Chapter 482 - 349: A New Beginning
And now, Jiangnan Province had two of them at once.
Although General Wei had only just broken through, he was a true Legend, a solid National Guardian Level.
"This is it... Our Jiangnan Province is about to take off."
Zhou Zhen muttered to himself, his eyes shining with excitement.
Lin Wei nodded in agreement, a look of yearning in her eyes.
"Three Legends gathered in Jiangnan Province... A grand event like this hasn’t been seen in years!"
"Yeah, we’re talking about Legends..." A look of awe also appeared on Zhou Zhen’s face.
He recalled the first time he met Wei Song. Who would have thought that in just ten short years, General Wei would skyrocket to a level far beyond his reach.
"The two of us are fortunate to have followed General Wei. Becoming a Legend might be impossible, but Grandmaster... that’s something we can still dream of."
"That’s right. If I can reach the rank of Grandmaster, I’ll have no regrets in this life!"
In the conference room, Ian and Li Yan’s conversation was drawing to a close.
"The files on the Black Mountain Rift will be sent to General Wei later."
Li Yan stood up. "Mr. Yin, you can review the files first."
"I’ll be in Jiangzhou City for three days to handle some affairs. I’ll head back to the Capital City after that. If you need anything, feel free to contact me."
Ian rose to his feet as well. "Of course."
After Wei Song escorted Li Yan out, Ian returned to his seat and began to think about his next steps.
A short while later, Wei Song returned to the main hall.
"Your identity issue is resolved. Li Yan may not believe it, but as long as it’s beneficial to Great Yan, it won’t be a problem."
"Come, I’ll show you the Source Crystals. It took me quite a while to save all these up."
Ian’s eyes lit up, and he followed Wei Song down a hallway to a secluded bedroom on the top floor of the Management Bureau building.
The room wasn’t large, but it was sparsely furnished with just a bed, a desk, and a wardrobe.
A few documents were piled on the desk. On the wall hung a map of Jiangnan Province, with several locations marked in red ink.
Wei Song walked over to the wardrobe and pulled open the bottom drawer, revealing a Dark Silver Metal Box.
The surface of the box was engraved with complex Runes, and the edges showed signs of an Energy Lock.
Wei Song pressed his finger on the lock. The Runes lit up, and the box slid open without a sound. A pure, immense wave of Energy surged out from within.
Ian’s pupils contracted. Every single Star Orbit in his Sea of Spirit felt an instinctive "craving" for the Energy radiating from the box.
Wei Song took a Jade Box from inside and opened it. Twenty golden Source Crystals, each the size of an egg, rested quietly on a velvet lining.
Each one was translucent and sparkling, with liquid golden Energy flowing slowly within.
Beside it was an even smaller box, filled to the brim with Source Crystal Fragments.
They were of varying, irregular sizes and shapes, but every piece radiated the same aura of origin.
"This is everything I’ve saved up over the past five years. It’s all yours now."
Wei Song pushed the Jade Box and the wooden box toward Ian, his voice calm.
"Absorb them as quickly as you can. It will help you adapt to this world’s Rules faster. I’ll be right outside; no one will disturb you."
With that, Wei Song turned and left, gently pulling the door closed behind him.
Ian was left alone in the bedroom with the boxes full of Source Crystals.
He walked to the bed, sat down cross-legged, and picked up a whole Source Crystal. Closing his eyes, he sent his Spiritual Power probing into it.
BUZZ!
A panel at the edge of his vision vibrated silently as faint golden text materialized.
[World Origin Detected]
[Tier Assessment: Small World Origin (Level Five)]
[Absorb?]
’Yes.’
As Ian gave the mental command, the Source Crystal in his palm began to melt.
After all, his plan was to let the panel absorb everything first, then have it feed the Rule Perception back to him.
This would both satisfy the panel and ensure his own safety.
Directly absorbing the World Origin from within the world itself was not completely safe; channeling it through the panel was the most secure method.
Once the last Source Crystal was absorbed, the panel spat out wisps of golden threads.
Deep within his Sea of Spirit, five Star Orbits lit up at once. Five colors of light intertwined, like a silent, splendid feast.
The golden threads were drawn toward the Star Orbits, splitting into five streams that flowed into their corresponding Rules.
The Gravity Orbit absorbed the fastest. Its silvery-gray light visibly solidified, and the points of light along the orbit grew even more brilliant.
The progress bar began to tick upward: 48%... 49%... 50%!
The Gravity Orbit shuddered, and intricate silver patterns surfaced upon it.
"Gravity broke through 50%. It’s a significant enhancement."
Ian murmured to himself, his voice tinged with uncontrollable excitement.
Fifty percent was a threshold. Crossing it meant his Gravity Rule had entered a new Realm.
From merely "using" it to truly "understanding its essence."
A steady stream of golden threads poured into his Sea of Spirit, and the Thermal Energy Orbit began to spin faster.
Its crimson light grew increasingly intense, as if a true Fixed Star were burning within.
Its progress jumped from 43% to 44%, then 45%... finally stopping at 46%.
The Purification Orbit was the slowest, but it still rose from 25% to 26%. The Time Orbit and Earth Orbit also showed slight growth.
But Ian could feel that it wasn’t the "progress" percentage that was growing, but rather... its depth.
His understanding of the Rules had deepened. It was like he could once only see the surface of the water, but now he could clearly see the fish swimming beneath it.
When the last of the golden threads was absorbed, Ian opened his eyes.
Gravity Rule: 51%. Thermal Energy Rule: 47%. Purification Rule: 27%. Time Rule: 8%. Earth Rule: 11%.
The increases weren’t massive, but... it was a comprehensive enhancement.
More importantly, Ian could clearly feel his "attunement" to this world increasing.
It felt like a fish returning to water, or a weary bird returning to its forest.
The distinct feeling of "estrangement" he once felt was fading. The Rules of the Profound Yellow World were becoming much clearer to him.
The Energy particles in the air were no longer moving about in a chaotic jumble.
Instead, they were like living fireflies, rising and falling along some esoteric trajectory.
He could "see" the web of Gravity, an invisible net that enveloped the entire world.
He could "hear" the flow of Thermal Energy, like magma surging slowly beneath the earth.
He could "feel" the Order of Purification, an invisible barrier walling off the corruption of the Abyss.
He could even... faintly "touch" the very flow of Time.
"So this... is the gift of the World Origin," Ian murmured to himself, the corners of his lips curling up slightly.
It wasn’t just an acceleration of his Rule Perception, but a deepening of his understanding of the world’s fundamental nature.
He stood up, flexed his fingers, and looked out the window.
’It’s still far from enough.’
Night had fallen, and the city was ablaze with brilliant lights.
"I’ll make my move tomorrow. First, I’ll take down a Rift. That should leave a good impression on Great Yan."
He muttered to himself, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.