Chapter 14: Return
Start of the second arc :D
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In a daze, Lin Yuan opened his eyes once again.
Bed, bookshelf, photographs.
Lin Yuan's gaze swept across them, and finally, he let out a soft sigh of relief.
"Back already?"
Looking at the familiar surroundings, Lin Yuan felt like he had traveled to a different world.
A moment ago, he was in the martial arts world for twenty long years.
Now, he was back in the interstellar human alliance that spanned the cosmos.
"Oh right. Check how much time has passed."After reflecting, Lin Yuan immediately checked the time.
Although from the current environment, Lin Yuan judged that not much time had passed.
Otherwise, considering his state of consciousness leaving the body and arriving in a different world, he would have been taken to the hospital by his parents long ago.
But it was essential to note precisely how many minutes or hours had elapsed.
"Only ten minutes have passed."
After confirming the current time, Lin Yuan seemed a little absent-minded.
Twenty years of time spent in the martial arts world amounted to only ten minutes in the main world.
"Is it because the flow of time differs between the two worlds?"
Before the journey, the door to the myriad realms had warned Lin Yuan.
The time flow in the traversed world might differ from the current world.
However, Lin Yuan hadn't expected the time difference to be this significant.
Ten minutes compared to twenty years.
Since ancient times, there had been sayings like 'a day in the celestial realm, a year on earth.'
The time flow in higher worlds was far slower than in lower worlds.
Compared to the main world, the martial arts world clearly belonged to a lower world.
The difference in magnitude was even greater than the saying about the celestial and earthly realms.
This could be seen from the comparison of time flow rates.
After pondering for a moment, Lin Yuan's mind sank into contemplation.
There, suspended in mid-air, was a towering and majestic 'gate.'
Upon careful observation, the current door to the myriad realms was noticeably dimmer.
Its edges were gradually lighting up.
When the entire door to the myriad realms lit up completely, Lin Yuan would be able to undergo a second traversal.
As Lin Yuan focused his mind on staring at the door to the myriad realms, a series of messages were once again transmitted.
"Hmm?"
Lin Yuan rubbed his forehead.
After the first traversal, more features of the door to the myriad realms flooded into Lin Yuan's mind.
First and foremost was the method of traversal.
Apart from the consciousness descent method, the door to the myriad realms could also facilitate physical traversal.
However, this form of traversal consumed more of the door to the myriad realms' energy.
It required at least several years to accumulate enough energy.
Considering that Lin Yuan's normal method of conscious descent allowed for traversal every eight months to a year.
"Physical traversal."
Lin Yuan shook his head slightly, not particularly optimistic about this method of traversal.
Physical traversal had many conveniences, such as not needing to start training from scratch, and more.
But the disadvantages were also apparent — once you died, you were truly dead.
In the consciousness descent method, even if the body died, it was just the consciousness returning to the original body, offering a chance for a fresh start.
Of course, Lin Yuan did not entirely dismiss physical traversal.
It could be used as a life-saving measure, for instance, if Lin Yuan faced a life-threatening situation in the main world.
He could use physical traversal to escape to a different world and return when the danger had passed.
Or, he could take advantage of the different time flows between the two worlds, breakthrough in the alternate world, and then return to the main world for a comeback.
In addition to adding physical traversal, the information transmitted by the door to the myriad realms also mentioned the ability to expend some cost to bring items from other worlds.
This point did not surprise Lin Yuan.
Since people could traverse, there was no reason why other things couldn't.
"Pre-natal True Qi."
After absorbing the information from the door to the myriad realms, Lin Yuan's mind moved slightly, and a strand of pre-natal True Qi naturally gathered in his lower dantian.
In the martial arts world, Lin Yuan had condensed True Qi in his lower dantian as a child, having comprehended the superior martial art of Grand Buddha Fist.
Moreover, he was now beyond the level of the mythical realm.
Lin Yuan named this advanced state the "Free and Unrestrained Realm."
Entering this realm, the heavens were vast, and the earth was thick, allowing him to be carefree and at ease.
This was the Free and Unrestrained Realm.
If it weren't for the fact that advancing to Master, Grandmaster, and even the mythical realm required immense external energy and couldn't be accomplished in one go, Lin Yuan might have reached this state with just a thought.
"Now, I should be considered an Evolver?"
Controlling the pre-natal True Qi to circulate throughout his body, Lin Yuan silently pondered.
The interstellar human alliance had a clear definition of an Evolver — someone who possessed powers beyond the reach of ordinary people.
This definition encompassed various abilities, such as the psychic power of a Psychic Master or the telekinesis of a Psion.
Lin Yuan's condensed pre-natal True Qi might not be strong, but it was undoubtedly something an ordinary person couldn't achieve.
Thud, thud, thud.
The room's door suddenly sounded.
"Brother, brother, it's me."
A tender voice came from outside.
Lin Yuan looked up and recognized his six-year-old sister.
After the mandatory conscription notice came, his parents were properly arranged, and even his young sister was no exception.
Not yet in elementary school, she already had a spot for advanced studies at a prestigious institution.
Such unimaginable affluence made many people jealous.
Standing up and opening the door, Lin Yuan saw his young sister.
"Brother, eat the cake."
His sister held a cake, looking aggrieved.
It was evident that she didn't intend to give him the cake; the parents were subtly observing from the living room.
The forced conscription was equivalent to sacrificing Lin Yuan to secure wealth and prosperity for the entire family, which made his parents uneasy.
After all, Lin Yuan was their son, and they had deep feelings for him after so many years of being together.
However, they couldn't change the fact that this was the decision of the Human Alliance government.
Forced conscription was forced conscription.
Why was the word "forced" added to the front?
Lin Yuan's parents wanted to comfort him but were afraid of upsetting him. Therefore, they had his little sister bring him her beloved cake to cheer him up.
"Not bad."
Lin Yuan took the small cake from his sister's hand and, under her expectant gaze, finished it in one bite.
After condensing the pre-natal True Qi, Lin Yuan was quite hungry. Although the cake was just a drop in the bucket, it was especially delicious.
"Is it tasty, brother?"
His little sister looked at Lin Yuan with big eyes, and tears began to well up.
"Very tasty."
Lin Yuan nodded, expressing his approval.
"Wow!"
"Why did you eat the entire delicious cake, brother?"
His little sister burst into tears and ran towards the living room.
Closing the door, Lin Yuan fell into contemplation.
Now that he had become an Evolver, he could be exempted from conscription. According to the regulations of the Interstellar Human Alliance, an Evolver was someone who possessed powers beyond ordinary people.
Lin Yuan's parents were undoubtedly upset about the forced conscription. Lin Yuan, as their son, was deeply cherished after many years together.
However, now that he had become an Evolver, he could exempt himself from conscription. In theory, he should tell his parents about it.
Nevertheless, to ensure a smooth process, he needed to obtain the Evolver certificate first. That way, he could present official proof when applying for an exemption from conscription.
Otherwise, even if he told his parents, they might not believe him. After all, how could their good son suddenly become an Evolver?
He had almost half a month until the conscription date. According to the regulations of the Interstellar Human Alliance, as long as he hadn't entered a military district battleship, he could be exempted from conscription as an Evolver.