Chapter 1268: Universe

By this point, she looked at the calm, leisurely young man and no longer had any doubts. This was a free spirit, detached from worldly concerns.

The light in her eyes gradually dimmed. She was too tired to continue questioning him using her bloodline ability, as that state could not be maintained indefinitely.

Xu Zhi watched as the light in her eyes dimmed, knowing that the strange divine ability would no longer be used on him. He thought to himself, "What's the point of asking me? I never intended to interfere with the development of the era. I never wanted to compete for anything, never sought dominance. I've always just been responsible for farming..."

How unpleasant is all that fighting and killing? Hiding away and farming was the most enjoyable thing. Clearly, conversing with someone who enjoyed conflict was not on the same wavelength at all.

As they spoke, a vast, endless landmass of a parallel universe gradually appeared in the distance. This was another universe shaped like an inverted iceberg, with most of its conical volume submerged in the Sea of Chaos. Only its surface was visible above the chaotic waters, appearing from afar as an irregular, vast continent.

It was also devoid of life. As far as the eye could see, there were only desert-like chaotic beaches, with only occasional coastal dojos visible. It was clearly as barren as the previous parallel universe Xu Zhi had visited. Even with Saints living along the coast, signs of life were only sparsely scattered. If one were to venture further inland, the chaotic interior would be a vast, endless wasteland, almost completely uninhabited.

"Land utilization is extremely low, and the population is pitifully sparse." This made Xu Zhi realize the severe environmental challenges of greening the universe and planting vast grasslands. It was indeed necessary to mend the universe's Dao and improve this distorted chaotic outer realm to make it habitable.

"It's a parallel universe." Xu Zhi gazed into the distance and suddenly smiled, "We've finally arrived."

"Naturally," Zhi Ji replied, showing a long-unseen demeanor, accustomed to such sights. "Unlike the previous fixed-parameter universe, this parallel universe before us is a variable universe."

A variable universe? What on earth is that? Xu Zhi was puzzled, but he felt too awkward to admit his ignorance. Yet, ever since the parallel universes diverged, although the subsequent eras were different, Xu Zhi thought they were fundamentally similar, with no significant differences.

Xu Zhi moored the boat by the shore. He chose an uninhabited stretch of coastline. A soul fragment of his true self slowly split off and entered this parallel universe. Upon entry, it immediately transcended the chaotic outer realm and entered the universe itself. This universe, too, had been successfully entered.

Meng Po and the Great Octopus also each had a soul clone descend into this universe.

Xu Zhi soon understood what Zhi Ji meant. "A variable universe, I see! None of the cosmic parameters here are constant... For example, the speed of light isn't a fixed number; it changes with the propagation distance!"

"The farther light is from you, the faster it travels; the closer it is, the slower it travels! Faster when distant, slower when near!"

Xu Zhi marveled at its peculiarity. "For instance, when light is extremely far from me, it propagates at speeds far exceeding the speed of light. But when light is only a centimeter away, its speed slows down to just one ten-thousandth of its typical speed, meaning it becomes incredibly slow for short distances."

"It's not just light; sound, falling raindrops... everything behaves this way! Faster when distant, slower when near! The farther something is from me, the faster it moves; the closer, the slower."

What did this lead to? The greater the distance between planets, the faster the propagation speed, which reduced the difficulty of communication between them. Even nebula clusters, originally separated by trillions of years of travel time, could now interact. The faster propagation over greater distances meant the cost of information dissemination was very low. It was like a cosmic village.

"Furthermore, this is almost a mind-dependent universe..."

"The speed of light varies based on distance. If the same beam of light is very far from you but very close to me, is its speed determined separately? This reminds me of a certain theory of relativity regarding light in our universe."

Xu Zhi took a deep breath, feeling that the mysteries within still needed to be explored. The benefits of such a universe were indeed obvious; it indirectly shortened the "distances" within the universe. Such a universe was probably more prosperous than their own. It was likely that communication throughout the universe was unprecedentedly strong, linking everything together like a solid plate. Civilizations from the farthest nebulae at opposite ends of the universe could even interact... Unlike Xu Zhi's own universe, which suffered from significant regional isolation and closed-off nature due to disconnected communication, this place did not.

However, the drawbacks were also clear. For ordinary mortals, both the speed of light and sound were inconstant, making it impossible for them to accurately determine the precise distance between themselves and objects based on what they saw or heard. They would have to use variable formulas and mental calculations!

"While it affects the lives of mortals, such a universe is very convenient for powerful beings because they can mentally calculate the precise actual distances using formulas. That's not an issue at all," Xu Zhi marveled inwardly. "Simply changing fixed parameters into variables has altered the entire cosmic structure."

At this moment, only Zhi Ji had not entered and had not created her own soul clone.

"Fellow Daoist, is this your first time in this universe?" Zhi Ji looked at the several new soul clones before her.

"Yes," Xu Zhi replied, knowing that the scene of infiltration couldn't be concealed. "I never dared to infiltrate before; I've only managed to achieve Dao enlightenment a few times in other universes."

Zhi Ji shook her head. So he was a dual- or triple-level multidimensional Saint, a mid-to-lower-tier expert. This was his first time in this universe... Yet, his talent was not low; his relatively low cultivation level was clearly due to a certain reason: he was simply too lazy.

"This universe has a variable speed formula. It fluctuates up and down with constant acceleration and deceleration based on distance," Zhi Ji casually explained the specific formula. Xu Zhi silently noted it down.

"When you come to this universe, you'll still need to adapt well. The rules are different, and as a Saint, you'll have to start from scratch and relearn everything." Zhi Ji said, "This variable universe is highly developed, a product of an ancient, prosperous cosmic era. I believe it originated from what that mysterious civilization called... the Cosmic Bridge Era."

Xu Zhi nodded, not exposing her, and echoed, "Yes, it's said that the massive fragments of cosmic bridges floating in the chaotic sea proved the existence of that era. It must have been incredibly glorious, a golden age where all nine multiverses were connected, giving rise to countless prodigies!"

Zhi Ji nodded, a hint of emotion in her eyes as if recalling ancient times. "Back then, the nine universes split, and their Grand Dao schematics became different. The Saints of the nine multiverses, driven by their ambitions, began to reform their respective universes. The nine universes competed for splendor... inviting other Saints to visit via cosmic bridges, each believing their universe was stronger... What we see now should be a product of that time."

"Isn't such a universe good?" Xu Zhi asked. "If it were good, the other eight universes would have already become variable universes. Why would they remain so vast and immense otherwise?"

"No, it's not good."