Leaving

Chaos City Lord looked at Qin Ming, his tone grave. "Qin Ming, your talent is like nothing I have ever seen in my life. You have great potential to become one of the pillars of humanity's future."

"But the universe is far more perilous than you can imagine. Your senior brother, Kedi, could slay Marquis-level immortals even at the Domain Lord stage."

"Yet in the end, he died before even becoming an immortal. I do not wish for you to follow the same path. Possessing a clone means gaining multiple lives!"

"This Star Crystal Beast is the first gift I, your teacher, have prepared for you—a trump card 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. To seek out and capture such a rare special lifeform with the precious talent of cloning—how difficult was that? What price must have been paid?

Chaos City Lord's actions undoubtedly placed immense hope in him.

"Many thanks for your generous gift, Master!" Qin Ming bowed solemnly, a warm current surging in his heart.

This gift held extraordinary significance for him.

Though he possessed a clone in the Jin World, that clone was bound by the rules of that realm and could not leave.

If he could also have one or even multiple clones in the Primal Universe, whether for training, adventure, or facing crises, he would have far more leeway.

"Take it. How you handle it is up to you." Chaos City Lord pushed the orb of light toward Qin Ming.

"Remember, though clones are good, the foundation still lies in yourself. Do not become overly reliant on external things and lose your drive for bold advancement."

"Your disciple will keep your teachings firmly in mind!" Qin Ming received the orb containing the precious lifeform with both hands.

Returning to his own courtyard meditation room, Qin Ming did not immediately attempt to possess the sealed Star Crystal Beast.

This special lifeform had been thoroughly imprisoned by Chaos City Lord's great means, plunged into a deep slumber with its life force suppressed to the barest minimum.

Let alone Qin Ming, who was now at the Star level—even an ordinary Planetary level could easily complete the possession.

But he did not.

Possessing the Star Crystal Beast meant he would abandon his current human body, cultivated for decades, and transfer his soul origin entirely into the beast's form.

From then on, he would exist as a "Star Crystal Beast"—a special lifeform.

That clearly wouldn't do.

The thirty-year term had ended. Tianyu Venerable, the venerable responsible for escorting this batch of geniuses, was about to arrive at Chaos City to lead them back to the Virtual Universe Company headquarters.

Though he was Chaos City Lord's personal disciple, honored and esteemed, he still had to follow basic procedural rules.

He couldn't return mixed in with the human geniuses in the form of a Star Crystal Beast.

Qin Ming had already made up his mind. He planned to wait until he arrived at the Virtual Universe Company headquarters and settled in before performing the possession.

At that time, he would use the Star Crystal Beast to nurture his first clone.

As for what form that first clone would take...

"Golden Horned Behemoth?" A name immediately surfaced in Qin Ming's mind.

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

It possessed a peak bloodline, immense growth potential, innate secret techniques, and especially its internal world and cloning talent—which were practically heaven-defying for early-stage cultivators.

But Qin Ming quickly shook his head. Though the Golden Horned Behemoth was good, its genetic level was relatively fixed, and its growth path was fairly clear.

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

"No rush... Once I reach headquarters, I'll consult the Virtual Universe Company's treasury. Perhaps I'll find a more suitable, rarer life gene sample with greater potential."

He carefully stored the orb containing the sealed Star Crystal Beast, placing it in the deepest part of his World Ring.

A majestic spaceship flew steadily through the chaotic currents of the Initial Universe.

Inside the ship, in a grand hall.

"Reporting to the Venerable." A Marquis-level immortal respectfully addressed Tianyu Venerable, who sat in the seat of honor.

"Of the 1,000 geniuses selected this term, after thirty years of secluded training in Chaos City, 793 currently survive."

Tianyu Venerable nodded slightly. This survival rate was within expectations.

"The most outstanding among them is Qin Ming," the Marquis-level immortal continued.

"He has already passed the ninth floor of the Heavenly Bridge."

A faint, barely perceptible gleam flickered in Tianyu Venerable's eyes.

The ninth floor of the Heavenly Bridge!

This achievement—not just within thirty years in Chaos City, but even among the current Star level Primal Secret Realm geniuses—would leave them far behind.

He naturally knew that Qin Ming had long been taken as a personal disciple by Chaos City Lord. This "progress," though seemingly astonishing, was actually normal given that monster's talent—perhaps even held back.

"The rest performed rather ordinarily," the Marquis-level immortal said calmly.

"Only two have passed the third floor of the Heavenly Bridge."

"Alas..." Tianyu Venerable let out a soft sigh, his voice echoing through the hall.

"This generation, I truly don't know whether to say their luck is extremely good or extremely bad."

"On the good side, there's Qin Ming—a monstrous prodigy unseen in ten million eras."

"On the bad side... aside from him, the performances of the rest are indeed unremarkable, far below the average of previous generations."

As the presiding venerable of this Genius Tournament, these geniuses were nominally all under his name.

Being able to nurture a disciple like Qin Ming was undoubtedly a great honor and achievement.

Unfortunately, Qin Ming had already been taken away directly by Chaos City Lord, leaving this "credit" largely unrelated to him.

As for the remaining geniuses... they hardly stirred much interest in him.

"Qin Ming's future is boundless, but it has nothing to do with me." Tianyu Venerable's tone was indifferent.

"As for the rest... following protocol, they'll be sent to their respective secret realms. Whether they achieve anything depends on their own fortune."

"Yes, Venerable." The King-level Immortal acknowledged the order.

"Prepare to depart!"

A voice suddenly echoed in Qin Ming's mind.

Qin Ming focused his eyes and saw Ruoxi from the neighboring courtyard soaring into the sky, flying toward a spaceship floating in the air.

Clearly, she had heard the same voice.

With that, Qin Ming also leaped into the air.

At the same time, nearly eight hundred people flew from all corners of Chaos City toward that spaceship.

After traversing that bizarre passage of chaotic time flow, the spaceship finally broke free from the confines of the Initial Universe and entered the boundless Primal Universe.

"We have left the Initial Universe."

Tianyu Venerable did not appear; instead, a King-level Immortal under his command stepped forward.

"This marks the official end of your cultivation in Chaos City—the safest, most comfortable stage of training!"

His gaze swept over the nearly eight hundred geniuses below, their expressions varied—some excited, some tense, some lost.

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

"From now on, life will no longer be as peaceful and comfortable as it was in Chaos City. What awaits you are true cosmic trials, secret realm explorations, and life-or-death missions! Good luck to you all."

"I hope the next time I see you... at least half of you are still alive."

As his words fell, the spaceship began to decelerate.