Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 393 The Prototype of the Source Treasure and its Distribution Plan

Upon hearing Lin Yi mention something, everyone perked up and their eyes immediately focused on it.

Lin Yi extended his right index finger, and at the tip of his fingertip condensed an extremely refined silver-gray light, as thin as a hair, precisely positioned at the center of the hidden pattern.

The power of spacetime was slowly injected at a peculiar resonant frequency.

Click.

A faint, almost inaudible sound came from inside the container's material.

Immediately afterwards, the crustacean patterns on the inner wall seemed to come alive, wriggling slightly and revealing a hidden layer no bigger than an egg.

Inside the mezzanine, an object lay quietly.

It was a crystal box no bigger than a child's fist.

The material is neither gold nor jade, but a deep dark blue color. The surface is smooth as a mirror, without any patterns, yet it naturally flows with a hazy luster like water ripples.

What's even more striking is that all six sides of the crystal box are tightly covered by an extremely complex dark red divine power seal. The seal runes are ancient and intricate, exuding the bloody and corrosive aura unique to the Eclipse Clan. Moreover, they are layered upon layered, clearly indicating that the sealer was extremely cautious and spared no effort in expending a great deal of divine power and mental energy.

The crystal box itself, and the powerful seal on it, alone are enough to show that what is inside is anything but ordinary!
"They've really hidden it well," Hui Lie clicked his tongue, his interest growing.

Shi Feng and Serena held their breath, staring intently at the dark blue crystal box.

A hint of surprise flashed across Luna's cool eyes.

Lin Yi's expression remained unchanged, but his eyes became slightly more serious.

He carefully used his spacetime powers to lift the crystal box out of the hidden compartment, where it floated in the void in front of everyone.

The hazy, water-like radiance intertwined with the dark red seal, exuding a mysterious and oppressive aura.

“This seal is very strong, and it is a composite seal that combines the bloodline and soul of the Eclipse Clan. Forcibly breaking it may damage the contents inside, or even trigger self-destruction.” Lin Yi sensed it for a moment and said slowly, “However, the core energy source of the seal has become ownerless and unstable since Kirama left. If we find its structural nodes, we can break it relatively safely.”

As he spoke, a bright silver-gray light shone from his eyes, and the laws of spacetime were in full operation. The world before him seemed to transform into a three-dimensional map interwoven with countless energy lines and structural nodes.

In his eyes, the dark red seal transformed into a sophisticated system composed of countless fine runes, energy circuits, and bloodline chains.

At this moment, the system is slowly coming to a standstill because it has lost the continuous power supply and maintenance from its owner. Some key nodes have become slightly loose and energy is dissipating.

Lin Yi lightly tapped his hands in the void, and with each tap, a wisp of condensed spacetime power precisely entered a specific node of the sealing network.

His movements were not fast, but they carried a smooth, flowing rhythm and absolute precision.

The silver-gray spacetime power came into contact with the dark red Eclipse Clan seal energy, but there was no violent conflict. Instead, it was like the most skillful key being inserted into the lock and gently turned.

*Sigh.*
A series of subtle sounds of energy dissipating rang out.

The layers upon layers of dark red sealing runes, like ice and snow exposed to sunlight, began to disintegrate and dissipate from the outside in.

The entire process was quiet and swift, demonstrating Lin Yi's exceptional skill in energy manipulation and understanding of laws.

As the final core seal shattered silently under the silver light at Lin Yi's fingertip, the dark blue crystal box was finally fully exposed.

Its surface shimmered with a brighter sheen, and a faint, pleasant hum emanated from it, as if something was about to awaken.

Everyone instinctively took a half step forward, their eyes fixed on the crystal box.

Lin Yi took a deep breath, extended his right hand, and gently pressed it on the top of the crystal box.

The power of spacetime enveloped his palm, forming an invisible barrier to prevent any unexpected events from occurring at the moment of activation.

He exerted a little force and lifted it upwards.

The lid of the crystal box slid open silently, creating a small gap.

In that very instant—

hum!
A strange fluctuation, indescribable in words, suddenly surged out from the cracks in the crystal box!

