Hong's Opportunity

Luo Feng was a little stunned. His own opportunities had been quite good; he had met the Sky Eclipse Palace Master and received guidance from him, and he had even conversed with an Undying Venerable. But he never expected his eldest brother, Hong, to be connected to the great Void Gold Master.

That was an existence who created the Sky Ruin Chaos Tablet! In Luo Feng's imagination... the 52 Chaos Tablet Creators were probably the 52 most powerful individuals in human history across countless eras. Even if his guess was slightly off, the margin wouldn't be large. And the Sky Ruin Chaos Tablet was ranked among the top ten Chaos Tablets!

How formidable was that?

Humanity was a peak cosmic race, and one of the top ten most powerful individuals in the history of a peak race, such a cosmic overlord... the thought alone was chilling.

"What kind of luck?" Luo Feng quickly asked.

"Big Brother," Lei Shen's eyes widened too. "I heard you mention the 52 Chaos Tablets before. Every single creator of a Chaos Tablet is the strongest existence in the human race across infinite eras. You actually know such an existence?"

To be honest.

Luo Feng, Hong, and Lei Shen were merely ants in the cosmos. It was incredible that an ant could know the most supreme existence.

"Since I called it luck, I'll tell you about it," Hong said with a smile and a sigh. "Back then, I participated in the Elite Training Camp and was eventually absorbed into the core layer of the Giant Axe Martial Arena, simultaneously heading to Chaos City for secluded cultivation and comprehension. Didn't I tell you, my third brother, that I had come out of Chaos City a while ago?"

"Yes," Luo Feng and Lei Shen nodded.

"After leaving Chaos City, I also systematically underwent a series of training programs from the Giant Axe Martial Arena," Hong sighed. "Just yesterday, on a whim, I decided to challenge the Illusory Sea. And by challenging it... I stirred up a storm."

Luo Feng and Lei Shen both held their breath.

Illusory Sea?

With Big Brother Hong's mental fortitude, how far could he go? However, the further one went in the Illusory Sea, the more terrifying the mental pressure became. Even Big Brother shouldn't be able to go too deep.

"I challenged island after island," Hong sighed. "This Illusory Sea is indeed formidable. The further I went, the harder it became, and the mental pressure was terrifying... Even I was pushed to my limits, barely managing to reach the 21st island with great difficulty and peril. Unfortunately, I failed on the 21st island."

Luo Feng was stunned.

"Big Brother, you actually failed?" Lei Shen, however, was puzzled.

"Second Brother, you don't know anything," Luo Feng whispered, then looked at Hong in disbelief. "You... you reached the 21st island? You were just one step away from completely succeeding?"

"Yes," Hong nodded.

"How is that possible? Absolutely impossible," Luo Feng shook his head repeatedly. "The mental pressure gets more terrifying the further you go. From the tenth island onwards, it's the mental pressure of an Undying God, and the twenty-first island is even Universe Venerable-level pressure. Big Brother, you're only Universe-level, how could you withstand the pressure of the 20th island?"

Hong smiled.

"Third Brother, let me ask you," Hong retorted. "When you were Universe-level, how far did you get in the Illusory Sea?"

"I failed on the tenth island," Luo Feng replied.

"Even peak Sector Lords might not pass the ninth island, yet you, at Universe-level, passed it. Why?" Hong pressed. "Leaving aside the later illusions, how did you withstand that mental pressure?"

Luo Feng answered, "Willpower is the general, consciousness is the soldier... With willpower commanding consciousness, my heart is like a blade, naturally, my will and consciousness condense like a rock, enduring that mental pressure."

"Haha..."

Hong laughed. "Facing overwhelming mental pressure, you also know to make your consciousness condense like a rock. This belongs to the first stage of the three realms of mental cultivation. But why did you fail to resist the pressure of the tenth island? Because you went to extremes, you were too rigid, and rigidity breaks easily!"

"If your mental cultivation could catch up to your Second Brother's, reaching the stage of 'yin giving birth to yang, and yang giving birth to yin,' then it would be different. As the saying goes, 'when yin and yang combine, the Dao is born.' Facing that overwhelming pressure, with yin and yang combined, combining rigidity and flexibility, resisting when necessary, and deflecting when possible, your ability to resist pressure would naturally increase significantly."

"Of course, reaching this second stage of 'unity of heaven and man, innocent heart, and perfect mental state,' you might only be able to reach the fourteenth or fifteenth island. The further you go, the more terrifying the pressure."

"You need the third stage, 'infinite heart, encompassing all.' No matter how strong the pressure, I can embrace it. My heart is infinite, so it's naturally impossible to be crushed." Hong shook his head with a smile. "Unfortunately, I've only just stepped into this third stage and haven't truly perfected it. That's why I failed on the twenty-first island."

Luo Feng blinked.

Amazing.

His Big Brother was truly amazing.

"The fact that I failed only on the twenty-first island immediately caught the attention of the highest echelons of the Giant Axe Martial Arena, including the Void Gold Master and the Giant Axe Creator," Hong sighed. "That great Creator immediately issued an order to seal this news. So even those Universe Venerables don't know about it."

Luo Feng nodded.

To pass 20 islands of the Illusory Sea at Universe-level, Earth's mental cultivation truly displayed its might, attracting the attention of those big shots.

