This moon hung high above in the sky.

Though the moon was merely silver, devoid of any ornamentation, it exuded an infinite beauty.

The lunar halo was also silver, yet it radiated a captivating spectrum of colors.

Chang’e stood with her hands clasped behind her back; with a gentle flick of her fingers, a staircase made of moonlight immediately materialized, extending step by step toward the colossal moon. Chang’e’s gait possessed a captivating rhythm, compelling the gaze to linger upon the curves of her waist and hips. Though she appeared as a mere young girl, the lines of her waist and hips were unexpectedly alluring.

Finally, Chang’e stood upon the moon, and Lu Yuan stood there as well.

The exquisitely beautiful, silver-haired young girl faced Lu Yuan, the lazy young man dressed in blue robes.

Chang’e looked at Lu Yuan: “You are a genius, an Eternal Genius. In terms of inherent talent, even I cannot match you. However, genius is merely potential; without realizing that talent, it remains weak. Indeed, within the [Central] Celestial Dynasty, you are remarkable, but this is the Eternal Star Domain. In the Eternal Star Domain, you rank among the weakest of the Ten Epochs. A vast number of entities here possess strength surpassing yours. Therefore, you must humble your mindset.”

Lu Yuan shrugged and smiled. It would be impossible for Lu Yuan to possess no pride whatsoever; having won so often naturally cultivated arrogance.

Chang’e continued: “I care little for your pride. Now, I will impart to you some fundamental knowledge essential for a Sovereign of Civilization. The power possessed by a Sovereign of Civilization is entirely different from that of a Vice-Sovereign of Civilization—the efficacy is distinct, as you already know.

But there is also a difference in the application of techniques.”

“Very well, regarding techniques, let us spar. I will restrain my power to that of a Ten Epoch level, using no stronger force.” Chang’e shifted her hand, and instantly, her slender fingers struck towards Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan felt an immense multiplicity of ultimate techniques contained within Chang’e’s hand.

At that moment, Lu Yuan summoned his own Twelve Ultimate Techniques to meet the assault.

Boom!

It was only then that Lu Yuan realized his Ultimate Techniques were fewer than his opponent’s. She possessed at least twenty, perhaps even thirty. Lu Yuan had fought numerous Vice-Sovereigns of Civilization, yet he had never encountered such a multitude of Ultimate Techniques, causing him to startle involuntarily.

Just before contact, sensing his techniques were inferior, Lu Yuan reluctantly infused the Iron Rule of Destiny, wrapping it together with the other Nine Iron Rules.

Boom!

Lu Yuan’s hand slammed against Chang’e’s.

However, Lu Yuan had no time to register how soft her hand felt; he was blasted back a thousand zhang, and Chang’e retreated an equal distance. In this exchange, the fight ended in a draw.

Chang’e offered a faint smile, cool as a winter plum: “Again.” As Chang’e spoke, she attacked once more, her slender palms moving swiftly, and her silver tresses lashed out as well.

This was not the first time Chang’e and Lu Yuan had fought; the first encounter was at the World Volcano. This was the second. At that time, both were at the peak of the Chaos Hole Realm; now, both were Sovereigns of Civilization. In that previous bout, Lu Yuan had been easily defeated. This time, Lu Yuan dared not treat her attack lightly; his Yang-Nourishing Divine Sword flashed from its sheath, executing several moves in rapid succession.

Silver hair intertwined with the gleam of the blade.

The silver hair was silken and yielding, while the sword shadows shifted incessantly.

Regardless of which side delivered them, every technique employed was incomparably magnificent and exquisitely refined.

Clang!

The Yang-Nourishing Divine Sword collided with the silver hair. The divine sword could not sever the strands, yet the silver hair, attempting to ensnare the sword, was cleaved apart. Both retreated another thousand zhang, pausing two thousand zhang apart. If the initial clash of palms involved holding something back, this exchange was all-out; the result remained a stalemate.

Lu Yuan was internally bewildered. Throughout his career, no matter the opponent or their level of power—provided it wasn't astronomically superior—he could always gain an advantage in technique. But now, facing Chang’e, he gained absolutely no advantage.

This was truly a first in his life.

Chang’e held her hands behind her back, her presence pure and elegant: “Did you notice? This is the limit—the Ultimate Technique limit. A normal Sovereign of Civilization in the Ten Epochs usually possesses twenty Ultimate Techniques. Your limit is insufficient. Many Sovereigns of Civilization possess thirty. If you do not increase your limit now, you will be unable to defeat those in minor realms above you. The higher one ascends to the Sovereign of Civilization realm, the harder it is to win against higher realms. In the entire Eternal Star Domain, there is not a single person who wins against higher realms. I know you have consistently defeated those in higher realms before, but that era is past. You must accept this reality and be cautious when encountering those of a higher cultivation level.” Chang’e was secretly astonished; she had never imagined Lu Yuan possessed twelve Ultimate Techniques—truly an unusual number. In the final great war of the [Central] Celestial Dynasty, Lu Yuan had indeed displayed twelve Ultimate Techniques.

