Qing Chen commented, “A Root of Intelligence is an amazing thing. As far as most people are concerned, these roots are even more valuable than the Cloudguard Robes you had before. That youth is not the only person in this Perennial World to have a Root of Intelligence, and it’s possible that the four ruling powers have some as well.”
Lu Yin was feeling quite curious. “The Roots of Intelligence came from Progenitor Hui, and did the Progenitor leave much behind? If so, then why aren’t any of Progenitor Hui’s descendants around?”
Qing Chen took out a blank sheet of paper and had Lu Yin sit on it. They started moving towards the east. “Just like Progenitor Chen, Progenitor Hui also went to the Forsaken Land.”
“The Forsaken Land? What is it? I’ve heard it being mentioned many times, especially regarding the various trespassers who sneak into the Dominion Realm. It was said that they all came from the Forsaken Land, and I also heard that there’s something missing from the cultivation methods that they practice there,” Lu Yin asked.
Qing Chen replied, “It’s true that the Forsaken Land’s resources have been exhausted, and Progenitors can not rise from that place.”
“In that case, why did Progenitor Hui go to the Forsaken Land?” Lu Yin asked.
Qing Chen shook his head. “I don’t know. No one even knows if Progenitor Hui is alive or dead.”
At this point, the old man clearly wanted to switch topics. “When we arrive at the Bifrost, try to remember as much as possible about what you saw with the Root of Intelligence. Then, we’ll try to find that anteater creature that you saw.”
“Understood, supervisor.” Lu Yin asked no further questions, as being too curious could be a bad thing.
Qing Chen made the paper fly extremely quickly, and Lu Yin was not even able to observe their surroundings as they flew. Lu Yin suspected that they were moving even faster than his travel speed in the true universe.
Soon, a rainbow appeared up ahead of them. They had already reached the Bifrost.
The Bifrost constantly emitted a soft and beautiful light, but it was not bright enough to be a light source. After all, the only places in the entire Higher Realm that were allowed to be sources of light were the regions that the four ruling powers directly controlled.
Even though the Bifrost only illuminated a tiny corner of the Higher Realm, it was still enough to support a city. The city was quite populous, and given the Bifrost’s light, there were even some people from the four ruling powers who resided there. Just like the Cloud Shuttle, anyone who reached the Higher Realm via the Bifrost also had to submit to an inspection.
Qing Chen had no interest in entering the city, so he landed close to the Bifrost and directly asked Lu Yin to use the Root of Intelligence.
Lu Yin had already used a Root of Intelligence several times before, but this was the first time that he had ever used one while being observed by someone else, and the attention caused him to be quite uncomfortable.
The Root of Intelligence was usually enough for him to make three mouthfuls of tea.
This tea was enough for even Qing Chen to feel a touch of envy.
With the first sip, Lu Yin’s mind became clear and focused, and even his eyesight drastically improved. He immediately tried to recall the memories from when he had Possessed the person in the Lower Realm.
During that particular Possession, Lu Yin had been overwhelmed by fear, and all that he had noticed were the countless terror ants being devoured along with him. He had not paid any attention to the surrounding area, but since he had seen it once, the memory was still in his mind. As long as he could clearly recall the details of those moments, he would be able to uncover some hints towards tracking down the anteater.
Truthfully, Lu Yin was not entirely confident in this attempt, but he was certain that the anteater existed, so he had to at least try.
Also, Qing Chen would not blame Lu Yin even if he failed.
Lu Yin closed his eyes, and his mind drifted back in time to when he had Possessed the man in the Lower Realm. A massive mouth had been devouring everything, and there had been countless terror ants all around him being captured by tentacles and pulled into its mouth. There had also been a powerful stench.
Lu Yin froze the scene in his mind, and tried to remember everything in as much vivid detail as possible. He quickly raised his hand and drew a picture in the air. He drew plants, the landscape, and also what he had seen of the anteater’s body.
