"You were born at the wrong time."
Jiang Yao scratched his head. This was already the second time he'd heard someone say he was born at the wrong time. The first had been at the Yanhe Branch.
He understood what it meant, of course. He'd risen too late—at least as far as the Genius Tournament was concerned.
The Human Race's greatest weakness was its low body Gene Level. Under normal circumstances, whether they were stellar-level or universe-level geniuses, their only means of sensing the laws was through their Domain. They had to reach at least the eighth level of Domain before they could vaguely sense the laws' fluctuations.
How extraordinarily gifted were Hong and Thor? They'd both possessed Domains as Planetary Level geniuses.
Yet they couldn't advance further in the Genius Tournament because they hadn't sensed even a trace of an Origin Law. One had ranked just over five thousand in his World Zone. The other, a battle genius who'd been trained by a top World Lord to reach the sixth level of Domain and could defeat opponents at the seventh, had made it into the top thousand in his World Zone but was quickly eliminated in the arena matches.
Meanwhile, Luo Feng, whose Domain was one level lower than Hong's, had made it into the top thousand in his Universe Country without any difficulty.
It all came down to failing to sense an Origin Law.
No matter how gifted someone was, or how perceptive they were when it came to understanding the laws, it was all pointless if they couldn't sense the laws' fluctuations. This was a limitation inherent to the Human Race.
To break through that limitation, one had to possess a lifeform like a Starry Sky Behemoth, or another Special Lifeform exceptionally compatible with a particular Origin Law; enter a world like the Initial Universe, where the Origin Laws were completely exposed; or encounter some other fortuitous opportunity.
At every moment, lucky souls across the universe stumbled upon extraordinary opportunities. But the odds of one falling to any particular person were infinitesimally close to zero.
Even the most outstanding genius in the Lingtong Race's history had taken eight hundred years to raise his Domain to the eighth level. What could three hundred years accomplish?
If not for the Nine Transformations of the Desolate God, Jiang Yao would have had to steadily raise his Domain, then rely on a Domain of at least the eighth level to sense the faint, miserly fluctuations of the laws hidden in the Primal Universe.
Beiqiong seemed concerned that Jiang Yao might feel discouraged, and offered him some encouragement. "Although you rose too late, you shouldn't give up on this Genius Tournament so easily. The fact that you chose to go to Yulu Island shows that you don't intend to give up.
"Yulu Island is overflowing with life energy and is practically a cultivation paradise. On top of that, countless universe-level experts and Domain Lords on the island have all kinds of insights into Domains. Cultivating there will greatly help you improve your Domain! Although improving a Domain isn't something you can do overnight, you'll certainly progress faster on Yulu Island than elsewhere.
"My teacher also praised your decision. If none of the other World Lord Elders take you as a disciple during the selection seventeen years from now, he'll accept you. Domain Lord Nawen is a peak expert who has earned the recognition of an Origin Law. Apart from the Clan Leader, no one in the entire Sacred Land has accomplished more.
"However, my teacher comprehends the Origin Law of Water, while you have a Fire Domain. Your paths are different. Otherwise, he'd take you as his disciple right now!
"You're still young. If you don't achieve good results in the Genius Tournament hosted by the Virtual Universe Company in over three hundred years, you'll have ample opportunity to shine in the tournament hosted by the Giant Axe Coliseum five thousand years later."
Jiang Yao hadn't expected that Beiqiong and his World Lord teacher would take his choice to visit Yulu Island in search of secret techniques and insights into the laws as a clever decision.
He appreciated their assumptions, but could only decline the World Lord's arrangement.
If he were still suppressing his strength at the stellar level five thousand years from now, the grass on his grave would be five kilometers tall.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted by the Fifth-Order Psionic Weapon, worth hundreds of billions of Universe Coins. Both improving Xu Yuan Space and cultivating the Desolate God's Origin Secret Technique required a great deal of wealth.
But as someone who'd already crossed the threshold of the Origin Law, he could obtain it through the normal process. Why waste the compensation the Main Sect had given him on something that was bound to be his anyway? That would be throwing away an opportunity.
His most urgent task now was to advance Xu Yuan Space to the second level. After that, there'd be no need to remain in Jiuyuan Holy Land. Once he could transform into Bizhang, he'd have at least Domain Lord-level combat strength, and his power would begin to grow by leaps and bounds. By then, no barrier could hold him back.
