Conditions for Entering the Qianwu Secret Realm

Inside the manor's dining hall.

"Brother Mu, are you really going to join the Qianwu Secret Realm?" Luo Feng looked at Shen Mu in surprise.

Joining the Qianwu Secret Realm meant traveling far away to the unfamiliar heart of the Qianwu Universe Country, entering the secret realm to receive instruction and training, with strict rules governing both daily life and cultivation.

The situation was somewhat like a boarding school on Earth, except once one entered the Qianwu Secret Realm, no one knew how many years it would be before they could take a holiday and return home.

"Yes, this is a step we must take sooner or later. Whether it's you and me, Brother Hong, or Brother Lei, if we want to grow stronger, we must leave home and venture into the deepest reaches of the universe to temper ourselves and grow."

Shen Mu's gaze fell upon the bubbling hotpot before him. With spiritual force, he controlled slices of crystal-clear meat as they dropped into the scarlet broth.

This was an exceptionally popular type of meat in the universe, with superb flavor and a hefty price tag.

"But isn't it a little too early now..." Luo Feng found it hard to understand. They were only Star-Level now; it would not be too late to roam the universe after reaching the Cosmic-Level.

Shen Mu picked up a slice of hotpot meat and said as he ate, "Five years from now, an opportunity to ascend to the heavens in a single step will be placed before us. If we don't work hard now, there won't be enough time."

"An opportunity to ascend to the heavens in a single step?" Luo Feng was curious.

Shen Mu nodded slightly. "You can search the virtual network for it—the Human Race's Peak Genius Battle."

The moment those words fell, before Luo Feng could react, Babata sprang out directly.

"Damn, even the great Lord Babata didn't notice that it's already been more than 4,900 years since the Giant Axe Fighting Arena last held a genius battle!"

Seeing the fervent expression on Babata's face, Luo Feng hurriedly used the virtual network to look up information related to the genius battle.

Very quickly, Luo Feng learned what the universe's Peak Genius Battle was.

It was a grand event for the entire Human Race, a great decisive battle in which all Star-Level geniuses participated. It was held twice every ten thousand years, organized respectively by the Virtual Universe Company and the Giant Axe Fighting Arena.

Those who could rank among the top thousand Star-Level powerhouses in the entire universe would receive unimaginably astonishing rewards, as well as the full support and training of the Virtual Universe Company or the Giant Axe Fighting Arena.

"Star-Level powerhouses from the entire universe... how many people would that be?"

Luo Feng was somewhat shaken. One could find tens of thousands of ninth-stage Star-Level warriors in a single star system, let alone when first-stage through ninth-stage warriors were all counted together.

And that was only one star system. No one knew how many hundreds of millions of Star-Level powerhouses there were in the entire Black Dragon Mountain Empire, in the entire Qianwu Universe Country. Across the whole universe, this would be an unparalleled collision!

Seeing Luo Feng's expression, Shen Mu smiled. "My goal is to rank first in the entire universe!"

"Babata, with my current strength, where could I rank among Star-Level warriors in the entire universe?"

Over the past few months, Luo Feng had fought an unknown number of battles in the fighting arena and the Virtual Universe's dueling space. In the dueling space, he had even encountered a Star-Level genius with a second-level domain, and ultimately lost by a narrow margin.

"Don't joke around. If your Golden Horned Beast body evolves to the ninth stage of Star-Level, you might rank in the top five of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, perhaps even higher. As for your Earthling Avatar, you have no chance at all."

If Shen Mu was excluded, there might not currently be any Star-Level powerhouses in the Black Dragon Mountain Starfield who had crossed the Law Threshold, but there were still a few Star-Level geniuses with fourth- or fifth-level domains.

Seeing this, Shen Mu gave Luo Feng a rundown of the dividing lines among Star-Level geniuses.

At the fourth or fifth level of domain, one had a chance of breaking into the top 100,000 of the Qianwu Universe Country, though it was only a chance.

At the ninth level of domain, having touched the threshold of the Source Law, one had a chance of breaking into the top 1,000 of the Qianwu Universe Country and entering the universe-wide selection stage of the Peak Genius Battle.

If one could cross the Law Threshold at the Star-Level, one could rank among the top few hundred in the Qianwu Universe Country and among the top few hundred thousand in the entire universe.

