Life would sometimes unfold in an interesting manner. He still had no clue on where the Law of Time was, but Xia Fei ended up with an extremely grueling and lifelong plan on his shoulders.
A protean master! What a far away and honorable title! Visible excitement in his eyes, Xia Fei felt completely invigorated!
Xia Buyun nodded with great satisfaction. The charisma of the grand ancestor could not be underestimated, as even Xia Laoshi, someone who had animosity toward Xia Fei, had no choice but to accept the request from the old man himself.
“Xia Fei, the Law of Space is the foundation for Law of Speed. What level have you gotten in the Law of Space?” Xia Buyun asked sternly.
“Level 5,” Xia Fei casually answered.
“What?! You’re already a Level 5 Law Emperor?!”
“No way. Weren’t you just a level 1 Law Emperor a while ago?”
The crowd voiced their disbelief. The speed at which Xia Fei advanced through the levels of Law Emperor had been nothing short of astonishing. Everyone regarded him as if he were a monster.
“Level 5! A level 5 Law Emperor! Xia Fei, you’re always full of surprises!” Xia Buyun blurted out in his amazement before laughing loudly. “Even better! The gap from level 5 Law Emperor to a Great Law Emperor is big. Let’s do it this way, then: Your first goal shall be attaining Great Law Emperor cultivation! Xia Tian will assist you in assailing this threshold!”
Xia Tian nodded repeatedly. “The patriarch’s right; the Law of Speed is subsidiary to the Law of Space. Cultivating your foundation properly will be of great help to your future. Besides, the threshold of Great Law Emperor is exceptionally difficult. Your progress will be inhibited if you don’t make it past this, so it isn’t too late for you to learn everything else after you make a breakthrough on that first.”
……
Becoming a protean master was not something that could be achieved in one day. Xia Fei would first need to have a comprehensive plan and study process while working with everyone. Since Xia Fei was already at the cusp of reaching Great Law Emperor in terms of his Law of Space, it was better if he concentrated on crossing this critical threshold first before beginning his study of everything else.
As such, Xia Fei made a trip back to the Panhuman Alliance. It had been some time since he last saw Avril, and he was missing her quite badly. Once he began on the arduous journey to be a protean master, he was certain that he would hardly have much time to visit her. Fortunately, Xia Fei had a spatial compass in his hand, allowing him to go to and fro as he liked. He did not pay heed to the cost of the traversal.
Xia Fei not only met Avril in the Sunset Villa, he also paid a visit to her father and grandfather. The two of them had quite the scare when Avril disappeared the last time.
As reality had proven, his love for Avril was not any less than these two, and though Xia Fei was never by her side, she had always been on his mind, and he had taken the extra steps necessary to take care of her. From the great mech army, Quantum Holdings, and the Law Emperor Seth to the Immemorial Mystical Weapon Phoenix Tail Stone, Xia Fei had ensured that there would be many openly and secretly taking care of Avril in every sense, so the moment any incident occurred, all these precautionary measures would immediately come into play to ensure her safety.
Xia Fei wanted to bring Avril with him to stay in the Wind Garden, but he was afraid that Avril would feel lonely there. After all, the Law Realm was a foreign place to her, and there were far more dangers lurking about in that place than the Panhuman Alliance. This was why Xia Fei did not force her to join him when he saw how reluctant she was to leave her father and grandfather’s side.
Phantom was still researching on how to combine machinery and soul better with the Sentinel Goddess Sophie. This problem they were taking appeared to be something very difficult for the duo to solve, and both were evidently very depressed by it.
Xia Fei asked a copy of her pharmacology database. Since he was about to begin his path to being an apothecary, the information she could provide would surely be of great help to him.
Sophie copied the data into a storage device and handed it to Xia Fei. She was single-mindedly devoted to her research with Phantom right now, so she did not really pay too much attention toward pharmacology. Even Phantom, with his fondness for medical refinement, was like a maniac concentrated solely on making progress on his project.
Xia Fei understood Phantom very well. Having a physical body was very important to him; it was just too bad that Xia Fei had been busy these days to lend a hand to the two.
Early in the morning, XIa Fei crawled out of bed and went out to the balcony to smoke.
Avril came over to hug him as she softly asked, “Are you leaving?”
Xia Fei nodded. “Yes. I have to go back, but I’ll still visit you, the Alliance, and Earth frequently. This is my home, after all. Do you really have no wish to join me in the Law Realm?”
Avril shook her head, burying her head into Xia Fei’s chest. “It’s so far out there, and grandfather hasn’t been feeling too well lately. Besides, I’m afraid that I’ll just be a bother to you when I’m there.”
Avril had always been a very considerate soul, thinking for Xia Fei’s benefit in every way. He was rendered speechless when he heard her statement, and all he could do was hug her even tighter in his embrace.
…
Hidden Realm, the location of the great mech army.
Xia Fei found a corner for him to plant the Tree of Life.
Planting the Tree of Life was not difficult. Xia Fei followed Oro’s instructions to dig a hole, and then he placed the sapling within. He proceeded to place twelve grade 5 Origin Crystals around its roots to act as the Tree of Life’s energy reserve.
“Alright. Now cover the roots of the Tree of Life with soil,” Oro said.
Xia Fei did as was told, and Oro nodded in satisfaction.
“The second step will be to hasten its growth and development. This will require you to very meticulously direct the energy into it. Remember: This Tree of Life is just a sapling, so it will have trouble receiving too much energy. You need to be very careful nurturing it, not to pour in too much energy at once.
“At the same time, the Tree of Life can sense your energy and will establish a subtle connection with you once it becomes familiar with your aura. This will be greatly beneficial for the third step.”
