Chapter 833: Breaking Through Successively

Merging a past self, yet there are so many gossips.

The key is, it's gossip about oneself.

And Great Zhou King, the Seven-Dao Strongman—does "Seven-Dao Strongman" refer to seven great paths, or is it a name for a realm or level of power?

"And... Wen's bloodline. If Nanyuan is full of Wen's bloodline, then why must this phantom choose me? Fortune's power—can future fortune's power even influence the past?"

If so, could his choice of me be related to this memory recall of mine?

That would be impressive—if the future is powerful, can it also affect the past?

But without merging the Time Scroll, there is no future self.

This thing—hard to say anything about it.

Su Yu suddenly said: "I've merged the past self of this period. Can I go back again and merge again?"

Wan Tiansheng directly shook his head: "Impossible. The past is unique, the future has myriad possibilities! So once you merge a past self, you've merged the past of that period—there will be no second chance!"

Su Yu regretted it. Actually, he wanted to see a little more of the memories before this, or rather, for instance, at the moment the phantom appeared, to see where Great Zhou King was.

And at that moment, Su Yu thought of something and glanced at Nan Wang. Nan Wang had seemed a bit off earlier.

Nan Wang, seeing Su Yu look at her, said in a somewhat dejected voice: "That person... might be exactly as Great Zhou King said—Xing! I hear his voice, vaguely familiar... Xing... The era Xing belongs to is not that far off; he and the Death Spirit Emperor might be from the same era..."

The Death Spirit Emperor—Su Yu had originally planned to bring him along, but the Death Spirit Emperor somewhat rejected the origin source. Su Yu guessed it was because he had unified his origin. Those who unified their origin left no imprint in the past, so they probably couldn't enter the River of Memories.

This time, Chen wasn't here; otherwise, he might have recognized the phantom's identity.

But Nan Wang's attitude was off.

Aren't you Wen Wang's fangirl?

Why does hearing Xing's voice also seem to unsettle you?..

"Did Nan Wang have dealings with Xing?"

Su Yu asked. Nan Wang was silent for a moment, then suddenly said: "No, but... I vaguely remember that this person once visited my clan and had a relationship with a Celestial Maiden of my clan!"

Celestial Maiden!

Su Yu's heart stirred.

Celestial Race!

Indeed, earlier he had guessed that Nan Wang was either from the Celestial Race or Soul Pearl, and it turned out she was indeed from the Celestial Race. The Celestial Maiden seemed to be the title of the Celestial Race's leader.

Nan Wang said in a low voice: "That Celestial Maiden... later suffered greatly. This Xing is no good—in your words, he's an old scumbag!"

Is that so?

Su Yu was surprised—there was this gossip too?

But Nan Wang was also quite ancient. From the sound of it, she might have heard Xing's voice in the early Primordial or late Creation era, perhaps even from the same era as Chen.

Su Yu had never brought up Nan Wang's past. Some things, if others didn't mention, he wouldn't ask.

But now he couldn't help asking: "Nan Wang... are you a figure from the late Creation era?"

Nan Wang said crossly: "I died early—I'm not old!"

"..."

That's not what I meant—I didn't say you were old.

Speechless!

Women, huh!

Dying early means you're not old?

Hmph!

Fine, if you say so, then it's fine.

Nan Wang added: "That person should be Xing, but he should have entered the Heavenly Gate long ago. Yet he didn't die. So why did he come out? To find Xingyu... Xingyu, by reckoning, should be his descendant. I wonder who that old scumbag fathered him with!"

Su Yu was speechless. Hearing the resentment in her voice, he suddenly had a thought, almost unbelievable, and whispered: "Nan Wang... you're not Xing's daughter, are you?"

"Ha!"

Nan Wang sneered, "How could that be! It's just... that Celestial Maiden he seduced back then was an elder of mine. She ended up miserably. Seeing him, I'm in a bad mood!"

Is that so?

Fine!

Su Yu didn't press further. These were ancient, dusty matters. Some things, after so many years, everyone has their own version.

Su Yu suddenly thought of another point: "According to him, Wen and the others might still be alive, inside the Heavenly Gate, including this Xing. He's so powerful—why didn't he help Wen Wang and them?"

Because according to the imprint left by Time Master that day, she was nearly finished, and her brother, Wen Wang, was also nearly finished, unable to match the powerful enemy.

