Chapter 209 – Acknowledging the Master, the Trial
His coiled divine body alone spanned a full one light-year in diameter. Once he fully stretched out his serpentine form, the space he occupied was even greater—so vast that even the endless Sea of Nine Nether could barely contain him without forcing him to curl up again.
And yet, this was not even close to the Eternal Serpent's true limit. This was merely the "infant stage." The "Universe of Thunder" within him had only just taken its first steps—it still had a long path of growth ahead.
After all, ever since cultivating the Primal Evolution Codex, the inner universe within his divine body had been evolving toward the form of a Primal Universe itself.
To carry an entire Primal Universe within himself, wasn't it only natural for his divine body to grow endlessly vast?
But the moment he stretched out his body, his untempered godly flesh was immediately corroded by the annihilating winds of the Silent Gale.
The larger the divine body, the greater the surface area exposed to the Silent Gale, and the more divine power it consumed every single second.
Yet, the silver-robed Jiang Zhe remained unfazed. He unleashed the energy long accumulated from his internal universe and activated his innate secret art—[Origin].
A booming roar shook the void.
Boundless lightning divine power poured down like a reversed heavenly river, flooding across a span of over a dozen light-years. It bathed his immense silver serpent body in shimmering radiance, a sight almost dreamlike.
His body began to grow violently, like bamboo sprouting after the rain. The divine power within surged at an alarming rate, and the strength of his godly body skyrocketed.
2.4 million times World Lord strength!
2.7 million times World Lord strength!
3 million times World Lord strength!
4 million times World Lord strength!
…
His clan had truly outdone themselves. The thunder-attribute materials they gathered for him were comprehensive and plentiful.
This was the advantage of being backed by a pinnacle race.
If he were a lone wanderer, completing such an arduous task would have been painfully slow. But with his status, he could simply post bounties at the Hongmeng trade hub. The moment other universe masters saw them, they ordered their subordinates to gather what he needed.
Especially Senior Qian Wu—he had been the most diligent of all.
For them, the main cost was manpower. As for the actual thunder-elemental materials—over ninety percent were grade F or below, and the required quantity wasn't even that large. Compared to the bountiful rewards Jiang Zhe had posted, the expense was negligible.
Later, when the Chaos City Master himself issued a command, the collection efficiency of an entire peak-race machine went beyond terrifying.
…
8 million times World Lord strength!
9 million times World Lord strength!
10 million times World Lord strength!
His power only halted once it reached a level comparable to the weakest of Cosmic Venerables. The frenzied growth of his serpentine form finally stabilized.
The "Thunder Universe" within him had completed its birth phase, now stepping firmly into the stage of Evolution. Life surged within, vitality blossoming everywhere.
Thanks to the abundance of thunder-element species, every stage of his inner universe's growth was now accelerating drastically—its evolution time shortened countlessfold compared to normal universes.
From this moment forward, every passing day would see Jiang Zhe grow stronger, almost without him noticing.
He tried to move his colossal body clumsily, but soon discovered that the faster he moved, the stronger the corrosive effect of the Silent Gale became. He quickly halted himself, moving on to the second step of his plan.
—To deliberately "invite the wolf into his house," and refine the golden particles into his divine body.
"If this fails, my massive divine body would collapse completely. How long would it take, even with my innate art, to siphon enough energy from my Original Body to recover?"
As he endured the erosion of the gale while refining the golden particles, Jiang Zhe muttered to himself:
"Thankfully, if my body collapses, I still have the chance to recover. Anyone else in my place would be left with nothing but death!"
"Time reversal? Impossible. In certain special secret realms, even Universe Masters cannot perform temporal regression."
"Clearly, both the Silent Gale Belt and this Silent Gale Prison are such places."
…
Hanxia Calendar, Year 5524.
The third year since Jiang Zhe began "playing dead" inside the Silent Gale Prison.
During this time, he absorbed golden particles into his divine body, while also burning small fragments of his flesh through his token to scatter strands of consciousness, observing the particle density around him.
"As expected—the total number of golden particles is fixed!"
The fluctuations in their density further confirmed his suspicion: these particles were most likely fragments of a supreme treasure.
