Antares nagged endlessly, his voice thick with irritation.
Something was clearly bothering him.
Lin Moyu looked at him, "What's wrong?"
Antares shook his head, "Nothing."
Lin Moyu narrowed his eyes, "There's definitely something."
Antares stared at him, and Lin Moyu stared right back.
Their gazes locked in a silent standoff.
At last, Antares relented, "It's nothing major. Just a few idiots from the previous age. They refused to behave and did some outrageous things."
"What they did really pissed me off. Worse, it caused some damage to this world."
"Otherwise, your age wouldn't have ended up this miserable."
That was all he said. Clearly, he had no intention of elaborating further.
It was a matter from the previous age, and Antares had brought it up only because Lin Moyu was the one person he could vent to.
Over the years, he had mentioned similar things many times. His dissatisfaction toward the people of the previous age ran deep.
Lin Moyu chose not to pursue the subject. Instead, he returned to the matter at hand.
"I want them to live longer. Is there really no way?"
Antares shot him a sharp look, "Brat, you already guessed, didn't you?"
A faint smile appeared on Lin Moyu's face. He had indeed guessed.
Antares wouldn't have revealed this method unless there was a possible solution. Since he had brought it up, there had to be a way forward.
Antares said, "Once you become an unequaled powerhouse, you might be able to defy heaven and change fate."
Unequaled powerhouse…
After Antares explained, Lin Moyu finally understood.
It wasn't a cultivation realm or a level, but an honorary title.
In the greater world, an unequaled powerhouse was someone who had mastered a law to its absolute limit.
Only after reaching the pinnacle of law would one gain miraculous abilities. Only then would there be a chance to defy heaven and challenge fate itself.
Yet becoming an unequaled powerhouse was unimaginably difficult.
A fierce fighting spirit ignited in Lin Moyu's eyes. It burned like an inextinguishable flame.
His soul released a silent roar—one that Antares heard clearly.
"I will become an unequaled powerhouse."
Lin Moyu clenched his fists until his knuckles cracked.
"Teach me how to refine the world core into a vessel."
He had made his decision.
One day, he would stand among the unequaled powerhouses.
The vessel Antares referred to was also known as the Coffin of Slumber.
Because it was forged from a world core, the process couldn't be entrusted to anyone else. Lin Moyu had to refine it personally.
Once completed, it could be stored within his soul world and carried wherever he went.
Antares transmitted the refining method to him.
Lin Moyu drew the world core into his soul.
Soul force flowed forth, enveloping the world core.
Refining the Coffin of Slumber required neither flames nor hammers. Soul force alone was enough.
His journey through the deep layer had allowed him to absorb an immense amount of soul essence. Not only had his soul grade improved, but his soul rank had also quietly advanced to level 96.
At this point, Lin Moyu could directly wield laws without relying on Soul-Splitting Art.
With a level 96 soul rank and peak 2nd grade soul grade, his soul force was more than ten times purer than that of others at the same level.
Lin Moyu had long surpassed ordinary level 96 class users in terms of the soul.
He fully met the requirements to refine the Coffin of Slumber.
"First step: remove the world force."
The soul force surrounding the world core surged violently.
In an instant, it seized the world force contained within and tore it free.
World force served no purpose in the refinement process.
Even the laws embedded within the world core had to be completely stripped away.
The interior of the Coffin of Slumber existed in a state of absolute stillness.
It required no energy. It was true emptiness.
All that remained was the unique substance of the world core itself.
As for what made that substance special, neither Lin Moyu nor Antares knew.
Antares was simply following an ancient refining method passed down through the Dragon Race. He knew how to do it, but not why it worked.
This was Lin Moyu's first time tool refining, and he was doing it through soul refinement at that, so he proceeded with utmost caution.
Tool refinement in the greater world differed greatly from that of the small world.
In the small world, tool refinement was the domain of Alchemists and Blacksmiths.
In the greater world, however, anyone with sufficient strength could refine tools.
Naturally, some individuals possessed talents or techniques that enhanced the quality of the items they created.
Given the same materials, they could forge equipment of superior quality.
Lin Moyu, however, wasn't aiming for perfection.
As long as the Coffin of Slumber functioned properly, that would be enough.
Using his soul force, Lin Moyu began stripping away the world force from the world core.
He worked with meticulous care, making sure not a single trace was overlooked.
The entire procedure took ten full days.
Once separated from the world core, the world force condensed into a mass of golden light.
Antares spoke softly, "You know, this cluster of world force could sell for quite a price in the greater world."
Lin Moyu looked surprised, "World force can be traded?"
Antares chuckled, "What's so surprising about that? In the greater world, there's almost nothing that can't be bought or sold."
"From a tiny piece of material to an entire world. From lifeless objects to living beings. From the lowest slaves to members of powerful races—everything has a price."
"It all comes down to whether you can afford it. Offer enough, and someone might even accept a contract to kill an unequaled powerhouse."
"Things like world force are considered hard currency. Experts possess their own small worlds and are always looking for ways to strengthen them."
"Some elders even acquire small worlds and world force specifically to nurture their juniors."
Another corner of the greater world's veil was lifted.
Yet the more Lin Moyu learned, the easier it became to imagine the cruelty hidden beneath its vastness.
Lin Moyu continued inspecting the world core again and again, searching for any traces he might have missed.
Even a single overlooked strand could cause the refinement to fail.
Antares gave it a casual glance, "No need to keep checking. You can move on to the second step."
Lin Moyu had inspected it enough already and moved on.
Taking a deep breath, he began the next step: stripping away the laws.
The world core contained numerous fragmented laws.
Existing in a chaotic, disordered state, they too had to be extracted using soul force.
The method was largely the same as removing world force, and with the experience he had already gained, the process went far more smoothly.
Whether stripping world force or laws, the true purpose was to deepen his spirit imprint on the world core.
With each fragment removed, the connection between Lin Moyu and the world core grew stronger, laying the groundwork for the next stage of refinement.
As his proficiency increased, he became relaxed enough to converse with Antares while working.
"While searching for the world core, I ran into two people from the greater world."
Antares sounded surprised, "The deep layer is naturally connected to the greater world. It's not strange for people to enter."
"Besides, the fact that the world core fell into the deep layer isn't exactly a secret. Jiang Yi couldn't have been the only one who knew."
"So, who did you meet?"
Lin Moyu recounted the encounter and showed him the jade pendant.
Antares examined it for a moment but couldn’t recognize its origin."
"This pendant contains a tracking law art. Once you enter the greater world, the other party will probably be able to sense it."
"Fortunately, your human race is fairly united in the greater world, so there shouldn’t be much trouble."
"As for the one who ambushed you, that was probably some bastard from the Shadowkind."
"They're always like that, lurking in the shadows and dealing in underhanded schemes."
Lin Moyu couldn't help but find Antares's disdain amusing.
That arrogant personality was clearly never going to change.
Suddenly, Antares fixed his gaze on Lin Moyu's soul.
His expression gradually changed.