Virtual Universe Network, on a floating continent.
A man in a golden robe climbed the stone steps and entered a grand hall.
On the dais sat a tall, lean man in black robes and a Bronze Mask. An invisible pressure radiated from him, instilling fear in all who approached.
"Jin Lun pays his respects to Zhenxuan King."
The Bronze Masked Man addressed as Zhenxuan King spoke indifferently. "You're Jin Lun? You said earlier that you had something important to report, so I gave you this audience. If you've disturbed me over something unimportant, you'll pay dearly."
The man in the golden robe was none other than God Lord Jinlun, the foremost of the four Immortal Gods on Yinhu Island, one of the six great Sacred Lands in the Kasolo Empire. Of course, that was an honorific used by those below the Immortal God level. He wouldn't dare use such a title before the powerful god before him, who wore a Bronze Mask.
And so, the mighty ruler of Yinhu Island spoke with deference and humility.
"I wouldn't dare, Zhenxuan King. I truly have something important to report."
God Lord Jinlun remained composed. "Twenty thousand eras ago, after I made a grave mistake and was expelled from my race, I established a power in the Kasolo Empire called Yinhu Island."
Zhenxuan King showed no reaction. The Kasolo Empire and its Sacred Lands meant nothing to him.
"One of my World Lord subordinates, Mo Hong, once trained on the Outer-Region Battlefield. Not long ago, he asked for my protection and told me something extremely important. He'd once obtained a treasure by chance from the corpse of a Tumen Race World Lord—a Junxiang Bead. It could raise an individual's Life Gene Level."
"Oh?" Zhenxuan King showed a flicker of interest.
"The Junxiang Bead seems to have been born in some secret realm, then acquired by a Tumen Race expert. It can extract genetic material from a lifeform with up to five times the user's body Gene Multiplier, allowing an individual below the Immortal God level to raise their own genes to match the Gene Multiplier of the lifeform the material came from.
"The Junxiang Bead can only be used three times. It's already been used twice, so only one use remains."
"The Tumen Race... If I recall, they're a vassal race of the Monster Race. They've always wanted to be admitted into the Monster Race, but their body Gene Level is too low, so the Monster Race has never accepted them. Are you telling me that the Junxiang Bead is the important matter you mentioned?"
Zhenxuan King's voice turned not only indifferent again, but also faintly angry.
God Lord Jinlun hurriedly explained, "That's not all. My subordinate Mo Hong found the original owner's soul crystal inside the Junxiang Bead. The original owner's father was an Immortal God of the Tumen Race and the bead's second owner. He'd used it once to raise his own Gene Level, then passed it on to his son, hoping his son could also improve his Gene Level before becoming an Immortal God.
"After examining the soul crystal, I found a memory of that Tumen Race Immortal God speaking to his son. He told him that after successfully using the Junxiang Bead to raise his Gene Level, he shouldn't rush to become an Immortal God. He would grant his son a treasure and have him inherit it."
As he spoke, God Lord Jinlun displayed an image.
It showed a transparent crystal shaped like a many-sided sphere. Its geometric faces were exceptionally smooth, as though it had been formed naturally.
A sharp glint suddenly flashed in Zhenxuan King's eyes. His aura surged, and God Lord Jinlun's face paled.
"The Divine Envoy Inheritance Crystal?"
God Lord Jinlun nodded with difficulty. "It very likely is the Divine Envoy Inheritance Crystal. And since that Tumen Race Immortal God wanted his son, who was still a World Lord, to inherit it, and a World Lord's lifespan is limited, the next inheritance must be close."
Zhenxuan King narrowed his eyes. "The Tumen Race is a vassal of the Monster Race. Even as a King-level Immortal, I can do little to them—unless that Tumen Race Immortal God is on the Outer-Region Battlefield. Do you know his exact location there?"
God Lord Jinlun shook his head. "That Tumen Race Immortal God fell seven hundred years ago."
Zhenxuan King looked ready to erupt in anger, but God Lord Jinlun remained composed.
"However, I know who killed that Tumen Race Immortal God."
"The one who killed him was named Jiuyuan!"
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