Thirteen's Frustration

The Virtual Universe, the Core Land of the Ganwu Secret Realm.

In a majestic palace, an eight-meter-tall giant clad in scale armor and a battle robe sat at the head of the hall. His fingertips swept across a virtual screen as he handled the countless affairs of the Ganwu Universe Kingdom.

He was Thirteen, one of the Eighteen Divine Generals serving under the Ganwu Kingdom Lord. This era, it was his turn to be stationed in the secret realm and oversee its affairs.

In the previous Universe Human Peak Genius Tournament, the Ganwu Universe Kingdom had produced three peerless geniuses in succession: Bolan, Rong Jun, and Luo Feng. The kingdom lord had been overjoyed, not only praising Thirteen lavishly but also "generously" rewarding him with several hundred million Hunyuan.

That reward might not seem paltry to others, but Thirteen knew full well that his kingdom lord was famous for being "broke."

He had followed the kingdom lord for many years and witnessed his God Kingdom go out three times, then come back to life three times. After all that upheaval, simply avoiding a mountain of debt was an accomplishment. Where would the kingdom lord find extra money to hand out generous rewards?

Yet Thirteen had never once complained. He knew that his present strength and status were entirely due to the kingdom lord's support. Without him, Thirteen wouldn't be where he was today.

Besides, the greatest benefit of following the kingdom lord was the "priority resurrection privilege."

Even if he were unlucky enough to die while adventuring through the universe, he would be resurrected ahead of others. At worst, he'd owe the race a debt. It wouldn't accrue interest, and he could put off repayment indefinitely, paying it back slowly whenever he liked. There was no need to rush.

If only another batch of peerless geniuses would appear among the kingdom lord's subordinates. Thirteen couldn't help musing.

The more geniuses there were, the greater the rewards the kingdom lord could earn from the race. Perhaps he could even pay off the debts he owed his friends and set out adventuring through the universe once more.

He'd already suffered huge losses three times. Surely he couldn't stay unlucky forever? Once the kingdom lord had money and free time again, Thirteen could "live off him" too, instead of being stuck in this secret realm, handling tedious administrative work.

Just then, a subordinate rushed into the hall, excitement written all over his face. His voice even trembled as he cried, "My lord! Great news! A peerless genius has appeared in the Tower Challenge Zone of the Ganwu Secret Realm! At Star Rank, he reached the thirtieth level in a single attempt, breaking our Ganwu Universe Kingdom's Star Rank tower-challenge record of a hundred thousand years!"

"Oh?" A surge of joy welled up in Thirteen's heart, and a glimmer flashed in his eyes.

It seemed the Ganwu Universe Kingdom was finally about to turn its luck around! But he maintained the dignified bearing of a divine general, merely waving a hand and saying blandly, "Noted. I'll deal with it this afternoon."

The subordinate looked at him with reverence, thinking, The boss really is the boss. Every genius of this caliber usually brought the kingdom lord astonishing rewards, yet his lord could remain so calm.

Once the subordinate had left, the eight-meter-tall giant, who had been sitting upright, instantly let all his dignity fall away. A simple, delighted smile spread across his face. He eagerly used his authority to pull up the genius's tower-challenge video.

By all rights, a Star Rank cultivator who reached the thirtieth level was a true top-tier genius. He must have at least grasped the basics of the upper Space Law. With a little luck, he might even contend for first place in a weaker edition of the Universe Human Peak Genius Tournament.

After all, some World Lord Rank powerhouses comprehended laws millions of times faster than Star Rank cultivators, yet still failed to understand the Space Law.

In other words, any "freak" who touched the Space Law at Star Rank and later broke through to immortality would surely be a standout among the Immortal Experts. At worst, he could reach the level of an Immortal Military Lord, just a little weaker than Thirteen.

Thirteen clicked on the video, full of anticipation. But after watching only a short while, the smile on his face gradually stiffened, then froze completely.

The good news: this really was a genuine genius at Star Rank. He had even broken through in the middle of a challenge, grasped two Laws of Origin, and combined them perfectly to achieve a one-plus-one-equals-two effect. His talent was already far beyond that of ordinary people.

The bad news: this genius hadn't relied on raw strength to clear the levels at all. He'd exploited a bug in the tower's rules! With peerless speed and evasion skills, he'd spent the entire challenge wearing down his opponents by "kiting" them, grinding his way through the thirtieth level without showing any comprehension of the Space Law.

