Lucci's astonishing performance in the Grand Arena swept through Asgard like a raging storm.
"Did you hear? The Fourth Prince defeated the Warriors Three with only three punches!"
"Three punches? How is that possible? Volstagg can shake even frost giants, Fandral's swordsmanship and Hogun's weapon mastery are the leaders of the younger generation—and all three together…"
"All three together! I saw it with my own eyes! Volstagg was punched into the wall, Fandral and Hogun were knocked out! The Fourth Prince never moved his feet!"
Near the Bifrost, in taverns, in training grounds…
Almost every Asgardian discussed it fervently.
Those who witnessed it worshipped Lucci with fanatic devotion.
To them, the Fourth Prince was a walking miracle—the brightest light of Asgard's future.
Yet within the fervor were also voices of disbelief.
"This is exaggerated. How can a person defy heaven like that?" an old veteran frowned in a tavern, stroking his beard.
"I've already heard of his rune and magic achievements—those could be called miracles.
"But now you say his physical strength is also at such a level? That defies common sense!"
"Right," his companion nodded heavily. "God-King Odin is all-powerful, but he achieved that through conquest and learning.
"How old is Prince Lucci? Even a natural god needs time to grow.
"Strong in every aspect with no dead ends… it's like a myth created from nothing."
Their doubts weren't loud, but they represented some people.
Lucci's rise was too fast. The heights he reached were beyond their cognition.
…
Outside noise—worship and doubt—did not disturb Lucci's palace.
At this moment, he sat cross-legged beside a budding sprout of the World Tree, eyes closed, consciousness immersed in a vast spiritual realm.
Pure physical strength was powerful—yet it was still only "technique."
His true foundation lay in perfecting the Path.
As he learned and comprehended more in Asgard, he mastered more and more power systems:
The "Origin True Fire Marvelous Art" allowed him to control the origin of flame.
The Nine Realms Cyclic Breathing Method tied him closely to the Nine Realms.
The Rune General Outline made him a definer of the rune domain.
The Ten-Thousand Sovereigns Thunder Art gave him insight into thunder's life and death.
The Spatial Leap and the introduction of time laws allowed him to touch the highest powers of the cosmos.
Any one of these alone could let someone rampage across the universe.
Yet now, they were scattered like brilliant pearls in Lucci's treasury of knowledge—precious, but not strung into a perfect masterpiece.
"Not enough…"
Lucci murmured inwardly.
"Too scattered. No system."
"All powers come from the source, but there is a lack of higher-level integration and command between them."
"Like a nation with countless elite armies—but no unified grand marshal."
He needed a true foundational Path.
A supreme method that could integrate flame, thunder, space, time, runes, divine power—even physical strength—into a single usage.
The moment that thought formed, his terrifying talent—Extraordinary Comprehension—began operating at unprecedented speed, like a sleeping cosmic beast awakening.
[Your comprehension defies the heavens. You are reviewing all learned knowledge and laws…]
[Recovering the energy circulation model of the Nine Realms Cyclic Breathing Method… analyzing its limits: the energy source is limited to the Nine Realms; the pattern is too small.]
[Analyzing the law-structure principle of the Rune General Outline… attempting to use it as the logical framework of a new technique, defining energy by law rather than law by energy.]
[Your understanding of the universe's origin deepens. Your perspective begins shifting from the "cradle" of the Nine Realms to the boundless "sea of stars."]
Lucci's consciousness seemed freed from the chains of the body.
In an instant, it soared—leaving Asgard, leaving the Nine Realms.
In his "vision," Asgard became a tiny point of light. The World Tree connecting the Nine Realms was merely a faint color amid cosmic dust.
Farther still lay endless darkness and endless light.
Burning stars pulsed like the heartbeat of the universe.
Vast nebulae were as colorful as a spilled palette from the gods, containing cycles of creation and destruction.
And in the abyss of space, terrifying black holes that even light could not escape twisted spacetime and devoured all with domineering presence.
Everything moved under grand, mysterious laws.
[You visualize stellar fusion, attempting to comprehend the ultimate conversion between "mass" and "energy"…]
[You analyze nebular evolution, attempting to comprehend the primordial cycle of "creation" and "destruction"…]
[You sense black hole gravitational singularities, attempting to touch the collapse of "space" and "time"…]
Lucci's entire spiritual realm was swept by an unprecedented storm.
He took the Nine Realms circulation as the base, the runes as the skeleton, flame, thunder, time, and space as the flesh—and finally the operating laws of the entire cosmos and sea of stars as the "soul" of this divine method.
