At the entrance to the Primordial Gate, shallow-red void stretches out, flanked by countless floating Spark‑Heritage Mountains in a myriad of forms. The world is silent; only Sean Nan, prince of the South‑Sage Ancient Kingdom, stands with hands folded behind his back, his luxurious robes fluttering, unreadable and enigmatic.
Andrew Han departed, paying Sean Nan no mind.
Silence.
Sean Nan’s expression remained calm, his emotions hidden beneath a mask of serenity.
“Interesting.”
Once Andrew vanished at the edge of the void, Sean Nan slowly lifted his cold, imperious face, the corners of his mouth curling into a faint, ambiguous smile. He gently clapped his hands together.
Clap, clap—he applauded, as if in praise.
As a Composite Starlight‑tier, Andrew’s soul had reached the Primordial Genius standard. His life‑gene path was also just attaining the Hengsha benchmark—truly remarkable.
In truth, curiosity and astonishment were only part of why Sean Nan wished to probe further. The real reason was that he never underestimated anyone, and his need for control was absolute—he disliked the emergence of things beyond his grasp.
So Sean Nan had prepared in advance: “As prince of the South‑Sage Ancient Kingdom, I was fortunate to be granted a precious soul secret art by my father, the king. As long as Andrew takes action, no matter what power he uses, I can seize the chance to observe the level of his soul.”
Unfortunately.
Sean Nan hadn’t expected to miscalculate.
Even though Andrew erupted with Starlight-tier Martial Arts and repeatedly wielded the Profound Trait Silent Chaos Seal, battling the Heaven‑Venerable phantom for ages... Even as Sean strained to activate his soul secret art... he still could not see through Andrew.
He simply couldn’t observe it!
A dazzling soul—half real, half illusory!
“I can only glimpse a fragment.” Sean Nan sighed quietly, rubbing his chin. “Even that fragment is terrifying. Andrew has only just entered the Primordial Gate, not even finished his adaptation period. My father was right—never underestimate anyone.”
Even a salted fish can flip; even an ant can reach the heavens.
All four star‑gates, even the Reserve‑tier cultivation city, have produced Human Heaven‑Venerables. Such is the vast splendor of the cosmic starry sky... Anything is possible!
“However.”
“With less than half a star‑year, how much stronger can you really get?” Sean Nan shook his head, smiling wryly. He glanced at the direction Andrew had left, then turned and stepped into Soul‑Dominion Mountain.
He did not underestimate Andrew, but neither did he overestimate him, so he was not overly cautious.
In Sean Nan's mental alert list, Andrew's name flickered briefly, then faded away. For now, Andrew did not qualify for his true vigilance.
......
Twin-star spectacle within the manor.
Two figures descended, stirring the air—Andrew Han and his steward, Victor Wu.
“Victor Wu,” Andrew instructed, “unless it’s a major matter, do not disturb me in the near future.”
For the Primordial Contest.
He had to give his all in cultivation, to grow stronger.
“As you wish, Your Highness.” Victor Wu removed his ten-meter-tall hat, bowed with it in hand, his manner now fully formal and respectful.
“Mm.”
Andrew Han acknowledged and walked into the manor.
From the main entrance, a broad stone path led straight to the main hall, flanked by exotic flowers in vibrant colors, their fragrance filling the air—a world of blossoms and birdsong, though no birds were singing.
The view was refreshing and soothing to the soul.
The stone path to the main hall was paved with black crystal, seamless and flawless.
Andrew’s footsteps on the black stone echoed with a dull click-clack, like a faint sound striking the soul—this rhythm alone could shake the heart of even a peak Starlight-tier cultivator.
He walked on, lost in thought.
He wanted to win a Nether-Fame Stele quota in the Primordial Contest—a daunting challenge. “So far, in the Soul-Will system, I lag behind the top Primordial Geniuses in two ways: the number of Consciousness Nodes, and the depth of my realm.”
Let’s set aside the Consciousness Node count for now.
At the Fifth-Order Creation Light realm, some have just entered, some have exceptional depth, and some have reached the very peak.
Andrew advanced early into Creation Light, but his foundation was not exceptionally deep, and the peak was still far off. Still, this didn’t trouble him.
Realm is easy to cultivate; true genius is hard to advance.
Andrew paused, breathing in the fragrance of exotic flowers, and looked down at the merit projection on his wrist from Bailey. “Yes, I have enough resources. Deepening my Creation Light realm is the top priority for my five-year plan.”
As he planned, the five-year plan had three key steps.
Five years—half a star-year. The three steps meant three major improvements. Andrew always believed in advancing step by step, steadily and efficiently.
So.
Step one: cultivation.
That is, to quickly achieve the first major goal.
Click-clack, click-clack—Andrew paced along the black stone path, weighing the feasibility of his five-year plan until he felt utterly confident.
Let’s begin.
Andrew murmured softly, turning around.
He stepped forward, landing directly inside the main hall of the manor. Immediately, he turned and flicked his fingertips, light flashing as he activated the manor’s cultivation seal to prevent any interruptions.
Not far away.
At the manor entrance, Victor Wu looked surprised.
He shook his ten-meter-tall hat and couldn’t help but glance over for a while, then shook his head in awe: “Is it really necessary to take flight for such a short distance? So impatient.”
Victor Wu didn’t know—Andrew Han was already seated cross-legged.
