A massive sphere of light hung in the sky thousands of meters up. Its radiance was so dazzling, it resembled the sun, illuminating all directions. Time passed, and as dusk began to fall, the world remained brightly lit. People pointed at the sphere in the sky, their hearts filled with awe and envy. This was a celestial phenomenon that only occurred when one broke through to the ninth tier. For most, even reaching the seventh tier was a challenge, let alone the ninth. However, Lin Yu's ninth-tier phenomenon had been ongoing for an unusually long time, leaving everyone astonished.
"I heard that the longer the phenomenon lasts when breaking through to the ninth tier, the greater the impact, the more celestial energy can be absorbed, and the stronger the foundation and power will be after the breakthrough."
"Yes, I've read about it too, but this is my first time witnessing someone break through to the ninth tier."
"I once saw a senior break through to the ninth tier. Guess how long it took him?"
"Tell us quickly, or you'll get a fist."
"Don't hit me, I'll tell you. That senior took two hours to break through."
"Does anyone remember Lin Yu? How long has it been?"
"I've kept a rough count, it's been about six hours."
"Amazing, I'm envious."
"Better than that senior!"
"Alright, stop discussing and get back to work. There are too many sea creature corpses. Let's clean them up quickly so the Void Company and other major forces can come to purchase them."
"Lin Yu must have accounted for more than half of these sea beast corpses."
"Don't worry, the higher-ups have considered it more thoroughly than you."
"Alright, alright, let's get to work."
The crowd resumed their tasks, busily clearing the corpses on the ground. The human corpses were carefully collected, cremated into ashes, and then taken back to their hometowns. Afterward, the Cabinet would provide subsidies to ensure the livelihood of their families. The remaining corpses were those of sea beasts and the Merfolk. These bodies were purchased by specialized companies, who transported them to factories to produce fertilizer, feed, medicinal pills, and other products for sale across various realms. Human industrialization ensured their high production efficiency, thus human goods in the realms were often mass-produced items. Through the strategy of low profit and high turnover, humans had earned a considerable amount of capital from other races. They were often referred to as the "Factory of the Realms!"
Not far away, Yu Zhe and the others were gazing at the giant sphere Lin Yu had transformed into, their faces filled with surprise. Yu Zhe exclaimed, "Lin Yu's potential is quite good. It's been six hours already. I remember I spent eight hours."
Fu Yao Zi said, "This humble Taoist also took eight hours."
The Holy Monk nodded, "This monk also took eight hours."
Finally, everyone looked at the silent Yan Jun. Yu Zhe patted his shoulder, "It's alright, don't be discouraged."
Yan Jun glanced at him and said indifferently, "I took ten hours!"
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone was slightly surprised. The speed at which celestial energy was absorbed during the ninth-tier phenomenon continuously increased. Therefore, the longer it lasted, the more energy was absorbed and the harder it was to maintain. Even though there was only a two-hour difference between eight and six hours, the amount of energy absorbed could differ by a factor of two. And the difference in foundation between eight and ten hours should be about a factor of two as well.
Yu Zhe couldn't believe it, "If you said nine hours, I'd believe you, but ten hours is absolutely impossible!"
Yan Jun replied, "Believe it or not, the Sword God was by my side at the time. You can go ask him if you have time."
Yu Zhe chuckled and said, "Alright, I believe you. By the way, how long did the Sword God take?"
Yan Jun recalled the past. Back then, the five of them had teamed up to hunt monsters and carve out this living space for humanity. Later, they joined forces with the Elder to establish the Cabinet, allowing humanity to stabilize and become a part of the myriad races. Thinking back, he felt a surge of emotion. At that time, before reaching the ninth tier, the Sword God was just an unknown nobody, while Yu Zhe, Fu Yao Zi, and others were already famous. However, back then, he and the Sword God were already companions. And he was the only one who had witnessed the Sword God break through to the ninth tier. At that time, he had been shocked!
"Speak, why are you spacing out?"
"Yan Jun, you don't know?"
"You were classmates, wasn't that true?"
Yan Jun chuckled, "You're trying to provoke me, are you? I'll tell you."
"Fifteen hours!"
As his voice fell, the scene fell into silence. Fifteen hours! What a powerful foundation one must possess to achieve such a feat. Because the speed of energy absorption increased with time, the gap widened as time progressed. The difference between eight hours and fifteen hours could be a five-fold disparity.
"No wonder the Sword God, three years after breaking through to the ninth tier, stopped teaming up with us after we established the Cabinet and opened up territory together," Yu Zhe mused, recalling the past with a sigh. The Holy Monk and Fu Yao Zi were also deeply shocked. However, considering the Sword God's strength, they found it understandable. A person like the Sword God, humanity only produced one. No, perhaps soon, there would be another!
Yan Jun pointed at Lin Yu and said, "Perhaps Lin Yu will be the next Sword God. Will humanity have another demigod?" He longed for that moment. If humanity had two demigods, they could expand their territory. Currently, although humanity's living space was vast, they were surrounded by powerful enemies, making defense costs too high. If they could eliminate the surrounding alien races and expand their territory into uncharted regions, humanity could save a lot on border defense costs. This would aid development, and they could also dedicate themselves to exploring the ocean, which was so mysterious that no one was curious.
The three chatted aimlessly. As the conversation became less interesting, they entered the Cabinet chat group. When they announced this news, everyone was shocked.
Elder: "This old man foresaw long ago that this child was no ordinary person. It is as I predicted!"
Chi Yu: "Elder, have some shame! This was clearly said by me!"
Jian Ku: "Alas~"
Chi Yu: "What's wrong?"
Yu Zhe: "Jian Ku is in bad luck. He was just arriving on the battlefield when the Merman King's Divine Light pulled him into an illusion. He's now too ashamed to show his face and I don't know where he's run off to?"
Holy Monk: "Amitabha, this monk was also pulled into an illusion. If not for Lin Yu's decisive intervention, we would have died."
Fu Yao Zi: "Yes, thanks to Lin Yu."
At this moment, the Sword God, who was recuperating at the Guixu Supreme Academy, suddenly woke up from his seclusion. He looked down at his incessantly beeping wristband. He opened the wristband and entered the group chat. After reading for a while, he smiled with satisfaction:
"This kid is even more remarkable than I was back then. When you break through to demigod, I'll semi-retire. You can protect humanity, and I can set off to explore the realms with peace of mind, preparing to become a god."
Time flowed slowly. The moon rose and set! The sun rose and set! Another night passed. A total of thirty-six hours later, the morning sun began to rise! A fiery red sun and a small white sun together unleashed their most brilliant radiance! Suddenly, a long roar shot up into the sky.
"Boom!"
He had finally completed the transformation of the ninth tier! The light dissipated, and Lin Yu stood in the air, his eyes radiating divine light. He looked down at the land below, like a god surveying the mortal world! Majestic and awe-inspiring, demanding worship!