Gu Yuena revised at Huo Yuhao, "I will set up a small space-time array according to your suggestion and have gained some insights... but not much."
Her previous thoughts were indeed correct; her abilities needed Huo Yuhao's development... cough, she was also working hard herself.
However, Huo Yuhao always managed to find some unique angles, allowing her to discover blind spots she hadn't noticed before.
Although her memories of the Dragon God were incomplete, after all, her divine consciousness had shattered once when she left the divine realm, there were still remnants left behind.
The space-time array came from the memories of the Dragon God.
While she could use it, she had never thought of using it as a breakthrough point to comprehend the laws of time.
Of course, she hadn't had the time.
After all, she was either recovering from injuries or on the way to recovery.
"Any progress is good."
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao raised his right hand, his index finger slowly pressing against Gu Yuena's forehead. "Now, you should be able to comprehend it."
Gu Yuena blinked, accepting Huo Yuhao's guidance.
In an instant, a gentle wave of spiritual energy enveloped her consciousness.
At that moment, Gu Yuena suddenly felt a lightness in her hand. She looked down and saw her palm becoming transparent, as if merging into the surrounding mist of light. A strange sense of ethereality enveloped her entire body, not pain, but a transcendent, immaterial emptiness.
A hazy glow flowed through the void, each wisp of light seems carrying a forgotten era, an independent space-time.
Suddenly, ethereal ripples silently spread, causing even the dimensions beyond the scene to tremble. Gu Yuena's gradually faded figure in the river of time, no pain, no cold blade piercing her heart, only the gentle caress of time, like a veil, leading her into eternal rest...
Was this a divine skill... or was it Huo Yuhao's own understanding of time?
A hint of sweetness rose in Gu Yuena's heart, and she quickly submerged herself in profound understanding. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and a galaxy-like understanding shimmered in her eyes.
After waiting for Gu Yuena to comprehend for a while, Huo Yuhao spoke:
"The Douluo Continent we are on now is a physical plane, composed of the four basic elements of earth, wind, water, and fire. Light, darkness, and space emerged from these foundations, but time is different. Your understanding of the other elements is deeper than mine, so you should now better grasp the differences."
Gu Yuena opened her eyes and nodded gently.
"The physical plane, with earth, wind, water, and fire as its foundational elements, represents the basic building blocks of the world. Mastering all of them signifies creation, a form of sublimation. Light, darkness, and space are born from these four basic elements, but the transformations involved are difficult to comprehend and utilize. Most deities cannot grasp the key points, and I haven't fully understood them either."
She could already reign supreme in the realm of elements, but she still couldn't derive space, darkness, or light from the four basic elements.
She could only comprehend these three elements individually and then use spatial power to balance darkness and light, creating the Light-Dark Divine Thunder.
How the four basic elements give rise to these higher elements is the most fundamental and core law of the world's construction. If a deity could truly grasp the key to this... they might reveal the true essence of creation.
Thinking this, Gu Yuena continued:
"But for living beings, the law of time is somewhat different from other attributes. It is..."
"A derivative of spiritual power!"
Gu Yuena's words left Gu Ruiqiu puzzled.
Is the law of time a derivative of spiritual power?
This was the first time she had heard of such a thing.
What the Lord and Huo Yuhao were discussing was beyond her understanding... well, she hadn't understood much from the start.
Gu Ruiqiu saw helplessly at Snow Empress, who was quietly listening to the two "experts" discuss profound truths, seemingly able to comprehend them. She couldn't help but felt a bit frustrated.
This feeling of being the only one who didn't understand... was uncomfortable.
Seeing Gu Yuena articulate the core idea, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but smile slightly.
Time has both objective and subjective aspects, but understanding its laws is always subjective.
The world as you perceive it determines the insights you gain. Moreover, for the strong, only the time they perceive and control holds meaning.
So, what is subjective time?
It is the measure of memory, the extension of consciousness. Only when perceived does time truly exist.
This is why the mysteries of time are always intertwined with spiritual power, as it is the living being's own cognition and rewriting of time.
The relationship between the Evil Emperor's Space-Time Light and spiritual power goes without saying.
The Sea God's "White Clouds Over a Thousand Years," if used without sufficient cultivation, would make the enemy feel as though a thousand years had passed in their mind, leading to mental collapse. Moreover, it can only gradually unleash its power at the Spirit Domain level, and only at the divine level can it truly achieve a thousand years in an instant.
Besides these, there is Tang Wulin's spiritual domain, the Time Reversal Domain, and the Little Dragon God's spiritual domain, the Time Freeze Domain.
The mysteries of these time domains all rely on powerful spiritual power.
