Chapter 920: Chapter 920

Over the course of several hundred stellar years, the university's headmasters and instructors had come and gone, replaced generation after generation.

Thanks to the fact that Li Pin had once studied here, the university had been preserved through the ages and only continued to flourish. Today, it stood as one of the oldest institutions within the Gaia Alliance.

Naturally, in order to preserve the uniqueness of Gaia itself, the civilization had deliberately steered Hanyang University's development away from integrating with the wider universe. Instead, its focus centered on fields like history and archaeology. Most of the students admitted here dedicated themselves to the study of ancient subjects, like history, archaeology, architecture, and so on.

After graduation, they typically went on to careers in the restoration of ancient structures, historical research, or the preservation of classical literature.

Thanks to special annual funding from the Gaia Alliance for these disciplines, they never had to worry about employment. And over these many centuries, not a single detail from the era of Astral God Yin Luo's descent had been lost.

The flying vessel soon arrived above Zanglong City.

As Li Pin looked down, something caught his attention. Fang Lingjue followed his gaze and said with a chuckle, "The Changfeng Martial Hall is still alive and kicking. Every now and then, I still stop by to keep things in order and guide the younger ones interested in cultivation. After years of refining my methods, what I teach now still helps those who haven't reached the Legendary level."

He paused, then continued, "But I don't teach for money, nostalgia, or recognition. I do it to remind myself why I first set foot on the martial path."

Li Pin nodded. "Well said."

Among this generation of Gaia's cultivators, the strongest were Xiang Tianxing and Fang Lingjue. They had both reached the sixth tier of the Legendary Realm.

If not for the recent Astral World Disaster and the Homo Sapien Alliance's directive barring Tier Six Legendaries from entering the Astral World, they might already have been qualified to challenge the rank of Astral God.

Reaching such heights in three hundred-odd years was already a testament to the speed of their cultivation.

After all, many so-called peerless geniuses often needed five or six hundred years just to meet the threshold for becoming an Astral God.

Fang Lingjue had certainly received some help from Li Pin, but ultimately, it was his own perseverance that brought him this far.

In terms of talent... he wasn't even as gifted as Yuan Zhenchuan.

And as for Yuan Zhenchuan, had Li Pin not returned and given him crucial guidance along the way, he likely would have ended up switching to the path of a Demigod, walking the road of Divinity.

It all came down to the difference between their hearts and mindsets.

"Want to come in and sit for a while?" Fang Lingjue said with a grin. "You're still one of us at Changfeng Martial Hall, you know."

Li Pin responded, "If the time comes, I will."

By now, the Luminous Ark had touched down at a leisure plaza not far from Hanyang University.

Naturally, the arrival of such a vessel drew plenty of attention. But now that their horizons had been expanded by knowledge of the vast universe, they no longer found the ship's arrival too surprising.

Some onlookers muttered, "Aren't private vessels banned on Gaia? Damn privileged class."

The vessel came to a stop, and more than a dozen people disembarked.

Li Pin glanced back at the group behind him. "No need to follow. I'll have a look around Zanglong City on my own."

No one objected. One after another, they took their leave.

After giving a wave to Fang Lingjue and the others, Li Pin turned and walked alone toward Hanyang University.

The streets before him exuded an "antique" charm, meticulously restored to resemble the cityscape of Gaia more than three centuries ago. However, Li Pin could still spot traces of advanced technology tucked away in various corners.

Above the planet, defense systems and atmospheric regulators loomed in place.

At the very least, back in the monster-ravaged Gaia era, the air quality had never come close to this level.

As Li Pin arrived at the gates of Hanyang University, Sasha's voice echoed in his ears. "Temporary control of Gaia's internal systems has been established. Your visit invitation has been submitted to the university's main server."

There was even a hint of curiosity in her voice. "Your Majesty... did you really rise to power from a planet ?"

"Haven't you already seen the records?" Li Pin replied.

"Records and actual experience are never quite the same," Sasha said.

"True. They're not," Li Pin murmured, his gaze drifting to the students moving in and out of the campus.

Compared to the youth of his time, whose postures and appearances were diverse, today's students appeared far more uniform. Every face and figure had been carefully refined and enhanced.

Their features were adjusted to match each individual's ideal aesthetic. In addition, their bodies were shaped to achieve flawless proportions.

Of course, there were still personal preferences, like how some favored fair skin, others preferred a sun-kissed tan, while some found bronze-toned muscles more attractive. Still, the kind of diversity seen in the past was no longer there.

That said, in terms of aesthetics, both their clothing and overall appearance were striking, far beyond what people from that earlier time looked like .

