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

Chapter 407 Surrounded by Stars, Extravagant Exchange

Looking at the glaring figure of "1791 billion" in his mind, Lin Yi took a few deep breaths before he could barely suppress the urge to rush to the evacuation point to exchange for treasures.

"I promised to provide support from the center, so I have to keep my word," Lin Yi thought to himself.

At this moment, various noisy and excited voices rose and fell on the communication channel.

"We caught up! We took down three more!"

"I need backup! There are five high-level gods on the other side trying to break through!"

"Lord Lin Yi! We have three peak-level high-level deities guarding this place in an array; we can't break through them!"

Upon hearing this last plea for help, a glint of silver flashed in Lin Yi's eyes.

"receive."

His figure vanished from the spot in an instant.

The next moment, in a fragmented asteroid belt to the northwest.

Three peak-level high-ranking deities of the Abyss Clan stood back-to-back in a triangular battle formation, their bodies shrouded in a thick black energy shield, stubbornly resisting the siege of more than ten Pan-Spirit Alliance deities.

Although the Pan-Spirit Alliance gods outnumbered the besieging forces, they lacked a powerful means to break through this combined defense in one blow, resulting in a stalemate for the time being.

Although these three Abyss Clan gods knew they couldn't escape, they still fought tenaciously, hoping to find a glimmer of hope.

However, before any hope could come, Lin Yi arrived first.

As the space rippled like water, Lin Yi's figure appeared directly above the battlefield.

Without saying a word, he spread his five fingers on his right hand and pressed down.

The ripples of time-space stagnation spread silently.

The movements, thoughts, and even the circulation of divine power of the three Abyss Clan deities all slowed down for a moment.

The combined defense shield also dimmed slightly.

It's that very moment!
Lin Yi pointed with his right hand, without using the nascent form of the Source Treasure, but merely fused the laws of spacetime with the laws of water and wood to condense a dazzling silver light.

The silver light, though seemingly slow, was actually swift, and struck the combined defensive light barrier of the three Abyss Clan gods squarely.

Click!

The light shield shattered instantly.

The three Abyss Clan gods looked on in despair, and were then engulfed by the concentrated attacks of the surrounding Pan-Spirit Alliance gods, with seven-colored lights flashing one after another.

The battle is over.

"Thank you, Mr. Lin Yi!"

"Too powerful! It broke in one hit!"

The Pan-Spirit Alliance deities who were besieging the enemy expressed their gratitude one after another. The leading high-ranking deity of the Spirit Race even handed over a storage bracelet: "Your Excellency, these are some of the spoils of war that our team collected during the pursuit. Please accept them as a small token of our appreciation!"

Lin Yi did not refuse, took the bracelet, and glanced at it briefly.

The original resources of the secret realm piled up inside are estimated to be around 3.5 million points.

"You're too kind." He nodded, then disappeared again, returning to the central area.

This scenario repeated itself for the next half of the standard year.

Lin Yi was like a highly efficient "firefighter," using his spatial teleportation ability to traverse the vast battlefield of pursuit.

As soon as he receives a call for help and confirms that it's a tough nut to crack, he teleports directly there, quickly resolves the battle with overwhelming power, and then collects a portion of the spoils offered by the other side as a thank you.

During this period, he made a total of nine moves.

The nine Pan-Spirit Alliance squads that were locked in fierce battles or deadlocks were thus able to quickly end the fighting and expand their gains.

Nine thank-you gifts, with a total value of nearly 30 billion points.

As the last batch of pursuing Pan-Spirit Alliance deities returned to the battlefield, Lin Yi tallied up his total gains.

The previously tallied amount of 1791 billion, plus previous accumulations and nearly 30 billion in gifts received over the past six months.
"1891 million."

Lin Yi looked at the number, and his heart skipped a beat again.

1891 billion Origin Tower Points!

Meanwhile, the original battlefield gradually became lively as streaks of light returned from all parts of the starry sky.

Each of these figures wore an expression of barely suppressed excitement and joy.

"Hahaha! That was awesome! I earned at least 800 million points this time!"

"My team took down two peak-level high-level gods, and I estimate we can break 1.5 billion!"

