Chapter 692 691: The True Star Realm Battlefield

Ever since Shen Jin had last spoken with him, he had been waiting for this day. Now, the veil was finally going to be lifted.

He stood up and gave Lu Shaoyuan a deep bow. "Thank you, Speaker."

Lu Shaoyuan waved a hand. "Go on."

Xu Wuyi turned and walked toward the door.

By the time he walked out of the Supreme Council Building, it was already evening. The setting sun dyed the entirety of Xingjing City a brilliant gold. In the distance, high-rise buildings cast long shadows in the dusk. The traffic on the streets remained busy, and pedestrians hurried past, each rushing toward their own destination.

Feng Zhuohua was waiting at the entrance. Seeing him come out, he stepped forward to meet him. "Done talking?"

Xu Wuyi nodded.

Feng Zhuohua looked at him and smiled. "What did Old Lu say to you?"

Xu Wuyi thought for a moment before replying, "A lot of things. He talked about the differences in the levels of rules, and the path ahead."

"That's just how he is," Feng Zhuohua nodded. "Whenever he sees a young person with potential, he can't help but say a few extra words. Back when I stepped into the Grandmaster realm, he also called me over and talked for the better part of the day." He paused and patted Xu Wuyi on the shoulder. "Let's go, I'll take you back. You just broke through today; you need to rest."

The two got into the car, which slowly drove away from the Supreme Council Building and merged into the evening traffic.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Xu Wuyi watched the streetscape speeding backward outside the window, his mind still dwelling on what Lu Shaoyuan had just said. The differences in the levels of rules, the three stages of the Grandmaster realm, and the Star Realm Battlefield. The concepts he could previously only guess at through fragmented words were now finally being revealed to him, little by little.

Feng Zhuohua drove in silence, not disturbing him. He only occasionally glanced at him through the rearview mirror, his eyes tinged with profound emotion. He had watched this young man walk his path every step of the way. From making his mark at Star Martial University, to carrying out missions in the military, to handling those thorny cases in the Inspection Department, and finally to today—stepping into the Grandmaster realm. In just a few short years, he had finished a journey that others couldn't complete in an entire lifetime.

The car turned into an old alleyway in the West District and came to a stop in front of a mottled wooden door. Xu Wuyi pushed the door open, stepped out, and nodded at Feng Zhuohua.

"Thank you, Minister Feng."

Feng Zhuohua waved it off. "No need to be polite. Head inside and get some good rest. Contact me anytime if you need anything."

Xu Wuyi nodded, pushed open the wooden door, and entered the small courtyard. Feng Zhuohua watched the door close before starting the car and slowly driving away.

The courtyard was very quiet.

Xu Wuyi walked over to the tree and sat down on a stone stool. He closed his eyes, sinking his focus into his sea of consciousness.

Within his sea of consciousness, the pale blue Heart of Order remained quietly suspended, slowly rotating in the void. Its light was softer and more restrained than before, yet the sense of rationality and order it exuded was even more intense. He gazed at it quietly, feeling the connection between it and himself. The connection was subtle—not a bond of blood, but something much deeper. It was like a part of him, an extension of himself, almost like an alternate version of himself.

With a slight shift in his thoughts, the light of the Heart of Order quivered faintly. Then, he sensed the scattered Order Fragments in his surroundings begin to move.

These fragments were the ones he had incinerated that afternoon—the remnants left behind after the original rules of this space had been shattered. They were scattered in every corner of the courtyard: in the air, in the light, and even within the echoes of sound. But now, they were drawing closer to the Heart of Order. Like water flowing downward, like smoke rising, like all things returning to their rightful places.

The fragments slowly surged forward, gathering around the Heart of Order to form a constantly spinning halo of light. The halo was highly unstable. It expanded and contracted, twisted, and then restored its shape. However, Xu Wuyi could feel that it was gradually taking form and slowly becoming stable.

This process did not require his deliberate control, nor did it even require his conscious thought. The Heart of Order naturally possessed this ability—to accommodate rules, synthesize rules, and master rules. Those shattered Order Fragments were originally ownerless, but in this space, within this scorched realm, they would naturally converge toward the Heart of Order. Because the Heart of Order was their true home.

Xu Wuyi's consciousness quietly observed this process, an indescribable feeling welling up in his heart. This was the nascent form of a Domain. There was no need to deliberately construct it or meticulously carve it out. As long as he let the Heart of Order operate on its own and allowed those fragments to gather naturally, the Domain would take shape effortlessly.

He opened his eyes and looked around. The courtyard was still the same courtyard, the old locust tree was still the same old locust tree, and the hand-pump well was still the same hand-pump well. Nothing seemed to have changed; everything looked exactly as it had before.

But he knew things were different now. Within this space, he had begun to become the absolute master.

Early the next morning, sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves of the old locust tree, spilling into the courtyard and shining onto Xu Wuyi's face.

He opened his eyes, stood up from the stone stool, and stretched his somewhat stiff body. He had sat there all last night, watching the Heart of Order gather those fragments and witnessing the Domain take shape bit by bit. Before he knew it, dawn had broken.

He walked over to the hand-pump well and pumped it a few times. Cool well water flowed out, splashing onto his hands.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

Just then, a series of knocks came from the courtyard gate. Xu Wuyi walked to the entrance and opened the wooden door.

Outside stood ten people. Dressed uniformly in Federation military uniforms, they stood in two neat rows, their backs ramrod straight.