External Members

Lion Sha stepped forward and asked, "Lord Man Luo, what will I need to do after joining the Virtual Universe Company?"

"After joining the Virtual Universe Company, your strength will be relatively weak in the early stages. The company will provide you with systematic training, and management will be correspondingly strict. You must obey arrangements, participate in training, and complete various life-and-death trials. But as your strength increases, your authority will gradually expand as well."

Man Luo explained softly.

As soon as he finished speaking, Lion Sha hesitated.

He had once been the lord of a planet, living freely and without restraint back home. He had ventured into the universe precisely because he found life boring there—how could he stand being controlled at every turn?

Bai Yuan spoke even more directly. "Lord Man Luo, I would like to apply to become an external member."

Man Luo looked at him, as though he had expected this all along.

"As expected. You come from the Blade Clan, so there is indeed no need for you to join a branch of the Virtual Universe Company."

True powerhouses always yearned for freedom and were unwilling to be bound by rules.

After all, the Blade Clan itself was an Immortal Realm faction. With the talent Bai Yuan had displayed, he would certainly receive focused training upon returning to his clan. He would not lack resources or secret techniques.

And that was indeed the case. The World Lord Level Secret Techniques and Immortal Realm secret techniques Bai Yuan currently possessed were enough to make countless powerhouses green with envy.

Those Universe Realm powerhouses might not even possess a single World Lord Level Secret Technique, much less an Immortal Realm secret technique.

Just like that, Bai Yuan successfully became an external member of the Virtual Universe Company.

Beside him, Lion Sha seemed conflicted. After pondering for a while, he finally said seriously, "I am willing to join the Virtual Universe Company."

This decision surprised Bai Yuan. He had not expected Lion Sha to agree.

Man Luo merely nodded slightly, without any surprise.

However, Lion Sha had his own difficulties. Unlike Bai Yuan, he did not have the powerful backing of the Blade Clan.

Cultivation resources, high-level secret techniques, guidance from powerhouses... all of these were extremely hard for him to obtain.

Besides, he had visited the slave market.

There, he had seen members of every race openly sold at clearly marked prices. There had even been Star Realm powerhouses among them.

That sight had made him deeply understand the cruelty of the universe.

He was not alone. Behind him stood his home planet.

As the strongest person on that planet, he had the responsibility to protect his homeland. He absolutely could not allow it to follow in the footsteps of those enslaved races.

Therefore, he could not take risks, much less fail!

Before leaving, Bai Yuan and Lion Sha added each other as friends.

"I didn't expect you to choose to join the Virtual Universe Company. In that case, I'm afraid it'll be difficult for us to meet again."

There was a trace of emotion in Bai Yuan's voice.

"Hehe, in life, one always has to make choices. Besides, joining the Virtual Universe Company may not necessarily be a bad thing. Once my strength is sufficient one day, no rules will be able to bind me."

Though Lion Sha felt helpless, he could only comfort himself this way.

Bai Yuan understood that Lion Sha's circumstances differed from his own, so naturally they viewed matters from different perspectives.

Afterward, the two withdrew from the virtual universe and returned to reality.

Inside the castle, Bai Yuan let out a long breath and could not help thinking of the legendary independent cultivator, Hu Yanbo.

At his peak, this independent cultivator had reached the level of barely attaining Marquis Rank, and he had nine Immortal servants under his command.

At his peak, he had already been a powerhouse who had barely reached Marquis Rank, with nine Immortal servants under his command.

Unfortunately, there was always someone stronger. In the end, he had fallen at the hands of another being who had barely reached King Rank, Demon Hand King.

Fortunately, his inheritance had been obtained by Luo Feng, who later revived both him and all nine of his servants.

In terms of talent, Hu Yanbo was not among the universe's very best.

In terms of strength, he was not even a King-Rank Immortal. Matters among the upper echelons of the Human Race had practically nothing to do with him.

Only when it came to the word "luck" could he be said to possess fortune that reached the heavens, truly making others endlessly envious.

With Luo Feng around, as long as he did not actively seek death, he was practically immortal and indestructible. Even if he truly died, Luo Feng could revive him on the spot with a single thought.

After being revived, Hu Yanbo also came to understand that traveling the universe was ultimately far more convenient when one had someone powerful to rely on.

Thus, he chose to join the Virtual Universe Company.

The main reason Bai Yuan was unwilling to join the Virtual Universe Company branch at Black Dragon Mountain was that he did not wish to be bound by rules.

Secondly, he truly did not think much of a mere branch.

The training he received here might not even compare to what the Blade Clan could provide him.

Either he would join no faction at all, or, if he did join one, he would only choose the headquarters of one of the five great faction giants.

Deep within the cave, Luwa was leading Kulu farther inside.

"Are you sure this really was left behind by some Universe Realm powerhouse?" Kulu's tone was full of doubt.

Luwa chuckled and said mysteriously, "Don't worry. This place is absolutely the ruins of a Universe Realm powerhouse. It's just a pity that my talent is too poor, so I had no chance of obtaining that powerhouse's inheritance."

"That's strange. If it really was left behind by a Universe Realm powerhouse, how could the True Blood Lord not know about it?"

The "True Blood Lord" Kulu spoke of was the lord of this planet, a Universe Realm seventh-rank powerhouse.

Just then, Luwa, who had been walking ahead, suddenly stopped.

"Why did you stop? What happened?" Kulu asked.

At his words, Luwa slowly turned around.

The previously timid, submissive look had long vanished, replaced by an air of condescension.

"This is far enough. The communication devices on you should all be malfunctioning by now, right?"

Luwa's shocking words sent a chill down Kulu's spine.

Whoosh!

Without the slightest hesitation, Kulu exploded with his fastest speed, turning and charging toward the cave entrance.

At the same time, he desperately tried to send out a message, but just as Luwa had said, every device had completely failed. No message could be sent.

Damn it! How did I let myself be fooled into believing this guy's nonsense?

Kulu was filled with regret.

Over the past month, Luwa had obeyed his every word and catered to his every whim, gradually making him feel invincible.

So when Luwa mentioned the inheritance of a Universe Realm powerhouse, although he had been suspicious, his greed and contempt for Luwa still caused him to suppress every doubt.

Boom!

A Blood Domain abruptly spread out. Caught off guard, Kulu was instantly crushed to the ground by the force of the domain.

He struggled desperately, only to discover that he could not muster even a shred of strength to resist.

Impossible! How could Luwa possess this kind of strength? Kulu was horrified.

However, the figure that appeared next plunged him into utter terror.

"You are..."

Before he could finish, the newcomer merely gave him a cold glance, and overwhelming spiritual power instantly shattered his sea of consciousness.

Kulu's vision went dark, and he lost consciousness on the spot.

When Luwa saw the newcomer, he immediately dropped to his knees and kowtowed.

"Greetings, Master! This subordinate has not failed in his mission. I finally gained this man's trust and led him here."

"Mm, you did well." The newcomer casually tossed out a card.

"There are one hundred million Ganwu Coins on it. It's your reward."

Luwa hurriedly accepted it with both hands, wisely put the card away, then rose and left.

His father had once sternly warned him that there were some matters they were not meant to know.

Take the money and leave. Put everything out of his mind until his master gave the next order.

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