Chapter 95: Dual Cultivation of Time and Space? A False Proposition?
Jiang Zhe stood up and walked toward the window of his study, intending to see who had arrived.
"Master, it's not someone at the manor—it's your residence in Chaos City," Oriana reminded him.
Only then did Jiang Zhe realize: after clearing the third level of the Sky-Bridge, he was now qualified to attend lectures by foundational powerhouses of the "Cosmos Faction."
Logging out of the Virtual Universe, Jiang Zhe exited the training room and opened the living room door. Outside stood a bald man in a black robe.
Just as expected—he had come to inform Jiang Zhe that he could now attend the lectures.
He emphasized that the choice of the first teacher was extremely important and handed over a black-covered book before turning to leave.
Back in the lounge, Jiang Zhe opened the book. It contained brief profiles of 14 foundational powerhouses of the "Cosmos Faction."
He quickly narrowed it down to three leaders from the Virtual Universe Company.
"Holy Spirit King? Flame Prison King? Heavy Soul King?"
"Three choices? No, only one correct answer."
Jiang Zhe frowned as his eyes landed on the Holy Spirit King's profile.
Flame Prison King and Heavy Soul King explained the mysteries of the Cosmic Chaos Monument from the perspective of fire and earth laws, making them more suitable as teachers for his Silver-Clad Soul.
Only the Holy Spirit King focused primarily on time and light, with earth as a supplement—perfect for him.
The difference in quality between the three was immediately apparent.
Jiang Zhe instructed Oriana to send a message to Teacher Moposan regarding apprenticeship.
"Anna, how many points do I have now?"
"Master, of the 20,000 points you were gifted, 2,300 were used to purchase a C-grade lightning treasure, and 9,200 to acquire an E-grade treasure for me. You also earned 63,000 points by passing the first six levels of the Sky-Bridge. Your current balance is 71,500 points."
Jiang Zhe nodded, mentally calculating.
He decided to save the 70,000+ points to purchase the ultimate secret manuals of the Cosmos Faction once his new teacher was arranged.
He then retrieved the treasures he had purchased before entering the Initial Universe from his World Bracelet.
One was given to Oriana to store within her internal world, and the other Jiang Zhe placed into the "Thunder Prison Realm" at his chest.
He had 30 years in Chaos City—more than enough time to reach Universe Level 9.
With the help of the Thunder Prison Realm, he could simultaneously comprehend the origin laws and accumulate energy.
Elsewhere, in a grand cathedral-like building…
On the top floor, three titled King Immortals exited the Virtual Universe and quietly drank in silence.
Upon receiving insider news from the Venerables' circle, Flame Prison King and Heavy Soul King looked at each other in astonishment, then turned to their old friend.
"You went to such lengths for him? Is someone from your clan's leadership planning to take him as a disciple?"
Although their friend's family background was mysterious, they knew enough to realize that her lineage was connected to one of the great figures of their race.
The Holy Spirit King put down her cup.
"He's worth it—both as an investment and for the potential return, however uncertain."
Flame Prison King scoffed.
"Him? Bring you returns? Maybe thousands or tens of thousands of eras later. By then you might be a Venerable yourself. Are you saying he'll help you become a Universe Lord?"
Heavy Soul King nodded in agreement. At their level, apprentices were mainly for passing on legacy, rarely giving anything in return.
"Honestly, I don't know. It's just a gut feeling," said the Holy Spirit King with a hint of uncertainty.
When she mentioned "intuition," the two kings seemed to understand.
"Is it from that genius World Lord of your clan?" Flame Prison King asked.
"Kedi is strong in talent, but that other one had more luck. You've already gained so much from her. Did she sense that this genius is the one destined for the next great opportunity?"
"Didn't she recently comprehend 'Time Freeze'? Still not an Immortal?" Heavy Soul King asked.
"She was ready to ascend over 40 years ago," said the Holy Spirit King. "But her innate secret technique resonated with something, delaying the breakthrough. In the following 20 years, she gained clearer guidance from the Origin Will of the Original Universe. Over 20 years ago, she orchestrated an auction of the 'Beast God's Hand'—and that's when this little genius emerged."
Heavy Soul King scratched his chin, looking skeptical.
"Sounds crazy. Can that really be trusted?"
Flame Prison King gave him a look.
"Use your brain. Think about the Ancestor God Religion. Do you really believe the Origin Will of the Universe would act without reason? That kid must be special."
He sighed.
"What a monstrous secret technique. Too bad it only works within the Original Universe's domain."
The Holy Spirit King smiled.
"In any case, this disciple matter involves many layers. I hope you'll give me face. My clan has already prepared gifts—you won't lose out."
"You should've just said so earlier!" Flame Prison King waved dismissively.
"No need for gifts."
"Yeah, we've known each other for years. One word is enough," agreed Heavy Soul King.
"These are clan gifts, not from me personally. Just a couple of standard treasures. Please accept them."
"Treasures?!" the two were stunned.
"How valuable is this kid? Your clan is buying out others with rare treasures?"
Their clans were smaller and rarely saw such generosity.
Meanwhile, the C-grade lightning treasure inside the Thunder Prison Realm was broken down into special energy, slowly absorbed by Jiang Zhe's body and converted into genetic primal energy and mental force—entirely autonomously.
