"Spirit Suppression Bell!"
Lin Yuan picked up the small black bell, inspecting it closely.
Among the fifty prizes in this tournament, the one of highest value was the Spirit Suppression Bell.
A weapon for soul defense was extremely rare, and the bell reached the fourth tier, almost a nemesis against fourth-tier soul illusion evolvers.
Lin Yuan caressed the small black bell.
With a thought, his soul power fused into it, beginning the process of refinement.
In just a moment, the Spirit Suppression Bell disappeared and reappeared in his consciousness sea.
"Not bad, not bad," Lin Yuan nodded slightly.
In many evolution paths, soul illusion types are known for their unpredictability, making their attacks difficult to defend against.
Soul attacks ignore physical defenses, targeting the soul directly.
Without a soul defense weapon or protective techniques, resisting such attacks was the only option.
With the Spirit Suppression Bell, Lin Yuan felt much safer.
Although the martial evolution path had soul defense methods, having an extra layer of protection was definitely beneficial.
Furthermore, Lin Yuan chose the Spirit Suppression Bell to pair with the Life Fruit.
Should his body ever be destroyed, leaving only his soul protected by the bell, the Life Fruit's vast life energy could quickly restore his body, essentially granting him another life.
Thinking of this, Lin Yuan turned his gaze to another item.
It was a wooden box, containing none other than the Life Fruit.
He gently opened the box, and in an instant, a terrifying vitality spread outward.
A rich, intoxicating fragrance filled the air, all originating from the box's contents—a green fruit the size of a baby's fist.
"I just want to eat it in one bite," Lin Yuan swallowed.
Instinct told him consuming the Life Fruit would greatly benefit him.
The description of the Life Fruit indicated that after consumption, every cell of the body would be enveloped in boundless life energy for a period.
During this time, any injury would heal at an incredible speed.
However, this effect was temporary; once the Life Fruit's effect faded, everything would return to normal.
Snap! Lin Yuan closed the wooden box.
Leaving the Life Fruit exposed would cause its life force to dissipate.
"Hm?" Lin Yuan glanced around.
While the box was open, a rich fragrance lingered in the air—a manifestation of its life force.
"I'll absorb it," Lin Yuan inhaled deeply.
With his body constitution, the surrounding air, including the fruit's fragrance, was drawn into his chest.
The absorbed fragrance filled him with a serene vitality, making him feel as if he were floating.
Having savored the moment, Lin Yuan stored the box.
Next, he picked up the third item, the Soul Nourishment Jade.
This translucent jade pendant, upon touching the skin, infused a gentle energy that slowly nurtured the soul.
While slow, its effect was constant, as long as Lin Yuan carried it.
Even upon reaching the fifth tier, the effect would just weaken but not vanish.
"What a treasure."
Lin Yuan kept the Soul Nourishment Jade close to him.
"Nine Li Elixir."
Lin Yuan looked at the last item.
The Nine Li originates from a barbaric planet once conquered by the Universal Human Alliance.
There, the locals created the 'Nine Li Sacred Water' through certain rituals, known to enhance the body.
Improved by human scholars, the 'Nine Li Elixir' was born, more effective and with no side effects.
Lin Yuan examined the Nine Li Elixir—a test tube filled with a beautiful, silver-hued liquid.
"A worth of fifty billion, and still limited in supply? Not available to citizens below third-class status?" Lin Yuan scrutinized.
The most expensive item he'd purchased before was the 'Vermilion Fruit' at seven billion per unit; one portion of Nine Li Elixir could buy seven Vermillion Fruits.
"The correct usage is not direct consumption or refinement, but dilution and soaking," Lin Yuan moved to the bathing area, filled it two-thirds with water, and soaked himself in it.
"It's said the Nine Li Elixir is painful. On that barbaric planet, not everyone could withstand the 'Nine Li Sacred Water.'" Lin Yuan poured the silver liquid into the bath.
Almost immediately, he felt his skin heating up.
"It's taking effect?" Lin Yuan dumped the rest of the elixir in, then closed his eyes to experience the changes.
The heat spread from skin to flesh, then organs, and finally bones, intensifying with each layer.
His expression remained calm—this amount of pain meant little to him.
Others saw a twenty-year-old genius evolver, but Lin Yuan had lived over two hundred years through three lifetimes, though still younger than the average fourth-tier evolver.
Bearing the Nine Li Water's pain was trivial.
As he absorbed the Nine Li Elixir, black impurities emerged from his skin.
Lin Yuan had previously refined his body using the ‘Loulan He’ transformation method, but now the Nine Li Elixir cleansed him even further.
Half a day later,
Lin Yuan opened his eyes.
