The Strong Fight, Fate Follows

The commotion caused by Jiang Luo advancing to the Universe level was significant; once he logged into the Virtual Universe, the network connection device immediately detected that he had stepped into the Universe level.

After being inspected and confirmed by the deacon sent by the Sacred Hall, the news spread rapidly throughout the Gulun Secret Realm.

"Is this Jiang Luo an idiot? With his strength, if he just waited 80 years for the Giant Axe Arena to select Star-level geniuses, he could have entered the Giant Axe Secret Realm directly."

"He's probably doing it to catch the Universe Human Peak Genius Battle in two years."

"There is a massive gap in strength between Star-level geniuses and Universe-level geniuses. Many Universe-level powerhouses who have cultivated for thousands or even tens of thousands of years are waiting for this very Peak Genius Battle..."

"Still, he managed to reach the fifth floor of the sixth Trial Tower in the Star-level trial space. Even if he participates in the Peak Genius Battle, ranking in the top 1,000 across the 1008 Universe Kingdoms shouldn't be a problem."

"Heh, ranking in the top 1,000 in the final battle only gets you into the Youyuan Secret Realm. Even if his talent is heaven-defying, it would take him hundreds of years to break into the Giant Axe Secret Realm. It would have been better to stay at the Star level and wait 80 years to enter the Giant Axe Secret Realm directly."

"Who knows what he's thinking? Maybe it's the Kingdom Lord's requirement? After all, he is only a registered disciple; perhaps the Kingdom Lord wants to see his performance in the Peak Genius Battle."

Inside the ancient stone hall, the Gulun Kingdom Lord's gaze flickered: "Interesting... he doesn't want to wait anymore?"

"Very well. The sooner he goes to the Giant Axe Arena, the more resources he can obtain."

"I shall see his potential and comprehension then."

He did not care much about Jiang Luo's suspected fortuitous encounter of possessing a Flame Star Behemoth.

The Flame Star Behemoth merely had a higher affinity for the Laws of Fire; its talent for the Laws of Space was mediocre, and it was certainly not a darling of the Laws of Space like the Mosha Clan.

A ten-fold gene level was also quite ordinary in his eyes.

Once one attains the status of a Universe Venerable, there are plenty of ways to raise one's body genes to ten times the norm.

Not to mention ten times, he even possessed methods to raise one's life level to a hundred times.

What truly prompted him to take Jiang Luo as a registered disciple was the fact that he possessed clones.

The Jiang Luo who arrived at the secret realm was still in his human form.

The one who possessed the Flame Star Behemoth must certainly be his clone.

Furthermore, the mysterious masked man who turned the World within a World into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood in the Flint Star World to seize the treasure could also corroborate this.

In the eyes of the Gulun Kingdom Lord, Jiang Luo already had at least one Universe-level clone back when he was fighting for the treasure in the Flint Star World.

Now, he was simply exposing his true cultivation level.

King Shaluo laughed heartily: "Not bad! This little guy is to my liking. It seems the teacher did not misjudge him."

"Powerhouses are forged through constant slaughter and competition. Hesitating and calculating back and forth is nothing more than the behavior of a watchdog guarding a door!"

"This kid, what on earth is he going crazy for?"

Marquis Mo Yan, the Hall Master of the Ancient Wheel Hall, frowned slightly. He was very dissatisfied with Jiang Luo's choice to break through to the Universe level.

However, Jiang Luo now held a special status and was technically his junior brother.

It was not appropriate for him to summon him directly for a reprimand.

And yet...

Marquis Mo Yan gave a bitter smile: "These peerless geniuses... their personalities are all more stubborn and headstrong than the last."

Five thousand years ago, that Bolan, who made so many existences in the Giant Axe Arena drool with envy, had talent for the Laws of Space that was truly astonishing.

Did he not ignore the advice of many in the Virtual Universe Company and insist on choosing the Universe Chaos Stele instead of the Nine Universes Chaos Stele?

"He will only know regret once he hits a wall and suffers a setback..."

After being accepted as a disciple by the Gulun Kingdom Lord and stepping into the Universe level, not only did Jiang Luo's mailbox explode, but the people coming to visit him were as numerous as carp crossing a river.

Fortunately, with his status as a registered disciple of the Kingdom Lord, he had the confidence to turn even Immortal Gods away from his door.

However, he would naturally not refuse visits from friends.

Besides, he now had seventeen clones; even if his main body did nothing, it would not hinder his cultivation in the slightest.

Inside the villa on the Sacred Island of the Virtual Universe.

