Three thousand years was too short.
He needed more time, more resources, more opportunities.
But with his authority, keeping Qian Yu in the Human Race's Core Layer would be easy.
With a thought, he sent an order through the Virtual Universe.
"Transfer Qian Yu to the Virtual Universe Company's core talent ranks. Grant him Core Member status and the corresponding benefits."
The order took effect the moment it was issued.
From that moment on, Qian Yu was no longer a visitor who had bought his place at an auction. He was a Core Member of the Virtual Universe Company.
The Chaos City Lord withdrew his gaze, a trace of anticipation in his eyes.
"Little one, let me see how far you can go."
Half a month slipped quietly by.
In Chaos City, on the third-floor terrace of Qian Yu's Cultivation Residence.
Qian Yu sat cross-legged, faint fluctuations of law swirling around him.
For the past half month, he had immersed himself completely in cultivation, fully absorbing everything he had gained from his battle on the Tenth Floor of the Heavenly Bridge.
In his Inner World, the Wild Beast Clone stopped practicing at the same time.
He gave a low growl. His aura was more solid than it had been half a month ago, and his command of the Law of Space had reached an entirely new level.
With every sweep of his claws, freezing, tearing, and folding space had become as natural as instinct.
Qian Yu opened his eyes and slowly exhaled.
"Almost there..."
He murmured the words, satisfaction flashing in his eyes.
He had mastered nearly all the Guardian's techniques for wielding the Law of Space on the Tenth Floor.
He had not reached the Guardian's level of mastery, but he could use them proficiently.
Next, he would continue studying the Chaos Stele, then challenge the Eleventh Floor.
Just then.
"Master."
A projection suddenly appeared before Qian Yu. It was Azure Luan.
"Master, your status as a Core Member of the Virtual Universe Company has been confirmed. You have been granted Realm Lord Level privileges in the End Times Secret Realm."
Qian Yu froze.
"What?"
He thought he had misheard.
"End Times Secret Realm privileges? Core Member? Me?"
Azure Luan nodded and displayed the details of his privileges before him.
"Yes, Master. Your privileges are now active. You are a Core Member of the Virtual Universe Company's End Times Secret Realm and are entitled to the corresponding benefits. These include, but are not limited to, residence in the End Times Secret Realm, exchanging points for resources, access to missions exclusive to Core Members, and..."
She paused, then continued.
"The right to apply for a Nutrient Tank."
Qian Yu was stunned.
The right to apply for a Nutrient Tank.
It was exactly what he had dreamed of!
With a Nutrient Tank, he could accumulate enough energy to reach the Realm Lord Ninth-Order Pinnacle in a short time, sparing himself a long, tedious stretch of gathering energy.
Then he could devote all his energy to Law Comprehension and practicing secret arts.
But...
"How did I become a Core Member of the End Times Secret Realm?"
Qian Yu frowned slightly, his mind racing.
He was a visitor who had bought his place at an auction. How could he suddenly have been granted Core Member status?
Unless... the Chaos City Lord.
Only the Chaos City Lord had the authority to transfer someone into the Virtual Universe Company's Core Layer at will.
And only he would have noticed an unknown nobody like Qian Yu.
"So I've been found out..."
Qian Yu murmured, though he felt little alarm.
He had been prepared for this since the moment he entered Chaos City.
He was not worried. He knew the Chaos City Lord was a true guardian of the Human Race, a great figure who genuinely cared about its future.
In the original story, the Chaos City Lord had discovered Luo Feng and nurtured him all the way until he became a pillar of the Human Race.
The Chaos City Lord was someone he could trust.
Qian Yu did not care about the End Times Secret Realm or the benefits of Core Member status. Those were merely bonuses to him.
What mattered was what that status would let him access.
A Nutrient Tank, for instance.
He could apply for one immediately and advance straight to the Realm Lord Ninth-Order Pinnacle.
That would save him a great deal of time accumulating energy.
Then there was the privilege of exchanging points for resources.
As a Core Member, he could use points to obtain many things that had once been beyond his reach—secret arts, treasures, intelligence, and even special cultivation resources.
To him, those things mattered far more than any secret realm privileges.
"Good."
Qian Yu rose to his feet, a sharp glint in his eyes.
With this status, the years he spent in Chaos City would be even more productive.
Over the next ten years, Qian Yu barely left his Cultivation Residence.
He did not challenge the Heavenly Bridge again. Instead, he devoted all his time to cultivation.
Apart from the rest he needed, each day was spent studying, practicing, and studying again.
His almost fanatical focus was astonishing.
During those ten years, he studied the Chaos Stele five times.
Once every two years on average.
Each seven-day session felt like a revelation.
The Nine Diagrams grew clearer and more deeply etched in his mind. Every raindrop, every star, every galaxy seemed to come alive, evolving endlessly in his thoughts.
And between those sessions, he did one more important thing.
He bought a secret art.
Now that he was a Core Member, he could exchange points for resources.
Without hesitation, he bought the secret art best suited to studying the Nine Universe Chaos Stele: Floating Blood.
It was a renowned secret art that analyzed patterns to study the essence of the Law of Space.
According to the first volume of Floating Blood, understanding the first seven diagrams would make one a Space Venerable.
The Nine Diagrams of the Nine Universe Chaos Stele were clearly divided into three stages.
The First Diagram, the Raindrop Diagram. Nine raindrops.
The Second Diagram, the Drizzle Diagram. Thirty-six raindrops.
The Third Diagram, the Rainstorm Diagram. One hundred and eight raindrops.
These three diagrams analyzed the Space Origin Law in ever greater depth.
The Universe Origin Law was unfathomably profound, but some of its most fundamental elements were not complicated.
From the First Diagram through the Third, it was broken down piece by piece into one hundred and eight distinct mysteries.
The first three diagrams delved into its deepest foundations.
The Fourth Diagram, the Star Chart.
One planet orbited by four moons.
The Fifth Diagram, the Stellar System Chart.
One star orbited by twelve planets, each with its own moons.
The Sixth Diagram, the Galaxy Diagram.
Countless densely packed celestial bodies formed a vast galaxy.
These three diagrams showed how those elements could be combined into a system.
The most fundamental elements from the earlier diagrams were combined, expanded, and refined, growing until they formed the complete Space Origin Law.
And the Seventh Diagram, depicting that extraordinarily strange beast, represented the Space Origin Law in its entirety.
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