Casual Talk About the Demon Race and the State of the Universe (Thanks to Lengye Changkong for the Recommendation Vote!)

The two followed closely behind Tian Hua, passed through the side door of the trial hall, and walked along a dim corridor for about fifteen minutes before arriving at a spacious stone chamber.

The stone chamber was not large and was simply furnished. Several stone stools surrounded a stone table, upon which sat a pot of hot tea, its fragrance curling through the air. A massive crystal embedded in the wall reflected the gray, hazy sky outside. This was clearly a place for people to rest, utterly different from the grim atmosphere outside.

"Sit." Tian Hua took a seat first and raised a hand to gesture for them to sit.

Golden Horn and Scorpio exchanged a glance, then each sat on a stone stool on opposite sides.

Tian Hua lifted his teacup and took a sip before slowly speaking. "First, I'll tell you about the Demon Race's current situation and the arrangements ahead."

His voice was not loud, yet it carried an unquestionable authority.

"What the Monster Hunting Hall seeks to cultivate has never been flowers raised in a greenhouse. What you are meant to become are overlords forged through mountains of corpses and seas of blood."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the two of them. "You need to be mentally prepared for that."

Golden Horn's heart tightened. He listened intently, sensing from Tian Hua's words that the days ahead would not be as peaceful as he had imagined.

"The Monster Hunting Hall divides its geniuses into four ranks: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow." Tian Hua set down his teacup and raised four fingers. "All newly promoted core members begin at Yellow level."

"The maximum number of members at each level is as follows: one hundred thousand at Yellow level, ten thousand at Profound level, one thousand at Earth level, and one hundred at Heaven level." He paused. "Within each level, the ratio of World Lords, Sector Lords, Universe level, and Stellar level members is fixed at 1:2:3:4."

Golden Horn silently memorized it. Stellar level members accounted for forty percent, but the competition was still fierce.

"Status is not permanent."

"The Stellar-level Ranking Tournament is held once every ten years; the Universe level tournament, once every hundred years; the Sector Lord tournament, once every five hundred years; and the World Lord tournament, once every thousand years," Tian Hua continued.

Golden Horn's heart sank slightly. Once every ten years—the intensity of the competition was easy to imagine. If he improved even a little too slowly, he would likely be pushed out.

Seeing that Golden Horn and Scorpio both seemed lost in thought, Tian Hua said, "If you have any questions while I'm speaking, feel free to ask directly."

"Are geniuses of all four ranks—Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow—trained here?" Scorpio asked tentatively.

Tian Hua glanced at him, a meaningful smile curling at the corner of his lips. "Here? The Demon Race's geniuses are trained in scattered locations. More importantly, only by spreading them out can we avoid being wiped out in one blow."

His tone grew low. "Do you think the other races would simply watch us grow stronger? There have been precedents before. The talent-training bases of other races were raided by enemies, and entire batches were slaughtered. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of top geniuses perished."

A brief silence fell over the stone chamber.

Golden Horn clenched his claws. He thought of how the Sirius clan had tricked him out to be killed. If the Monster Hunting Hall's geniuses were all gathered in one place, it truly would be far too dangerous.

"The other races have similar training systems as well," Tian Hua continued. "The goal is the same: concentrate resources, accelerate the growth of geniuses, and have them become powerful experts capable of standing on their own as soon as possible."

After thinking for a moment, Golden Horn asked the question that concerned him most. "How long until the next Stellar-level Ranking Tournament?"

A trace of approval flashed in Tian Hua's eyes. "Good. You've asked the key question. Three years."

"Three years," Golden Horn murmured.

"Of course, there are currently fewer than one hundred thousand Yellow-level geniuses, so you don't need to worry about being pushed out yet," Tian Hua added.

Scorpio frowned. "There are so many geniuses in the Demon Race. How can they not even gather one hundred thousand?"

Tian Hua chuckled, but there was a hint of bitterness in his smile. "It isn't that we can't gather them. It's that the rate at which we recruit them can't keep up with the rate at which they perish."

Golden Horn and Scorpio both fell silent.

Frontline wars, border battles, secret realm expeditions—every genius's path of growth was paved with corpses.

"The main reason is that there are simply too many casualties in the frontline wars." Tian Hua sighed. "The myriad races of the universe are constantly fighting for supremacy. Races can be destroyed at any time. The Demon Race is in a difficult position, surrounded by danger. That's why you have no choice but to grow stronger quickly."

Golden Horn could not help asking, "Isn't the Demon Race quite powerful? We even have Immortal God overseeing us. That is a being with an endless lifespan, nearly impossible to kill or destroy."

Tian Hua was silent for a moment before slowly speaking. "Immortal God is indeed powerful. But there are hundreds of races in the universe that possess Immortal God."

"They may produce even stronger experts at any moment. Whoever breaks through first can defeat the surrounding races, seize more territory, and take more resources."

The atmosphere in the stone chamber grew heavy.

Tian Hua suddenly changed the subject. "Do you think the territory occupied by the Demon Race is vast?"

Golden Horn had little intelligence on this matter and did not speak rashly. Scorpio thought for a moment before answering, "It's huge. There are more than a dozen universe countries, and each universe country contains tens of thousands of starfields. It's unimaginably vast."

"Heh." Tian Hua smiled, but there was little joy in his laughter. Instead, it carried a trace of self-mockery. "It seems vast to you, but to us, it's far too small."

He raised a hand and drew a circle in the air. "It's like a pond. Outside lies a boundless ocean, yet we can only remain trapped in this pond, fighting over what little there is."

Golden Horn's heart trembled. He had never imagined that, in the eyes of higher-level experts, the Demon Race's territory was merely a "pond."

Tian Hua seemed unwilling to say more. He waved a hand. "Forget it. You'll gradually learn many things in the future."

He stood and took out two intelligent terminals from his spatial ring, handing one each to Golden Horn and Scorpio.

"These are intelligent terminals. Once they scan your soul fluctuations, you can bind them to yourselves and connect to the Demon Race's internal network. There's an internal marketplace. I've already opened accounts for both of you, with starting funds of ten thousand contribution points. You can use them to buy cultivation techniques, treasures, and resources. Of course, it would be best to save them and decide what to buy after reaching the border."

Golden Horn accepted the terminal. It felt slightly heavy in his hand. Its front was a Curtain, while his identification number was engraved on the back.

Tian Hua looked at Golden Horn. "Your best goal is to devote yourself to comprehending the fourth layer of the domain. In three years, participate in the Stellar-level Ranking Tournament, then break through to the Universe level afterward."

"As for you," he turned to Scorpio, "you can remain at the Stellar level a while longer and temper your foundation more thoroughly."

Golden Horn and Scorpio both nodded.

"Alright." Tian Hua clapped his hands. "Rest for a few days first. Take a look around Misty Star and familiarize yourselves with the environment. In a week, a spacecraft will take you to the border. Once you arrive, someone will be specifically responsible for planning your future development."

His gaze became deep. "So long as you do not fall, your future is destined to be filled with bloodshed and slaughter. The future of the Demon Race rests on you!"

Golden Horn and Scorpio rose at the same time and bowed respectfully.

"Yes."

After leaving the stone chamber, the wind of Misty Star rushed toward them, carrying a faint chill.

Scorpio beside him was still reeling from the blow, seemingly unwilling to believe the cruel truth he had just learned.

Golden Horn raised his head toward the gray, hazy sky. An indescribable feeling also welled up in his heart. He had thought that sheltering beneath a great tree would bring comfort, only to find that the tree itself was on the verge of collapse. If he wanted to survive, he could ultimately rely only on himself.