Two years later, his comprehension of the rule of gravity also reaches 10%, but his strength only increases by about 30%—a modest rise, just like when he completed the rule of strength.

He knows the next step is not another rule, but the fusion of the ones he already holds.

So he begins carefully, crafting simple spells that combine two of the three rules—strength, vitality, and gravity—testing compatibility, stability, and effect.

Only after mastering the first-level combinations does he move on to more complex second-level spells that weave all three rules together.

When he finally succeeds in forming stable tri-rule spells, he feels a subtle shift ripple through his entire being—his life level increases once more, the first time in nearly a decade.

His strength surges again, and over the next decade, he manages to fuse the three rules—strength, vitality, and gravity—up to 50%.

The gap between his current power and the day he first stepped into the Spirit Master Realm now feels like the distance between earth and sky.

He realises with absolute certainty: if his past self hadn’t used the Origin Drop, he could now kill that version in just two or three strikes—his mana denser, more refined, and his body far stronger than before.

A few months later, he pauses his efforts to further merge the three rules when his sister finally regains the ability to return to her human form—unsurprising, as she was the first to complete the transformation into a fourth-level Crystal Dragon-Gryphon, permanently severing her ties to the human race.

With his children, he walks into the back garden and finds her sitting among his wives and brother, all still in their true forms.

Only his sister has returned to her human appearance.

Her skin is smooth, her hair black again, but beneath that, her blood has changed.

She is no longer what she once was.

No longer human.

He holds a celebration for her and his children.

The children have already stepped into the Spiritual Core Realm.

Later, he sits beside his sister, her hand wrapped around a warm cup.

He explains the path ahead.

She listens with closed eyes, the rule of crystal glimmering behind her thoughts.

She has reached ten per cent comprehension already.

Her body now belongs to the fourth level of life.

She nods when he tells her she can form two more spiritual cores.

She has already chosen.

The rule of hardness.

His children also come to him, asking for advice on their path toward the True Core Realm.

They wish to take the orthodox path.

To walk that path, they must base their breakthrough on an artistic conception that no one in the world has yet transformed into a rule.

But the world is old, and countless years have passed.

Nearly every artistic conception has already been comprehended.

Some have even turned into rules.

And those that haven’t could become rules at any moment.

Choosing such an artistic conception is a gamble.

If they succeed in turning it into a rule first, they secure the orthodox path.

But if another cultivator completes it before them, everything collapses.

Their years of comprehension would become useless.

And they would have no time to comprehend something new.

All other artistic conceptions are already on the verge of becoming rules as well.

They would be forced to take the unorthodox path to reach the Spirit Master Realm.

And once one walks the unorthodox path, it is nearly impossible to return.

He listens to them quietly.

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Then, slowly, he speaks.

He tells them that even among those artistic conceptions believed to be near completion, there are still cracks.

It is not only about speed but depth.

Comprehend it deeper than anyone else—reshape it in a way no one else dares to.

So, the first method of taking the orthodox path seems nearly impossible.

The second method is the one their mother Yanli followed—choosing the then-incomplete artistic conception of the moon.

She was able to complete it and walk the orthodox path.

But she had help.

He had already comprehended the artistic conception of the moon in the main world.

That knowledge guided her through the final steps.

However, he hasn’t comprehended any other artistic conception from the main world that could aid his children now.

If they try to follow Yanli’s path without that support, it will be incredibly difficult.

The third method comes from their mother, Asuna.

She chose multiple artistic conceptions and merged them into something new.

She extracted the artistic conception of spirit from the rule of yin.

She took the artistic conceptions of flame and heat from the rule of fire.

From those, she created the artistic conception of Spiritfire.

Their uncle and aunt followed a similar path.

This method, though unorthodox in form, is stable and powerful.

For his children, this may be the most suitable path forward.

The difficulty lies in the need to comprehend multiple artistic conceptions and then successfully merge them.

It demands extraordinary talent.

But so does every other path.

In the end, the difference in talent required is negligible.

What truly matters is that combining multiple artistic conceptions will take far more time.

They must comprehend and merge them into a new artistic conception before their lives run out.

Still, he has confidence in his children.

He believes they can succeed.

And so, he encourages them to take this path toward the orthodox breakthrough.

But he still advises caution.

