The style of the Second Star Cave is completely different from the First Star Cave.
It appears to be the interior of some cosmic battleship, with walls made from silver-white alloy surrounding every direction.
Not far away stands a huge transparent passageway.
"What does this Star Cave test?"
Lin Yuan looked to the side where a massive metal screen was standing, detailing the test content.
"Objective: Pass through the transparent passageway."
"Hint 1: The transparent passageway will be covered by lasers every ten seconds."
"Hint 2: The total length of the transparent passageway is forty thousand meters."
"Is this a test of speed or defense?"
Lin Yuan stared at the metal screen, lost in thought.
According to the test rules, there are two ways to pass.
First, before the laser covers the area, pass through the transparent passageway.
The laser covers every ten seconds, and the passageway stretches for forty thousand meters.
This means that as long as your speed exceeds four thousand meters per second, you can pass smoothly.
Four thousand meters per second is approximately several times the speed of sound, testing one's speed.
Second, if your speed isn't fast, but your body defense can withstand the laser's cover every ten seconds, passing through this Star Cave should be simple.
This tests one's defense.
"Let's see how others pass first."
Lin Yuan wasn't sure if there would be other obstacles in the middle of the passageway, so he decided to wait a bit.
With this thought, he glanced at the other evolvers nearby.
During the First Star Cave test, although Lin Yuan took half an hour to enter, his speed through the hundred-mile black track wasn't slow, with hardly any pauses.
Thus, not many evolvers entered the Second Star Cave before him, about fifty to sixty in his view.
Among them were even three with crimson stripes.
"Crimson stripes?"
Lin Yuan retracted his gaze.
Evolvers in the Seven Star Caves world are divided into three ranks: crimson, gold, and silver.
This division is based on a standard set by the Crimson Leviathan Star Lord.
In the First Star Cave, where the number of evolvers exceeded a million, Lin Yuan only noticed a few with gold stripes, and none with crimson.
Now, in the Second Star Cave, the number of evolvers is significantly less, with even fewer ahead of Lin Yuan as crimson-ranked.
"The universe is vast, and the number of humans is beyond counting. With such a large base, there are bound to be numerous geniuses, freaks, and prodigies."
Lin Yuan mused to himself.
In this arena, Lin Yuan, although not showing all his cards, had displayed most of his strength.
Even so, in the eyes of the Crimson Leviathan Star Lord, he was only ranked gold.
It's no surprise the potential and talent of those ranked crimson must far exceed Lin Yuan's.
But Lin Yuan wasn't belittling himself either—the Gate of Myriad Realms and his heaven-defying comprehension were both talents that only became more extraordinary over time.
He might not match up to the three crimson evolvers now, but give him a few more traversal opportunities, and who would be stronger or weaker would be uncertain.
The three crimson evolvers included a silver-haired woman, a man with a blood-red line on his forehead, and a robust man nearly three meters tall carrying a giant axe.
Each stood in a corner, with no evolver daring to approach them.
In a certain mysterious space in the Seven Star Caves world, twelve figures leisurely observed the star cave area below.
Since no one had reached the Third Star Cave yet, everyone's attention was focused on the Second Star Cave.
"Another gold-ranked challenger has arrived."
"This gold-ranked challenger should be named Lin Yuan, right? He's grasped some understanding of yin and yang rules?"
The gazes of the figures below converged on Lin Yuan.
As disciples of the great Star Lord, the twelve weren't too concerned with ordinary silver-ranked challengers.
Silver-ranked challengers have a slim chance of passing through the seven Star Caves, and being marked silver means their potential and aptitude are clearly weaker.
Of course, in the vast universe, there are those who start mediocre, only to later soar to greatness, but such occurrences are rare.
Most fall short step by step.
If you're lagging behind at the start, how can you dream of surpassing later?
Gold-ranked challengers caught their attention more, as every one of them was a chosen talent among talents.
In the Dawn Star System's dozen life-bearing planets, only about one hundred gold-ranked challengers emerged, roughly one in a thousand.
"Cardu, your insights into the rule of light are somewhat similar to Lin Yuan's. Do you want to take him in early?"
A low voice asked.
Cardu, the Star Lord's tenth disciple, had just entered the sixth tier and didn't dare meddle when the figures before him picked their choices.
The selection of a disciple was important; you can't just ignore them once they're under your wing.
You need to personally guide them, even planning a cultivation path according to their evolution path.
Hence, Cardu was very careful, preferring not to participate in the selection rather than randomly choosing someone.
"I'll wait until the Fourth Star Cave and Seventh Star Cave to decide," Cardu said after watching a while.
In the Seven Star Caves test, the Fourth and Seventh Star Caves are the most special, being both difficult and easy, depending on how one perceives.
These two caves test one's comprehension.
Cardu wanted to observe Lin Yuan's insights before making a decision.
Back in the Second Star Cave, Lin Yuan shared the same thoughts as the other gold-ranked challengers.
Even the three crimson evolvers didn't immediately choose to challenge the transparent passageway.
Instead, they patiently observed other evolvers attempt it first.
As time passed, more evolvers passed through the First Star Cave and entered the Second Star Cave.
Among them were Trista, Lin Yuan's fellow competitor, and a green-haired gold-ranked woman.
"If you're not going, I will."
A slender man stepped forward into the transparent passageway.
If he dared be the first, he surely had confidence.
His eyes hinted of a crimson gaze, charging forward like a meteor.
