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--- Chapter 501 ---
"Again!"
Han Yuan's excited voice echoed across the great ancient forest as he bulldozed through the Elementary Spirit Ascension Platform, thoroughly testing practically every combat variation of the Underworld Anchor of Heaven.
He even crossed paths with a thousand-year-old Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear,the undisputed apex predator of this Elementary Zone. Yet, the fight was over almost as soon as it began. Activating his Solemn Judgement Domain, Han Yuan instantly froze the massive beast in place, locking its mobility before completely obliterating it with a barrage of Underworld Whirlpool Ruins.
Thus, Han Yuan stood completely victorious, having absolute dominance over the entire Elementary Spirit Ascension Platform in just an hour.
To top it off, the slain bear even dropped a rare External Spirit Bone,a Dreadclaw Right Palm Bone.
While such a rare loot drop in a newbie platform would usually be a one-in-a-million rarity, Han Yuan knew deep down that his grandfather must have put it into the Heaven Dou Spirit Pagoda before their entry.
"Do you want to absorb the External Spirit Bone right now?" Han Tianyi asked, manifesting behind Han Yuan as the boy curiously inspected the glowing, claw-shaped bone hovering in mid-air.
Han Yuan shook his head and put it in his jacket's pocket. "No. I want to stay inside the platform for a while longer. I still haven't tested the Spirit Skills of my Star Liberation Crown!"
"Oh... you're right!" Han Tianyi slapped his forehead, rubbing his temples in mild disbelief. He had completely forgotten that Han Yuan possessed a second Martial Soul, simply because the Underworld Anchor of Heaven had been so blindingly terrifying.
"However, you've already conquered every corner of the Elementary Spirit Platform by now. If you want a testing ground for your Star Liberation Crown, we'll need to head into the Intermediate Spirit Platform."
"Then let's go to the Intermediate Spirit Platform!" Han Yuan chimed in excitedly, his silver eyes sparkling.
Han Tianyi shook his head helplessly. "We can, but I must warn you first, Xiao Yuan. The Intermediate Spirit Platform is far more dangerous."
"It's not because the Spirit Beasts there are stronger, with many having reached the 10,000-year-old realm, but also because the environmental pressure places a much heavier physical and mental strain on your spiritual consciousness."
"Grandpa has full confidence in your strength, but you still need to exercise extreme caution."
"You must survive long enough for me to manually preserve your mind and pull your spirit back to the real world if things go south."
"Do you understand?" Han Tianyi emphasized, gazing seriously into the boy's bright silver eyes.
"Mm! I understand, Grandpa!" Han Yuan nodded eagerly.
Looking at his expression, Han Tianyi knew his grandson was too excited to listen to the warning.
The Illusory Brain Douluo could only sigh helplessly. 'I suppose I only have myself to blame for spoiling him so much...'
Even so, Han Tianyi still directed his grandson toward the dimensional boundary separating the two independent spaces, opening a rift to pass through the spatial wall.
Upon their arrival, the first thing Han Yuan noticed was that the landscape of the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform was significantly more vast and grand. The surrounding spiritual energy was also denser, purer, and heavier, carrying an ancient, wild aura.
Han Yuan looked around in awe, noticing right away that the biodiversity here was entirely different from the lower zone. The Spirit Beasts roaming these misty lands were not only older, but some possessed quite rare, not really ancient, but well-known bloodlines.
He recognized them from Alpha's recent shared memories.
The Shadow Tiger, the Pink Queen, the Datura Snake, and the notorious Man-Faced Demon Spider. While these species are nearly extinct in the wild nowadays, they still flourished in the era of twenty thousand years ago.
As it turned out, the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform was a much more stable mimicry of an Ancient Spirit Beast Habitat.
'And then there's still the Advanced Spirit Ascension Platform,' Han Yuan mused internally. 'There should be actual 100,000-year-old Spirit Souls residing there, right? After all, sealing beings of that power couldn't possibly be easy.'
Han Tianyi's voice pulled him back from his thoughts. "Are you ready to test the Spirit Skills of your Star Liberation Crown?"
