Genius Recruitment

"Senior, do you mean..." Qin Zhao had already understood Mu Han's purpose.

Mu Han nodded solemnly, his tone carrying an unprecedented seriousness: "Qin Zhao, you are the youngest Planet Level expert on Flame Meteor Planet in a hundred years! Your potential might even surpass that of Liu Yuan back then! I hope you can go to that Outer Space Relic and search for any way to leave this planet—whether it's finding another hidden spaceship or activating other functions of the relic!"

"Senior, are you so certain I can enter that Outer Space Relic?" Qin Zhao didn't answer directly but instead asked a counter-question.

"I'm not certain!" Mu Han shook his head. "It's just that I give this advice to every newly promoted Planet Level expert. After all, what if someone really can enter again?"

"This Outer Space Relic is the only hope for Flame Meteor Planet to re-enter the universe! It's also our only chance to shed our 'native' status! You haven't seen the materials passed down from inside that relic, so you might not understand what the term 'native' means in the universe. It's true despair!"

As if realizing Qin Zhao still knew nothing, Mu Han simply patted him on the shoulder, his tone tinged with helplessness: "I'm telling you this just to inform you of Flame Meteor Planet's current situation! Whether you go or not later, what you need to do now is to solidify your current realm and familiarize yourself with Planet Level power."

"Afterward, if you wish to go to that relic, head to the Meteor Mountain Range! The entrance to the relic lies deep within the 'Meteor Mountain Range' on the western side of the empire!"

With that, Mu Han said no more. Crimson Origin Energy surged around him as he transformed into a streak of light, soaring into the sky and vanishing beyond the distant horizon.

After Mu Han left, the desert fell silent once more, save for the faint rustle of sand stirred by the hot wind. Qin Zhao stood still, his gaze fixed on the direction of the imperial capital, a decision already forming in his mind.

"That Outer Space Relic... I must go!"

Without a hint of hesitation, this thought solidified within him. Leaving Flame Meteor Planet was the necessary first step. Since that Outer Space Relic was the only hope for now, he would charge into it even if it were a dragon's den or a tiger's lair.

Qin Zhao didn't follow Mu Han's advice to consolidate his strength. After all, he had just crossed the threshold of the Law of Earth Origin and was at his peak—what need was there to solidify anything?

With a thought, his Earth God Clone trembled slightly within him. Pure Law of Earth Origin energy flowed through his body, creating a strange resonance with the vast desert beneath his feet.

"According to Mu Han, the relic's entrance is deep within the 'Meteor Mountain Range' on the western side of the empire."

Qin Zhao transformed into a streak of light, skimming low through the air at a speed far surpassing that before his breakthrough. Having merged with his clone, even without actively using the Law of Earth, his body naturally carried a heaviness and swiftness akin to the Law of Earth Origin itself. His Origin Energy consumption was lower during flight, yet his speed was greater.

Several hours later, a stretch of undulating, jagged crimson mountains appeared before him. This place was sparsely populated, the air thick with an ancient, desolate aura distinct from the desert outside.

Following the vague directions Mu Han had mentioned, Qin Zhao released his domain to carefully probe. Finally, before an unremarkable cliff face in a valley, he detected a faint energy fluctuation that stood out from its surroundings.

Thick vines and moss covered the cliff. With a wave of his hand, an invisible surge of Origin Energy swept over them, reducing the vines and moss to dust and revealing a deep, pitch-black hole just wide enough for one person. The edges of the hole were smooth, clearly not natural, with faint, enigmatic patterns flickering in and out of view.

"This is it."

Qin Zhao took a deep breath and stepped inside.

The passage was extremely narrow at first, just wide enough for one person. After walking dozens of steps, it suddenly opened up. Before him was not the dusty ancient cave he had imagined, but a vast metal hall bathed in a soft white glow. The hall was empty, its walls, floor, and ceiling all made of an unknown silver-white metal, smooth as mirrors, reflecting Qin Zhao's figure.

The moment he stepped into the center of the hall, before he could observe carefully, the entire hall trembled slightly.

Hum—!

A hazy beam of light, containing a multitude of colors, descended from above without warning, instantly enveloping Qin Zhao. A strange scanning force emanated from the beam, rapidly sweeping across his entire body, pausing briefly at his sea of consciousness and Origin Core.

"Lifeform detected... Planet Level, First Stage... Genetic Origin Energy... Spiritual Force... Analyzing... Analysis complete... Meets reception mechanism and requirements!"

A cold, emotionless synthesized voice echoed through the hall, speaking a language Qin Zhao had never heard before. Yet, strangely, he understood its meaning through spiritual perception.

"Oh? This scan..." Qin Zhao's heart stirred, but he didn't act rashly. He sensed no malice in the beam; it seemed more like a detection mechanism.

The scan lasted about ten seconds before the cold voice spoke again, but this time, it carried a faint, almost imperceptible... tremor?

"Alert cleared. Law of Earth Origin fluctuation detected... Judgment: Target has initially comprehended the Earth Domain."

"Meets 'Genius Reception' Standard III-77. Reception procedure initiated."

As the words faded, the hazy beam enveloping Qin Zhao abruptly shifted color, turning a pure blue. A gentle yet irresistible pulling force acted upon him. At the same time, the metal wall to his front left rippled like water, revealing a deep blue, energy-formed passage. From deep within the passage emanated a heart-stopping spatial fluctuation.

"Genius reception? Because I used my domain while scouting earlier?" Qin Zhao understood instantly.

Mu Han and the others couldn't enter, likely because they hadn't comprehended a domain and didn't meet the relic's "genius" standard. It seemed that Liu Yuan, a hundred years ago, had managed to enter the core and take a spaceship, probably relying on domain-level comprehension.

He didn't have to exert any effort to find the so-called "passage entrance." Under the blue beam's pull, he drifted involuntarily yet steadily toward the deep blue passage.

His vision blurred, and a sensation of spatial shift washed over him.

The next moment, Qin Zhao found himself in an even grander, more central hall. This hall was circular, with a towering dome. At its center floated a massive, spherical light body that constantly shifted through complex streams of data.

Beneath the spherical light body stood a humanoid lifeform made entirely of transparent crystal, its head bald. Its eyes flickered with a gentle white light as it silently "looked" at Qin Zhao.

"Welcome, Planet Level lifeform who has comprehended a domain," the crystal-headed figure spoke, using fluent Flame Meteor Planet language—also the universal language—with a peculiar rhythm, its voice echoing directly in Qin Zhao's mind. "I am the intelligent optical brain of the 'Glacier Empire-3721 Survey Base,' designation K-77. According to pre-set programs and commands, you are qualified to know the base's current status."

"This base belongs to the official authority of the 'Glacier Empire,' a primary cosmic civilization under the intermediate cosmic nation 'Qinglan Empire.' It was built 1.28 million years ago to survey the life-bearing planet Flame Meteor and its resources."

Qin Zhao digested this information, then asked the most critical question: "K-77, my goal is to leave Flame Meteor Planet and head into the universe. From what I know, a hundred years ago, a pioneer named 'Liu Yuan' entered here and took a spaceship. Are there any other spaceships in the base, or any method to reach the universe?"