Foundation

“No wonder when I previously studied the Jiuyu Chaos Monument and observed the 'Raindrop Diagram,' I always felt it was incredibly perfect, but I didn't realize why then... now I understand!” Luo Feng transformed into a streak of light, swiftly flying across the bridge surface of the Sky-Reaching Bridge's sixth level, his heart pounding with fervent excitement. “So, the nine raindrops in the 'Raindrop Diagram' are interconnected and interwoven, forming a perfect whole.” Luo Feng was overjoyed. The 'Bloodshed' secret manual analyzes 108 fundamental mysteries, but in reality, the Jiuyu Chaos Monument was left behind by an ancient, peak-level existence in the universe. How could the 'Raindrop Diagram,' one of the nine diagrams carved by such an existence, be simple? “It’s like an octopus’s tentacles... influencing space,” Luo Feng murmured. It’s truly marvelous. When I just used the 'Totem Golden Pillar,' the technique itself was meant to completely envelop the sword domain within it, directly crushing the opponent, renowned for its 'great skill in simplicity.' But after Luo Feng comprehended that the nine raindrops of the 'Raindrop Diagram' were not isolated but interconnected, forming a perfect combination, the 'Totem Golden Pillar' he unleashed... was like extending nine invisible threads into the surrounding space, influencing it. Therefore! The opponent's dark golden longsword had its speed drastically reduced by the spatial pressure around it, and the 'Totem Golden Pillar' domineeringly crushed the opponent! “If before, when I isolatedly comprehended the nine profound mysteries, I was merely utilizing cosmic spatial fluctuations to accelerate my attacks. Then now!” Luo Feng thought to himself, “With the nine combined, I can now influence the surrounding space to a certain extent.” A fish swims with the current in the sea. But Luo Feng, this 'fish' in the 'cosmic space' 'sea,' can now influence the 'sea' to suppress his opponents. From flowing with 'space' to influencing 'space,' this is a remarkable advancement. Of course— Compared to those who can casually cut space, seal space, or even warp space to change coordinates, Luo Feng is still far from that level! Yet, at least some Sector Lords don't possess a higher comprehension of the spatial origin laws than Luo Feng. ... Luo Feng purely held the thought of trying to challenge the Sky-Reaching Bridge's sixth level. The fifth level was already so difficult, and he estimated he was still far from being able to pass the sixth. However, experiencing it now would give him a better understanding for future attempts. The opponent on the Sky-Reaching Bridge's sixth level still used the Yan Shen Blade's fifth form, 'Spatial Severance.' “Pfft!” With a single move, it bypassed Luo Feng's 'Totem Golden Pillar' and directly sliced through his head. Luo Feng failed the sixth level! He lost decisively! “According to the 'Bloodshed' manual, one must achieve a basic comprehension of the second diagram to pass the sixth level. I've comprehended the first diagram, 'Raindrop Diagram,' to its extreme, but I've only grasped the superficial aspects of the second diagram, 'Fine Rain Diagram.' Passing the fifth level... was already my limit.” As Luo Feng failed, he understood. A solid foundation is crucial. But the depth of comprehension is also very important. The second diagram is far more profound and powerful than the first! ... On the Sky-Reaching Bridge plane, in the center of the island, over three hundred geniuses were waiting, preparing to challenge the Sky-Reaching Bridge. “Bolan, you may enter!” the supervisor Bafen said from a distance. The white-clad youth immediately prepared to rush towards the Cosmic Sky-Reaching Bridge. “I have news for everyone! Just now, Luo Feng passed the fifth level of the Sky-Reaching Bridge!” Supervisor Bafen announced loudly. The previously bustling crowd of over three hundred geniuses instantly fell silent, especially the members from the Tiandi District, Taichu District, and Original District, whose eyes were filled with shock. “The fifth level?” Bolan, the white-clad youth who was already rushing towards the Sky-Reaching Bridge, suddenly stopped. “The fifth level?” A glint flashed in Bolan's eyes. “Then I must pass this sixth level, I must!” Whoosh! Bolan accelerated again, flying directly into the Cosmic Sky-Reaching Bridge. “Luo Feng passed the fifth level?” “How could it be so easy? They say the best of the previous genius battle participants only reached the fourth level after 30 years in Chaos City.” “The higher you go, the harder it gets. Breaking through the fifth level is incredibly difficult. How did Luo Feng pass? He's caught up to Bolan!” “Bolan was only on the fifth level!” “Crazy, he's crazy! That Luo Feng is too insane!” ... This group of geniuses, as well as others like Rongjun whose consciousness had returned to Chaos City, were all stunned. “I just passed the fourth level, Luo Feng, and you've already passed the fifth?” Rongjun gripped the Earth-Rending Blade in his hand, flames burning in his eyes. “It's good that you realize you're falling behind. I'll demonstrate the second axe of the 'Giant Axe Chaos Monument' for you again,” the tall figure beside him slowly said, his voice causing space itself to ripple. “Yes, Master,” Rongjun respectfully replied. ... In Chaos City, within Zhenyan King's mansion. Zhenyan King, Tongnan King, and Longyu King were casually chatting together, in high spirits. “Hmm?” Zhenyan King showed a joyful expression. “Congratulations, congratulations,” Longyu King smiled, looking at Zhenyan King. “Zhenyan, you've taken on an excellent disciple.” “Haha...” Zhenyan King burst into laughter. “What is it?” Tongnan King, however, was a little puzzled. “Just now, Zhenyan's new disciple passed the 'Sky-Reaching Bridge's fifth level,'” Longyu King chuckled. Longyu King was specifically tasked with gathering information on this batch of newcomers, so she had naturally instructed Supervisor Bafen long ago to immediately inform her if any of them made a