??An unknown location


    When Link opened his eyes, he found himself standing in an endless spatial loop.


    He was standing in arge hall; the floor, the ceiling, and the walls, everything was pure white, and the space was stretched endlessly. Link was sure that if he walked in any of the directions, he would return to the same spot again.


    Seeing that strange scenery, Link was confused.


    He had never heard about such a ce, and he was certain that this wasn''t his own ne of consciousness.


    "This ce is…?"


    Just when Link was getting more and more confused, a solemn yet powerful voice rang out in his from the side.


    "It''s my ne of consciousness. I ced it here. Those who can reach a certain mastery over ''Dao Rhythm'' cane here for but a brief moment…"


    Hearing that solemn voice, Link immediately looked to his side and took a defensive stance.


    ''What!? I wasn''t able to sense this person standing near me?''


    The person was wearing a white and golden armor.


    His white and silver hair waved in the air, and his golden pupils made Link feel calm andfortable.


    A golden crown rested atop the man''s head, and his face had a gentle smile over it. The person ignored Link''s wary expression and said in a calm tone,


    "Greetings. I am a remnant ''will'' left by a bygone past… would you like to know why you havee here?"


    The person stretched out his hand, and the whole ne of consciousness changed.


    Link let go of his defensive stance and rxed a bit after seeing the person change the whole ne of consciousness so easily.


    ''This ability to change theyout of one''s own ne of consciousness… this guy is definitely a peak SS ranker at the least…''


    ''So there''s no point in guarding against him. If he had wanted, he could have already dealt with me…''


    Anyway, Link was currently in someone else''s ne of consciousness.


    Even if he gets destroyed, he will only be expelled from this ce at most. A remnant ''will'' can''t harm him at all.


    While Link was busy thinking about the person, the ne of consciousness slowly changed and turned into an endless void where strange lines and threads were flowing endlessly.


    The crowned man smiled a bit and said,


    "This is the ''Law'' of ''Dao Rhythm''… basically, this is its physical form to be exact… whenever someone learns ''Dao Rhythm,'' they are bound by this ''Law,'' and their powers get enhanced…"


    Hearing the man''s words, Link was taken aback for a moment.


    He didn''t expect that this person could even interfere with thews of the world.


    ''w-who is this guy!? Even a peak SS ranker can''t interfere with thews of the world in such a manner!!''


    Link has seen his father use his powers, but even Ashtel can only influence the power of thew of the world by using the ''World Authority.'' Even Ashtel can''t see the physical manifestation of thews of the world.


    Just when Link was getting more and more bewildered, the man waved his hand, and thew of ''Dao Rhythm'' started to flow and wrap around Link.


    "I had left this remnant ''will'' near the ''Law of Dao Rhythm'' so that I could see the ''chosen'' of the ''world'' with my own eyes… and it seems I wasn''t wrong. You really are exceptional…"


    Seeing the w of dao Rhythm'' was swirling around Link so happily, the crowned man couldn''t help but feel relieved.


    "I have never seen the w of Dao Rhythm'' cherish someone like this… it didn''t favour me much during my time.."


    "but look… it''s dancing around you so happily… this shows that it has truly acknowledged you…"


    Link was extremely confused after hearing all this.


    He had no idea what this person was even talking about, but he knew one thing: that this ''Law of Dao Rhythm'' was trying to help him improve.


    Link could feel from his very existence that after the w of dao Rhythm'' wrapped around him, his skill ''Dao Rhythm'' has definitely been strengthened. The crowned man smiled a bit after seeing Link''s happy face and said in a calm voice.


    "With all my power, I had prevented this onew from getting corrupted… so you can be sure that no problems wille in your path… for the time being, you can master thisw to its fullest extent…"


    "I have waited for a long time for the appearance of a ''world''s chosen'' like you…"


    The crowned man walked over to Link and ced his hand over his shoulder before saying in a solemn tone.


    "You have a great responsibility ced on your shoulders… thews of the world and the will of heavens, everything has been corrupted over time…"


    "And that''s just the situation in my time… I assume that by your time, the situation must have worsened even more… the will of heaven has stopped responding to the world, and both of them have fallen into disorder…"


    "but fret not… I have already carved out the path for you ahead of time. You can keep following the guidance of the ''Law of Dao Rhythm''..."


    "It shall guide you to your ultimate destiny…"


    The huge ne of consciousness slowly started to copse at this moment, and Link''s vision started to get blurry.