"Our team was fortunate to receive timely assistance from Lord Lin Yi; otherwise, let alone the spoils, it would have been questionable whether we could even leave alive."

The returning gods chatted and shared their spoils, their gazes all fixed on the black-haired figure in the center of the battlefield.

Soon, deities began to fly up to them.

"Lord Lin Yi, I am 'Radiant Stone' of the Crystal Spirit Clan. If you need any help outside in the future, please don't hesitate to ask!"

A deity whose entire body seemed to be made of purple crystal stepped forward first and respectfully presented his communication mark.

"Brother Lin Yi, I am Chong Yong, a human from the Star Realm Army. I owe you a huge favor this time. I'll treat you to drinks when we get out!" A burly human deity, exuding a strong aura of death law, laughed heartily.

"Lord Lin Yi, I am Shivana of the Spirit Race. This time, I have reaped a great harvest, all thanks to your divine power. Please accept this small token of my appreciation." An elegant female deity of the Spirit Race handed over a small box of crystals that emitted a strong fluctuation of life force, clearly some kind of precious specialty.

One by one.

Not only the high-level deities who served as captains, but also the other high-level deities, seeing Lin Yi's warm attitude and lack of airs, all stepped forward to exchange communication marks with him, exchange simple pleasantries, and express their gratitude. They also presented him with some not particularly valuable but rather unique gifts, as a way of establishing goodwill.

Lin Yi accepted all comers.

He always wore a peaceful smile. Whether facing his own kind or allies from other races, whether facing high-level gods or ordinary team members with weaker strength, he treated everyone equally, responded politely, exchanged marks, and occasionally inquired about their gains and injuries.

This unpretentious attitude surprised many gods who had thought that such a peerless genius would be difficult to approach. They were flattered and felt as if they were bathed in a spring breeze.

"Lord Lin Yi is truly down-to-earth."

"Yes, she's so talented, so strong, and so humble."

"No wonder he has achieved so much at such a young age; his character is truly extraordinary."

The private discussions were almost entirely positive.

At this moment, several familiar figures flew over from a distance; it was Qianhuan, Luna, and the others.

Qianhuan looked at Lin Yi, who was surrounded by everyone like a star, yet remained calm and composed, and a complex look flashed across her dreamy eyes.

Not long ago, Junior Brother was just a kid chosen by Master from the Civilization Advancement Assessment. Obviously, Master did not recognize his talent and potential. Otherwise, he would not have just given him a brief introduction and then left Junior Brother to him before going into seclusion.

At that time, although the junior apprentice tried to remain calm, his confusion at the sight of his master disappearing after just becoming an apprentice was immediately apparent, like a lost little beast.

Now, in just over 20,000 years, he has become a core figure who can influence the battle situation in the first level of the secret realm and is sincerely supported by thousands of gods.

It all felt like a dream.

"Senior Sister!" Lin Yi's eyes lit up when he saw Qian Huan. He smiled apologetically at the gods around him and took the initiative to greet her.

"Junior brother, you're quite famous now." Qianhuan said with a smile, gathering his thoughts.

"Senior sister, please don't make fun of me." Lin Yi smiled and looked at Luna and the others behind her.

Luna and the others quickly bowed and greeted Lin Yi, their attitude even more respectful than before.

They are now official members of the Thousand Illusions Squad and are naturally grateful to their former captain and introducer.

“They’re all quite good, and their teamwork is gradually improving.” Qianhuan nodded to Lin Yi. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of them on the 45th floor.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Yi felt relieved, his last worry lifted: "With your words, Senior Sister, I am completely at ease."

Then, considering that he now had more money on hand, Lin Yi directly bought the prototype of the Source Treasure at the previously agreed price of 10 billion points, and gave 100 billion points to each of the four people, including Luna.

At this point, Luna and the others were officially incorporated into the Thousand Illusions Squad.

Lin Yi believed that with Qianhuan's strength and experience, it would be no problem for her to lead Luna and the other two to explore the 45th floor safely and acquire resources.

More than ten days later, all the teams that participated in the pursuit had returned.