While Li Pin scanned the crowd, many students were also stealing glances at him.

Among them, a stylish couple who clearly excelled in socializing made their way over to strike up a conversation.

"Senior, are you going for a full retro look? What style is that? I don't think I've seen it before. And the material, it looks so refined! Where did you get it? Mind recommending it?"

Li Pin glanced down at himself. "Style?"

He was still dressed in the same style he used to wear back then, which, in today's eyes, did look distinctly retro.

As for the material, his clothing was formed from the manifested matter of the Supreme Divine Weapon, the Six Paths Wheel. It might have taken the shape of simple fabric, but it still represented the pinnacle of material composition. That was why it looked so flawless, like it was crafted from the most perfect substance imaginable.

So, it wasn't surprising the student had asked.

"It's custom-made. Not something you can buy," Li Pin replied.

The man chuckled. "Anyone who lives on Gaia is either wealthy or powerful. See that senior over there? He's from the Overlord Empire in the Skyblue Star Cluster, Rumor has it he's third in line to inherit the throne. And that senior sister? She's the daughter of the Bellen Corporation's chairwoman. That company does business across thirty-two star clusters.

"As for me, I'm not quite at their level, but my family still holds considerable status in the Yin Luo Galaxy. No matter how expensive the clothes, I can afford them."

He grinned. "Just tell me where it was made. Whether I can get it is my problem."

"You really can't afford it," Li Pin said flatly.

"Heh, we'll see about that—"

The man tapped on his wristband as he spoke.

Li Pin immediately sensed a scanning pulse sweep across his body.

It was a very basic scan. Normally, it would have been far too crude to detect anything about the Six Paths Wheel's true material. But after a moment's thought, Li Pin figured he didn't want the man spoiling his mood during his stroll through Hanyang University. So, he had the Six Paths Wheel subtly adjust its material parameters.

It was nothing too outrageous. He simply adjusted it to appear as compressed dark particles. Or to be precise, a black hole compressed to its absolute limit, in an extremely stable state.

When the scan results came through, the young man froze. A second later, his face turned ghostly pale. What the hell?! He’s wearing a highly stabilized black hole!? What kind of absurdity is that!?

It was like walking through a country with strict bans on all weapons, only to spot someone casually carrying a diamond-encrusted handgun around the streets.

Never mind the diamonds, just carrying something like that around openly spoke volumes about the person's power and status.

In their eyes, any civilization capable of producing such a material, or any lifeform able to wield such technology, was far beyond what someone from the insignificant Yin Luo Galaxy could ever afford to provoke.

The young man who had just been flaunting his family’s influence quickly backed down and apologized. "I'm sorry for the trouble."

"Suit yourself," Li Pin replied calmly.

The young man quickly pulled his girlfriend away and fled in embarrassment.

"Actually, Your Majesty, you could have just shown your clearance level. That alone would've been enough to make him back down," Sasha said, evidently puzzled by Li Pin's approach.

Li Pin simply smiled and offered no explanation. Can't I have a little fun once in a while?

Before long, Li Pin arrived at Hanyang University's artificial lake.

At just under six thousand square meters, the lake was a little smaller than a football field, with a depth of about three to four meters. Theoretically... it was enough for someone to drown in.

And yes, Li Pin was more qualified than anyone to say that.

Over the past three centuries, this artificial lake, which was considered a landmark of Hanyang University, hadn't changed much.

The only difference was that it had undergone periodic maintenance and repairs. The surrounding flowers had been replanted and carefully nurtured over time, making the place appear even more beautiful and inviting. But the lake's location had never changed.

Step by step, Li Pin walked to a spot etched deeply into his memory. There, he stood quietly, letting himself feel the stillness of the lake.

After a moment, he stepped up to the water's edge and reached out, trying to feel its chill.

And sure enough... all he felt was the cold, and nothing more. Follow current novels on NoveIꜰire.net

He had deliberately suppressed his avatar to the level of an ordinary mortal, but aside from the chill, he sensed nothing unusual at all.

He frowned slightly and fixed his gaze on the lake. The flowers, the flowing water, the sculptures, everything began to blur and fade. In their place emerged the essence of matter, energy, time, space, and even reincarnation and karma.

He broke it all down to its most fundamental form, analyzing the lake in search of the catalyst, the very moment that had once brought him here.

Yet, just as the process began, Li Pin suddenly sensed something and snapped his head up.

His gaze fell upon a bench not far from the lake.

There, a figure sat quietly. A figure identical in every way to how the master of the Void Divine Treasury, Baili Zhu, perceived the concept of "Void."

As Li Pin looked toward him, that figure also lifted his eyes and met his gaze.