Translator: CinderTL
Time flowed like water.
Before he knew it, half a month had passed.
Inside the mountain cave:
Whoosh!
An invisible wave rippled through the air, distorting the void.
Jiang Ye was attempting to control the mysteries of earth within the void, bending them to his will.
Half a month of secluded cultivation had granted him profound insights into the mysteries of earth.
"Condense!"
At his mental command, a visible, earth-yellow light erupted from the void.
The light rapidly solidified, forming a cage that encased the entire mountain cave.
Earth, heavy and unyielding, Jiang Ye mused inwardly. It can bear all things, yet also imprison them. The Earth Cage is finally complete.
Don't let the simple name fool you.
Even a peak seventh breakthrough expert would find themselves trapped within this Earth Cage, Jiang Ye was confident.
This was Jiang Ye's greatest achievement in the past half-month.
"Jiang Ye, you truly are a prodigy of the earth path," Bai Gui's voice echoed, filled with admiration. "In just half a month, your mastery of the mysteries of earth likely surpasses that of most late-stage seventh breakthrough experts."
"Not just the mysteries of earth," Jiang Ye replied with a faint smile.
He flicked his finger, and a wisp of fire erupted from his fingertip.
Whoosh!
The flame rapidly coalesced into a fiery long spear, which Jiang Ye grasped in his hand.
Huff! Huff! With a thought, the spear instantly shrank to the size of a finger, spinning rapidly between his fingers and palm.
Such precise control.
This meant Jiang Ye's command over the mysteries of fire had reached a level far beyond his previous capabilities.
"Senior Bai Gui, what do you think?" Jiang Ye asked with a smile.
"Impressive," Bai Gui marveled. "Your mastery of the mysteries of fire should soon reach the peak seventh breakthrough level as well."
"Is my speed of comprehending the mysteries of heaven and earth... excessive?" Jiang Ye couldn't help but feel a surge of pride.
He understood how difficult it was to grasp these mysteries.
Countless seventh and even ninth breakthrough experts had been trapped on this path for decades, making no progress despite their relentless efforts.
Yet for him, this seemed even easier than mastering spear techniques.
"It's remarkably fast," Bai Gui marveled. "Even within a third-tier civilization, most Transcendent Aptitudes wouldn't compare to yours. Only those with heavenly pride talent or Stellar Talent—the Children of the Stars—could surpass you."
"Children of the Stars?" Jiang Ye asked, puzzled.
"Those with Stellar Talent," Bai Gui explained. "Stellar Talent is exceedingly rare, even in third-tier civilizations. A life planet can only produce one such individual."
"Hence, they're called Children of the Stars."
Children of the Stars? Jiang Ye nodded.
Across all of history and into the future, a single life planet could only give rise to one such being.
For such an existence to possess such extraordinary talent was hardly surprising.
"I never imagined my innate talent in the path of earth would be this high," Jiang Ye thought, his heart brimming with joy.
His talent in the dao of fire was abysmal.
Only through the system had he managed to achieve any progress.
But the path of earth? This was his true, innate talent, giving Jiang Ye a profound sense of groundedness.
Yet, a moment later...
"I originally only had Primitive Aptitude," Jiang Ye suddenly realized, a strange feeling creeping in. "Even after the system's restructuring, I only gained Dao Bone Aptitude."
"How could I possibly possess such extraordinary talent in the earth path?"
"Something doesn't add up," Jiang Ye murmured, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
Law comprehension is directly linked to innate aptitude.
Those with Transcendent Aptitude are naturally more attuned to the world, making it easier for them to grasp the mysteries of heaven and earth.
The same principle applies to Heavenly Pride Talent and Stellar Talent.
But Jiang Ye? He only possessed dao bone aptitude.
After much deliberation, he ultimately returned to the system as the most likely explanation.
Could it be because of the heart fire? Jiang Ye glanced again at the achievement description.