No one said anyone helped them.

Why was that?

And Great Zhou King said faintly: "Your Majesty, they... may not necessarily be stronger than Wen Wang!"

"Huh?"

Su Yu was taken aback. Great Zhou King smiled bitterly: "Your Majesty... they are ancient and powerful, but to say they are definitely stronger than Wen Wang... that's not certain! Wen Wang, by the divisions of that time, was a First-Class! Now, if there is something above First-Class... Wen Wang might be above First-Class! Your Majesty, Wen Wang is a supreme strongman, a true supreme strongman. Don't think Wen Wang is weak..."

Does everyone you meet seem stronger than Wen Wang?

Great Zhou King added: "Wen Wang and the Human Emperor are the most powerful existences after the Primordial Era! They stabilized the myriad realms—the Human Emperor and Lord Wen Wang were the masters, suppressing all races, suppressing all emperors! So when Wen Wang and the Human Emperor were present, even though the human race had far fewer Rule Lords overall than the enemy, they could still suppress the myriad realms! But when one of the two was missing, soon a change occurred."

In short, Wen Wang was very formidable!

Su Yu nodded. Great Zhou King continued: "Based on current speculation, Wen Wang and the Human Emperor are the supreme strongmen second only to the Death Spirit Lord and the like! And the Human Emperor's ancestor, Xing—he might not be as strong as the Human Ancestor... probably not! According to current accounts, the Human Ancestor is the master of the human race; they were just leaders of a tribe, subordinates of the Human Ancestor... their strength is not as great as the Human Ancestor's!"

"The Human Ancestor could match the Death Spirit Lord, but that's just a legend. Xing and those strongmen are inferior to the Human Ancestor! So most likely, they are also inferior to Wen Wang and the others..."

Su Yu said in surprise: "So you mean, he might only be a First-Class? Not as strong as Wen Wang and the others now?"

"That's my judgment!"

Su Yu nodded—that made some sense—but then frowned: "Then he came out of the Heavenly Gate and said he would seal the Heavenly Gate..."

Great Zhou King said wearily: "If he could come out easily, he would have done so long ago. I suspect he borrowed the power of Time Master to barely emerge. His strength should be inferior to the Death Spirit Lord's!"

Su Yu thought it over and found it plausible: "So you mean, this guy's strength... might not even match Time Master's? Maybe Time Master struck with full force, broke the Heavenly Gate, and he followed behind, taking advantage of the opportunity to come out?"

"Most likely!"

Great Zhou King spoke again. Su Yu rubbed his chin and looked at Great Zhou King—why was he so certain?

Great Zhou King said wearily again: "Actually... it's not hard to guess. He called me a Seven-Dao Supreme... this guy... ahem, probably has average strength! Your Majesty, do you think Wen Wang and the Human Emperor, upon seeing me, would call me a Seven-Dao Supreme?"

"..."

Su Yu's mouth fell open. Damn, what you said makes perfect sense!

I can't refute that.

Su Yu laughed: "So, he might only be a First-Class strongman."

Just?

These words left even the Great Zhou King at a loss for a reply.

Had the realm of the ancient Human Kings and Sovereigns truly come to no more than this?

The Great Zhou King pondered and said, “I don’t know the specifics, but it’s likely he’s not as powerful as the Human Sovereign. Listen to what he said—he seeks Xingyu, and Xingyu, in his words, is also a supreme being… So perhaps he is indeed inferior to His Majesty the Human Sovereign!”

Very well!

Hearing the Great Zhou King’s reasoning, Su Yu also felt it was so.

“Thus, he merely used the Time Master’s power to emerge, but I suspect he had little connection with the Time Master. He might know some things, even observed in secret, but he probably never communicated with the Time Master or the others… Otherwise, the Time Book—whether it was to find the Human Sovereign or to return home—the Time Master would not have kept silent!”

Su Yu narrowed his eyes: “So, these people may not be good!”

Watching the Time Master fall into trouble, he didn’t help but secretly followed the Time Book out—was he seeking reinforcements?

Or did he have another purpose?

Anyway, this Xing might not be a good person; perhaps he is not even as strong as his countless generations’ descendant, the Human Sovereign.

At that moment, Su Yu fell silent. On his body, waves of overwhelming aura surged, his flesh rumbled and cracked incessantly!