The so-called passage of time, for the strength of this world, is the measurement of the world's changes by the consciousness of living beings. In essence, it is the interference and redefinition of reality by their spiritual wills.
"Many strong individuals at the peak level have mastered spatial power, but those who have mastered temporal power are as rare as phoenix feathers."
After the two finished their exchange, Snow Empress smiled at Huo Yuhao, "Here, you are probably the one with the deepest understanding of the laws of time."
The idea that the law of time is a derivative of spiritual power was something Huo Yuhao had told her when guiding her. Many strong individuals don't even know this, so how can they further comprehend it?
Huo Yuhao shook his head, "It's nothing. I was just lucky. If it wasn't for the Evil Emperor, I might not have had this opportunity."
In the Sea of Consciousness, the Evil Emperor's lips curved slightly as he nodded in agreement.
Among the soul beasts of the Douluo Continent, how many have understood the mysteries of time?
Even Di Tian hasn't!
"Sure, sure, you're all amazing," Gu Ruiqiu chimed sarcastically, "I'm the only one here who doesn't understand. Are you trying to make things difficult for me?"
"If you don't understand now, just remember it well," Gu Yuena shot her a glance, "It will be useful in the future."
Gu Ruiqiu felt a chill run down her neck at that look.
Uh-oh, the grudge from earlier, the Lord must have remembered it.
Having vented a bit, Gu Yuena turned to Huo Yuhao and, after a moment of silence, asked, "Huo Yuhao, do you want me to understand the laws of time before reaching the Spirit Domain level?"
"Yes, we are in a state of re-cultivation. Reconstructing the spiritual domain at the Spirit Domain level is a great opportunity. Integrating your understanding of the laws of time into it will make you even stronger, as spiritual power is also your area of expertise."
Huo Yuhao paused, then smiled, "Your foundation is far stronger than ours. For Xue'er and me, I have methods, but for you, most of the time, you'll have to rely on your own comprehension."
"You've already given me a lot," Gu Yuena shook her head, "Later, when we practice the space-time array, I'll teach you... all of you. It should help you gain a deeper understanding of the laws of time."
Huo Yuhao had already given her so much, divine artifacts, divine skills, techniques for using spiritual power. She had never imagined that a human could help her so much.
Huo Yuhao and Snow Empress exchanged a glance, then nodded in unison.
"Really, you guys only talk about serious matters when you're together? I'm going to cook. Let's continue after eating."
Gu Ruiqiu rolled her eyes and, unable to take it anymore, headed to the kitchen.
Compared to them, her foundation was too shallow.
Gu Yuena revised at her but didn't pay much attention. She turned to Huo Yuhao, who was also getting up to go to the kitchen, and said:
"Huo Yuhao, what are your thoughts on the divine tribulation? Under the suppression of the plane, without a divine seat, forcibly ascending to godhood will inevitably attract a heavenly tribulation."
Besides the matter of foundation, she also wanted to help Huo Yuhao prepare for the final leap in advance.
Generally speaking, without the protection of the divine realm and a divine seat achieving the hundredth level of true godhood would inevitably attract a heavenly tribulation, a calamity, but also an opportunity. Surviving it would mean a vast new horizon and the reshaping of one's true body, while failure would mean death.
The divine tribulation is mostly an elemental or celestial tribulation... as for the cosmic tribulation, it's not something Gu Yuena considers.
As the name suggests, the celestial tribulation and the elemental tribulation beneath it are naturally imposed by the plane where the ascendant resides. The power... is proportional to the strength of the ascendant.
Compared to planes that can accommodate divine-level existences, the current celestial energy of the Douluo Continent is relatively sparse, so the power of the heavenly tribulation should be significantly emphasized.
However, the plane's laws impose themselves a strong suppression on the birth of divine-level existences. Any strong individual attempting to forcibly break through the shackles will trigger the plane's ultimate countermeasure, punishing the ascendant in the form of a divine tribulation.
It's not an ordinary heavenly tribulation anymore, but the plane's final blow, the ultimate judgment of the Douluo Continent against "rebels." It's not a mere energy bombardment, but a fusion of the plane's wrath and rejection, manifesting as a divine thunder.
If someone forcibly ascends to godhood in such an environment, the power of the divine tribulation wouldn't weaken due to the lack of energy. Instead, it would become even more terrifying due to the plane's full suppression, making the ascendant endure blows far beyond those of a normal divine tribulation.
To safely pass through it... is extremely difficult.
However, some super divine artifacts have the effect of shielding from heavenly secrets, allowing the user to avoid the effects of the heavenly tribulation.
Huo Yuhao's super divine artifact, of unknown origin, should be able to help him.
If all else fails, she will find a way.
Huo Yuhao, upon hearing this, looked at Gu Yuena.