"Sigh..." Thirteen let out a heavy sigh and quickly tapped at the virtual screen.

He still followed protocol, awarding the genius the honorary title of Special-Grade Genius and the corresponding reward for breaking the record. Then he went ahead and fixed the tower's bug.

From now on, challengers would find that as they advanced, the battlefield's activity area would rapidly shrink and periodically be sealed off. Anyone unable to overwhelm their opponent with sheer strength would eventually be buried beneath an endless wave of enemies. There would be no more exploiting the rules by "kiting" opponents.

No matter how much one comprehended the lower laws, they were still worlds apart from the upper laws. The Ganwu Universe Kingdom had never lacked ordinary Immortal Experts. What it lacked were top-tier prospects who could comprehend the upper laws and had a chance to reach even greater heights.

Thirteen shook his head, put the matter aside, and refocused on his work.

But he had barely read a few lines when his brows furrowed again. Someone had reported that the kingdom lord's seventh son had wiped out an entire household over a business dispute involving slave trading.

That was ridiculous!

Thirteen grumbled to himself. Even if the Seventh Prince was short on money, he wouldn't stoop to chasing such paltry profits from slave trading. And there was no need to turn a petty dispute into a massacre.

"Fuuuck!" He couldn't help cursing. "This damned paperwork is such a pain in the ass!"

Compared to being cooped up in the palace handling these trivial squabbles, he missed the carefree days he'd spent adventuring through the Cosmic Secret Realm with the kingdom lord.

The Virtual Universe, deep within the Ganwu Secret Realm. Feng Lun Island floated quietly above a sea of clouds.

As a certified Special-Grade Universe Level student of the Ganwu Secret Realm, Feng Lun enjoyed lavish privileges. The entire Feng Lun Island was her private residence.

Here, she could reshape the island's environment at will with nothing more than her imagination. If she wanted a lush forest, towering ancient trees appeared in an instant. If she wanted a vast starry sea, a dazzling galaxy spread overhead. She could even adjust the changing seasons and the alternation of day and night however she pleased.

Of course, only a thousand Universe Level students across the entire Ganwu Secret Realm enjoyed such treatment. The fact that Feng Lun was one of them was proof enough of her strength and talent.

At that moment, Feng Lun was chatting with two newly recruited geniuses in the reception hall on Feng Lun Island. Yet her gaze kept drifting toward the hall's entrance, and her fingers tapped the table unconsciously, betraying the anxiety in her heart.

The two people before her were Tang Ping, who had just set a record at the Star Tower, and Luo Xiaoyu, who was just as gifted.

She was so eager because successfully recruiting even one Special-Grade student would earn her at least several hundred million Universe Crystals from the Ganwu Secret Realm.

That sum would be just enough to raise her Plant Lifeform to Universe Level.

Once her Plant Lifeform broke through, she could venture into high-risk, high-reward Cosmic Secret Realms with greater combat strength and seek the opportunity to break through to Domain Lord.

By then, even among the countless geniuses at Domain Lord Rank, she would be able to hold a firm place in the top hundred. She wouldn't have to worry about being squeezed into an outer training ground with scarce resources, where she'd have to watch everyone else's moods.

After a while, just as Feng Lun was about to lose patience and check for herself, a crisp notification suddenly rang through the hall:

"Ding~"

"Special-Grade Universe Level student Feng Lun, the Ganwu Secret Realm administrator has verified your recruits. Tang Ping meets the requirements for a Special-Grade student slot, and Luo Xiaoyu meets the requirements for a Third-Grade student slot. The verification has been approved. A reward of one hundred million Universe Crystals has been deposited into your account.

"Additional notice: Your Special-Grade recruit, Tang Ping, broke the Ganwu Secret Realm's Star Rank tower-challenge record of a hundred thousand years. The secret realm has granted an additional reward of one hundred million Universe Crystals, which has also been deposited into your account."

The moment the notification ended, Feng Lun sprang to her feet. Her composure was replaced by unrestrained delight.

She hurried to the virtual screen and, the moment she confirmed her account balance, couldn't help pumping her fist.

Two hundred million Universe Crystals! Twice what she'd expected! What a windfall!

"That's wonderful!" Feng Lun turned to Tang Ping and Luo Xiaoyu, beaming with genuine warmth. "Congratulations! Your verification has been approved. From now on, you're official students of the Ganwu Secret Realm!"

Tang Ping and Luo Xiaoyu also looked delighted. Their Personal Terminals had just received the secret realm's notification.

A win for all three!