Swallowing the Stars, Hu Yanbo's Pre-Godhood

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

When the dull thud of the bronze gate opening again rang out, Huyan Bocai was suddenly jolted awake from that deep state of enlightenment.

A hint of lingering satisfaction flashed in his eyes, but more than anything, there was immense satisfaction and joy.

After glancing at the still majestic and mysterious Chaos Stele, Hu Yanbo did not hesitate. He turned around and transformed into a streak of light, rushing out of the secret chamber without hesitation.

Lord Candri stood at the door with a smile on his face, nodding slightly to everyone who came out.

After bowing to the guardian, Lord Kander, along with the other practitioners, Huyanbo quickly left the passage.

There were many residences in Chaos City, so he randomly chose an uninhabited one to stay in.

The residence had its own secret cultivation room. Hu Yanbo stepped inside, immediately sat down cross-legged, and focused his mind on his body.

The seven days spent studying the "Nine Universes Chaos Stele," especially the fifth section, the "Hengxing Star Chart," revealed a wealth of information.

His high-level perspective gave him a comprehensive understanding of the mysteries of "spatial teleportation," but many details and insights were still like scattered fragments that needed to be sorted out and absorbed in time in order to truly make them his own.

He closed his eyes and focused his mind, his consciousness racing as he began to systematically summarize what he had learned.

After an unknown amount of time, Hu Yanbo slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp and restrained, his aura even more profound and deep than before entering the secret chamber.

With a thought, he looked at the pre-payment system interface in his mind again.

[Pre-payment conditions: 1. Please go to the Initial Universe to comprehend the Chaos Monument. Completed!]

[Current number of advance payments available: 1]

Simple words, yet they represent enormous possibilities.

"It's done!" Hu Yanbo couldn't help but smile.

His comprehension of the Chaos Stele not only repaid the price he had paid for the "stable immortal body," but also solidified his foundation of strength considerably.

More importantly, the re-lit character "壹" signifies that he has regained the qualification to quickly acquire power!

A constantly improving future always fills us with anticipation! Isn't that right?

Before his thoughts were fully absorbed into the system interface, Hu Yanbo began to consider what he would need for his next advance payment.

While the ultimate goal of advance planning is to enhance strength, "strength" is a complex concept encompassing many aspects.

He needs to make the wisest and most urgent choice.

Enlightenment through laws? Secret techniques? Life gene level? Or even stronger weapons and armor?

Thoughts raced through my mind, and the pros and cons became clear.

A more powerful secret technique, while immensely potent, doesn't seem to be what's most needed right now.

Since secret techniques can be purchased, even though they cannot unleash their full power compared to self-created techniques, they are sufficient for Huyanbo's current situation.

Life genes can greatly enhance the strength and resilience of a divine body, and are one of the paths to the true pinnacle in the world of Swallowed Star.

However, the treasures required to upgrade the genetic level are all rare and precious items in the universe, and their "repayment conditions" must be unimaginably harsh, and cannot be easily completed at this stage.

.....

One by one, the options were quickly discarded by Hu Yanbo.

"Ultimately, the root of everything lies in the understanding of the laws and the divine body!" Hu Yanbo made his decision in just a moment.

Enlightenment through understanding the laws is a state of being, the authority to mobilize the primordial power of the universe.

The divine body is a container, a cornerstone that bears power.

These two improvements are fundamental, directly and comprehensively enhancing his survivability and combat capabilities.

A higher level of understanding of the laws will also help him create even stronger secret techniques!

A stronger divine body allows him to withstand more violent divine power burning and wield stronger weapons!

"As long as I elevate myself to the rank of Marquis, the Demon Hand King will no longer be a deadly threat," Hu Yanbo thought to himself.

The Demon Hand King was only barely a King-level being, while I possess a top-tier soul defense technique. Once my understanding of spatial laws and the strength of my divine body advance further, I could reach the advanced Marquis level...

At that time, the Demon Hand King's soul and material attacks will be almost ineffective against him.

Even if you can't win, it's not difficult to retreat calmly.

"Once I achieve the highest rank of Marquis, I will be able to openly roam this vast universe!"

Thinking of this, a surge of pride welled up in Huyanbo's heart.

In less than three years, he was already on the verge of being ennobled. Such an exaggerated speed of progress would make anyone who saw it exclaim, "He is full of talent!"

"Pre-emptive access to the spatial law insights of 'Advanced Marquis Conferment'!" Hu Yanbo thought to himself, looking at the panel in his mind.

Investing in your own fundamentals to gain true freedom and confidence is an incredibly worthwhile deal!

[Title: Insights into the Advanced Spatial Laws of Conferring a Marquis Title.]

[Repayment conditions: 1. Become an apprentice of a peak-level King-ranking expert and gain their approval. 2. Experience a life-or-death battle. 3. Comprehend the Chaos Stele ten times.]

【Do you want to advance payment? 】

【whether】

"So many options?" Hu Yanbo was slightly taken aback as he looked at the system display in his mind.

All three options can be said to have a significant causal relationship with becoming a marquis or a high-ranking official.

He became an apprentice of a peak-level King-level expert and gained his approval.

This is the most direct reason.

With the personal guidance of a peak-level King-ranking expert, over a long period of time, Hu Yanbo's talent will definitely allow him to break through to the advanced Marquis level.

But experiencing a life-or-death battle reveals both great terror and great opportunity.

In the universe, there are many examples of people squeezing out their potential and breaking through in the face of adversity. A battle that truly teeters on the edge of life and death can serve as a catalyst for breakthroughs and the best whetstone.

As for comprehending the Chaos Stele ten times, if one can comprehend it ten times in a row, the accumulated insights will be enough to allow any newly appointed Marquis to make a leap forward.

Of course, under normal circumstances, it cannot be guaranteed that a low-level Marquis will definitely become a high-level Marquis.

These three conditions, if fulfilled, are sufficient to explain the causal logic of the entire promotion.

"Three conditions... It seems the system also acknowledges that breaking through to the advanced level of Marquis is not easy, and has provided different repayment paths."

Hu Yanbo quickly analyzed, "Becoming an apprentice relies on the power of a famous teacher; fighting depends on one's own will and opportunities; enlightenment depends on the accumulation of resources and comprehension. Each of the three paths has its own advantages and disadvantages in terms of difficulty in repaying the debts."

After a brief deliberation, Huyanbo made a decisive decision.

"Advance payment!"

Although none of these three repayment conditions are simple, the difficulty is within an acceptable range and they are not impossible tasks.

Aside from the fact that the "life-or-death battle" carries a certain degree of uncontrollable risk that he instinctively rejects, the other two—"becoming an apprentice" and "comprehending the Chaos Stele"—are more like goals that can be planned and achieved through effort, and are relatively safe and controllable.

The moment the thought crossed his mind, Hu Yanbo felt his perception of the laws of space become incredibly clear and profound. In particular, the many subtleties of 'spatial teleportation' naturally welled up in his mind, as if he had been diligently cultivating and comprehending them for millions of years.