The three evolution paths each had their strengths and focused on different aspects.
The Golem Evolution Path was developed by studying the body of a starry sky alien race known as the "Golems."
When mastered to the extreme, one could transform into a "Golem," though it would be a weakened version.
The Golem race, despite being few in numbers, was an immensely powerful race capable of traversing the starry sky with ease.
Even a simplified version transformed through the Golem Evolution Path could rival fourth- or fifth-stage evolvers.
"To transform into a Golem... forget it," Lin Yuan pondered carefully and shook his head.
There's no denying that the Golem Evolution Path had unique qualities in physical transformation, which is why it was one of the three final options Lin Yuan considered.
However, the final stage of this path required altering one's physical form, a step Lin Yuan wasn't ready to take.
It wasn't that Lin Yuan found the Golems unattractive; it's just that this path required a commitment with no turning back.
Even with his extraordinary comprehension, finding a way to revert would be troublesome.
With that thought, Lin Yuan turned his attention to the Primordial Force Evolution Path.
This path, a fifth-stage evolution method, centered on understanding the omnipresent primordial force in the starry sky.
Primordial Force was a unique energy, unlike extreme energies like the moon essence or sun essence.
It could encompass all, similar to the Taiji Path formed by the fusion of moon and sun essences.
As for the final path, the All-Aspect Evolution Path focused on mental and soul evolution.
It excelled in soul attacks and was considered an upgraded version of the Mental Master Evolution Path.
"The Primordial Force Evolution Path it is."
Lin Yuan made his decision, as it shared similarities with the Taiji Path within the Martial Evolution Path and would be more beneficial for him.
With a deduction of forty million civilization coins, Lin Yuan instantly received the complete Primordial Force Evolution Path.
Unlike purchasing physical goods, virtual things like evolution paths were delivered instantly.
"Wow, that was really expensive," Lin Yuan mused, not feeling a bit distressed since it was a loan from the Central Bank, not his own money.
"Activate."
Lin Yuan's thought sparked action.
The symbol for the Primordial Force Evolution Path blurred, revealing the first thing: a warning in red letters.
[This evolution path must not be disclosed, or you will face trial in the Supreme Court.]
Within the Universal Human Alliance, every evolution path is legally protected, prohibiting unauthorized sharing.
For ordinary citizens to obtain an evolution path, two options exist.
One way is like Lin Yuan's approach: purchasing it with civilization coins.
However, typical citizens usually buy evolution paths bit by bit.
For instance, those seeking the Primordial Force Evolution Path, a fifth-stage path, would start with the first-stage part.
After mastering that stage, they'd move on to purchase the second stage, reducing the financial burden significantly.
The complete Primordial Force Evolution Path cost forty million, but purchasing just the first stage might only require several hundred thousand.
The second option, if truly strapped for cash, is to sign a contract with a power.
This power provides the opportunity to become an evolver.
If you succeed, you must serve the power for fifty or a hundred years.
If not, you'll likely spend most of your life working for them.
These powers could be official or unofficial.
Lin Yuan had contemplated this contract route during his mandatory draft consideration, hoping to become an evolver first.
However, unofficial powers rarely dared to snatch recruits eyed by the military.
"I wonder how much the Martial Evolution Path is selling for," Lin Yuan suddenly thought.
After uploading the Martial Evolution Path, Lin Yuan set the first-stage part's price at ten thousand civilization coins.
Initially, the path was just a prospective second-stage evolution path.
Even with potential projections to third stage, it wasn't comparable to the Primordial Force Evolution Path, making ten thousand a reasonable price.
Because the second stage involved Taiji, Lin Yuan priced it significantly higher at fifty thousand.
Recently, Lin Yuan learned that over a thousand citizens were practicing the Martial Evolution Path.
If these individuals only purchased the first stage, it brought in over ten million.
Subtract the government's seventy percent share, and it left roughly over three million.
After deducting related taxes and fees, Lin Yuan received about two million.
It's likely that a few affluent individuals bought the complete path right away.
"I'll know in a few months," Lin Yuan thought.