Whenever he drained one region too much, he would shift his serpent body elsewhere, never daring to fully absorb all the particles in a single area. Otherwise, the prison walls would crack, letting in the full fury of the Silent Gale, which would annihilate his body without mercy.
By 5525, September, Jiang Zhe suddenly stirred from his meditation.
"Hm? No change? Was my perception mistaken?" He frowned, shaking his serpent head. "No, there was a change. I can't see it, but I can feel it."
Though his eyes revealed no difference, his perception sensed countless vein-like networks stretching across the prison, drawing him with a peculiar force.
He attempted to channel his ethereal godforce into these invisible veins.
But his energy passed through without connection.
Not surprising, but still within expectation.
"No matter. At least I can perceive them now. If I refine more golden particles, I'll soon be able to touch them too."
Encouraging himself, Jiang Zhe shut his eyes and resumed absorbing.
…
By 5580, Jiang Zhe had explored nearly every corner of the Silent Gale Prison, refining an ocean's worth of golden particles into his flesh.
The once-invisible veins no longer merely appeared in his senses—they manifested before his very eyes, like vast river systems, their countless branches spanning the void.
This time, when his ethereal power spread, he finally felt true contact.
A spark of joy flickered in his heart. He poured in his energy, branding the veins with his spiritual mark.
And not only that—his awareness extended into the veins themselves, spreading through the entire prison.
Everywhere those golden veins reached, every corner of the Silent Gale Prison, now fell under his gaze.
"This… is this the acknowledgment of a master?"
But just as the thought formed—an abrupt mutation struck.
No. The acknowledgment had only just begun.
His consciousness suddenly began to dissolve uncontrollably, mimicking the state of being eroded by the Silent Gale.
It felt as if his soul was a leaking vessel, its very essence draining away with his awareness, as though he would soon perish completely.
At least, that was the illusion. The pressure was crafted to stir panic, to crush his will.
"But… I don't even have a soul, do I? The highest law itself decreed I'd live through three cosmic eras."
If he allowed himself to believe the illusion, if he succumbed to fear and lost control, what then?
He carefully reassessed.
Yes, the feeling of collapse was real—ever since he extended his consciousness through the golden veins, he felt like a balloon slowly deflating.
Yet, when he checked his divine body, everything was fine. The Silent Gale had not corroded him at all.
Understanding dawned.
This was nothing but a psychological trick.
Like those infamous experiments—where a prisoner is told he will be executed by bleeding out, his eyes blindfolded, wrists nicked harmlessly, while water drips into a basin to mimic falling blood. Many such victims died—not from wounds, but from sheer terror.
"So, this treasure wants to use a false image of my mind collapsing, luring my subconscious into believing it, until illusion becomes reality, and I perish for real?"
"It's just like acknowledging the Star Tower—where those who couldn't endure the soul's torment abandoned themselves, and their spirits shattered."
"But if one refuses to yield, if one's will is unbreakable, then even scattered spirit and consciousness can be forcefully drawn back and reforged."
"You think such a cheap trick can shake my will?"
"Heh. Laughable."
"Go ahead, try me. Let's see if you can break the strongest pillar of my heart!"
Jiang Zhe sneered, then calmly closed his eyes, ignoring the illusion as he diverted part of his awareness to studying the Laws of Time.
He deduced that the Silent Gale Prison's recognition required a certain level of willpower.
If one's will was too weak, they could never pass, and the oppressive illusion of collapse would never fade.
And once the process began, it could not be stopped.
"Help! My true body—save me already!"
On the surface he appeared as steady as a mountain, but inwardly he was already contacting his Original Body for aid.
Virtual Universe, Rainmount Peak, Original District.
In estate no.101's training grounds, Jiang Zhe was experimenting with a new secret art—Palm Thunder!
After creating one ultimate secret technique, the second came much easier… well, at least for his spear arts. Palm Thunder was a purely energy-based attack method.
It was much like the difference between martial techniques and magic—different, yet ultimately born from the same essence: re-editing one's comprehension of the Laws.
In less than 400 years in the Primal Universe—just a little over 100 years by Initial Universe standards—his progress was astonishing.
In the endless void of the simulated universe, a blazing thunderball, covered in law-patterns, flew out like a newborn star. It struck a black-striped white tiger and erupted violently.
