The Four Great Secret Realms

Cal explained, "The core of the Axe Fighting Arena also has a hierarchy, from top to bottom: the First Secret Realm, Second Secret Realm, Third Secret Realm, and Fourth Secret Realm. The First Secret Realm is also called the Axe Secret Realm. Though all are part of the core, the treatment and benefits are worlds apart!"

Gulanxiu nodded. The division into four secret realms was the same as the Virtual Universe Company, but the names fit the Giant Axe Founder's personality—simple and blunt, just like his secret techniques.

Cal continued, "Since you've just joined the core of the Axe Fighting Arena and haven't cleared the trial tower, you're a member of the Fourth Secret Realm, ranked last among the Universe-level members."

"Ranked?" Gulanxiu asked, puzzled, waiting for Cal's explanation. In the original story, geniuses in the same secret realm of the Virtual Universe Company weren't ranked, so he had no idea what this ranking was for.

Cal smiled. "The members of the four core secret realms aren't fixed. When a vacancy opens in a higher secret realm, it's filled by the top-ranked member of the next lower realm. For example, the Universe-level First Secret Realm has three spots. If one dies or breaks through to Domain Lord, the first-ranked member of the Second Secret Realm moves up, and so on. New members always start at the bottom of their secret realm's ranking."

"How do you improve your rank?" Gulanxiu asked. Since there was a ranking, there had to be a way to rise, or it would be meaningless.

"One way is moving up when someone ahead of you is gone. The other is through challenges," Cal said calmly. "The Axe Fighting Arena is different from the Virtual Universe Company. They use qualification battles in the virtual universe to decide promotions and demotions. We don't have that. To advance, you challenge the strong. Universe-level members get one challenge opportunity every hundred years. You can only challenge those ahead of you, not behind. Higher-ranked members can't refuse. If you win, you swap ranks with the challenged.

And this challenge isn't limited by secret realm. In theory, you could even challenge the first-ranked member of the First Secret Realm."

"Doesn't that seem unfair to the challenged? They gain nothing from winning and get demoted if they lose," Gulanxiu asked, confused.

"Those in higher secret realms enjoy better resources. Isn't winning their duty?" Cal explained. "Though the challenged can't refuse, they can choose the combat method."

"There are two methods. One is a virtual battle, where both sides use the same physical stats and restricted weapons in the virtual universe. It mainly tests law comprehension and secret techniques.

The other is a life-and-death battle. You report to your superiors, and a strong overseer watches a real-world duel to the death. The winner lives, the loser dies. In a life-and-death battle, you can't use tech weapons or self-made potions and puppets, but everything else is allowed. For example, the Flame God Race you fought—at the same level, their foundation is stronger than ordinary humans, giving them an edge in such battles.

So challengers usually need confidence in both law comprehension and real combat power before challenging stronger opponents. Otherwise, dying in a life-and-death battle would just be overreaching."

Gulanxiu finally understood. In essence, the Axe Fighting Arena was raising monsters. They didn't care about the lives of ordinary geniuses. Over endless time, even countless World Lords dying didn't matter—whether in battle or from natural limits.

The strong who survived this slaughter were the ones the Arena valued.

Compared to the Virtual Universe Company's gentler nurturing, the Axe Fighting Arena was far more bloody and brutal.

Of course, this was clear from the Arena's various Axe Fights at every level. They wanted to weed out the weak and select the strong through endless killing.

As for the loss of the weak, it might earn sympathy but wouldn't affect humanity's overall combat power.

After a pause to let Gulanxiu digest the info, Cal continued, "New members or those just promoted have a safety period during which challenges are forbidden. For Universe-level, it's a hundred years; Domain Lord, a thousand; World Lord, ten thousand. Since you're last in the Fourth Secret Realm, no one can challenge you anyway."

Gulanxiu was speechless.

Cal ignored his reaction and went on, "I've already applied for a ship for you. It'll arrive in half a year to take you to the Initial Universe. Train here until then. I've arranged everything. Qianmo and I have other matters, so we'll leave now."

Gulanxiu nodded. "Thank you for everything, Lord Cal."

Cal smiled. "Don't mention it. I benefited too. And if you become a World Lord someday, we might fight side by side."

With that, he and the snake-human youth Qianmo departed.

At the same time, an email from the Axe Fighting Arena arrived on Gulanxiu's optical computer.

"Greetings, Gulanxiu! Congratulations on passing the assessment and becoming a member of the Fourth Secret Realm of the Axe Fighting Arena. Your current rank is D5404. From now on, please do not travel far. The company has dispatched a ship to take you to the Initial Universe, estimated arrival in 192 days."

Seeing this email, Gulanxiu breathed a sigh of relief. After centuries in this world, he was finally safe for now. His only task was to improve himself. Challenging higher secret realms wasn't on his mind.

After all, his talent was mediocre. At the Star-level, compared to the geniuses in the original Virtual Universe Company's talent war, he was only at the level of the Heaven Secret Realm or the Doom Secret Realm. With the Arena's promotion system, rising to higher secret realms would be tough. He only had one life; he couldn't aim too high.

With this talent, becoming an Immortal without chasing the peak shouldn't be too hard, but becoming a Venerable was nearly impossible, let alone a Universe Master or True God later.

So why not just work hard to become an Immortal, then lie low and wait for Luo Feng to show up and latch onto his coattails?

It might disgrace the reputation of a Blue Star transmigrator, but what could he do without a cheat? The withered seed that crossed over with him in his sea of consciousness had no manual, and it hadn't stirred in all these years.

He just didn't know how far off the original story's start was. It probably felt distant, since the Yan God Race hadn't split from humanity yet.