"Thank you, Senior Brother." Qin Zhao put away the token and wristband.
With the formalities out of the way, Snow relaxed and smiled. "Come on. I'll show you around my Glacier Divine Realm's base and the Ice Ripple Secret Realm. That should give you a clear idea of the Glacier Sacred Land as a whole."
The two of them flew out of Ice Plains Hall and glided along at low altitude.
"Over there is the Ten Thousand Mountain Wall. Carved into it are insights into the Law of Earth left by generations of powerful figures from the Divine Realm. Most are incomplete, but studying them regularly can greatly help you comprehend the Earth Domain." Snow pointed toward an enormous cliff that stretched beyond sight. Many people sat before it, meditating in silence. "Even though these carvings were recreated in the Virtual Universe, they still preserve some of their original essence. So if people can't get a spot at the Ten Thousand Mountain Wall in the real world, most of them come here to study instead!"
"The valley in the distance, shrouded in mist, is the Heavy Profound Domain. Its gravity is hundreds or even thousands of times greater than the outside world's, and it changes constantly. It's an excellent place to temper your body, Origin Force, and mental power. Your foundation is still a little weak, so you should wait until you reach Star Level before going there. That'll help keep you from getting hurt!"
"See that icy blue river circling the Divine Realm's base? It's a tributary drawn from the Ice Ripple Star River at the heart of the Secret Realm. It's not as effective as the main current, but the Water-style cosmic energy it contains can work wonders in counteracting the sluggishness that might result from having too much Earth-style Origin Energy in your body."
Snow patiently introduced the various cultivation facilities within the Ice Plains Divine Realm. They included the Martial Arts Arena, where people could spar; the Mission Hall, where they could accept tasks and earn points; and, most importantly, the Law Transmission Pavilion, where they could learn about laws and secret techniques.
"The Law Transmission Pavilion holds regular public lectures. They're taught by Domain Lords and World Lords from the Divine Realm, and occasionally even the Divine Realm's master comes to teach. There are also private lessons for a fee. Since you've just arrived, I suggest attending the public lectures often, especially those on using domains and the fundamentals of the Law of Earth." Snow offered some advice. "Our Ice Plains Divine Realm has some unique strengths in the fundamentals of the Origin Laws of Earth and Water."
As the Glacier Empire's highest institution for cultivating geniuses, the Glacier Sacred Land oversaw numerous Divine Realms. Besides the strongest, the Ice Ripple Divine Realm—which answered directly to the Sacred Land's highest authorities and occupied the best position at the heart of the Secret Realm—there were the Ice Plains Divine Realm, the Blazing Sun Divine Realm, which specialized in fire and lightning, and the Azure Wood Divine Realm, which specialized in wood and wind, among others. The various Divine Realms worked together but also competed with one another. Every year, resources were redistributed based on student performance, mission completion, and the number of powerful figures they produced.
As Snow had said, the Ice Plains Divine Realm emphasized strong foundations and a deep understanding of laws. Under the leadership of the Ice Plains World Lord, it had developed unique strengths in the laws of Earth and Water. Besides its public cultivation facilities, it had numerous places where the insights of past masters had been preserved, as well as dangerous trial realms that could only be entered by those with sufficient strength and points.
Qin Zhao listened attentively, committing each detail to memory. He could tell that the Glacier Sacred Land, and especially the Ice Plains Divine Realm, was indeed a well-organized cultivation sanctuary with abundant resources. And this was only the official power of a low-level cosmic civilization. He could hardly imagine the resources available in places like the Azure Mist Secret Realm, let alone the even higher-level Noah Secret Realm!
Aside from explaining the key facilities, Snow also gave Qin Zhao an overview of the Ice Ripple Secret Realm's population structure. The vast majority of ordinary students lived throughout the Virtual Continent, while the true core was concentrated in the special space known as the Ice Ripple Star Core.
It wasn't a real star, but a strange plane simulated in the Virtual Universe, encircling the shining image of the Ice Ripple Star River at the heart of the Secret Realm. Countless floating ice-crystal continents of different sizes orbited the Ice Ripple Star Core along mysterious paths, like planets circling a star. At the center, the Star Core radiated endless light and heat, seemingly formed from the paradoxical union of extreme cold and a blazing core.
Each floating continent represented a Cultivation Residence. Its size, position, and distance from the Ice Ripple Star Core directly reflected its resident's standing and strength within the Sacred Land.
Thanks to Snow's detailed explanation, Qin Zhao could clearly see the staggering gap between the different tiers.
The dozens of largest continents, closest to the Ice Ripple Star Core, emanated an aura that made one's soul tremble. They belonged to the World Lords! These were the pillars of the Glacier Sacred Land, and there were only a dozen or so of them.
A little farther away floated several hundred smaller continents. These were the residences of Domain Lord Core Members. Some were high-ranking administrators of the Sacred Land, while others were super-geniuses devoting themselves to cultivation in hopes of breaking through to World Lord.
Farther out were the continents of the Universe Level Core Members, numbering several thousand. Generally, these members held important positions in the Sacred Land and formed the backbone of those carrying out its various missions.
The number of Star Level core geniuses rose sharply. There were about a hundred thousand Star Level Core Members! They lived on smaller floating continents in the outer regions. They were the Sacred Land's future, and competition among them was fierce.
As for Planet Level members... Qin Zhao looked toward the outermost reaches of the Ice Ripple Star Core. A number of tiny floating islands, each only about ten kilometers across, drifted there, scattered and few. According to the information, fewer than a hundred people lived there.
As a Core Student of the Ice Plains Divine Realm, Qin Zhao's residence in the Virtual Universe would be one of these tiny floating islands. It was the starting point of the Core Layer, and also its lowest tier. Almost every Planet Level student would break through to Star Level within a short time. Otherwise, they would lose their Core status and be moved out of this space, a symbol of honor and potential.
"All right, that's the general picture." Snow led Qin Zhao to the outermost cluster of tiny floating islands and personally picked out several of the larger ones for him. "There are a few vacant Cultivation Residences in this area, and the surroundings are quite nice. You can choose one of these islands and establish your residence there. Here's my communication code. If you have questions about cultivation or run into trouble, feel free to contact me anytime."
"Thank you again, Senior Brother," Qin Zhao said sincerely. Snow had certainly gone out of his way to help him.
"Don't mention it. I look forward to seeing you cross the threshold of the laws soon! Once you do, you'll have a chance to compete for a spot! If you seize that opportunity, believe me, even becoming a World Lord might not be your limit! You can look up the details in the Virtual Universe. I won't say more." Snow smiled, offered a few more words of encouragement, then transformed into a streak of light and flew away.
Only after Snow had truly left did Qin Zhao pick one of the floating islands Snow had recommended. He chose the largest tiny island and, through the Virtual Universe, created a rather rustic stone courtyard as his base.
"Fewer than a hundred Planet Level members... No matter. I'll just fight my way up!"
Standing in the stone courtyard, which had just been generated to match the style of his real-life residence, he gazed at the vast and magnificent Ice Ripple Star Core on the horizon and the layers of continents orbiting it. His heart stirred. Compared with the hundreds of thousands of Star Level core geniuses, and the even higher-ranking Universe Level, Domain Lord, and World Lord members, his current Planet Level strength was as insignificant as dust.
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