivalent to a hundred thousand Ninth-tier Spirit Crystals.

He absorbed one drop, and a vast tide of Spirit Power immediately surged through his body. He channeled it rapidly, tempering his Transcendent Genes.

Cosmic Body — his first Divine Grade gene — had already neared full Tempering Proficiency. Under the deluge of Spirit Power, it raced toward completion.

Training twelve hours a day, Lu Yuan estimated his Spirit Power absorption rate at roughly five thousand Ninth-tier Spirit Crystals per hour.

That pace actually matched his training speed back when he'd still been at Battle Sovereign rank.

Fully tempering a single Divine Grade Transcendent Gene required approximately five to ten million Ninth-tier Spirit Crystals' worth of Spirit Power. At this rate, it would take about three months of Land of Origin time to complete one gene — less than a month in real-world time.

Even accounting for all his Transcendent Genes combined, he could temper every last one in under a year. The speed was nothing short of staggering.

After all, this was training efficiency on par with a Battle Emperor.

Lu Yuan began his cultivation with a self-satisfied grin.

The real world.

In a vast, boundless void, stars sprawled across one side while a strange expanse of churning gray-yellow mist occupied the other.

Within this alien space, bizarre creatures drifted and bobbed — bodies slathered in green slime, bristling with tentacles, their surfaces studded with countless unblinking eyes.

Deep in the gray-yellow fog, more of these creatures shuttled about ceaselessly, pressing toward the starry expanse.

Yet as they drew near, every last one was stopped by a thick membrane. It was impossibly vast, stretching beyond sight in all directions, walling off the entire stellar realm from the gray-yellow void — as though the universe itself had grown a protective skin.

The creatures shrieked and opened their many mouths, spewing jets of green vapor against the membrane, trying to corrode their way through.

In one particular sector, the creatures surged in numbers beyond counting, piling up like a living tide. The green fog here was especially dense, and they thrived in it like fish in water.

Here, the membrane was thinner than elsewhere. At one point, it had torn through entirely.

A colossal palace plugged the breach. On a platform extending beyond the gap stood a man — handsome, tall, and slender, red patterns tracing his skin, his long hair blazing with living flame.

Crimson fire burned in his eyes. Torrents of terrible flame poured from him to fill the breach, incinerating creature after creature to ash. The churning gray-yellow mist devoured their remains without a trace.

His flames were devastatingly powerful, yet the creatures were inexhaustible. They hurled themselves against the breach in an unending assault, tireless and relentless, wave after wave without cease.

The man stood alone before the breach, his silhouette vast and unyielding — as if holding up the very stars.

A streak of light flashed across the platform, and a towering figure materialized: gray-white scaled skin, a head like a dinosaur's, encased in heavy battle armor. His tail slapped the platform with a sharp crack.

"Chiyan. Can you still hold?"

"Not a problem."

Chiyan's tone was flat. "How are the other sectors?"

"Holding steady. No rotation needed," the dinosaur-headed warrior rumbled.

Chiyan nodded and said nothing more.

The warrior fixed his golden, slit-pupiled gaze on the creatures beyond the membrane. His expression was unreadable, his voice even.

"A sector at the southwest coordinates is nearly corroded through. Thirty thousand years at most before another breach opens."

The flames around Chiyan surged briefly, but his expression didn't waver. "No matter. I can hold for another million years."

The dinosaur-headed warrior bared his teeth in a scoffing grin. "Still pushing yourself, I see."

He paused, then added, "A million years may not be enough for another Divine Grade to emerge."

"Then I hold until one does," Chiyan replied.

The warrior stared deep into the churning gray-yellow fog. "These aberrant beasts are endless. Unless someone can enter the Chaos Space and destroy the Aberrant Beast Mother Nest directly."

Chiyan fell silent. After a moment, he spoke. "Unless someone surpasses Divine Grade and masters the Laws, going there would be suicide."

The dinosaur-headed warrior bared his teeth again. "Yeah... suicide."

He shook his head. Then he stiffened, pulling out a Communication Crystal. An image materialized above it: a woman with deep blue hair, water swirling lazily around her form, her features regal and strikingly beautiful.

