The Sovereign's Expectations

The Nine Peaks Immortal was so excited that his body trembled slightly. If Qin Zhao could become a disciple of King Lanchen, his own merit for recommending him would be magnified countless times!

The silver-robed Domain Lord and those geniuses looked at Qin Zhao with immense envy, even a trace of jealousy in their eyes. This meant that from this moment on, Qin Zhao's status would undergo a earth-shattering transformation. He was no longer an ordinary genius trainee, but a personal disciple of a King Rank Immortal, a position comparable to—or even surpassing—some ordinary Immortals!

Qin Zhao's heart also shook violently, a surge of immense joy flooding through him. He deeply understood what the guidance of a King Rank Immortal meant—it was the most solid stepping stone on the path to becoming a powerhouse! This was far more precious than any Secret Realm resources or any Virtual Universe courses!

Without any hesitation, Qin Zhao stepped forward, knelt on both knees, and performed the most solemn Universal Disciple Worship Ceremony, bowing his head with reverence: "Disciple Qin Zhao pays respects to Master!"

His voice was clear, firm, and filled with utmost sincerity.

"Good, good." King Lanchen's face showed a clear smile, one that made his ancient features appear exceptionally gentle. He raised his right hand, and an irresistible yet incredibly gentle force lifted Qin Zhao to his feet. "From today onward, you are my ninth personal disciple under Lanchen, and currently the only one among my disciples who has not yet stepped into Immortality."

His gaze swept over the Nine Peaks Immortal and the silver-robed Domain Lord: "This matter is settled. I will take Qin Zhao with me. The relevant arrangements will be updated by the Secret Realm system."

"Yes, Lord Lanchen!" The Nine Peaks Immortal and the silver-robed Domain Lord quickly bowed in acknowledgment.

King Lanchen nodded slightly, said no more, and lightly flicked his sleeve. A burst of earthy yellow light instantly enveloped him and Qin Zhao. The next moment, their figures seemed to merge into the earth itself, silently vanishing from the square, and the heavy pressure that had shrouded Heaven and Earth also dissipated.

It was a long time after King Lanchen left with Qin Zhao that the stagnant feeling in the square completely disappeared, and everyone seemed to regain the ability to breathe. But the shock in each person's heart lingered, refusing to settle.

Everyone knew that in the Noah Secret Realm, a new favored son of Heaven had been born. And his starting point was a height that countless geniuses could never reach in a lifetime—the personal disciple of a King Rank powerhouse!

On the other side, King Lanchen did not use God Kingdom teleportation to travel with Qin Zhao, but instead moved through space in a way that Qin Zhao could not comprehend.

The surrounding starry sky seemed to actively make way for them, folding as with each step they crossed a distance that an ordinary Immortal would need to fly for a long time. This exquisite mastery of space left Qin Zhao, who had just touched the threshold of "First Line Flow," dazzled and mesmerized, filling his heart with even greater awe for his newly acknowledged master.

After a moment, the surrounding scene stabilized.

Qin Zhao found himself in an endless void. Ahead of him stood a temple so majestic that words could not describe it. The temple was a dark gold color, as if forged from the core of an entire starfield, radiating an aura of antiquity, vastness, and eternity. Around the temple, endless nebulae slowly revolved, and within those nebulae, one could faintly see living planets rising and falling, as if the temple itself was a miniature universe.

Just by gazing at this temple, Qin Zhao felt his soul tremble, a reverence born from the instinct of life itself welling up inside him. It was completely different from the feeling he had when facing King Lanchen. King Lanchen was powerful, unfathomable, but this temple and the aura faintly emanating from within were... supreme! As if it were the embodiment of the rules governing the billion-light-year territory of the entire Noah Universe Kingdom!

"This is the Kingdom Lord's temple." King Lanchen's voice sounded beside him, carrying a note of solemnity. "When you see the Kingdom Lord shortly, you must maintain the utmost respect."

"Yes, Master." Qin Zhao took a deep breath, trying to calm his surging emotions.

