Chapter 481 - 480: Heaven Descends to Humanity
"I have no objections, but…" Herta's gaze shifted to the side, landing on Ruan Mei. "First, we have to convince her. As long as Ruan Mei can be persuaded. Without all three of us together, it won't work. Even if we call Robin, Gu Yuena and Jingliu and the others will stay with us until the end"
She knew Ruan Mei's temperament well. A top genius in the field of life sciences, Ruan Mei was almost completely indifferent to anything not related to research. Making her agree to a request that seemed unscientific and a waste of time would be harder than admitting her own research was wrong.
But...
Just as the Herta and Lu Jingming braced themselves to see Ruan Mei's icy rejection, Ruan Mei suddenly spoke.
"Fine."
Her answer was direct and without hesitation.
"Deep, multi-faceted, zero-distance communication does indeed allow you to analyze your current life form more rapidly and intuitively, obtaining the most fundamental and realistic data."
She added in a calm tone, as if discussing the protocol of a serious scientific experiment.
"If you let me conduct a vivisection study on you, I can promise anything."
Herta: "???"
Lu Jingming: "!!"
Both were stunned by Ruan Mei's extreme scientific zeal.
"Good, that settles it."
Lu Jingming was the first to react.
Forcing himself to ignore the cold shiver that ran down his back at the word "vivisection" from Ruan Mei, he clapped his hands excitedly.
"No one's running away tonight, you two!"
…
That night.
Exactly what happened is unknown.
All people knew was that night, it seemed as if starlight flashed across the sky above Haiyuan City.
There was frost and snow, and condensation.
Thunder rumbled.
And as the next morning's first light streamed through the window into the quiet, disordered room,
A figure slowly walked from the wall into the center.
His steps had a hint of vanity.
His face was a bit pale.
His eyes slightly unfocused.
It was, without a doubt, Lu Jingming.
This "true Star God," having ascended to the peak and become the highest "God of Stars" defining the universe, now looked like a man completely drained of energy.
And behind him, lying atop a large, soft bed woven from the branches and leaves of the Tree of Life,
Was not just one person, but at a glance, more than five.
Herta and Ruan Mei both seemed refreshed and in fine spirits,
A stark contrast to Lu Jingming, who could barely stand by clinging to the wall.
"No… No more… I get it… need to go slow…"
Lu Jingming leaned against the wall, heart full of regret.
He had miscalculated.
In this respect, the woman's fighting strength far surpassed the man, and he was up against several at once.
Of course, as the current supreme life form, it was impossible for him to truly be deficient in any way.
The reason for his current state was that he was suppressing himself by 99%... his own power.
He had chosen to descend from heaven as a human.
Because he knew well—
In his current "true Star God" form, if his real body descended, even the faintest breath,
Even this small, quiet room,
Even the entire Douluo Star,
Could not withstand the existence of his supreme "self," and would instantaneously be assimilated at the conceptual level.
He did not want that.
Lu Jingming leaned against the wall, slowly straightening his back. The body that had just undergone a scientific exploration immediately returned to peak condition under his thought.
He looked out at the bright sky outside the window, perfectly united with the sky of Douluo Star, and a momentary depth flashed in his eyes.
He knew well why he had suddenly become so strong.
It was not a result of gradual cultivation or some accidental enlightenment.
It was an irreversible, ultimate qualitative transformation stemming from the very foundation of existence.
The origin of everything was the unique "true" authority deeply entwined with his soul as he crossed over.
Once, he used this authority like a special golden finger, collecting points to exchange for characters.
By leaving a deep enough mark on this world, he accumulated so-called true power,
And using that power as an anchor, he summoned those who only existed in the fantasies like Herta, Ruan Mei, Istaroth, Acheron, Jingliu—
One by one, vivid and powerful beings from stories were summoned into this reality.
He was like a top figure collector, breathing realistic life into his most beloved collection.
And, with the help of geniuses like Herta, he single-handedly overturned the divine order, melted the whole Douluo Divine Realm into his own stigmata space, and finally created a miracle akin to a divine star watched by the entire universe.
His influence on this universe had reached an unprecedented peak.
Thus, quantitative change triggered qualitative change.
The true power accumulated to the extreme finally qualified him to touch the core of the authority he had always possessed but never fully controlled.
In that instant, he completely fused with "truth."
His "truth" was no longer limited to himself or a regional sphere of influence.
Instead, it was like a plague sweeping the universe—his "concept" spread to every corner of the cosmos, every fragment of spacetime, and every speck of dust.
He maintained his distance.
He was originally a strong man standing in the God King's domain.
But at the moment of fusion with authority, he did not even experience it; the so-called Supreme God King realm was surpassed in a single step.
He crossed directly over what others saw as the end of cultivation, becoming a "Transcendent"—a being who surpassed even the laws and concepts of the "universe" itself.
And at the very moment he became a "Transcendent,"
A mysterious "inductive law" appeared in his heart.
It was an invisible thread, resembling "causality" or "fate."
The other end of these threads led to places far distant from him, to other "universes" that did not exist in the same "sea of cosmos."
