Universe Secret Realm

Looking at the vast desert before him, Luo Zhiyuan sighed softly.

Bulieni said within his sea of consciousness, "Luo kid, what are you sighing about? A life of cosmic adventure is just like this."

"As long as you are alive, there is hope for everything. Once you are dead, there is nothing left."

"No one will care what happens to your corpse. In fact, the corpses of powerful cosmic beings are themselves a massive fortune, and they will be exploited by enemies in every possible way."

Bulieni paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Take the Old Mystic and his kind, the natural-born Beast Gods. After they die, their remains can never be left behind. They will certainly be treated as treasures by the various cosmic races that besieged them, carved up and consumed!"

Luo Zhiyuan let out a long breath and replied in a low tone, "I know. I even know that the human race participated in the siege of the Metal Beast God back then, and to this day, they are still enjoying the essence blood left behind by the Metal Beast God."

"The Metal Beast God? Alo? Heh, your human race is also a peak race. How could the human race be absent from such a major event as the siege of a natural-born Beast God?" Bulieni said with an indifferent tone.

"Back then, that fool Alo was just too stubborn. When he fought, he would only charge forward blindly, never once considering a detour. That was why the Old Mystic foresaw his fall the earliest, and in the end..."

"Heh, when I was crafting my body back then, I even had Alo pull off some of his own scales to create the alloy, which directly granted my body a talent secret technique."

"It's a pity about all that flesh and scale armor. If I had known, I should have pulled more off him; I could have kept it as a memento now."

Luo Zhiyuan's heart stirred, and he said to Bulieni, "I know where the Metal Beast God fell. Once I enter the core layer of the Virtual Universe, I'll go there and take a look. Maybe I can bring back some souvenirs for you."

"Good! It's a deal!"

Following this, Luo Zhiyuan continued to adopt a strategy of remaining as immovable as a mountain. He did not engage in any other activities, leaving only a portion of his consciousness on alert while devoting his full focus to practicing the second stage of the Shadow Divine Weapon within the Killing Field.

Two months passed in a flash. During this time, Luo Zhiyuan encountered many other examinees; some had already lost their minds, some had been enslaved, and others were nervous examinees struggling to persist, though he could not tell if they had entered before or after him.

Luo Zhiyuan did not encounter any real danger. Only one Universe-level ninth-stage monster approached him, but before it could launch an attack, it was directly shredded by the proactive Xingxing.

On this day, the guide on Luo Zhiyuan's body emitted a bright light, projecting an arrow that pointed toward the direction to leave the Illusion World.

The three-month time limit had arrived. Luo Zhiyuan stood up and flew in the direction indicated. Along the way, the arrow would inexplicably change direction; sometimes there was clearly nothing ahead, but after flying over, he would discover he had reached a different world.

After flying for a full day, Luo Zhiyuan finally emerged from the Illusion World. After handing the guide to the giant guarding the gate, he automatically became a trainee universe mercenary. He then walked out of the cavern, gathered his personal guards who had been waiting for three months, boarded the spaceship, and left Red Bat Planet.

During these three months, Luo Zhiyuan had contacted the Luo Family several times and told Luo Feng that he was participating in the trainee universe mercenary examination. Now, he was preparing to go explore a cosmic secret realm with the lowest danger level selected by Bulieni, so he informed Luo Feng of this as well.

Upon hearing the unfamiliar term, Luo Feng asked Babata, "Babata, do you know what a cosmic secret realm is?"

"Of course I know! The great demon Babata-sama knows many things!"

"You see, during the evolution of the universe, the vast majority of regions turn into various galaxies or cosmic voids. However, due to certain special reasons, some special regions also evolve. These regions are completely different from the ordinary cosmic environment, and they are called cosmic secret realms."

"Every cosmic secret realm is different, and their danger levels vary. Many unimaginable life forms and treasures are birthed within these secret realms. The most dangerous ones are such that even powerhouses at the level of a Universe Kingdom Lord could fall if they enter."

The last sentence made Luo Feng's face change in alarm, and he hurriedly told Luo Zhiyuan to be extremely careful and not to act recklessly.

Luo Zhiyuan grinned and told Luo Feng, "Dad, don't worry. The cosmic secret realm Bulieni chose for me is a super-small secret realm that has already been thoroughly developed by humans."

"The secret realm is jointly monitored by the five giants, and they regularly clear out dangerous life forms, so there are no dangers that exceed control. It is currently used by the Xuanyi Universe Kingdom as a training base, specifically opened for trainee mercenaries."

Luo Feng immediately put on a stern face and said, "How old are you, kid? How much experience do you have? How can I not worry? You must remember, the human heart is malicious. Sometimes, the most dangerous thing isn't the environment, but the peers around you!"

Seeing Luo Zhiyuan nod in instruction, Luo Feng's expression softened, and he continued, "In two months, your mother will be giving you two more younger brothers. Remember to come to the Virtual Universe to see them then."

Luo Zhiyuan became happy instantly and nodded repeatedly.

He was happy, firstly because there would be younger brothers to help him amuse his family and keep them company, and secondly, because he could correct the historical trajectory.