"My body feels," he mused, "at least thirty to fifty percent stronger than before using the Nine Li Elixir."
The body is the foundation—stronger body, stronger soul.
"Alas, Nine Li Water is only effective the first time," Lin Yuan sighed, though not only for Nine Li Water; most treasures that significantly enhance body or soul are generally most effective only once.
In the virtual world, in the Arena Sector, an area specifically for evolvers to spar with each other:
"I can't go on," Fang Qing's voice trembled as he was thrown backward, spitting blood.
If this were reality, the damage would have left him severely injured for months.
"Brother Lin, your strength is overwhelming. Even holding back to third-tier, I can't keep up. Can't do it," Fang Qing lamented as his injuries healed.
"No worries, let's go again," Lin Yuan smiled.
He sparred with Fang Qing because Fang Qing eagerly approached him after moving to the Central Continent estate.
Living near each other, their sparring in the virtual world became regular.
Lin Yuan welcomed the opportunity.
Fang Qing's 'Ancient God' evolution path surpassed the sixth tier.
During previous competition, Lin Yuan only had brief insights due to time limitations.
Fang Qing's willingness to continue sparring was an opportunity Lin Yuan welcomed with open arms.
Each match with Fang Qing brought Lin Yuan new insights.
However, Fang Qing, unaware of Lin Yuan's deep comprehension abilities, thought Lin Yuan was merely a supportive evolver helping him practice.
"Alright," Fang Qing seemed re-energized, charging towards Lin Yuan again, with an 'Ancient God' phantom beginning to form and mimic his actions.
"Ancient God," Lin Yuan's gaze on Fang Qing's phantom turned serious.
Multiple duels had revealed to him that an 'Ancient God' was a powerful life form, embedding its life essence within world rules, allowing anyone following their cultivation method to summon worldly power.
Achieving such resonance with ancient gods was no small feat—a nearly impossible standard for most beings.
As Fang Qing's 'Ancient God' phantom raised its fist to strike, Lin Yuan's hand pressed it, reducing it to dust effortlessly.
"Eh?" Fang Qing spat more blood, falling back again.
"I give up, I give up," Fang Qing lamented, almost in tears.
His intelligent instructor said only through constant duels could he hope to overcome.
Such hope led him to spar with Lin Yuan, thinking practice would bring improvement; yet, reality was harsh—he stood no chance, even with Lin Yuan limiting his strength to the third tier.
They were in entirely different leagues altogether.
"Rest up, then try again tomorrow," Lin Yuan said, gaining comprehension through interacting with the 'Ancient God' phantom.
He realized that to surpass the sixth tier, understanding world rules was key, which he needed to work on before reaching such heights.
Elsewhere, Fang Qing returned to his personal space, heavy-hearted.
"Teacher, do you think I can ever defeat Brother Lin? Even in the distant future?"
A small, old man with a white beard appeared, seated on Fang Qing's shoulder, his face filled with surprise.
"Genius, I never thought I’d misjudge someone," muttered the miniature old man incredulously.
"Huh?" Fang Qing blushed slightly.
"Not you, fool," the old man scolded, glancing disdainfully, "Lin Yuan has already begun to grasp the Origin Rules."
The old man's tone was full of awe.
"Without a path beyond the sixth tier to guide him, yet he touches the Origin Rules. A genius like this is rare, even across a Star Domain."
"Huh?" Fang Qing was left bewildered.
"Don’t think of defeating Lin Yuan, it's unrealistic, unless some miracle occurs," advised the old man.
"Following the usual path, you stand no chance," filled with disappointment as he considered Lin Yuan and sighed inwardly.
"Okay..."
Fang Qing echoed, intimidated by the thought of exchanging Lin Yuan with himself as the old man’s protege.
In the depths of the starry sky, a colossal entity moved through space, its form massive, many times larger than Azure Wave Star.
"Where am I now? I just took a nap," murmured the gigantic creature, its eyes opening to reveal a size rivaling half a planet.
In an instant, it shrank into the form of a tall elder draped in crimson, standing in space, emanating energy similar to a star's radiance.
"Crimson Leviathan Star Lord, it's time to return," a dignified, cool voice echoed.
"Ah, Goddess of Wisdom," the crimson-robed elder, none other than the Crimson Leviathan Star Lord, stretched leisurely.
"By the way, the tournament should be over," connecting to the virtual world, "Last time was the Noran System, this time I'll check the Dawn System—let's see what talents emerged."
The Crimson Leviathan Star Lord mused, diving through the matches, billions flashing by in moments when suddenly, a scene caught his attention.
"Huh!" his eyebrows narrowed as he concentrated on the screen.
(End of Chapter)