At that moment, in a room inside the towering building, Carl was chatting with a young Snake Human Race man with a human head and a snake's body. A video of Gulanxiu's trial was playing in front of them.
After Gulanxiu split the Zerg Queen in the Fourth Tower in two with an axe, the Snake Human Race youth laughed and said to Carl, "Haha! Carl, you're really lucky. This kid made it through the Fourth Tower, so he's qualified to join the Axe Fighting Arena."
A faint smile touched Carl's lips. "Yeah, I really am lucky. But it looks like the Fifth Tower will be his limit. He probably won't be able to enter the Axe Secret Realm directly."
The Snake Human Race youth rolled his eyes. "Don't act like you're not pleased with yourself. The Seventh Trial Tower isn't easy to get through. Among all the Cosmic Level members of the Axe Fighting Arena, only a handful have passed it. Besides, this kid's focused on Space Slaughter. Of the three branches of Space Law, Space Slaughter may be the strongest in one-on-one combat, but speed matters more in this trial tower. Those who focus on Teleportation actually have the advantage!"
Carl nodded. "That's true. Gulanxiu's lucky to be a Warrior, so this trial tower doesn't affect him much. It's really unfair to Illusionists. That kid Yuxue you found earlier had Law Comprehension no worse than Gulanxiu's, but because she's an Illusionist, she couldn't get past the Fourth Tower. What a shame!"
The Snake Human Race youth shook his head. "There's nothing to be done. The higher-ups don't really care about geniuses from the Fourth Secret Realm like us. So even though they know the trial tower favors Controllers and is unfair to Illusionists, they won't change it. After all, a genius with the potential to reach the First Secret Realm wouldn't get stuck at the Fourth Tower, even if they were an Illusionist."
Carl agreed. "Exactly. The higher-ups only care about the geniuses of the Axe Secret Realm. Of course, only they have a chance of becoming King-level Experts. As for us, our hopes of becoming Kings are slim. By the way, I'm planning to become Immortal. When are you going to break through?"
The Snake Human Race youth looked at Carl in surprise. "Can you pass the Fifteenth level of the Sky Bridge? Do you have a chance of becoming a Marquis-level Expert?"
Carl gave a wry smile. "No. The Fifteenth level is nowhere near that easy to pass. I've been cultivating for a hundred thousand years, and my progress has slowed more and more. It's already very difficult for me to pass the Fifteenth level before my lifespan runs out. So I might as well become Immortal and keep cultivating afterward. After all, once I become Immortal, my strength and status will change, and my ability to stay alive will improve greatly. There's no reason for me to remain at the Realm Lord Level."
The Snake Human Race youth nodded. "That's true. It's better to break through sooner. Over the years, nine hundred and seventy-two members from our Strongman Battle class have died. Of the twenty-eight left, twenty have already chosen to break through. Only the eight of us are still at the Realm Lord Level. When I reach the point where I can't make any more progress, I'll choose to break through too!"
A hint of envy flashed in Carl's eyes. "I'm really jealous that you can still improve. If you can pass the Fifteenth level of the Sky Bridge while at the Realm Lord stage, then once you become Immortal, you'll have an Undying Body and be a Marquis-level Expert!"
The Snake Human Race youth shook his head. "It's not that easy! I'm still a ways from the Fifteenth level, and I don't even know if I can make it. Besides, the Fifteenth level is probably the limit of my potential at the Realm Lord stage. I can't compare with those geniuses!"
Carl felt a little melancholy too. It was only after joining the Axe Fighting Arena that they'd realized there was always someone better. The talent they'd once been so proud of was nothing in the face of true geniuses. Of course, that was only when comparing themselves to the very best. Compared with the countless Realm Lords of the Human Race, they were still extraordinarily strong. After all, their Comprehension at the Fourteenth Layer of the Sky Bridge surpassed that of the vast majority of Immortal Experts in the Human Race.
After that, the two chatted idly while continuing to watch Gulanxiu's trial.
Another twenty days passed in the blink of an eye. The Snake Human Race youth suddenly said, "Look, that kid's been hurt!"
Carl nodded. "Yeah. Looks like the third stage of the Fifth Tower is his limit."
On the screen, Gulanxiu was surrounded by hundreds of Gyro Tribe Warriors. Each of them had made considerable progress in Gold Law, and their bodies were incredibly hard. Gulanxiu couldn't kill them with a single swing of his axe.
Under the Gyro Tribe Warriors' assault, one of Gulanxiu's arms had been severed at the shoulder, slowing him down somewhat. After killing more than five hundred of them, he finally couldn't hold out any longer and was killed by the remaining warriors.
In the room, Gulanxiu slowly opened his eyes. After his consciousness left the Virtual Universe, he murmured, "That really is amazing. Fighting in the Virtual Universe feels almost exactly like fighting in the real world. Even the pain of dying feels almost identical!"
That was right—this was Gulanxiu's first time fighting in the Virtual Universe. He was only a Planetary Level native of a backwater planet and had never encountered the Virtual Universe before. Then he'd become a slave, leaving him with even less chance to access it. The first time he connected to the Virtual Universe was with the Light Brain Carl had given him.
Besides, Gulanxiu had no money and was too embarrassed to ask Carl for more, so he hadn't tried out many of the Virtual Universe's features. It was only through this assessment that he finally got to experience its wonders.
Gulanxiu shook his head and slowly walked out of the room. Carl was still waiting for him! He couldn't keep the Realm Lord Expert who had helped him so much waiting.
As soon as he stepped out of the room, Gulanxiu saw Carl standing beside a Snake Human Race youth, both of them smiling.
Carl said to Gulanxiu, "Gulanxiu! Congratulations on passing the assessment and becoming a genius of the Axe Fighting Arena's Fourth Secret Realm! This is my friend, Realm Lord Qianmo. He's also a Realm Lord member of the Axe Fighting Arena's Fourth Secret Realm. He just watched your trial too, and he thinks highly of your talent."
Gulanxiu quickly bowed to the Snake Human Race youth, Qianmo. "Thank you, Lord Qianmo!"
Qianmo nodded. "No need to thank me. Your talent is indeed impressive. If you work hard at cultivation, you might make it into the Third Secret Realm or even the Second Secret Realm someday!"
Seeing Gulanxiu's puzzled expression, Carl explained, "Gulanxiu! Let me tell you about the ranks of core members in the Axe Fighting Arena!"
Before you continue