A hint of joy played across her elegant face. "Kro, notify the others. A new War God-level warrior has appeared."

Kro froze. Those eyes that never wavered before the aberrant beast tide narrowed for the first time. Then his jaw split wide, and a booming laugh tore from his throat.

"Yes! The Human Race was never meant to fall — and it never will!"

Even Chiyan reacted. The flames wreathing his body flared, and something stirred across that ice-carved face.

His voice carried just a hint of emotion. "Ruoshui. What are the details?"

The beautiful woman smiled. "So you're at Chiyan's post. I heard from the clans — it's a human male. But the situation is rather strange."

"Strange how?" Kro asked.

"Apparently, this human male is only at Battle Emperor rank. Yet he's inscribed multiple Divine Grade Transcendent Genes, and his combat power is formidable. He just destroyed a Divine Grade Aberration Feral Beast in the Upper Layer of the Land of Origin."

"Battle Emperor?"

Both Kro and Chiyan — men who stood unmoved before the endless aberrant beast tide — were genuinely taken aback.

"A Battle Emperor who's inscribed Divine Grade genes? Who can kill Divine Grade Aberration Feral Beasts? That powerful? You're certain?" Kro pressed.

Ruoshui smiled. "I have no reason to doubt it."

Kro and Chiyan exchanged a glance, something unspoken passing between them.

Then a fierce light blazed in Kro's eyes. "Good. If he already possesses such power at merely the Battle Emperor level, then perhaps he can take the step none of us ever could."

Both Ruoshui and Chiyan nodded.

"If he surpasses War God and masters the Laws, there may be hope of pushing deep into the Chaos Space — of destroying the Aberrant Beast Mother Nest once and for all."

"Tell him," Chiyan said, his voice carrying the faintest tremor — slow, but resolute, "that we can buy him another million years."

A strange expression crossed Ruoshui's face.

"...According to the records, this human male has been cultivating for less than four years since his Awakening."

Kro: "???"

Chiyan: "???"

Even these two War God-level titans found their minds going completely blank.

An awkward silence descended.

After a long pause, Kro bared his teeth again, his eyes blazing with undisguised excitement.

"I don't know how that junior managed it, but it seems I'll have to take back what I just said. He will absolutely reach heights beyond anything we could achieve. Perhaps... he's the savior we've been waiting for."

Chiyan gave a slight nod but said nothing.

They both understood the truth. Without destroying the Mother Nest, it didn't matter how long they held the line. Eventually, a day would come when the aberrant beasts could no longer be stopped.

On that day, the creatures would pour into the universe, and all of existence would slowly be consumed by corruption and decay.

Yet even knowing this, the War Gods stood their ground — their own bodies plugging the corroded breaches.

Behind them lay every living being in the universe. They bore the weight of infinite lives on their shoulders. The road ahead was shrouded in darkness, but retreat had never been an option.

Now, for the first time, they had glimpsed what might truly be a sliver of dawn.

After the silence stretched, Ruoshui spoke. "So how should we handle this junior? Should one of us go guard him? In case something happens?"

Kro considered it, then shook his head. "We don't even have enough people to hold the breaches, let alone spare someone for guard duty. His combat power is already at the Divine Grade. The threats beyond the universe — those are our problem. Inside it, things are far safer than out here. If he can't grow in that kind of environment, he'd never amount to much anyway."

"Unpolished jade never becomes a gem," Chiyan added. "Anyone capable of reaching War God level is no greenhouse flower. Leave him be."

Ruoshui nodded with a smile. "Your thinking matches everyone else's. Very well, then."

"Good."

The real world.

Inside Lu Yuan's quarters at Talent Camp, white light flashed and his body materialized.

He stretched lazily, a smile spreading across his face.

During his time in the Land of Origin, he had fully tempered Cosmic Body to perfection. Life Spirit had reached completion as well, and he'd even made initial progress on Mechanical God. The results were more than satisfying.

He glanced at the Light Gate within his consciousness. At his current level, he would need to spend a full month in the real world before he could re-enter the Land of Origin.