The Past Body was very powerful!

The power of Xing and the Time Book had all gathered into that moment’s Su Yu—Little Su Yu must have been extremely strong!

Just as everyone thought Su Yu was about to merge with the Past Body, Su Yu suddenly grabbed Little Su Yu and smashed him to pieces with a punch…

“…”

Everyone was stunned!

But Su Yu, ignoring them, shattered Little Su Yu and continued devouring power. As he absorbed the homologous energy, he explained, “There is only one Su Yu. I don’t need to merge all of the past and future—just extract the source power!”

“There may be some loss of strength, but it won’t lead to one body being blasted apart while the other is weakened…”

Nan Wang couldn’t help it: “You… killed your own childhood self?”

Too brutal!

Not human at all!

Su Yu explained, “That’s not me, nor my childhood—just some imprints of my source…”

“You killed your childhood! You killed Little Su Yu!”

At this, Nan Wang was insistent. Regardless of whether it was an imprint, you had brutally killed your own childhood self!

Su Yu, so fierce!

Su Yu was exasperated. Women, huh!

What do you mean, my childhood?

Just imprints!

If I take a photo and tear it up, does that mean I killed myself?

What logic!

He simply disliked that during battle, a little Su Yu—six years old, in his childhood form—would suddenly appear and fight.

That would be boring!

Besides, merging the three bodies wasn’t about having extra lives; he didn’t need that. What Su Yu needed was source power. He reiterated, “If I don’t shatter them now but choose to merge, the three bodies would split the power evenly. Only when the three are united does strength increase; separation leads to decline… That’s not good. So for merging the three bodies, either don’t merge, or at the moment of merging, blast your past and future selves to pieces and absorb them into yourself!”

The men understood, and even Nan Wang did, but she still said, “You’re too cruel. Such a little child, so pitiful—his mother died early, and you still killed him!”

“That’s myself!”

Su Yu was dizzy, speechless: “Nan Wang, don’t let your sympathy run wild, okay? That’s me!”

I pity myself, not this shadow!

What’s the matter?

Nan Wang thought for a moment, nodded. Yes, this was Su Yu’s own experience. She then said, “You were cuter as a child. How about… when no one’s around, you revert to your childhood form? That would be even more adorable!”

Go to hell!

Su Yu was speechless. If you were a man, I’d punch you until you wailed!

What nonsense!

The Great Zhou King and the others suppressed their laughter. Su Yu ignored them, continuously absorbing source power to strengthen himself. His flesh kept splitting. Su Yu sighed and shook his head: “I can’t merge more past and future selves—my source hasn’t been fully absorbed… It seems my flesh can’t take it… The only way is to use the Human Sovereign Seal to summon another future self… Merge when needed, discard when not!”

“When I’m strong enough, my flesh tough enough, I’ll kill the Future Body and devour it…”

Everyone heard him talk about killing himself so calmly, and their hairs stood on end. This guy was truly ruthless—ruthless to himself, ruthless to others!

Then Su Yu thought again and said, “The future… doesn’t need to be too strong—about the same as me now is fine. Otherwise, an overly illusory future is unreliable! I’ve always felt that the Future Body is the least reliable—its power is illusory, even… possibly borrowed!”

Everyone looked at him. Wan Tiansheng said gravely, “You mean the Future Body we merge now is borrowed power… borrowed from a certain moment?”

Su Yu nodded, “Let’s put it this way: say I merge with the Future Body, and that Future Body is from a moment when I become a First-Class in the future. Now it might have no effect, but when I truly reach that level, at that moment, that version of me might suddenly lose power… because it was borrowed by the past me!”

“Power cannot come from nothing!”

Su Yu smiled, “Take the Past Body, for example. What I’m borrowing now is the power of the Time Book and Xing from back then, temporarily drained by me! That’s why the Time Book couldn’t recover for many years. As for the Future Body, don’t make it too strong, or you’ll drain too much power. At a critical moment, your future self in battle might end up harming itself… So try not to merge the Future Body, and if you do, don’t merge too much!”

Everyone was thoughtful. Wan Tiansheng asked, “If I only merge with the me of the next moment, will I lose power in that next moment?”

