Leaving

Chaos City Lord looked at Qin Ming, his tone solemn. "Qin Ming, your talent is unmatched in all my life. You have a great chance of becoming one of the pillars of Humanity in the future.

But the universe is far more dangerous than you can imagine. Your senior brother Kedi could kill a Marquis Immortal even while he was a World Lord.

Yet in the end, he died before even becoming an Immortal. I don't want you to meet the same fate. Having clones is like having several extra lives!

This Star Crystal Beast is the first gift I've prepared for you to increase your chances of survival. You may choose to possess it and make it the source of your clone."

Qin Ming's heart trembled. How difficult it must have been to find and capture a Special Lifeform with such a precious Clone Talent, and what a price it must have taken.

Chaos City Lord's actions clearly showed how much he expected of him.

"Thank you for this generous gift, Master!" Qin Ming bowed solemnly, warmth surging through his heart.

This gift meant a great deal to him.

Although he had a Jin World clone, that clone was bound by the rules of Jin World and could not leave.

If he could also have one or even several clones in the Primal Universe, he would be far more at ease, whether training, adventuring, or facing danger.

"Take it. What you do with it is up to you." Chaos City Lord pushed the ball of light toward Qin Ming.

"Remember, clones are useful, but your own strength is what matters most. Don't rely too much on external things and lose your drive to keep advancing."

"This disciple will remember your teachings, Master!" Qin Ming accepted the ball of light containing that precious life with both hands.

Back in the quiet room of his courtyard, Qin Ming did not immediately possess the sealed Star Crystal Beast.

Chaos City Lord had used his great power to completely restrain the Special Lifeform, plunging it into a deep sleep with its life force reduced to the barest whisper.

It would be easy for Qin Ming to possess it—even if he were only an ordinary Planetary Level fighter, let alone a Universe Level fighter now.

But he didn't.

Possessing the Star Crystal Beast would mean abandoning his current Human body, which he had cultivated for decades, and transferring his entire soul origin into the beast's body.

From then on, he would exist in the form of a Special Lifeform known as the "Star Crystal Beast."

That was clearly out of the question.

The thirty-year period had ended, and Venerable Tianyu, who was responsible for escorting this batch of geniuses, would soon arrive in Chaos City to take them back to Virtual Universe Company Headquarters.

Although he was Chaos City Lord's personal disciple and held a lofty status, he still had to follow the basic rules and procedures.

He couldn't return among the Human geniuses in the form of a Star Crystal Beast.

Qin Ming had already made up his mind. He would wait until they reached Virtual Universe Company Headquarters and he was settled in before possessing the beast.

Then, he would use the Star Crystal Beast to create his first clone.

As for what form his first clone should take...

"Golden Horned Behemoth?" The name immediately sprang to Qin Ming's mind.

As Luo Feng's signature clone in the original Swallowed Star, the Golden Horned Behemoth was undoubtedly one of the best choices.

It had peak bloodline, enormous growth potential, and its own Innate Secret Techniques. Its Internal World and Clone Talent, in particular, were practically heaven-defying for an early-stage cultivator.

But Qin Ming soon shook his head. The Golden Horned Behemoth was excellent, but its Gene Level was relatively fixed and its path of growth fairly predictable.

For someone like him, who already had a Jin World clone and had ambitions far beyond the ordinary, it might not be the most perfect or unique choice.

"No rush... Once I reach Headquarters, I can look through the Virtual Universe Company's treasury. Perhaps I'll find a life gene sample that's more suitable, rarer, and has greater potential."

He carefully stowed away the ball of light containing the Star Crystal Beast, placing it in the deepest part of his World Ring.

A towering spacecraft flew steadily through the chaotic currents of the Initial Universe.

Inside the ship, in a magnificent hall.

"Reporting, Venerable." A King Rank Immortal respectfully addressed Venerable Tianyu, who was seated at the head of the hall.

"Of the 1,000 geniuses selected this time, 793 remain alive after thirty years of cultivation in Chaos City."

Venerable Tianyu gave a slight nod. That survival rate was within his expectations.

"The most outstanding among them is Qin Ming," the King Rank Immortal continued.

"He has passed the ninth level of the Heavenly Bridge."

A glimmer of light flashed in Venerable Tianyu's eyes.

The ninth level of the Heavenly Bridge!

That achievement would leave those geniuses far behind, even after thirty years in Chaos City—let alone those in the Primal Secret Realm, who were Universe Level now.

He knew, of course, that Chaos City Lord had already taken Qin Ming as his personal disciple. His "progress" seemed astonishing, but given that monster's talent, it was only natural. He might even be holding back.

"The others have performed rather averagely," the King Rank Immortal said evenly.

"Only two managed to pass the third level of the Heavenly Bridge."

"Alas..." Venerable Tianyu sighed softly, his voice echoing through the hall.

"I truly don't know whether this batch got extremely lucky or extremely unlucky."

"Lucky, because they produced a peerless genius like Qin Ming, someone who might not appear even once in ten million eras.

"Unlucky... because apart from him, the rest really were unremarkable, falling far short of the average in previous batches."

As the Venerable in charge of this Genius Tournament, these geniuses were all nominally under his name.

Producing a disciple like Qin Ming would undoubtedly be a tremendous honor and achievement.

Unfortunately, Chaos City Lord had taken Qin Ming directly, so that "credit" had little to do with him.

And the remaining geniuses... simply failed to stir much interest in him.

"Qin Ming has a boundless future, but he has nothing to do with me," Venerable Tianyu said indifferently.

"As for the others... send them to their respective secret realms as usual. Whether they accomplish anything will depend on their own fortunes."

"Yes, Venerable." The King Rank Immortal accepted the order.

"Prepare to depart!"

A voice suddenly echoed in Qin Ming's mind.

Qin Ming controlled his eyes and saw Ruoxi from the neighboring courtyard rise into the air, flying toward a spacecraft hovering in the sky.

Apparently, she had heard the same announcement.

At that, Qin Ming took off as well.

At the same time, nearly eight hundred people flew from all over Chaos City toward the spacecraft.

After passing through that strange passageway where the flow of time was distorted, the spacecraft finally broke free of the Initial Universe and entered the vast, boundless Primal Universe.

"We have left the Initial Universe."

Venerable Tianyu did not appear. Instead, one of the King Rank Immortals under his command addressed them.

"The peaceful cultivation you enjoyed in Chaos City—the safest and most comfortable stage of your training—is officially over!"

His gaze swept across the nearly eight hundred geniuses below, whose expressions ranged from excitement and nervousness to confusion.

"Next, you will be divided into four groups and sent to the Primal Secret Realm, Primordial Secret Realm, Heaven and Earth Secret Realm, and End-of-the-World Secret Realm."

"Your days ahead will no longer be as peaceful and comfortable as they were in Chaos City. What awaits you is real training in the universe, exploration of secret realms, and life-or-death missions! Good luck."

"I hope that when I see you again... at least half of you will still be alive."

As his voice fell, the spacecraft began to slow down.