Two Slots

"Brother Ice Ripple." The Ice Plains World Lord gave a slight bow. Ice Ripple World Lord was not only the strongest in the Sacred Land, far surpassing him in strength, but also a powerful World Lord ranked throughout the entire Binglan Universe Kingdom, holding a position of great esteem.

"Thinking of taking that little fellow Qin Zhao as a disciple?" Ice Ripple World Lord's gaze swept over the still-active battle projection, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Exactly! This child has an extraordinary talent for the Law of Earth. I wish to take him as a personal disciple and teach him with care." The Ice Plains World Lord stated frankly. This was also standard procedure, after all, Qin Zhao was registered under the Ice Plains Divine Realm, so it was perfectly normal for him, as the master of that Divine Realm, to recruit one of his own geniuses as a disciple.

Ice Ripple World Lord gently shook his head, his tone calm yet tinged with helplessness: "You're too late. This little fellow's achievements and potential have already been noticed by the Patrol Envoy from the Noah Secret Realm permanently stationed in our Glacier Sacred Land."

"The Noah Secret Realm?!" The Ice Plains World Lord's surrounding ice mist churned violently, clearly indicating his inner turmoil. After all, the Noah Secret Realm was one of the most powerful forces in the entire Noah Universe Kingdom. Its threshold was far higher, and its resources far more abundant, than what a minor force like the Glacier Sacred Land could ever compare to.

"How did this happen? Every time a genius appears in our Glacier Sacred Land, that Patrol Envoy from the Noah Secret Realm comes sniffing around! If they keep picking off the best like this, when will our Glacier Sacred Land ever produce a true Immortal?" The Ice Plains World Lord now felt nothing but intense frustration and resentment.

"There's no helping it!" Ice Ripple World Lord was also quite helpless. "The Patrol Envoy has already issued orders. This child has been preemptively added to the Noah Secret Realm's recruitment list. Once he breaks through to Star Level and adapts to his power, the Noah Secret Realm will dispatch a Special Envoy to guide him to the Secret Realm for special training, preparing him for the Universe Peak Genius Battle hosted by the Virtual Universe Company in twenty years."

Hearing the words "Universe Peak Genius Battle," the Ice Plains World Lord finally fell silent. This was a grand event for the entire human race, alternately hosted by the Virtual Universe Company and the Giant Axe Coliseum, gathering all Star Level geniuses from across human territory on the ultimate stage.

Being valued in advance by the Noah Secret Realm meant that Qin Zhao's potential had been recognized by the upper echelons of the Noah Secret Realm. It was likely that he already had one foot in the core layer of the Virtual Universe Company. His future was no longer something that a World Lord from a low-level cosmic civilization nation could bind or nurture.

"I understand." The Ice Plains World Lord suppressed his frustration and dissatisfaction, his voice returning to calm. Competing with the Noah Secret Realm for a disciple? That would be overreaching. All he could do was try to offer some convenience before Qin Zhao left, forging a favorable connection.

"But you don't need to be disappointed! That Patrol Envoy has already given me a promise. He will guide Qin Zhao to the Noah Secret Realm, but in return, he will compensate our Ice Plains Sacred Land with two World Lord slots to enter the Initial Universe! As a reward for your role in discovering Qin Zhao, I've decided to give one of those slots to you!"

"A World Lord slot to enter the Initial Universe? For me?" Hearing this, the Ice Plains World Lord's eyes lit up. "If that's the case, then I have nothing more to say! If the Noah Secret Realm wants him, let them have him! We can't compete anyway! Getting compensation is the best outcome!"

It wasn't surprising that the Ice Plains World Lord changed his tune so quickly. After all, this was a slot to enter the Initial Universe for enlightenment! With such an opportunity, he had an 80% chance of breaking through to Immortal and achieving eternity! A single slot to enter the Initial Universe for enlightenment was worth 30,000 to 40,000 Hunyuan Units. To put it in perspective, a typical World Lord's total assets were only around 10 Hunyuan Units, and even a weaker Immortal's assets were merely 1,000 Hunyuan Units!