Su Yu thought for a moment: “Maybe. You can try. Usually, when people merge with the future, they choose a very strong moment, not the next one…”

At this, Su Yu smiled, “I could try, but in the next moment, I might have my future power drained by myself and enter a period of weakness. How long that lasts, I don’t know. If you’re interested, you could do an experiment!”

Recently, it wasn’t too busy, so he could try.

Anyway, there was no rush to go upstream immediately.

Once Su Yu thought of it, he would do it.

At that moment, Su Yu suddenly summoned a great seal—his Human Sovereign Seal, the supreme seal!

Su Yu was still in the River of Memory. This time, he didn’t go far. At the entrance, he reached downstream and grabbed a Su Yu, almost identical to his current self!

As soon as this Su Yu appeared, he instantly merged into the Human Sovereign Seal.

Then, from the seal, a Su Yu emerged, also very powerful, and in an instant merged with Su Yu. This time, Su Yu didn’t shatter the Future Body—if he did, he couldn’t absorb more power now.

Still, this Future Body was not weak!

It was equal in strength to the current Su Yu.

At this point, Su Yu’s power was still rising, vaguely approaching Second-Class, much like the War Emperor, about to step into Second-Class. This was outside the universe, so he had already improved greatly!

Inside the universe, Su Yu was probably a strong Second-Class, but still a bit short of First-Class.

Yet, there was still the Future Body!

When the Future Body merged with Su Yu, his aura suddenly changed. With a roar, the river shook, and Su Yu and the others were thrown out of the river. Su Yu’s aura was boundless. The Great Zhou King gasped at the sight.

Su Yu, after merging with the Future Body, had truly reached Second-Class!

Outside the universe, he had reached Second-Class!

Then inside the universe, had Su Yu reached First-Class?

This was terrifying!

Su Yu’s domain had only just been opened not long ago!

Su Yu chuckled: “Don’t bother looking. Even within the domain, I haven’t reached the first rank. The gap between first and second rank still exists, and it’s not small!”

He could feel it himself—what the Wen King and others called first and second rank, each shift had a clear boundary!

He could sense that boundary!

Even within the domain, he hadn’t reached that level, but inside it, he could be considered a powerful second-rank Rule Lord!

Outside, he also possessed second-rank power, but not particularly strong.

Soon, a nearly identical Su Yu flew out from within Su Yu’s body. Su Yu’s aura declined, settling at the peak of the third rank.

Su Yu shook his head: “Mediocre!”

Two peak third-rank Su Yus could merge into one second-rank Su Yu, but this future self… Su Yu found it displeasing to look at. “I don’t like someone who’s just like me. If it had no intelligence, that would be fine! But with intelligence, it’s very bad!”

This thing counted as a source imprint, much like the Lord of the Dead—it could potentially develop its own intelligence, becoming another cunning Su Yu!

He’d better not be betrayed by himself—that would be truly unfortunate!

Back in the day, someone had cultivated the Three Bodies Method and gone mad from it!

The future-body Su Yu, as soon as it appeared, broke into a smile: “Fellow Daoist…”

It greeted the present body!

Just after the greeting, Su Yu’s true self suddenly threw a punch. The moment he did, the other also threw a punch. The next instant, the Human Sovereign Seal trembled, dispersing the future body’s power in one go. Su Yu smiled, grabbed the future body, and shook his head: “Damn it. The me of the next moment doesn’t want to become a second me—it wants to become the only me. This concept is deeply ingrained! Can’t change it! So this guy might rebel—it’s a real trap!”

Su Yu added: “So, the Three Bodies Method can be cultivated, but you must never create a past or future body. Just blast them apart and fuse them!”

Wan Tiansheng, however, was somewhat speechless: “Your… rebellious streak is too strong. We’ve also fished out past and future selves before, but none were as violent as yours!”

The moment it appeared, it wanted to rebel, to kill the true self!

This was also Su Yu!

But this thought ran deep: I am unique!

And Su Yu himself wasn’t surprised at all. He said casually: “Perfectly normal. I don’t want a second me to appear, so of course it thinks the same. I don’t even need to guess—this guy is now plotting how to kill me! But the Three Bodies Method has one advantage: the present is supreme! The past and future are only auxiliary!”

