Cosmic Crystals were accepted currency throughout the Primordial Universe.
A Cosmic Crystal one cubic meter in size could be divided into a thousand pieces, each ten centimeters across. Each piece was also known as a Cosmic Coin.
For a Star Grade Second Order warrior like Xuan Gang, owning even one Cosmic Crystal was an extravagant luxury.
But that wasn't what shocked Wu Sheng. It was what the Cosmic Crystal represented.
Because Xuan Gang's three children had been forcibly taken away to participate in the trial, he had "been" given this Cosmic Crystal as compensation.
In a way, the Cosmic Crystal represented the emotional bond he felt with his three children. And now, he was giving it to Wu Sheng, telling him to refine it.
"No, I can't take it! It's far too precious to you. You don't have to do this for me."
Wu Sheng shook his head repeatedly and even took several steps back.
In his previous life, he had been a cold-blooded assassin and had never experienced anything like familial love. As a result, he was rather withdrawn in this life, sometimes even leaving the Stone Courtyard to find a quiet patch of grass where he could sit by himself.
He never expected that, in this Prison Clan filled with slaughter, he would meet an Alien Race man like this, who treated him as his own and had even brought out such a precious Cosmic Crystal.
"Listen!"
Xuan Gang furrowed his brow, showing a rare hint of authority.
"I've already given it to you, and I won't take it back. If you don't refine it, I'll smash it to pieces. Then you can go your way, and I'll go mine. From now on, we'll have nothing to do with each other."
Xuan Gang's words left Wu Sheng stunned, at a loss for what to say.
"How can you still be so stubborn? Things are lifeless, but people are alive. If something happened to you, what good would all the Cosmic Crystals in the world do me? Just listen to me for once. This time, do as I say. Otherwise, I won't feel at ease letting you go!"
Xuan Gang's gaze softened again. After speaking, he affectionately ruffled Wu Sheng's hair, then left.
Wu Sheng looked at the dazzling Cosmic Crystal, his heart trembling despite himself.
Usually, Xuan Gang would bring out various treasures to help speed up his cultivation. That was how Wu Sheng had reached Planet Grade Third Order in both Primal Force and Spiritual Force within eighteen years. But at first, he had remained wary.
As time went by, especially now that the Cosmic Crystal sat so openly before him, his defenses finally crumbled.
For the first time, he felt how wonderful familial love could be!
"Thank you."
Wu Sheng murmured the two words. Looking at the Deep Blue Crystal before him, he felt that even his cold heart had taken on a dazzling hue.
Three months later, Wu Sheng sat cross-legged on his small bed, focused on cultivating.
By then, his strength had reached Planet Grade Fifth Order. Both the Primal Force in his body and his Spiritual Force had reached the same level.
His rapid progress over those three months was thanks not only to being a Special Lifeform, but also to the Cosmic Crystal and this Perilous Land.
There was no need to say more about the Cosmic Crystal. It contained the most primordial energy of the Primordial Universe, the very foundation from which all things in heaven and earth evolved.
As a Special Lifeform personally nurtured by the Primordial Universe, Wu Sheng could make the most efficient use of a lavish treasure like the Cosmic Crystal when cultivating.
As for this Perilous Land, Wu Sheng thought it was probably a special Cosmic Secret Realm. Although it contained little Universe Origin Energy, it still held endless benefits for a small Planet Grade cultivator like him.
"Not bad. You truly have excellent talent. You have a good chance of reaching the Sky Grade and even Nirvana. What a pity..."
Xuan Gang had entered the room at some point. He was quite pleased with Wu Sheng's current condition.
It was just that the adopted son he had raised was too reckless. Even with Earth Grade Fifth Order strength, Xuan Gang still thought there was considerable risk in participating in the Blood Trial.
The Prison Clan members born in this Perilous Land generally had decent talent. They were at least Planet Grade once they reached adulthood.
Most were ordinary folk, destined to scrape by at Planet Grade for the rest of their lives. Still, many talented individuals emerged among them.
Ordinary Prison Clan members could usually reach Planet Grade through either Genetic Primal Force or Spiritual Force. But to reach Star Grade, they needed to possess both powers at the same time.
Xuan Gang was a good example. Although he was a Star Grade Second Order warrior, he had awakened Spiritual Force while at Planet Grade, which allowed him to break through to Star Grade. He was called a warrior because he mainly cultivated Primal Force and excelled at close combat. His Spiritual Force had yet to reach Star Grade and was used only for support at most.
But to truly reach the highest realms, Genetic Primal Force and Spiritual Force had to advance in tandem, except for non-soul lifeforms.
When someone broke through from Domain Lord Ninth Stage to Realm Lord, the Life Core within their body gave birth to only one kind of power: World Force.
For a Realm Lord, solidified World Force could be used for physical attacks and defense, while its intangible form could be used for Soul Attacks and defense against them.
Upon reaching Immortality, World Force had to completely merge with one's own soul Origin Bead—the Life Imprint—to transform into Immortal Divine Power.
Genetic Primal Force and Spiritual Force were equally important. Starting at Star Grade, they grew more and more balanced with each subsequent stage, until they ultimately fused together and resonated with the Origin Land, transforming into World Force.
The two powers inside Wu Sheng were currently at the same level. In Xuan Gang's view, Wu Sheng was all but certain to reach the Earth Grade, and had a sure chance of becoming a Nirvana powerhouse—Cosmic Level.
That was why he felt it was such a pity Wu Sheng had decided to participate in the Blood Trial.
Going in so soon was just too risky!
Wu Sheng could only smile helplessly. He was a Special Lifeform, after all, so the two powers within him naturally advanced in tandem. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to keep breaking through until he reached Peak World Lord.
"All right, let's go. An executive is arriving today to take you all away. From here on, you'll have to rely on yourself."
Xuan Gang looked at Wu Sheng and sighed. Then he turned and led the way outside.
Above the territory of the Wu Gang Clan hovered a circular spacecraft, five hundred meters in diameter and thirty meters tall. Under the light of the Blood Sun in the sky, it glimmered with flecks of crimson.
Click!
The spacecraft's hatch opened. A burly man in purple armor emerged, fat and human-shaped, with four horns on his head and black demonic markings all over his face. He slowly descended toward the red earth below.
"There are still so few people on this fragment of a planet. Pathetic. If things go on like this, Lord Blood Sun will probably be displeased. But that's got nothing to do with me. I'm only responsible for coming here to collect people."
The four-horned man looked at the many figures below and muttered to himself.
He was the executive in charge of taking away those who would participate in the trial. Of course, if they couldn't gather enough people to meet their quota, he would order them to seize more by force.
"Executive, I'm the chief of this branch of the Wu Gang Clan. We've met before..."
The Star Grade Ninth Order chief of the Wu Gang Clan approached with a fawning smile. But before he could finish, the four-horned man impatiently cut him off.
"Enough. Why all the pointless talk? Have you gathered the people I need?"