The moment the pill was formed—
An unprecedented sense of omnipotence and absolute control surged through Su Yun’s limbs like a tidal wave.
She felt as though she had become the sovereign of all life between heaven and earth—one thought could bring dead wood back to life, another could wither a hundred flowers.
The sudden rush of power made her feel lightheaded. Without realizing it, she straightened her small back, the cautious restraint she usually maintained nearly collapsing under this extreme sensation of strength.
However, the instant her perception drifted toward Lin Mo, who sat quietly beside her, that confidence evaporated like ice beneath a blazing sun.
“S-sorry…”
Her fluffy ears instantly drooped flat against her head, and the tail that had just perked up fell limply. Almost by instinct, Su Yun lowered her head to apologize, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s hum.
I—I got carried away…
Before forming the pill, Lin Mo had already seemed unfathomably powerful to her, like a bottomless ancient well.
After forming it, with the faint connection she now shared with the laws themselves, Su Yun realized in horror that she had still only been seeing the starlight reflected at the mouth of that well.
What slumbered within Lin Mo’s body was not something that could be described as “energy” at all.
It was a silent, cold, boundless dead sea of time.
Any existence, any concept, once it fell into that sea, would instantly be stripped of both “past” and “future,” erased completely from every timeline and reduced to eternal nothingness.
Her own meager cultivation before that dead sea wasn’t even a grain of sand.
Because the moment it fell in, it would be decomposed into nonexistence.
Forcing down the soul-deep tremor, Su Yun focused her mind entirely on her dantian, carefully examining the newly formed golden pill.
It was perfect. Condensed.
Like the purest emerald gemstone.
Yet upon closer sensing, it carried a subtle… lifelessness.
Like a jade statue carved by a divine craftsman—vivid in form, yet lacking the most crucial thing: spirit and inner essence.
Su Yun understood.
It was because she hadn’t truly comprehended the Law of Life.
She had merely relied on innate talent, crudely kneading that power into shape.
It was a flawless engine—yet missing the spark to ignite it.
Right now, she was only a mortal guarding a treasure vault, not its true master.
Only when she fully digested the laws and branded her own Dao into it would this golden pill be infused with a soul and truly come alive.
“What did you grasp? Can you show me?” Lin Mo asked.
At some point, she had already opened her eyes. She straightened her posture, her voice still gentle, though a trace of curiosity shimmered in her gaze.
A translucent liquor bottle swayed slightly in her hand.
Glug, glug.
“I… I’ll try…”
Su Yun hurriedly stood up and replied softly.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes tightly, and sank her consciousness back into her dantian, cautiously guiding the emerald-green golden pill into a slow rotation.
A trace—so faint it was nearly imperceptible, yet incomparably pure and ancient—of lawful aura quietly spilled from Su Yun’s body, like a newborn sprout breaking through the soil.
“…Hm?”
The eternal calm on Lin Mo’s face shattered instantly.
Her pupils shrank to pinpoints, and she shot to her feet with a sharp whoosh!
Danger. Extreme danger!
Her soul, her reason, the supreme consciousness that had once governed the Law of Time screamed at her—
The little thing before her was so weak that a breath could erase it. It posed no threat whatsoever.
But her body—
This vessel that had once borne the Law of Time, long transcending the mundane—
Was blaring the most shrill, primal alarm imaginable.
Every cell was instinctively screaming to flee.
“Holy… so this is… genuine Life Law…”
Lin Mo did not resist the power.
She stared in disbelief at her uncontrollably trembling hand, her breathing stopping altogether.
In that moment, she felt like a rabbit trembling in the grass after sensing a natural predator.
And Su Yun—
Had transformed into an ancient ferocious beast that blotted out the sky, with wings spanning tens of thousands of miles.
This wasn’t an illusion.
It was absolute suppression at the level of life’s origin.
She could smell that aura from primordial antiquity, hear the world-shaking breaths of the sleeping beast, and see those golden pupils that looked upon all beings as mere prey.
This terror—etched into the deepest genes, branded into the soul itself—was something reason could never overcome.
“Even this origin-tier body can’t resist it…?” A strange glint flashed through Lin Mo’s eyes.
She hadn’t used any laws to block it, purely to experience it fully.
Yet this body of hers was, in truth, little different from a demigod.
And Su Yun was clearly just an empty shell—she didn’t even know how to wield her power.
But right now, she had become the most terrifying root predator in the world.
Even though Lin Mo was absolutely confident Su Yun couldn’t harm even a strand of her hair, her body’s fear surged like collapsing mountains and raging seas—utterly uncontrollable.
Incredible… outrageously incredible…
“Enough,” Lin Mo said, her voice carrying a faint tremor she herself didn’t notice.
“Yes!”
Su Yun immediately reined in her mind. The aura that made all life quake vanished without a trace.
She opened her eyes and looked uneasily at Lin Mo’s complicated expression.
“This technique… what’s it called?” Lin Mo asked, forcing herself to calm down as she sat back down. Her movement to grab the bottle was stiff, as if it had drained all her strength.
“Um… Conqueror’s Bearing,” Su Yun answered softly.
Deep down, she still hoped to become someone like Xiang Yu—an unrivaled overlord who swept across battlefields and dominated the world.
Not someone who could only act cute and beg for a fragile peace.
“Good name.”
Lin Mo nodded, downing the remaining half bottle in one go before coughing lightly to cover her loss of composure.
“Ahem… well… classes start tomorrow. Go back and prepare.”
“Yes… Great-Grandmaster, please rest early.”
Su Yun responded obediently, bowed, and quietly left the room with a trace of unease.
Only after her footsteps completely faded did Lin Mo finally let out a long breath.
Her entire body relaxed as she nearly collapsed into the chair, staring up at the ceiling.
Only then did she realize her smooth forehead and the clothes on her back were soaked through with cold sweat.
“…I’m drenched.”
Even now, her legs still felt weak—that helpless feeling of facing a natural enemy lingering stubbornly.
Rummaging through the few trendy words she’d picked up here and there, Lin Mo finally muttered two barely audible words:
“…insane.”
“Master, I succeeded…”
Su Yun returned to Mo Qingqing’s room, sidling up to her like a kitten seeking praise after finishing homework. Mo Qingqing was leaning against the headboard, reading.
“Oh? Let me see.”
Mo Qingqing set down her spellbook and scooped Su Yun into her arms. Her powerful spiritual sense flowed into Su Yun’s body like liquid mercury.
Sure enough, at her dantian, she saw the emerald-green golden pill slowly rotating, radiating vast vitality.
She didn’t attempt to synchronize with this cultivation path.
Everyone had their own road.
She couldn’t simply copy Su Yun’s path—otherwise, would she still be Mo Qingqing, or just another Su Yun?
“Not bad.”
She withdrew her hand and rubbed Su Yun’s fluffy head with satisfaction.
“Classes start tomorrow. Go to bed early tonight.”
“I know you’re timid, but don’t embarrass me at the academy.”
“After all, my master—your great-grandmaster—is a Time Origin.”
“So in front of strangers, act confident. If I hear anything tomorrow… heh. You’ll be dead.”
“W-woof… y-yes…”