Sifang Island

Qi Tian closed the mercenary system interface, and at that moment, the smart system notified him of an incoming video call.

"Lord Tegages?"

Seeing the name displayed on the screen, Qi Tian hurriedly accepted the call.

As the screen flickered, the silver-haired youth Tegages appeared before him. Judging by the blood-red background behind him, he was likely in the Slaughter Arena lobby as well.

"Qi Tian pays his respects to Lord Tegages."

Tegages smiled and nodded, saying, "I heard from Jianos that you've already arrived at Beihua Planet?"

"Yes, I just arrived today," Qi Tian nodded.

"Mm, I'm looking for you today because of a small matter."

"According to protocol, when you were recruited into the Virtual Universe Company, you should have been granted access to the Beihua Building plane of the virtual universe."

"However, because your and Chi Xin's situations were special, your files bypassed the Beihua branch and were reported directly to the Noah Universe Kingdom Branch, which resulted in you two missing out on lectures at the Beihua Building for these past two months."

"If the Noah Universe Kingdom Branch hadn't reminded me today that your strength and background audit had passed, I would have completely forgotten about this."

After Tegages finished speaking, a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face.

Ever since he submitted the files for Qi Tian and Chi Xin, he had been busy pulling strings and utilizing his personal connections.

As an undying powerhouse who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years, he hadn't caught up with many old friends in a long time, and that round of socializing had taken over two months.

"I only just arrived at the Beihua branch myself, so I haven't really lost any time."

Qi Tian didn't feel he had suffered any loss; missing two months of lectures was nothing, as he had been busy training his movement techniques and the Indestructible Golden Body, leaving him no time to attend classes anyway.

Besides, the training grounds at the Beihua Empire branch were mostly for Planet and Star level members, and the courses taught there were primarily focused on the application of domains.

Although there were some Universe level elite students, they were few in number, and the lectures were mostly related to secret techniques.

As for guidance on origin laws, most of that was handled through one-on-one teaching between master and student.

A branch of the Beihua Empire simply couldn't support the cultivation resources required for too many Universe level students.

Moreover, the elites who stayed there would be lucky to become ordinary World Lords; reaching the high-tier of Domain Lord was already considered a successful cultivation.

"Your file audit at the Noah Universe Kingdom Branch has passed, and your intelligence has been granted permission to enter the independent plane of the Noah Branch."

"Many thanks, Lord Tegages."

After Qi Tian finished expressing his gratitude, Tegages ended the video call, and Qi Tian began to examine his newly acquired permissions.

"Teleport."

Virtual Universe Company Noah Branch Plane—Sifang Island.

In the middle of a boundless sea, five islands were arranged in a neat, symmetrical pattern: one in the center, and one in each of the four cardinal directions.

A bridge several dozen kilometers long connected the central island to the other four, giving the islands a cross-shaped layout.

Each island housed a massive city, corresponding to the four divisions of elite students: first, second, third, and special grade.

After Qi Tian teleported to Sifang Island, his figure appeared in the city on the central island.

He walked along the concrete streets, flanked by beautiful buildings and all manner of leisure and entertainment facilities.

There were many people coming and going on the road, mostly Universe level, with a fair number of Domain Lords as well.

They were all wearing the same style of uniform, but the colors differed, presumably to distinguish the four levels.

For instance, Qi Tian himself was wearing a black uniform, which felt somewhat awkward to him, as he was accustomed to white robes.

As he walked, Qi Tian listened to Futu introduce the information about Sifang Island retrieved from the virtual network.

"Master, the bridge to the east is the passage leading to the special grade elite area."

Qi Tian stood on the eastern side of the central island. The surroundings were no longer urban, but rather the edge of the island, covered in trees and green grass.

Before him lay a metal bridge several dozen kilometers long. Occasionally, he saw pedestrians crossing, all dressed in the same black uniforms.

Qi Tian proceeded along the bridge, moving at a brisk pace, and arrived at the eastern island in about ten minutes.

This island, reserved exclusively for special grade elites, was simply called "East Island," and the other islands were named according to their directions as well.

The entire East Island was circular, with a diameter of about ten thousand kilometers, and the city in the center served as the teaching area.

The surrounding area was filled with large, independent villas; every special grade elite was assigned one, complete with integrated cultivation facilities.

Qi Tian hadn't arrived at the Noah Universe Kingdom Branch yet, and there was no one to guide him, but his files were already in the system, and his corresponding residence had already been arranged.

"Futu, where is my villa?" Qi Tian asked.

"Master, it is C-1203."

As Futu answered, he pulled up a projection screen, opened the map of East Island, and marked Qi Tian's current location along with the location of villa C-1203.

Following the map information provided by Futu, Qi Tian walked along the fragrant, bird-filled streets until he reached his destination.

More than ten minutes later, Qi Tian, having strolled along the way, quickly arrived outside a small courtyard.

Beyond the iron fence, one could see a luxurious cream-colored villa, with white stone slabs paved across the courtyard and a small pavilion tucked away near the edge.

Near the perimeter wall, a variety of greenery had been planted, accompanied by a rockery with flowing water and a small fish pond beside it.

As Qi Tian walked up to the low gate, a mechanical system prompt sounded.

"Welcome, Student Qi Tian. Please link your personal Smart Optical Computer."

"Futu, link the house management program."

Futu was merely an intelligence attached to a standard Smart Optical Computer; it possessed only simple emotional responses, lacked the capacity for independent thought, and was not yet capable of proactively handling trivial matters for Qi Tian.

After Qi Tian issued the linking command, the villa's low gate opened automatically, and Qi Tian stepped into his residence.

Once inside the villa, all the facilities were highly automated, lacking any sense of domestic warmth and failing to provide the attentive comfort of a hotel suite.

Qi Tian did not have high requirements for his living quarters; he merely needed a somewhat private space, so he did not ask Futu to make any modifications after entering.

Just as Qi Tian was looking around his villa, Futu's voice rang out.

"Beep... Master, there is someone named Chi Xin outside looking for you."

Qi Tian was slightly surprised. "For Chi Xin to find me this quickly, it seems that after Lord Tegages notified me of my authorization to access Sifang Island, he immediately notified Chi Xin as well."

Inside the villa courtyard.

Beneath the small pavilion by the rockery, surrounded by a few stone stools and a stone table, Qi Tian and Chi Xin sat together.

"Have you checked the Point Treasury? It truly opened my eyes. Even the secret techniques my master taught me are there, along with many even higher-level ones."

"And that's not all—the treasures are truly countless. One of them, the Tri-color Red Flame Fruit, cost my master a fortune to obtain for me, yet here, as long as you have enough points, you can exchange for it at will."

"And those special secret realms... tsk tsk tsk, just looking at them makes me itch; I can't wait to go and explore them."

Not long after the two sat down, Chi Xin began to talk incessantly, lost in his own monologue.

Usually, apart from the occasional meeting with his master, Chi Xin was always on his own, but now that he had a new friend in Qi Tian, he had become quite the chatterbox.