As for someone like Shen Mu himself, who had crossed the threshold of a higher law at the Star-Level, based on the average standards of past genius battles, he was among the top ten geniuses in the universe's overall rankings.

"So the gap between Brother Mu and me is this huge." Luo Feng said so, but a resolute look surfaced deep in his eyes.

That was Luo Feng's character. A great gap would not crush him; instead, it would ignite his fighting spirit.

"Brother Mu, once I comprehend the mysteries of the Source Law, I'll join the Qianwu Secret Realm too!" Luo Feng said, looking at Shen Mu.

Luo Feng's Golden Horned Beast had already advanced to the fifth stage of Star-Level. With the boost from devouring the optimal metal combination and its 89-fold evolution speed, it would take at most another year for it to advance to the Cosmic-Level.

It was now September 4th, 2060, less than six years away from the genius battle.

As long as Luo Feng's comprehension was not too poor, shortly after advancing to the Cosmic-Level, he would be able to cross the threshold of the Metal Source Law. At that point, he too would possess an incomparably vast future.

"Good, I'll wait for you!"

Shen Mu laughed heartily. "Eat. Tomorrow, come with me to the Qianwu Dojo."

Early the next morning, the D5-class spacecraft Jiuzhou took off from Light Source Star. A few minutes later, it arrived at a prosperous life-bearing planet within the Imperial Capital Star System—Dojo Star.

Dojo Star was the headquarters of the Qianwu Dojo in the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, as well as the largest Qianwu Dojo in this starfield. Its administrator was a Three-Leaf Qianwu Adept.

According to the information Babata had found, this Three-Leaf Qianwu Adept was a peak World Master recognized by the laws.

A moment later, Jiuzhou completed its landing. Shen Mu, changed into a black trainee uniform, flew out from the spacecraft's entrance, followed by Luo Feng and two ninth-stage Cosmic-Level bodyguards.

At the exit of the spacecraft docking port, trainees dressed in black Qianwu Dojo uniforms streamed back and forth.

Within the Qianwu Dojo, black uniforms represented trainee status, while purple uniforms represented instructor status.

A Tianrui Clan woman in purple battle robes was registering the identities of visitors one after another. A golden leaf was embroidered on her cuff, signifying that her strength had reached the Cosmic-Level.

"Trainee Shen Mu, please wait a moment." The Tianrui Clan woman was quite courteous. In the Black Dragon Mountain Empire's largest Qianwu Dojo, the background of every trainee was astonishing; even the weakest had a Domain Lord family behind them.

"Hello, is there a problem?" Shen Mu looked at the Tianrui Clan woman.

The woman shook her head slightly and smiled. "Trainee Shen Mu, when you registered on Qiulong Star, you were at the fourth stage of Planet-Level. You are now at the first stage of Star-Level."

"The stronger the trainee, the stronger the instructor assigned to teach them. Generally, the instructors for Star-Level trainees are ninth-stage Cosmic-Level Qianwu Adepts, so the tuition fee will also increase."

Shen Mu caught the weight of information in those words: he could choose his own instructor.

"Then could I hire a World Master, or even an Undying God, as my instructor?" Shen Mu asked.

The Tianrui Clan woman gave Shen Mu an unobtrusive once-over before replying, "As long as you pay enough, you can hire a World Master to teach you. You could even have the dojo's director personally instruct you."

"However, if you wish to receive an Undying God's guidance, there is only one path: join the legendary sanctuary for geniuses, the Qianwu Secret Realm."

"To enter the Qianwu Secret Realm, you must first receive a recommendation from the director of our Black Dragon Mountain Empire's Qianwu Dojo branch, then pass the assessment."

"According to the rules, only peerless geniuses who possess a Ninth Level Domain while still at the Star-Level can receive the director's recommendation and take the Qianwu Secret Realm's assessment."

"At present, not a single Star-Level genius in the Empire has entered the legendary Qianwu Secret Realm to cultivate."

Shen Mu raised his right hand. Specks of watery light swirled at his fingertips, interweaving with the aura of the Source Law and evolving into a lake resting in his palm.

"As for a Ninth Level Domain, I'm still a little short. But would stepping across the Law Threshold of the Source Law do?"