No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't grasp it, and with just a moment's lapse in attention, the thing would vanish—fading from sight, slipping beyond perception, and sometimes, even when he tracked it relentlessly, it would inexplicably disappear right before his eyes.

No matter what method Lin Luo employed, nothing seemed to affect this elusive entity, leaving him intensely frustrated, burdened by the sensation of possessing infinite power with nowhere to direct it.

Yet, Lin Luo had no intention of giving up, nor the slightest thought of surrender. Perhaps it was a trick of the mind, but he vaguely sensed that if he failed to grasp the essence of life, he would lose something profoundly important in the future... A pervasive feeling of dread and unease left him suspended, utterly lacking solid footing.

However, in this very state, Lin Luo’s focus became sharper than ever before. He began to let go of the anxiety, to forget all sensation, even to forget his own existence, allowing himself to approach the boundary of essential nothingness, and then, little by little, millimeter by millimeter, he began to draw near...

Slowly, he couldn't tell how much time had passed, but finally, he felt it.

The thing was no longer flickering or elusive; it was right there, directly before his eyes, right in... his hand!

Splash!

With the sound of something breaking the water's surface, Lin Luo snapped his eyes open, his right hand gripping the fishing rod, his left hand holding the line, and dangling below, a thirty-centimeter carp thrashed violently in the air.

This was life—genuine, tangible life!

"Hah, young people nowadays are truly remarkable; we old folks have no choice but to admit defeat," just then, the Celestials all opened their eyes, gazing at the fish in Lin Luo's hand, stroking their beards with knowing smiles.

One Celestial, bearing the air of Santa Claus, remarked, "We have been here for over a month and have not achieved the state of generating something from nothing, yet someone from the Lower Realm accomplished it in just seven days. Hahaha... We came for a rare bit of leisure, only to be soundly defeated in the end."

Though the old Celestial spoke of defeat, there was no hint of genuine disappointment on his face.

Lin Luo looked at them, then bowed deeply with clasped hands.

Even though the strengths of these Celestials couldn't match his own, Lin Luo held them in high regard. Firstly, due to their immense age, and secondly, because these Celestials were free of desire and ambition, never engaging in cultivation voluntarily. The fact that they came to 'fish' was entirely at Lily's request; otherwise, Lily would never have had the opportunity to practice the cultivation of generating something from nothing, just as he wouldn't have mastered the essence of life so quickly.

Therefore, by all rights and sentiments, he had to express his gratitude.

"I was merely a bit fortunate; the ability to generate from nothing happens to align closely with my own capacities. It is the elders here, who have mastered the method of generating from nothing, who truly deserve admiration," Lin Luo said respectfully. Though tinged with modesty, this was genuinely what he felt. For the average person, even a peak Earth-rank expert, even if they touched the essence of 'nothingness,' how many truly understood the cultivation of generating from nothing?

The Celestials smiled but remained silent, only the "Santa Claus" Celestial spoke, "Young man, there's no need for false modesty. If you achieved it, then you achieved it—it's something to be proud of. Being overly humble is counterproductive."

"The elder's instruction is noted," Lin Luo acknowledged with a nod, then pointed to the pond, "There is one thing I wish to ask the elders: where does this essential 'nothingness' originate?"

"Santa Claus" shook his head. "This is something I'm actually slightly curious about myself... Elder Ying, you were the first among us to arrive in the Celestial Realm, do you know?" He asked an old Celestial beside him.

That old Celestial also shook his head slowly. "I don't know. I arrived here twenty thousand years ago, and this concept already existed. If you ask me, I have no answer."

Realizing the Celestials truly did not know, Lin Luo dropped the line of questioning. After the Celestials had all departed, he turned to face Lily... He offered the young girl a slight smile and spoke no words.

The deep understanding forged over time, unaffected by the separation of life and death or the passage of years, remained undiminished. The sorrow of parting had long vanished, for to be alive was to have hope. The joy of reunion was tucked away in their hearts, for the battle was not yet over. Whether laughter or tears, those emotions would wait until everything concluded... a truth understood without utterance.

Then, the two embraced, their lips meeting.

"Heart Contract activated, initiating Covenant Mode... Covenant complete. Current Master and Subject have achieved companionship. Current Master obtains Proof of Constraint—Enemy of Self. Current Subject obtains Proof of Constraint—Invincible Army."

Master Lin Luo: Wanderer (Lv4) Physical Strength: SS Spiritual Strength: SS Comprehensive Power: Quasi-Celestial Rank. Level Up: Requires twelve more Covenants.