What he wished to create was no longer a technique limited to one realm—
It was a heaven-defying method tied to the destiny of the entire universe.
[A movement model is being constructed… optimizing energy circuits… testing legal compatibility… reconstructing foundational logic… Completed!]
[…Naming required]
Lucci's consciousness returned to his body. He opened his eyes slowly. In those dark pupils, it was as if a bright starry sky reflected.
He spoke quietly—his voice not loud, yet carrying the supreme authority of defining laws.
"This method does not visualize gods or demons, nor worship faith.
"It replaces Heaven's heart with my heart, changes the cosmos by my will, meditates upon the stars of the heavens, and resonates with the whole universe."
"This method shall be called the Great Cosmos Meditation Method!"
The moment the words fell, an ultimate "code" was formed—etched deep into his soul, containing infinite cosmic mysteries.
Once this meditation succeeded, it would no longer be limited to absorbing energy from the Nine Realms.
It could expand consciousness directly into the sea of stars, resonate with stars, nebulae, even black holes—absorbing higher-dimensional, more original cosmic energy to strengthen the body and temper the soul.
This was truly a "cosmic-level" cultivation method.
The moment Lucci began the Great Cosmos Meditation Method—
Boom!
An indescribable will erupted from Lucci's center and shot skyward.
It did not waver, yet it transcended all matter and energy—piercing the palace dome, piercing Asgard's sky, dissolving directly into the boundless sea of stars.
In that instant, the entire divine kingdom of Asgard shook violently without warning.
This tremor did not come from tectonic plates—
It came from resonance in space, law, and the very foundation of the world.
In the Asgardian temple, Odin—handling affairs—suddenly stood up, sensing the entire sea of Asgard's laws boiling.
At the Bifrost, Heimdall—watching the Nine Realms—showed fear for the first time in his all-seeing eyes.
In his vision, infinite cosmic energy converged from all directions, forming a galaxy-like reverse-flowing tide visible to the naked eye.
Its target—Lucci's palace.
"What… is that?!" Heimdall cried out.
The energy tide was too majestic, too pure. Wherever it passed, rainbow-like ripples spread.
The gathered energy formed a bright, endless star curtain over the palace.
The originally blue sky was decorated like the deepest grandeur of the cosmos.
Starlight brightened beyond anything seen before.
Nebula colors became vivid, as if the entire universe displayed its most beautiful side to Asgard.
Every resident of Asgard stopped what they were doing.
They stepped out into the streets, staring up at the miracle in the sky—each person stunned, mind blank.
"My gods… what is that?"
"The sky… the sky became a sea of stars!"
"I feel it… such pure energy! In my body… divine power—cheering!"
Yes—cheering.
When that vast wave of cosmic energy enveloped Asgard, the immortal gods living here felt as if they were soaking in the warmest, most comfortable spring.
Energy a hundred times purer than what they usually absorbed seeped gently through their bodies like a stream.
An old veteran who had been weakening for centuries felt the divine power dormant within him begin to grow again—slowly, steadily.
Tears overflowed from excitement. His whole body trembled.
"My power… my power is increasing!"
A young Valkyrie practicing swordsmanship felt each breath draw ten times more energy from the air—her sword movements faintly sparkling with starlight.
Even ordinary Asgardian citizens, not warriors, felt their bodies lighten, their spirits brighten—old ailments fading without medicine.
Asgard as a whole was bathed in an unprecedented feast of energy.
And everyone understood: the cause of it all came from one place—
The palace of the Fourth Prince, Lucci.
They finally realized:
This sea of stars covering the kingdom, this tide of energy benefiting the entire people—
Was merely the aftereffect of Prince Lucci's cultivation.
In a tavern, the old veteran who had questioned Lucci earlier now blushed with shame.
Feeling divine power return, he bowed deeply in the direction of Lucci's palace.
"I was wrong… I was catastrophically wrong," he muttered with regret.
"The world of geniuses and the world of men are completely different.
"Your Highness—the Fourth Prince… we underestimated you!"
His words ignited fire in everyone's hearts.
For a time, throughout all of Asgard, wherever they were, people stopped, turned toward Lucci's palace, and bowed—some kneeling on one knee—to offer their highest and most sincere respect.
They were not worshipping a prince.
They were thanking the "god" who had bestowed grace.
Lucci's cultivation had benefited the entire race.
Such power, such wisdom, exceeded the very definition of "strong" in their minds.
In their hearts, Lucci's status had, in this moment, become equal to Odin's—perhaps even…
In some sense, greater.
Because Odin brought stability and order.
Lucci brought a leap and sublimation of civilization itself.
...
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