Chapter 518: Hidden Currents and New Connections

“This topographical map was drawn by our family in the very beginning. It’s incredibly detailed, but it only covers a region about a hundred thousand miles across. If we end up attracting strong outsiders’ attention, I’m afraid keeping Dragon Abyss City hidden will be next to impossible!”

The first to speak was Song Yao, seated immediately to Song Shixing’s right. He frowned, clearly disagreeing.

Hearing that, Song Shixing was ready to argue, but Song Yao clearly wasn’t finished.

“Even if Xiaochi commands a Starry Sky Dragon Shark, we’re still standing on the Red Star Continent. This is an eighth-level Floating-land densely packed with high-tier outsiders. The dragon shark gives us confidence, sure, but it doesn’t mean we can let down our guard.”

Hearing this, Song Shixing, who had been about to say more, fell silent. After a while, he finally spoke.

“So, what do you suggest?”

Song Yao’s idea was straightforward. He answered directly:

“It’s simple. We need to set a truly safe zone first. That’s the only way to keep Dragon Abyss City hidden. Any targets we go after should be at least a hundred light-years from our base!”

As he spoke, he seemed to think that wasn’t enough and quickly added another point.

“Personally, I think we should extend it to between five hundred and a thousand light-years, and even then, don’t strike in every direction. We focus on just one area, so the outsiders can’t use our patterns to track us down!”

Once Song Yao finished, the hall fell into silence. No one spoke, but everyone had already weighed the options in their heart.

In the end, it was Song Shixing who broke the quiet.

“Let’s hear from everyone. Which plan do you prefer?”

……

The vote wasn’t nearly as divided as some had feared. Almost all of the core Hidden Vein members agreed with Yaozu’s proposal.

Song Shixing accepted the decision readily—he wasn’t the type to stubbornly insist on his own way. He nodded without any visible emotion.

“If everyone agrees that caution is best, then we’ll put this original map aside for now.”

With that, he dismissed the virtual map projected by his quantum comms wristband and brought up an entirely new topographical map.

Compared to the first one, though, this new map was much rougher. It still marked a handful of resource points, but for a radius of a thousand light-years, those were practically nothing.

Song Chi swept his eyes over the second map. Every marked spot was either a large vein of minerals or an invaluable resource.

New as he was, Song Chi hardly knew anything about the Hidden Vein—let alone the outside world. His decision was simple: listen quietly to the family’s discussions and stay out of what he didn’t understand.

Time passed as the discussions stretched on for over an hour before they finally finalized the whole plan.

The plan went as follows: when the Starry Sky Dragon Shark fully recovered, all of the Hidden Vein’s top warriors would set out together. They’d strike a region seven hundred light-years directly north of Dragon Abyss City, executing several coordinated actions.

First among them: attack the Fire Crow Mountains and wipe out the Fire Crow Clan, aiming to seize the Silver Upgraded Fire Source they held.

In addition, a visit to the Swordslave Clan city was a must—that old ambush could not go unanswered.

……

All in all, the new plan was long and complex. Every step would be carried out so long as safety was guaranteed.

Once they’d wrapped up, the Hidden Vein’s core members left the hall one after another, until only four remained.

Song Shixing, Song Yao, Song Yan, and Song Chi.

Song Shixing, despite his impatience, had more than three thousand years of experience as an old Torch Captain. He didn’t forget caution.

A cold light flashed on his forehead. Instantly, a special isolating barrier spread from his body, stretching to cover all four of them.

“This is a domain shield, created with a level-60 Silver Domain module. It completely isolates us from the outside world. Xiaochi, go ahead and try now!”

Naturally, he meant the trip between Dragon-Spine Continent and Red Star Continent they’d discussed before. He didn’t suspect a spy in their midst—he just wanted extra security. Whether Song Chi could freely travel between the continents was crucial; even the tiniest risk had to be eliminated.

