Birth and Death of Stars

While Lu Yuan was deep in thought, the Mirage Dragon spoke again.

"You're planning to comprehend your first Law now, correct?"

Lu Yuan snapped back to attention and gave a slight nod. "Yes, Senior Mirage Dragon."

The Mirage Dragon nodded. "I have a suggestion. Among the Laws you've grasped, one of them is Stellar Laws. My recommendation is that for your first attempt at comprehension using the Heart of Laws, you choose that one."

Lu Yuan blinked, a hint of confusion on his face. "Why?"

"Stellar Laws record the birth and death of the universe," the Mirage Dragon explained. "They share a deep connection with the Cosmic Origin within your body. If you choose to comprehend Stellar Laws, your Cosmic Origin will provide substantial assistance—giving you a higher chance of success compared to any other Law."

Delight stirred in Lu Yuan's chest. The more he considered it, the more sense it made.

After all, the Evolution Cube inside him *was* the universe's origin. And weren't Stellar Laws cut from similar cloth?

If that was the case, then comprehending Stellar Laws really would give him better odds.

A smile broke across his face. "I see. Thank you, Senior!"

He'd been agonizing over which Law to choose, yet a single visit to the Mirage Dragon had resolved the question entirely. This trip had been well worth it.

"No need for thanks. Your successfully comprehending a Law would be a boon to the universe—and by extension, to me as well."

The Mirage Dragon shook his head slightly, and the surrounding mist rippled with the motion. His gaze settled on Lu Yuan.

"Do you have any other questions? Feel free to ask."

Lu Yuan thought for a moment. "If I attempt to comprehend the Laws, can I do so within the Land of Origin? And what happens if my allotted time runs out while I'm in the middle of comprehension?"

"Ah, that matter."

The Mirage Dragon smiled. A blue-green light materialized before his eyes, then shot toward Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan frowned slightly but didn't dodge. He sensed no threat from the light.

The blue-green radiance sank into his body, and Lu Yuan was startled to discover that something within him had changed.

He could now control the Light Gate inside him at will—opening or closing it whenever he wished.

In other words, he could leave the Land of Origin right now if he wanted to. And presumably, he could also enter the Land of Origin from the real world at any time.

"This is..."

As Lu Yuan stood there in astonishment, the Mirage Dragon's voice rang out.

"This is access authorization for the Land of Origin. As a Guardian entrusted with a mission by the Cosmic Origin Will, I possess certain privileges—including the ability to grant you free passage in and out of the Land of Origin. With this, the Land of Origin's will won't expel you unless you choose to leave of your own accord."

Joy surged through Lu Yuan. "Thank you, Senior!"

This ability was incredibly useful. What a shame he hadn't had it sooner—he could have spent all his time inside the Land of Origin, and his cultivation speed would have been many times faster.

Still, having it now was nothing to scoff at. At the very least, he wouldn't have to worry about being ejected mid-comprehension when his time ran out.

The Mirage Dragon smiled faintly. "Any other questions?"

Lu Yuan considered for a moment, then shook his head. "Thank you for your guidance, Senior. I have no more questions."

The Mirage Dragon nodded. "Then go. Train well."

"I'll take my leave."

"One more thing—when you have time, visit the other Guardians and collect the remaining fragments."

"Understood."

Lu Yuan bid the Mirage Dragon farewell and departed from the Mist Forest. In the next instant, he appeared in White Cloud City.

Elation still lingered in his heart. This visit to the Mirage Dragon had yielded far more than expected—not only had he settled on a direction for his comprehension, he'd also gained unrestricted access to the Land of Origin.

His thoughts then turned to the question that had been nagging at him earlier.

*Should I check on the Aberration organizations first?*

After lengthy deliberation, Lu Yuan decided to prioritize inscribing Transcendent Genes instead.

Now that he could remain in the Land of Origin indefinitely, even if comprehending the Heart of Laws truly required a century, that would translate to less than ten years in the real world.

The Elf Race and Beast Race Aberration organizations had existed for hundreds of millions of years. They'd never caused a catastrophe before—surely they wouldn't in the span of a decade?

With his mind made up, Lu Yuan retrieved his Communication Crystal and contacted Ruoshui.

White light flickered, and soon Ruoshui's elegant, regal face appeared within the crystal. A warm smile graced her features.

"Lu Yuan, it's been a while since we last spoke. What prompted this call?"

"Senior Ruoshui, there's something I need to tell you," Lu Yuan said seriously.

"Oh? What is it?"

Sensing his gravity, Ruoshui's expression turned solemn as well.

"I'm planning to enter seclusion for a period to comprehend the Laws."

"Comprehend the Laws..."

Ruoshui stiffened, then her eyes flew wide. "Don't tell me—you've finished tempering all your genes to perfection?!"