Lower Realm Immortal: You have broken through the lower realm's suppression, gaining access to the divine abilities of the upper realm. Your divine power fire can ignore the lower realm's rules, shattering the original limits.
"Bai Gui."
"Does heart fire aid in comprehending the mysteries of earth?" Jiang Ye asked.
"How could it?" Bai Gui shook her head. "Heart fire only assists in understanding the mysteries of fire."
"However," she added, "in third-tier civilizations, there exists a treasure capable of condensing primordial dao fire. If such fire were present, it might indeed aid in comprehending the mysteries of earth."
Jiang Ye's expression shifted slightly. Could such a thing truly exist?
"The universe operates according to inherent laws," Bai Gui explained. "The mysteries of fire can give rise to the mysteries of earth, as the two are mutually generative. Therefore, by comprehending primordial dao fire, one can also glimpse the mysteries of earth."
"But heart fire hasn't yet reached that level."
Jiang Ye nodded slightly, but his heart was churning with turbulent thoughts.
According to Bai Gui, could it be that the heart fire within him had been enhanced by the system to the level of primordial dao fire?
He couldn't think of any other explanation for his exceptionally high innate talent in the earth path.
"Jiang Ye, don't overthink it," Bai Gui said, as if sensing his thoughts. "Even primordial dao fire wouldn't necessarily grant you such exceptional earth path talent. Law talent, while linked to innate aptitude, is also influenced by numerous other factors."
"Historically, there was once a supreme powerhouse," Bai Gui continued. "He possessed Dao Bone Aptitude, yet through his astonishing talent in the metal dao, his law comprehension reached the true divine level. Though his own realm fell short of true divinity, he could still battle true divine beings."
"Impressive," Jiang Ye couldn't help but marvel.
Fighting across major realm boundaries was exceedingly difficult, let alone against beings of true divine status.
"Regardless of the reason," Jiang Ye mused inwardly, "my earth path talent is undoubtedly far superior to my fire dao talent."
When comprehending the mysteries of fire, he had only glimpsed fleeting strands of light. But when comprehending the mysteries of earth, he witnessed radiant halos materializing—the difference was like night and day.
As Jiang Ye pondered, the wristband on his wrist suddenly vibrated gently.
"Ranking update?" Jiang Ye checked the wristband.
The Great Stellar War rankings refreshed every hour.
1: Zhou Kun, 455 Civilization Fire
2: Chu Yu, 390 civilization fire
3: Li Shiyue, 389 civilization fire
4: Qi Guibei, 360 civilization fire
15: Chen Zilu, 280 civilization fire
85: Jiang Ye, 176 civilization fire
120: Song Xuan, 120 civilization fire
As Jiang Ye had predicted, he hadn't fallen out of the top 100.
What surprised him was Chen Zilu's ranking.
"Fifteenth place?"
"Senior Sister...?" A flicker of surprise crossed Jiang Ye's eyes. "This ranking must mean she's already close to peak seventh breakthrough realm strength, right?"
Even with an invincible dao bone, achieving such a ranking would be quite challenging.
After all, Chen Zilu's initial realm had only been the late stage of the fifth breakthrough.
"Looks like Senior Sister has had some opportunities too," Jiang Ye said with a smile.
This was good news.
The stronger Chen Zilu became, the more at ease he felt.
"There are only about a thousand people left in the civilization ruins," Jiang Ye noted, glancing at the leaderboard.
"The Top 100 Battle is approaching."
"Time to move." Jiang Ye rose from the ground and headed out of the cave.
Song Xuan had also dropped to 120th place. He needed to help her improve her ranking.
At the cave entrance, Song Xuan quickly stood up when Jiang Ye appeared.
"Jiang Ye, you're finally out of seclusion," Song Xuan said eagerly. "Are we heading to the inner perimeter now?"
"Mm-hmm," Jiang Ye nodded. "Let's go."
"The Top 100 Battle!"
(End of the Chapter)
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