Because the historical deviation caused by his accidental transmigration could soon be repaired, he would no longer have to worry and guess about what chain reactions might occur.

After hanging up the communication and logging out of the anonymous account, Luo Zhiyuan asked, "Bulieni, it's time for you to introduce this cosmic secret realm called 'Suonsai' and tell me what the situation is, right?"

Bulieni replied quite straightforwardly, "No problem. Suonsai is a micro-cosmic secret realm that was thoroughly developed by humans two hundred thousand epochs ago. It is only 4.1 light-years in size."

"There is a landmass with a diameter of 2 light-years inside the secret realm, and it contains more cosmic energy than the outside world, which is why it has birthed some decent specialties."

Luo Zhiyuan couldn't help but say, "A landmass with a diameter of 2 light-years? Why didn't it form a planet?"

"Don't interrupt!" Bulieni said impatiently. "Making a fuss over nothing; any kind of terrain can appear in a cosmic secret realm. Keep listening."

"Among these specialties, the one most useful to humans is called Radiance Stone. After refining and processing, it can be used to add light-element law secret patterns when crafting equipment. For example, the Light Wings you use have this ore added to them."

"After countless years of development, the large-scale Radiance Stone mines have been exhausted, but there are still many scattered Radiance Stones distributed throughout the Suonsai secret realm. Furthermore, due to the characteristics of this realm, new Radiance Stones form periodically, and these new stones do not cluster together."

"Therefore, the Xuanyi Universe Kingdom opened up the Suonsai secret realm to allow all trainee mercenaries to enter. As long as you find one Radiance Stone, the recovery price offered by the Xuanyi Universe Kingdom is 100,000 Universe Coins!"

"This is almost equal to the entire net worth of an ordinary Star-level kid, so there are many trainee mercenaries adventuring here, hoping to find a Radiance Stone and get rich overnight. Of course, many people also end up with their corpses exposed in the wilderness here."

Luo Zhiyuan asked suspiciously, "Many people have died? Didn't you say it was the cosmic secret realm with the lowest danger level?"

Bulieni replied nonchalantly, "That's right. Humans have indeed cleared out all the dangerous life forms in this cosmic secret realm, but there are still some secret realm storms that form irregularly. The power of these storms is quite strong; if you aren't at the World Lord level, you are guaranteed to die if you even get grazed by one."

"Guaranteed to die? Bulieni, are you trying to get me killed?" Luo Zhiyuan shouted.

"What are you panicking for? You don't need to worry about the secret realm storms. If you are lucky enough to run into one, you can just hide in the World Ring for a while. This crisis, which is the most dangerous for other adventurers, is simply not an issue for you."

Bulieni thought for a moment and then added, "However, you must remember what Luo Feng said earlier. In this Suonsai secret realm, the most common cause of death is not the secret realm storms, but humans killing each other."

"There are quite a few lucky adventurers who find a Radiance Stone, but before they can even leave the secret realm to exchange it for wealth, they are intercepted and killed by other adventurers."

"I understand," Luo Zhiyuan said. "Being able to find treasure, then protect that treasure, and return alive—that is what makes a qualified adventurer. This is why Suonsai is called a training base, right?"

"Exactly, and that is why I arranged for you to come here. The mission I have set for you is: 10 Radiance Stones. Let's set the time limit for three months as well."

Luo Zhiyuan pursed his lips and let out a soft chuckle. "Heh, Bulieni, you did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Three months, 10 Radiance Stones? You're clearly trying to force me into robbery!"

Bulieni said innocently, "I never said that. You could always go out and find them yourself, you know."

Luo Zhiyuan let out a loud laugh and said crisply, "Ha! If Radiance Stones were that easy to find, there wouldn't be so many apprentice mercenaries risking their lives here."

"But it's fine, I'll take this mission! It's just a bit of looting and pillaging, nothing major. With my current state of mind, a little thing like this won't shake me."

"As they say in my hometown: treasures of heaven and earth belong to those with the virtue to claim them. These Radiance Stones count as treasures, so those weaklings deserve to have them taken."

"When the time comes, I'll take the Radiance Stones I've snatched through my own ability and give them to you as a souvenir!"

Bulieni chuckled, "That's exactly the mindset I wanted from you."

"As a powerhouse, treasures, secret techniques, and opportunities—these are all things you must fight to obtain yourself."

"You're lucky to have your teacher's legacy, meaning you get many things without having to work for them. So, I'm giving you this lesson now to ensure you don't end up a flower in a greenhouse!"

"Hahahaha! My heart is boundless; you underestimate me, Bulieni." Luo Zhiyuan laughed wantonly. "Three months? I'll snatch them back for you in two!"

"Good! You said it yourself! The time is two months; bring me back 10 Radiance Stones! If you can't, I'm going to call you 'The Braggart' for an entire era!"

PS: Brothers, it's the 1st of the month, please send some votes and add this to your favorites, otherwise I'm feeling a bit insecure.

The editor gave me my first recommendation, saying it goes live at 14:00 this afternoon. They actually put it under the comedy/satire category; I don't know how it will perform, but I certainly have plenty of things to complain about myself.

I hope for your support, thank you!