Chapter 69: Closing Retreat in the Tower? My Chaos Undergoes its First Change!

Within the Star-Gazing Tower, time holds no meaning.

Lin Xuan sat cross-legged among the stars, his mind sinking completely into his body. Though the medicinal power of the thirty percent Nascent Soul-Condensing Creation Dew was not as potent as the complete version, it remained vast and pure, transforming into a warm current that nourished his Chaos Nascent Soul and the meridians throughout his body.

Yet, unlike ordinary cultivators who merely absorb medicinal power to consolidate their cultivation base, Lin Xuan’s cultivation at this moment carried an added weight and realization.

The legacy of the Chaos Dao Ancestor, the threat of the Lord of the Ruins Abyss, the destiny of the Son of Heaven’s Mandate, and the definition of his own role as a "variable"... these pieces of information echoed in his Dao heart like the tolling of great bells. He no longer viewed himself merely as a cultivator pursuing longevity; he realized more clearly the invisible responsibilities and karmic ties resting upon his shoulders.

The circulation of the "Nine Turns Chaos Scripture" thus took on an unprecedented rhythm. The Chaos Nascent Soul formed seals with its hands, no longer passively absorbing, but actively—with a sense of scrutiny and exploration—dissecting and understanding every fraction of medicinal power flowing into his body, as well as the innate Dao rhymes permeating the surrounding starry sky.

"Chaos... encompasses all laws and evolves all living things. Then, this Dao of vitality and creation contained within the Creation Dew, the trajectories of order contained within this starlight, and even the destruction and chaos represented by the Ruins Abyss demonic sense... can they all be used by me, integrated into this chaos of mine?"

A bold thought sprouted in his heart.

He did not rush for success, but started with what he was most familiar with. With a movement of his mind, the Star Core (Fragment) and the Nether Soul-Suppressing Order (Fragment) from the system space appeared before him once more, hovering to the left and right of the Chaos Nascent Soul.

Following the method previously analyzed by the system, he guided his chaotic spiritual power while simultaneously communicating with both objects.

The Star Core emitted a gentle, pure starlight, while the Nether Soul-Suppressing Order flowed with a deep, tranquil nether light. Under the harmonization of the chaotic spiritual power, the two were no longer merely resonating; they began, bit by bit and of their own accord, to strip away a portion of the law fragments and origin aura they contained, merging them into Lin Xuan’s Chaos Nascent Soul!

This was an extremely slow and delicate process. The "order" and "purification" of the Star Core, and the "suppression" and "binding" of the Soul-Suppressing Order, were all extremely high-level law powers. If not for the fact that the essence of Lin Xuan’s Chaos Dao was extremely high, and that both items had recognized him due to the origin-sharing array, this would have been impossible to achieve.

The Chaos Nascent Soul was like a greedy infant, cautiously absorbing and fusing these two disparate yet homologous powers. The chaotic airflow on the surface of the Nascent Soul became more active, and inside, fine starlight and dark patterns seemed to flicker in and out of existence, causing the aura of the Nascent Soul itself to become more profound and mysterious.

He could feel that his control over the "Star-Nether Light" had become more adept, and he even faintly touched upon a deeper level of the true meaning of the laws regarding "sealing" and "purification."

At the same time, with the help of the rich star Dao rhymes and innate spiritual energy within the Star-Gazing Tower, the Chaos Nascent Soul in his dantian was also growing steadily, becoming more solid, with both the total quantity and quality of his spiritual power rising steadily, marching toward the peak of the early Nascent Soul stage.

The three-day deadline passed in the blink of an eye, with two days already gone.

On this day, as Lin Xuan was concentrating on his insights, the system prompt suddenly sounded in his mind:

[Ding! Detected that the host has accumulated over [REDACTED] Slacking Points, meeting the conditions to unlock the special draw "Chaos Roulette"! Do you wish to open it immediately?]

"Chaos Roulette?" Lin Xuan’s heart stirred, and he awoke from his deep cultivation. Since the system upgrade, there had indeed been many new tricks.

"Open!"

[Command confirmed! Consuming [REDACTED] Slacking Points to open the Chaos Roulette!]

