Recruitment

Snow's booming voice echoed through the admissions hall as he announced that Qin Zhao had been granted Core Student status on the spot.

The staff and the talented applicants waiting in line stared at Qin Zhao in shock and envy, with even a hint of awe. A Planet Level 1 fighter who could stand against an opponent with a Third-Level Domain—his performance was enough to convince anyone.

"Thank you, Supervisor Snow."

Qin Zhao bowed slightly, still composed. He showed no sign of being unsettled by the crowd's shock and envy. To be honest, earning the favor of a mere Domain Lord was better than nothing, but it didn't mean much to Qin Zhao at the moment.

Snow's admiration grew even stronger at the sight. He waved to the staff and instructed them, "Process Qin Zhao's paperwork immediately, to the highest Core Student standard. Grant him full access."

"Yes, Supervisor!" the gray-clad young man and the others replied at once, their manner exceedingly respectful.

Only then did Snow turn to Qin Zhao. His stern expression softened, and a warm smile appeared on his face. "Qin Zhao, this isn't the place to talk. Come with me."

He gestured for Qin Zhao to follow and led him through an archway at the side of the hall into a quiet corridor lined with ice-blue carpet. The walls on either side gave off a soft white glow and seemed to be made of some special metal that blocked out the noise from beyond.

"Qin Zhao, do you know how the Glacier Sacred Land is organized?" Snow asked as they walked, his tone seemingly casual.

"I've only just arrived, so I know only that the Glacier Sacred Land is an institution established by the Glacier Empire to cultivate talent. I don't know the details." Qin Zhao answered honestly.

Snow nodded and explained, "The Glacier Sacred Land is a cradle of talent that our Glacier Empire has built with all its might. Its purpose is to cultivate the powerful figures who will support the empire in the future. The Holy Land isn't one unified whole. To encourage competition, it has several major factions, each with its own philosophy and priorities when it comes to resources. Their bases are known as 'divine realms.'"

He looked at Qin Zhao. "The faction I belong to is called the Ice Plains Divine Realm. We place great importance on building a solid foundation and gaining a deep understanding of the laws. We're especially adept at guiding talented individuals with an affinity for earth and water."

"From what I saw in your battle, your domain is dense and solid, and your control of the Earth Domain is extraordinarily precise. Your steady, accurate fighting style is an excellent fit for the principles of the Ice Plains Divine Realm."

Even if their principles hadn't been a good fit, Snow would have made them one!

A genius who could comprehend a domain as soon as he broke through to Planet Level was an unparalleled talent, even across the entire Glacier Sacred Land. If another divine realm poached a genius like that, Snow would probably have to slap himself twice!

As they spoke, they reached a quiet room at the end of the corridor. It was sparsely furnished, with only a few chairs carved from some unknown cold jade that gave off a faint chill, helping clear the mind.

Snow gestured for Qin Zhao to sit, then took a seat opposite him. His expression grew more serious. "Qin Zhao, speaking as the person responsible for recruiting on behalf of the Ice Plains Divine Realm through the Virtual Universe, I formally invite you to join us!"

"With your talent, you'll receive great attention from the senior members of the divine realm as soon as you join. You'll get the best instructors and far more resources than an ordinary Core Student! Whether it's cultivation manuals or the precious resources you'll need to break through to Star Level in the future, the Ice Plains Divine Realm will give you priority."

He fixed his gaze on Qin Zhao. "What do you say?"

Qin Zhao had already considered Snow's offer. Showing off his domain in the first place had been a way to secure better resources. Supervisor Snow was the first senior figure Qin Zhao had met at the Glacier Sacred Land, and he clearly thought highly of him. Joining Snow's faction would undoubtedly help Qin Zhao establish himself faster and gain tangible benefits.

As for the infighting between factions, it was unavoidable in any major power. With his trump cards and potential, Qin Zhao had the confidence to deal with it.

Without much hesitation, Qin Zhao stood and bowed slightly to Snow. "I'm grateful for your confidence in me, Supervisor Snow. I'm willing to join the Ice Plains Divine Realm!"

"Good! Good! Good!" Snow's face broke into a radiant smile. He repeated the word three times, clearly delighted.