With that, he kneaded the future Su Yu into a ball and stuffed it into the Human Sovereign Seal, saying offhandedly: “Just treat it as a source of power. Once my physical body is strong enough, I’ll blast it apart and devour it! No one is allowed to speak with it. I have to seal it away, or else you might be fooled by it—that would be trouble!”

Everyone looked at him with strange expressions. There was nothing wrong with that logic!

The future you would definitely be just as good at fooling people as you are.

Just as he sealed the future body, Su Yu’s aura suddenly began to leak. Su Yu himself seemed prepared and suddenly laughed: “I knew it, but I didn’t expect it so soon. So this is what it means to borrow future power… I summoned the future body—I wonder how long I’ll be weakened… I’m in a weakened period now!”

This future body was too close to his present. Most people would seek a distant future, at its strongest moment, but Su Yu had chosen the very next moment. Now, Su Yu breathed a sigh of relief: “Good thing I sealed my future self. Otherwise, once I enter this weakened period, and this guy isn’t sealed, he might kill me—killing myself by my own hand—how unjust would that be!”

“The drawbacks of the Three Bodies Method are severe!”

Su Yu continued as he walked: “It’s best not to fuse with the future body at all! This thing is too dangerous. First, it might rebel! Second, during a great battle at some future moment, it could cause your power to be drained away… then you’re dead!”

“Right now, I’ve only extracted the future body of the next moment, but this leakage of power—I don’t know how long it will last—is also troublesome!”

“I even worry that every time I use the future body, I’ll have to pay it back at some future moment!”

Su Yu said gravely: “For example, my future is just the next moment. If I use the future body now, my next moment might be weakened! It’s always like this!”

Su Yu frowned slightly: “This is really not good! If I calculate from the moment I just struck at him… about a minute after the strike?”

“He only used a few moves… but extracting him gives me a weakened period!”

Su Yu calculated quickly and said: “In other words, the present me will enter a weakened period. The duration is uncertain! Next time I fuse with the future body, it might happen that I fight with the future body for twenty minutes, and then for twenty minutes or longer, I’ll be weakened!”

Wan Tiansheng said solemnly: “Then why… when we cultivated the Three Bodies Method before, we didn’t have such drawbacks?”

Su Yu laughed: “The futures you extracted were all far away—like ten years later, a hundred years later… Sometimes, when that time comes, you suddenly weaken, and you might already be killed by an enemy! Even if you survive, you might not realize it was caused by extracting the future body at some earlier moment! It’s very normal—you might even think you’ve gone mad from cultivation!”

At these words, the Great Zhou King was startled and spoke: “That actually happened! When we cultivated the Three Bodies Method, we used to say there would be some drawbacks, like going mad. There was a case back then—during cultivation, someone suddenly lost all their power. That person thought they had gone mad from cultivation, panicked, and suddenly exploded!”

Su Yu shrugged: “Normal. If you’re unprepared and suddenly find all your power gone, you’d also panic and want to kill yourself. But exploding… might be because the power suddenly returned and went out of control!”

Su Yu shook his head: “So, the future body is extremely unreliable!”

“Not just the future body—the past body is the same!”

Su Yu warned: “Don’t cultivate the Three Bodies Method. If you do, blast them apart and cultivate that way…”

Then Su Yu paused: “Do you think the Human Sovereign and the others might have known about this… known that the drawbacks of the Three Bodies Method were so severe, and that’s why they didn’t let everyone cultivate it?”

At these words, several people nodded. That was indeed possible!

And Su Yu’s eyes flickered. He suddenly transmitted to the Great Zhou King: “Are you sure the Human Sovereign was injured, and not in a weakened period?”

Could it be that the Human Sovereign had already extracted the power of his past and future, and was now in the process of a future extraction, causing his power to go out of control?

The Great Zhou King was also startled, then quickly transmitted back: “It was an injury… very severe! If it were a weakened period as Your Majesty described… it might have passed long ago. It’s possible that during a weakened period, the Human Sovereign’s power suddenly went out of control, and an enemy took the opportunity to severely wound him. Otherwise, I also find it hard to believe that the Human Sovereign would be injured so heavily!”

Su Yu stroked his chin. That was possible.

The Human Sovereign was immensely powerful and wouldn’t rashly risk himself. He knew that if he died, it would cause enormous trouble.

Yet he was injured, and extremely so!

That meant the Human Sovereign might not have anticipated that during battle, a weakened period would occur!

