Joining the Virtual Universe Company

"Lord Ming Yu!" The others bowed again.

"Your bloodlines are relatively low-grade, which makes it much harder for you to break through and evolve—far more difficult than it is for those with high-grade bloodlines. But if you use a Bloodline Evolution Agent to improve your bloodlines, it will be much more effective and may also let you go further on your path in the future..."

"An Evolution Agent?" Hong asked.

Babata explained the Evolution Agent to Luo Feng in his mind, while Ming Yu introduced its effects and origins to the others.

"The Evolution Agent is made by the Virtual Universe Company," Ming Yu said with a smile. "But it's a restricted item, and very little of it circulates outside the company. Even if you had the means to buy one, the price would be astronomical—even for me. But if you join the Virtual Universe Company, it can provide Evolution Agents for free to its members, especially its absolute elites."

"Free?" Luo Feng and the others were taken aback.

"That's right, free!" Ming Yu looked at them. "The Virtual Universe Company searches for talented elites across many Universe Kingdoms, and all of you qualify as talents."

He pointed at Luo Feng. "You have exceptionally strong consciousness."

Then he turned to Thunder God. "You're impressive too. A Planetary Level Nine who possesses a domain."

Next, he looked at Hong. "You're even stronger than they are. You're only a Planetary Level Eight, yet you already possess a Triple Domain. Your comprehension is remarkable!"

Finally, he looked at Yin Congyang. "Of course, you're the most impressive of all. You're only a Planetary Level Two, yet you've comprehended domains of two different laws. It's truly astonishing."

"You two," he said, looking at Luo Feng and Thunder God, "qualify as Third Grade Elites under our evaluation system."

"And you," he said to Hong, "can be classified as a First Grade Elite."

At last, he looked at Yin Congyang, a barely perceptible fervor in his eyes. "You can be classified as a Special-Class Elite. It's rare for even a high-level civilization's Universe Kingdom to produce one..."

Luo Feng and Thunder God were at a loss for words.

"Earlier, I arranged for two people to fight you." Ming Yu pointed at the screen, where footage of their earlier battles appeared. "The Virtual Universe Company trains talented elites in four grades: Special-Class, First Grade, Second Grade, and Third Grade. That's how our Black Dragon Mountain Branch classifies them. The standards at headquarters are even stricter. By the way, I still don't know your names."

"Hong."

"Thunder God."

"Luo Feng."

"Yin Congyang."

The four of them introduced themselves in turn.

"Once you join, Luo Feng and Thunder God, you'll each receive a Bloodline Evolution Agent for free. Hong, you'll receive an S-Type Bloodline Evolution Agent... Yin Congyang, you'll receive an SS-Type Bloodline Evolution Agent." Ming Yu looked at them. "Are you willing to join the Virtual Universe Company?"

They exchanged glances. Hong asked Ming Yu, "Lord Ming Yu, I'd like to know what we'd have to do if we joined the Virtual Universe Company. What obligations would we have?"

"At first, your strength will be low, and the company will be training you, so its rules will be strict. You'll have to follow its orders, train, and undergo life-or-death trials. But as your strength grows, your privileges will increase. The stronger you become, the more freedom you'll have. You'll only need to take action when necessary!"

Hong, Thunder God, and Luo Feng hesitated. As Earth's top powerhouses, Hong and Thunder God had even founded their own martial arts schools. It would be hard for them to accept strict management. And from what Ming Yu had said, they would probably have to leave Earth for many years—perhaps they wouldn't be able to return for the entire time they were at the Star Level. They still had families and many other ties on Earth.

Seeing their hesitation, Ming Yu sighed inwardly and was about to speak.

Yin Congyang cupped his hands toward Ming Yu. "Lord Ming Yu, could you give us brothers some time to discuss this?"

"Oh!" Ming Yu's eyes lit up. "Of course. You can talk here. I happen to need to go downstairs for a bit..."

He gave Yin Congyang a hopeful glance, then turned and went downstairs, closing the door behind him.

Yin Congyang looked at Luo Feng and the others, thought for a moment, then said, "Brother Hong, Brother Lei, Luo Feng, I expect you'll find it hard to accept the Virtual Universe Company's strict management. And this could last for hundreds of years. You have family and too many other ties on Earth; I'm afraid you can't leave for that long.

"Besides, we can't all leave Earth at once. Earth is our home planet, and someone has to protect it. But as the saying goes, we shouldn't put all our eggs in one basket. We need to pursue different paths: some can stay on Earth, some can venture into the universe and risk their lives, and some can join its major powers. This kind of diversified approach is the best fit for us.

"I have no ties left on Earth. Though I'm reluctant, by nature, to accept strict management, I believe that will change as my strength grows.

