The Virtual Universe, Rain Phase Mountain, Primordial Region.
Guge, the first-place winner of the Genius War and a member of the Primordial Secret Realm, was fighting simulated opponents in his private training grounds.
Feng Hui had recently passed the seventh level of the Heavenly Bridge, which had deeply shaken him and made him realize the enormous gap between himself and Feng Hui.
But Guge... was no one to give up easily. No matter how powerful his opponent was, he wouldn't break down and admit defeat. Instead, he'd work twice as hard.
If he couldn't even acknowledge someone else's strength, he wouldn't get far on the path to becoming a powerhouse.
Wind King's assessment of Guge had once been, "He's very steady. If he can hold on to his strengths, he'll have a boundless future."
Ice Universe Venerable had also said that Guge was progressing steadily.
Coming from two powerhouses with their discerning eyes, their assessments were no idle praise. Guge's strength of character was plain to see.
"Hm?" Guge suddenly stopped training. "Ha'en and Kong Ji from the Primordial Beginning Secret Realm want to meet me in the Public Zone? What's happened now?"
Rain Phase Mountain, Public Zone.
Only here could members of different secret realms gather and meet. People from the Primordial Beginning Region, for example, couldn't enter the Primordial Region.
"Tell me, what did you call me here for all of a sudden?" Guge asked.
"Something huge has happened. You haven't heard?" said a young man with two curved, fiery-red horns on his forehead, a diamond-shaped crystal embedded between his brows, and a dragon's tail growing from his tailbone.
He was Ha'en, a genius of the Flame Brahman Clan, one of the peak races among Cosmic Humans. He was a Primordial Beginning Secret Realm genius, only slightly behind Guge.
"Just now," Ha'en said excitedly. "Sky Erosion Palace Lord, a great being even more powerful than a Universe Kingdom Master, appeared in Chaos City and took Feng Hui as his disciple."
"Even more powerful than a Universe Kingdom Master?" Guge was astonished.
A Universe Kingdom Master ruled over a vast Cosmic Kingdom and belonged to the true ruling class of the boundless universe, with countless Immortals under his command.
How could these young geniuses not be shocked that a great being even more powerful than a Universe Kingdom Master had come to take on a disciple?
Ha'en lowered his voice. "I got this from my clan. Our clan leader said it, so it's definitely true. By now, the higher-ups of all 1,008 Cosmic Kingdoms have heard the news."
"Your clan leader?"
The Flame Brahman Clan had had only one clan leader throughout the ages: the master of the Flame Crystal Cosmic Kingdom.
"Do you know what this means? Feng Hui was already ahead of us. Now that he has a great being like that to teach him, he'll definitely improve even faster," Kong Ji said.
All three fell silent. They were peerless geniuses, yet Feng Hui had made them feel immense pressure.
Guge clenched his teeth. "No, we have to get moving and work twice as hard!"
All three were ready to go back and train as if their lives depended on it.
They'd been somewhat distant from one another before, but the stimulation of facing a monstrous genius like Feng Hui had made them feel they were all in this together.
Meanwhile, Feng Hui had already been brought by the newly arrived Sky Erosion Palace Lord to a strange mansion in Chaos City.
The man wore a simple black robe and had long black hair. He looked like an ordinary human as he turned to Feng Hui and said,
"This is my mansion in Chaos City. I haven't been here for billions of years."
Sky Erosion Palace Lord's eyes seemed ordinary, yet held an endless starry sky. With a single glance at Feng Hui, he seemed to send him instantly into the void of the universe.
Feng Hui came to his senses and bowed slightly. "Teacher."
The Sky Erosion Palace Lord before him seemed different from the one Luo Feng had met in the original story at Sky Erosion Palace. It seemed this was another of his clones.
Sky Erosion Palace Lord had a clone. Without a special clone, he couldn't have become a Top Universe Overlord with the life gene level of the Human Race.
The clone at Sky Erosion Palace had to guard the Blood Luo World, after all, and couldn't be moved lightly.
Sky Erosion Palace Lord looked at Feng Hui. "Feng Hui, you're an interesting one. I've been watching you for a long time."
"Watching me?" Feng Hui was taken aback.
"Watching you is like seeing my younger self. We were both youngsters from the Doomsday Secret Realm, just as spirited and full of life." Sky Erosion Palace Lord seemed to be reminiscing, as if he were recalling his own naive beginnings.