Qing Chen stared at what Lu Yin had drawn, especially a specific plant. That plant and all of the nearby terror ants were captured by tentacles and were in the process of being dragged into the creature’s mouth. Lu Yin would not have noticed that plant when he had first seen it, but with the assistance of the Root of Intelligence, he was able to remember these details with complete accuracy. Even though he had no idea what the plant was, and although it might just be a commonplace species of grass, he still faithfully recreated everything that he saw in his memory.
Lu Yin opened his eyes and saw that he had drawn a large and intricate image in the air before him.
Qing Chen quietly said, “The sixth region.”
Lu Yin was shocked. “How can you be so certain?”
Qing Chen stared at a particular piece of vegetation in the picture. “That’s a Qingcang leaf, and it belongs to a plant that only grows in the sixth region. Long ago, a creature with the strength of a Semi-Progenitor appeared in the sixth region, and it was known as the Qingcang. After it was killed, its blood watered the land, resulting in the birth of the Qingcang leaf.”
After this explanation, Qing Chen grew curious. “You accompanied Long Xi to the Lower Realm to visit the Ancestor Python, so why did you two enter the sixth region?”
Lu Yin replied, “When we were attacked and pursued by Realmless’s assassins, we fled and didn’t even know where we ended up.”
Qing Chen stared at Lu Yin for a long while. The sixth region was a vast distance away from the third region. Even if the two youths had been chased and hunted for some time, it would not have been easy for them to reach the sixth region. The Lower Realm was a dangerous place, and it was filled with perilous regions with many powerful creatures. Humans were nothing more than ants in that place.
Qing Chen did not press the matter or voice his questions, as he thought that the discrepancy in Lu Yin’s story was connected to Semi-Progenitor Kui Luo. Was it possible that the Semi-Progenitor’s inheritance had been hidden in the Lower Realm? That was not impossible, as no one knew where Semi-Progenitor Kui Luo had perished.
Everyone had their own secrets, so Qing Chen stayed silent, which gave Lu Yin tremendous relief. He actually did not know how he could lie about this matter, so all that he could do was play dumb.
“There are still two sips left of the tea from the Root of Intelligence. Hurry up and drink them,” Qing Chen encouraged as he moved a short ways away.
Lu Yin felt grateful, and he looked at the tea he was holding before taking another sip. He had already considered what he should attempt to comprehend with this Root of Intelligence, and he had decided on his star energy control.
When Lu Yin considered all of the battle techniques he had learned, the Vacuum Palm was currently his most powerful attack. As for the Cosmic Art, he had mastered the technique up to the level that he had received, and he needed to gain the next portion of the technique before he could advance further. Battle force was not something that the Root of Intelligence could help him with as it required ambition and spirit to improve. As for his domain, he did not even know where to begin training towards the void realm. Without any idea of how to proceed, not even the smartest person would be able to make any progress.
The only thing that Lu Yin could improve with the tea from the Root of Intelligence was his star energy control.
During his time on the battlefield behind the Mother Tree, Lu Yin had repaired the sourcebox array with the cone-shaped sourceboxes, and he had also controlled the Red Beam. Both of those events had provided incredible support to the battlefield, and improving his star energy control would not only help Lu Yin with his lockbreaking, but it would also directly increase his combat strength. Mastering sourcebox arrays and lockbreaking was a field of study with no end, and seeing the Ceaseless Impetus sourcebox array had left a huge impact on Lu Yin. That massive sourcebox array was able to protect the entire human race.
Even if Lu Yin was given 10,000 years to study it, it would still be impossible for Lu Yin to understand the Ceaseless Impetus sourcebox array. First, he needed to improve himself, both by expanding his own experience and by improving his star energy control.
The Ceaseless Impetus sourcebox array had essentially reignited Lu Yin’s enthusiasm for lockbreaking. He hoped that he would one day personally design a sourcebox array that benefited the entire human race.