For example, long ago, the Human Sovereign had extracted his future self, and years later, it suddenly erupted. Even the Human Sovereign himself hadn’t expected it, hadn’t prepared…

“How tragic!”

Su Yu silently sympathized with the Human Sovereign. He felt this possibility was very high!

If you borrow power, you will definitely have to repay it!

The past is unique, the future uncertain—daring to borrow the power of the future, even Su Yu didn’t dare much. That’s why he only borrowed the next moment. See, now he had entered a weakened period.

From the peak of the third rank just now, his present body had probably fallen to the fourth or even fifth rank.

If he had been in a fierce battle with a powerful enemy, he would have been killed instantly!

“The Human Sovereign couldn’t have failed to consider that the future would demand repayment… but when that moment actually came, it was too late!”

Su Yu quickly said: “Wan Fuzhang, you could also try fusing with the past. The trouble isn’t great! The premise is, don’t seek one too strong—you might burst yourself. Fusing with the past is still feasible! As long as your physical body is strong enough, you can fuse! As for the future, first, you need a vessel; second, it’s full of uncertainty. It’s best not to do it. It’s also hard for you to find a vessel capable of bearing a Rule Lord…”

Wan Tiansheng said solemnly: “But right now, it’s difficult for me to enter the River of Memory. Your Majesty, how should I enter?”

Su Yu smiled: “That’s not hard. When you open the River of Time, constantly recall a certain moment in the past. This River of Memory, I have some understanding of it now. It’s essentially a summoning of the source… During the Sun-Moon period, cultivating the Three Bodies Method allowed you to enter naturally! After the Sun-Moon period, you have to find a way to enter on your own! The Sun-Moon realm is passive; beyond it, we need to take the initiative!”

Su Yu then grinned: “Even if you don’t fuse with the future, fusing with a powerful past can still greatly enhance your strength! Fourth rank to third rank, third rank to second rank—it’s all possible…”

Of course, it wasn’t easy. The stronger you were, the harder it was to improve!

Su Yu wasn’t in a hurry. He would first get through the weakened period. During this time, he would strengthen his physical body. Then, once the weakened period passed, he would kill the future body and fuse it to see if he could fully attain second-rank power!

At this point, it would actually be very difficult for Su Yu to improve further!

Next time, he could continue to extract past and future—he hadn’t finished extracting yet!

There was still source power left, but the next time, the prerequisite was that his physical body was strong enough to serve as the vessel. The Human Sovereign Seal, used once, would consume some of its power. If used too many times, it might damage the seal, which wouldn’t be worth it!

Through this one application of the Three Bodies Method, Su Yu had gained a deeper understanding. He added: “The founder of the Three Bodies Method must have wanted to weaken the power of the River of Time. But this technique… though strange, the benefits might not be that great, especially the extraction of the future body… This is not a good method. The founder’s intentions were uncertain—he might not have been a good person. This kind of situation can easily trap and kill a lot of people!”

Su Yu deeply understood one truth: what comes for free will always come at a cost.

How much you give determines how much you reap.

The past self is the price you paid in times gone by.

The future—that too will be repaid in days to come!

Su Yu added, "The power of the past is merely what you left behind in the river of time—it's reclaiming what's yours. But the future... that's borrowing! Spending in advance, consuming ahead of time!"

Su Yu said gravely, "So... it's best not to use any future power at all! That's the safest course!"

To be on the safe side, don't even touch the power of the future.

Su Yu had made up his mind: once he got through his weak period, he would find a way to shatter his future self. That thing was no stable element.

Besides, it could easily lead to a split personality!

The others exchanged glances and nodded.

Wan Tiansheng smiled. "Regardless, being able to merge with the past will make us all a good deal stronger!"

Su Yu nodded. "That's true. But once you merge with the past... you probably won't be able to come back to life. Think it over. Still, there's more than one past self. If you don't merge them all, there's still a chance for resurrection!"

He had essentially run an experiment for them, and Su Yu didn't mind acting as a test subject.

Soon, the group returned to the upper realm, to Su Yu's world.

And next, it was time for everyone to merge with their past selves!

...

Su Yu's period of weakness this time lasted quite a while!

A full half-month!

If this had been during a war... half a month?

You'd be dead and dismembered in half a minute!

So the future self was a huge pitfall!