Sky Erosion Palace Lord had come from the Doomsday Secret Realm too? Feng Hui hadn't known that. The original story hadn't mentioned his background.
"You're truly impressive. You have a gift for the Way of Time and Space. In such a short time, you've comprehended all 36 fundamental aspects of the Laws of Time and Space. If you keep working hard and improving, your future will be limitless."
"Although you've become my disciple and your strength and talent far exceed those of your peers, you're still a member of the Doomsday Secret Realm. I won't break the rules and arrange for you to change secret realms. If you want to rise higher, you'll have to rely on yourself. What do you plan to do?"
"I'm going to challenge Heaven-Piercing Mountain and enter a higher secret realm as soon as possible," Feng Hui replied respectfully.
"Oh? You even know about Heaven-Piercing Mountain. Good. Challenging it is indeed a good way to quickly leave the Doomsday Secret Realm."
"But with your current strength, you can pass Heaven and Earth Heaven-Piercing Mountain, but you still can't pass Primordial Beginning Heaven-Piercing Mountain, let alone Primordial Heaven-Piercing Mountain."
"Challenging Heaven-Piercing Mountain seems like a convenient shortcut. Core Members can challenge the three mountains whenever they like. If they pass, they can immediately enter the next secret realm."
"But don't underestimate how difficult it is. It's incredibly difficult. Passing a particular Heaven-Piercing Mountain means you're stronger than every same-level member of that secret realm in your era. Naturally, you'll be promoted directly to that secret realm."
"Heaven-Piercing Mountain is just a benchmark, set there to inspire people, give them a goal to strive for, and remind them not to grow complacent. Normally, the true path to a higher secret realm is the Qualification Battle."
"Of course, for you, Heaven-Piercing Mountain really is a shortcut. You've passed the seventh level of the Heavenly Bridge, so passing Heaven and Earth Heaven-Piercing Mountain shouldn't be a problem. At the very least, you can enter the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm."
Feng Hui nodded. He knew that he hadn't been training for long. Although he had great talent, good fortune, and powerful inheritances, he was still far from being able to break through all three Heaven-Piercing Mountain benchmarks at once.
"Don't rush. You're only at the Cosmic Level, a time for steady accumulation. At this stage, apart from guiding your cultivation, I won't give you any other help," Sky Erosion Palace Lord added.
"This disciple understands."
Feng Hui knew that the Cosmic Level was an important period of training and refinement for geniuses in the Virtual Universe Company.
The top 1,000 contestants in the Genius War were sent straight to Chaos City to train for 30 years and build a foundation. After that, they trained in the Virtual Universe Company's four core secret realms, steadily listening to lessons from Immortals, cultivating, and taking on training missions.
Many Cosmic Level members spent anywhere from a thousand to several thousand years steadily building their foundations at the Cosmic Level.
If Sky Erosion Palace Lord stepped in, even a few resources could make him advance by leaps and bounds. But that would be like pulling up seedlings to help them grow, going against the company's purpose of tempering its geniuses. It wouldn't benefit Feng Hui's future.
"I have no other requirements for your cultivation at the Cosmic Level, but before you break through to the Domain Lord Level, you must enter the Primordial Secret Realm and pass the Cosmic Level Original Tongtian Mountain."
"Yes, Teacher. You can rest assured that I'll pass it. I won't let you down."
"Haha, you won't let me down?"
Sky Erosion Palace Lord smiled faintly. "I haven't finished. Do you know how high my expectations are?"
"First, you must also pass the World Lord Level Original Tongtian Mountain. Second, you must become a Universe Venerable!"
"What is it? Have I scared you?" Sky Erosion Palace Lord teased, looking at Feng Hui.
"No. I'll definitely do it!" Feng Hui replied with unwavering conviction.
"Haha... Over the countless years, I've taken nine disciples, including you. The five of my other disciples who are still alive have all become Universe Venerables."
Sky Erosion Palace Lord looked at Feng Hui. "As my youngest disciple, you're the most inexperienced and weakest. Don't let your senior brothers leave you behind for too long."
Feng Hui's gaze was resolute.
With such an incredible opportunity, and the dual support and inheritance of the Dongdi Clan of the Eastern Emperor Holy Land Universe and the Original Universe Human Race, what was there to fear about reaching the summit?
With his feet on the ground and his eyes on the stars, he would one day reach the realm of a Universe Venerable—and perhaps even higher. A true man should aspire to that!
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