Boom Boom Boom!
The fearsome sound of air being torn apart echoed everywhere.
"At least fourteen times the speed of sound," Lin Yuan observed.
Meanwhile, he also monitored any changes within the transparent passageway.
If Lin Yuan were to explode with his speed, he'd be faster than the slender man, but he hadn't moved, unsure of any potential hidden variables in the passage.
Most evolvers shared his thinking.
Just then, Lin Yuan carefully observed.
[Your heaven-defying comprehension, observing a creature's full burst, comprehends "Blood Ignite Technique."]
"Hmm?" A flood of insights about the "Blood Ignite Technique" filled Lin Yuan's mind.
This secret art boosts one's speed greatly by burning one's own blood essence.
The slender man likely employed this secret art to increase his chances of passing.
"Interesting."
Lin Yuan nodded.
In the Dragon-Tiger World, Lin Yuan had derived a similar demonic technique akin to "Blood Ignite."
Yet, this one was far superior in terms of blood essence usage efficiency and fewer side effects.
With numerous evolvers attempting every conceivable way, this troubled Lin Yuan greatly.
With his heaven-defying comprehension, a flood of insights rushed into his mind as he absorbed countless rare secret arts and evolutionary techniques.
At that moment, a silver-haired woman stepped into the transparent passageway.
Her presence startled many evolvers, causing those intending to enter the passage to hold back, for she was one of the few crimson-ranked evolvers.
The evolvers hesitated to cross her path, knowing that even if she failed the Seven Star Cave tests, she'd still become part of the Crimson lineage afterward.
Essentially, she was already guaranteed a spot.
"It's her," Lin Yuan looked at the silver-haired woman with an expectant face.
Unlike others who were intimidated, Lin Yuan was genuinely looking forward to gaining insights from her actions.
Whoosh!
The silver-haired woman took a step, disappearing and then reappearing hundreds of meters away.
In the next instant, she vanished again, covering another hundred meters, crossing the forty thousand meters in just five seconds.
Evolvers were dumbstruck before bursting into a ruckus.
The scene was beyond curious, achieving such speed without any sonic booms seemed against nature's laws.
"It's space," Lin Yuan closed his eyes.
[Your heaven-defying comprehension deepens with an understanding of space.]
Compared to the chaotic spatial force in the Divine Weapon World, which Lin Yuan once observed, the silver-haired woman's spatial techniques were orderly, making it easier for Lin Yuan to derive insights.
"Space," Lin Yuan disconnected from the virtual world, returning to reality.
It was permissible to exit the Seven Star Caves test midway, keeping in mind that time flowed the same in the real world and the Seven Star Caves world.
Absent for a month in reality meant a month passing in the Seven Star Caves.
Exceed the delay without progressing to the next star cave, and you were eliminated.
"Space," Lin Yuan's eyes flickered with silver light.
Soon, a giant taiji phantom, containing silver, emerged.
The way of taiji, rooted in yin-yang, encapsulated all things.
In the Divine Weapon World, Lin Yuan comprehended numerous divine weapons' rules, which seamlessly aligned with the taiji way due to its all-encompassing nature.
By witnessing the silver-haired woman's spatial maneuver, Lin Yuan's understanding of space advanced further, triggering an evolution in his taiji way.
"Fourth-tier, tenth stage."
Moments later, Lin Yuan stood up, his aura leaping a notch.
Jumping from fourth-tier, ninth stage to tenth wasn't a major realm leap but was a significant bottleneck.
Although Lin Yuan initially estimated taking several years for this breakthrough, he unexpectedly advanced much sooner.
It's worth noting that Lin Yuan's breakthroughs differed from other evolvers.
Others tread established evolutionary paths reaching subsequent stages, whereas Lin Yuan forged every step from nothing, carving his unique path.
"It seems understanding space rules greatly aids the further perfection of the taiji way."
Lin Yuan pondered.
As one advances to the higher stages, they can slightly perceive the grand rules of heaven and earth.
But grasping them is another matter.
With his heaven-defying comprehension, Lin Yuan struggled for long periods, progressing slowly.
Without witnessing the silver-haired woman, he might've been stuck at the ninth stage for longer.
"The best method to sense a rule is by understanding the evolutionary path concerning that rule," Lin Yuan concluded internally.
Evolution paths correlate with unraveling profound rules in understandable ways.
However, spatial evolution paths are exceptionally rare and exorbitantly priced, beyond Lin Yuan's reach.
He aspired to pass the Seven Star Caves test to join the Crimson lineage, hoping for more opportunities to access diverse evolutionary paths.
As the Crimson lineage, the top force of the Crimson Leviathan Star Domain, had its unique training system, joining them promised significant growth for Lin Yuan.
Indeed, with his heaven-defying comprehension, Lin Yuan could rise exceptional heights without joining any force.
But how long would that take? The stronger he grew, the more resources Lin Yuan required.
Without a major force's backing, would he have to earn everything himself?
Whoosh.
Moments later, Lin Yuan reconnected to the virtual world, his figure reappearing in the Second Star Cave.
The time lapse from the ninth to the tenth stage wasn't long.
On his return, other evolvers delved into discussions about the silver-haired woman's feat.
Witnessing this, Lin Yuan glanced at the other two crimson evolvers, the man with the blood-red line on his forehead and the towering brute.
If the silver-haired woman deepened his spatial understanding, the other crimson evolvers likely held benefits too.