A colossal trap—sooner or later, you'd have to pay the debt!

Of course, using it felt great. Merging with the future self, jumping from third rank to second—that was exhilarating!

But when it came time to repay, you'd be crying. If you couldn't pay, you'd die.

Su Yu wasn't bothered. Lately, things were peaceful, and his world was still expanding and digesting. Plus, with many experts beginning to advance, Su Yu easily got through this blank period!

Not only that, even his physical body had grown stronger!

The entire world was being reinforced, and Su Yu's own power was also rising.

This was the dividend period after killing Baizhan and the others.

During this time, Su Yu was improving, and everyone else was improving too.

By the time Su Yu got through his weak period, a month had passed since the war ended.

By then, the first year of the New Yu Era was almost over!

After Anping 352 ended, Su Yu had designated 353 as the first year of the New Yu Era.

At that time, the myriad realms hadn't been fully conquered, but the gods, demons, and immortals had sealed their domains. Su Yu had conquered the Phoenix and Dragon realms, and taking advantage of that great victory, he had changed the era name.

Now, the myriad realms were completely pacified. The immortals, demons, and gods had withdrawn. Baizhan was dead...

From Su Yu's opening of the world, to breaking the seal and freeing the upper and lower realms—everything had been settled in less than a year. That year had been one of immense harvest for Su Yu!

And all of this had happened just four years since Su Yu first left Nanyuan.

...

Another month or so passed. During this month, Su Yu cultivated peacefully, strengthening his physical body in preparation for shattering his future self.

He had no interest in keeping his future self around forever.

Having reached this point, he didn't want any mishaps on his own person.

When the calendar officially turned to the second year of the New Yu Era, in Su Yu's world, his body trembled. With a single punch, he shattered the future self he had just pulled out of the Human Sovereign Seal!

Here, the future self had no power to resist.

"Little guy, still think you can fight me?"

Su Yu curled his lip. The future you, against the present me—clearly no match. Because the future you is fixed, while the present me changes every moment. A mere tool—did you think you could turn the tables?

Su Yu quickly devoured all the power of that future self!

A great deal of power spilled away!

But Su Yu didn't care. Let it spill!

At that moment, his body trembled, and his world trembled too. Su Yu knew he was about to fully step into the second rank!

Outside, he would be second rank.

Inside his world, perhaps he would be at the peak of second rank.

This level of strength was about enough. To improve further would be extremely difficult. Without some tremendous fortune, Su Yu would probably never reach the first rank!

"Enough!"

Su Yu laughed. His body shook, and a surge of overwhelming power rose.

In his world, some people, at that very moment of Su Yu's ascension, gained new insights and advanced!

More than one or two!

And at that moment, Su Yu silently savored the feeling. His voice echoed through the world: "Two months have passed. The three-month deadline is near! In one month, everyone will gather. Those on the list who have not yet reached the Ruler realm—I need not remind you!"

"In one month, we march to the Upper Stream!"

Su Yu's voice rang out again!

This time, he had said three months, and he had given everyone three months. He hadn't advanced the deadline!

But now, two months had already passed!

In one month, if the thirty people on the list still couldn't break through... Su Yu would have to fulfill his promise.

...

One month.

The whole world was bustling. People kept breaking through, but some grew anxious.

The three-month deadline was approaching!

Yet among the thirty on the list, some still couldn't break through.

From being at the forefront to failing this breakthrough and falling to the second tier, starting a life of retirement... that wasn't necessarily what everyone wanted. And those who truly wanted to avoid battle might not be willing to give up their current path to someone else.

This time, Su Yu had been generous, giving everyone three months.

And during these three months, Su Yu himself was improving. His improvement in turn spurred others to improve and gain insights. So the actual cultivation effect was still very strong.

Because Su Yu was also in a period of ascension!

If things had stabilized and reached their limit, everyone would have to rely on themselves. But now, many people were advancing by relying on Su Yu's breakthrough!

Su Yu broke through from the third rank to the second rank!

This was, in fact, a tremendous opportunity!

Yet, not everyone was Su Yu, nor was everyone endowed with extraordinary talent.

In the blink of an eye, the final month had reached its end!

During this time, breakthroughs came one after another, but still, some could not break through!

...

Within Su Yu's world.

Tianmie was restless and anxious!

