The Innkeeper

Unlike energy, which had to travel from one point to another, laws existed everywhere all at once. They were all also irrevocably linked, and reacted to one another. It was impossible to isolate a law, or the effects and presence of a law from other laws. For example, the law of gravity could not be isolated from the law of time, or the law of heat, or even a seemingly mundane law such as the law of procrastination - which, make no mistake, was a law written in and ingrained into the very fabric of the Origin realm.

But while this was so, the complexities and intricacies of laws far surpassed something that could be explained or comprehended using simple vocabulary. As such, whether it was the Henali, the Daolords, the Gods, the Oracles, the System wielders, the Gifted, or even the Sovereigns, none could comprehend the golden hue that had lit up the realm. Of course, given enough time, maybe it was possible. But even that was a maybe.

For the golden hue was not made up of a single law, nor did it interact with only one law. It was catalyzing something within the existing laws of the realm that could not be detected so easily, prompting even the Henali to request aid from their home realm - a realm that had truly matured and had existed for far longer than the Origin realm.

But the change in laws was only the most direct change the realm suffered due to the golden hue. There were so many other side effects of it, the least of which was that all the places in the realm which had never seen light were now illuminated. Under the golden light of the laws, as well as the aura it radiated, many ancient beings that had long entered slumber awoke, or began to wake up. Many secrets that were hidden in the darkness came to light, and many undiscovered regions presented themselves for all to see.

The longer the hue existed, the more drastic its effects were becoming. But Lex had no knowledge of any of this. He was too preoccupied with his evolving body. His Golden Core was destined to be more complex than a simple one just due to the fact that it was formed not only due to his spirit cultivation, but his body and soul as well.

Ironically, while one would have expected the changes to make the core bigger, it was actually much smaller than most normal cores. Yet its small size did not make it weaker. On the contrary, it stored the same amount of energy it would have anyway, but due to its smaller size, made the energy much more concentrated and thus elevated it to a higher level.

As the process of the formation of his core continued, Lex was simultaneously also experiencing another, innate part of every breakthrough, which was that he was being elevated to a higher life form. The natural hierarchy of his existence in the universe was being raised, for he could now come into contact with a higher level of the universe.

A part of this elevation was his existence being allowed to convert natural spirit energy into one with his own affinity. For Lex, a wielder of Regal Embrace, the affinity he would have normally attained would have been called Regal affinity, according to the cultivation technique itself. Yet it was at this time that a change occurred that was… outside the bounds of control of his cultivation technique.

Due to the dedicated hard work of the Lotus on Lex's back and all the precious materials that were fused into him, his body had gained the ability to physically tolerate, and to some degree influence laws. Since his Golden core was forming from his body, it too gained this attribute.

But it was this additional attribute that caused a divergence in the subsequent result. The energy within Lex's body did not gain Regal affinity, but a fusion of the affinity of the cultivation technique Regal Embrace, as well as Lex's newly gained affinity for laws.

This was something that was not supposed to happen. In the very beginning, when Lex underwent the 4 stages of alteration so that he could cultivate Regal Embrace, his body was purged of any and all affinities it may have inherently had all in preparation for the breakthrough he was going through at the moment.

But the cultivation technique did not account for the fact that Lex would have access to something as inconceivably rare as the World Seed Lotus right in his body, which could easily make additions to his body without causing any harm whatsoever.

The new, unnamed affinity did not in any way impair Lex's breakthrough. In fact, once the golden core was formed, and his body stopped absorbing the laws undergoing a change within the Inn, resulting in the golden hue finally fading, Lex's breakthrough continued in a smooth fashion.

Once the golden core was formed, the vortex of spirit energy around Lex lessened, but did not entirely disappear. For a few more hours, it continued to pour spirit energy into Lex's body, allowing it to upgrade as well so that it could reach a level where it could tolerate his new spirit energy.

Besides the body, it also enhanced Lex's spirit and his soul. A feeling Lex could not accurately describe filled him. It was as if, before this, he had existed merely as a wisp - as something that could easily be blown out of existence. Yet now, he had changed from a wisp into something concrete, something firm and durable.

He also felt another strange sensation. Normally, after one of his breakthroughs, Lex could physically feel himself become much tougher, as if his defense and survivability had increased several folds. Now, however, he was feeling like… it did not matter how immeasurably durable his defense was, for there was nothing strong enough to challenge it to begin with.

He did not feel he had grown stronger. Instead, it felt like the universe around him had become… mundane.