Star Rank Peak

Time is like sand between fingers, slipping away quietly for ten years.

During these ten years, the delivery ships of the Rare Treasure Pavilion have long become "old acquaintances" of the BX10081 Star System. Every quarter, this silver-white ship appears punctually in the docking area of Storm Port, not only delivering various supplies to maintain the port's operations but also staying for several days.

Those on the ship know well that Storm Port is home to millions of people from various races. Although most only possess Planetary Rank combat power, the location is remote and resources are scarce, so many common items can be sold here at a premium, which happens to earn them some pocket money.

Even the members of the Rare Treasure Pavilion's guard team secretly bring along some private goods to sell.

According to the rules, this is clearly not allowed, but the principle that "water that is too clear has no fish" applies equally in interstellar space. As long as they don't go too far, the higher-ups turn a blind eye, tacitly accepting the existence of these unspoken rules.

Ten years of wind and rain are enough to change too much.

The Planetary Rank residents in Storm Port have seen some seize opportunities to strike it rich by mining wealthy deposits, their status rising accordingly; others have encountered accidents in interstellar storms and vanished without a trace.

There are also children who lost their parents in disasters and became orphans, adopted by the Governor's Mansion's artificial intelligence system. They are not only provided with food and shelter but also receive nineteen years of compulsory education, repaying the upbringing costs through work after reaching adulthood.

Although not luxurious, it counts as a stable reliance.

Only the two governors of the Governor's Mansion have remained reclusive over the past ten years, staying in seclusion year-round and rarely seen.

Occasionally, when someone mentions them, their tone is full of approval: "The new governor is truly excellent. Everything is left to the artificial intelligence to handle, and that AI's sense of fairness is famous throughout the entire star system."

Precisely because of this, as long as they are in public areas under surveillance, the citizens dare to stand tall even when facing guard teams of Star Rank powerhouses. The intelligent system records every detail, and no one dares to practice favoritism openly.

Of course, "not being afraid" does not mean "daring to offend." If one leaves the range covered by surveillance or truly angers those powerhouses, no one can afford the risk of being targeted or retaliated against later.

Such days are peaceful enough to make one feel at ease.

Storm Port is merely a tiny spaceport in the vast sea of stars. Although it houses millions of people, it is as fragile as a glass lamp; any minor destruction could trigger a chain reaction and lead to an irreparable disaster.

If it could remain this stable forever, perhaps that would be the best ending.

Governor's Mansion, Cultivation Room.

Tang Ping suddenly opened his eyes.

In an instant, a vast and majestic aura surged from his body, flowing slowly along the patterns of the Cultivation Room.

If this Cultivation Room hadn't been built with top-tier insulation materials, it would have already alarmed the guards outside, leaving them stunned by this aura.

He raised his hand to pull up his personal panel, the pale blue light spreading out before his eyes, the values on it particularly striking:

[Realm: Star Rank 9 Spirit Reader / Star Rank 9 Martial Artist](9999/10000)

[Will: Universe Level 6 (588/100000)]

[Laws: Wind Domain Level 9 (9999/10000), Thunder Domain Level 9 (9999/10000)]

[Secret Technique: Wind-Thunder Secret Canon (9999/10000000)]

Over the past ten years, he has never stopped. With a massive, uninterrupted supply of medicinal pills and day-and-night cultivation and combat polishing, his strength has finally stood firmly at the peak of the Star Rank.

If he were to participate in the Genius Tournament of the Ganwu Universe Kingdom from a few hundred years ago, breaking into the top 1,000 of a world area would certainly not be empty talk.

Of course, he is also clear about his limitations: compared to those "monsters" who are born with the ability to perceive laws, he is still a step behind. But looking at ordinary humans, his current strength theoretically exceeds 99% of Star Rank martial artists.

Coupled with the Wind-Thunder Wings, the Wind-Thunder Escape Technique, the Sword Escape Art, and the Wind-Thunder dual domains he has already mastered, it is almost impossible for even an early-stage Universe Level powerhouse to catch him.

