718 Cultivation Years
At a restaurant situated in a tourist planet, in their newly adopted universe, Li Miaomiao sat in solitude, gazing at the bustling nocturnal panorama outside the window, though her mind brimmed with anxiety. Ever since Jingming evolved into a high-dimensional lifeform, he has been more relaxed and has been spending a lot of time with our daughter and me. But his sudden departure without any clarification is worrying.

What happened? What could have caused a Heart Realm lineage high-dimensional lifeform to be so agitated? Li Miaomiao pondered, inundated with thoughts.

Abruptly, Xu Jingming manifested himself across the dining table.

“Miaomiao, everything is alright now,” Xu Jingming said, beaming a smile. “Let’s continue with our meal.”

“What happened?” Li Miaomiao inquired.

“I had reached a crucial juncture in my cultivation, and I couldn’t allow myself to be sidetracked,” Xu Jingming vaguely replied. He didn’t want to burden his family with the complexities of the Myriad Species World.

Li Miaomiao nodded; she lacked understanding concerning the subject of cultivation.

“And the outcome?” Li Miaomiao probed.

“I made a breakthrough,” Xu Jingming replied, grinning from ear to ear. He had indeed made significant strides this time, having finally comprehended the sixth realm of the Eight Directions Map, Life and Death.

…

In the Myriad Species World, a grand palace stood in the territory of the Giant Apes, surrounded by a formidable force of soldiers.

The thin ape and the dark-furred ape easily made their way through the palace until they reached a garden, where a one-armed Giant Ape King was roasting meat over a bonfire.

“Your Majesty.” The apes bowed respectfully.

The Giant Ape King, despite standing only 12 meters tall and being disabled, was the leader of all the Giant Ape families.

“I’ve seen your combat video,” the King said as he roasted the meat. “The other party was born a weak human, but he achieved such strength in just 100 years. His potential is very high.”

“He’s no match for you, Your Majesty,” the thin ape replied.

He knew very well how powerful the king was! Back then, just one move had put him on the brink of death.

“No, no, no.” The King twirled the meat in his hand. “If I were born a human, I may not have achieved such strength. I suspect… that he may be a half-step third realm like me in the outside world.”

Yarojin was respectful.

All these years, the king had never concealed his strength. Other powerful species didn’t dare attack the Giant Apes at all because of the king’s existence!

Although I’m ranked in the top three of the Giant Apes, the gap between me and the king is astonishing. The king has always fought me with one arm, but without a doubt… At his level, he can regenerate an arm. Yarojin had always treated the king as a target to aim for.

“From now on, gather information on this human,” the King said, sniffing the roasted meat. “Report his location immediately once he’s found! We must eliminate truly-threatening opponents as soon as possible.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Yarojin replied respectfully, feeling pity for Xu Jingming.

If the King found him, the human would be powerless.

I might make friends with him in the outside world, but in the Myriad Species World, I must seize every opportunity. The one-armed Giant Ape King’s eyes were cold.

He knew the rules of this world were different from the outside world. Just because half-step third-realm powerhouses and Abyss Overlords were strong in the outside world didn’t mean that they were the strongest here.

Those at the peak of the Eternal realm were just a sliver away from them to begin with. If the laws of the Myriad Species World happened to suit them well, they could completely surpass them.

The King ate his roasted meat, his eyes cold.

My chances are limited to the first few times, he thought. The weaker species will have an increasing advantage in the later stages. From what I sensed back then, there are more than 20 half-step third-realms and Abyss Overlords! Coupled with the emergence of powerhouses that are compatible with the Myriad Species World among the five million-plus high-dimensional lifeforms, the competition will be very intense.

I can’t relax at all. If I do, I’ll die! The one-armed Giant Ape King finished his roasted meat, chewing and devouring even the bones.

******

Following the battle, Xu Jingming quietly departed from the Hundred Flowers Elves’ country and headed towards a more secluded location further away.

Inside a volcano.

Xu Jingming sat cross-legged beside a magma lake, emitting a scorching aura.

The body is a vessel for the mind, and the mind controls the body, Xu Jingming thought to himself. In the previous battle, I had grasped the Eight Directions Map and reached the Life and Death realm, unearthing greater potential for my body’s mental strength. I rose from Lv. 52 to Lv. 53 in a short period of time.

However, that’s the crudest way to unearth potential, and I need to create a more perfect Life and Death body tempering method. Xu Jingming’s many clones in the outside world also thought at high speeds, deducing all kinds of possibilities.

Then, he got to his feet and tried out new body tempering techniques.

Suddenly, his watch vibrated slightly.

Xu Jingming tapped it, and Shadow’s voice sounded from the watch. “Ming, you were the one who fought the three Giant Apes, right? Although I’ve never seen your true appearance, I’m all too familiar with your combat method.”

