Recruitment

In the Killing Field lobby, there are many training grounds specifically for the elites being groomed.

The Quiet Room, however, is a highly private space. Many powerhouses specifically rent a Quiet Room for long-term use, and the owners of these rooms are generally at least Universe-level powerhouses or above.

"Lead the way!" Lu Yan'an said to the staff member in front of him.

"Understood!" The staff member replied and quickly began to walk forward.

Lu Yan'an followed him along the spiral staircase of the Killing Field lobby to the second floor. The first floor of the Killing Field lobby is an incredibly vast super-hall, while the second floor is a quiet, beautiful labyrinth. Within this labyrinth are individual Quiet Rooms, occupied by many Universe-level powerhouses, Domain Lords, and even Sector Lords.

"It's right here!" The staff member led Lu Yan'an to a door and knocked gently.

"Come in." A soft voice drifted from inside the room.

As the door pushed open, the staff member bowed politely to the owner of the Quiet Room, "Sir, I have brought your guest!" With that, the staff member left directly, leaving only Lu Yan'an and Lord Shen, who was perched on his shoulder.

Inside the Quiet Room, a thin, effeminate man stood up. His complexion was rather pale, but his eyes were exceptionally bright. Upon seeing Lu Yan'an, he looked him up and down before extending an invitation: "Please, come in!"

Having received the invitation, Lu Yan'an felt no fear and stepped directly into the Quiet Room.

Once inside, the entire environment appeared exceptionally bright, and only then did Lu Yan'an begin to carefully observe the effeminate man. After a close look, Lu Yan'an discovered that the owner of the Quiet Room seemed particularly interested in him, as he had been scrutinizing him from the very moment they met. The scene fell into a brief silence as both sides calculated how to break the ice.

"Greetings, my lord." Lu Yan'an was the first to speak, breaking the silence with a slightly respectful tone.

After all, showing respect to the strong is a universally recognized etiquette in the universe. There was nothing wrong with taking the initiative; at the very least, it wouldn't give the other party a reason to find fault.

"I have been observing you for over a month," the effeminate man smiled.

Lu Yan'an outwardly displayed a sense of being flattered and slightly overwhelmed, while inwardly he was grumbling, I've only been hanging around this Duel Space for a week, where did he get a month from?

The effeminate man, not realizing that Lu Yan'an had achieved a 700-win, 0-loss record in just one week, continued to ramble:

"I don't understand why you people keep staying in the Killing Field. It's fine to be here occasionally, but staying in the Killing Field for a long time is just a waste of time!"

After saying this, he looked at Lu Yan'an with a puzzled expression, as if he were truly confused.

Lu Yan'an didn't want to keep up the act, but to achieve his own goals, he played along with the effeminate man. He furrowed his brows and asked in a slightly confused tone: "A waste of time? What do you mean by that?"

Seeing that Lu Yan'an had taken the bait, a flash of joy crossed the effeminate man's face, though he quickly suppressed it and countered: "Hasn't your teacher told you that the fastest way to evolve is to train amidst life and death?"

"I know a little bit about that!" Lu Yan'an said in an ignorant tone.

Know a little? He was one of the people in the entire universe who understood the effects of life-and-death tempering the best. How much life-and-death tempering City Lord Luo had experienced in the original story to achieve his invincible reputation in the Universe Ocean, perhaps even he himself didn't know as clearly as Lu Yan'an did. Even the supporting characters Hong and Thor had laid the foundation for their later development by experiencing numerous life-and-death tribulations during the Great Nirvana period on Earth. But for now, Lu Yan'an could only act.

"If you know, then why are you still staying in the Killing Field?" the effeminate man asked with a tone of frustration at his lack of progress.

"Isn't the Duel Space also a form of life-and-death tempering?" Lu Yan'an asked with a strange tone.

"Wrong, completely wrong." The effeminate man laughed, shook his head, and said firmly, "It seems you don't have a teacher, or rather, your teacher's standards are very low."

"When facing a life-threatening crisis, every cell in the body struggles as if by conditioned reflex, and even the genetic material accelerates its evolution! The terror between life and death forces the body and even the soul to reach a peak state of evolution that cannot be achieved artificially. In this state, one is more prone to enlightenment, more prone to evolution, and more prone to improving one's strength."

Under this barrage of words, Lu Yan'an appeared somewhat dull, but his heart was as clear as a mirror.

He certainly understood these things, but his situation was different from that of an ordinary genius. His talent was so terrifying that even an Immortal like Lord Shen wouldn't dare let him go out for life-and-death tempering! If he were to die prematurely, it would be a loss for the entire human race. Even without life-and-death tempering, his ability to comprehend laws was as easy as eating and drinking; in such a state, tempering or not didn't really make much of a difference.

But he couldn't say that. Without the ability to protect himself, he couldn't let any outsider know these things, or he would be asking for trouble!

Inside the Quiet Room, seeing that Lu Yan'an was left speechless by his words, the effeminate man didn't continue on that topic, but instead said:

"Therefore, I am very puzzled as to why you keep wasting your time in the Killing Field. Being here occasionally for a few days counts as training. However, battles in the Killing Field cannot replicate the effects of life-and-death combat, and naturally, they cannot achieve the same evolutionary results."