This fluctuation is not a simple energy surge, nor is it a strong manifestation of laws; rather, it is more like a pulsation originating from a deeper, more essential state of the universe.

It is formless and intangible, yet clearly perceptible, instantly brushing over the body and soul of everyone present.

Luna, Huilie, Shifeng, Serena, and even Lin Yi, who was prepared, all trembled slightly at that moment, and their faces showed shock.

Wherever the fluctuations reached, even the surrounding void rippled slightly. Thin stardust arranged itself into subtle and fleeting mysterious patterns under these fluctuations, before dissipating.

Even the divine power circulating within everyone's bodies involuntarily resonated with and rejoiced, as if they had encountered a call from a higher level of existence.

"This is."

Hui Lie's pupils contracted, and Sheng Hui uncontrollably brightened a few degrees.

Serena also stared wide-eyed, her face full of surprise.

The silver-gray light in Lin Yi's eyes swirled rapidly, and the laws of spacetime frantically analyzed the information contained in this fluctuation. Even with his knowledge and composure, his heart couldn't help but beat faster.

All eyes were fixed on the inside of the opened crystal box.

Inside the crystal box was a thing about the size of a thumb, enveloped in a dense, almost tangible, crimson divine flame.

The crimson flames were clearly the last means of protection and concealment left by Kirama, but at this moment they could no longer completely hide the brilliance of its core.

Through the flickering crimson flames, one can clearly see that at the heart of the flames is a drop of water.

It is not a liquid in the ordinary sense, but a strange substance that exists between the real and the unreal, and whose form seems to be constantly and slowly flowing and changing.

Sometimes it stretches like a miniature galaxy, sometimes it shrinks into a perfectly round bead, and sometimes it spreads out into a hazy nebula, repeating itself endlessly, as if it were enacting some profound truth about the birth and death of the universe.

Its color is also difficult to describe accurately; it appears transparent, yet it seems to contain countless ever-changing lusters, and is incredibly profound.

What is even more striking is the ripples it emits, and it is these ripples that cause the void to ripple and resonate with divine power.

That fluctuation contained an indescribable sense of origin, faint yet profoundly powerful.

In the brief silence that followed, as everyone was captivated by the strange water droplet, the usually aloof and taciturn Luna seemed to recognize something, and she exclaimed:

"This...this is the prototype of a Source Treasure?"

The four words "the prototype of Yuanbao" were like four silent thunderclaps, suddenly exploding in the hearts of the other four people!

Hui Lie's smile froze instantly, while Shi Feng and Serena were trembling violently. Their gazes toward the water droplet in the crystal box instantly became incredibly fervent, followed by a surge of intense awe and realization.

They finally understood why Kirama had acted so strangely before, why it had gone to such lengths to bluff and intimidate them into leaving. It really did possess treasure!

Lin Yi's gaze was fixed on the strange water droplet in the crystal box, which was wrapped in blood-red flames and whose shape was constantly changing. The shocking cry of Luna echoed in his ears.

He was equally clear about the meaning and significance of the term "Yuanbao prototype".

"No wonder, no wonder that Eclipse God had that expression of utter devastation at the end."

Lin Yi couldn't help but recall the information about Yuanbao.

The so-called "source treasures" are "treasures of origin." Once these treasures are formed, they will naturally contain different degrees of cosmic source laws.

Generally speaking, Source Treasures are supreme treasures that only Venerable Lords possess.

Source treasures are divided into two types: acquired and innate. For example, the Eternal Armor that he is currently forging will become the most common type of acquired source treasure once it reaches the highest level and he becomes the Source Law Lord. He can then use his own Source Law to nurture and imprint it.

The strange water droplets, which grow slowly on their own and are then artificially guided and shaped, belong to the category of innate treasures.

Of course, if what Luna said is true, this is the prototype of the Source Treasure, then it means that the innate Source Law within it has not yet taken shape.

Hui Lie murmured, his voice filled with undisguised shock: "No wonder it looked like that. The losses involved are enormous! If this nascent Origin Treasure were converted into points, it would be worth at least 10 billion points! However, treasures of this value usually take an extremely long time to develop, often amounting to tens of thousands of epochs. How dare it bring it in?"

