"Did this come from the True Blood Lord?"
Bai Yuan had already guessed the answer, but he still asked.
Bai Kuangren nodded. "I found it on that Universe Realm fighter. You must never let this secret technique get out. Many World Lord-level experts are desperate to obtain enslavement techniques. If word gets out, they might even swallow their pride and come after you."
Enslavement techniques were almost always created by Immortal Realm Psychic Masters.
And Psychic Masters each followed their own path of cultivation.
Take Herodotus, the Golden Horn Clan's greatest elder and leader. He created the Yan Shen Armament, the Thirty-Six Layers of Yan God, and the Seven Kills of the Beast God, among other ultimate techniques. His own strength had even reached the Universe Overlord level.
Yet he had never studied enslavement techniques, focusing solely on his own cultivation.
That was why enslavement techniques were so rare in the universe.
The top powers might not lack such techniques, but not every World Lord had the qualifications to enter the upper ranks and gain permission to cultivate them.
That was also why Bai Kuangren was so excited to have obtained the Black Heart Soul Seal.
"By the way, you know about the bet I made with the other World Lords, right?"
"Yeah."
"Heh. I know you might feel a little resentful, but the path to becoming strong is forged through trials. The test our ancestor put me through back then was much harsher than anything I've put you through."
Bai Kuangren abruptly changed tack, his expression turning serious.
"Let me ask you something else. What do you think matters most on the path of cultivation?"
Bai Yuan pondered for a moment, then answered earnestly. "Opportunity, perseverance, and talent. You can't do without any of them."
"Wrong! Completely wrong!"
Bai Kuangren shook his head and said with absolute conviction, "Any three-year-old could tell you that. After all these years on the path, I can tell you what matters most: money and power!"
"With money, you can buy everything you need for cultivation. Many so-called 'opportunities' can actually be bought with Universe Coins."
"Not talented enough? Bloodline Evolution Agents, genetic optimization treasures, Origin Law affinity treasures... If you can afford the price, there's nothing you can't buy."
"Take my wife, for example. She was born with ordinary talent and a limited lifespan, but I paid an enormous price to obtain a treasure refined from a special substance found in the Eternal Race. It gave her an Eternal Body, and from then on, her lifespan became limitless."
"Of course, the price was that she could never cultivate again."
"With power, you can protect yourself and obtain crucial information. There are too many secrets in the universe. If you blindly explore on your own, how long will it take? Only when you stand high enough will certain doors open for you."
"Those two things are the foundation of cultivation. Only with them do you have the right to talk about getting stronger."
"As for perseverance, of course it matters too. When all else is equal, the stronger your will, the greater your achievements."
"But if you're far behind everyone else in every other way, thinking perseverance alone will let you catch up? That's just a pipe dream!"
Bai Yuan couldn't help but stare. This was the first time he'd ever heard such an argument.
But when he thought it over, he realized it really did make sense.
Take Nuolanshan. As a Giant Axe Martial Artist, he had still ended up building his own faction and guard unit, while also joining the Hundred Tiger Tower as a Blue-Robed member.
Even Hu Yanbo, who had cultivated to the Immortal Realm, had founded the Yunmo Star Lineage.
Only by having a faction of your own could you gather resources more effectively and select geniuses to nurture.
Closer to home, his second uncle, Bai Tianning, was only at Universe Level 9, yet his status rivaled that of an ordinary Domain Lord. Wasn't that thanks to the Blade Legion behind him?
"My lord, why are you telling me all this?" Bai Yuan asked curiously.
He didn't think Bai Kuangren was simply showing off. There had to be a deeper reason behind it.
Bai Kuangren didn't hide his intentions and came straight out with them.
"Nothing in particular. I just heard you turned down the Hundred Tiger Tower's invitation, and only agreed to be an external member when Man Luo tried to recruit you. That's when I realized you're not someone who likes being tied down."
"I'm telling you this because I want you to understand that joining a faction often does more good than harm. Even I'm a member of the Ganwu Dojo."
Bai Yuan finally understood. No wonder he'd gone on at such length—he'd been leading up to this all along.
"Don't worry, my lord. I'll join a faction if I find one that suits me. The Hundred Tiger Tower is nowhere near good enough, and the Ganwu Dojo... still falls a little short."
At that, Bai Kuangren looked at Bai Yuan in surprise.
The real Ganwu Dojo had Immortal Experts among its ranks, and no shortage of World Lords.
Even if Bai Yuan was exceptionally talented, that remark was still absurdly arrogant.
And yet, for some reason, Bai Kuangren had a feeling Bai Yuan wasn't bluffing. His tone sounded more like he was stating a fact.
Had he still been holding back during their fight two days ago? Or had he gotten stronger in just those two days?
Bai Kuangren kept his expression neutral. "Fine. As long as you have your own plans. The bet lasts one month. As long as you don't lose a single match, I win. Then I'll give you half of the eight hundred billion Universe Coins I win."
He'd expected Bai Yuan to be shocked when he heard "eight hundred billion Universe Coins." Instead, Bai Yuan didn't even bat an eye. He even pursed his lips in a faint pout.
"Only eight hundred billion Universe Coins? That's not even 0.1 Hunyuan. You're betting way too little."
"..."
Bai Kuangren's expression stiffened. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
Eight hundred billion Universe Coins might not mean much to a World Lord, but where had a mere Planet Realm fighter like Bai Yuan gotten the nerve to say that?
"Never mind. Come with me into the Virtual Universe. The others should all be there by now."
With that, Bai Kuangren immediately brought Bai Yuan into the Virtual Universe.
Just as he'd said, ever since the bet had been made that day, the eight World Lords had been carefully selecting elite disciples from their respective factions.
Of the eight World Lords, six came from the Four Great Organizations, one came from the Two Great Holy Lands, and one came from the Sixteen Families.
The elite disciples they'd brought numbered 117 in total, nearly half of them First Grade Elites.
Even for the Four Great Organizations, Special Grade Elites were hard to come by.
First Grade Elites were already the most exceptional geniuses one could normally encounter. Losing even one was enough to make the higher-ups of a faction ache for a long time.
Now, all these young prodigies who were seldom seen together had gathered in one place, simply to wait for Bai Yuan to show up.
"I just heard something. That Bai Yuan once appeared in the Battle Space under the alias Yuan, and reached a nine-star rating in just two days."
"Oh? That's interesting. The Battle Space rating depends not only on your own strength, but also on the level of your opponents. Powerful fighters usually don't accept challenges from weaker ones. How did he pull that off?"
"I heard he kept winning, building up unstoppable momentum until a lot of highly ranked fighters stepped in to challenge him."
"This battle might not be so boring after all."
"Oh, give me a break. We're only Second Grade Elites. We're here just to see the sights. If anyone's going to win, it'll be those First Grade Elites."
The elite disciples chatted among themselves, their words brimming with curiosity and a hint of anticipation.
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