From the Metropolis to the Strongest in the Cosmos

Soul Ink was at a loss. He had thought that Li Yang’s planet, no matter how primitive, would at least have contact with other civilizations. But it was even more backward than he’d anticipated.

Li Yang’s eyes darted about as he committed Soul Ink’s words to memory. He pressed on, ”Soul Ink, is the Spirit Awakening Realm you mentioned the same as the King Level Realm? And you’re from another inhabited planet? Where are these planets?”

Hearing Li Yang’s barrage of questions, Soul Ink said, ”You... Never mind. You know nothing about the Cosmos. I’ll give you a simple primer.”

He gathered his thoughts and said, ”You asked if there were other inhabited planets in the Cosmos. Of course there are—countless, in fact! There’s one just fifty thousand light-years away from your planet. Hmm... You’re in the Milky Way Galaxy, right? The Milky Way Galaxy should have roughly a few hundred thousand inhabited planets.”

”What? Hundreds of thousands?” Li Yang was stunned.

’Are there really that many inhabited planets?’

”Around that many. I haven’t been to this area often, so I don’t know the exact number.”

Soul Ink glanced at Li Yang. ”Surely you don’t think a few hundred thousand inhabited planets is a lot? The entire Cosmos is vast. There are countless galaxies like the Milky Way, and who knows how many inhabited planets exist.”

Li Yang took a deep breath and continued to listen. When he was just a child, he would gaze up at the starry sky and wonder if there was other life out there. Now, he finally had his answer.

Not only was there other life in the Cosmos, but it was boundless in number.

”These inhabited planets are constantly evolving, and they contain countless powerful individuals. Power is divided into realms. The first is the Mortal Realm, and the second is the Spirit Awakening Realm—which is your current King Level.”

Soul Ink explained to Li Yang, ”The Mortal Realm and the Spirit Awakening Realm are the foundations of cultivation. They are merely the first steps on the path.”

’The first steps on the path?’

Li Yang was taken aback. ”Is the Spirit Awakening Realm really that weak?”

’King Level beings are like Land Immortals. They can fly through the air and control the elements of water, fire, and lightning. How is that not strong?’

Soul Ink said calmly, ”What kind of Cultivator can be made from a realm that’s easily reached just by consuming Spirit Fruit and Medicinal Herbs? Even someone with the worst aptitude can easily reach the Peak of the Spirit Awakening Realm as long as they have enough resources.”

”Don’t be so shocked. A planet where the strongest being is only at the Peak of the Spirit Awakening Realm is, without a doubt, an exceptionally weak one.”

Li Yang fell silent. The Peak of the Spirit Awakening Realm, also known as the Peak of King Level... On Earth, likely only Shen Xuan had ever reached that stage.

The other strongest experts were only at the Late King Level.

And according to Soul Ink’s evaluation, such a planet was ”exceptionally weak.”

After a moment of shock, Li Yang asked, ”Then what realms come after the Spirit Awakening Realm?”

’If these two realms are so incredibly weak, then there must be far more powerful ones.’

”After the Spirit Awakening Realm is the Law Realm. Only by reaching this realm can you be considered a true Cultivator!”

’The Law Realm?’ Li Yang wondered.

’Is Palace Master Shen Xuan at this realm?’

He had broken through to the King Level, and based on his understanding of it, if Shen Xuan was only at the Peak of King Level, he shouldn’t be able to withstand a nuclear bomb, could he?

After all, the Peak of King Level was a hundred times stronger than the Early King Level.

’Even if my current power were to increase a hundredfold, I don’t think I could withstand a direct hit from a nuclear bomb.’

’Of course, no one knows what kinds of changes occur as one’s power progresses. For instance, the difference in raw attack power between the Early King Level and the Peak of Heaven-level is only a few times over, but the gap in their abilities is immense.’

’No amount of Peak Heaven-level experts could ever be a match for a single Early King Level cultivator.’

