Noah Secret Realm's Absorption

Time flew. Since Qin Zhao broke through to Star Level, he had spent an entire year cultivating in seclusion at his dwelling in the Ice Ripple Secret Realm, near the Ten Thousand Mountain Wall and the Ice Blue Tributary.

During this year, he focused single-mindedly, pouring all his energy into comprehending the laws and honing his secret techniques. His cultivation at the first stage of Star Level had long been consolidated, steadily advancing toward the second stage. But his greatest progress lay in the Origin Law of Space.

"Hum—"

Inside the Virtual Universe, within the dedicated Law of Space training space—the "Folding Corridor."

Countless twisting, ever-changing spatial folds filled the void, forming a massive three-dimensional maze. At this moment, three solid figures were darting and flickering through it at astonishing speed, their trajectories bizarre and unpredictable. They were Qin Zhao and his two spatial clones.

Every twist of his body seemed to merge with the spatial fluctuations, slipping effortlessly through gaps in the spatial folds that seemed impossible to pass. The two clones followed closely, less agile than the main body, but effective at disrupting the lock-on of virtual opponents and taking hits for the main body at critical moments.

"Chi!"

An invisible spatial blade materialized out of nowhere, slashing toward Qin Zhao's main body. His eyes sharpened, and both the main body and the two clones made a subtle sidestep almost simultaneously. The spatial blade grazed past the edges of the three figures, striking a spatial fold behind them and stirring up ripples.

"Three clones—that's far beyond the threshold of 'First Line Flow,'" Qin Zhao mused inwardly, satisfied with his progress over the year. From just entering "First Line Flow" to now being able to stabilize three clones (four figures total, including the main body), his comprehension of the "Teleportation" Mystery within the Law of Space had reached [Teleportation 3%]. The proficiency of the Ten Thousand Line Flow secret technique had also risen accordingly.

In reality, his Earth God Clone and main body jointly comprehended the Mysteries of the Law of Earth contained in the "Ten Thousand Mountain Wall." [Pulse of the Earth 99%] was just one step away from the perfect 100%, ready to fully merge with [Earth Element]. Meanwhile, [Gravity Space] had slowly climbed to 45%. With the deepening insight into the core Mysteries, Shockwave and Earth Pulse Guard had both broken through to the "Minor Success" realm, making them much smoother to use.

Just as Qin Zhao finished a round of virtual training and his consciousness returned to reality, ready to rest briefly before comprehending the "Ten Thousand Mountain Wall" again—

"Hm?"

He jerked his head up.

Without any warning, the sky above his dwelling, originally dyed a pale blue by the secret realm's formation, seemed to have its color silently wiped away by an invisible hand, turning into a pure, profound darkness. It wasn't night—it was a "void" that seemed to devour even light itself.

An indescribable weight descended quietly. It wasn't aimed at the body, but directly at the soul and will. Under this invisible pressure, the surrounding space grew viscous. The heavy pulse of the earth from the Ten Thousand Mountain Wall weakened noticeably, and the babbling of the Ice Blue Tributary fell completely silent.

Qin Zhao's pupils contracted, every muscle in his body tensing instantly. This feeling was far vaster and more unfathomable than when he had faced Snow or Claude. It was as if he wasn't facing a living being, but an endless starry sky, a silent cosmic abyss.

Then, at the center of that darkness, a faint light flickered, rapidly expanding into a blurry figure. The figure took a single step and appeared silently in the courtyard of Qin Zhao's dwelling, standing face to face with him.

The newcomer wore simple gray armor, tall and well-proportioned, with an ordinary face that could belong to any cosmic warrior. But his eyes—they seemed to contain two spinning galaxies, so deep that a single glance threatened to lose oneself in them. He radiated no energy, exuded no deliberate pressure, yet the natural aura of perfect harmony with the surrounding cosmic space, as if he were the very core of space itself, made Qin Zhao realize instantly—this was an Immortal! And not just any ordinary Immortal!

"Qin Zhao." The gray-armored man spoke, his voice calm but carrying a strange penetrating force that rang directly in Qin Zhao's heart. "I am Nine Peaks, the Patrol Envoy of the Noah Secret Realm stationed in the Binglan Universe Kingdom."

