Departure for Chaos City

For an ordinary person, going to the Initial Universe to gain insights once would merely be a chance to broaden their horizons, experience what true powerhouses are like, and improve their potential through a few sessions with the Chaos Stele.

But for him, this was an opportunity to directly access the highest-level platform.

The Chaos Stele... he was truly looking forward to it.

On the fifteenth day after the Ganwu Auction ended.

A ship belonging to the Virtual Universe Company arrived at Silver Blue Star.

"Guest identity confirmed. Transaction can proceed."

Under the electronic voice, the Virtual Universe Company staff placed large crates on the ground, and Qian Yu stored them one by one into his World Ring.

"Esteemed guest, thank you for your support of the Virtual Universe Company. Thank you."

Qian Yu nodded, shook hands with the man who had delivered the goods, and then they parted ways.

"The goods are in hand!"

He set aside the other items for now. What truly interested him this time, aside from a few things bought on a whim, were the Initial Universe comprehension slot and that peculiar stone.

He took out the stone and examined it closely. It seemed that aside from being exceptionally hard, there was nothing remarkable about it.

But he still felt this stone wasn't so simple.

He channeled World Energy into it—no change. He tried other methods, but none could make the stone function.

"Could I have guessed wrong? Is it really just a particularly hard rock?"

Qian Yu shook his head. Oh well, it hadn't cost much anyway. He casually tossed it into his World Ring to gather dust.

Then he took out another item.

This was a silver-gray metal slip.

It was the credential for the Initial Universe comprehension slot. All he had to do was scan it with his Virtual Universe account, and it would lock in his identity.

Once the identity was locked, he could head to the Initial Universe for comprehension.

He could go whenever he wanted to comprehend, but he had to make the journey himself—no one would pick him up or drop him off.

Qian Yu wasn't bothered. After all, he hadn't joined through the Genius War.

Since he'd bought the comprehension slot at an auction, it made sense that he'd have to travel on his own.

At worst, he'd spend a few years flying there himself. No big deal.

On the ship, he could still train and comprehend.

Qian Yu immediately prepared to set off. The Initial Universe was extremely far from his current location, about three years of travel. The sooner he left, the sooner he could begin comprehending.

The ship took off. As an F9-Class Cosmic Ship, it was incredibly fast, plunging into the Dark Universe in an instant.

Once aboard, Qian Yu entered the Virtual Universe and began cultivating the secret technique he'd purchased earlier.

His Initial Universe slot was bought, so naturally, he didn't have the privileges of core members from the five major forces—like using points to buy items.

He wasn't sure how to go about things yet; he'd have to wait until he reached the Initial Universe.

For these three years, he would focus on studying the secret technique.

He wasn't in a rush to raise his realm.

Piling up energy was just that—piling up energy. Spending a huge amount of time on it wasn't worth it. Before, he had no choice. But now that he had a chance to access a higher-level platform, he didn't believe he wouldn't be able to get his hands on a Nutrition Pod.

In the blink of an eye, three years passed quietly.

During these three years, Qian Yu had poured almost all his energy into cultivating the secret technique.

The F9-Class Cosmic Ship kept shuttling through the Dark Universe, and his strength steadily improved through day after day of hard training.

Though his realm remained at Realm Lord First Stage, his combat power was now far greater than it had been three years ago.

"Ten minutes until arrival at destination. Beginning cosmic shuttle, entering the Original Universe."

The ship's electronic prompt sounded.

Qian Yu opened his eyes and slowly stood up. Through the ship's porthole, he could feel the Dark Universe space around him churning violently.

"10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1!"

Boom!

The entire ship shuddered slightly. After ten seconds, everything returned to normal.

Qian Yu focused his mind, and the porthole's external view simulation activated instantly. The entire hall turned transparent, revealing the surrounding starscape in full view.

Then, he froze.

In the distance of the starry sky, an incomparably vast supercontinent hung silently in space.

That continent was so immense, words couldn't describe it.

Nearby stars and planets, compared to it, were like sesame seeds. Even with the ship flying at near-light speed, it took over ten hours just to approach one of the continent's entrances.

"So this is the Virtual Universe Company's headquarters across the entire universe? What an enormous continent."

Qian Yu murmured, his eyes filled with shock.

The virtual universe comprehension slot he had purchased this time came from the Virtual Universe Company, so naturally, entering the Initial Universe meant coming here.

Though he had mentally prepared himself, seeing such a scene in person still left him deeply awed.

The spacecraft received a docking signal and slowly entered the continent's gateway. After traveling along a dreamlike corridor for several minutes, the ship finally came to a stop.

Qian Yu stepped out of the cabin.

Outside, a staff member in a silver uniform was waiting.

When the man saw Qian Yu, his eyes flickered slightly, clearly using the virtual universe to verify Qian Yu's identity.

Then he gave a slight bow, his attitude polite yet distant.

"Honored guest, welcome to the Initial Universe. According to the Initial Universe comprehension slot you purchased through the auction, you will receive a base comprehension period of thirty years."

The staff member's voice was steady, delivering the information in a formulaic manner.

Qian Yu nodded. The Virtual Universe Company controlled the virtual universe, so naturally, they had the authority to check his information.

"Is there anything else you need to know?"

The staff member continued.

"You will be granted the right to reside in Chaos City and the authority to exchange items using points. However, I must remind you that your privileges differ from those of core members who entered through the Genius War. You will not enjoy many of the benefits available to core members of the Virtual Universe Company—for example, you cannot purchase high-authority secret techniques with points, nor can you participate in core members' trial missions."

Qian Yu understood in his heart.

Just as he expected.

What money bought and what strength earned were ultimately different.

Those geniuses who fought their way in through the Genius War were freaks of nature, one in a billion—the core seeds the Virtual Universe Company truly cultivated.

As for him, he was just a tourist who had bought a ticket.

Different privileges were only natural.

Seeing no objection from him, the staff member continued.

"Your permissions have been confirmed in the virtual universe. Please follow me."

"Thank you."

Qian Yu nodded, turned, and followed him.

After walking for a distance, he arrived at an oval hall. The entire hall's surroundings and ceiling were transparent, allowing him to look up and see the infinite starry sky.

"Please wait here. This batch entering Chaos City totals seventy-two people."

Qian Yu nodded, and with that, the attendant respectfully withdrew.

Qian Yu looked around. There were indeed many others present—no doubt all of them had obtained Initial Universe comprehension slots through purchases or some other means.

In any case, they were probably similar to him.

Seventy people were present in total, meaning two were still missing.

He would just have to wait a little longer.

Explore the infinite realms of the heavens—there's bound to be one that suits you.