After Yanlong and Qingling counted the number of people and confirmed that no team had lost contact, Yanlong flew to Lin Yi's side and whispered:

"Lord Lin Yi, I just received a message from our allies operating in other regions. Those alien races seem to have learned about the battle situation here through some means, and have all fled the surrounding area in fear. They should not dare to come here again for some time."

"Understood." Lin Yi nodded.

This was exactly what he had expected.

After this battle, the Abyssal Alliance suffered heavy losses in its core forces on the 45th floor, and the alien races retreated. Meanwhile, the Pan-Spirit Alliance gained a large amount of resources. With this shift in power, the Pan-Spirit Alliance will likely hold an absolute advantage on the 45th floor for a long time to come.

"Everyone!" Seeing that Lin Yi had nothing to ask, Yan Long raised his voice, "This battle has been a great victory! Everyone should exchange their spoils for strength as soon as possible. We will now return to the evacuation point."

"go!"

"Withdrawal point!"

The crowd responded with a resounding roar.

The large and imposing group began to head towards the evacuation point.

Along the way, deities kept coming to Lin Yi for final talks and farewells.

"Lord Lin Yi, once you leave the secret realm, you must have the opportunity to visit our Tianjing Star Region. Our Eternal Crystal Banquet is absolutely unparalleled!"

"Brother Lin Yi, our Black Flame Starfield may not have much else, but we have plenty of fine wines brewed by all sorts of unique races. Be sure to come find me when the time comes."

"Lord Lin Yi, the scenery of our Spirit Clan's Emerald Dreamland is unparalleled in the entire Pan-Spirit Alliance. You are welcome to visit anytime."

Everyone knows that after Lin Yi returns to the evacuation point and exchanges his points, he will inevitably go directly to a higher level and will not be able to return to the 45th floor.

Now that we part ways, it may be difficult to meet again in the secret realm.

Lin Yi responded with a smile, expressing his gratitude and promising to visit her if he had the chance.

The atmosphere was warm yet tinged with a touch of sadness.

Finally, a massive vortex of white energy appeared at the edge of the horizon.

We've reached the evacuation point.

The group landed on a rocky platform on the outer edge of the vortex, followed by another noisy farewell.

Lin Yi was surrounded and had to deal with everyone for a while before he finally got to speak to all the people he wanted to say goodbye to.

"Until we meet again, everyone!" Lin Yi clasped his hands in a fist salute to the crowd.

"Take care, Lord Lin Yi!"

"May you achieve even greater success at an even higher level!"

Amidst everyone's blessings and farewell, Lin Yi nodded to Qian Huan, Yan Long, Qing Ling, and the others, then glanced at Luna, Hui Lie, and Serena before resolutely turning around, transforming into a streak of light, and plunging headlong into the slowly rotating white vortex.

A pure white space.

The sphere of light remained suspended in the center.

Lin Yi appeared and, without the slightest delay, took out all the original resources he had obtained from the secret realm.

In an instant, a mountain of treasures, each with its own unique color and energy fluctuations, piled up, almost filling half of the pure white space.

The light sphere shone brightly, scanning efficiently.

A moment later. [Exchange complete.]

[Gained 1851 billion points in the Primordial Tower.]

Current points balance: 1851 billion points.

1851 billion!
Looking at the final confirmed number, Lin Yi felt a surge of pride.

"Start redemption!"

He first brought up the list of treasures that aid in understanding the laws of nature.

He has now mastered the six laws of time, space, life, death, water, and wood.

"What remains are the three fundamental laws: fire, earth, and metal."

The understanding of the laws becomes increasingly difficult as you progress, and the time required increases exponentially. To maintain rapid growth, you must prepare in advance.

"Fire Law Enlightenment Package: Top-Tier Heartfire Seed, Molten Core Codex, Myriad Flame Diagram, Breath of Flint"

"The Laws of Earth Enlightenment Package: The Core of Thick Earth, The True Understanding of Earth Veins, The Ancient Rock Record, The Essence of Kun Yuan"

"The Law of Metal Enlightenment Package: Sharp Metal Source Soul, Sharp Edge Secret Record, Immortal Metal Attribute Analysis, Nine Yuan Star Metal Light"

Lin Yi didn't even blink.

"Buy them all!"