"I guess it's because the prototype of this Source Treasure is about to take full shape."

Luna's cool voice rang out, but a barely perceptible fluctuation could be detected if one listened carefully: "I think it's also taking a gamble. If this thing is fully formed outside and becomes a true source treasure, it won't be able to bring it in. But since it's still in its embryonic stage, it's still a treasure of the divine level, so it can be brought in."

"And once it's fully formed, it can contain a Source Treasure!"

She paused, her emerald eyes sweeping over the crowd: "Have you all considered what this means?"

Everyone was immediately taken aback.

The Source Law absolutely crushes the Law!
This guy is already at the peak of a high-level god. If he also possesses a source treasure, wouldn't he just be able to kill indiscriminately in the secret realm?

Even if he reaches the next level after accumulating enough points, although the top gods of various races may be granted the prototype of the Source Treasure by their races, the ordinary gods in the next level are still no match for him!
Thinking of this, Shi Feng couldn't help but feel a lingering fear. "This guy is really a gambler. In that case, this guy's nascent source treasure must have been obtained by chance. If it was bestowed by the clan, it shouldn't have been able to obtain such a nascent source treasure that was just about to take shape."

"Luckily we encountered it early on, otherwise if we had waited until its source treasure was fully formed before we ran into it, it would have sent us out in no time, and the other gods of the Pan-Spirit Alliance would have been in trouble too."

As he spoke, Shi Feng shook his head and laughed, his laughter tinged with relief. "It's really unlucky. It's probably furious right now."

Everyone laughed along.

After a while, the laughter subsided, and everyone looked at Lin Yi.

The air grew quiet.

Lin Yi was the one who made the discovery, he was the one who noticed the hidden compartment, and he was the one who broke the seal.

Logically, he has every reason and right to decide the ownership of this treasure.

Lin Yi pondered for a moment.

He shifted his gaze from the crystal box and swept it over the crowd.

“Although this thing is very valuable,” Lin Yi said slowly, “we will still distribute it according to the agreement we made before.” Upon hearing this, everyone was surprised, and then secretly admired him.

Lin Yi could have kept quiet after discovering the hidden compartment and then easily found an excuse to get his hands on the storage device for miscellaneous items. However, he didn't hide it. Instead, he cracked the code in front of everyone and let them witness it together.

This is an astonishing fortune worth nearly 10 billion points!
After thinking for a moment, a struggle flashed in Serira's emerald eyes, but she still spoke up: "I don't think this is appropriate. This thing is hidden so well that if it weren't for Lord Lin Yi's discovery, we wouldn't have noticed it at all, and we might have missed it. Therefore, I think the distribution method should be changed."

She spoke very sincerely, and the others quickly echoed her agreement.

But Lin Yi shook his head.

He felt that if you're going to make a gesture, you should make it properly; otherwise, it's better not to make one at all.

Therefore, Lin Yi insisted, "No need to change it. Since we've been fighting side by side, we agreed to share the spoils together. It's my duty to tell everyone when I find out, not a reason to allocate extra spoils."

These words are spoken frankly and magnanimously.

Everyone admired Lin Yi even more, feeling that he was not only incredibly strong, but also upright and extremely reliable.

Shi Feng couldn't help but say, "Lord Lin Yi, I admire you!"

Hui Lie nodded, his holy light conveying approval.

Luna looked at Lin Yi, a strange glint flashing deep in her emerald eyes, but she remained silent.

After deciding that the distribution method would remain unchanged, Lin Yi continued, "However, this thing definitely cannot be divided, and its value is too high. It can only be bought by one person, and then other treasures will be used to compensate the others."

This is the most realistic way to handle it.

The prototype of Yuanbao is a whole and cannot be cut into five parts.

After saying that, he looked at Luna and asked, "Luna, can you tell which type of treasure this is, and how long it will take to complete?"

Luna carefully sensed it for a moment, then shook her head: "I can't tell. The nascent form of a Source Treasure contains fragments of the most primordial Source Laws. Before it takes shape, its attributes are extremely hidden, unless it's a Venerable Master specializing in appraisal, or someone using special methods."

Before she could finish speaking, Serena suddenly let out a soft "Eh," followed by a delighted smile.

“This is the prototype of the water-based source treasure,” she said quickly, “It will take another 1.7 epochs to fully form!”

Everyone looked at her in surprise.

Serena explained, "I just tried using the Secret Realm Mark to identify it, and it actually worked!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yi immediately tried to communicate with the secret realm mark using his consciousness, focusing his perception on the strange water droplet.

Sure enough, a stream of information came back:

[Identification: Prototype of Yuanbao - Water System]

[Status: Late Pregnancy]

[Distance to natural maturity: Approximately 1.7 Standard Eras]

"Epoch 1.7," Lin Yi murmured to himself.

An era is 129,600 years, and 1.7 eras is approximately 220,000 years.

Upon seeing that it truly required 1.7 epochs to take shape, Lin Yi immediately felt that this thing was much less attractive to him.

After all, 220,000 years have passed, so whether he still needs this thing is another matter.

But everyone else got excited!
"It took such a short time to form?" Hui Lie's eyes lit up. "Two hundred and twenty thousand years is just a blink of an eye for a treasure like this!"

Serena nodded and said, "That's right, and once it's fully formed, it will be an invincible weapon within the secret realm!"

Luna calmly reminded us, "But it also means risk. In these 220,000 years, we must ensure that we are not forced out of the secret realm like the previous Eclipse God. Of course, compared to its power, this risk is worth taking."

Seeing that everyone was showing great interest, Lin Yi asked directly, "So, who is willing to buy it?"

The question was raised, but a brief silence fell over the room.

They looked at each other and gave each other a wry smile.

Hui Lie was the first to shake his head: "I can't afford it. At least I don't have any treasures worth 10 billion points on me."

Shi Feng said helplessly, "All my assets combined probably don't even amount to a tenth of what I own."

Serena sighed softly, "Me too. It's difficult for an individual to come up with an equivalent value for a treasure of this level all at once. Even a rudimentary Origin Treasure is usually only affordable for a Venerable Lord. We can only wait until we find an exit point and then take it out to sell to those Venerable Lord-level beings."

At this moment, Luna paused for a moment and slowly said, "Actually, even if there are buyers outside, it is not advisable to take them out for transactions now."

She looked at everyone and said, "Have you all thought about this? Although this thing is precious outside, it's just a very ordinary basic Source Law treasure. It's easy to take it out, but difficult to bring it in. Once it takes shape into a true Source Treasure, it exceeds the limit of treasures allowed to be carried in the secret realm, and it can no longer be brought in. But within the secret realm, it is the most top-tier treasure!"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately felt that it made sense.

Yes, while Source Treasures are precious outside, they are not uncommon for the Venerable Lords.

But in this secret realm, a single Origin Treasure is a strategic weapon of mass destruction!
But now a problem arises: since everyone can't afford to buy them and can't take them out to trade, how should they be distributed?
Is this stalemate going to continue?

At this moment, Shi Feng suddenly spoke up: "I have a suggestion."

Shi Feng's words drew everyone's attention to him.

He cleared his throat and said solemnly, "What I mean is, since no one can afford to buy it, and it's not worthwhile to take it out for trading sooner, it's better to leave it in Lord Lin Yi's hands for now."

"First, Lord Lin Yi is the strongest and is also proficient in the laws of space, so the item is safest in his hands. Of course, I am not saying that I am putting all the responsibility for the safety of the nascent Origin Treasure on Lord Lin Yi's shoulders."

"My idea is that if even he can't protect it and the treasure is lost, then the rest of us are even less likely to be able to protect it. In that case, we might as well pretend we never got the treasure, so as to avoid hurting our feelings. Of course, if anyone thinks there is someone more suitable to keep it safe than Lord Lin Yi, they can bring it up now."

Then, Shi Feng looked at Lin Yi, smiled, and continued, "Secondly, we appreciate Your Excellency Lin Yi's insistence on sharing the profits with us according to the original ratio, but we cannot remain indifferent. I believe that this nascent Origin Treasure can only realize its greatest value in Your Excellency Lin Yi's hands. Why don't you keep it for now? If Your Excellency Lin Yi no longer needs it after leaving the secret realm, it's not too late to sell it and distribute the profits."

These words are reasonable, taking into account both the safety and maximum utility of the treasure, as well as the camaraderie and fairness within the team.

Upon hearing this, Hui Lie nodded first, his body radiating a faint holy light: "I agree with Shi Feng's opinion. We trust Lord Lin Yi's strength and character. Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to make a fuss when he discovered the hidden compartment."

Serena also said softly, "Shi Feng is right. Having Lord Lin Yi keep it is the safest option."

Luna's cool face remained expressionless; she merely nodded slightly, glancing at Lin Yi with her emerald eyes, which could be considered tacit approval.

Everyone expressed their full trust in Lin Yi's character and abilities.

After all, Lin Yi had a full opportunity to keep it all for himself, but he chose to go public, and this openness has earned him everyone's respect.

Lin Yi thought to himself, this is the benefit of acting uprightly and establishing a reliable "persona".

In critical moments, trust is the strongest bond, saving countless suspicions and disputes.

Seeing everyone's firm attitude and unanimous recommendation, Lin Yi stopped being hypocritical and polite.

He nodded. "Since everyone trusts me so much, I will accept it without hesitation. I will keep this nascent source treasure for the time being."

Having said that, he stretched out his hand, and the power of spacetime gently flowed out, enveloping the crystal box containing the strange water droplets once again.

As the silvery-gray light flowed, the crystal box, along with the leaping crimson flame and water droplet within it, was stored in a specially isolated space within his storage bracelet.

He had already set up several layers of spacetime barriers there in advance to ensure that his aura would not leak out and that he was safe.

After putting away the treasure, Lin Yi looked at everyone and said in a calm tone, "As you all know, I have not been cultivating for very long, and my understanding of Origin Treasures, especially the prototypes of Origin Treasures, is actually not very extensive. If any of you know any related knowledge, secrets, or key points that need special attention, I hope you will not hesitate to share them with me."

Hui Lie smiled and said, "You're too kind, Lord Lin Yi. Our knowledge about Source Treasures is also only superficial, mostly derived from clan inheritance or what we've seen in secret realms, and can't be considered systematic."

Shi Feng and Serena quickly said that they knew only a limited amount of information.

Luna replied directly, "Knowledge sharing will do. I will compile the relevant information that I already know."

Everyone agreed.

Soon, the voice of the intelligent life form Xuanji rang in his mind: "Master, we have received a close-range point-to-point information transmission from the four gods Luna, Huilie, Shifeng, and Serira. The content is a summary of information related to 'Source Treasure' and 'Source Treasure Prototype'. It has been automatically received and stored."

Lin Yi immediately nodded to the four people and said, "Thank you all."

At the same time, he instructed Xuanji in his heart: "Xuanji, first sort and classify these materials and extract the key information."

"Yes, Master," Xuanji replied, beginning to efficiently process the massive amount of information.

After dealing with the unexpected joy of the nascent Yuanbao, Lin Yi brought his thoughts back to the present.

He looked at Serira, Luna, and Huilie and said, "We still have the spoils from dealing with those two Eclipse gods to distribute. The battle with Kirama just now was quite intense and might attract unnecessary attention. I suggest we leave this place first and find another safe place to take stock and distribute the spoils. At the same time, everyone can take this opportunity to recover their depleted divine power."

Everyone agreed.

The successive battles, especially the fight against Kirama, although no one was injured, consumed a great deal of divine power and they definitely needed to rest.

Upon hearing this, Luna lightly raised her hand, and the green leaf spaceship appeared out of thin air, hovering in the starry sky.

"Get on the ship," Luna said coolly.

The group nodded, transformed into streaks of light, and entered the spaceship one by one.

The hatch closed silently, the spaceship shuddered slightly, and then transformed into a streak of emerald green, silently merging into the dark background of the starry sky, quickly moving away from the airspace where the fierce battle had just ended.

Just as Lin Yi was about to take out his previous gains, Xuanji's voice rang in his mind again.

"Master, while initially sorting through the massive amount of information we just received about the Source Treasure, I discovered something very interesting. I think you'll find it fascinating."

(End of this chapter)