Fortunately, Lu Yin had encountered a corpse king that had reached the Creation realm of star energy control while fighting against the gauntlet of various corpse kings at the Envoy level in the New World. That specific encounter had given Lu Yin a vital clue. Additionally, he had also seen Liquor Hero utilize her incredible star energy control, and Lu Yin intended to use the tea brewed from the Root of Intelligence to understand the two instances he had seen such high level star energy control.
A flower was a world in and of itself. The limit of the microscopic was the macroscopic. No one knew just how vast the universe truly was. It was possible that the infinite universe that everyone knew was nothing more than a grain of sand. The Creation realm of star energy control was based on this concept. Star energy was a world in and of itself, and thus, it was able to create something on the macroscopic level. This was the Creation realm of star energy control.
One day, two days, three days. Soon, seven days had passed.
The tea made from a Root of Intelligence could only affect a person for a brief amount of time, but the epiphany that they gained from the tea could last for much longer, and people often needed to slowly comprehend what they had learned.
Some distance away, Qing Chen noticed Lu Yin raise his hand. Star energy appeared, and it transformed into water droplets. The air trembled, and slow ripples spread out. Suddenly, like the tolling of a bell, Qing Chen was startled to realize that Long Qi was actually deepening his comprehension of star energy control.
The youth had already reached the Worldliness realm of star energy control, and he had also been exposed to the concepts of the microscopic and the macroscopic, but the real test was reaching the Creation realm of star energy control.
If Long Qi succeeded in this attempt, then his abilities and potential as a Lockbreaker would rise even higher in the future.
Lu Yin opened his eyes, sipped the last mouthful of the tea without any hesitation, and then continued his comprehension session.
Soon, ten more days passed, and finally, Lu fully Yin comprehended the Creation realm of star energy control with the assistance of the tea brewed from the Root of Intelligence. He had spent half a month doing so, but Qing Chen had not disturbed Lu Yin at all. Such opportunities were rare.
Qing Chen glanced over, and his eyes flashed; he was able to see that the drops of water at Lu Yin’s fingertips were formed from star energy. As the old man watched, the void warped around the droplets, only for the droplets to transform into a leaf that suddenly disappeared before reappearing again. Was this the Creation realm of star energy control?
Qing Chen stared at Lu Yin. Even though the old man was a Semi-Progenitor, he was still amazed by the youth’s talent. If this child fully matured in the future, he might be able to become a Progenitor. All he lacked was the opening of three of his meridian points.
Lu Yin opened his eyes again and stared at his fingertips in surprise. He had actually achieved the Creation realm of star energy control. This new sensation was truly wonderful, and his surroundings looked different.
In the past, he had seen star energy as a type of energy, but at this moment, in his eyes, star energy had taken on a life of its own. It contained a world, a universe, and he felt confident that he was also capable of creating a maze that could trap that carrion bug.
If this world of star energy could be magnified countless times, then was it possible for it to become a world that could be inhabited by humans?
He felt that this was a viable path of cultivation.
No, star energy was nothing more than a single type of energy, which meant that it could not become a world in which living creatures could survive. Living creatures needed too many complex factors to survive, and it was beyond Lu Yin’s imagination.
Star energy control was nothing more than a means to improve his attacks and his lockbreaking.
However, what if he absorbed everything a person needed to live into his star energy, could a world be created then? The idea seemed ridiculous, and yet, Lu Yin felt that it was feasible.
“The mystical Creation realm of star energy control… Once you tell Master Deng Guo that you’ve reached this realm, he will instantly accept you as a disciple without any hesitation,” said Qing Chen admiringly.
Lu Yin smiled. “This was a rather random incident, but it’s taken a lot of time. Supervisor, should we continue on to the sixth region?”
Qing Chen nodded and led Lu Yin to the Bifrost.
It did not take long for the two of them to step onto a band of the Bifrost that was moving down towards the Lower Realm, and the two officially left the Higher Realm.
The Bifrost was large, and the two were not the only ones on their way to the Lower Realm at this time. However, they were very far away from any other group that was making the same journey.
This was Lu Yin’s second time descending down the Bifrost, and he could still remember the confusion and curiosity that had plagued him during his first journey.