He understood almost immediately.
Those universes were Herta, Istaroth, Jeanne d'Arc… their real "homelands."
The world of Genshin. The Honkai universe.
He had severed them from their "stories."
Now, as a "Transcendent," he could, based on this unique "causal connection," pinpoint the coordinates of their "stories" precisely.
One day, he would arrive there.
Only…
A softness shone in Lu Jingming's eyes.
He wasn't ready to leave yet.
The "Haiyuan League" he founded had only just begun.
His newly born "Divine Star" also needed time to grow and improve.
Besides, he didn't want to go alone.
If he went, he'd bring his big family, his wives, and those adorable little kids along.
This would not be a lonely "expedition."
It was meant to be a grand family journey, filled with laughter.
A grand blueprint appeared in his mind.
Centered on "Key of Infinity," he would gather the greatest wisdom and technology of geniuses like Herta and Ruan Mei, building a unique, exclusive "Astral Express" for himself and his family.
Wait until everything here is settled.
He would drive this train, taking his family to see the sights of the heavens and all worlds.
Before that…
A determined, confident smile appeared on Lu Jingming's lips.
There were still "household matters" to handle.
There were those he hadn't yet "conquered" completely, who still needed his attention.
For example…
Jingliu.
…
In a special training ground in Haiyuan City, the air was filled with intense sword intent.
Lu Jingming's figure quietly appeared.
He didn't surprise anyone, just stood quietly at the edge of the dojo, giving the whole scene a gentle, warm feeling.
In the center of the dojo, Jingliu held an ordinary wooden sword.
She simply stood, but the cold sword intent around her seemed to freeze spacetime, lowering the dojo's temperature by several degrees.
In front of her, two little kids, about five or six, carved from jade and powder, held wooden swords nearly half a head taller than themselves, sweating as they repeated basic sword swings.
The little girl.
She had silky white hair reaching her waist, shining like moonlight, and eyes red as rubies.
Atop her head was a small halo emanating soft light.
Her delicate, porcelain-doll-like face was already beginning to show unrivaled charm.
Her temperament and appearance almost perfectly recreated her mother, Robin.
She was Lu Jingming's and Robin's daughter, Lu Mingyin.
Next to her stood a little boy with white hair and red eyes,
His features perfectly matching Lu Jingming's, already strikingly handsome even at his young age.
He was Lu Xingtong, son of Lu Jingming and the former princess of the Star Lou Empire, Xu Jiujiu.
At this moment, the two little ones, who could make people scream everywhere with their cuteness, were swinging their wooden swords mechanically with bitter faces.
Sweat soaked their clothes, running down their plump cheeks.
"Uh… uh… Master Jingliu… I… I have no strength left…"
Lu Mingyin was the first to stop, pouting her small lips, looking pitifully at the unyielding Jingliu.
Jingliu said nothing, only tilting her head. The gaze hidden beneath the black cloth pierced straight through, focusing on the little girl.
"As a swordsman, if your heart isn't strong and your body is scattered, you have no qualification."
Her cold, emotionless voice slowly echoed through the dojo.
"Today, practice for another hour."
"Ah—?!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Mingyin's beautiful little face crumpled, and crystalline tears welled up in her eyes.
Subconsciously, crying, she looked to her mother sitting beside the dojo for help.
Robin looked at her daughter with a pained expression.
But when she detected Jingliu's unseen, chilling gaze, she could only give her daughter a helpless, wry smile.
Especially when it came to sword training, she was at a complete loss.
With no other plan, Lu Mingyin rolled her eyes and turned to another pink-haired woman, sipping hot cocoa as she watched happily from the side.
"Mama March—!"
She called out in a whiny voice, wanting to be coddled.
"Hey! Xiao Mingyin, what's wrong?"
March 7 quickly put down her cup, rushed over with a pained look, and began wiping the sweat off the little girl with a handkerchief, then looked up to plead with Jingliu.
"Um… Master, don't you think the kids are still so young? Can't you go a bit easier? Work and rest, work and rest!"
Jingliu still didn't speak.
She turned her face slowly toward March 7.
She said nothing, did nothing.
But March 7 felt an icy chill envelop her whole body.
She shuddered in fright.
"Ahaha… about that… I just remembered, there was something I needed to discuss with Sister Elysia. Yes, something very important, so… I'll go first, everyone, keep going, keep going!"
Before she finished, March 7 was gone, fleeing like a scared rabbit.
Lu Mingyin stared at her fleeing back, all hope in her eyes extinguished.
Even her most doting, most talkative Mama was helpless.
It was over.
Beside her, Lu Xingtong hadn't spoken a word from start to finish.
He silently curled his lips, then swung his wooden sword harder.
He wasn't as pure as his sister.
As a boy, his mothers would only be stricter with him.
Plead for mercy?
That would only double the "extra training."
Seeing his sister's gloomy expression, he nearly laughed inside.
Girls really were troublesome.
Beautiful girls were even more troublesome—they only got in the way of swordsmanship.
He wanted to become a Sword God.