Malrick finally agreed to take Lei Shen and Hong as his disciples. Although he could only remain for three more months, that didn't concern him. In the wider Starry Sky World, it was normal for cultivators to have more than one teacher. After he left, both of them could still seek stronger mentors out in the universe.
What Malrick could offer them now was his current understanding—his experiences in cultivation advancement and insight into the mysteries of the Starry Sky World.
After Lei Shen and Hong formally bowed and offered tea, following the traditional disciple rite, Malrick began to teach. He guided them on breaking through to the Planetary level, explaining domains, laws, and power amplification.
Inspired and focused, the two of them immediately entered closed-door cultivation. It would likely take them a few days to complete their breakthroughs.
With only three months left, Malrick didn't have time to watch over them.
He left instructions with their guards to stay alert, then flew out of Base City.
"There are plenty of minor ruins scattered across Earth, most left behind from the Meteorite Star invasion. I'll start by sweeping those."
His gaze swept across the globe, identifying hundreds of ruins of various sizes.
"First, I'll head to the South American ruins. There's a battlesuit and psychic cultivation methods I need."
He locked onto his destination but paused before taking off. Instead, he connected with the Source Will.
"Hey, Will Boss. Got any cultivation inheritances lying around? Hook me up with one!"
The Source Will, now used to Malrick's persistence, responded with its usual detachment.
[Insufficient time. Unable to exchange.]
It was becoming more and more like a cold, mechanical Mainframe God.
Malrick tried the entanglement technique he'd learned from Lei Shen and replied smoothly, "Come on, it's just data. Sharing an inheritance doesn't cost anything."
"Besides, it's not even for me, it's for you."
[For me?] The Source Will paused, seemingly caught off guard.
Malrick seized the opportunity. "Exactly. You know what they say—more allies, more options. Roads only exist when people walk them."
"Giving me an inheritance now isn't just helping me. You're guiding me, making me stronger. But in the end, that helps you too."
[Helping myself?]
"Absolutely. We're friends, right? You've helped me a lot already. I want to return the favor."
"I want to become stronger so I can protect you. Right now, if I could ascend to a True God, I'd do it without hesitation—for your sake."
"Brother Will, from today onward, I'll be a road you can walk. The more help you give me, the easier that road becomes for both of us."
He wasn't sure whether the Source Will truly understood metaphors, but he leaned in fully—speaking like a loyal general swearing fealty to a king.
Silence.
"Brother Will? Will Boss? Still there?"
No answer.
Malrick let out a sigh. "Fourth try and still nothing."
Ever since he landed on Earth, he'd been lobbying the Source Will for an inheritance. Four days, four attempts—zero success.
He made a mental note: when he got back to Marvel, he'd seriously consider switching majors. Negotiation skills were becoming more important than power in these strange worlds. Next time he transmigrated, he'd make sure every world consciousness was begging him to stop talking.
"Alright then. On to the Amazon ruins."
Malrick soared toward South America.
---
Half a day later, clad in a sleek pitch-black suit and having mastered the foundational techniques of a Psychic, Malrick emerged from a ruin.
His gaze lifted toward the sky. Something felt… off.
Above Earth, where blue skies should have stretched endlessly, a second blinding sun had appeared.
Crimson-white light beamed down from beyond the stratosphere, cutting through the atmosphere like pillars of divine power.
Hundreds of Earth fighter jets had already launched into orbit, converging toward the light source.
Malrick activated his super vision. What he saw stunned him.
A massive fortress floated above the Moon, its towering structure piercing over a thousand kilometers high, its foundation embedded deep into lunar rock. It looked as if it had been thrown down by some ancient cosmic force.
The white light emanated from the fortress's summit.
Billions of rays of cosmic energy spiraled around it, enough to distort even space itself. The structure looked like the gravitational center of the entire solar system. Even starlight bent around it.
The Moon now appeared like a shimmering illusion, barely stable.
"This... wasn't in the original story. Is this what the Source Will left for me?"
So the silence hadn't been a rejection—it had been preparation.
Wrapping his body in a Bio-field, Malrick shot through space. In under a minute, he crossed the void between Earth and the Moon, arriving just outside the fortress.
Many of the fighter jets were still crawling their way up, most of them not even a tenth of the distance through.
As Malrick hovered near the fortress, the crimson-white light above it scanned him, then enveloped his entire body.
He felt the light pierce through him, scanning every cell.
"Cosmic-level lifeform detected. Genetic enhancement multiplier: 100x. Brain domain unlocked: 100%. Core inheritance assessment authorized."
An ancient voice echoed, filled with immense authority.
Then the light condensed into a glowing bridge, drawing Malrick upward toward the top of the fortress.
He didn't resist.
In a flash of brilliant light, everything around him changed.
He now stood in a vast realm that mirrored the cosmos itself. Complete darkness surrounded him, dotted with countless stars glowing softly, stretching infinitely in all directions.
The interior space of the fortress was far larger than it appeared on the outside. Even with his super vision, Malrick couldn't see its edges—it had to span over ten billion kilometers.
He took a cautious step forward.
Instantly, the stars beneath his feet began to connect, lines forming between points of light. The web of stars expanded, creating a constellation-like grid.
It looked like a satellite image of the Big Dipper—only far more advanced, and far more ancient.
"A Secret Pattern Diagram?" Malrick murmured.
The pattern was intricate, elegant, and incredibly deep. The moment he looked into it, his consciousness was pulled in. A torrent of understanding surged through him.
"And it's fused with light and time?"
His pulse quickened. This was a top-tier diagram, on par with the legendary Chaos Stele of the human races in the Starry Sky World.
And here it was, laid out before him—free to study, to comprehend.
The Source Will hadn't just answered his plea. It had given him something incredible.
Malrick's excitement boiled over. He nearly forgot that this was only the start of the test.
"You recognize Secret Pattern Diagrams? Interesting."
The ancient voice returned—this time from behind him.
Malrick snapped out of his trance. He turned, slowly.
A massive, platinum-white phantom loomed in the darkness. A single-horned lizard, tens of thousands of meters tall, exhaled a foggy mist with every breath. Each gust of breath stretched out for hundreds of meters.
It resembled a Starry Sky Beast—no, something even greater.
An Innate Beast God. One of the original special lifeforms of the Universe.
---
Send Powerstones (☉｡☉)