Jiang Luo looked at Ji Chen's troubled expression and couldn't help but laugh: "Senior Brother Ji, stop struggling. Let us just treat our seniority separately."

Jiang Luo had been accepted by the Gulun Kingdom Lord, and Marquis Huanming, the lord of the Huanming Star Sector, was also a disciple of the Gulun Kingdom Lord.

By that logic, he was his senior brother.

And Ji Chen was a disciple of Marquis Huanming.

According to the hierarchy, he would have to call him Uncle-Master.

Ji Chen gave a bitter smile: "Actually, at first, I thought you might be accepted by the teacher in the future and become my junior brother. I never expected you to be accepted directly by the Kingdom Lord."

It was truly difficult for him to call "Uncle-Master" to someone he had personally guided to the Ancient Wheel Hall and had always looked after as a talented junior from his hometown.

After being relieved of this worry, Ji Chen looked at him with admiration: "You kid are even bolder than I imagined. If I were you, I wouldn't have been able to bear the urge to step into the Universe level."

"That was a direct opportunity to enter the Giant Axe Secret Realm, the foremost of the four secret realms of the Giant Axe Arena!"

"And you just threw it away like that."

He's calling me an idiot, isn't he...

Seeing that Jiang Luo still looked indifferent, Ji Chen couldn't help but shake his head helplessly: "The Peak Warrior Battle is completely different from the Genius Battle."

"The registration and selection rules for the Warrior Battle don't restrict age; even a Universe-level powerhouse who has lived for tens of thousands of years can participate."

"In the Genius Battle, those who make it to the grand finals are generally young, mostly one or two hundred years old, and anyone over five hundred is considered old."

"That is why it is said that the Genius Battle primarily tests innate talent."

"But the Warrior Battle is different; a Universe-level powerhouse has a lifespan of up to one hundred thousand years!"

"Because of their strength and lifespan, Universe-level powerhouses have more time and capital to adventure and train across the universe than Star-level ones."

"Take the various ranks of mercenaries in the Universe Mercenary Alliance, for example; one-star Universe-level mercenaries are the main force of adventurers in the universe."

"Star-level trainee mercenaries are too weak; they cannot enter many dangerous lands or secret realms."

"With such a large base and long adventure times, although the vast majority of Universe-level mercenaries never encounter any good opportunities, there are always lucky ones who stumble upon fortuitous encounters."

"Some people might not have been outstanding at the Star level, but once they reached the Universe level, they repeatedly gained opportunities and advanced by leaps and bounds."

"Of course, the number of such lucky individuals is small, but doesn't the Warrior Battle only select 1,000 people in total from the 1008 Universe Kingdoms?"

"That is why in every Genius Battle, disciples from the Sacred Hall and their peripheral members across various star sectors often occupy more than half of the top 1,000 spots in a Universe Kingdom."

"But when it comes to the Warrior Battle, the proportion of Universe-level powerhouses cultivated by the Sacred Hall and major factions in the top 1,000 drops significantly!"

"You never know where a powerhouse you've never heard of might suddenly pop up from."

"This situation becomes even more pronounced during the 1008 Universe Kingdoms grand finals!"

"Therefore, there has always been a saying: the Warrior Battle depends on acquired opportunities!"

Jiang Luo was lost in thought.

The Genius Battle looks at innate talent, while the Warrior Battle looks at acquired opportunities.

That actually makes some sense.

After all, a one-hundred-year-old Star-level might be a genius, but a one-thousand-year-old Star-level is definitely trash!

Moreover, the Virtual Universe Company and the Giant Axe Arena don't only recruit Star-level geniuses through the Genius Battle.

Every hundred years, the two giants take turns sending people to various Universe Kingdoms to select Star-level geniuses.

That is why those who stand out in the Genius Battle are very young and rely mostly on innate talent.

Meanwhile, Universe-level adventurers make the universe their home.

The situation where someone travels and adventures in the universe for tens of thousands of years to obtain precious opportunities is certainly extremely rare in terms of probability, but it cannot be ignored given the massive base.

The Warrior Battle doesn't limit age, doesn't look at potential, and only looks at combat power.

Who knows what trump cards those Universe-level adventurers who have lived for tens of thousands of years hold, or what secret techniques they have cultivated?

Even if one is a peerless talent, what is so strange about losing to an old monster who has lived for tens of thousands of years while still young?

In Jiang Luo's view, this Genius Battle and Warrior Battle were actually somewhat similar to the difference between campus recruitment for fresh graduates and social recruitment.