Xia Fei took out a grade 5 Origin Crystal from his spatial ring and let the energy cycle through his body before sending it out through the White Jade Dragon Ring.
Xia Fei had an innate grasp when it came to energy control, and with how the White Jade Dragon would further temper the energy, Xia Fei was able to achieve great results at half the effort.
A thin thread of energy was diverted into the Tree of Life. Xia Fei saw as the mystical tree grew taller right in front of his eyes and, in a short while, turned from a sapling into a luxuriant Bodhi tree, its canopy about a hundred meters above ground. At least, a dozen or so men would be needed to circle the circumference of this tree’s trunk.
“What a majestic Bodhi tree!” Xia Fei lifted his head up to take in the sight of this huge tree, awed.
“This is the Tree of Life; it just looks like a Bohdi tree,” Oro said.
Xia Fei thought about it and asked, “What’s the use of those twelve grade 5 Origin Crystals we buried in the ground?”
Oro explained, “That’s to protect the Tree of Life. Once attacked, those energy will help it block a few blows. The next step you need to do now is establish contact with the tree. Right now, it’s already familiarized itself with your aura, so forming a contract with it at this moment isn’t difficult. Just follow the method I told you every step of the way.”
“Got it!” Xia Fei nodded.
…
The Tree of Life was ultimately planted in an inconspicuous corner of the Hidden Realm.
Based on its appearance, the tree did not look any different from any other big trees, but Xia Fei could sense that the tree had this subtle connection with him, allowing him to feel its gradual growth and breath of life.
This was a very heavy sense of life; in just half an hour, that sapling had turned into something thriving with life.
“Well, this is your second life! At a critical juncture, it can prevent you from dying by replacing you!” the demon lord excitedly announced. “Still, a Tree of Life is fairly precious, so don’t just use it unless you have to.”
The Mechs were Xia Fei’s most loyal friends. He did not tell Sophie and the others what this tree was, merely telling them to protect this plot of land properly. Sophie, Warstar, and Dimsky trusted Xia Fei very much, so none of them asked too many questions.
Xia Fei had thought about this a lot before choosing this spot to plant the Tree of Life. At the end of the day, the Mechs in the Hidden Realm were very dependable, and also this was the location where the Titan superwarship was being built. When it came to possessing the power to help him launch a counterattack, having the Titan would definitely be the best choice. After all, the description the Cobaltis had for the warship stated that it was capable of resisting the superior power of the Law Realm!
No one out there was like Xia Fei, living in the Law Realm yet always being on guard against it, too. This was probably what it meant by repairing a house before it rained. In a place with dangers lurking at every corner, only the most cautious would be able to survive longer.
…
Cultivation chamber. The bespectacled Law Overlord Xia Tian waited for Xia Fei in full gear. Today was the first day he would be instructing the young man, which was why he had come really early, his attitude very solemn.
“There’s no rush. The Great Law Emperor threshold is very difficult, and we will need to do it step by step. We Skywings aren’t exactly very dedicated to the Law of Space, but we have our own method of making the breakthrough as well. I will now tell you all I know, as well as my experience making this breakthrough back in the day.”
The bespectacled Xia Tian was completely different from the Xia Tian without his spectacles. The former was refined and erudite, like a scholar, while the latter was like a wild beast, intent on biting everyone he set his eyes on.
Xia Fei nodded. That energy ball in his seventh brain region was at its peak and had plenty of energy stored inside. Even if that was not enough, he still had plenty of level 5 Origin Crystals that he could use, not to mention the energy distribution ring, the White Jade Swimming Dragon.
Xia Fei was not worried about the energy he required to cultivate, though he was very curious about the previously mentioned promotion method that was unique to the Skywings.
Xia Fei had seen the Skywings’ method of cultivating the Law of Speed, and it was very insane. Thus, he had no idea just what kind of shocking method the Skywings would have for the Law of Space.
He saw Xia Tian pull out an oddly shaped golden pot from his spatial ring and then proceed to place a blue Origin Crystal inside.
“Blue! That’s a grade 6 Origin Crystal?!” Xia Fei blurted out, stunned.
Xia Tian beamed. “That’s right. That is indeed a grade 6 Origin Crystal, the high grade energy that the God Race uses. As for this golden pot, it’s called the Golden Bloodsea Cache! It’s an amazing cultivation device that aids warriors in getting past the Law of Space’s thresholds!”
“Stop being so surprised. This is the strength that we Skywings possess!”
Xia Tian spoke very breezily. Xia Fei had heard the same words from Xia Zonghai’s mouth. As the Law Realm’s Demon-sealing Cursed Blade, the essence of the Skywing Clan was far more ample than what Xia Fei originally assumed!
“Are you ready?” Xia Tian asked.
“Yes!” Xia Fei nodded gravely.
*Whip!*
Xia Tian waved his palm and used his law force to activate the Golden Bloodsea Cache.
Suddenly—
Countless monstrous organisms appeared in the cultivation chamber, bearing their teeth sinisterly. Their pairs of blood red eyes stared right at Xia Fei, their nostrils flaring, looking like a powerful army!
Xia Tian energetically yelled, “We, Skywings, rely on slaughter to promote! Try forming the law pattern as you slay the targets! It’s very hard but very effective!”
Xia Fei was speechless. The difficulty of the various cultivation methods the Skywing Clan utilized was truly high! The forming of law patterns for the Law of Speed at high speeds, and this time, it was actually the formation of the patterns while killing?!
“Oh, my!” The old demon lord gulped as his two eyes shone. “Xia Fei, he’s trying to evoke your inner demon!”