Under normal circumstances, one would only attempt to comprehend the Laws after tempering every gene to completion, reaching the absolute limit of the War God level with no room left for advancement.

Lu Yuan's sudden decision to comprehend the Laws left Ruoshui with only one explanation.

Lu Yuan gave a slight nod. "Yes. Just a couple of days ago."

Silence fell.

Then Ruoshui let out a rueful laugh. "It's beyond belief. It took me over a million years from breaking through to War God to completing my tempering. You did it in less than a year." She shook her head. "That's demoralizing."

Lu Yuan offered an awkward chuckle, unsure what to say.

Comparing timelines really did make things uncomfortable.

But Ruoshui was a War God-level powerhouse. She composed herself quickly.

"If you've decided to comprehend the Laws, then go," she said. "With your talent and the Heart of Laws to aid you—honestly, if even you can't break through to Laws Rank, I can't imagine who could."

Lu Yuan nodded earnestly. "I'll do my best. Also, while I'm away, I'll need you all to coordinate Garton and the other Mechanical Race warriors."

He had, of course, brought the Blood of Machinery members back with him. They were under the Mechanical God's control, but they hadn't lost their free will—they still possessed their original intelligence. Lu Yuan only needed to issue standing orders; they wouldn't go rogue during his seclusion.

With four War Gods among them, the pressure on the entire universe would ease at least somewhat.

Ruoshui nodded. "I will."

After chatting a while longer and asking her to look after Li Qinghe and the others, as well as to help coordinate between the four races, Lu Yuan said his goodbyes. He returned to Sky-Mending City, made his way to the Training Hall, and found a cultivation chamber to begin his comprehension.

Lu Yuan sat cross-legged inside the chamber, the Heart of Laws materializing once again in his palm.

This time, there was no hesitation in his eyes.

With a thought, he drew the Heart of Laws into his body.

The moment it entered, the Heart of Laws dissolved into a force both profound and inscrutable.

Lu Yuan quickly guided that power into the first segment of his Gene Chain.

The Divine Grade gene—Cosmic Body.

It was also the very first gene he had ever inscribed, evolved from the most ordinary Petrified Skin into a Divine Grade gene.

As the mysterious power merged with the first Transcendent Gene, an invisible ripple expanded outward. Deep, starlit radiance bloomed from the first gene segment.

In the next instant, Lu Yuan's consciousness blurred, and he plunged into boundless darkness.

His pulse spiked. He looked around in bewilderment.

He found himself suspended in a void—an infinite expanse swallowed by darkness, devoid of even the faintest glimmer of light.

*Where is this...?*

He furrowed his brow, then realized he existed here only as consciousness.

Then, in the depths of that void, a single point of light appeared. The white speck pierced through the endless darkness like a blade, becoming the focal point of the entire empty space.

Lu Yuan's gaze was drawn to it immediately.

The instant he looked toward that center of nothingness, the point of light erupted into blinding brilliance. Soundless radiance expanded in all directions, and Lu Yuan felt a force of terrifying magnitude unleash itself.

The power was profoundly arcane, as if it contained the fundamental truths of all creation. Lu Yuan's mind was pulled into its depths, his awareness briefly suspended.

Then the white light gradually faded. In its wake, Lu Yuan found the void now filled with a haze of gray dust.

*This is... the birth of a universe?*

Understanding dawned. This was the power the Heart of Laws had conjured.

It was projecting the birth of a universe directly into his consciousness.

Elation surged through him. He immediately stilled his wandering thoughts and focused every fiber of his being on perceiving each subtle shift as the universe came into existence.

The dust from the explosion contracted and spiraled. Gravitational attraction between different forms of matter drew them together.

Gradually—nebulae, star systems, planets...

The universe began to take shape.

The stars within it moved according to profound, arcane principles, like infinitely precise mechanisms. From among countless possibilities, they found a path of balance.

Lu Yuan's spirit dissolved completely into this phantom universe. He experienced the birth of stars, their growth, their aging, and their death.

He felt suns igniting their cores. He witnessed matter collapsing into annihilation. He perceived the formation of neutron stars and black holes.

Time slipped past as Lu Yuan remained in that trance-like state.

Meanwhile, in Sky-Mending City, Lu Yuan sat cross-legged in a Gravity Room.

As he comprehended the Laws, stellar phantoms materialized around him, accompanied by starlight.

At first, they appeared only on the surface of his body. But gradually, the stellar phantoms expanded outward.

Not even the highest-grade Gravity Room in Sky-Mending City's Upper Layer could contain the mysterious energy fluctuations.

Before long, phantom stars appeared in the sky above, enveloping all of Sky-Mending City beneath their glow.

Every member of the Human Race within the city lifted their eyes to gaze at the stellar apparitions overhead, faces filled with astonishment and wonder.