Tucha Planet

"Guen, congratulations on completing a stage with a perfect score." The stiff, emotionless voice rang out.

"According to the rules, you have a chance to become a citizen of Tucha Planet. Tucha Planet is an extremely powerful planet in the universe. My master is already an esteemed Domain Lord, and my master's grandmaster, the ruler of Tucha Planet, is an immortal god. The Secret Methods you practiced earlier were all created by the great ruler of Tucha Planet. That is why they are so precise and so simple." The stiff voice continued.

An immortal god?

Guen blinked.

Since he was a child, he had heard his father say that the universe was divided into many realms.

For example, Guen was a Tier 7 Warrior, but in the universe, he could only be considered an Apprentice.

High-level Warriors were called that in the Aoyu Empire and enjoyed many privileges, but they were merely Apprentices in the universe.

Above that came Planetary Level, Star Level, and Universe Level.

His father talked about Universe Level every day, saying that once he reached that realm, he could take Guen back to their true home. Guen also knew that at this level, one could travel through the universe and fight, making one an extremely powerful warrior.

As for the even higher Domain Lord level, his father had only mentioned it a few times. Guen had never dared to hope he could reach it—or had held on to only the faintest sliver of hope.

Above Domain Lords were World Lords, even stronger beings who were treated with courtesy and respect in any Universe Nation.

That was beyond anything he could even imagine.

An immortal god must be an even more incredible being than a World Lord.

But Guen found it difficult to grasp just how powerful such a being was.

After all, he was only a Tier 7 Warrior, a Tier 7 Apprentice.

Each major realm was divided into nine minor levels, so Guen could still appreciate how powerful someone at Planetary Level or Star Level was.

Even Universe Level was something he could understand to a degree.

Just look at how, in the Aoyu Empire's hundreds of years, only one Saint Tier Star Level powerhouse had emerged among all the Super Tier warriors. Even his own father hadn't reached Star Level. That was enough to show how powerful someone at Universe Level must be.

But an immortal god?

He couldn't really relate to it. He could only sense the wonder and greatness of immortal gods from those Secret Methods, but he couldn't say just how powerful they were.

The stiff voice didn't care how Guen felt and continued speaking on its own. "Becoming a citizen of Tucha Planet is something many humans dream of. So far, only three people from your planet have earned this qualification, and you merely have a chance."

The voice was clearly emotionless, but Guen somehow detected a hint of pride in its words.

"Unfortunately, you are neither an Elf nor a Spirit Reader, so I can only give you this token. If you have the chance to reach Universe Level, you can use this token to seek out Tucha Planet. Pass the test, and you can become a citizen of Tucha Planet. For now, you are not qualified. Treasure this opportunity."

With that, the stiff voice fell silent for good.

A black-and-red token slowly emerged from the stone pillar. Carved into it was a strange Beast, with two wings and four legs, poised to pounce.

Guen was moved.

So one had to reach Universe Level to qualify, and then still pass a test?

No wonder only three people on the entire planet had earned citizenship. Guen had only been given a chance, and he wasn't even sure he could reach Universe Level.

He was also curious about who the three people with Tucha Planet citizenship were.

Were they Elves or Artifact Users?

But no matter how Guen called out, the voice didn't appear again.

Guen carefully took the token. It felt cold and surprisingly heavy. He examined it several times but couldn't tell what it was made of, so he cautiously tucked it inside his Protective Suit.

Although the Inheritance Space hadn't damaged his Protective Suit, it couldn't do much else. Now it was useful for carrying the token.

"Tucha Planet?"

Guen committed the name to memory, then scratched his red hair.

His father, Kolong, was an Ape-man of the Norde Race, while his mother, Ina, was a human of the Kano Race.

There were many human bloodlines in the universe. Some powerful branches, such as Ape-men, Snake People, Giants, and Elves, were particularly large. Tucha Planet was clearly dominated by Elf humans.

"Maybe Chen belongs to some kind of Cosmic Human race, too," Guen speculated wildly.

That green hair of his didn't fit the appearance of the Aoyu Empire's humans at all. Guen was half Ape-man, so perhaps Chen was half Elf.

Guen couldn't help thinking mischievously.

"Never mind. There are still two months until the Second Stage trial ends. I'll use the time to learn more Secret Methods and make myself as strong as possible." Putting his thoughts aside, Guen continued studying.

He had managed to reach eightfold force output just as the first month ended, but that was the result of long-term accumulation.

He had the Hundred Refinement Fist, but it was often focused on force output for its own sake, and its moves didn't flow together. Guen still had to think and practice before he could slowly master it.

The Secret Methods in the trial, however, were progressive and connected, allowing everyone to improve quickly.

Still, Guen reckoned he could only increase his force output to ninefold before this explosive progress stopped. No matter how quickly he improved or how suddenly he grasped something, he still needed to prepare through steady accumulation.

Guen happily began studying the Secret Methods, but things were different for everyone else.

Ganlan, for example, felt a little helpless. Two months had passed, and he had only just managed to reach sevenfold force output. That was his limit. Looking at the names on the stone pillar, he could clearly see how far ahead the others were.

Out of nineteen people, only five had scores.

Having a score meant they had already completed the Second Stage trial.

