Time passed slowly. Lin Zheyu's grasp of spatial rules deepened, especially the rule power related to the Earth Shrinking Technique. The martial cultivation and Immortal Dao knowledge contained in this technique were not especially profound. Whether it could be cultivated successfully depended mainly on his mastery of spatial rules. The greater his competence in spatial rules, the more powerful the Earth Shrinking Technique became.

Lin Zheyu slowly opened his eyes and let out a long breath, "Huff..."

His eyes were bloodshot, filled with deep exhaustion. Comprehending rule power consumed his spirit and spiritual soul tremendously. After using only 10 units of Origin Force, Lin Zheyu already felt utterly drained.

This opportunity is too rare. Let's continue...

With a flip of his right hand, he crushed the depleted spirit stones in his hand into powder, and two new spirit stones appeared in their place. Just as Lin Zheyu was about to begin another round of cultivation, a crisp crack sounded in his awareness. Dense fractures suddenly spread across the rhombus crystal floating above his sea of consciousness. Then, with another crack, the rhombus crystal vanished like a bubble.

"Hm? What is going on? Wasn't it supposed to last for a full day?"

Lin Zheyu froze, astonishment flashing in his eyes. But he quickly understood. The use of Origin Force had caused the energy contained in the rule fragment to be exhausted ahead of time.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 4]

[Skills: Primordial Concealment Technique (Perfection), Earth Shrinking Technique 10.0 (Perfection), Primordial Golden Body (Second Stage: 100%)]

Lin Zheyu looked at the data in his awareness. Only 4 units of Origin Force remained, and the Earth Shrinking Technique had been improved to its tenth version.

10 units of Origin Force, ten versions of the technique. That's enough, I guess.

With a thought, the version number behind the Earth Shrinking Technique disappeared.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 4]

[Skills: Earth Shrinking Technique (Perfection), Primordial Concealment Technique (Perfection), Primordial Golden Body (Second Stage: 100%)]

"That looks much better," Lin Zheyu muttered with a smile.

Unfortunately, the timing was wrong. Lin Zheyu really wanted to test the true power of this newly mastered Earth Shrinking Technique. After thinking it over, he glanced at the others from the corner of his eye. Everyone was still immersed in trying to comprehend the rule fragments.

It's still early. This is not the time to leave. I should continue studying the barbarian totem.

His right hand pressed once more against the totem on the barbarian corpse. Powerful spiritual sense flowed down his arm and merged into the totem. The Lin Zheyu of now was no longer the Lin Zheyu of a few breaths ago. After using 10 units of Origin Force to comprehend the rule fragment, his grasp of spatial rules had reached an astonishing level.

Lin Zheyu had no barbarian cultivation technique, nor did he understand much about barbarian cultivation methods. Researching it by conventional means would have been extremely difficult. So he took another path, using the spatial rules he had mastered to test and verify the totem on the barbarian's body.

The totem on this barbarian corpse held immense research value for him. If he could discover how to integrate spatial rule power into a totem, he could then merge the spatial rules he had mastered into his Golden Body Dharma Form.

***

Time passed slowly. In cultivation, one lost all sense of years. In the blink of an eye, a full day had passed.

A thunderous roar rang out, followed by Lei Yongtao's wild laughter echoing through the demon god barrier.

"Haha, I did it!"

Brilliant lightning coursed over Lei Yongtao's body. With hands on his hips, he threw back his head and laughed, utterly exhilarated.

Lin Zheyu opened his eyes, and the barbarian corpse on the ground vanished in an instant. He smiled faintly, rose without drawing attention, and remained as low-key as ever. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"The Six Thunder-Pattern Golden Core is secure now?" Tu Yuan asked with equal excitement, turning with a grin.

"Hehe, I have 80% confidence!" Lei Yongtao chuckled and asked, "What about you? How was your comprehension?"

"Not great. My gains were nowhere near yours."

Tu Yuan shook his head, though there was not the slightest disappointment on his face. If anything, a trace of excitement still lingered.

Whoosh!

At that moment, a terrifying blade light slashed out from the space-time rift, and a powerful aura flashed past in an instant.

"It's Xue Zizhao. He has grown even stronger!" Ji Zitong said with a hint of awe as she watched that astonishing blade light. In the eyes of others, they were geniuses, but in Ji Zitong's eyes, Xue Zizhao was the true genius.

"So what if he is... Damn it, what rotten luck. This bastard still loves showing off," Lei Yongtao cursed under his breath. The excitement on his face vanished instantly, replaced by frustration.

Goods seemed worthless when compared, and people infuriating when measured against each other. Compared with Xue Zizhao, the halo of genius around Lei Yongtao looked utterly dim. Ji Ziyang stood silently, watching Xue Zizhao's departing figure, a fierce battle intent flashing in his eyes.

I, Ji Ziyang, am inferior to no one!