[Redemption confirmed. Redemption successful. 109 billion points deducted.]

Current points balance: 1742 billion points.

In Lin Yi's opinion, 10.9 billion points were worth it for the complete resource guarantee to push the three basic laws to perfection!

If it weren't for the fact that there weren't any auxiliary treasures available for purchase on this floor to help him reach higher levels of the Time Source Law and Space Source Law, he would have even considered going straight for them.

Next, there are the resources to enhance the source energy realm.

He has already used up all his Sacred Source Fruits. If he wants to improve his laws while keeping up with his source energy, he needs a treasure that can harmlessly increase his source energy.

"Select treasures that can quickly enhance source energy without side effects."

Fortunately, this item can be redeemed on level 45, and as the list refreshed, a whole bunch of them appeared.

Star Origin Liquid, Void Energy Crystal, Life Energy Fruit.
Lin Yi quickly did some calculations and then made a decision.

"First, I'll exchange for 10 billion points to ensure I can reach the pinnacle of the 99 Star Domains after achieving perfect understanding of the Laws. Then, I'll attempt to break through to the Transformation Realm and quickly reach its perfection."

[Redemption confirmed. Redemption successful. 10 billion points deducted.]

Current points balance: 1732 billion points.

Looking at the remaining 1732 billion points, Lin Yi began to think about the most important part.

Secret technique?

He is currently majoring in the "Illusory Annihilation Record". He has only bought the first four levels and has not yet bought the remaining five levels, so he is somewhat lacking.

With that in mind, Lin Yi quickly browsed the list of exchangeable secret manuals on this floor.

Prices range from tens of millions to hundreds of millions, but upon closer comparison, it was found that these secret manuals either specialize in a particular path or are general-purpose attack techniques. In terms of the core framework of "time, space, life and death," they are not significantly stronger than the first four levels of the "Void Annihilation Record."

Moreover, the price is outrageously expensive.

"The core combat method of the Void Annihilation Record is the combination of time and space. Life and death, water and wood, and even the future fire, earth and metal are all added to assist and enhance the power." Lin Yi thought to himself, "Although there are no later levels, it is based on this principle. It just lacks some unique moves. The raw power is still up to standard, so it can still be used for now. When we reach higher levels and the permissions are opened, we can see if there are any other secret techniques."

The secret method will not be changed for the time being.

So, the remaining points
Lin Yi's gaze finally settled on the option that made his heart race.

Low-order source material crystal.

It can be transformed into a strategic resource of spiritual energy!

"If I'm unlucky and get surrounded and killed in the secret realm, I'll lose a lot of points," Lin Yi thought to himself. "But once I absorb the Source Crystal and convert it into Spiritual Enlightenment Qi, storing it in the purple mist space deep within my soul, it's absolutely safe and won't be lost!"

"Keep 242 billion points for emergencies. Exchange the remaining 1490 billion points for low-grade source crystals!"

This is a crazy decision.

[Confirmed redemption of 298,000 units of low-tier source crystals, requiring 149 billion points. Confirm?]

"confirm!"

The ball of light flickered.

[Redeem successful. 1490 billion points deducted.]

Current points balance: 242 billion points.

As the exchange was completed, a mountain of low-grade source crystals was transported to Lin Yi, so numerous that it almost formed a sea of ​​crystals.

Lin Yi quickly put them away.

The exchange is now complete.

Standing in the pure white space, Lin Yi felt the vast resources within his divine kingdom, his heart filled with a sense of security and boundless anticipation for the future.

Without further hesitation, he prepared to enter the pure white vortex.

However, this time, he couldn't leave the pure white space directly; instead, he received a message first:
[It has been detected that the accumulated points have exceeded 500 billion.]

[Complies with the skip-level rule.]

[You will be directly teleported to a random location on the 47th floor of the Primordial Tower.]

[Are you sure you want to leave and proceed to the 47th floor?]

"47th floor?"

Lin Yi's heart skipped a beat.

According to the information he had, the 47th floor was the area where the most powerful beings of the highest god-level strength were active; it was a true high-end battlefield.

"Sure!"

Lin Yi did not hesitate at all; instead, a strong fighting spirit and anticipation rose within him.