Subject: Lily Physical Strength: SS Spiritual Strength: SS Comprehensive Power: Peak Earth-rank Proof of Constraint: Invincible Army Seal of Protection: Lion King World Heart: King's Heart (ID No. Eight, Form: Peerless, Heart-Fused)

Although Lily's rating was only Peak Earth-rank, her actual combat power was no less than Lin Luo's during the Fourth Divine War; she was only a single step away from Quasi-Celestial Rank.

"It's a pity I spent a whole month and still couldn't grasp generating from nothing. Otherwise, I should have reached Quasi-Celestial Rank by now," Lily said with regret.

"There's nothing to regret; failure is a valuable lesson that greatly increases your chances of success next time. Besides, this month wasn't entirely wasted," Lin Luo comforted her with a smile.

Lily nodded. "You're right. Although I didn't achieve an increase in my major realm, I can feel that after this cultivation, I am much stronger than before. If it were the me from a month ago, even three of her combined couldn't defeat the current me."

"Exactly."

As they walked and talked, Lily suddenly noticed the carp Lin Luo was still holding and asked curiously, "What are you planning to do with this fish?"

Lin Luo rubbed his chin, looking somewhat troubled. "After all, this is the first life I've ever created; it holds significant sentimental value. It feels a bit wasteful to eat it, and I don't much care for fish anyway, but releasing it also seems like a waste..."

"Grumble!"

Lin Luo stopped mid-sentence as he heard a sound from nearby. Looking over, he saw Lily lowering her head, her face flushed deep red, and he instantly realized the source of the noise.

Sensing Lin Luo's mischievous grin, Lily grew flustered and shot him a glare. "What's so funny! It's normal to be hungry! I haven't eaten or drunk anything for a whole month!"

"I wasn't laughing," Lin Luo put on an innocent expression, holding up the fish and saying, "I was just considering whether to make you Braised Carp or Steamed Crucian Carp?"

"Huh?" Lily was instantly dumbfounded.

"Confused, are you? Let me show you something interesting." Seeing her genuinely bewildered look, Lin Luo chuckled inwardly. He flipped his palm, and beneath the carp, a plate suddenly appeared.

This trick didn't startle Lily, but what followed made her stare in utter amazement.

Without Lin Luo making any discernible movement, as the carp flipped over once on the plate, the still-wriggling fish instantly transformed into fragrant, aromatic Braised Carp. Simultaneously, a bowl of rice and a pair of chopsticks materialized in Lily's hands.

"This... what is happening?" Holding the utensils and looking at the braised fish, Lily's face was etched with disbelief. She knew Lin Luo possessed a storage space with backup food, but she could sense that Lin Luo hadn't touched his storage space at all. He had truly turned a live fish into cooked food in less than a second. But was such a thing... humanly possible?

Lin Luo did not answer, merely gesturing for her to eat.

Lily, without hesitation, took a small bite... The fish was perfect, the rice was perfect, even more delicious than what she usually ate, and she instinctively began to eat more.

At this moment, Lin Luo finally spoke. "In this world, everything adheres to the principle of equivalent exchange. For example, to eat, one must labor; to become stronger, one must spend time cultivating. No matter how talented or wealthy someone is, to obtain anything, they must surely give something in return... Even for us, when we gain something, we must have paid a price. But!"

"The principle of equivalent exchange will cease to apply to me, starting now. At least, when I use the rule of creation, I can completely disregard this supreme law, because anything I generate—be it the plate, the rice, or the fish—requires nothing in exchange, not even a trace of my spiritual energy. They are extracted completely and utterly from nothingness."

"Creation without cost?" Lily was stunned. In other words, from this moment on, Lin Luo's creations could be used limitlessly!

Lin Luo nodded. "Yes, true generation from nothing. As long as the concept of 'nothing' exists in this world, my presence exists everywhere... For example, if a Celestial-rank expert were to kill me now, but they couldn't annihilate the concept of 'nothing,' then that concept of me would manifest within the essential void, and ultimately, I would generate from nothing."

"Can the concept of nothing be destroyed?" Lily asked, shaken.

Lin Luo shook his head. "In everything I have encountered, no one has been able to destroy the concept of nothing, because everything in existence is composed of 'something' and 'nothing.' Of course, since I have not yet reached the Celestial Rank, even the experts of the Nine Heavens of the Celestial Rank, while unable to destroy the concept of nothing, can alter my laws, preventing me from generating from nothing. Therefore, if I face a Nine Heavens expert, I still face certain death."

So, below the Nine Heavens, he was practically invincible?! Lily thought this as she listened.

PS: Three chapters finally completed. One really must push oneself.