Universe Level

In the southern plains of the Ganwu Secret Realm, endless grasslands stretched to the horizon, dotted here and there with a few metal buildings of various designs.

Villa 10086 was built entirely from an unknown silver-white metal. Its sleek, simple lines radiated a cold, technological feel, creating a striking contrast with the natural scenery around it.

Tang Ping walked up to the villa entrance and brushed his fingertip across the access panel. His identity was verified in an instant.

"Beep. Special-grade student Tang San, welcome to Villa 10086. Your access has been activated." A cold electronic voice rang out. The doors slid open to either side, revealing the spacious interior.

The villa was empty except for a silver-white housekeeping robot shaped like a water droplet, hovering in the middle of the living room.

Sensing Tang Ping's arrival, it floated over and said gently, "Hello, Master. I'm your personal housekeeping robot, unit 086. I can deliver supplies, clean, change forms, and provide other services."

Tang Ping looked it over with interest, then lightly tapped its smooth shell.

"Change forms? What can you turn into?"

"I'm made of liquid metal and can assume any form in my preset templates according to your needs. These include three hundred thousand species and thirty billion character designs. To imitate a specific person, I need their authorization."

As soon as it finished speaking, its body began to ripple and reshape. Moments later, it had turned into a girl in a maid outfit, with delicate features and fluid movements. If he hadn't known what it really was, he might have taken it for the real thing.

Tang Ping couldn't help marveling at it. He had the robot try several other forms: a burly warrior, a tiny pet, and even a comfortable sofa. Every detail was nearly perfect.

"No wonder this is the special edition for special-grade Star Rank students. Honestly, it's pretty realistic!" He played with it for nearly an hour before finally satisfying his curiosity and turning his attention to the benefits available in the secret realm.

He logged into the student section of the Ganwu Secret Realm, and a dense list of benefits instantly appeared on the screen. Tang Ping examined them one by one:

Heaven-Reaching Tower: Students received a Ganwu Coin reward for each level cleared, equal to the level number multiplied by one million Ganwu Coins. However, they had to clear the tower using the strength they had possessed before entering the secret realm. Tang Ping had become a special-grade student with a score of level 30 in the Star Tower, so he now had to start challenging from level 31.

Immortal Monument Forest: More than ten thousand Immortal Gods, including the Three Hundred Kings and Marquises under the Ganwu Universe Kingdom, had left their inheritance secret techniques here. Third-grade students were allowed one chance to study them, while special-grade students received four. Any additional attempts required a payment in Ganwu Coins, with even the lowest-level Immortal God's inheritance costing a full ten million Ganwu Coins.

Ganwu Treasury: Linked to the Virtual Universe Company, it contained many treasures that were hard to find elsewhere. Star Rank students received a discount, with special-grade students getting 30 percent off. However, the treasures were for personal use only and could not be resold.

Virtual Ganwu Dojo: A World Lord or Immortal God gave lessons every day. Outstanding students had a chance to be taken as disciples and set on a faster path of cultivation.

Tang Ping rubbed his chin, frowning slightly, his face showing a hint of frustration.

He had hoped to find some loophole to exploit, but after looking through the list, he realized that although the benefits seemed generous, there weren't any real ways to game the system.

The discount at the Ganwu Treasury was tempting, but he couldn't resell anything for a profit. As for the chances to study the Immortal Monument Forest's inheritances, he could accumulate more after breaking through to Universe Level.

As for the Heaven-Reaching Tower, his comprehension of the Wind and Thunder Laws had improved over the past few days, greatly increasing his strength. But he'd heard that the tower had recently been patched, and that the combat zones would now shrink rapidly over time, making the challenge much harder.

"I heard someone used a bug to clear the tower before. Lord Thirteen, the secret realm's administrator, caught them, and now everyone has to suffer for it!"

Tang Ping couldn't help complaining. "Why does the whole world keep targeting me? Did the capitalists set me up? Boo-hoo!"

Despite his grumbling, Tang Ping quickly composed himself and headed for the villa's Cultivation Room.

On the stone platform in the middle of the room lay the S-grade breakthrough package he had ordered from the Ganwu Treasury: a crystal-clear Star Core Fruit, Cosmic Crystal Liquid that gave off a faint golden glow, and Dragon Blood Vine covered in fine patterns. Every item was a priceless treasure.

According to the secret realm's rules, if he broke through to Universe Level now, he could still enjoy the benefits of a special-grade Universe Level student. However, he had to reach the top 1,000 on the secret realm's Universe Level combat rankings within 100 years, or his student status would be revoked.

But Tang Ping wasn't worried in the slightest. A confident smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

In a few years, Luo Feng would return to take up the post of Inspector Envoy. By then, Tang Ping's wealth would surely skyrocket. With money, what did he have to fear from a lack of Law Comprehension or combat strength?

Spend his way through difficulties and buy his way to power! He'd show those Universe Level students what the power of money looked like!

Having made up his mind, Tang Ping wasted no time.

First, he arranged the various precious materials according to the prescribed breakthrough procedure. Then he sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and slowly calmed his mind, gathering the strength he needed to break through.

An hour later, he stirred his Spiritual Telekinesis and sent the Star Core Fruit into his mouth first. The fruit dissolved as soon as it touched his tongue, and a wave of pure energy spread through his body.

Next, he carefully dripped the Cosmic Crystal Liquid onto the space between his eyebrows. The cool liquid seeped into his sea of consciousness, nourishing his soul. He crushed the Dragon Blood Vine and smeared it over his body. Its dark-red juice seeped through his skin, turning into a scorching force that intertwined with the other energies.

Thirty minutes later, the medicinal power of all the precious materials converged and erupted inside Tang Ping!

In his sea of consciousness, nine mysterious blue spheres of light orbited one another along strange paths, forming a miniature celestial system. This was his spiritual sea of consciousness at the peak of the ninth tier of Star Rank.

As the medicinal power erupted, the energy within Tang Ping and the abundant Cosmic Origin Energy in the Cultivation Room were absorbed frantically. The nine spheres of light, already at their limits, began to shake violently and expand at a visible rate.

"Rumble—"

Almost simultaneously, the cosmic energy above Villa 10086 was sucked away in a frenzy, forming a massive energy vortex. Points of starlight flickered within the black vortex, like a miniature black hole.

Under the astonishing influx of energy, the nine miniature stars rapidly expanded, growing tenfold in a few short moments. Each sphere trembled, as if it could explode at any instant.

"Bang!"

The largest miniature star reached its limit first and exploded, turning into countless dazzling fragments.

Then, one after another, the other eight miniature stars exploded with a series of bangs. Countless fragments drifted through his sea of consciousness, forming a hazy nebula of dust.

After an unknown amount of time, the nebula gradually settled.

The nebula formed by the explosions—its star clusters, dust, and countless tiny planets—gathered together to form a vast Vortex Galaxy.

The galaxy had eight spiral arms, with countless tiny planets moving between them. In its very core, amid the densest cluster of stars, a tiny Dark Region appeared: the first "black hole" in the entire Vortex Galaxy.

The black hole slowly devoured the stars and dust around it, while producing wisps of pure energy.

"Ch-ch-ch..." Telekinetic power, as faint as a mist, appeared from nowhere and enveloped the entire Vortex Galaxy, casting a faint glow over it.

This strange mist was the core strength of a Universe Level Spirit Reader: incredibly pure telekinetic power!

At last, after a perilous breakthrough, he entered Universe Level!