A white light instantly enveloped his entire body.

The next moment, his figure disappeared from the pure white space.

The white light dissipated, and Lin Yi's figure appeared in a completely unfamiliar starry sky.

47 floors.

All around was a void that was even deeper and more vast than the 45th floor, and the colors of the distant nebulae were even more magnificent and threatening.

Several endless dark purple energy turbulences swam slowly like giant cosmic pythons, emanating a terrifying wave of destruction.

Further away, an extremely large dark star floated silently, faintly emanating an aura that seemed to devour everything.

"Randomly teleport to a new location."

Lin Yi's sharp gaze swept across his surroundings, his soul power spreading out like a tide, but he did not sense any obvious life fluctuations or signs of strong law conflicts.

Their luck wasn't too bad; at least they didn't fall directly into the alien tribe's lair or some perilous place.

But Lin Yi did not let his guard down.

The 47th floor, according to the information he had previously gathered, was where peak-level high-ranking deities possessing source treasures were active. With his current strength, he could not be considered absolutely safe here.

"The most urgent task is to find a place to digest the gains and improve our strength!" Lin Yi quickly made a decision.

Lin Yi chose a direction, a region far from energy turbulence and dark stars, where celestial bodies are relatively sparse and the energy environment is relatively peaceful.

three days later.

A massive gaseous planet came into his perception.

The planet is entirely composed of dark red and yellowish-brown hues, with raging storms and lightning like dragons on its surface.

"This is it."

Without hesitation, Lin Yi flew directly toward the enormous gas giant.

Passing through the outermost thin atmosphere and the raging ion storm belt, the dark red gaseous matter was almost liquid, mixed with violent chaotic energy flows.

A silver-gray spacetime law shield lit up around Lin Yi, isolating him from the violent energy and pressure.

His gaze swept across the chaotic and dangerous space, and he finally selected a relatively calm "island" composed of some kind of high-density inert energy crystals.

This isolated island is several hundred kilometers in diameter and floats in a viscous, gaseous ocean.

"This is it."

Lin Yi landed in the center of the isolated island.

He first carefully examined the surrounding environment to confirm that there were no hidden dangers or naturally formed spatial traps.

Then he began to set things up.

With a wave of his hands, streaks of silver-gray spacetime law runes were unleashed, merging into the surrounding space.

"The Time-Space Maze".

"The Curtain of the Broken Sky".

"Time-related folds".

"Virtual Realm Projection".

He deployed several of the strongest spacetime concealment and protection methods he currently possessed.

Layer upon layer of spatiotemporal forces intertwine, completely obscuring and distorting this isolated island region spanning hundreds of kilometers in terms of physical location, spatial coordinates, temporal flow, and even energy fluctuations.

From the outside, this place appears to be nothing more than an ordinary, turbulent flow of gaseous energy. Even a high-ranking deity who is well-versed in the laws of space and time would find it extremely difficult to detect anything unusual without careful investigation.

After doing all this, Lin Yi breathed a slight sigh of relief.

If it weren't for the fact that the items exchanged from the Pure White Space couldn't be used directly within the Pure White Space, he would actually prefer to cultivate in seclusion within the absolutely safe Pure White Space.

But reality doesn't allow for "what ifs," and this is the best option he could find.

"Let's begin."

Lin Yi sat down cross-legged, his mind sinking into the divine realm within his body.

In the center of the divine kingdom, a specially designated area is piled high with gray, low-grade source crystals, resembling a gray mountain range, quietly radiating a chaotic aura.

298,000 units!
Lin Yi took a deep breath and, without wasting any time, began to absorb the nutrients.

He pressed his hands down, and the purple mist space deep within his soul began to operate at full power, creating an invisible suction force that enveloped the Origin Crystal Mountain Range.

This is a tedious and lengthy process.

There are simply too many source crystals.

Lin Yi is like the most patient miner, extracting and transforming bit by bit.

Time slips away silently as it is absorbed.

Soon, a standard year has passed in the blink of an eye.

As the last source crystal in his hand turned into a dull, grayish-white powder and drifted away in the wind, Lin Yi slowly opened his eyes.

(End of this chapter)