He tells them to explore and comprehend various artistic conceptions first—

Then choose the direction they feel aligns best with the world’s intent to reward creation.

A few years later, his brother manages to return to human form.

He chooses the rule of decay and the rule of corruption.

His children, too, chose the third path to cultivate the orthodox way.

Another five years pass.

Around the same time, his wives also regain their human forms.

And not long after, he learns of their new choices.

Asuna begins to comprehend the rule of Yin Wind and Yin Thunder.

Yanli chooses the rule of Ice and the rule of Cold.

A couple of years later, he fully merges the three rules within his body and feels a surge of mana erupt from within.

His cells begin to reorganise.

The three spiritual cores fuse into one.

He can feel his entire body shifting, improving with each moment.

His life level, once at the initial stage of Level Four, steadily pushes toward the intermediate stage.

The transformation isn’t instant—it will take years.

But he already feels his lifespan extending.

For these changes to happen immediately, immense resources would be needed—resources he doesn’t possess, and perhaps even the world cannot provide.

Three more years pass before the transformation stabilises.

He realises then that even without using origin liquid, an Ancestral Realm cultivator would not be able to kill him if he chooses to escape.

His mental space has expanded.

His soul has grown stronger.

For the first time since arriving in this world, his soul has advanced in power.

He steps out of his tower and searches for a secluded, open space.

There, he transforms back into his true form—the dragon form.

He has grown by ten meters.

His body has adjusted to perfection.

Now, he can channel one hundred per cent of his strength into any part of his body, at any time.

He no longer needs wings to fly.

And more importantly, he discovers something new.

He can now form three more spiritual cores.

The only question left—

Which three rules will he choose to comprehend next?

Before making that decision, he turns his attention to his children.

He has time—plenty of it now.

Both his children are stuck at the peak of the Spiritual Core Realm.

They are unable to refine their spiritual cores into true cores and step into the True Core Realm.

His daughter, Rin, has comprehended the artistic conceptions of flame, heat, spirit, and vitality.

Her path mirrors both her parents—she is a Yinfire DragonSnake, a Yinfire Drake.

Her affinity for rules comes from both her mother and father.

Because of that, she finds it difficult to comprehend artistic conceptions outside her natural domain.

This is one of the disadvantages of not being born as a pure human.

Ordinary humans are like blank sheets of paper—

Free to take on any colour, any mark, any path.

But his children were born with their paper already painted—powerful, but limited.

Still, limitations can be reshaped.

Merin takes fragments from the four artistic conceptions Rin has already grasped.

He weaves them together into something new.

A special fire.

An artistic conception of life flame.

Not just a flame that burns, but one that pulses, endures, and remembers.

Then he goes further.

He constructs spells up to peak third-level using this new artistic conception.

Each one refined and precise, crafted to guide her to the Spirit Master Realm.

He leaves no flaw behind.

So that when the time comes, she can ascend without hesitation.

His son’s situation is nearly identical to his daughter’s.

He has comprehended the artistic conceptions of Moon, Ice, Cold, and Vitality.

Using these, Merin helps him form a new artistic conception—Aurora.

A light that holds silence and memory, frost and breath.

He creates spells based on this conception, guiding his son as he did his daughter.

Showing him the steps toward the Spirit Master Realm.

Once finished, he turns his attention toward himself.

It is time to choose the next three rules.

His first three—Vitality, Strength, and Gravity—all serve to increase his raw power.

But he does not wish for his descendants to inherit only his strength.

He wants them to inherit his wisdom as well.

So, the next three rules must support the growth of wisdom.

For the fourth rule, he chooses the Rule of Formation.

There is no existing Rule of Formation in this world.

Which means he must create it from nothing.

And it will be the hardest rule he has ever attempted to comprehend.

Because the formation he envisions must encompass the entire world.

To comprehend it, he must understand every rule and artistic conception—

Not fully, but enough to trace their essence.

He already understands all the fundamental rules at a shallow level, along with their artistic connotations.

What remains are the newer rules—those that don’t fall under any known domain.

He hasn’t begun the process yet.

Because in a few days, the third council meeting—held once every decade—is scheduled to take place.

And this time, Merin has something to share.

He has advanced to a new realm beyond the Spirit Master Realm.

He names it the Spirit Greatmaster.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep