Xu Jingming took a confident step out of the planet and emerged into the vast expanse of space. A smile crept across his face as he caught sight of the high-dimensional alien lifeform, Buxiu.
"Well, hello there, Buxiu of the Aihus," he said with a friendly tone. "I'm a high-dimensional lifeform from the Heart Realm lineage. You can call me Ming."
Buxiu, who had the three treasures at his disposal and was ready to strike, found himself a little taken aback by Xu Jingming's words.
Heart Realm lineage? He couldn't help but feel a tinge of fear creeping up within him. As he drew closer, he began to sense an abnormal high-dimensional life aura emanating from Xu Jingming that instinctively made him fear for his mind and consciousness. Nobody from the Heart Realm lineage is to be trifled with, and most of them are at the Eternal realm.
We Aihus have only two high-dimensional Eternal lifeforms, and they know better than to mess with the Heart Realm lineage.
Buxiu realized he was dealing with a formidable opponent, so his smile widened.
"Well, well, well, a high-dimensional lifeform from the Heart Realm lineage," he said, his tone friendly. "Ming, what brings you to our Aihu territory? If there's anything we can do to help, we will be more than willing to offer our assistance."
Xu Jingming's smile grew warmer.
"The Heart Realm lineage places great importance on the mind," he said. "That's why I'm here to observe the changes in the minds of low-dimensional lifeforms. I've selected some test subjects, and I'm carrying out mental observation experiments in this universe."
"Mental observation experiments, huh?" Buxiu nodded thoughtfully.
"The one in charge of observation is just an incarnation condensed from a wisp of my mind flame," Xu Jingming explained, his body dissipating and revealing the Cleansing Lotus Fire that had been condensed to its limits.
Buxiu couldn't help but feel a sense of unease wash over him as he looked upon the flame. I can't tell what kind of flame it is, but I can sense that it is a mental-type flame.
Mental flames were different from any other flame. They could burn the mind and consciousness, obliterating someone entirely.
He's really a high-dimensional lifeform from the Heart Realm lineage. Moreover, the other party only left a single incarnation here, meaning it's meaningless to deal with him. Many thoughts flashed through Buxiu's mind.
Xu Jingming smiled and said, "I assure you, my experiments will be limited to this planet alone. If the Aihus are willing to lend their aid, I shall not forget this generous gesture."
"But if you decline, I won't hesitate to relocate these insignificant beings to another planet. The universe is vast, and there's no shortage of habitable planets to experiment on." Xu Jingming remained very polite.
Forcing me? Then, I'll leave!
Xu Jingming, who was knee-deep in experimentation across seven universes in a single dominion, knew better than to engage in unnecessary battles.
And that wasn't all. With countless dominions and thousands of experimental planets at his disposal, he couldn't risk making enemies at every turn.
The high-dimensional lifeforms of the Heart Realm lineage were notoriously skilled at self-preservation, but even they had limits.
All I need is a single planet for experimentation. There's no need to engage in direct conflict, Xu Jingming thought. After all, who would pick a fight with a Heart Realm lifeform over a mere planet? And if push comes to shove, I'll just leave.
I've minimized the likelihood of any potential fallout because I selected weaker species. Xu Jingming had all his preparations in place.
…
From a distance, the conversation between Buxiu and Xu Jingming was being monitored by the Aihus' other high-dimensional lifeform consciousness carriers.
"That's a mental-type flame, alright." the leader remarked. "But we can't know its full potential until we get up close and personal with it."
"Seeing that flame gives me chills," a high-dimensional Firstborn realm lifeform chimed in. "I think just touching it will doom me."
The Cleansing Lotus Fire had reached the Nine-leaf realm, and it was not something to be trifled with.
The leader nodded in agreement. "Most high-dimensional lifeforms of the Heart Realm lineage are at the Eternal realm. We should try to make friends with them instead of enemies."
High-dimensional lifeforms of the Heart Realm lineage could be split into two categories.
The first type had only achieved basic mastery with weak high-dimensional powers like Nightmare, Fantasy Realm, or Puppet. Usually, they could only enter the Heart Realm after reaching the Eternal Realm and gathering enough strength. Entering the Heart Realm instantly elevated them to the Eternal Realm.
Xu Jingming was part of the second type. He and his contemporaries had already mastered the fundamental Heart Realm Force and entered the Heart Realm as soon as they became high-dimensional lifeforms. They grew quickly and would soon reach the Eternal Realm.
As a result, Eternal realm ruins littered the Heart Realm, while Firstborn realm ruins were much harder to come by.
Xu Jingming had only found one Firstborn realm ruin in his territory—the ruin of the high-dimensional child, Liu Yufeng. It was, without a doubt, his most significant discovery.
"Let's avoid making any enemies from the Heart Realm lineage," the leader advised. "If they decide to get back at us, we won't even be able to find their physical bodies."
"Their true bodies are concealed in the Heart Realm, and we can't get there," a comrade said, expressing a deep sigh.