"Also, the Bloodline Evolution Agents Lord Ming Yu mentioned are important to us. But unless we become internal members, we can't get them for free, and we'll lose this opportunity. Bloodline Evolution Agents are definitely more effective when used at a lower level. If we wait until our strength grows, they may not work as well. And using them now will help us grow stronger faster.

"...I suspect there are external members as well as internal ones. Even if we can choose to become external members, internal members get them for free, while external members will have to pay—and the price probably won't be low. The money we got from selling the Arc Blade Disc wouldn't be enough even if we hadn't spent most of it.

"If I become an internal member, I'd like to see if I can borrow money from Lord Ming Yu as a company member and buy the Bloodline Evolution Agents you need first. You could pay him back once you have the money. That way, we could all use them without everyone having to join the Virtual Universe Company as internal members. What do you think?"

After hearing Yin Congyang out, the other three fell silent.

What Yin Congyang said made sense. The four of them couldn't stay together forever. As their paths and rates of progress diverged, their strength would inevitably differ. In the end, pursuing their own paths would be the best choice.

They were simply making that choice a little earlier.

Hong nodded. "Congyang is right. The four of us can venture into the universe together at first, but as our circumstances diverge, we'll eventually have to make our own way. We're just facing our first choice now. Lord Ming Yu was right earlier: the strong must walk a path of life-and-death adventure. So I've decided that once we leave the Virtual Universe, I'll venture into the universe and seek adventure.

"I don't want strict management, and I don't want to be away from Earth for a long time, so I won't become an internal member. But I support Congyang's idea. We need different directions, different paths—or, to put it another way, we should leave ourselves another option.

"As for the Bloodline Evolution Agent, it'd be best if we could get it the way Congyang suggested. If not, we don't need to force it. We should trust that we can keep moving forward on our own, and that nothing can stop us!"

Thunder God and Luo Feng nodded silently. At that moment, Babata appeared, sounding exasperated. "Do you have any idea what you're giving up? This is the Virtual Universe Company, one of the five pinnacle powers of the entire Human Race! And do you know how precious the Bloodline Evolution Agent is? Luo Feng doesn't want to join, and neither do you. Sigh, you'll regret this... Yin Congyang, I support you. You're doing the right thing. I believe in you!"

Yin Congyang smiled. "Babata, everyone has the right to choose their own path. Who knows what the future holds for Hong, Brother Lei, and Luo Feng, given their talents and potential? There's no need—and no reason—to reach a conclusion now."

They fell silent. A little while later, footsteps sounded outside, and Ming Yu came back in.

"Thank you for giving us time to discuss this, Lord Ming Yu," Yin Congyang said.

Ming Yu smiled magnanimously, with a hint of anticipation. "It was nothing. So, what did you brothers decide?"

Yin Congyang said solemnly, "Lord Ming Yu, apart from becoming internal members, is there another way to join the Virtual Universe Company?"

"Of course," Ming Yu replied. "The Virtual Universe Company has internal and external members. Internal members get many benefits, but face stricter management. External members have more freedom, but far fewer benefits."

"Then do external members have permission to buy Bloodline Evolution Agents?" Yin Congyang asked.

Ming Yu smiled. "They do, but they aren't free. If you become external members, you won't get one for free, but you can buy one. You can even get a discount on your first purchase. The first Bloodline Evolution Agent costs one hundred million Ganwu Coins."

Yin Congyang glanced at the other three, then smiled at Ming Yu. "Lord Ming Yu, if I choose to join the Virtual Universe Company as an internal member, you should receive some benefits for discovering me, right?"

Ming Yu laughed heartily and gave Yin Congyang an approving look. "That's right. I won't hide it from you: discovering and recruiting a Special-Class Elite earns points, and quite a lot of them. Those points are important to me—so what's your decision?"

"Lord Ming Yu, I choose to join the Virtual Universe Company as an internal member. My brothers can join as external members." Yin Congyang looked a little embarrassed. "But we don't have the money to buy the Bloodline Evolution Agents. I have a favor to ask: could I borrow three hundred million Ganwu Coins from you and repay you one billion Ganwu Coins within a hundred years? Would you be willing to help?"

"Oh, that? No problem at all! Hahaha!" Ming Yu looked delighted. "As long as you join the Virtual Universe Company as an internal member, I can lend you three hundred million Ganwu Coins. Just pay it back within a hundred years. There's no need to include interest."

"And," he added after thinking for a moment, "I admire you, Yin Congyang. I believe your talent and character will take you far. So I'll make you a promise—or you could call it a deal for the future. I can help you once before you reach the Universe Level. In return, once you become a Domain Lord, if I need your help, you'll help me once. How does that sound?"

"Thank you for making this possible, Lord Ming Yu." Yin Congyang was overjoyed. He then said solemnly, "Rest assured, Lord Ming Yu. If I, Yin Congyang, ever reach the Domain Lord level or higher, then whenever you need me, I'll go through fire and water for you without hesitation!"