Unifying Earth

The purpose of participating in the Genius Tournament was to enter the Core Layer of the Virtual Universe Company and receive its resources and support.

Those resources would be a fortune to Su Zhe right now.

But...

To have any hope of entering the Virtual Universe Company's Core Layer through the Genius Tournament, he would at least need to cross the threshold of a Lower Origin Law.

To be on the safe side—or to place higher—he would need to comprehend a sliver of a Higher Origin Law, or even cross its threshold entirely.

As for Su Zhe's current Law Comprehension, he hadn't even mastered a domain yet.

Although he seemed to be improving quickly through devouring, and reaching the threshold of a Lower Origin Law before the Genius Tournament began didn't seem difficult, another problem would soon arise.

Namely, Su Zhe would have a hard time truly mastering a Higher Origin Law.

Anyone who could comprehend a Higher Origin Law at Star Level was, without exception, a prodigy among prodigies. They would be protected by the great powers, and wildcards like Luo Feng were exceedingly rare.

It was almost impossible for Su Zhe to master a Higher Origin Law by devouring them—not to mention that they were powerful in their own right.

There were many more people above Star Level, but Su Zhe might not even be able to beat them, let alone devour them.

So participating in the Genius Tournament seemed to pose a major problem for Su Zhe.

Should he enter the Genius Tournament or not?

Forget it. I'll take it one step at a time.

Su Zhe shook his head slightly. There were many ways to join humanity's five great peak powers; he didn't need to fixate on a mere Genius Tournament.

He could enter the Universe Powerhouse Tournament at Universe Level, or go to the Outer-Domain Battlefield or the Giant Axe Coliseum... There were plenty of ways to become a Core Member of a peak power.

The resources available to Core Members were certainly substantial.

But with Su Zhe's abilities, he could still improve rapidly in the outside world if he found the right opportunity.

Su Zhe sat in the villa for a while longer before Atkin hurried in from outside.

"Master!"

Atkin dropped to one knee before Su Zhe, his face alight with fervor.

"Congratulations on your breakthrough, Master!"

"Mm."

Su Zhe nodded slightly.

"Have these people follow you for now. See if there's anything you need them for. If not, make arrangements for them yourself."

Su Zhe handed the remaining eighteen Planetary Level Nine warriors over to Atkin to manage.

By now, there were no real threats left on Earth.

The only thing to worry about was the Universe Adventurers who would arrive on Earth in a few years. But by then, if Su Zhe didn't care about the Genius Tournament at all, he would probably have reached Universe Level.

Naturally, there would be no need to fear the mere Nolan Mountain Family!

"Master, I have a request."

Atkin knelt on one knee and lowered his head respectfully.

"Go ahead."

Su Zhe raised an eyebrow, prompting Atkin to explain what was on his mind.

"It's like this..." Atkin made his request. "Master, I think there are still too many competing factions on Earth. Some of them have no reason to exist at all."

"If we're going to enter the universe, we'll have to unite Earth first."

"I'm willing to help you unify Earth, Master!"

Atkin spoke fervently.

Su Zhe nodded slightly and said, "Do what you want. No one on Earth can stop you now, anyway."

"Kill anyone who won't cooperate and keep those who will. I don't need to tell you how to handle the details, do I?"

The unification of Earth's factions was inevitable.

In the original story, Luo Feng had spent money to send people from other countries on Earth to other planets so he could unify the planet. Su Zhe wasn't that kindhearted.

If they didn't want to stay?

Then they could die.

"Yes, Master!" Atkin replied excitedly.

He might not be very strong, but he was capable.

Otherwise, after Luo Feng disappeared, he wouldn't have been able to swiftly join forces with Yan Hai and the others to become one of Earth's three major powers.

Su Zhe watched Atkin leave, then returned to his room and entered the Virtual Universe.

He needed to start studying those martial artist manuals to further improve his strength. More importantly, he had to master the Domain of Fire as soon as possible.

A domain boosted one's strength far more than advancing one or two minor levels.

Beneath the Pacific Ocean.

The enormous Golden Horned Beast Luo Feng lay sprawled out, its dark golden eyes fixed on the footage Babata was transmitting in real time—the entire process of Su Zhe devouring the slaves aboard the spacecraft.

"He's already at Star Level, and his aura is incredibly stable. There's no sign that he forced his way through the breakthrough."

"He's even progressed faster than the Golden Horned Beast. After hatching, the Golden Horned Beast still needs a year of devouring ordinary metals to reach Star Level, even after eating its eggshell."

"Are Special Lifeforms really that powerful? Does he lose nothing when he devours something?"

Luo Feng's mental voice carried amazement and confusion as he asked.

"The data doesn't lie!" Babata's little face was serious. "His cells are like bottomless pits. Their energy utilization is nearly perfect, with only negligible losses."

"Even more incredible is his genetic structure. It can continually optimize itself through devouring while maintaining astonishing stability and adaptability."

"All I can say is, there's a reason Special Lifeforms are even rarer than Starry Sky Behemoths. Their abilities are outrageous... Luo Feng, how far along is your Blacklight Clone?"

After Luo Feng obtained Su Zhe's genetic material, he had begun trying to nurture a Blacklight Virus clone. Babata didn't expect him to gain all of Su Zhe's abilities; even half would be more than enough.

"Not so quickly."

Luo Feng shook his head. His gaze passed into his Internal World, where an embryo wrapped in countless black and red threads of blood sat at its center.

"It'll take at least another two years."

"Two years..." Babata clicked his tongue. "By then, Su Zhe might already be at Universe Level. If he had enough resources, I suspect he'd reach World Lord Level in no time at this rate."

"Ah, I'm short on resources too," Luo Feng sighed.

When Su Zhe had gone to the universe, he had taken a look at the metals the Golden Horned Beast needed to grow. The cost of the optimal combination of metals would be terrifying.

Hu Yanbo could never have imagined that the money he left behind would have to feed two resource-gobbling beasts.

Babata sighed too.

Resources... Most of the funds Hu Yanbo had left were in an account that could only be accessed at Domain Lord Level.

And who knew how long it would take Luo Feng to reach Domain Lord Level?

They would just have to take things slowly.

Babata began wondering if there was anything they could sell for money.

Those corpses of the Undying?