When Gu Yuena temporarily ascended to godhood, she was struck by a seven-colored heavenly tribulation.
The seven-colored heavenly tribulation also appears during the seven-alloy divine forging, but the intensity of the tribulation faced by a metal ascending to godhood is different from that faced by a living being...
For Gu Yuena, who was still pretending to be a "newbie" at the time, that was probably the most severe injury she suffered while fighting the Abyssal Army and the Holy Spirit Cult, right?
She wasn't hurt much by the external enemies, but in the end, she was injured by her own plane... how absurd.
Under Gu Yuena's strange gaze, Huo Yuhao reached out and ruffled her hair:
"Then, like you, we'll match it, and then surpass it!"
The divine tribulation, the heavenly tribulation, the sense of déjà vu grew stronger. He had quite a few buffs on his side as well.
Gu Yuena was momentarily stunned, but before she could react, Huo Yuhao had already walked towards the kitchen.
Snow Empress also got up and followed.
"Let me help you."
"Alright."
Huo Yuhao nodded with a smile.
Gu Yuena came back to her feelings: "..."
Wait, Snow Empress can cook?
She looked at the harmonious trio in the kitchen and faintly understood how Gu Ruiqiu had felt earlier... The feeling of being the only one not skilled at something was unpleasant. She will have to learn later.
Snow Empress handed a plate to Huo Yuhao and softly whispered, "Speaking of which, the time you set for going to the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye is just right. After returning from there, it will be the Spirit Ice Grand Ceremony."
The Spirit Ice Grand Ceremony...
It was a ceremony established by the Spirit Pagoda a hundred years after its founding, proposed by its then-leader, Su Tong, to commemorate the Spirit Ice Douluo.
As the next leader of the Spirit Pagoda... Huo Yuhao will definitely have to pay his respects to the Spirit Ice Douluo. Even Snow Empress, with her calm demeanor, couldn't help but smile at the thought.
Huo Yuhao's mouth twitched, but he calmly replied, "This is the best timing. If Shrek Academy notices anything unusual, they won't act immediately."
Gu Ruiqiu commented at him and argued to herself.
This guy is still as cunning as ever.
As he said, who would dare to cause trouble at the Spirit Pagoda's Spirit Ice Grand Ceremony?
Unless they wanted to become the "second Ultimate Evil Soul Master," he was making Shrek Academy swallow their pride.
...
"Is this Mingdu?"
A young man stepped off the soul train and looked at the "technological city" before him, feeling a sense of awe. "It's quite different from Shrek City."
This young man had a pair of extremely unique eyes, his irises were a dazzling gold, while his pupils were a deep, dark gold. He exuded a mysterious and noble aura, as if surrounded by light.
"Stop marveling. The teacher has already arrived. Let's hurry to the hotel."
Hearing this, the young man glanced at the cold girl walking beside him and smirked, "So cold. Don't forget who the captain is."
"Then... Captain Le Zhengyu, do you have any instructions?" Ye Xinglan shot him a look.
(Note: The Le family and Ye Guyi are unrelated. Ye Guyi was originally from the Tang Sect, and if she had descendants, they would likely also be from the Tang Sect. Moreover, in the original work, Le Zhengyu mentioned that their family is descended from the lineage of the Spirit Hall's leader, with a family motto of enmity the Star Luo Empire. In Douluo 2, Ye Guyi helped the Star Luo Empire fight against the Sun Moon Empire, so it seems she didn't have this family motto. If she had descendants, they wouldn't have inherited it.)
Le Zhengyu sprung, "No instructions. Just hope you follow orders. After all, I heard that two years ago..."
"Enough!" Ye Xinglan took a deep breath and walked away, "I understand."
"Sister Xinglan." Xu Lizhi hurried after her.
"These two from the inner academy better not cause trouble for me."
Le Zhengyu raised an eyebrow and argued to himself, then led the rest of his classmates into the city.
Ye Xinglan had been assigned to the outer academy due to an incident two years ago, and Xu Lizhi had applied to follow her. However, they were too young, so they were placed in the same year as Le Zhengyu's group.
This semester's final exam included an exchange match with the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, and both of them were participants, with Le Zhengyu as the team leader.
However, according to Le Zhengyu's own thoughts, he shouldn't have been the leader.
Although he was an outer academy student, he hadn't been there for long. If not for his family's demands, he would have directly entered the inner academy.
Suddenly after enrolling in Shrek Academy, he went into seclusion with his family and only emerged after his martial soul fully awakened, which took a long time.
However, this exchange match had been decided shortly after the semester began, and his name was already on the list. Thanks to the legendary soul spirit, his martial soul fully awakened without taking too long, so he was able to participate.