The blast shredded the beast's divine body, before chains of lightning swept across thousands of kilometers, drowning everything in destructive purple energy. The fragmented divine flesh was utterly annihilated, leaving nothing behind.
Opponent No.1923 defeated: special lifeform, Mo Shan Jun, 500x life gene level—slain.
"Congratulations, you've advanced again. Continue?" the system prompted.
"No." Jiang Zhe replied.
The void dissolved, returning to the serene training grounds. Jiang Zhe landed, quietly savoring the harvest of his battle.
'Sure enough, imitating Luo Feng's method of studying star tower engravings works wonders.'
Palm Thunder's refinement had been heavily inspired by the first layer of the "Thunder" law-pattern.
"Soon, I'll elevate this to an ultimate technique."
He smirked. "I'm no longer satisfied with just immortal-level secret arts. As for venerable-level… I know my limits. I still need more grounding, especially in the Laws of Time. I must fully comprehend its three profound mysteries."
His Demon Clone was in Chaos City, meditating atop his residence, simultaneously studying his innate art Primordial Demonic Qi, striving to master the Power of Destruction.
Meanwhile, his Candlelight Clone explored the Laws of Space.
"Enough training for now."
Receiving his silver-clad avatar's call for help, Jiang Zhe set aside everything, preparing to strengthen his will.
For most people, willpower was intangible—you couldn't just "decide" to strengthen it.
But for him, a cheat-born Earthling, it was no problem.
He had the Dormant Dragon Method.
Curiously, when showing his wives the Second Primordial Soul Technique, none of them could even perceive the Dormant Dragon Method inscribed on its reverse. Clearly, it was a unique boon, reserved solely for him.
Although his silver-clad avatar could also cultivate it, his current tormented state made true meditation impossible. Only Jiang Zhe's main body could practice it.
—In dream after dream, he would seek out tempering, honing his will to perfection.
"Now that I've fully comprehended the Laws of Thunder, and ensured my core can withstand resonance, it's time to truly attempt the Dormant Dragon Method. This time, the harvest will be different."
In past dreams, his avatars always halted at the World Lord level—the subconscious alarm of his body preventing disaster.
But if he went further, if in the dream he fully comprehended the Laws of Thunder, then once he woke, he'd instantly resonate with the Law Sea, unleash his inner world, and ascend directly into immortality.
That would ruin everything!
The painstakingly solid foundation he'd built from apprentice-level upward would be wasted.
He would rather remain stuck just before immortality, with a 12-light-year inner world, than ascend prematurely with a flawed foundation.
Thus, Jiang Zhe teleported to the Dark God Nation, informing his teacher of his decision to leave Chaos City.
The Lord of Darkness wasn't surprised—they'd agreed on this long ago.
Now that Jiang Zhe had forged his first ultimate secret art, he could no longer linger in safe waters. The cruelty of the real universe awaited him: rival geniuses, assassins, life-and-death trials.
The shallow pool of Chaos City could never raise a true dragon.
"Go," said the Dark Lord calmly. "It's time your name spreads across the Primal Universe."
He paused, then added:
"By rights, I should gift you a treasure as your safeguard for this coming trial. Do you have anything in mind?"
At first, Jiang Zhe had no intention of asking. His current equipment was already more luxurious than even his teacher's.
But after a moment's thought, he realized he did have a need—something only his teacher's vault could supply.
"Teacher, I require a soul-type treasure. Not necessarily for defense—what I desire is something that enhances soul attacks, preferably those tied to enslavement abilities."
The inspiration came from the soul-incense burner used by Demon Spirit. Given his master's lineage, well-versed in illusionary methods, surely such treasures were available.
"I see." The Dark Lord nodded, pondering briefly. "You're in luck. Just so happens there's one. I'll have it transferred from the clan's vault to company headquarters."
"Disciple thanks Teacher for this bestowment." Jiang Zhe bowed deeply.
"I've also sent your trial mission to your inbox, along with the specific requirements for your tempering. Study them carefully."
"Yes, Teacher. I shall take my leave."
---
[A/N: Want to read more chapters in advance?
Check out my P@treon at "DigitalToons" for early access and exclusive content!
You can read 100+ chapters there in advance.
```And free members can read 2 chapters ahead of WN.
```