Little Fox Fairy

Fang Yan had just returned to the summit of Sky Pillar Peak and had not even caught his breath when a sweet, syrupy voice suddenly came from the Virtual Universe Sensor on his wrist.

"Master, Master! Don't ignore me!"

The voice was soft as cotton candy, carrying a touch of coquettishness mixed with the grievance of being neglected.

Fang Yan froze for a moment and looked down at the silver-white sensor on his wrist.

A faint blue light glimmered across its surface, brightening and dimming as though it were blinking.

"What... are you?"

"I'm not a thing! I'm an intelligent lifeform!"

The voice immediately became indignant, and the sensor's blue light began flashing faster.

"Nine Universes King installed me when he connected you to the Virtual Universe, but then you logged out right after leaving Chaos Venerable without even sparing me a glance! Do you know how boring it was to be here all alone?"

Fang Yan's mouth twitched.

Nine Universes King had not mentioned that when he gave Fang Yan the sensor.

"Fine. What's your name?"

"I don't have one yet."

The voice suddenly became somewhat bashful.

"Nine Universes King said I should find a master I liked and have him name me. So... you're my master now, and you have to give me a name!"

Fang Yan fell silent for two seconds. Then, recalling a certain Immortal Venerable's twisted sense of humor, he grinned.

Though he had no refined interest in birdwatching, that did not stop him from borrowing a name.

"Then I'll call you Little Fox Fairy."

"Little Fox Fairy?"

The voice repeated it, sounding somewhat puzzled.

"Why that name?"

"Because you sound like a little fox spirit."

"..."

The sensor's blue light stopped flashing. It went so silent that Fang Yan thought it had short-circuited.

After quite some time, the voice finally sounded again, carrying a trace of barely perceptible shyness.

"Master, you're so mean! But... it's actually quite a nice name. From today onward, I'm Little Fox Fairy!"

Fang Yan nodded in satisfaction, thinking that this level of flattery would not even fool an outer disciple in Central Continent's Gu World, but it was more than enough to coax a newborn intelligent lifeform.

"Alright, Little Fox Fairy. Help me connect to the Virtual Universe again. I want to see what the Hong Alliance is like now."

"Okay, Master! It'll be ready right away!"

Little Fox Fairy's tone brightened, as if she had finally found the meaning of her existence.

Fang Yan's consciousness sank into the Virtual Universe once more.

This time, the transmission was much faster than before. Clearly, Little Fox Fairy had optimized it in the background.

The flowing starlight before his eyes flashed past in an instant, and the next moment, Fang Yan stood upon a vast, boundless Virtual Continent.

This continent was now the absolute core of the Virtual Universe. Countless geniuses and experts of the Human Race gathered here to exchange intelligence, trade treasures, and test their skills.

As far as the eye could see, dense clusters of buildings covered the land—from Trading Towers piercing the clouds to training grounds stretching for hundreds of miles, from grand guild halls to delicate little teahouses. Everything was there.

Translucent light screens floated in the sky, scrolling all kinds of information.

Announcements of secret realms opening, bounty missions issued by King-level experts, and lists of high-grade resources newly stocked by merchant associations.

Fang Yan stood there for quite a while before sighing sincerely.

"Impressive."

Although this was the Virtual Universe of the early Primordial Universe, far less complete than it would be in Luo Feng's era, the virtual world built with the full efforts of the Human Race had already begun to take shape.

Little Fox Fairy's voice rang out beside his ear, carrying a hint of pride.

"Master, the Virtual Continent is currently divided into nine major regions, corresponding to the Human Race's nine core starfields.

"You are currently in the Southern Frontier Region, one of the most remote areas of the entire Virtual Continent. But it's fine—you're a Hong Alliance member and have authorization for cross-region teleportation. You can go anywhere you want!"

"A Hong Alliance member?"

Fang Yan raised a brow. That was good news.

"That's right, that's right!"

Little Fox Fairy's voice became even sweeter, as though she were claiming credit.

"I already checked for you, Master. Your registration information in the Hong Alliance has been fully entered. You're currently a one-star member. And..."

She deliberately drew out the final word, as though teasing him.

"And what?"

"Chaos Venerable personally instructed that, considering your special status and current cultivation, your Hong Alliance membership would not be publicly disclosed for the time being. Nor would there be a public induction ceremony like Flame Ruins King's."

Little Fox Fairy's tone became more serious.

"The Venerable said this is for your protection. After all, a World Lord joining the Hong Alliance is unprecedented in the entire Primordial Universe.

"If it were widely publicized, who knew how many alien forces would set their sights on you.

"So, Master, your current status is that of a 'hidden member.' Only Hong Alliance members of seven stars or higher can view your complete profile. Ordinary members can only see a codename."

Warmth rose in Fang Yan's heart. Chaos Venerable had been unexpectedly thoughtful.

As a World Lord joining the Hong Alliance, making his identity public would indeed bring countless troubles.

The thing those talented hunters of hostile alien races loved most was eliminating human geniuses before they could grow.

Especially an anomaly like him, who had been exceptionally admitted into the Hong Alliance—he was a target among targets.

"Master, Master, do you want to visit the Hong Alliance Plane now?

"Oh, right! Chaos Venerable also gave you ten billion chaos units as startup capital~"

Little Fox Fairy's voice became sweet and syrupy again. Clearly, she was very satisfied with her efficiency.

"The Hong Alliance Plane and the Virtual Continent are separate. You need to pass through a specialized transmission channel to enter. I've already marked the nearest transfer point for you!"

"Let's go."

Teleportation light flared, and Fang Yan's figure vanished from the hall.

When the light dispersed, Fang Yan found himself standing on an enormous platform floating amid Xingkong.

The platform was a perfect hexagon, each side stretching a thousand miles. A ring of silver-white pillars stood around its edges, engraved with major historical scenes from the birth of the Human Race to the present day.

The ground beneath his feet was translucent. Looking down, he could see endless stars flowing below.

"Welcome to the Hong Alliance!"

Little Fox Fairy's cheerful voice rang out beside his ear.

"Master, the plane you're seeing now is the outer city area of the Hong Alliance—the Hong Alliance Plaza!

"Mission postings, resource trading, intelligence exchanges, and more all have corresponding services here."

Various functional zones surrounded the plaza. The tallest hall directly ahead was the Mission Hall, the Trading Hall was on the left, and the Intelligence Hall was on the right...

As Fang Yan listened to Little Fox Fairy's introduction, he looked around.

There were not many people in the plaza, scattered sparsely throughout the area.

Some gathered in groups of three or five, speaking in low voices. Some stood alone at the platform's edge, staring blankly into Xingkong. Others hurried from one area to another.

But without exception, every one of them radiated the awe-inspiring aura of an expert.