breakthrough. Zhenyan had also given similar instructions. “The fifth level?” Tongnan King put down his wine cup, smiling and clapping. “Rare, truly rare. The most outstanding of our Virtual Universe Company's 1000 geniuses from the previous batch only managed to pass the fourth level, didn't they?” “Indeed.” Longyu King also nodded with a smile. “In the last 1000 genius battles organized by our Virtual Universe Company, among those 1000 batches, in their first 30 years in Chaos City, 4168 people passed the Sky-Reaching Bridge's third level!” “926 people passed the fourth level!” “32 people passed the fifth level!” “And zero passed the sixth level!” The Virtual Universe Company holds a genius battle every ten thousand years. In each batch, only a handful pass the third level, and on average, only about one person passes the fourth level! If a certain batch's overall standard is slightly lower, no one might pass the fourth level. If the overall standard is high, there might be two or three who pass the fourth level. Like Luo Feng's batch! Bolan, Luo Feng, and Rongjun, all three are considered to have passed the fourth level! “On average, only one genius passes the fifth level every thirty genius battles,” Longyu King said, smiling at Zhenyan King. “And these top-tier geniuses don't necessarily choose the Jiuyu Chaos Monument. This Luo Feng truly is a rare talent for your Jiuyu lineage, one encountered perhaps only once in ten million years.” “Haha...” Zhenyan King laughed heartily. “Alright, I'll inform the Venerable of this news.” Longyu King immediately sent the notification. This time, she didn't go in person because Jiujian Venerable and Guardian Kanderi were discussing important matters. ... Within the mansion of Kanderi, the 'Guardian of the Chaos Monument.' Two peak existences were conversing. “Oh?” “Good news?” “Yes, Luo Feng passed the fifth level of the Sky-Reaching Bridge.” “Luo Feng? When your Virtual Universe Company's batch of youngsters first arrived, Bolan was the most outstanding. Bolan's comprehension of spatial origin laws is extremely high! Many Sector Lords can't compare to him. For the past 30 years, Bolan has mainly focused his efforts on comprehending temporal origin laws. I didn't expect... this Luo Feng to be so exceptional as well!” “Just now, we received news that Bolan passed the sixth level!” “That's not surprising. Bolan is a super genius rarely seen in ten million years. In these ten million years, none of your Virtual Universe Company's newcomers have passed the sixth level, so it's about time one did. What surprises me is Luo Feng. In terms of the magnitude of his progress, in these 30 years, he has advanced even more than Bolan!” “Kanderi, are you optimistic about Luo Feng?” “Yes!” “Kanderi, Luo Feng is good, but I personally admire Bolan more. It's not easy to comprehend the 'Cosmic Chaos Monument' to the sixth level; it's arguably the most difficult Chaos Monument.” “Jiujian, breadth is not as good as mastery. Being too ambitious isn't always good. How difficult is it to simultaneously control time and space? Neither you nor I can do it, let alone Bolan. On the contrary, Luo Feng is more grounded. I just received the video from Supervisor Bafen... *gasp*! Luo Feng passed the fifth level using only the fourth form of the Yan Shen Blade. Tsk tsk, his foundation is truly solid. I'm growing to like this kid Luo Feng more and more; I hadn't paid much attention to him before.” “Yan Shen Blade's fourth form? Let me see the video of him passing... Solid, what a solid foundation! Kanderi, you're right, this Luo Feng... he might truly be astonishing in the future.” “Haha...” ... Luo Feng couldn't hear the conversation of those two super-beings, but he received an email from Supervisor Bafen—Bolan had passed the sixth level! “He actually passed the sixth level?” On the rooftop of his cultivation residence, Luo Feng's emotions were stirred. “What's there to be surprised about, Luo Feng? You can only create a few hundred illusions with your movement technique right now. Bolan, on the other hand, could create over a thousand illusions during the genius battle,” Babata's voice echoed in Luo Feng's mind. “If Bolan had chosen to specialize solely in 'space,' he would have passed the sixth level long ago. He chose the 'Cosmic Chaos Monument,' and because he was held back by the temporal origin laws, he only passed the sixth level today.” “That's right,” Luo Feng secretly nodded. During the genius battle, he could only create nine illusions, while Bolan could instantly create over a thousand. At the starting line, he was initially far too inferior to Bolan. “At least now, the gap between us is very close,” Luo Feng thought to himself. ... The next afternoon. Luo Feng arrived at the City Lord's Mansion in Chaos City, in the corridor leading to the cultivation chambers. “Lord Kanderi,” Luo Feng respectfully saluted the three-eyed elder guarding the cultivation chambers. “Hmm,” the three-eyed elder nodded with a smile. “Wait a moment, the group inside is about to come out.” “Yes,” Luo Feng nodded, but secretly wondered, *Why does this Guardian of the Chaos Monument feel... different? He seems friendlier than before.* A moment later. The six people cultivating inside emerged. “Go on in,” the three-eyed elder chuckled. “Work hard. After this session, it will be a long time before you can return to Chaos City. For the Jiuyu Chaos Monument, you should now focus on the second and third diagrams. There's no need to observe the latter six diagrams for now.” “Understood!” Luo Feng nodded. He then rushed into the cultivation chamber, simultaneously instructing Babata: “Babata, shut down virtual universe network reception. Block all call requests, emails, and so on. I cannot be disturbed for these seven days of cultivation.” “Understood. You don't even need to tell me for something like this.” ... Entering the cultivation chamber, standing before the towering Chaos Monument shrouded in chaotic energy, Luo Feng began his final cultivation session before leaving Chaos City.