The Points System

As one of the Six Great Peak Races, the Human Race occupied one of the four finest territories in the universe. These star regions hadn't been handed over by the Alien Races; countless Human Race powerhouses from generations past had carved them out through hardship, blood, and sacrifice. There wasn't much territory, and every inch was soaked in the blood, bones, souls, and lives of their predecessors. Not one inch could be yielded! Not one inch could be lost! Sacrifices were inevitable along the way. It wasn't just World Lords and Immortals, or even Venerables—Universe Lords had surely fallen, too. One day, even Giant Axe Founder might face death.

Ye Muxuan had fought on the Outer Battlefield for more than a hundred thousand years. He had personally killed over a million Alien Race members, and even more had died indirectly at his hands. Especially when he was traveling alone, if he encountered an Alien Race army led by just one low-level Military Lord Immortal, he would often bombard them with a Planet Destroyer Cannon from afar. By the time the enraged Immortal was ready to hunt him down, he'd already fled.

Once you were on the battlefield, why spare the Alien Races? Were you saving them for the New Year? As for methods, a dead Alien Race member was the only good one.

Besides, during his early years traveling alone, a small portion of his accumulated Military Merit had come from this. After all, those Star Rank and Domain Lord fighters, and even ordinary World Lords, might not be worth much individually, but in large numbers they added up to a handsome sum. A blast from the Planet Destroyer Cannon always netted a few big or small fish. Even a mosquito's leg was meat. Otherwise, as a lone traveler who had fought for only a little over a hundred thousand years, how could he have afforded the Extreme Wind Secret Canon, worth five billion Military Merit, cultivated a World Lord Level Cloud-Touching Vine with 108 main vines, and exchanged twenty billion Military Merit for a cultivation slot in the Initial Universe? Those alone had cost more than a hundred thousand Hunyuan Units. And that wasn't even counting the expenses of the past hundred thousand years besides those three things. Battle armor, spaceships, weapons, scanners, and so on had all been major expenses. Without those resources, as a lone traveler, he couldn't have killed an Alien Race Immortal head-on a thousand years ago.

"Guardian, of the seventeen people who chose the Jinghong Chaos Stele this time, how many have reached the Tenth Layer?" After Bafen had explained some basic information, Ye Muxuan asked curiously.

"Of the first batch, who studied thirty-five different Chaos Steles, there were 1,103 people in total. Among them, 816 were World Lords. So far, 285 of the World Lords have tried the Heavenly Bridge, but not one has reached the Tenth Layer." Guardian Bafen gave Ye Muxuan a deep look before continuing. "As for the Jinghong Heavenly Bridge, four people have cleared it, but none have reached the Tenth Layer."

"Who's next?" Guardian Bafen asked the twelve people before him.

Seventeen people had chosen to study the Jinghong Chaos Stele, and they had all gathered here, separate from the other groups. Four had already tried the bridge, while one person hadn't arrived yet. That left twelve people here.

"I'll go!" Qing Lun, dressed in green, spoke up.

"Very well." Bafen nodded. "Go ahead."

Qing Lun flew toward the harbor, while Ye Muxuan and the other ten waited there.

"Oh, here's some good news. A World Lord just reached the Eleventh Layer of the Wind Shadow Heavenly Bridge." As the Heavenly Bridge's Guardian, Bafen could easily access all the information about those who tried the bridges. He looked up at Ye Muxuan and the others, then called out to a group gathered in the distance. "Wind Shadow Heavenly Bridge, next!"

The Eleventh Layer! Reaching the Tenth Layer meant having the level of Law Comprehension of an Immortal. This meant that the World Lord's Law Comprehension was quite impressive even by Immortal standards.

"Who was it?"

"Which World Lord is that powerful?"

Not only did the people with Ye Muxuan ask, but the many groups gathered in the distance did as well.

"Li Zheng," Guardian Bafen replied.

Ye Muxuan's eyes lit up slightly.

Blade Maniac Li Zheng!

He had indeed reached the level of Law Comprehension of an Immortal. The title Blade Maniac suited him well.

"Hmm, he's at the Ninth Layer, too. Who's next for the Jinghong Heavenly Bridge?" Guardian Bafen suddenly asked amid the silence.

Qing Lun was undoubtedly powerful among the World Lord Generals. Even so, he had only cleared the Ninth Layer.

"I'll go." In the silence of the eleven people, Ye Muxuan stepped forward.

"Very well." Guardian Bafen nodded. "Go ahead."

Ye Muxuan cupped his hands in salute, then became a streak of black light and flew toward the Heavenly Bridge at the edge of the distant island, stretching all the way to the horizon.

From afar, he could see a stone stele in front of the bridge, bearing the two enormous universal characters for "Jinghong."

The moment he stepped onto the Jinghong Heavenly Bridge, Nine Phoenix's voice rang out in his mind. "Master, a new email just arrived from the Virtual Universe Company."

"What does it say?" Ye Muxuan asked as he entered the bridge.

"The points system," Nine Phoenix replied.

"Points?" Ye Muxuan's voice paused as he flew onward. "What are the rules?"

"There are many ways to earn points, but here in the Initial Universe, the fastest way is through the Heavenly Bridge, the Illusion Sea, and the Immortal Altar. Of the three, the Immortal Altar probably awards the fewest points." This thought flashed through Ye Muxuan's mind. "I wonder if newcomers like us, who came to the Initial Universe through the Outer Battlefield and the auctions, also get ten times the points."

The Star Rank and Universe Rank geniuses who entered the Initial Universe through the Genius Battle and Strongest Battle received ten times the points for trying the Heavenly Bridge during their thirty years of cultivation there. He wondered if they had the same benefit.

"The email says that, according to the customary agreement reached through discussions among the Five Great Powers, newcomers entering the Initial Universe for the first time through the Outer Battlefield or Universe Kingdom auctions are only permitted to try the Heavenly Bridge, the Illusion Sea, and the Immortal Altar while in the Initial Universe. They aren't awarded any points at all." Nine Phoenix's voice echoed in Ye Muxuan's mind. "Only after clearing the Heavenly Bridge and reaching a certain level in the Illusion Sea, and receiving an invitation from one of the Five Great Powers to become an external member or Core Member, will they be awarded points corresponding to their achievements. In addition to their existing points, Core Members also receive bonus points and a free points allowance to exchange for Secret Techniques."

"Core Members can enter the End Times Secret Realm and the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm. The End Times Secret Realm directly awards ten thousand points and a free points allowance of ten million. The Heaven and Earth Secret Realm directly awards one hundred thousand points and a free points allowance of one hundred million."

Ye Muxuan paused at the entrance to the Heavenly Bridge's First Layer. He hesitated for a moment, then lifted his foot and continued onward.