King Lanchen nodded slightly and took a step forward with Qin Zhao. In an instant, they passed through the endless nebulae and appeared directly before the temple's enormous gates. There were no guards at the entrance, but Qin Zhao could sense an intangible yet overwhelmingly powerful Insubstantial Divine Power sweep over them, pausing for a moment on King Lanchen before quietly receding.

The interior of the temple was even more boundless, as if it were a world of its own. Giant pillars carved with images of countless races worshipping supported an endless dome. The floor was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the brilliant starry river that seemed real above. At the far end of the temple was a hazy flow of Chaos Qi, and within that flow, a towering figure could be faintly seen.

That figure was not particularly large, yet it seemed to be the core of the entire temple, even of this void itself. He sat casually on an ordinary stone chair, his face shrouded in the Chaos Qi, indistinct. Only a pair of eyes were visible, eyes that seemed to contain the birth and death of universes, the cycle of time and space, as they calmly looked over.

Just being swept by that gaze, Qin Zhao felt that everything about him—from his body to his soul, from his past to a sliver of possibility in his future—had been seen through completely.

"Master." King Lanchen bowed respectfully to the towering figure, his tone filled with genuine reverence.

"Lanchen, it's rare for you to bring a little one to see me." A gentle voice sounded, seeming to resonate directly in the depths of Qin Zhao's soul, soothing all his tension and unease, yet carrying an undeniable authority.

"I dare not disturb Master's meditation lightly." King Lanchen's attitude was humble. "I have come today because I have recently accepted a new personal disciple and have brought him specially to pay respects to Master."

As he spoke, he gestured for Qin Zhao to step forward.

Qin Zhao immediately stepped forward and, following the proper etiquette, bowed respectfully: "Grand-disciple Qin Zhao pays respects to the Kingdom Lord!"

"Rise." The Noah Kingdom Lord's voice remained gentle. "Lanchen has always been picky with his eyes. For him to take the initiative to accept a personal disciple, you must have something extraordinary about you. Hmm... Star Level, with an entry into the Law of Earth and also an entry into the Law of Space, and you are of native origin. No wonder Lanchen chose you as his disciple."

"To achieve this as a native-born is even more remarkable. Lanchen, you have taken on a good disciple." The Noah Kingdom Lord's gaze seemed to pierce through time and space, easily seeing through Qin Zhao's background.

"Thank you for your praise, Master." King Lanchen's face also showed a hint of a smile.

"The Universe Peak Genius Battle will begin in less than twenty years." The Noah Kingdom Lord's gaze fell on Qin Zhao again, his tone carrying a trace of expectation. "Qin Zhao, now that you have entered Lanchen's tutelage, you represent the face of our lineage. I will set a goal for you—in this Genius Battle, break into the top ten of the entire universe's overall rankings. Do you have the confidence?"

The top ten in the entire universe! One must know that across the 1,008 universe countries of the human race, the number of Star Level geniuses was as countless as the sands of the Ganges! To break into the top ten meant being among the very best within a single universe country, a super genius qualified to be recruited by the Virtual Universe Company into the "Primordial Beginning Secret Realm"!

The pressure was immense, but a blazing fighting spirit ignited in Qin Zhao's eyes. He took a deep breath and raised his head: "I will do my utmost, and will not disappoint the expectations of the Kingdom Lord and my Master!"

"The top ten is just the baseline." The Noah Kingdom Lord's voice carried a faint, elusive smile. "With your foundation of having touched two Laws, if you train diligently for these nearly twenty years, and with Lanchen's careful guidance, even contending for first place is not impossible! If you break into the top ten, a seat in the Virtual Universe Company's 'Primordial Beginning Secret Realm' will be yours. If you become first, your starting point will be the 'Original Secret Realm'! The 'Primordial Beginning Secret Realm' and the 'Original Secret Realm' are the true core training grounds of the human race, with resources far beyond what our Noah Secret Realm can compare."