Chapter 781: Chapter 781. [Eternity Of Stars].

As Liu Shu gently but constantly poured Experience Points into her levels, she felt a rhythm within her. While she didn’t get hurt or be at a disadvantage when pouring large amounts of Experience Points, the sensation was much different when she slowly allowed the energy to leave the container and meld into her.

’It’s a... pleasant sensation. I feel as if all my pores are breathing, my branches dancing without wind, and my leaves fluttering happily.’

The mysterious energy Experience Points signified were a secret of the universe that Liu Shu felt a tingling curiosity towards. She, and most of the people at her level and above, had absorbed enough to more or less understand what Experience Points were. Like looking at a complex structure from the outside.

However, for the workings on how that structure was built, what happened within it, and how to change or even interfere with its workings, everything was a mystery.

"Still... It’s just pleasant."

The energy that brought her evolution, progress, and new strength more than anything else. The sensation of it slowly flowing at its own pace, instead of pouring everything and then digesting it, was truly comfortable.

’It’s like swallowing food without chewing compared to slowly moving the jaw and savoring it."

Liu Shu blinked and then chuckled gently. "I almost got distracted."

Her gaze moved toward the two things she had left unattended for the last few years. The first one was the most important. It was her beautiful yet powerful Sun.

With her new strength, she had felt her roots very slowly piercing deeper into the Sun’s body. The ball of raw, violent energy was not something she was supposed to deal with, and any progress should’ve been welcomed.

But Liu Shu was stubborn about these matters. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Unlike the times when she was young and didn’t really understand much about the Sylvan Questline, now she understood that it was not really a "balanced" questline, so to speak.

The path was, more or less, settled. So, early parts of this questline would inevitably be much easier to "overachieve" than the later parts. It was to the point that she regretted her past actions a little. Even when her past completion rates have been good, they could’ve been much better if she were to do everything from scratch once more.

She saw that conquering the Sun during this Quest was possible. Therefore, even when achieving 100% meant reaching all the planets and absorbing their orbits, and going a bit further, her desire to fulfill this was overflowing. Just seeing the completion percentage jump by leaps and bounds each time she dug a little deeper into the sun motivated her to complete this feat before she reached Level 200.

"But... As I currently am, even at Level 199, it will be hard for me to truly reach the core of the star."

Could she penetrate the surface of the sun? She could.

Would she be able to reach deeper layers? She was doubtful.

Could she reach the core? Impossible.

A star is divided into five distinct layers: the chromosphere, the photosphere, the convection zone, the radiative zone, and finally, the Core.

Currently, Liu Shu had barely crossed the chromosphere, which was comparable to the lithosphere.

"So, I need help."

What could she use to help her to complete this impressive feat? Liu Shu’s gaze was fixed on the runic field <Corruption Of Stars> that she hijacked and the Nexus left behind so generously.

The ships where Nysera and the others were had not been largely damaged during the clash. Using <Stop Domain> and her soul attacks, she was able to vacate them, leaving the core facilities mostly intact.

Her roots were inside them now, using the feelers created from <World Tree Wisdom> to make a deep dive into how they had modified the Moon-Types to act as the core of the <Corruption Of Stars> formation.

"A powerful S Rank formation... the potential is not a simple S Rank as well. It could’ve reached S+ Rank if given enough time."

This left a lingering trace of caution. While the conditions for the formation to reach S+ Rank was not easy to achieve. Once done, few World Trees, including someone as resistant to corruption as her, would be able to resist.

Liu Shu hummed as she absorbed the information like a sponge with endless storage capacity. "I see... runes can be used this way... Oh? Arrays can also be linked so seamlessly... This is worthy of a civilization with thousands of years of heritage..."

Her studious mind absorbed, digested, and enhanced knowledge at a speed that the human mind was unable to even comprehend. Currently, her brain worked more like a supercomputer than a living creature.

While she digested the information quickly, she didn’t rush to application. Any good scientist knew that theory needed to be digested to a certain degree before practical trials. Of course, theory and reality would not be easy to match, but the messages dinging in her head were proof of her advancement.

[Your <Talent: Otherworldly Rune and Nature Empire> has gained 100,000 <Proficiency>.]

[Your <Talent: Otherworldly Rune and Nature Empire> has gained 100,000 <Proficiency>.]

[Your <Talent: Otherworldly Rune and Nature Empire> has gained 100,000 <Proficiency>.]

[Your <Talent: Otherworldly Rune and Nature Empire> has gained 100,000 <Proficiency>.]

...

A message like that would pop up almost every hour, pushing the skill level further and further and quickly approaching MAX Level.

"Ah... So it is like this."

She finally found that missing link. ’The nodes I destroyed and I analyzed quite in depth were blocking me from reaching the bottom of the matter this time around. I neglected them even though they were my focus during the war. Silly mistake.’

She quickly recalled their structure, runes, and arrays, reforming those nodes in her mind to an incredibly likely degree.