In the virtual world, revenue from evolution paths is settled annually.
Collecting his thoughts, Lin Yuan began to truly delve into the Primordial Force Evolution Path.
The origins of this evolution path were detailed before the main content, noting that it came from the Universal Human Alliance's Moon Spirit Star—a high-level life-bearing planet within the Crimson Leviathan Star Domain.
Azure Wave Star, also part of the Crimson Leviathan Star Domain, was a medium-level life-bearing planet.
Crimson Leviathan Star Domain housed eight star systems, each with trillions of stars and over 120,000 life-bearing planets.
"Universal Primordial Force is a very unique energy: gentle and vast," Lin Yuan read carefully.
As he did, a remarkable comprehension struck him.
[Your heaven-defying comprehension has allowed you to gain insight into the essence of Primordial Force while reviewing the evolution path]
Suddenly, it was as if Lin Yuan stood in the cosmic starry sky.
Here, countless energies coexisted: the power of the sun, the essence of the moon, and the Primordial Force.
Lin Yuan sensed Primordial Force's affinity with him and attempted to harness this gentle power.
Unknown time passed, and Lin Yuan abruptly opened his eyes.
"What just happened?" He looked down at his hands, noticing a layer of grime on his skin.
"Have I completed the Primordial Force Body Refinement?" Lin Yuan quickly realized.
Primordial Force Body Refinement was a hallmark of mastery in the Primordial Force Evolution Path, achieved by drawing universal Primordial Force for body refinement.
"How long has it been?" Lin Yuan glanced at the time.
"Eight hours," he was stunned.
Being so immersed in training was unexpected.
If other evolvers, aware of his mere eight-hour journey to mastering Primordial Force and completing the body refinement, learned of this, they'd wish to die from envy.
Sensing the existence of Primordial Force was the hardest step in the path.
Ordinary evolvers typically spent years familiarizing themselves with it.
Accelerating to complete Primordial Force mastery and refinement in less than decades was unthinkable unless one had a unique constitution, innately attuned to Primordial Force.
Yet Lin Yuan achieved it in just eight hours—a real marvel.
"The Primordial Force Body Refinement didn't trigger rejection from the sun and moon energies within me, indicating this path suits my comprehension well," Lin Yuan nodded, believing his choice wasn't wrong.
The cosmic starry sky brimmed with chaotic energy, and without the guidance of the Primordial Force Evolution Path, even with Lin Yuan's extraordinary comprehension, pinpointing suitable energy amidst the chaos would be a daunting task.
Universal Primordial Force was the ideal energy for Lin Yuan.
"With Taiji as the foundation and universal Primordial Force as the structure," Lin Yuan pondered deeply, nearing the third stage.
In the Dragon-Tiger World, Lin Yuan reached the second stage's peak with Taiji, nearly stepping into the third, but hadn't yet crossed that threshold.
Now, with continual insight into Primordial Force's essence, he was getting closer to the third stage.
Eight more hours passed.
While Lin Yuan remained immersed in understanding Primordial Force, a female robot entered the underground training arena, pushing a dining cart, and stopped before him.
"Master, it's time to eat," it spoke.
In the interstellar era, most households had a butler robot.
Lin Yuan owned this one, responsible for chores, cooking, security, and more.
Living with his parents, his mother, Lu Qiong, disliked robot-cooked food for lacking soul and usually cooked herself.
Lin Yuan didn't share this sentiment.
With his body's current strength and digestive capacity, consuming raw food posed no issue.
The dining table opened, the butler robot setting out seven or eight dishes.
They were mostly meats, rich in energy and cultivated from starry sky colossal beasts' genes.
Ordinary citizens could handle only two or three bites before becoming overwhelmed, but Lin Yuan's powerful body could digest them in just a couple of hours.
Ten minutes later, Lin Yuan finished all the food.
Despite having the option to sustain himself with nutrient fluids, his long-developed eating habits made him prefer visible foods.
Just as Lin Yuan was preparing to return to his training, a "video call" notification appeared.
"Who's calling me?" Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow, checking the caller display.
It was President Liao.
(End of Chapter)