Han Yuan blinked, offering his grandfather a bright smile. "Of course, Grandpa."
Without further ado, he summoned the Star Liberation Crown, and its two unique Spirit Rings appeared around him. Looking at the obsidian-colored rings shimmering with nebula-white specks, Han Tianyi couldn't help but feel amazed all over again.
Han Yuan began explaining the attributes of the Star Liberation Crown to his grandfather. Still, he kept certain core abilities concealed, just as he had done with the Underworld Anchor of Heaven.
Even so, Han Tianyi inside the simulation and the two elders watching outside were shaken to their very core.
The Gate of Stars was such a miraculous, heaven-defying skill that none of them had ever expected a child to possess.
After all, opening a direct space-time portal to another higher dimension was something most Spirit Masters could only dream of reaching at the peak of cultivation!
Humanity's dream to reach the starry sky isn't impossible as long as Han Yuan exists. Although they hadn't fully explored the limits of Han Yuan's ability, its potential to reshape the world was undeniable.
However, when Han Yuan actually checked the details of his Spirit Skills, he ended up momentarily speechless.
It wasn't that his Spirit Skills were weak.
No, in fact, they were very powerful!
It was just that... They were extraordinarily random.
With an awkward chuckle, Han Yuan scratched his cheek helplessly and started explaining the details of his Star Liberation Crown's Spirit Skills to his grandfather. "Cosmos grants me rather... 'unique' and 'abstract' Spirit Skills..."
"Unique? Abstract?" Han Tianyi found those terms somewhat vague, then noticed his grandson's strange expression. "What do you mean?"
"Yeah..." Han Yuan replied slowly.
"My First Spirit Skill is called Star Monsters Summoning!"
"Upon activation, I can use the Gate of Stars to summon entities from the Starry Sky known as 'Star Monsters.' Their individual strength is directly linked to my cultivation."
"However, the exact number of Star Monsters I can summon is... totally random."
'This is basically Gacha Summoning! Let's go gambling!'
"Random?" Han Tianyi was momentarily at a loss for words.
Han Yuan nodded. "It can summon as few as a single monster... or an infinite horde."
"So, in theory, I can unleash an overwhelming Star Monster Wave, much like the catastrophic Spirit Beast Waves that once swept across the continent in history."
"As long as I have enough Soul Power to maintain the Gate of Stars, the tide won't stop."
"On top of that, there's a rule-based effect attached to Star Monsters Summoning."
"Since the default summons are actually temporary and they can return to the Starry Domain after the skill ends, I can activate a special secondary effect called the Star Ritual Subjugation."
"Through this ritual, I can engage a powerful Star Monster in a true one-on-one duel. If I defeat it, I eternally tame it, allowing me to summon it unconditionally whenever I want in the future."
"What's the difference between temporary summons and tamed Star Monsters?" Han Tianyi asked, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Tamed Star Monsters become permanent, loyal companions," Han Yuan explained. "They cost Spiritual Power instead of Spirit Energy to maintain, and can even integrate with my body, granting me unique attribute buffs and special abilities derived from the Starry Domain."
"Furthermore, multiple tamed monsters can fuse and evolve into powerful monsters. If Cosmos ever acts as the 'Core' during a fusion, the resulting Star Monster could even reach a being capable of rivaling a Title Douluo!"
"This..." Han Tianyi hadn't expected a first Spirit Skill to be so completely absurd. Its potential was boundless, but the inherent unpredictability was just as obvious.
Han Yuan gave his grandfather a reassuring look. "If you're worried about whether I can win the Subjugation Rituals, you don't have to worry, Grandpa."
"Don't forget how strong I am."
"Not to mention, Cosmo told me that the stars like me!"
'Damn, that's right...' Han Tianyi inwardly facepalmed, realizing he had forgotten how monstrous his own grandson was yet again. He had literally watched the boy crush a thousand-year-old Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear like a twig a moment ago.
He sighed helplessly. "Alright, alright... What about your Second Spirit Skill?"
Han Yuan paused, a playful grin spreading across his face. "My Second Spirit Skill is..."