Song Chi nodded. He first set his last (the fourth) Spatial Anchor in the Dragon Abyss Hall, then focused his mind on his Torch Ancestral Orifice and activated the Market Token within.

The next instant, right before the three others’ eyes, he vanished.

Market Pocket Realm. Seeing for himself that he’d connected successfully, Song Chi felt a surge of relief. Then he carefully activated the first Spatial Anchor he’d left on Dragon-Spine Continent and tried to exit the Market Realm again.

Opening his eyes to a familiar sight, Song Chi broke into a grin.

“Success. The Market really can link two star islands over thirty billion light-years apart in an instant!”

And he wasn’t just glad for the family’s sake. This pretty much confirmed that the Omniverse Market’s pocket realm was far from the worst kind of cosmic secret realm.

Taming his excitement, Song Chi didn’t rush back to Red Star Continent. Instead he quickly summoned the Heavenly Ruin battleship and made straight for Dragon Spine Sacred Mountain to bring the good news to the Progenitor, Prime Ancestor, Ru Zu, and the others.

When he told them, all three elders couldn’t hide their smiles.

Back again in the Dragon Abyss Hall, he saw the same joy on Song Shixing and the others’ faces.

Especially Song Shixing and Song Yao—their eyes looked suspiciously wet.

You couldn’t blame them. They’d been fighting for their lives in this Outer Domain for millennia, never free from worry. The distance had made communication with the main branch hard. No matter how diligently they preached loyalty to the Dragonspine Song Family and the Torch Human Civilization…

As time passed, their people inevitably drifted away from the ancestral branch, growing distant and estranged.

In their eyes, if this continued, the Hidden Vein and the main branch would be cut off for good—a fate they refused to accept.

But with Song Chi’s ability, plus the Dimensional Spatial Stone, the family’s outstanding young members could be sent to Dragon-Spine Continent at any time. They’d be raised there, deepening their bonds to the family.

Only this way could the Hidden Vein truly get back on track.

Still beaming, Song Yao suddenly said:

“Xiaochi’s ability is incredibly important. We can’t let anyone find out. Here’s my thought: from now on, we’ll be the ones to escort people back and forth. Xiaochi, you stay behind the scenes.”

Song Shixing and Song Yan nodded together. That was definitely the safest approach.

Song Chi had no objection at all. In his mind, even the barest risk of exposing the Market was utterly unacceptable.

“Alright, let’s call it a day. Xiao Yan, arrange a place for Xiaochi to stay. We’ll do nothing else until the Starry Sky Dragon Shark has made a full recovery.”

……

In the blink of an eye, five more years slipped past.

By now, Song Chi had gained a comprehensive understanding of Dragon Abyss City, and he’d changed a lot himself too.

A year back, the first batch of Superior Heavenly Stargrass in the planting chambers had fully ripened. After the family research division refined it, they produced a batch of Superior Body-Tempering Elixirs. There were only several hundred vials, but Song Chi’s current status let him obtain five.

Thanks to those five elixirs, he’d trained nonstop for nearly a year, honing his Guiding Technique. After spending three elixirs and three Deepwater Pearls, he finally pushed his Guiding Technique from level 54 to the peak of level 56. He was just a step away from level 57.

Originally, he’d planned to break through to level 57 in one go. But with his Deepwater Pearls used up and the next batch years away, plus the news that the Starry Sky Dragon Shark had finally returned to its prime just yesterday, he decided to end his retreat now.

This meant all the Hidden Vein’s carefully laid plans were about to launch.

On top of that, with continued dedication, he’d now reached minor mastery in the Martial Heaven’s Eye. That matters: with that skill, he could now activate it anytime and truly begin to comprehend a third Law.

Bursting out of the level-57 Full-Attribute Cultivation Chamber, Song Chi made his way to the Free Stall Area.

He summoned the Heavenly Ruin battleship and, after boarding, headed straight for the Cultivation Sanctuary.

