Three hundred years later.
Wu Yun had deliberately controlled his cultivation progress, keeping himself at the fourth level of World Lord. Over the years, he had used that strength to make a name for himself at the Giant Axe Arena.
As for his apparent level, reaching Peak World Lord within a thousand years would be enough.
"My life-and-death battles really aren't attracting any challengers anymore." Wu Yun tempered himself with the radiance of the universe's stars. A faint mark of the Law of Water rested between his brows, clear proof that he had gained the law's acknowledgment.
Over the years, Wu Yun had focused most of his effort on comprehending the laws. He relied entirely on the resources provided by the Immortal Temple to study secret techniques and the like.
But Blood Luo Continent's resources were too scarce. Ba Qi had been hailed as the most heaven-defying genius in countless ages, yet he was still far behind a World Lord from the Original Secret Realm.
After nearly a hundred World Lord Level life-and-death battles, Wu Yun grew stronger with every fight. His terrifying talent had drawn the attention of even the giants at the Giant Axe Arena's Ganwu Branch.
The Giant Axe Arena had only one Marquis-Level Immortal stationed at its Ganwu Branch.
The Virtual Universe Company and the Giant Axe Arena each controlled 504 human Universe Nations. Ganwu Universe Kingdom, meanwhile, was governed by the Virtual Universe Company, which was why there were three major powers there.
The Giant Axe Arena's branch director was already planning to give Wu Yun a chance to undergo an assessment. If he passed, he could be admitted to the Core Layer.
World Lord Level Giant Axe Warriors were the stuff of legend largely because anyone strong enough to reach that level would be recruited into the Core Layer for training in advance.
"Beep, beep!"
When Wu Yun heard the notification, he immediately sent part of his consciousness into the Virtual Universe to check his messages. He had expected information about a life-and-death battle, but the sender turned out to be Marquis Nanque.
Marquis Nanque, branch director of the Giant Axe Arena and a Peak Marquis Immortal God.
The message was simple—
"You don't need to fight any more life-and-death battles. I'll apply for an assessment opportunity for you. If you pass, you'll be admitted to the Core Layer."
Wu Yun immediately replied that he understood. He hadn't planned to reveal his true strength right away, and wanted everyone to feel that he was improving little by little.
Keeping some things hidden would save him a lot of trouble. Besides, time was of no importance to him. What did it matter if he delayed a thousand or even ten thousand years?
Marquis Nanque also believed that Wu Yun was steadily improving through battle.
After all these years of fighting, Wu Yun had accumulated enough Reputation Points. He could start a simulation at any time, but he planned to wait until he became an Immortal. Doing it now would very likely disrupt his plans.
The results of the achievement goals were highly unpredictable. The minimum reward might even be Immortality, and the World Lord stage was simply too important to miss.
Blood Luo Continent.
Wu Yun fused with another Blood Luo Crystal. Feeling the power within him grow, he was delighted. This was the most important treasure on the entire Blood Luo Continent.
With enough Blood Luo Crystals, one could refine Beast God Blood.
"So I finally got recruited by the Giant Axe Arena?" Blood Luo Wu Yun licked his lips. His cultivation was on par with his true self, so he deliberately kept his law comprehension in check, too.
Normally, the moment their memories had merged, the faster thoughts of this Blood Luo incarnation would have let him swiftly gain acknowledgment from the Origin Law. But he had held himself back for a long time.
As a result, his talent rating at the Immortal Temple had fallen.
The faster one cultivated, the higher one's rating and the more resources one received. It was an unchanging truth everywhere.
Tap, tap, tap—
Wu Yun stepped out of his cultivation chamber. He had lived in the Immortal Temple for years, and was still being trained. He had to stay here and cultivate in seclusion, unable to take charge of a territory.
Unlike the World Lords in World City, World Lords like Wu Yun, who had come from the Immortal Temple, could command many World City Lords.
If he reached Ba Qi's level of strength, his status would be on par with that of an ordinary Immortal God.