While Li Yang was lost in thought, Soul Ink continued, ”In the Law Realm, one comprehends laws. This is the stage where Cultivators are truly separated from one another! Geniuses will rise and continue to advance to higher levels. Those without Talent, however, will be culled, stuck forever at the Peak of the Spirit Awakening Realm, unable to break through.”

Hearing this, Li Yang was completely baffled. He asked, confused, ”What does it mean to comprehend a law?”

His cultivation so far had just been about absorbing Spiritual Power to grow stronger.

Soul Ink didn’t explain. Instead, he asked, ”What ability did you awaken when you broke through to the Spirit Awakening Realm?”

Li Yang clenched his right fist, and a bolt of lightning crackled into existence.

”That lightning ability is your Talent for a law.”

Soul Ink said, ”With this lightning Talent, you have the potential to one day suddenly grasp the Thunder Law. It’s a bit like a state of enlightenment.”

”How do I grasp it?” Li Yang pressed.

”You must comprehend it on your own. No one can help you. Of course, the vast majority of people will never be able to comprehend it, and so they will remain stuck at the Peak of the Spirit Awakening Realm, forever unable to step into the Law Realm.”

Li Yang fell silent. It seemed that when it came to comprehending laws, Soul Ink couldn’t help him.

After discussing the Law Realm, Soul Ink continued his explanation. ”After the Law Realm is the Longevity Realm. Hmm, the biggest change upon reaching this realm is one’s lifespan. You can easily live for ten thousand years.”

”Ten thousand years?”

Hearing this, Li Yang’s eyes filled with shock. The entire civilization of Huaxia was only five thousand years old. Now, a single person could live for ten thousand years? ’What does that even mean?’

Ignoring Li Yang’s shock, Soul Ink continued, ”After the Longevity Realm is the Star Lord Realm—the lords of the starry sky. Once you reach this realm, you are finally considered a true powerhouse in the Cosmos. Your lifespan becomes one hundred thousand years.”

”After the Star Lord Realm is the World Realm. At that level, you could basically do whatever you want in your Milky Way Galaxy. Living for a million years wouldn’t be a problem.”

Li Yang listened in silence, growing more shocked by the second. He could somewhat grasp the concept of the Law Realm, but the realms after that... a lifespan of one hundred thousand years, a million years... ’On Earth, how far back would that even be? The age of dinosaurs?’

’What would an expert at the World Realm even be like? To be able to do whatever they want in the entire Milky Way Galaxy?’

Mortal Realm, Spirit Awakening Realm, Law Realm, Longevity Realm, Star Lord Realm, World Realm!

Six great realms... a lifespan of a million years...

In that short time, Li Yang’s entire worldview had been shattered and rebuilt.

Forget everything else—just the fact that reaching the Longevity Realm granted a lifespan of ten thousand years... If that news ever got out, it would undoubtedly send shockwaves through all of humanity on Earth!

The entire history of human civilization on Earth was only a few thousand years long.

A clear trace of yearning appeared in Li Yang’s eyes. He couldn’t help but ask, ”How difficult is it to reach these realms?”

He was still in shock, but hearing about those realms made his blood boil with excitement.

”The difficulty is immense, of course.”

Soul Ink glanced at Li Yang and said indifferently, ”Comprehending a law is incredibly difficult, and it only gets harder the further you go. Even if you reach the Law Realm, wanting to take the next step to the Longevity Realm increases the difficulty by more than a hundredfold! Let me put it this way: out of ten thousand cultivators at the Law Realm, there might not be a single one who can break through to the Longevity Realm.”

”And to break through from the Longevity Realm to the Star Lord Realm, the difficulty increases by another hundredfold!”

”As for the World Realm... The entire Milky Way Galaxy has a few hundred thousand inhabited planets, right? But the total number of beings at the World Realm level is less than ten.”

Li Yang listened intently, his heart reeling. He was beginning to truly understand the sheer difficulty of cultivation.

In the vast Milky Way Galaxy, with its hundreds of thousands of inhabited planets, there were fewer than ten individuals at the World Realm.