Weitz's "there" referred to the Virtual Universe Company's Four Great Secret Realms.
As an external steward stationed at Beihua Island for the Virtual Universe Company, he naturally knew about the cultivation sanctuaries reserved for its internal members.
The battle between Qi Tian and Lie Yan just now had unleashed combat power far beyond his expectations. Qi Tian hadn't merely crossed a level gap; he had surpassed several minor levels as well.
His strength already met the standard for entering the Doomsday Secret Realm. He could even rank in the middle to lower range among its members.
Hearing Weitz's words, Tegages gave a slight nod to confirm them.
"Among the Universe Level members of the Doomsday Secret Realm, aside from those who joined through the Genius Tournament or Strongest Tournament, every one of them has spent hundreds or even thousands of years tempering themselves at this level."
"They keep suppressing their strength instead of breaking through so they can enjoy more resources. Even if those resources aren't abundant, they still rival the sacred secret realms of the various High-level Universe Countries."
"That's also why their strength is extraordinary. Fighting above their level is nothing unusual, and there are plenty like Wutian and Lie Yan."
The more Tegages explained, the brighter his ink-black eyes shone.
"Weitz, prepare a Meditation Room for me. I'll review the two dossiers first, then personally receive them in a little while," Tegages said gravely.
Weitz was startled. Tegages usually left receiving and recruiting talented newcomers to him. Since Tegages was stepping in personally this time, he must truly be interested.
"Yes."
Decisive Battle Space.
Qi Tian had nearly used all his strength in this fight. By now, the Origin Force in his body was almost depleted.
His only trump card was the Innate Secret Technique, Indestructible Golden Body. Although he couldn't transform into the Golden Buddha Form in the Virtual Universe, he could still gain a threefold Combat Power Amplitude.
The Decisive Battle Space wasn't the Slaughter Space. Here, opponents fought with simulated versions of their real combat strength, not bodies with identical physical attributes.
Of course, an Innate Secret Technique was bestowed by the Primal Universe, so the Virtual Universe couldn't replicate it.
All it could do was record the amplitude data monitored by the Consciousness Sensor in its system and simulate the corresponding combat effects when the technique was used.
After resting briefly while seated on the arena, Qi Tian prepared to leave the Decisive Battle Space.
But just as he was about to go, the Virtual Universe System sent him another challenge. It was Lie Yan again.
Qi Tian paused in surprise, then accepted the challenge.
"Whoosh!"
The next second, Lie Yan appeared on the arena again and strode toward Qi Tian.
He wasn't carrying a weapon this time, so he clearly hadn't come to spar. But his expression wasn't exactly pleasant as he approached.
"Why are you back?"
Qi Tian looked at Lie Yan with a fake smile. Lie Yan didn't answer. He came over, plopped down on the arena, and stared at Qi Tian.
They just looked at each other like that: one with a gloomy expression, the other wearing a fake smile.
After a short while, Lie Yan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out in a long sigh, as though trying to blow away all the frustration bottled up inside him.
Once his resentment had settled, Lie Yan finally spoke.
"That last move of yours was just cheating. How was that thing any different from a hidden weapon?"
Lie Yan remembered being torn apart by the energy storm and ejected from the Decisive Battle Space. Confused, he had hurriedly checked the battle recording and replayed the final moments.
Only after seeing Qi Tian fully arm himself to protect his own body did he realize that thing was basically a hidden weapon that killed a thousand enemies at the cost of eight hundred of his own.
Still, he didn't argue about it. After all, he had been the one who "died" at the end of the fight. There was no disputing that.
He just couldn't shake the frustration and badly wanted another match. With what he'd learned from the first fight, he was sure he wouldn't lose to that move again.
Qi Tian could hear the dissatisfaction in Lie Yan's voice, but he didn't bother to argue. He said bluntly, "Just tell me this: did I win or not?"
Seeing Qi Tian acting like a shameless rogue, Lie Yan felt his anger flare.
Qi Tian didn't want to keep going in circles over it, either. "All right, all right. We agreed you'd buy me a drink after the fight. Come on, let's go."
Lie Yan watched Qi Tian get up from the arena and look at him expectantly. His anger only grew.
But he remembered that he really had promised to buy Qi Tian a drink after the match, so he could only stand up and get ready to leave.
Seeing Lie Yan rise, Qi Tian smiled. But in the next instant, his smile froze.
"I'll buy you a drink, but submit a surrender request to the system for this match."
Slaughter Arena.
Lie Yan had rented a Meditation Room, where he and Qi Tian rested and chatted. He also kept his promise and brought out some fine wine for Qi Tian to taste.
Qi Tian could tell from the first sip that the wine Lie Yan had brought out was anything but cheap. It tasted incredibly smooth and fragrant.
The two of them had become friends through their fight, and they exchanged their real names.
Qi Tian also learned that Lie Yan's real name was Chi Xin.
The reason Qi Tian had sat down for a drink with Chi Xin right after their first fight was that he had sensed the other man's feelings, however indistinctly.
After spending decades on Gold Soul Planet, worshipped and revered by the humans there, Qi Tian had developed a special ability to sense such things.
He could tell that although Lie Yan looked unwilling to admit defeat, deep down he admired and acknowledged Qi Tian.
He also sensed that Chi Xin was a fairly guileless person.
He wasn't quite as pure-hearted as his name suggested, but Qi Tian could still place a little trust in him.
Sure enough, after just a few drinks, Lie Yan began telling him about his "tragic" past.
"Qi Tian, let me tell you. Before I came to the universe, my teacher told me that there was no one at my level in the Beihua Empire who could beat me, and that I'd even rank among the best in the Noah Universe Kingdom."
"Then I lost to a newcomer like you in my very first fight."
"I knew that old geezer couldn't be trusted. Who knew he'd say I was strong enough to leave the nest just to trick me into leaving my home?"
Qi Tian watched him down a whole cup of wine and call his teacher an old geezer, and couldn't help feeling speechless.
"And that's not all. My teacher found me when I was at the Planetary Level. He said I had great talent and took me as his disciple the moment we met."
"I was an orphan. I looked different from everyone else on my planet, and they all shunned me. My teacher's appearance was like a beacon of light in my life."
"Who knew that after taking me away, he'd dump me in some strange world and have people beat me every day, saying it was combat training?"
"Five years! A whole five years! Do you know what those five years were like for me?"
Qi Tian stared blankly as Chi Xin drank cup after cup, never seeming satisfied. He swept one hand across the table, set down six more bottles of the same wine, then grabbed one and started gulping it down.
As Chi Xin vented, Qi Tian learned about his past and couldn't help feeling speechless at his teacher, too.
At the Planetary Level, his teacher had people beat him in actual combat. At the Star Level, he dumped Chi Xin in the World Lord World, where ferocious beasts roamed freely.
The strangest part was that his teacher had become trapped in a secret realm for some reason and hadn't escaped danger for a full century. Only then had he returned to the World Lord World to see his disciple.
By then, Chi Xin had reached the Universe Level and had lived alone in that barren World Lord World for a century.
The once youthful, handsome genius of the Dragon-Man Race had ended up looking like a savage.
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