The cultivation resources provided by the Spark-Heritage Zone’s Primordial Gate far surpassed those of Chenriver Palace. Their efficacy, quality, and quantity were all at the cosmic pinnacle, enough to make even ordinary Void Rift cultivators envious.
For example, only the interior of a star could birth Essence-Light Stone.
For example, only a red giant could host the transplanted Archan Bluewood, with its endless light and heat promoting growth.
For example, only the edge of a neutron star could nurture Companion Star Airflow—rotating currents like streams refining life itself.
......
The first month.
Andrew Han sat cross-legged in midair, his soul drawing all the cultivation resources to float around him—each one a dazzling treasure.
“Archan Bluewood.”
Usage: Crush and eat.
As usual, he didn’t eat it—he simply crushed the Archan Bluewood. This rare treasure, once shattered, transformed into pure life energy, merging into his body and raising his realm until fully evaporated.
“This effect… not bad.” Andrew’s expression was calm, his white short-sleeved shirt immaculate.
Even after sitting for ages, no dust could cling to him.
But this was only the first month.
Second month… third month… By the fourth, Andrew gazed at the twin stars above, his black-and-white eyes turning gold and red, starry brilliance blazing like the sun. The deep power of Fifth-Order Creation Light spread slowly and majestically in all directions.
It felt as if he could press down the sky.
Such power made life intoxicated.
“Not enough, still not enough.” Andrew cherished this precious cultivation time, his gold-red soul starlight flashing and vanishing. He closed his eyes again, continuing to refine and absorb resources, his soul starlight thickening, his power growing.
Bit by bit, his realm increased.
Inch by inch, time slipped away.
With the Primordial Contest approaching, the competition for the Primordial Gate, the longing to return home—Andrew fell into nearly frenzied cultivation, training day and night, pushing his Fifth-Order Creation Light realm higher and stronger.
No matter what, realm is always the foundation.
The subtle pleasure of realm advancement nearly made Andrew forget the passage of time.
......
Year one: his soul starlight was incomparably deep.
Year two: his soul-will realm surpassed his martial arts for the first time, approaching the Creation Light limit.
Increasing, still increasing, continuing to increase.
It seemed like endless growth… like a ship nearing shore, always just a little distance away.
“Hmm.”
Andrew Han opened his eyes, blazing gold and red.
It seems my soul-will ceiling is so high that my Starlight Tier keeps expanding upward. To reach the absolute upper limit, I’ll need to polish it for some time yet.
Pure cultivation realm now means little.
Even with deep Creation Light, you can’t defeat all the Primordial Geniuses.
Thinking this, Andrew Han realized he couldn’t keep cultivating endlessly. He shuddered and stood up: “The first milestone is complete. Next is the second.”
There are three aspects to growing stronger in the five-year plan.
First is depth of realm, second is choice of soul secret arts, last is integration of consciousness nodes.
Soul secret arts are extremely important.
Ever since entering the starry sky, Andrew Han’s soul secret arts have been many and messy, with no unified standard. In battle, his moves often change… In short, flashy soul secret arts have greatly affected his strength.
In Chenriver Empire, it didn’t matter.
But in the Primordial Gate, that’s not enough.
“Bailey.” Andrew Han shook his head, stretched his fists and legs, his powerful body rumbling after two years of sitting: “The soul secret art I asked you to verify… Life-Death Reincarnation Seal.”
Next moment.
Snow-white fur appeared out of nowhere; rabbit-like Bailey bared its teeth, extremely excited.
“(≧▽≦)/ Verification complete!”
The Mo-Tai Legacy’s Soul Life-Death Reincarnation Seal has seven moves. The Spark-Heritage Zone’s Life-Death Reincarnation Seal has nine. I submitted the three moves currently visible from Mo-Tai Legacy for Spark-Heritage verification—they match the first three moves of Life-Death Reincarnation Seal.
As Bailey explained:
Just redeeming the first move of Life-Death Reincarnation Seal costs a Primordial Genius’s entire fortune. The first three moves would drain a Primeval Genius’s wealth. But the Mo-Tai Legacy version is verified and error-free for the first three moves!
Life-Death Reincarnation Seal is an extremely rare soul secret art.
Combining Mo-Tai Legacy and Spark-Heritage Zone records: Life-Death Reincarnation Seal is one of the finest soul-will arts, connecting the entire soul-will system. Even at the Cosmic Eternal Realm, it’s a rare treasure.
Whoosh!
Andrew Han straightened up, flickered like a phantom, and instantly appeared before Bailey: “My guess was right.”
Mo-Tai Legacy contains vast mysteries and knowledge. The Spark-Heritage Zone, as the Human Race’s core, must have overlapping secret arts with Mo-Tai Legacy.
The Human Race is supreme, but to redeem top-tier secret arts, you need merit points. The Inkspire Race is second-rate, and Mo-Tai Legacy can’t match the Spark-Heritage Zone’s library… But since Andrew is still weak, Mo-Tai Legacy is more useful.
Overlapping secret arts are the first choice.
Inkspire Race is unreliable, but the Human Race is trustworthy.
“We’ll go with Life-Death Reincarnation Seal.”
Mo-Tai Legacy’s records are incomplete, but our Human Race has the full version!” Andrew Han’s eyes blazed with battle intent: “Soul-will cultivation will focus on Life-Death Reincarnation Seal—it’s powerful and matches Wheel Mountain’s Heaven-Venerable intent.”