“You’ve already gathered videos of the battle from half a month ago?” Xu Jingming asked. He had fought Shadow before and knew that he had experience with his Heart Divine Weapon’s combat techniques. Shadow was seriously injured from a single punch.

“Ming, your video is rapidly spreading. We’ve all seen it,” another excited voice sounded.

“Lord Ming, you are truly formidable. Reaching Lv. 50 in only 100 years is impressive,” a pleasant voice remarked.

Xu Jingming was taken aback. “How many of you are there?”

“There are currently nine of us,” Shadow explained. “Individually, we are too weak to face powerful species. But if we band together, we at least have a chance to escape.”

“Lord Ming, if we were to join forces with you, we may not even need to flee. We could counter-attack,” the pleasant voice, Yu Yangwei, chimed in. “I hail from the Northwind Nation, one of the seven human countries, and though we have never met in person, I am honored to finally see you through this video. Lord Ming, you are far stronger than the nine of us. Why not combine our forces?”

This high-dimensional lifeform named Yu Yangwei was very enthusiastic.

“Ming, would you consider moving together?” Shadow asked.

“I prefer to be alone,” Xu Jingming declined.

After defeating a Giant Ape, he was now on par with Yarojin, the Giant Ape’s leader.

What did this mean? It meant that his situation was even more dangerous!

Among the powerful species, there were countless beings stronger than Yarojin. Despite being a member of the weak human race, Xu Jingming possessed such formidable strength that it was highly likely that he would be seen as a potential threat by some of the powerful species. As a result, they would naturally seek to eliminate him as soon as possible.

Human high-dimensional lifeforms are also my competitors. They can easily betray me. As a result, Xu Jingming didn’t trust any of them and chose to act alone.

In this world, there are people who can kill me, but not many. Furthermore, the probability of encountering them in the vast Myriad Species World is extremely low. Conversely, the probability of being betrayed is higher if I move with them. Xu Jingming was very cautious. This was because he couldn’t afford to fail.

“I knew it.” Shadow smiled and continued, “Ming, they suggest exchanging the body tempering techniques they created for yours.”

“Exchange for my body tempering technique?” Xu Jingming inquired. “How can you be certain that the body tempering technique I will give you is genuine?”

“We trust you. We’ll send you our nine body tempering techniques first,” Shadow said.

“Lord Ming, please take a look at our body tempering techniques,” Yu Yangwei added.

Nine body tempering techniques were transmitted over the Internet.

Xu Jingming tapped open the projection on his watch and carefully studied each of the nine techniques.

There are nine unique techniques, each with its own distinctive style. Xu Jingming was rather impressed. As expected of high-dimensional lifeforms, they have all forged their own path. I could try all nine techniques and fuse their essence into my body tempering technique.

After finishing his examination, Xu Jingming pondered for a moment before saying, “I haven’t recorded a body tempering technique. I’ll send it to you once I’m finished.”

“Very well,” Shadow and the others agreed.

Xu Jingming ended the communication on his watch.

I will send them version 9.13 of Body Tempering Extreme, which I once attempted. During his cultivation, Xu Jingming had deduced many versions. Though this particular version is too extreme and has a relatively low ceiling, it is highly efficient and can easily surpass Lv. 50.

That day, Xu Jingming spent more than three hours recording a video of the body tempering technique. Coupled with a large amount of text and information, he spent half a day compiling it before sending the complete body tempering technique.

“Body Tempering Extreme?” When Shadow, Yu Yangwei, and company saw this, they were overjoyed. After all, they were in their Lv. 40s and had extraordinary judgment. After understanding the body tempering technique, they realized that it was far superior to their own.

“Lord Ming is indeed trustworthy,” Yu Yangwei praised.

“It shouldn’t be difficult to cultivate this body tempering technique to Lv. 50.” The others revealed looks of delight.

…

The powerful high-dimensional lifeforms ravaged the world, attacking with ferocity.

Xu Jingming roamed the globe and even took to the seas, yet every decade or so, he would inevitably be discovered by one of these fearsome species. After all, the powerful species traversed the world with ease, soaring through the skies on their aircrafts.

But whenever Xu Jingming was cornered, it spelled doom for his attackers! Most were slain by his hand, with only a select few managing to flee.
Few could surpass Xu Jingming in power, with the one-armed Giant Ape King being the sole exception among the Giant Apes.

Despite their swift reporting, Xu Jingming would always vanish after each skirmish, giving the enemy no chance to pursue him.

After a few close calls, Xu Jingming began to alter his appearance and size, becoming an enigma that left many of the powerful species to abandon the pursuit of Human powerhouses altogether. Few of them existed, and encountering one could mean crossing paths with the ever-changing Ming.

321 years had passed since the high-dimensional lifeforms had descended upon the Myriad Species World. With only a year remaining until the start of the Myriad Species Arena, time was running out.