Ji Ziyang rose, cupped his hands to the others, and said calmly, "Fellow Daoists, I have gained some insight and must return at once for secluded cultivation. We shall meet again."

"That is exactly my intention. I am returning for secluded cultivation as well." Lei Yongtao nodded. All the excitement from moments ago had completely vanished.

"Then let us part here. Until we meet again!"

"Until we meet again!"

Everyone was eager to return to secluded cultivation and properly digest what they had gained this time. After brief farewells, their figures blurred, and one by one they used escape arts and vanished from where they stood.

Bai Lin took out a Spirit Resonance Sphere and said, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, I will also be entering secluded cultivation for a time. This is my Spirit Resonance Sphere. At most, I will be in seclusion for half a year. When the time comes, you can use this to contact me."

"Alright. Then we meet again in half a year." Lin Zheyu put away the Spirit Resonance Sphere and said with a smile, "Until we meet again."

"Until we meet again!" Bai Lin cupped his fists in farewell and vanished.

Lin Zheyu stood there silently, watching the others disappear, a touch of emotion stirring in his heart. These experiences had truly been interesting. He had entered the demon god barrier only to cultivate the Primordial Golden Body, yet not only had he brought the second stage of Primordial Golden Body to Perfection, but he had also, through a stroke of fortune, obtained a spatial rule fragment and mastered the Earth Shrinking Technique.

"Now I can finally test the power of the Earth Shrinking Technique." Lin Zheyu smiled faintly.

His Perception Domain spread outward. After confirming no one was secretly watching nearby, the muscles across his body shifted slowly, his figure grew taller, and his face changed subtly.

Lin Zheyu stepped forward with his right foot, and ripples spread through the surrounding void like waves across water. His figure flickered and vanished from where he stood. When he appeared again, he was already a hundred meters away. Step by step, he moved onward, and in moments, he was gone from sight.

"Hm?"

Not long after Lin Zheyu disappeared, a seductive figure slowly emerged from the darkness.

"The Earth Shrinking Technique? When did he master a divine ability like that? Hehe, he really is a genius. I like him even more now." Hu Xuefei smiled faintly, licked her lips, and her eyes shimmered with liquid charm.

"My divine ability has evolved yet again this time. I wonder, when we meet next, will you still be able to find me, Young Master... And if you cannot, then you will become my cultivation furnace for dual cultivation. I will take very good care of you." Hu Xuefei gave a coquettish smile.

Her graceful body swayed as her figure slowly faded and disappeared into the darkness. Hu Xuefei's gains this time had been immense as well. She needed to return quickly for secluded cultivation and consolidate them.

***

Lin Zheyu strode through the void with effortless ease, yet his speed was astonishing. After mastering spatial rules, even without opening the Bridge of Heaven and Earth, he could walk through the void by relying on the spatial rules he had grasped.

"My maximum speed has reached thirty times the speed of sound. Rule power really is formidable!"

Lin Zheyu shook his head slightly and said with some regret, "It is a pity my realm is too low. I can only sustain it for less than ten minutes."

This was the one flaw in an otherwise perfect outcome. The essence of rule power was simply too high. Though Lin Zheyu's blood qi was incredibly abundant and his true origin immensely deep, the essence of his energy was far too low compared to a force like rule power.

"Another genius has come out from the other side of the space-time rift. Their aura feels somewhat weak. Injured, perhaps..." Lin Zheyu turned and looked toward the space-time rift.

"Should I go in and take a look..." Lin Zheyu murmured softly, a little tempted.

But he quickly shook his head and dismissed the thought. It was better not to court death. The other side was the demonic realm, after all. Now that the passage between the two worlds had fully stabilized, the danger was on an entirely different level from before.

I have been out long enough. It is time to return. The Earth Shrinking Technique relies mainly on spatial rules and can still be optimized further. But I will need more and deeper martial cultivation and Immortal Dao knowledge for that. I need more and stronger techniques. Those may be troublesome to obtain for now. I will see later whether I can get some through Miss Zitong or the Martial Alliance. Before that, I should first upgrade my offensive methods.

He lacked powerful techniques in offense. Lin Zheyu planned to go back and study how to integrate the spatial rules he had mastered into his saber technique, which would greatly increase its power. Until he obtained stronger techniques, this would have to do.

A light breeze passed by. Lin Zheyu stepped forward, and his figure quickly vanished from where he stood.

***

"Hm? Finally, you have appeared."

Within the immortal market, in Soaring Cloud Pavilion, an old man slowly opened his eyes, a trace of amusement in his gaze. His right hand swiftly formed a seal, and in his awareness, he locked onto the location of that aura.

"So you hid in the demon god barrier. No wonder there had been no trace of your aura before. I thought you were dead."

The old man smiled faintly and closed his eyes again.

There is still plenty of time. No need to hurry.