Ba Qi was said to be on the verge of becoming an Immortal. His strength was still inferior to that of the Desolate Beast Qi Niu, and he had less than a one-in-ten chance of surviving a Star Annihilation Cannon attack.
The greatest World Lord genius Blood Luo Continent had seen in countless ages was only as strong as a World Lord General. The other World Lords stationed in various territories were merely as strong as elite soldiers.
"Is something the matter?" A dark-skinned Immortal slowly raised his head to look at Wu Yun. He was responsible for teaching the younger generation of World Lords.
"Lord Yu Hong, my strength is sufficient now. I can take charge of a territory," Wu Yun said.
The amount of resources he could obtain by taking charge of a territory was secondary.
This place was extremely isolated, with no connection to the universe. The Immortal Gods were absolutely united, and the higher-ups kept a tight hold on the resources, deciding exactly who received what.
Even Ba Qi, hailed as the greatest World Lord in countless ages, received fewer resources than a World Lord from the Primordial Secret Realm.
The Universe Venerables took the long view. Blood Luo Continent's resources were limited, and had to be carefully rationed.
What Wu Yun cared about was the Blood Luo Crystals—the true treasure of Blood Luo Continent.
"Take charge of a territory?" Yu Hong's gaze swept over Wu Yun like a blade. According to the Immortal Temple's standards, gaining acknowledgment from the Origin Law was only the bare minimum.
Normally, one needed the strength of an elite World Lord.
Wu Yun nodded. "Please have an Immortal God test me."
To take charge of a territory, one normally had to pass the temple's assessment. A Law Comprehension equivalent to the eighth or ninth level of the Heavenly Bridge was usually enough.
The most difficult requirement was matching an ordinary Immortal. Geniuses of that caliber were exceedingly rare in Blood Luo Continent's long history—one might not appear even once in countless ages.
Such geniuses held far higher status than ordinary Immortal Gods.
Wu Yun had no need to hide his strength anymore. He had to reveal all his talent as quickly as possible and secure as many resources as he could in this world.
Yu Hong could hardly believe it.
"An Immortal God's test?" Yu Hong murmured. "Do you know what you're asking? Matching an Immortal God while you're still World Rank is incredibly difficult."
Yu Hong had already been a World Lord during the ancient war. He had lived for an extremely long time, but had only ever heard of a World Lord matching an Immortal in legends.
"Take one finger from me. If you can withstand it, you pass." Yu Hong slowly raised a finger. Golden light blazed, then was drawn inward until it was perfectly contained.
Though Yu Hong was a Marquis-Level Immortal, he had not reached the level of a Black Warrior. Still, he had fused with several Blood Luo Crystals. Boundless baleful energy surged around him, and his finger came crashing down like a terrifying star.
If Yu Hong hadn't restrained his power, that single finger would have reduced a million kilometers to dust. Even a star would have shattered before him.
The finger moved slowly, releasing an endless Will Impact.
Wu Yun picked up a long staff, a weapon made locally on Blood Luo Continent. Its material and craftsmanship made it comparable to a Tier 5 Force Weapon. He poured the power of a ninth-level World Lord into it.
That wasn't all. Wu Yun also had superb combat technique, which amplified his power to some extent. Otherwise, his current level of comprehension wouldn't have been quite enough.
With everything he had behind that single strike, Wu Yun could briefly match the weakest Immortal God.
"Is that Wu Yun? How dare he ask Lord Yu Hong to test him?"
"That makes no sense. Lord Yu Hong is testing him personally—could he really be one of those legendary monsters who can match an Immortal God?"
All the people living on this floor were World Lords. Now, every one of them had been drawn out, staring in disbelief from the corridor.
The staff struck the fingertip, but it wasn't crushed with overwhelming force as they had expected. Instead, it stopped the unstoppable finger in its tracks.
The two sides held their ground for several seconds. Seeing that Wu Yun was about to give way, Yu Hong withdrew his finger.
"That's enough." Yu Hong smiled broadly. His attack had been at the level of an ordinary Immortal, and Wu Yun had matched it. That said everything.
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