"Guen, Lianda, Toster, Yanlefu, and Kangfu from Central Province. Heh, that kid Gabulin was so smug, but he got eliminated in the First Stage—right in the first round, too. Central Province only has Kangfu standing out. Meanwhile, East Sea Province keeps getting stronger. They'll probably have three in the top ten this year." Ganlan simply looked over the rankings.

He knew that Charko from East Sea Province was also among the nineteen, and would probably break through soon.

"But the stronger East Sea Province gets, the more it shows that the Beasts in the East Sea are striking back. Father said the East Sea connects to the largest sea, where there's a Beast Emperor who's terrifyingly powerful and has always wanted to come ashore. Could it be planning to land in East Sea Province?" Ganlan couldn't help wondering.

Humans called their strongest warriors Saint Tier, while Beasts called theirs Emperors.

Both were already at the limits of Ganlan's understanding.

"Whatever. At least Southeast Province is making a name for itself this time. I'll keep working hard. If I can make it to the Third Stage, Father will be happy, too." Ganlan continued studying the Secret Methods.

Three months was neither a long time nor a short one.

Some of the trial participants had already joined organizations, then returned to the foot of Suqi Volcano to await the results.

"I've never heard of this Guen before. He actually took first place with a perfect score?"

"Has anyone in the Aoyu Empire ever gotten a perfect score? Unbelievable."

"Lianda only came in second? She clearly did better in the First Stage. It's a shame the stone pillar tallies each stage separately. Otherwise, some nobody wouldn't have taken first place."

"Haha, did West Mountain Province fail to get anyone in the top ten this time?"

"Laugh all you want. Didn't North Province fail, too?"

"That's not the same. North Province still has three people in the top nineteen, so they have a shot at the top ten. West Mountain Province only has one. They'll probably come in last."

Many people fell silent.

Before the trial began, no one had expected much from West Mountain Province or Southeast Province, which often came in last. But this time, West Mountain Province was as weak as ever, while Southeast Province had claimed four of the top nineteen spots at once, including first place.

"Someone else has finished the trial. From Southeast Province—Setti? Hmph."

Today was the final day of the Second Stage. Including Setti, who had just finished, twelve people had completed the trial so far. Seven others were already on the verge of elimination.

Suddenly, another person finished the trial.

"Chen? Another name I've never heard of."

"And he's from Southeast Province, too. What's going on with Southeast Province this year?"

They were frustrated, and Setti and Chen had only finished on the final day, which meant they had barely made it. But they had finished, and everyone else had to swallow their resentment.

For the Super Tier experts atop the volcano, this meant that, barring any surprises, at least thirteen Super Tier experts would emerge from this generation. Of course, the top nineteen all had a good chance. The others also had a decent chance of advancing, but it would take a long time—and some might never break through in their lifetimes.

"Whoosh."

Six people suddenly appeared at the entrance. Their expressions varied: some were unwilling, some helpless, and some content.

But all of them looked up at the same time, toward the name at the very top of the stone pillar—Guen.

From this day on, that name would no longer be unknown in the Aoyu Empire.

Inside the volcano, all thirteen of them gathered together.

They could all see one another.

Most of their gazes involuntarily settled on Guen. He had stood out too much in this trial, with his perfect score far ahead of everyone else. Even Lianda, who had come in second, had scored only seven hundred points.

Almost everyone else had only broken through in the final month.

Guen and Chen hurriedly exchanged glances. They were naturally delighted to see a familiar companion had made it this far.

"Congratulations on reaching the Third Stage. The Third and Fourth Stages will take place together. The Third Stage will consist of a ten-second illusion attack. If you succumb, it means your will is too weak, and you will fail and be eliminated. In the Fourth Stage, you will defeat Lava Stone Monsters in various extreme environments while the illusion attack continues. You must hold out for ninety seconds. The illusion attack will begin in five seconds."

The stiff, emotionless voice rang out once more.

An illusion attack?

Everyone exchanged glances. Most of them had never experienced that kind of attack, and couldn't help feeling uneasy.

Guen chuckled. "There was actually a way to resist illusion attacks in the previous stage."

The others glared at Guen in annoyance.

Chen went so far as to say, "You jerk. Besides Lianda, who had time to look at that?"

"Boom!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the illusion attack descended.

Everyone's expression changed, and it was clear they had immediately succumbed.

One figure after another vanished in quick succession, not even lasting a second. Chen was among them.

"No, Mom! No!" Yanlefu's eyes widened, as though he saw the Beast from the sea charging into his home and his mother rushing forward without hesitation. A moment later, Yanlefu disappeared from inside the volcano.

"Die! Die! Die!" Scott, who had once pursued Lianda, had fallen into a frenzy. It was as if countless Beasts were charging at him from all sides.

At last, only three people remained in the Volcanic Space.

Guen had it easiest. He even had enough energy to observe how the others were doing.

Lianda's brows were knitted tight and her eyes were closed. Her body was tense, and she was clearly struggling, but she remained conscious.

The last person was someone Guen hadn't expected: Setti.

His eyes were closed. He was curled up on the ground, his body hunched, clearly enduring tremendous pain. Yet he continued to struggle on, mumbling something incoherently.

"Setti..." Guen's expression shifted.