He personally helped Qin Zhao to his feet. "From today onward, you're a Core Member of the Ice Plains Divine Realm! Out in the open, you're a Core Student of the Glacier Sacred Land; within the organization, you're a genius the Ice Plains Divine Realm will spare no effort to cultivate. From now on, just call me Senior Brother Snow."

"Yes, Senior Brother Snow." Qin Zhao readily agreed.

"Haha, good!" Snow patted Qin Zhao on the shoulder, looking more pleased with him by the moment. Discovering and recruiting a genius with such boundless potential was a significant achievement for him as well.

"Junior Brother Qin Zhao, now that you've joined us, there are a few things we need to take care of as soon as possible." Snow's smile faded, and he spoke seriously. "The Virtual Universe is useful, but true cultivation ultimately has to take place in the real universe."

"The Glacier Sacred Land's headquarters is located inside the Ice Ripple Secret Realm, an exceptionally precious area within the empire's territory. All Core Students have to undergo training at the Holy Land's headquarters in the Ice Ripple Secret Realm. You'll need to get there as soon as possible."

Qin Zhao heard this and appropriately let a hint of "difficulty" show on his face. "Senior Brother Snow, to be honest, Flame Meteor Planet, where I live, is an unregistered native planet. The only spaceship there was taken away by Senior Liu Yuan a hundred years ago. At present, I have no way to leave the planet."

"A native planet? And the spaceship was taken away?" Snow paused in surprise, then understood. "I see. No wonder K-77 Base arranged a direct pickup."

He shook his head, then smiled. "That won't be a problem! Now that you're a member of the Glacier Sacred Land—and a core member of the Ice Plains Divine Realm, at that—it's our responsibility to bring you to our headquarters."

He thought for a moment, then asked, "Junior Brother, do you have an account with the Cosmic Galaxy Bank in the real world?"

Qin Zhao shook his head. "I've never opened one."

"No matter. That's only to be expected for someone from a native planet." Snow wasn't surprised. "You can open one once you reach headquarters. For now, we need to arrange your pickup. Under the standard procedure, the Holy Land will send a spaceship to your planet's coordinates to collect you."

"This is a special contact code for the Holy Land's pickup department. Once you return to reality, you can use the equipment at K-77 Base to contact the Holy Land. As soon as you complete the initial registration and provide your planet's exact coordinates and civilization details, a pickup ship will set off at once."

As he spoke, Snow sent Qin Zhao an encrypted contact code through the Virtual Universe Network.

"Thank you, Senior Brother." Qin Zhao received the code, feeling reassured.

"Oh, right!" Snow said with a smile, as if he'd just remembered something. "Since you're calling me Senior Brother, I can't let our first meeting pass without a gift. You come from a native planet, so I imagine you don't have the funds to buy your home planet. I'll take it upon myself to give you ownership of it!"

With the authority of a Domain Lord, Snow had no trouble buying Flame Meteor Planet, an ordinary native world. He had already transferred its ownership through the Virtual Universe while Qin Zhao was still taking his examination.

As soon as Snow finished speaking, Qin Zhao received a notification from the Virtual Universe System informing him that ownership of Flame Meteor Planet had been transferred. It had happened so quickly that, even though Qin Zhao had anticipated it, he couldn't help being secretly astonished.

"This... Senior Brother, it's too valuable." Qin Zhao made sure to look a little "overwhelmed." He had shown that he possessed considerable talent, but at his current level, he really couldn't afford to buy his home planet.

"No need to refuse. Your home planet is just an ordinary life-bearing planet. Think of it as a personal investment in you." Snow waved a hand, unconcerned. "I hope you'll settle your home planet's affairs soon. I'll be waiting for you in the Ice Ripple Secret Realm!"

"I won't let you down, Senior Brother!" Qin Zhao replied solemnly.

"Good. Then head back to reality for now. We can stay in touch through K-77 Base." Snow continued, "And don't waste your time in the meantime. You can use your K-77 account to train in the Virtual Universe's Killing Field. I've already put plenty of Noah Coins into the account, enough to cover your training there. As for what the Killing Field is, you can look it up in K-77's database."

Qin Zhao nodded. With a thought, he logged out.