Chapter 642: Alchemical Gate, The Only Quality (Two-in-One)

Drinking hot tea in the mid-winter courtyard, Xu Zhi felt a warmth spread through his body and mind, embracing a long-lost sense of peace.

"Upon closer inspection," Xu Zhi mused, "apart from Di Qi's Zerg expeditionary planet, which is still adrift, I now have three major worlds: the New Six Realms, the Ancient Lava Lands, and the Miniature Universe World."

Xu Zhi quietly pondered this observation. He now controlled three worlds, a number that was neither too big nor too small. What mattered was their quality, not their quantity, and their potential was boundless. All three worlds were evolving towards the Ninth Tier, where Ninth-Tier overlords could emerge. They were, in essence, heaven-defying, and he had only been developing them for three months... A civilization less than ten thousand years old!

At this rate, he estimated Ninth-Tier beings would emerge by the fourth month. If not, then Armin, Di Qi, and other ancient gods, no matter how deeply they slumbered or how many methods they used to extend their lives, would not be able to endure these extra three thousand years. At most, they would barely cling on for just over nine thousand years.

"This is another era of renewal, a turning point," he thought. "If, by this fourth month, the Ninth Tier cannot be surpassed, it will be the moment the old generation of elders reaches the end of their lifespans." He took another sip of hot tea, the fragrant warmth lingering on his lips.

"However, I've completely understood the Ninth Tier now," he mused. "Why is the Ninth Tier so powerful? It's because Ninth-Tier beings can wield laws; they *are* manifestations of laws. And why do the anomalies born from incense offerings—Pseudo-Neighbor, Xiao Wei, and the God of Dreams—possess unique rules? And why do the talents of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, like Cloud Emperor's ability to make people kneel on sight, manifest as these weak 'law phenomena' of the Ninth Tier? It's because they are special natural phenomena that emerge from the rituals, worship, and collective thoughts of countless vast beings..."

"The Ninth Tier, at its core, is also a law phenomenon formed by the convergence of hundreds of trillions of 'beings'... In essence, both are the same." His eyes narrowed slightly. "The difference is that a true Ninth-Tier being is a law phenomenon belonging to a single individual—they *are* the 'law phenomenon' themselves. In contrast, other incense-derived entities, formed by the convergence of hundreds of millions of beings, are unorthodox and merely weak 'law phenomena'."

"Furthermore, in a world of transcendent civilization, where tens of billions of beings reside, the land itself can be likened to a colossal living entity composed of billions of life cells, resembling a Ninth-Tier existence... Much like the Three Pillar Gods in the unseen realm..."

"The convergence of billions of beings within each world is inherently an alternative form of the Ninth Tier. This is the true Ninth Tier: the world itself."

He felt his mind expand, a clear path unfolding before him. All previous obscurities vanished completely, and his voice subtly grew more intense. "To completely control one's hundreds of trillions of cells, to unite soul and flesh, and for oneself to embody a world—this is the Ninth-Tier World! To be one's own world, no longer bound by the natural laws of the outside world. In our Eastern terms, perhaps it could be called... Hedao, or even Huashen?"

Xu Zhi felt everything fall into place. He couldn't help but seize his teacup, draining it in one gulp, and exclaimed, "The Dao follows nature; living beings learn from the heavens, earth, and all life... To use a world of billions of beings to deduce the next stage of one's own life, the Hedao World... What a terrifyingly profound next level this is!"

Before, many of these principles had eluded him. He hadn't understood some fundamental principles of the incense phenomena either—why Pseudo-Neighbor and the God of Dreams, now at a higher level, only revealed their intricate connection to the Ninth Tier upon his deeper understanding, realizing they had always pointed to the same concept. The qualitative transformation of a life form's realm was truly astonishing.

"From now on, the Ninth Tier is within reach—there are no longer any obstacles on this path!" He felt invigorated, imbued with a boundless ambition that made past achievements seem insignificant. To control laws... was simply too tempting for him!

As he pondered, he took large sips of tea, his gaze falling upon the odd-looking creatures below. "Speaking of which, with Medusa's prodding, it should be almost ready, shouldn't it?"

He was quite curious about the Alchemist Emperor, Li Shengjiang, at this moment. Li Shengjiang was eager to return to the Spore Evolution Sandbox, apparently for Armin. It was clear he intended to evolve a species and present it to Armin before she passed away. Could a mere evolved creature truly extend Armin's lifespan? She was a god, after all! Logically, it seemed impossible, but the evolution of life inherently held infinite possibilities... Xu Zhi, however, held profound expectations for this Alchemist Emperor's new species, which had been painstakingly developed over ten years. If it could truly extend the lifespan of an aging god and create such a miracle, it would be a tremendous surprise for Xu Zhi as well!

The biting wind swept across the desolate land, and a terrifying pressure bore down, turning the area into an icy, demonic expanse, ravaged by malevolent gusts. A group of creatures were evolving on this land.

"Uwaaah!"

"Why are we still suffering here!? Look at the others next door—they're all being pampered by the young lady!"

"I'm so furious! Aren't we spores supposed to be the favored ones?"

"Nonsense! They sacrificed, did you? If you don't put in the effort, how can you expect to be pampered!?"

"They didn't even work that hard! It was Bai Xiaojun who led them to prosperity. Otherwise, with their inferior knowledge, their average intellectual level is far lower than ours!"

Countless individuals were utterly frustrated. Many things couldn't be achieved by sheer grind alone; talent was also essential.

"We have the Alchemist Emperor too, why doesn't he lead us out of the beginner's zone?"

"Sorry, but on our side, there's no 'carrying' others."

Actually, it wasn't their fault. It was Xu Zhi who had become increasingly stringent. Ordinary transcendent life forms were commonplace to Xu Zhi now, just run-of-the-mill creations. He no longer cared for levels like slimes or evil eyes. After all, in the transcendent world, countless beings could become spirits and transform into great demons, none of whom would be inferior to these transcendent creatures born with minor innate talents. Unless, of course, they could break through existing concepts and produce truly fresh and innovative transcendent species. But that was extremely difficult; such species—like the Cthulhuian Evil Gods, Jianmu Vines, Pseudo-Zerg Broodmothers, or Balloon Fish—were rare and sought-after.

"Soon, very soon..."

Meanwhile, inside the small hut, the Alchemist Emperor, Li Shengjiang, was intently watching a large vat that emitted a strange, multicolored glow. It had to be said that redeveloping alchemy here was challenging for him. The main difficulty lay in acquiring alchemical materials, which he could only obtain from the players' evolving spore creatures. However, despite the difficulty, there were infinite possibilities. After all, the creatures here could evolve into an endless variety of species, meaning any material he desired could potentially emerge—it was practically an alchemist's paradise. This was especially true for the life alchemy he was currently pursuing.

By now, he had gathered numerous biological materials from players and had also bred some unique creatures of his own. These were already showing promising results as alchemical ingredients.

Gurgle.

The large vat of colorful, viscous liquid bubbled, appearing strange and mysterious. Upon closer inspection, the liquid slowly swirled, forming various flower-shaped vortices. He slowly stirred the liquid with a wooden stick.

Suddenly, a pillar of light shot skyward. His eyes snapped open. "It's time," he murmured. He immediately terminated his avatar. A gray "Exiting Game" message appeared. He unhesitatingly made his choice.