"Brother, that high-dimensional lifeform called Ming seems friendly enough. He even said he only needs one habitable planet for his mental observation experiment," another companion pointed out.
The leader nodded. "Let's keep a watchful eye on him for now and show him some respect."
…
As Buxiu chatted with Xu Jingming, he received a voice transmission from his leader.
"It's just a habitable planet," Buxiu reassured Xu Jingming with a smile. "We Aihus aren't that stingy. Focus on your mental observation experiments here."
"Thank you," Xu Jingming replied, his tone polite.
Everything went as planned.
In a friendly chat, a habitable planet wouldn't cause much fuss. But the catch was that Xu Jingming hailed from the Heart Realm lineage.
"Ming, is this your first time in our universe?" Buxiu inquired with a grin.
"Actually, this is my first time in this dominion. I was traveling the Heart Realm and happened to pass by," Xu Jingming replied.
Buxiu exclaimed in surprise. "I see. Only a handful of high-dimensional lifeforms of the Heart Realm lineage exist in our dominion, and they are all renowned. No wonder I've never heard of your name. So you're from another dominion. Your Heart Realm lineage is quite enviable; you can travel the other dominions with ease."
Only those from the Heart Realm lineage had the privilege of traveling to other dominions.
Other schools weren't as qualified, and those from the Mother Stream lineage found it time-consuming to journey far. Their activities were restricted to the surrounding dominions.
But the Heart Realm lineage was different; they had the freedom to explore.
"All lineages have their own strengths and difficulties on the evolutionary path," Xu Jingming explained. "Our lineage demands a lot from the mind. It can be quite vexing."
"Well, as a cosmic native, I insist on inviting you over to my place. Let's have a good chat and try out some of our universe's delicacies," Buxiu offered hospitably.
"I don't have many hobbies, but food is one of them." Xu Jingming chuckled. He gladly accepted the invitation to Buxiu's residence, eager to sample the universe's delicacies and engage in pleasant conversation.
******
Myriad Star Island, home dominion.
The dean poured Xu Jingming a glass of wine.
"I must say, the view is spectacular." Xu Jingming sat to the side and looked up into the distance. The Primordial Star burned fiercely in the distance, its flames reaching out to the void.
"I had Spacetime Island Lord set up a special array here to observe the Primordial Star," the dean said.
Xu Jingming held his wine.
"How many universes have you been to?" the dean asked.
"I've ventured to 38 dominions and conducted experiments in 291 universes. My incarnations are recording data on every planet in those universes," Xu Jingming replied.
The dean exclaimed in surprise, "I knew you were the perfect candidate for this mission. You've traveled through 38 dominions and conducted experiments in 291 universes in just three months. Spacetime Island Lord would've taken thousands of years just to travel, let alone conduct experiments in hundreds of universes simultaneously."
"I happen to be good at it," Xu Jingming said with a smile.
"Have you encountered any trouble?" the dean asked. "You're a foreign high-dimensional lifeform. The inhabitants of those universes won't just let you waltz in and conduct experiments, right?"
"I approach every universe with the intent to make friends," Xu Jingming explained. "All I require is a habitable planet for observation and experimentation. If they don't allow it, I move on."
"Only five species have forced me to leave. I didn't push back and relocated to other planets in the universe with those human criminals," Xu Jingming explained.
The dean nodded.
"You see," Xu Jingming said with a sly smile, "it all went off without a hitch because I only revealed my incarnations. They only caught a glimpse of my Cleansing Lotus Fire, with no idea of my true form. Many of them suspect that I am a psychic lifeform of the Eternal Realm. But I let them speculate; they don't know me after all!"
The dean chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement.
It was no secret that high-dimensional beings of the Heart Realm lineage were most likely to ascend to the Eternal Realm.
And although Xu Jingming had only recently reached the Firstborn realm, it was only a matter of time before he would join their ranks.
With his subtle yet undeniable presence, coupled with his disarming charm and his requirement for only one habitable planet, Xu Jingming's experiments had gone off without a hitch.
"I have only the best intentions for them," Xu Jingming continued, his voice low and measured. "I want to conduct experiments across thousands of universes. In the end, I will only choose the universe that is most suitable for humans. We won't be migrating to other universes."
"Even in the chosen universe, humans will only need a small corner of it," he added. "We can completely avoid the species where I conducted my experiments."
"We won't make things difficult for you," the dean assured him, nodding sagely. "We only require 30 cosmic sectors—a drop in the bucket compared to the vast expanse of the universe."
Xu Jingming nodded in agreement.
He showed kindness to every species he had forged a bond with, but the truth was, humans couldn't stake a claim in just any old universe. No, the one they ultimately settled in would become their new abode, and that would bring them face-to-face with their neighbors in this great cosmic expanse.
When the migration finally occurred, Xu Jingming would surely transcend into a bona fide high-dimensional Eternal lifeform.
