Leaving Chaos City

Raging Waves Island.

Public area, Ten Thousand Languages Pavilion.

Dozens of young people were gathered in a private room, some standing, some sitting.

Seven or eight were huddled together, making a ruckus.

Others were chatting.

There were also two or three pairs drinking glass after glass in a contest.

Li Dui set down his glass, leaned back against his chair, and turned to the girl with the air-hole markings beside him. "Fine. Once we're at the Battle Axe Secret Realm, we'll be living close by anyway. Just give me a shout when the time comes."

Just moments ago, this girl, Pananan, had asked if Li Dui could spare some time to guide her in the cultivation of her secret techniques.

Since they were already on good terms, Li Dui naturally agreed.

Of the dozens of people in the room, over a dozen were indeed close friends of his. He had cleared the third level of the Heavenly Bridge and was the fourth person in their batch to do so.

That was why the group had egged him on to treat them to a round.

As for the others, some were not particularly close to Li Dui but were friends with those who were, while others had simply wanted to get to know him and had tagged along.

After three rounds of drinks and a collective celebration for Li Dui, everyone dispersed to enjoy themselves.

They were all young people.

Yes, here, this group of Universe Rank powerhouses who had lived for hundreds of years were still considered young. One might even say young to the point of being naive.

Every so often, someone would run over to share a drink with Li Dui.

They had specifically ordered alcohol potent enough to intoxicate even a Universe Rank powerhouse. After several rounds, Li Dui was starting to feel dizzy.

Jie Kui walked over, clutching a bottle of liquor. Li Dui raised his hands high and shouted, "Big Brother! Big Brother! I was wrong, okay?"

"What, now that you've cleared the third level, you look down on me? You won't give me face?" Jie Kui said fiercely.

"Big Brother, how much have I already drunk with you?" He picked up his glass to catch the pour. "Besides, you're a top-tier genius of the War Axe Secret Realm. Why would I need to give you face?"

"Hahaha." The surrounding crowd was amused by Li Dui's two-part retort.

Jie Kui, who had been about to stop after filling more than half of Li Dui's glass, shook his hand and filled it to the brim.

"Drink!" Jie Kui roared.

The control of a Universe Rank powerhouse was no joke. The glass reached his lips steadily, and he downed it in one gulp.

Seeing Jie Kui reaching to pour more, Li Dui hurriedly waved his hand. "Brother, I really can't drink any more. I have to go to the Chaos Stele in a bit."

Jie Kui stopped upon hearing this, a look of envy appearing in his eyes. He was a genius who had only narrowly missed entering the Mad Axe Secret Realm. Compared to those in the Battle Axe Secret Realm, he was theoretically a level stronger.

Yet, it was to no avail. The final results of this batch of geniuses after thirty years in Chaos City were quite normal: one person had cleared the fourth level, and five had cleared the third.

Of the nine people in the Mad Axe Secret Realm, only four had cleared the third level of the Heavenly Bridge.

The only anomaly was Li Dui. When this guy first arrived, he was at the very bottom, ranking around 300th when he cleared the first level. By the time he reached the second level, he was already around 100th. In the end, he became the fourth person in this batch to clear the third level.

This speed of progress was truly enviable.

From the perspective of these geniuses, one extra opportunity to contemplate the Chaos Stele meant a major breakthrough. As for when they would get another chance to contemplate the stele, nobody knew.

In front of the bronze doors of the Giant Axe Chaos Stele cultivation chamber.

Several young people sat on the floor. Each of them had their eyes closed, adjusting their state of mind.

This was the final contemplation session before leaving Chaos City. To ensure no one missed their chance due to scheduling conflicts, this session had been uniformly arranged for a fixed time.

As the bronze doors slowly creaked open, Kandeli's voice drifted over: "The time has come. Everyone, go in."

The group stood up, offered a chaotic chorus of thanks, and rushed through the doors impatiently.

Inside the cultivation chamber, everyone found a spot to sit and began their contemplation. These were the geniuses who had cleared the second level of the Giant Axe Heavenly Bridge at the last moment and earned the right to contemplate the stele.

Unlike the others, Li Dui came here partly for the sake of appearances. If you have an opportunity and don't take it, that would be suspicious.

His main goal, however, was the set of secret techniques hidden within the third diagram on the Chaos Stele.

If one were to purchase such a thing using points in the Virtual Universe system, the price would be terrifyingly high.

Naturally, he had to get his hands on such a treasure.

Over the years, Li Dui had already "created" corresponding blade techniques based on the hidden secrets in the first and second diagrams. Using similar methods, he had even created a few sets from scratch.

Aside from one set corresponding to the first diagram that could barely unleash the intended power of the laws, the others were useless—the kind where you were better off just swinging your blade normally.

But there was no other way. Creating secret techniques remained the path Li Dui was determined to walk. Only what he created himself would be the most suitable for him.

Once Li Dui entered his state of focus, he was formidable. Compared to when he had first reached the Universe Rank, his speed of contemplation had increased significantly.

Simply watching the Chaos Stele to comprehend the secret techniques contained within was extremely difficult. It was merely an exposition. Only after the contemplator truly understood it would they realize that these insights could seemingly be combined into a set of secret techniques.

It was far more difficult than having a manual dedicated to a specific technique placed in front of you to study bit by bit.

As for this set in the third diagram, according to Li Dui's understanding, it was based on the laws of the ninth level of the Heavenly Bridge, capable of unleashing power sufficient to defeat the gatekeeper of the tenth level.

The tenth level already represented the law comprehension of an Immortal. Reaching this stage was no easy feat.

The chaotic aura surged within the secret chamber.

At a certain moment, a look of joy appeared in Li Dui's eyes.

So that's how it is.

He had realized it.

This secret technique was essentially in his pocket. Once he returned and spent some time practicing it, his Giant Axe Third Blade would be complete.

He couldn't wait to simulate in his mind how to execute this strike, how to infuse the laws, and how to coordinate the earth and space laws. How could he ensure the power was perfectly concentrated?

"Come out." "Come out." "Come out."

Kandeli's voice rang out like a demonic incantation.

The people in the secret chamber rushed out, grimacing in pain.

Upon reaching the doorway, everyone still smiled and thanked Kandeli before bidding him farewell.

At this moment, there was still one full day left before they had to leave Chaos City.

After returning to his residence and logging into the Virtual Universe to practice the secret technique for half a day, Li Dui unhurriedly tidied up the place where he had lived for nearly thirty years.

He couldn't help but sigh with emotion. Before coming to this world, he hadn't even lived for thirty years in total.

He took one last look at the rooftop, then turned, soared into the air, and transformed into a streak of light, shooting straight toward the horizon.

The headquarters of the Giant Axe Martial Arena in the universe.

A large group of young people gathered on the plaza of the floating spaceport.

An Immortal God spoke in a booming voice: "Du Ke of the God Origin Secret Realm, wait here for the Venerable. You will depart with the Venerable shortly."

"Members of the Mad Axe Secret Realm, go over there and board that silver triangular spaceship."

"Those from the War Axe Secret Realm, see that blue disc-shaped spaceship opposite? Go on."

"Those from the Battle Axe Secret Realm, see that large one? The gray one."

The 877 geniuses naturally divided into three queues.

Friends who knew each other but were headed toward different destinations bid each other farewell. With the existence of the Virtual Universe, people didn't feel such heavy sorrow at parting.

After laughing, joking, and exchanging words of encouragement or playful jabs, everyone stepped onto their respective paths.