The Gathering

Inside a restaurant in Jiuyuan City, in the Virtual Universe Network.

"Jiang Yao!"

"Jiang Yao, you finally made it."

"Has the cultivation maniac finally emerged from seclusion?"

Amid a chorus of calls, a young man in crimson battle armor pushed open the door and entered the private room. A tiny fairy resembling a piglet with two pairs of wings sat on his shoulder.

Jiang Yao greeted them with a smile. "Prose, Kuman, Gaichen, Duomeng. I just got out of my Nutrient Pod."

Duomeng, a red-haired youth, asked curiously, "Didn't you leave Yulu Island just yesterday? It's only been a day."

Jiang Yao nodded. "The life energy on Yulu Island is incredibly concentrated. During my seventeen years there, I reached Stellar Level Six, so I got out of the Nutrient Pod sooner."

As soon as Jiang Yao had left Yulu Island, he used a D-Grade Nutrient Pod to advance to Star Level Nine.

Prose teased him with mock jealousy. "Stop showing off. We know you've been cultivating on Yulu Island this whole time."

Of course, even as he said it, Prose felt a genuine twinge of jealousy.

The young man before him, whom he had escorted to Yanhe Planet, had now far surpassed him in status.

Jiang Yao smiled without replying. He felt that this was compensation he deserved, after all. Meng Yi had told him that Yinhu Island had paid out treasures worth over a hundred mixed units. Still, it was better not to provoke the others too much.

The lively Duomeng said excitedly, "It's been a while since we all got together."

Although Jiang Yao had spent the past seventeen years on Yulu Island in the God Kingdom, he hadn't been completely cut off from the network. Their little circle often met in the Virtual Universe and kept in touch.

He, Prose, and Kuman were all fellow townsmen who had come to the Main Sect together. The Yanhe Lineage had four other Stellar Level geniuses who had come with them, but none had a Domain. Even though their Bloodline Divine Abilities were powerful, they hadn't been accepted into this circle.

Clearly, even among geniuses, different circles formed according to strength.

Gaichen also came from the Yanhe Lineage, but he had been brought to the Main Sect as a Planetary Level cultivator. He had been the greatest genius of the Yanhe Branch before Kuman, and he also had a Domain. Since they came from the same branch, Prose and the others were close to him as well.

The lively red-haired Duomeng, however, wasn't a genius of the Yanhe Lineage. He was from the Main Sect and had even been taken as a disciple by a World Lord Elder.

This Main Sect genius hadn't been recruited by Prose and the others. Instead, he had approached them himself, getting close to Prose and Kuman.

As for why, Prose and Kuman both said that when they met privately with Jiang Yao, Duomeng had come because of him.

After all, although the news hadn't been announced publicly, the upper echelons and the small circles of geniuses preparing for the Peak Battle already knew that a Stellar Level genius of the Lingtong Race had been permitted to cultivate on Yulu Island, the most mysterious forbidden ground in the God Kingdom.

Rumors about Jiang Yao soon spread far and wide. They included stories of him possessing a Domain at the Planetary Level, awakening a never-before-seen Bloodline Divine Ability, being ambushed by people sent by Yinhu Island, and having his Bloodline Divine Ability collapse after he fought desperately.

Every one of these stories sparked people's curiosity. Even among the top geniuses from the Main Sect and its branches, who were confident about the upcoming selection battle, many were unconvinced when Jiang Yao came up, believing he had simply been lucky. But most still acknowledged one unspoken consensus.

Even if Jiang Yao's potential had been damaged by the collapse of his Bloodline Divine Ability, he was still the most closely watched rising star in the clan. He simply lacked time. Aside from the fact that there wasn't enough time before the Genius Tournament began, Jiang Yao was one of the most promising talents worth investing in.

Duomeng was clearly a Main Sect disciple who might have been acting of his own accord—or might have been following his teacher's instructions—to invest in Jiang Yao early.

He'd simply been quick on his feet and managed to join Jiang Yao's circle.

Duomeng asked curiously, "Jiang Yao, have you managed to nurture your Bloodline Divine Ability back to life?"

Jiang Yao spread his hands. "I haven't had the chance. I've been cultivating my Domain on Yulu Island the whole time."

