"Don't be so formal."
Yan Lun smiled as he spoke and waved his hand. The surroundings of the virtual space shifted once more.
The vast, desolate grassland transformed into a sprawling courtyard.
A towering ancient tree with a crystal-like texture and a shape resembling a pine grew in the center of the courtyard. Beside it stood a set of oddly styled tables and chairs.
"Student Yu Duan, have a seat." Yan Lun sat down in one of the chairs and pointed to a slightly smaller one opposite him.
"Thank you, Lord Yan Lun."
Yu Duan thanked him, then sat upright in the chair.
Only then did Yan Lun continue. "Student Yu Duan, as you just heard, I'm a World Lord Level member of the Beiming Sacred Land."
"Members of the Beiming Sacred Land are the core of the divine realm. Anyone who can enter the Beiming Sacred Land is a true genius."
"With your talent, you're more than qualified to join the Beiming Sacred Land. Are you willing?"
Yu Duan didn't answer hastily. Instead, he asked, "Lord Yan Lun, are there many Planetary Level members like me in the Beiming Sacred Land?"
At this, Yan Lun actually pondered for two seconds before replying, "There are currently only four Planetary Level students in the Beiming Sacred Land. All of them are geniuses who've mastered a domain."
"But within two years, they'll all break through to Star Level."
"Mastering a domain at Planetary Level is proof enough of excellent talent and comprehension. So the Sacred Land provides resources to help you advance to Star Level as quickly as possible."
"That's why there aren't many geniuses like you who've mastered multiple domains at Planetary Level."
Yan Lun hadn't told him everything. He had seen wild geniuses who'd mastered multiple domains at Planetary Level, but Yu Duan had spent the least time cultivating of them all.
That was why Yan Lun had come to meet Yu Duan in person after receiving the news. The fact that he was only seventeen was astonishing!
Yu Duan was greatly surprised to hear that the Beiming Sacred Land had only four Planetary Level students who'd mastered a domain.
Planetary Level cultivators who'd mastered a domain were rare, but they could only be considered Star Domain Level geniuses—not necessarily the very best.
The Beiming Universe Kingdom ruled over more than seventeen thousand mid-level Universe Countries. How many tens of thousands of Planetary Level domain geniuses must there be in total? Why did the Beiming Sacred Land have only four Planetary Level students?
But Yu Duan understood as soon as he thought it over.
Even if these geniuses competed fiercely, they'd only do so at Star Level. Star Level cultivators had longer lifespans and could improve their comprehension more efficiently. There was no downside.
"Lord Yan Lun, what benefits would I receive if I joined the Beiming Sacred Land?"
Although Yu Duan had already decided to join, he still needed to get some things straight.
"Planetary Level students receive no special benefits, only the basic ones."
"The Sacred Land will provide resources to help you advance to Star Level quickly. You'll also be able to attend the same lectures as Star Level students."
"As for the benefits Star Level students receive, those vary by rank."
"The Beiming Sacred Land has over a hundred million Star Level students, so competition is fierce. The higher your rank, the better the benefits."
"The top one thousand are considered the Core Layer. Even the weakest among them are super-geniuses who've mastered the Ninefold Domain."
Clearly, the resources of any major power flowed toward those with the greatest talent. The Beiming Sacred Land was no exception.
Although it couldn't compete with the Five Peak Powers for recruits, becoming a core genius there was still no easy feat.
Yan Lun watched Yu Duan patiently. "Any other questions, student Yu Duan?"
Yu Duan hurriedly shook his head. "Lord Yan Lun, I'm willing to join the Beiming Sacred Land."
"Hahaha, good! Then you don't need to call me 'Lord' anymore. According to the rules of the Beiming Sacred Land, students of a lower realm address those of a higher realm as senior brother."
"Yes, Senior Brother Yan Lun." Yu Duan nodded quickly.
Yan Lun nodded in satisfaction. "The Sacred Land is located in a Cosmic Secret Realm. All students are brought there to be trained together. Which lower-level country beneath the Chilian Divine Empire are you from?"
Yu Duan didn't hide anything. "Senior Brother, I come from a native planet within the territory of the Crimson Empire. I haven't registered with the Empire's authorities yet."
"A native planet?"
This time, Yan Lun was genuinely surprised.
Coming from a native planet meant Yu Duan might never have received any systematic instruction.
Under such harsh conditions, he'd still managed to master the Triple Domain at Planetary Level. Yu Duan's talent was even more astonishing than Yan Lun had imagined.
"Does Junior Brother Yu Duan have a bank account? I'll transfer you some pocket money. You should get your planet certified as a life planet as soon as possible and become its Planet Lord. Then the Sacred Land can arrange for a ship to go to your home and bring you here to cultivate."
Yan Lun was beginning to show Yu Duan goodwill.
Among geniuses of the same level, coming from a native world or a major power made a difference in how impressive their achievements were.
The cost of buying a life planet—even the most advanced kind—was next to nothing for a Peak World Master from the Beiming Sacred Land. It was just pocket change.
"I do, Senior Brother! I do!"
Yu Duan was filled with respect for Yan Lun. As expected of a Peak World Master from the Beiming Sacred Land—he was truly worthy of admiration!
In the control room of the Chilian Star, in the Dark Universe.
Yu Duan opened his eyes after disconnecting from the Virtual Universe. At the same time, an email from the Chilian Divine Empire Bank arrived in his inbox, notifying him of a change in his balance.
"...Current balance: 3 million Universe Coins, 6,421 Chilian Coins."
Three million Universe Coins could be easily exchanged for ten billion Beiming Coins. Most Universe Level cultivators didn't have that much cash on hand.
In just half an hour, his wealth had increased nearly two billionfold. Joining a major power really paid off.
"Big Brother Kun Zhu, Big Brother Shen Jian, we have money now."
Yu Duan looked at Kun Zhu and Shen Jian, who were staring at him, and transferred ten thousand Universe Coins to each of them.
For the two of them, who were still at Planetary Level, ten thousand Universe Coins would last a long time.
Kun Zhu and Shen Jian received the bank's balance-change emails right away, and both were astonished.
"Th-this... Yu Duan, where did you get all that money?" Kun Zhu couldn't help asking.
Yu Duan didn't conceal anything. He told them both that he'd joined the Beiming Sacred Land.
"You could say that from now on, as a member of the Beiming Sacred Land, I can do whatever I want within the Crimson Empire."
After explaining, Yu Duan logged into the Virtual Universe again.
He registered an account with the Universe Galaxy Bank directly through the Virtual Universe. It was very convenient.
However, to become a Planet Lord, he had to visit an Administrative Office of the Chilian Divine Empire in person. In addition to submitting data, he also had to provide a physical sample.
After hearing Yu Duan's explanation, Shen Jian seemed to confer with Kun Zhu for a while. Then they walked solemnly over to Yu Duan.
Kun Zhu's rugged face was very serious. "Yu Duan, we can't accept this money. Master Zhen Li was the one who guided you before you broke through to Planetary Level. Shen Jian and I haven't done anything to help you."
Even Shen Jian, who usually had a rather refined air, spoke earnestly. "That's right. If you want to give back to our people, you could exchange this money for some basic resources to support our community's development. Kun Zhu and I have no right to accept it."
Before you continue