In a dazed state.
Lin Yuan opened his eyes once more.
Bed, bookshelf, photos.
Looking around, Lin Yuan finally let out a gentle sigh.
"Am I back?"
Gazing at everything familiar around him, Lin Yuan felt as though a lifetime had passed.
A moment ago, he was still in the martial world he'd spent twenty years in.
Now, he had returned to the vast cosmic network of the Universal Human Alliance.
"Right... let's see how much time has passed."
After a brief reflection, Lin Yuan immediately glanced at the time.
Judging by his current surroundings, Lin Yuan guessed not much time had actually passed.
Otherwise, in his state of conscious detachment to another world, his parents would have already taken him to the hospital for treatment.
But how many minutes or hours had passed exactly needed a closer look.
"Only ten minutes?"
Upon confirming the current time, Lin Yuan was slightly disoriented.
The twenty years spent in the martial world equated to just ten minutes in the main world.
"Is it because of the different flow rates of time between the two worlds?"
Before he had traversed, the Gate of Myriad Realms had informed Lin Yuan that the world he would travel to had a different time flow rate compared to the current world.
However, Lin Yuan hadn't expected the difference to be so vast—ten minutes in comparison to twenty years.
Since ancient times, there had been the saying, "A day in the celestial realm is a year in the mortal world."
The time flows in higher worlds are much slower than those in lower worlds.
Compared to the main world, the martial world was obviously a lower realm.
The difference in their flow of time was even greater than that between the celestial and mortal realms.
This could be seen just from comparing their time flow rates.
After pondering for a moment, Lin Yuan focused his mind into the depths of his consciousness.
There, a grand and majestic "gate" hovered.
Upon close observation, the Gate of Myriad Realms was noticeably dimmer than before.
The edges were slowly lighting up.
Once the entire gate was fully illuminated, Lin Yuan would be able to traverse again.
As Lin Yuan's mind focused on the Gate of Myriad Realms, streaks of information began to flow steadily into him.
"What?"
Lin Yuan rubbed his temples.
After experiencing his first traversal, more features of the Gate of Myriad Realms surged into Lin Yuan's mind.
First was the manner of traversal.
Besides the consciousness descent type of traversal, the Gate of Myriad Realms could also enable bodily traversal.
However, this form of traversal consumed much more energy from the gate, requiring at least several years to accumulate.
Lin Yuan's normal consciousness descent traversal could be attempted once every eight months to a year.
"Bodily traversal..."
Lin Yuan slightly shook his head, not too favorable toward this traversal method.
Although bodily traversal had its conveniences—like not having to start cultivating from scratch—it also had a significant downside: if you died, you would truly die.
With the consciousness descent traversal, even if the body perished, the consciousness would simply return to the original body, leaving room for a new start.
However, Lin Yuan didn't completely dismiss bodily traversal.
At the very least, it could be used as a survival strategy.
For instance, if Lin Yuan encountered a life-threatening situation in the main world, he could use bodily traversal to escape to another world and return after the crisis subsided.
Or, he could use the different time flows between worlds to make breakthroughs in the other world and then return to the main world to turn the tables.
Besides adding the bodily traversal option, the Gate of Myriad Realms also communicated that it was possible to bring items from other worlds by paying a certain price.
This didn't surprise Lin Yuan.
If a person could pass through, it made no sense for other things to be unable to.
"Innate Inner Qi."
After absorbing the information transmitted by the Gate of Myriad Realms, Lin Yuan willed a wisp of Innate Inner Qi to naturally gather within his Qi Sea.
In the martial world, just by comprehending superior martial arts like the Great Arhat Buddha Fist, Lin Yuan was able to gather Inner Qi even in a child's body.
Now, having surpassed the mythic level, Lin Yuan named this stage the Unfettered Realm.
Entering this realm, the world is vast and boundless, and he is at total freedom.
That is the Unfettered Realm.
If it weren't for the immense amount of external energy needed to advance to Grandmaster, Supreme Grandmaster, or even the Mythical Realm, one couldn't do so in a single leap.
Lin Yuan reckoned he could evolve with a single thought.
With the realm reached, all advancements would come as naturally as water flowing downstream.
"Am I considered an evolver now?"
Lin Yuan controlled the Innate Inner Qi circulating throughout his body, silently contemplating.
The Universal Human Alliance had a clear definition for evolvers—those who mastered powers ordinary people could not.
This power was broadly defined, including the 'Mental Power' of a Mental Master and the 'Psionic Power' of a Psionic Warlock, among others.
Lin Yuan's gathered Innate Inner Qi, although not of high strength, was definitely not something an average person could control.
Knock, knock.
The room's door suddenly sounded.
"Brother, brother, it's me, it's me."
A childish voice called out.
Lin Yuan looked up and recognized the voice of his six-year-old sister.
After the forced conscription notice was issued, his parents were well-settled, and his young sister was no exception.
Even though she hadn't started elementary school yet, she already had a place for higher education.
Such immense fortune attracted much envy from others.
Rising up, Lin Yuan opened the door and saw his young sister.
"Brother, have some cake," she said, holding out a cake with a pitiful look.
It was evident that giving the cake to Lin Yuan was not her own idea.
Lin Yuan glanced at the living room and saw his parents, though occupied with their tasks, were secretly watching.
The forced conscription was akin to sacrificing Lin Yuan for the family's prosperity, leaving his parents feeling uneasy.
After all, Lin Yuan was their son, deeply bonded with them over the years.
Yet, they had no control over this—it was the decision of the Human Alliance's government.
Why else would the term 'forced' precede forced conscription?
His parents wanted to comfort Lin Yuan but feared upsetting him.
So they could only have his sister bring her beloved little cake to him.
"Not bad," Lin Yuan said, taking the cake from his sister's hands and finishing it in one bite under her watchful gaze.
He had to admit, after gathering his Innate Inner Qi, he was truly hungry, and although the cake was insignificant, it tasted exceptionally sweet.
"Brother, was it tasty?"
His sister looked at Lin Yuan with her big eyes, tears beginning to form.
"It was particularly tasty."
Lin Yuan nodded in affirmation.
"Ah!"
His sister burst into tears and ran back to the living room.
"How could brother eat all the delicious cake?"
Closing the door, Lin Yuan fell into thought.
Now that he was an evolver, he could be exempted from conscription.
He should inform his parents of this fact.
However, it would be prudent to obtain the evolver certificate first.
This would officially register him, providing an official record, and allow him to apply for conscription exemption.
Lin Yuan planned to visit the Evolvers Association the next day to get his evolver certificate and then announce it to his parents.
Otherwise, even if he explained now, his parents might not believe him—how could their son suddenly become an evolver?
After all, there was still nearly half a month until conscription day.
According to the Universal Human Alliance's constitution, as long as he hadn't boarded the military spacecraft, he could secure a conscription exemption as an evolver.