They were not perfect. Back then, she was more focused on the weakness that could destroy them than on their detailed functionality, but it was enough.

"Now, I need to theorize the new effects and change those corruption lines that would absorb Dark Aether Mana to create that corruption effect..." Her green eyes from her main body glowed with radiance. "Then, I will change those nodes to focus on extracting <Eternal> energy for permanence and... stability."

Month after month, Liu Shu linked tens of millions of runes in a seamless dance between them; each stroke with her roots was fluid, and each rune became part of a golden-green stream.

Then, after her final realization was concluded, a message flashed in her eyes.

[Your <Talent: Otherworldly Rune and Nature Empire> has gained 50,000,000 <Proficiency>.]

[<Otherworldly Rune and Nature Empire (A+ Tier)> Level Up!]

[Level MAX reached.]

[Congratulations. You’ve created the runic array <Eternity Of Stars (S- ~ SS- Rank)>.]

[You’ve gained insights into <Array> and <Rune> mixing.]

[You’ve gained insights into <Array> and <Woodcrafting> mixing.]

[You’ve greatly increased insights into <Rune> and <Woodcrafting> mixing.]

[Unable to further progress <Talent: Otherworldly Rune and Nature Empire>. Reserving changes for <Rank Up>.]

Liu Shu exhaled, smiling as the System pinged her for her achievements. Right away, not to forget any insights, Liu Shu used the <Endless Library> and began printing her most profound and complex knowledge in the specially made corner for her.

Mariane, always standing nearby, sipping a cup with her long tongue, suddenly saw the roots of the <Endless Library> moving swiftly at the side. She moved her head, her compound eyes looking at those roots with anticipation.

"Say, Little Endless, is there anything good your Mom has done?"

A calm and elegant voice softly answered her. "Aunty Mariane will like it for sure."

The <Endless Library>, as it Leveled Up, naturally increased the buffs towards those studying and researching in her nearby area. She was becoming a literal paradise for erudites.

As a side effect, the people the <Endless Library> came into contact with were the top masters of the entire Golden Sap Empire. So, while Liu Shu could be considered a top <Rune>, <Woodcrafting>, and now <Array> master, the <Endless Library> was a theoretical knowledge monster.

She could almost answer any question, except for those pinnacle problems, like a scientific encyclopedia. Sadly, she didn’t have the talent to craft for herself, as her focus when evolving was not her individual ability, but boosting those who studied within her.

Even then, around 70% of the papers published listed her name in the helper section, showing that, while her help was limited, she was essentially ever-present.

Now, as Little Endless read through what Liu Shu was reading, even her mind began spinning. ’W-What is Mommy writing here?’

Little Endless read seriously, focusing all her mental ability into reading the new papers being printed straight from Liu Shu’s newly deduced knowledge, and yet... she couldn’t understand them.

Little Endless was both flustered and incredibly awed at her mother. ’...Perhaps not even Aunty Mariane has reached this level, right?’

The first book of a very long series was printed, and impatient, Mariane read it. Her compound eyes took in the letters, images, and diagrams, and then... she made a stupid sound. "H-Huh?"

As she read the first few paragraphs again, her brain began heating up, her overwhelming Rune talent trying to comprehend the content, yet... she felt like a university student reading the paper of a master. There were some things she could understand, but when pieced together, she felt... lost.

"...Did Liu Shu start printing from the last volume?"

She closed the book and read the title. "<Runic Array: A Deep Dive Into Stellar Array/Rune Combination. Volume 0>."

"..."

The thick stack of paper wasn’t even the first volume. This one book was supposed to be the introduction!

Mariane’s brain collapsed for a moment. She slumped in her comfortable chair, some of the books dangerously dangling from the edge of the desk, falling onto the ground.

Even with their sound, Mariane didn’t pay attention, two of her four arms stretching to grab nearby array books to start comparing notes.

Little Endless noticed Mariane’s state, and she chuckled. "I’ll need to ask for food to be carried here, or Aunty Mariane might starve again."

Meanwhile, while Liu Shu had created and completed the basic procedure for the Runic Array Eternity Of Stars, she was now in need of <Eternal> attribute materials, which, thanks to the <Eternal Trial Domain>’s exchange shop, she had plenty of.

"The nodes left behind by the Nexus can also be reutilized. Still, I must slowly substitute them."

The reason was simple: Liu Shu would not leave a latent problem like the Nexus being able to reconnect with these nodes alone. Even if the chance was less than 0.1%, she would not risk such a blunder due to laziness.

It was this meticulous attitude that had allowed her to rise until this point, an attitude she almost lost if it were not for Xakira’s gentle slap back then. For this, Liu Shu was incredibly grateful to Xakira. It was she who nipped in the bud the slight complacency that Liu Shu had begun to feel due to her rapid growth.

So, after using two days to write down a total of 12 thick volumes, Liu Su had her ideas sorted out and was about to begin the true construction of the Runic Array <Eternity Of Stars>.