Survival for All: I can deconstruct projections and synthesize everything.

Shi Yan opened his eyes, and silver light flowed in his pupils.

He looked at Lin Xiao, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Thank you."

His voice was calm, yet carried a hint of genuine gratitude.

"If it weren't for your miniature universe, I wouldn't have been able to break through to the seventh rank so quickly."

Lin Xiao shook her head: "It's all thanks to your own efforts."

He paused, then continued, "Now, I need your help."

Shi Yan nodded: "I know. The Time Training Ground, right?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Lin Xiao's eyes: "You already knew?"

Shi Yan smiled slightly: "Those who possess the talent of time can always see things that others cannot."

He didn't explain further, but instead raised his right hand, and silver light gathered in his palm.

"I can create a time training ground that covers an entire miniature universe. One day outside is equivalent to one hundred days inside the training ground."

"In other words, in the remaining year or so, our members will have nearly a thousand years of cultivation time."

A glint flashed in Lin Xiao's eyes: "A thousand years... is enough."

Shi Yan nodded, but his expression was somewhat solemn.

"However, there is a problem."

"What's the problem?"

"While the Time Training Ground can accelerate time, it cannot directly increase strength. It merely gives us more time, but breaking through bottlenecks is something that time alone cannot solve."

Lin Xiao fell silent.

He knew that Shi Yan was telling the truth.

In the path of cultivation, time is certainly important, but even more important are comprehension, opportunity, and understanding of the rules.

Some people have cultivated for hundreds of millions of years, yet they are still stuck at the eighth level and unable to break through.

Just like the King of Gold, who was trapped at the eighth-order limit for over a million years, only found the path to the ninth order after seeing Lin Xiao's miniature universe.

Some people have only cultivated for a few hundred years, yet they have already broken through to the seventh or eighth rank.

Just like Lin Xiao himself, it has been less than a year since he arrived in the Misty World.

Time is not the deciding factor.

"I understand." Lin Xiao nodded. "But at least, the Time Training Ground can give us more time to comprehend, to try, and to make mistakes."

"A thousand years is better than a year."

Shi Yan smiled: "Then it's settled."

He took a deep breath, and a burst of silver light suddenly erupted.

The light surged from his body and spread in all directions, covering the entire miniature universe in the blink of an eye.

In that instant, the flow of time in the miniature universe suddenly increased a hundredfold.

One second outside is one hundredth of a second inside the training ground—no, that's not right, one second outside is one hundred seconds inside the training ground.

All members of the Eternal Alliance who were cultivating felt this change.

Their movements became faster, their thinking became faster, and the flow of the power of rules became faster.

Everything is accelerating, except for their lifespans—Shi Yan's time-related talent allows even the passing of lifespans to accelerate in sync.

Normally, if they spend one hundred days in the Time Training Ground, their bodies and souls will age one hundred days.

However, Shi Yan used some means to change this situation.

This causes their lifespan to pass in sync with the microcosm, rather than in sync with the outside world.

-

In the days that followed, the entire Eternal Alliance was immersed in a wave of cultivation enthusiasm.

All 15 billion members at the fifth rank or above entered the Time Training Ground and began their frenzied training.

Every moment, someone is breaking through bottlenecks, moving from the fifth to the sixth rank, and from the sixth to the seventh rank.

The aura of breakthroughs rose continuously in the miniature universe, like countless fireworks blooming in the night sky.

Among the three thousand sixth-tier experts, many have reached the threshold of the seventh tier.

They trained diligently in the Time Training Ground, attempting breakthroughs time and time again, failing repeatedly, but never giving up.

Among the forty-five seventh-tier experts, some were also attempting to break through to the eighth tier.

But that threshold was too high, so high that it was enough to make people despair.

The difference between the seventh and eighth tiers is not just a difference in strength, but also a difference in understanding of the rules.

A seventh-tier divine kingdom is dependent on the Misty World. An eighth-tier divine kingdom is independent of the Misty World.

To break through to the eighth rank, one must free one's divine kingdom from the shackles of the misty world and become an independent entity.

This requires an extremely profound understanding of one's own rules and an extremely thorough understanding of the nature of the universe.

This kind of understanding, this kind of knowledge, cannot be obtained through arduous practice.

It requires opportunity, enlightenment, and a sudden flash of inspiration.

That moment may take a hundred years, or ten thousand years, or it may never come.

However, later on, some people invented other methods to break through to the eighth rank.

That is to attach the divine kingdom to Lin Xiao's miniature universe.

If we disregard size, Lin Xiao's microcosm, the Mist World, and the main universe that is being devoured by the Mist World are all conceptually the same.

Zhuge Duo stood in the council hall, the rules of fate operating at full power, deducing the breakthrough possibilities of each seventh-tier member.

Her expression grew increasingly serious, and her brows furrowed more and more tightly.

"How is it?" Lin Xiao asked softly, standing beside her.

Zhuge Duo shook her head: "It's difficult."

"Of the forty-five seventh-tier individuals, thirty-eight broke through to the seventh tier with your help. Their foundations are unstable, and their understanding of the rules is not deep enough. To break through to the eighth tier, they would need at least a thousand years of accumulation."

"The remaining seven—"

She paused, looking in the direction of the eight survivors with SSS-level talents.

"They are very talented and have great potential. However, their rank has risen too quickly, and their foundation is equally unstable. It is almost impossible for them to break through to the eighth rank in a short period of time."

Lin Xiao fell silent.

He had anticipated this outcome.

Although the Eternal Alliance is powerful, he is still the only one with top-tier combat strength.

Only he could fight to a draw with the strength of a ninth-rank opponent while only at the eighth rank.

Other members of the seventh rank can only deal with enemies of the same rank as them.

It's almost impossible to deal with an eighth-tier survivor—even those survivors with SSS-level talents had a lot of trouble when they teamed up to deal with three seventh-tier survivors last time.

If an eighth-tier enemy comes, they simply cannot stop them.

If a ninth-tier enemy were to arrive, then it would be even more dire.

"It seems I can only rely on myself," Lin Xiao said softly, a hint of determination flashing in her eyes.

Zhuge Duo looked at him, hesitant to speak.

"What are you planning to do?" she finally asked.

Lin Xiao took a deep breath: "I'm going into seclusion. I need to break through to the ninth rank."

Zhuge Duo's pupils contracted slightly.

Ninth level.

That's a realm that even the King of Gold was trapped in for over a million years.

Although Lin Xiao is exceptionally talented and possesses a miniature universe, the breakthrough from the eighth to the ninth rank is still an insurmountable chasm.

"Are you sure?" she asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

Lin Xiao shook her head: "No."

"But I had no other choice."

He turned around and walked toward the deepest part of the miniature universe.

"I will emerge from seclusion a year from now, regardless of whether I have broken through to the ninth rank."

His voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable firmness.

"Then, it will be time for the final battle against the God of Mist!"