At the center of the sanctuary, Song Chi stood by the Azure Spirit Spring, gazing up at the colossal White Jade Tree that soared a kilometer overhead.

One of its hanging Timeworld Fruits had fully ripened. He called upon the sanctuary’s power and casually picked the fruit.

As he held the fruit, a strange feeling flickered in Song Chi’s eyes. Getting this fruit had taken serious effort.

Even with the Sanctuary Accelerator, he still had to wait eighty years.

Of course, this was a sixth-tier Timeworld Fruit. As for the three other White Jade Trees nearby, they’d already produced a round of fruit and now were bearing again. Soon, he’d harvest two fifth-tier Timeworld Fruits and one fourth-tier fruit.

Song Chi didn’t linger. Back in the battleship’s control room, three different-sized Timeworld Fruits sat before him.

He had a fifth-tier, a sixth-tier, and a seventh-tier Timeworld Fruit and couldn’t decide which to use for the Law of Time.

The fourth-tier one he eliminated right away.

After a long struggle, his attention fixed on the seventh-tier Timeworld Fruit to the far right. Hesitating only briefly, his gaze grew determined.

“A seventh-tier fruit is rare, sure, but when the Market reaches sixth-tier, I’ll be able to transplant a seventh-tier Timeworld Tree to the sanctuary. With enough patience, I can always get another. Besides, I’ve already reached intermediate mastery in the Laws of Space and Light, but catching Time up is no simple feat!”

Decision made, Song Chi packed away the other two fruits, gripping only the seventh-tier fruit in his hand.

Inside the battleship, Song Chi sat straight, focusing on getting himself into peak condition.

After several dozen minutes and with his state at its best, he swallowed the seventh-tier Timeworld Fruit in one gulp.

For a moment, time itself seemed to slow in the battleship’s command center. Then it abruptly accelerated.

At the same time, a flood of Law of Time insights surged into Song Chi’s mind—as natural and effortless as breathing, etched deep into his soul.

Two hours later, feeling utterly dazed, Song Chi rose from his seated meditation. With steady absorption, he’d finally gained the longed-for Law of Time.

As the energy flowed inside him and gathered at his brow, a streak of light flashed. Another vertical eye opened on his forehead.

With the Martial Heaven’s Eye active, he could clearly see the swirling power of the Law of Time within.

Just as he’d guessed, the seventh-tier Timeworld Fruit gave him a 40% base understanding in the Law of Time.

So, right from the start, he’d crossed the threshold for intermediate mastery. If anyone else managed such a leap, they’d be green with envy.

Song Chi spent ten more minutes getting used to his brand-new Law. There was no denying the Martial Heaven’s Eye’s strength: it kept the Laws within the Eye and his Dual Pupils completely separate, with no sign of conflict.

To Song Chi, it was perfect.

From now on, he truly cultivated both space and time—a rarity in the entire history of Torch Human Civilization.

After getting used to the Law of Time at this new level, he finally shifted his focus to something else.

Truthfully, there was a fourth reason he’d ended his retreat.

Putting the battleship away, he headed straight down the main city street, making his way to the heart of the Market.

There, he stopped in front of the level-57 Long-Range Random Space Gate Transfer Platform.

It was ready: a new round of Market trading had finished buffering, just waiting for him to set it in motion.

With a thought, the platform—silent for a month—lit up. Hundreds and thousands of lights shot skyward, surging through the Void Sea toward every corner of the Shattered Sea of Stars.

Soon, an equal number of swirling space portals appeared at the Market entrance.

Simultaneously, ripples of space appeared in the four-story inn beside the Free Stall Area. There, a number of star-kin clutching Market Tokens materialized in their assigned rooms.

Within moments, the entire Market was alive with excitement.

As usual, Song Chi wasn’t expecting much from this Market trade. Seventy-odd years of this had taught him to expect little beyond routine gains and no surprises.

But this time… something truly unexpected happened.