    "Looks like we don''t have much time left… years have gone by. The remnant will is not strong enough to maintain this ce much longer…"


    A smile appeared on the man''s face as he said hisst few words.


    "I will give you just one advice… never trust the ''will of heavens,'' it''s already been corrupted…"


    "Don''t hesitate like I once did… and never try to change the past before you have the-"


    Before the sentence could be finished, the ne of consciousness copsed on itself, and Link was thrown out of that ce back to his own ne of consciousness.


    …


    Infirmary


    Link woke up with a look of shock on his face. He had just experienced a very weird phenomenon.


    He was even more shocked when he tried to sense his ''Dao Rhythm,'' and it had indeed be much stronger than ever before.


    ''No… it''s not that my mastery over it has improved or something… it''s as if the skill ''Dao Rhythm'' itself got upgraded… is this a result of getting the approval of the w of dao Rhythm''?...''


    Link wasn''t sure what to think about all this. He had never heard about a person who could control the ws'' of the world itself with just a wave of their hand.


    Although Ashtel and other SS rankers can use the power of thews of the world, they can''t touch or manipte the physical manifestation of a w.''


    This is just too insane of a feat.


    Just when Link was feeling confused, a familiar emotionless voice rang out in his ears from the side.


    "You really don''t need to show such a shocked look, bruh… I only won by a hair''s breadth…"


    Rio misunderstood Link''s look of shock and thought that Link was feeling upset after losing to him.


    Hearing Rio''s words, Link nced at the side, and sure enough, Rio was sitting on the patient bed right beside him.


    Thinking about that weird dream, a smirk appeared on Link''s face.


    "If you fight me now, I likely won''t lose now!"


    Rio rolled his eyes at those words.


    ''This guy really doesn''t know how to admit defeat… well, it''s a good thing that he isn''t feeling down after getting defeated…''


    Lia, Ellie, and Liam had just left a few minutes ago when Rio woke up, and Link was still in deep sleep, so they didn''t disturb him.


    They were still worried that Link might feel down after waking up, but things are the exact opposite here.


    ''It''s as if he''s already good enough to go for another duel… what a ridiculous physique. It didn''t take him long to recover all mana and health…''


    Even Rio hasn''t recovered back to his peakbat state yet, as it''s only been half a day since the duel ended, but Link is already battle-ready.


    This just shows how insane Link''s physique is.


    ''I am sure that with minimum healing, he can keep fighting forever… ugh, what did that old man Rex feed his son to make him so strong?''


    Ignoring Rio''s ring eyes, Link got up from the bed and opened the nearby window.


    Bright moonlight shined on his face from outside and made him look even more handsome than he already was.


    "Oh, it''s already night? I really slept a lot-"


    *Boom!*


    Just when Link was enjoying the slight wind breezeing through the window, a massive tornado made up of condensed mana appeared in the distance.


    Then, the clouds went dark, and lightning started to bombard.


    "D*mn!… who is making such a massive scene while ascending!? Even thunder is falling down like crazy!?"


    "They are really disturbing the whole popce!"


    A look of annoyance appeared on Link''s face as the moon had been hidden behind the dark clouds, and he couldn''t enjoy the wind breeze anymore.


    Due to the fact that the ce was too far away, Link couldn''t clearly see what was going on around that ce, so he had no idea who was ascending.


    "This aura…"


    Rio appeared beside Link and looked towards the tornado with a doubtful look on his face.


    His mana detection skills are extremely good, so he can barely sense who was ascending by sensing the aura.


    "It''s Riya who is ascending to rank A… but how is she creating such a massive scene just by ascending?..."


    Link was taken aback when he heard Rio mention that it was actually Riya who had created such a massive scene out of nowhere.


    The look of annoyance disappeared from Link''s face in an instant, and he said in a happy tone,


    "Hahaha… I knew it! Who else can make such an amazing spectacle aside from her? She''s the best!!"


    Rio rolled his eyes at those words and thought,


    ''He changed faces the very moment he found out that it was Riya who was ascending…''


    ''This guy''s skin is as thick as a city wall!''


    ...


    ...


    Author''s Notes.


    Yo! It''s your beloved author here!


    It seems some hidden truths are finally starting to reveal themselves.


    Question of the day.


    Do you also think Link behavespletely differently when it''s about Riya?


    1. Yes


    2. Absolutely Yes!


    By the way, don''t forget to use those power stones!!.