Lu Yuan rubbed his forehead. *That's a long wait.* The Land of Origin's time dilation let him train far faster there — out here, progress would feel sluggish by comparison.

After some thought, he realized he'd made a minor miscalculation. Next time, he should check the Merit Hall for Divine Grade Body Techniques or Spirit Techniques. If any were available, he could practice those during his downtime in the real world.

For now, he planned to rest briefly, then find his instructors and spar a few rounds.

With that thought, his body vanished from the room.

Si Tingyu's quarters.

Since Si Tingyu and the others had lower cultivation than Lu Yuan, they couldn't stay as long in the Land of Origin and had returned earlier.

Si Tingyu, Si Tingxue, and Rebecca sat on the sofa. Si Tingyu wore a grave expression.

Si Tingxue and Rebecca noticed the weight on her face and exchanged a puzzled glance.

Si Tingxue tilted her cool, composed features with a trace of confusion. "Sis, what's going on? Why'd you call us over so suddenly?"

Si Tingyu's gaze swept between the two of them, sharp as a blade. Both shifted uncomfortably under its edge.

Then she spoke, her voice measured and deliberate.

"Xiao Xue. Rebecca. Have you two entered an intimate relationship with Lu Yuan?"

Dead silence.

Si Tingxue and Rebecca stared wide-eyed, momentarily struck speechless.

A searing wave of embarrassment washed over them — the mortifying sensation of a secret laid bare. Si Tingxue, whose composure was usually ice-cold but whose skin was considerably thinner in matters like these, flushed crimson from neck to hairline.

Her cool mask shattered. "Wh-who told you that?!" she blurted.

Rebecca averted her gaze, cleared her throat, and declared with completely unconvincing nonchalance, "Nothing of the sort! Our relationship with Yuan is pure and wholesome."

Si Tingyu stared at them flatly.

Even she couldn't suppress the twitch at her temple. Given those reactions, who on earth would believe them?

She drew a deep breath, gave a small cough, and tried again. "Actually, Qinghe asked me to find out. She was too embarrassed to ask herself. She just wants to know — when exactly did you two become... closer?"

Si Tingxue gaped at her sister. "We haven't! Sis, how can you not believe us?"

Rebecca nodded vigorously. "Exactly! What she said!"

Si Tingyu rolled her eyes. "Just tell me. When did it happen? How did things escalate so fast?"

The truth was, she was burning with curiosity. She'd always felt that something was missing — one final step between herself and Lu Yuan. They were close, practically at that threshold, but they'd never quite crossed it with the natural ease she'd imagined. She didn't know how to take the initiative, so she'd resorted to interrogating her sister and Rebecca instead.

As for Qinghe... well, Qinghe would surely want to know too. Si Tingyu decided she wasn't really lying. At worst, she'd share the intelligence with Qinghe later — an even split.

Among their circle, the question of when exactly Si Tingxue and Rebecca had become intimate with Lu Yuan was arguably the most tantalizing mystery. Even Yeye, under Small White's patient tutelage, had developed a vague understanding of such matters and was quite curious. Only Amy still believed Lu Yuan would bully her and hit her — though once they returned to the real world, Wang Lingling would surely open that particular door for her, and then even Amy would want to know.

Right now, Si Tingyu felt she held the advantage. After all, her own sister was closer to her than to anyone else.

Under Si Tingyu's unwavering stare, Si Tingxue and Rebecca exchanged a glance, both looking distinctly uncomfortable.

Si Tingxue pointed at Rebecca. "...You tell her."

Rebecca's jaw dropped. "You were the first one! *You* tell her!"

Shock flickered across Si Tingyu's face. She knew her sister's temperament better than anyone — she'd never imagined that her cool, reserved little sister had been the first to make a move.

*I underestimated her.*

Exposed by Rebecca and pinned by her sister's gaze, Si Tingxue wanted nothing more than to disappear. Her face was burning.

She looked away, then spoke in a voice barely above a whisper.

"...When we first broke through to Battle King, Yuan helped us inscribe our Transcendent Genes. Since the inscription had to happen in the bathroom..."