"Life-and-death adventures are a journey that every powerhouse must experience! Breaking through life-and-death barriers time and again, surpassing oneself time and again—this is the path of the strong. But before that... I must remind you of one thing: the importance of one's physical foundation."

Hearing him reach this point, Lu Yan'an thought to himself, Finally, he's showing his true colors. He's probably going to trot out the same spiel he used to trick City Lord Luo and the others, then add an S-Grade Bloodline Evolution Agent to recruit me.

"Have you heard of a bloodline evolution agent?" the effeminate man asked with a smile.

Seeing Lu Yan'an shake his head, he continued to explain:

"The purpose of a bloodline evolution agent is to modify one's bloodline. It is equivalent to a one-time improvement of your 'foundation.' If your bloodline foundation is poor, for example, a ninth or tenth-rank cosmic bloodline, using this properly can instantly elevate you to a 'medium foundation,' making the process of 'building your skyscraper' much easier in the future. Do you understand?"

Sure enough, although it wasn't the exact same script as in the original story, the intended purpose was the same—to demonstrate the importance of the bloodline evolution agent to Lu Yan'an.

At this moment, Lord Shen was explaining bloodline levels to Lu Yan'an within his consciousness. Although Lu Yan'an knew these things himself, he didn't speak out of turn, merely listening to Lord Shen's explanation before asking the effeminate man:

"May I ask, my lord, what price must be paid to purchase such a bloodline evolution agent?" After speaking, he wore an expectant expression as he looked at the other party.

After hearing Lu Yan'an's inquiry, the effeminate man didn't answer his question directly, but instead said:

"We've been chatting for a while, and I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? I am Tian Chen, an external deacon of the Virtual Universe Company stationed at the 'Black Dragon Mountain Branch' in the Black Dragon Mountain Empire. You may address me as Mr. Tian Chen or Lord Tian Chen."

After listening, Lu Yan'an bowed and said respectfully:

"Lord Tian Chen."

Tian Chen waved his hand to indicate there was no need for such formality, then continued:

"You just asked what price must be paid for this bloodline evolution agent. I tell you, this bloodline evolution agent is a restricted item. Very few circulate on the outside, and even if you could buy one, the price would be astronomical! You have another choice: join our Virtual Universe Company. For internal members, especially elites, we can even provide the evolution agent for free."

"My Virtual Universe Company is searching for talented elites among the many cosmic nations, and you truly qualify as a genuine genius!" Tian Chen looked at Lu Yan'an with burning eyes. "I once arranged for two people to battle you; one was a second-tier genius of our company, and the other was a special-tier genius."

As he spoke, Tian Chen pointed to a screen, which was playing the two battles. Lu Yan'an had a deep impression of one of the battles—it was the one against the Crimson-robed Female Warrior.

"She belongs to our Virtual Universe Company's 'special-tier elite,' and he is a second-tier elite." Tian Chen first pointed to the Crimson-robed Female Warrior, then to another unremarkable-looking man.

"You were able to force her to concede! And you displayed a domain level even stronger than hers. That alone is enough for the Virtual Universe Company to extend an exceptional invitation!" Tian Chen pointed to the female warrior and said with a smile.

"Then, may I ask, Lord Tian Chen, what obligations would I have to fulfill if I were to join the Virtual Universe Company?" Lu Yan'an asked quite politely.

"In the early stages, while your strength is weak, the company is cultivating you. Therefore, the management is very strict! You must obey the company's orders, go to training, undergo life-and-death trials, and so on. However, as your strength increases, your freedom and authority will constantly expand. Universe level, Domain Lord, Sector Lord—the stronger you are, the freer you become, and you will only need to do certain things at critical moments."

Seeing Lu Yan'an looking uninterested, Tian Chen immediately added, "Of course, these are the requirements for 'internal members'."

"There are also 'external members'. External members are freer, but the benefits are far fewer, nowhere near those of internal members. If you become an internal member, an S-Grade Bloodline Evolution Agent will be given to you directly! But as an external member, you would have to pay for it yourself."

Tian Chen did not say how much it would cost, and Lu Yan'an did not ask, so the atmosphere fell into silence.

Just as Lu Yan'an was about to say he wanted to join as an external member, Tian Chen spoke first:

"Looking at you, it seems you can't accept the strict management of internal members and want to join as an external member, right?"

Seeing Lu Yan'an nod, he seemed to have made up his mind and said to him:

"How about we sign a wager agreement?"

Hearing this, Lu Yan'an immediately became interested.

"In about half a year, the Virtual Universe Company will hold a Star-level selection event participated in by the entire universe. If you can achieve a good ranking in this event, then I will allow you to enjoy the resources of an internal member while holding the status of an external member. Conversely, you will need to join my Virtual Universe Company as an 'internal member'. How about it?" Tian Chen said.

However, at this moment, Lu Yan'an was not paying any attention to this bet; instead, he was interested in the Star-level selection event participated in by the entire universe that Tian Chen mentioned. If nothing went wrong, this should be the Universe Genius Tournament, right?