He sat cross-legged on the rooftop, sorting through his insights from the Chaos Monument. Days flew by.
After over ten days of meditation, Jiang Zhe stood up, retrieved a long spear from his World Ring, and began performing intricate spear techniques infused with time laws.
"Style 21! Style 22! Style 23… not bad at all!"
He felt refreshed after finishing all 23 sets of the Shadow Monarch Spear Manual.
What delighted him more was the progress of his Silver-Clad Soul.
Due to the 1:3.28 time ratio between the Initial and Original Universes, his Silver-Clad Soul could train much faster.
His space law comprehension increased from 13 to 16 types.
"Anna, any emails? Has my teacher replied?"
"Many of your fellow Genius War participants have sent congratulatory messages for passing the sixth Sky-Bridge level."
"As you guessed, none offered to take you as their disciple."
Jiang Zhe wasn't surprised.
He had suspected he'd already been preselected by a core faction within the Virtual Universe Company. His path was laid out—he just needed to focus on cultivating.
"Your teacher Moposan replied ten days ago. Opening the email now."
A holographic screen popped up, showing the instructions.
"Meet the Holy Spirit King for apprenticeship. She will arrange your weapons and secret techniques."
Outside a majestic cathedral in Chaos City, groups of cultivators—World Lords and Immortals—gathered, waiting for the doors to open.
Jiang Zhe overheard discussions: the Holy Spirit King would be lecturing on the first three Chaos Monument diagrams. He was secretly pleased.
Once the doors opened, thousands of cultivators streamed in and scrambled for front-row seats.
Unable to compete, Jiang Zhe found a mid-rear seat next to a World Lord recognized by the laws. They chatted casually.
BOOM!
An invisible pressure enveloped the entire hall. Everyone fell silent.
From above descended a six-winged, sacred-looking woman down a white spiral staircase. Her movements were erratic, giving the illusion of time distortion.
"Dream Spiral Wing Race?"
Jiang Zhe thought of "Light Sword" Ai Chen from the Genius War but quickly dismissed the thought.
His Life Mastery talent from the Silver-Clad Soul gave him a unique sense—this woman seemed like a special lifeform.
A clone? Possession?
The Holy Spirit King sat on a high-backed chair and began her lecture, immediately diving into the mysteries of law patterns—pulling Jiang Zhe's thoughts back on track.
Five days later, the lecture ended.
All cultivators bowed respectfully. Jiang Zhe joined, then walked to the front and formally took her as his master.
It was a formality—they had already planned it long ago.
Afterward, he followed the Holy Spirit King upstairs.
After Jiang Zhe and Rong Jun took masters, other geniuses were inspired to work harder.
Some believed Rong Jun's master, a Universe Country Lord, overshadowed Jiang Zhe's, finally giving them a win over the Taichu region.
But was that really the case?
Although teacher levels varied, so did dedication.
Jiang Zhe wouldn't have only the Holy Spirit King as a teacher. Each cultivation stage would bring the right mentor.
In a quiet chamber, Jiang Zhe sat opposite the Holy Spirit King, sipping an unknown hot drink.
"Relax. No need to be formal."
"For now, call me Teacher. One day you might call me Senior Sister—or even I may have to call you Uncle Junior."
"Your future depends entirely on your talent. Good luck."
She smiled gently, surprisingly approachable.
What Schrödinger-level seniority is this?!
"Yes, Teacher." Jiang Zhe could only awkwardly comply.
She stirred her drink slowly.
"Jiang Zhe, what's your view on the Chaos Monument? From what angle do you think it should be studied?"
"Angle?" Jiang Zhe looked puzzled.
In his heart, it was simple: have one body focus on time, another on space, and the third integrate their insights. Why complicate it?
"There are three angles," she explained patiently.
"First, prioritize time, supplement with space. Second, the reverse. Third, dual cultivation of time and space."
"The third one sounds like the most proper path?" Jiang Zhe guessed.
She grinned mischievously.
"Wrong. 'Dual cultivation of time and space' is a false proposition."
She paused.
"First, I'll explain the levels above Immortality."
She went on to describe the path:
Titled King Immortal ➝
Universe Venerable (requires mastering an entire high-order law, like time or space) ➝
Universe Lord (usually by mastering both time and space high-order laws)
"Wait, isn't that a bug?" Jiang Zhe suddenly exclaimed.
She chuckled.
"Exactly. Do you see the issue with dual cultivation now?"
Jiang Zhe realized:
"If someone truly cultivated both laws equally, they could jump from Venerable to Universe Lord in no time!"
She nodded.
"But before that, even at Immortal level, the path forces you to choose."
"Say you ascend by mastering the Lightning Law—your soul merges with your god-body, forming a structure aligned to the lightning path. From then on, learning other laws becomes exponentially harder—perhaps millions of times harder."
"So-called 'dual cultivation' becomes nonsense. You must choose one main path, with the other as support."
Jiang Zhe understood.
"Teacher, are you asking me to decide now?"
"Yes. But before becoming Immortal, I expect you to keep the difference between your time and space comprehension within three levels on the Sky-Bridge."
"Do you have a decision?"
"Time as the main, space as support."
Is dual cultivation really false?
Not necessarily.
If, as a World Lord, one gains simultaneous recognition from both time and space origin laws, dual cultivation remains possible—even if much harder.
But the requirements…
...are nearly impossible to meet.
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