Noah Secret Realm! Qin Zhao's heart jolted.

He wasn't unfamiliar with the name. The entire human race now had 1,008 high-level universe kingdoms, each with a directly affiliated official secret realm sanctuary! The Noah Secret Realm was one of these 1,008 official secret realms, directly under the leadership of the Noah Kingdom Lord.

He immediately bowed respectfully: "Qin Zhao greets Lord Nine Peaks."

Nine Peaks Immortal nodded slightly, seemingly unsurprised by Qin Zhao's reaction. His calm gaze swept over Qin Zhao, and in those galaxy-like eyes, countless streaks of light seemed to flash and vanish.

"No need for formalities." Nine Peaks Immortal said flatly. "I've come to inform you of one thing—you have been pre-selected for inclusion in the Noah Secret Realm's absorption list."

He spoke directly, without any beating around the bush: "Your performance in the Glacier Sacred Land's annual Ranking Battle has been reported to the secret realm through the virtual network."

"Your talent in comprehending the Law of Earth is passable, but what's rarer is that you crossed the threshold of the Law of Earth Origin at the Planet Level." Nine Peaks Immortal continued, his tone still flat, as if stating an ordinary fact. "Such talent already exceeds the baseline for genius absorption by our Noah Secret Realm."

"The Noah Secret Realm is the strongest training base in our Noah Universe Kingdom. Its resources, legacies, and opponents are all beyond what the Glacier Sacred Land can offer. Entering the secret realm, you will have the opportunity to access the most advanced secret techniques of the human race and receive occasional guidance from Immortals, even the Kingdom Lord."

Nine Peaks Immortal bluntly listed the various advantages of joining the Noah Secret Realm, painting a rosy picture to stir Qin Zhao's desire to join.

He had no choice but to do so. According to his investigation, Qin Zhao had only joined the Glacier Sacred Land for about two years. Before that, Qin Zhao was just a native genius with little experience! If the Glacier Sacred Land managed to fool him into stubbornly staying, it would be a hassle for Nine Peaks.

After all, given the scale of the Noah Secret Realm, geniuses who crossed the law threshold at Planet Level weren't unheard of—there were quite a few. If Qin Zhao was dead set on staying in the Glacier Sacred Land, the Noah Secret Realm's rules forbade coercion.

But for a Patrol Envoy like Nine Peaks, discovering and recruiting a good seedling who crossed the threshold of a lower law at Planet Level brought immense benefits. If Qin Zhao didn't cooperate, it would be Nine Peaks' own loss!

"And about 20 years from now!" Nine Peaks Immortal looked at Qin Zhao, enunciating each word. "The Universe Peak Genius Battle, hosted by the Virtual Universe Company, will begin. That is the ultimate arena gathering countless Star Level prodigies from across all human territory. If the Noah Secret Realm trains you, our primary goal will be to make you stand out in the Genius Battle, winning glory and resources for our Noah Universe Kingdom and the secret realm itself."

"Universe Peak Genius Battle? So there's still about 20 years?" Hearing this familiar term, Qin Zhao's heart surged with excitement. "But I don't know what the current timeline is yet."

"What do you think?" Nine Peaks Immortal asked. Though phrased as a question, his eyes were calm and unwavering, clearly not expecting Qin Zhao to refuse his recruitment after he had laid it all out.

Qin Zhao suppressed the turmoil in his heart, bowed again without hesitation, and said firmly: "I am honored by your regard, Lord. Qin Zhao is willing to go to the Noah Secret Realm!"

"Good." A faint, fleeting smile appeared on Nine Peaks Immortal's face. "I'll give you three days to settle all matters in the Glacier Sacred Land. Three days from now, I will come personally to take you to the Noah Secret Realm."

With that, Nine Peaks Immortal said no more. His figure blurred like when he arrived, merging into the surrounding space. The next moment, the darkness enveloping the courtyard vanished instantly. The sky returned to the secret realm's pale blue, and the pressure around disappeared completely, as if everything that had just happened was nothing but a dream.