His own wealth was considerable, but that was about it! Not to mention his personal assets—even if he sold the entire Glacier Sacred Land, he probably couldn't scrape together 10,000 Hunyuan Units! With such an opportunity now, it was naturally a win-win for everyone. After all, how could a disciple be more important than his own breakthrough to Immortal?

"Having two slots is a blessing for our Glacier Sacred Land." Ice Ripple World Lord nodded slightly, his figure slowly dissipating. "During this time, take good care of this little fellow until the Special Envoy arrives."

Soon, the great hall returned to silence. The Ice Plains World Lord stared at Qin Zhao's figure in the projection. After a long moment, he let out a soft sigh and withdrew the disciple-recruiting message he had been about to send.

On the other side, Qin Zhao, who had just completed his Star Level certification and moved into his new residence—a floating continent exclusive to Star Level core members—was completely unaware of all this. He was immersed in the thrill of his surging power and rapidly improving comprehension of the laws.

His new residence was a manor with a larger footprint and a better cultivation environment. The underground was equipped with energy crystals specifically designed to assist Star Level cultivation, providing purer cosmic energy. With the massive amount of points earned from his first-place finish in the Ranking Battle and the fixed monthly resource quota for Star Level core members, Qin Zhao unhesitatingly plunged into frenzied cultivation.

He devoted almost all his time to comprehending the Law of Earth and the Law of Space.

In his physical residence, he often sat motionless in his cultivation chamber or went before the real body of the "Ten Thousand Mountain Wall," deeply merging his mind with his Earth God Clone to comprehend the Mysteries of the "Pulse of the Earth" and "Gravity Space." With the dual boost of his Longke bloodline and Star Level cultivation, his speed of comprehending the Law of Earth far exceeded before.

[Pulse of the Earth] steadily advanced toward 100%, while [Gravity Space], the part of the Mystery leaning toward gravity and resilience, also improved slowly but steadily.

In the virtual universe, he was even more in his element. As a Star Level core member, he had higher permissions and could access more advanced courses in the Law Transmission Pavilion. He frequently attended lectures on the Law of Earth and the Law of Space, including public classes occasionally given by Domain Lords, World Lords, and even Divine Realm masters.

In terms of the Law of Space, he focused on Ten Thousand Line Flow. After stepping into the threshold of "First Line Flow," he needed to continuously practice, increasing the speed of forming phantom bodies and their duration, while progressing toward the realm of "Nine Line Flow." The virtual universe's specialized training spaces provided countless environments suitable for cultivating the Law of Space, such as the "Space Labyrinth" and "Folding Corridor," allowing him to experiment and improve freely.

At the same time, he didn't neglect his training in Shockwave and Earth Pulse Guard. As his comprehension of the "Pulse of the Earth" Mystery deepened and neared completion, the power and unpredictability of Shockwave grew day by day. Meanwhile, Earth Pulse Guard, honed through virtual battles against higher-level opponents, was continuously refined, its defensive power and environmental control becoming ever stronger.

Soon, the data on the Coiling Dragon Achievement System's panel was rapidly updating...

[Secret Techniques: 128 Martial Arts Secret Techniques (Mastery), Shockwave (Minor Success 1%), Earth Pulse Guard (Minor Success 1%), Ten Thousand Line Flow (Proficient 12%)]

[Comprehension: Earth-style Laws (Earth Element 100%, Pulse of the Earth 85%, Gravity Space 40%), Law of Space (Teleportation 1.1%)]

Time flew by in this fulfilling, almost frenzied cultivation. Qin Zhao's strength underwent visible changes every single day. His Star Level first-stage cultivation steadily consolidated under the accumulation of resources, advancing toward Star Level second-stage, while his comprehension of the Earth and Space laws grew increasingly profound.

He was like an insatiable sponge, greedily absorbing all the nourishment the Glacier Sacred Land could provide. Although he was still unaware of the specifics regarding the Noah Secret Realm and the Peak Genius Battle, he had a vague premonition that his peaceful days of cultivation might not last much longer.