In his mind, a massive, gray, blurry phantom of a roulette wheel appeared. The wheel was divided into countless tiny grids of varying colors, but the vast majority of the area was shrouded in mist, making it impossible to see clearly. Only the few grids pointed to by the needle were visible, displaying phantoms of items and brief introductions.

The roulette began to rotate slowly, its speed increasing steadily.

Lin Xuan held his breath; although he did not know what this roulette could draw, given the name "Chaos," it surely would not be too bad.

Finally, the speed of the roulette slowed, the needle passing over several grids flashing with precious light (such as "Innate One Qi," "Law Fragment: Space," etc.), and ultimately, it stopped on a gray grid that looked quite plain, even somewhat unremarkable.

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining the special item: Dao Derivation Meditation Cushion (Imitation)!]

With a flash of light, a meditation cushion that looked old and ordinary, woven from unknown gray grass stalks, appeared in the system space.

[Dao Derivation Meditation Cushion (Imitation): ??? (Grade too high, partial information missing). It is a replica of the ancient divine artifact "Dao Derivation Meditation Cushion." Although it does not possess even one ten-thousandth of the original's efficacy, sitting upon it to cultivate can slightly improve comprehension, calm the mind, and carries an extremely low probability of entering a state of "epiphany." Note: Provides a weak bonus for comprehending supreme laws such as Chaos, Time-Space, and Karma.]

Improve comprehension? Probability of epiphany? And a bonus for the Chaos Law?

A flash of pleasant surprise crossed Lin Xuan’s eyes! This was simply a divine artifact for assisting cultivation! Although it was only an imitation and the probability was extremely low, for him, it was undoubtedly a timely gift! Especially at this moment when he needed to comprehend the complex Chaos Dao!

He immediately took out the cushion, replaced the ordinary one beneath him, and sat down cross-legged.

The moment he sat down, he felt a cool sensation surge from the cushion into his sea of consciousness; his soul felt as if it had been washed, becoming clearer and more agile. Some of the vague bottlenecks in his past cultivation now seemed to have become a bit clearer. His perception of the surrounding star Dao rhymes also became much sharper.

"Good stuff!" Lin Xuan praised, immediately calming his mind and, with the help of the Dao Derivation Meditation Cushion (Imitation), continuing to immerse himself in cultivation and insight.

On the final day, he no longer absorbed external forces, but focused all his efforts on consolidating his gains and organizing his own Dao.

The Chaos Nascent Soul sat in his dantian, its left hand slightly raised, starlight flickering in its palm, evolving order; its right hand pressed into the void, dark light flowing at its fingertips, expounding suppression; the chaotic energy around its body encompassed and circulated, perfectly integrating the two. An artistic conception of being a unified whole, round and free, flowed slowly from him.

His cultivation was completely stabilized at the peak of the early Nascent Soul stage, only a thin line away from the middle stage. More importantly, his understanding of the Chaos Dao, especially the integration of "order" and "binding," had taken a solid step forward. Chaos was no longer merely confusion and inclusion; it began to present an internal, dynamic balance and structure.

The three-day period had expired.

Lin Xuan slowly opened his eyes, the chaotic color within them restrained, deep as an abyss. He rose to his full height, feeling the surging power within his body and his more resolute Dao heart.

He waved his hand to retrieve the Star Core and the Nether Soul-Suppressing Order, took a look at the Dao Derivation Meditation Cushion (Imitation) beneath him, and carefully put it away as well. This item would be a frequently used object in the future.

It was time to leave.

The starry sky of the Star-Gazing Tower slowly dissipated, the surrounding scene changed, and he appeared once again at the entrance of that nine-story bronze ancient tower.

The tower door opened silently, and the aura of the outside platform surged in.

Lin Xuan stepped out, his gaze like lightning, sweeping across the platform.

He knew that by taking this step, he would once again be placed at the center of the storm. The turmoil over the Nascent Soul-Condensing Creation Dew had not yet subsided, the transaction with the Heavenly Secret Pavilion was complete, the threat of the Ruins Abyss demonic sense was looming, and the eyes of various forces were focused upon him...

But he was no longer the same person he had been three days ago.

The chaos has begun to change, and his Dao heart is firm.

The storms of this secret realm, and even the catastrophes of the future—he would go and brave them all!

(Chapter 69 End)