As for attack power, with the support of various secret techniques and domains, his attack intensity has long exceeded that of an average Universe Level.

However, Tang Ping has no bottom line in his heart. So far, he has never truly fought anyone in reality. Whether these theoretical strengths can be fully exerted on the battlefield remains an unknown.

Although his current Universe Level high-stage will is strong enough to stably control all his power, no one can guarantee anything without actual combat testing.

But for Tang Ping, what he looks forward to most in his bones is fighting across ranks. Only by winning against opponents stronger than himself can he truly prove his talent and aptitude.

Just like suppressing Planetary Rank opponents with a Universe Level will in the Virtual Universe, that feeling of controlling the overall situation fascinates him.

Heh heh heh~

Right now, the biggest problem lies before him: breaking through to the Universe Level.

In his current state: the domain is cultivated to the peak of the ninth level, both his physical body and spiritual power are maxed out, and there are no hidden injuries in his body. Theoretically, the probability of a breakthrough is already quite high.

But he knows better than anyone that the Universe Level is already a middle-tier big shot in the entire human race. They are high and mighty, capable of fighting on the surface of stars and possessing the power to destroy the world with a wave of their hands.

At such a realm, every breakthrough is a life-and-death test; a slight carelessness could lead to death and the dissipation of his cultivation.

Even Luo Yanchang, who is called the "pride of heaven" in the Luo Family, isn't he currently stuck at the peak of the Star Rank, unable to move? This shows just how terrifying the difficulty of breaking through to the Universe Level is.

For the sake of stability, Tang Ping has long made up his mind: he must purchase the breakthrough package from the Rare Treasure Pavilion to increase the probability of success as much as possible. At the very least, he must ensure that even if the breakthrough fails, he can save his life and not end up with his cultivation completely crippled.

What gives him an even bigger headache is that Luo Xiaoyu has also reached the ninth stage of the Star Rank, and with the support of a second-stage domain, she has also reached the threshold for a breakthrough.

The two of them breaking through at the same time means bearing double the expenses, which is undoubtedly adding frost to snow for him.

As long as it involves the words "Universe Level," the cost is far beyond what ordinary people can imagine.

Tang Ping had previously taken a quick look at the virtual mall of the Rare Treasure Pavilion. The breakthrough packages alone are divided into multiple levels from A to S: the lowest A-level package only increases the breakthrough probability by 10% but costs 1 billion Black Dragon Coins; while the highest S-level package can increase the probability to 95%, with a price as high as 20 billion Black Dragon Coins, and there are no discounts throughout the process—not a single cent less.

Looking at this astronomical figure, Tang Ping couldn't help but frown.

He recalculated his net worth: the 552 million Black Dragon Coins invested in the stock market back then have nearly doubled in value over the years, riding the wave of Luo Feng's brilliant performance in the Virtual Universe; plus the rewards he and Luo Xiaoyu received every time they improved their realm and certified their domains, his total assets now just happen to reach 1.2 billion Black Dragon Coins.

As for the stock dividends over these ten years, they have long been used up to purchase cultivation resources.

Without the support of those resources, it would be impossible for an ordinary human to reach the peak of the Star Rank in just ten short years based solely on the speed of absorbing Origin Force.

Tang Ping rubbed his chin, lost in deep thought.

There were a few paths to choose from right now: either continue to certify higher levels of domain fusion in the Journey game to strive for more rewards.

Or go find Babata to squeeze out some gold coins, since he was now a talented disciple of the Falling Ink Star after all; there was also another path, which was to use his status as a member of the Luo Family to apply for support.

According to the rules of the Luo Family, a disciple like him who had received a first-class evaluation could apply for a subsidy of up to 1 billion Black Dragon Coins, in addition to a low-interest loan quota ranging from 100 million to 1 billion.

Looking at the amount alone, the support from the Luo Family was already quite generous, but if it were to support two people in purchasing the Breakthrough Package simultaneously, this money would still be a drop in the bucket.

What should he do?