However, at that time, Chang’e was contending with the Sovereign of the Primordial Civilization. Though that bald fellow, the Sovereign of the Primordial Civilization, was not pleasing to look at, his strength was undeniable. In that battle, Chang’e fought with nearly all her strength, narrowly avoiding defeat several times. Thus, she had no attention to spare for the outcomes elsewhere and naturally remained unaware of Lu Yuan’s situation.

It was only now that she learned Lu Yuan possessed twelve Ultimate Techniques.

To have twelve Ultimate Techniques upon just reaching the Sovereign of Civilization realm was indeed impressive.

“Ultimate Techniques?” Lu Yuan inquired, “How does one learn more Ultimate Techniques?”

“How to learn more Ultimate Techniques?” Chang’e rotated her slender wrist, and moonlight transformed into a passage: “This passage leads to the Technique Pavilion. This Pavilion was established long ago in the Eternal Star Domain by a figure known as the Sovereign of the Eternal Balance Civilization. This Sovereign was once hailed as the closest to the Eternal Master, but alas, he never reached that apex, perishing to the passage of time. Time claims all, but the Technique Pavilion he founded remains. The Sovereign of the Eternal Balance Civilization enshrined some public Ultimate Techniques here, and over countless epochs, countless Sovereigns of Civilization have left various Ultimate Techniques. Thus, the current Pavilion likely holds several hundred distinct Ultimate Techniques that can be studied. However, learning one is not simple.”

“Some individuals can master dozens of Ultimate Techniques; others can only grasp a mere handful. Generally, twenty is the baseline; anything beyond that depends on luck. Remember, the Ancestral Dragon learned one hundred and eleven Ultimate Techniques in his time, setting an unbreakable record.”

“Let me see how many you can master,” Chang’e stated with clear interest.

Lu Yuan clapped his hands upon hearing this; this was excellent news! Such a place existed where one could learn Ultimate Techniques. In this age, when it came to mastering techniques, he feared no one. The Ancestral Dragon had one hundred and eleven Ultimate Techniques? He would surpass that record. Lu Yuan possessed the confidence to do so, not necessarily claiming to be superior to the Ancestral Dragon—both were Eternal Geniuses, but their aptitudes diverged. Lu Yuan’s talent lay in learning techniques; the Myriad Phenomena and the limits of all techniques could be assimilated directly—a level of potential that was despair-inducing to others.

The Ancestral Dragon, conversely, was an Eternal Genius in creating cultivation methods. The sheer number and power of the techniques the Ancestral Dragon created were unimaginable, hinted at even by his two supreme arts: Heaven Devouring Earth Swallowing and Formless Devouring.

“Wait, your identity token has arrived. Your identity jade plaque from the [Central] Celestial Dynasty is useless here.” Chang’e raised her hand and grasped at the void, retrieving a token and presenting it to Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan took it; it was palm-sized, cast from a material he had never seen, colored stark black and white. Engraved on the front were the characters Chànà (Moment). Upon first glance, these characters threatened to overload his mind, for Chànà seemed to signify an instant, yet also eternity—the sense of the instant and eternity interweaving was incredibly strange and difficult to process. After a long moment, his senses cleared. Looking at the reverse side, an angle of the Gate of Eternity was inscribed. The full phantom of the Gate of Eternity was not easily manifested, making its depiction complex, hence only one corner appeared.

“With this token, you can enter the Technique Pavilion, and you may also move freely within the City of Moment.” Lu Yuan stepped onto the moonlit path leading to the Technique Pavilion, covering great distances with single strides.

The Technique Pavilion was not large, appearing only about ten li in radius.

There stood a massive gate ten zhang high, tightly shut. On the gate was a small aperture, perfectly matching the size of the identity token.

Lu Yuan presented his identification token and inserted it into the opening. With a resounding boom, the great door swung open.

Lu Yuan then entered the Technique Pavilion.

Upon stepping inside, Lu Yuan was instantly awestruck.

For immediately inside, there was a stone stele inscribed: “Technique Pavilion: Contains four hundred and eighty Ultimate Techniques, divided into sixteen levels. Each level holds thirty Ultimate Techniques. The techniques possess no hierarchy of quality, listed only by the order of entry into the Pavilion.” So many Ultimate Techniques—it was paradise! He wondered how many he could ultimately master.

Lu Yuan entered the first level. He wasn't in a hurry to master them level by level; he would learn as many as he could. Moreover, he noticed someone familiar on the first floor: the Sovereign of the First Civilization, who was also studying Ultimate Techniques.

(Second update delivered.)