The clan had indeed given him quite a few treasures to nurture his Bloodline Divine Ability, but to Jiang Yao, they were all assets he could cash in later. He had no intention of nurturing any Bloodline Divine Ability. After all, he had to periodically release Bizhang's will and fight against it. Anything else inside his body would become food for Bizhang's will.

Only after Xu Yuan Opening reached the second stage would his control over the Desolate God's will strengthen. Then he could keep pretending that the Desolate God was a Bloodline Divine Ability of the Lingtong Race. As Bajie put it, he needed to conceal his origins.

Duomeng nodded. It seemed Jiang Yao hadn't given up on the upcoming selection battle. He asked casually, "I've heard Yulu Island is covered in Fish Scale Walls. It must be great for cultivating a Domain. How many layers have you reached?"

Fish Scale Walls could be found on Lingshen Planet and on the capital planets of the hundreds of star systems belonging to the Main Sect. They emitted strange vibrations that helped Universe Level cultivators and Domain Lords cultivate their Domains. Stellar Level geniuses in the clan who possessed Domains, including Duomeng and the others, also cultivated using Fish Scale Walls.

Legend had it that all these Fish Scale Walls came from Yulu Island, so the island itself should naturally be a sacred place for cultivation.

Jiang Yao didn't bother to hide anything. He simply replied, "Fourth Layer."

"What?!"

"Fourth Layer?"

"You're not joking, are you..."

As bowls, plates, and cups clattered to the floor, the others stared at Jiang Yao in disbelief.

Duomeng was stunned. "You went from the First Layer of your Domain to the Fourth in seventeen years?"

He wasn't surprised without reason. Possessing a Domain was only the beginning. Advancing it was incredibly difficult; otherwise, so many Universe Level powerhouses wouldn't have exhausted ten eras' worth of lifespan without becoming Domain Lords.

Even Gaichen, who had been silent all this time, could barely contain his astonishment.

Gaichen had shown astonishing talent from the Planetary Level and had been brought to the Main Sect to cultivate. After all these years, he no longer felt much attachment to the Yanhe Branch. The only reason Prose had brought him into this circle was that he was interested in Jiang Yao.

As a genius from the same place, surrounded by all kinds of rumors, Jiang Yao unsettled and affronted Gaichen more than he did the Main Sect geniuses.

It wasn't because Gaichen felt attached to the Yanhe Branch. Rather, it came from the pride he took in having long borne the title of "greatest genius of the Yanhe Branch."

Gaichen was even more curious about Jiang Yao than the others, but he was also more unconvinced. After all, whether inside their circle or outside it, everyone agreed that Jiang Yao was the most dazzling genius in the history of the Yanhe Branch. Even many Main Sect disciples he knew had asked him about Jiang Yao.

Prose and Kuman, however, were more composed. They quickly recovered from their surprise. Kuman, whose face was usually cold and expressionless, glanced sidelong at Gaichen, who was so shocked he could barely believe it, and felt a pang of sympathy for him.

After all, being hit with the news face-to-face was one thing; hearing rumors from someone else was another.

You got used to this kind of thing after the first time.

Jiang Yao released his Fourth-Layer Domain, then quickly withdrew it, forcing Gaichen and Duomeng to accept reality.

Duomeng murmured, "I'm only at the Fourth Layer myself. My teacher even said that at my cultivation speed, reaching the Sixth Layer in three hundred years is almost impossible. I'll be lucky if I make it into the top ten thousand in the World Zone of the Genius Tournament preliminaries."

Jiang Yao didn't explain further. In fact, he hadn't cultivated his Domain at all over the past seventeen years. His Domain had naturally advanced to the Fourth Layer as his comprehension of the Origin Law deepened.

Other people cultivated their Domains to the Eighth or Ninth Layer before struggling to grasp the obscure Laws. Jiang Yao had done things the other way around: as his Law Comprehension improved, his Domain advanced automatically.

This sort of thing basically only happened to Special Lifeforms naturally attuned to a particular Origin Law, such as the Mosha Race, whom Luo Feng had nurtured as a clone.

After cultivating Nine Transformations of the Desolate God, Jiang Yao's body was now transforming into a Special Lifeform of that kind, one attuned to the Laws of Fire and Light.