"The Giant Axe Creator directly accepted me as a nominal disciple," Hong revealed a smile. "However, the great Giant Axe Creator... is the strongest individual in the human race. How could he have time to personally guide me? So he arranged for the Void Gold Master to guide me first. Only when I become a Sector Lord-level Undying God will I be qualified to receive guidance from the Giant Axe Creator. At that point, I will truly be a disciple of the Giant Axe Creator. For now, I'm just a nominal disciple."

Luo Feng was completely shaken.

A great opportunity!

What a great opportunity!

Even Bolan, from his own genius battle, wasn't qualified to take a Universe Venerable as a teacher. Only Rongjun was accepted by a Universe Venerable, and he himself was accepted by Zhenyan King... This showed that Universe Venerables were very proud and reluctant to take geniuses as disciples. He never expected his Big Brother, Hong, to ascend to such heights in one go!

Becoming a nominal disciple of the human race's strongest, the Giant Axe Creator!

Even just being a nominal disciple was incredible.

At least now, Hong was constantly receiving guidance from the Void Gold Master, and once he became a Sector Lord-level Undying God, he would receive guidance from the Giant Axe Creator.

"Big Brother, the Giant Axe Creator! Among the 52 Chaos Tablets, the Giant Axe Chaos Tablet ranks first!" Luo Feng looked at Hong.

"I only received attention from the highest echelons because my performance in the Illusory Sea was too heaven-defying," Hong shook his head and smiled. "While mental state is helpful for cultivation, it's ultimately intangible and elusive. In actual combat, what truly matters are tangible powers like psychic energy and origin energy."

"No matter how high my mental state, a Sector Lord could kill me with a single move."

"Mental state is supplementary; strength is fundamental," Hong sighed.

Luo Feng smiled.

Lei Shen also smiled.

"Braggart," Lei Shen chuckled.

"Quite the braggart," Luo Feng laughed. "I bet if the Yin Xue Marquis Ji Clan knew that Big Brother became a nominal disciple of the Giant Axe Creator and is now being guided by the Void Gold Master, they'd be driven mad with regret!"

Hong smiled calmly.

Hong had indeed ascended to greatness in one step, and his background was terrifyingly powerful.

"The Void Gold Master once told me," Hong shook his head, "that comprehending laws requires extremely high 'Law Comprehension Affinity'... Some people comprehend hundreds or thousands of times faster than others because their comprehension is clearer. Unfortunately, while my Law Comprehension Affinity is decent, compared to you peerless geniuses, it's hundreds or thousands of times worse."

"And a high mental cultivation realm only provides a slight boost, perhaps two or three times. But the difference in law comprehension with geniuses will still be hundreds or thousands of times," Hong laughed. "The Void Gold Master also said that my cultivation journey would be very long."

Luo Feng and Lei Shen listened attentively.

"My mental cultivation realm is extremely high, almost no illusion has any effect on me. So... the Void Gold Master devised a cultivation path for me: the 'Illusory Warrior Path'," Hong smiled. "When a spear strikes, it also contains illusory attacks. This is my optimal path."

"Illusory Warrior Path?" Luo Feng and Lei Shen were both astonished.

"Boss!" Lei Shen exclaimed. "With your mental cultivation so high, if you cast illusions, who wouldn't get lost?"

Hong smiled: "Although my current status is quite high, to protect me, the news is completely sealed. I'm still just an outermost member of the core layer; even those Universe Venerables don't know about this."

Luo Feng nodded, feeling happy for his Big Brother.

Big Brother and Second Brother were far inferior to him in terms of talent, but their advantage lay in their mental state. Now, Big Brother had ascended to greatness through his mental state. However, a teacher was still a teacher; for a disciple to become a strong practitioner, they had to cultivate step by step.

"Second Brother," Hong looked at Lei Shen.

"Huh?" Lei Shen was startled.

"I also recommended you to the Void Gold Master, telling him that your mental cultivation is also extremely high," Hong smiled. "The Void Gold Master has already arranged for one of his disciples to take you as a student. He should contact you soon."

Lei Shen's eyes widened.

...

Seeing his Big Brother and Second Brother like this, Luo Feng couldn't help but feel happy.

The three Earth brothers' strengths were very close back then, but as they entered the cosmos, his own progress grew exponentially, even to the point where he could now fight Undying Gods! But Big Brother and Second Brother had fallen far behind... Now, they both had their own opportunities.

"Come on."

"Big Brother, Second Brother, it's not just you two, but also other human geniuses in the cosmos, and even peerless geniuses from countless alien races, who might have powerful teachers, amazing opportunities, or heaven-defying talent."

"I, Luo Feng, will definitely surpass countless others and stand at the peak."

"Definitely!"

Luo Feng's fighting spirit burned even brighter.

Competition made things interesting. After being targeted by the Zerg Undercover Organization, Luo Feng's horizons had broadened, and he harbored even greater ambitions!

Ke Di?

Blazefire Venerable?

Geniuses taught by super-existences?

"I must be stronger than them!" Luo Feng silently vowed.

...

The three brothers conversed in the courtyard.

"Big Brother," Luo Feng quickly asked, "Why did all those Universe Venerables from the Giant Axe Martial Arena send Undying Gods to Earth, and why are they all so eager to buy Earth? What secret does Earth hold that drives so many Universe Venerables crazy? You must know, right?"

"Yes," Hong nodded. "I do know that."