He was deeply agitated!

Time was running out, yet he had not broken through. Not only had he failed to break through, but he had also lost the bamboo staff, and he might even have to give up his own Great Path!

March had broken through before him!

Not only March, but a few days ago, Giant Bamboo had also broken through. After all, they had been immersed in the King and Venerable realms for many years, unlike Tianmie, a latecomer. They had broken through ahead of him.

The bamboo staff was as good as lost; there was no help for it.

But if he could not become a Rule Master, he could not even keep his current Great Path!

At this moment, Tianmie was restless, deeply agitated.

He did not want this!

Yet his comprehension of the Great Path had not reached that level; he could not control his Great Stick Path!

"Dammit!"

Tianmie cursed loudly, wanting to punch the cave before him to pieces. How annoying!

Was he destined to be abandoned?

Stuck on the second line?

But this was not the life he wanted. He wanted to go with Su Yu to the front lines, to the upper reaches, to fight alongside those former strongmen. In the past, he had been a nameless general, not even a titled general!

Now, he wanted to spar with those ancient kings and ancient emperors!

But it seemed he had no chance!

"Most have broken through, so why can't I?"

Tianmie grew more and more agitated. The closer the time came, the less he could calm himself.

Just as he was in turmoil, a soft voice suddenly rang in his mind: "Be still! How can you break through in such turmoil? Sit down, cultivate, and listen as I read to you! If you had read more, you wouldn't be left scratching your head now..."

Tianmie was overjoyed!

Su Yu!

"Thank you, Your Majesty! I knew it—Your Majesty would not forget me..."

Tianmie was ecstatic. Damn, it seemed his seniority still had its perks; the Emperor was giving him special tutoring!

"Don't tell anyone, or they'll think I'm unfair..."

"Of course!"

Tianmie secretly rejoiced. Needless to say, this kind of thing was best kept to himself; why would he tell anyone else?

...

At that moment, Su Yu was incredibly busy. While instructing Tianmie, he also scolded Doubao: "You can do it. Less nonsense, hurry up and cultivate. Don't tell anyone I'm giving you special lessons..."

No sooner had he finished scolding than he turned to another with irritation: "Yingwu, among the ancient marquises, I had the highest hopes for you, even more than for Lanshan. You have disappointed me greatly! I have fully opened my Great Path to you; listen well as I impart the Dao essence to you... Don't disappoint me again. Remember, don't tell anyone else—you are the one I value most!"

"Lanshan, you fool! Yingwu is almost breaking through, and with that idiot personality of yours, I find you annoying. You are the one I value most, yet you still haven't broken through..."

"Honghuang, your father was King Wu's mount, and I personally changed your path because I didn't want you to become a mount as well... But now, you are still unable to break through. Fine, if you don't break through soon, you'll have to abandon the Devouring Path! You must know, September and Cooked Cake both follow the Devouring Path, yet I entrusted it to you, letting September cultivate the Shattered Void Path and Cooked Cake the Devouring Origin Path... I had high hopes for you, but you have disappointed me so. I will explain the Devouring Path to you one last time. If it still doesn't work, give up!"

...

At this moment, Su Yu was giving special lessons to all those who had not yet broken through, telling each one of them: I value you the most!

You are the one I refuse to give up!

I have specially given you private lessons—a treatment no one else has!

And these people, clearly, all perked up instantly!

The Emperor values me the most!

At this critical moment, he secretly gave me special lessons. Now, those who were once despairing were no longer hopeless!

Indeed, in the Emperor's heart, I am the most trustworthy!

...

And Su Yu was exhausted!

Preaching the Dao was not just about talking; it meant explaining the Great Path to them, clarifying its principles. Sometimes, to make it clear, it was very complicated!

Simplify the complex!

And Su Yu also discovered that, damn it, the lower the intelligence, the harder the breakthrough!

Look at who broke through later, and you'd know who was a bit dumber.

Of course, Giant Axe didn't count; he had long been a Venerable and directly became a Rule Master—nothing to say about that.

The others, the foolish and reckless ones, broke through more slowly!

There was nothing Su Yu could do about that.

If he didn't give special lessons, those reckless ones wouldn't break through at all. Without them, leading a group of clever people to rescue others—Su Yu wouldn't feel at ease. He had to let the reckless ones break through!