Teammates

In the blink of an eye, 120 years passed, and Zhou Yuan emerged from seclusion.

This time, his comprehension of the Space Origin Law had reached a bottleneck. He had cultivated Myriad Avatars to the fourth level. In the Virtual Universe's Killing Ground, he could create over a thousand phantom bodies, while in reality, he could create several thousand.

What pleased Zhou Yuan most was that, based on the essential principles regarding spatial teleportation in Myriad Avatars and combined with his own Earth Origin Law, he had successfully created an entirely new blade technique—Instant Space Slash. This technique likewise combined the Earth Origin Law and Space Origin Law, but its focus was completely different from Zhenkong Slash.

Zhenkong Slash pursued weight and suppression, using the stability of the earth element to seal space and restrain opponents. Instant Space Slash, however, leaned entirely toward speed and explosive power. With his profound understanding of spatial laws, Zhou Yuan could briefly merge the blade into space at the instant he swung it, pushing his attack speed to the limit.

Not only that, he could use spatial distortions to create multiple afterimages of blade energy. He could even stack several streams of blade energy within space, causing their power to erupt several times over at the point of impact.

This blade technique was highly versatile, whether he faced hordes of ferocious beasts or fought alone against an opponent of the same level.

Since his cultivation had reached a bottleneck, continued seclusion was unlikely to bring a breakthrough. Zhou Yuan decided to leave the base and venture out for experience. This time, however, he did not intend to return to the outer planetary regions. The opponents and resources there could no longer meet his needs.

Zhou Yuan did not act rashly. During his 120 years of seclusion, he had also met quite a few World Lord-level experts through the Virtual Universe. Several of them were planning to venture into the Sixth Continent and had invited Zhou Yuan to form a team with them.

To avoid internal conflicts within the team, they planned to sign a contract through the Universe Mercenary Alliance. With the Universe Mercenary Alliance as guarantor and the Virtual Universe overseeing the entire process, they could effectively ensure that none of the signatories turned on one another.

After considering it carefully, Zhou Yuan accepted their invitation. They agreed on a time to gather at Phoenix Grace Restaurant. Once they signed the contract, they would set off together for the Sixth Continent.

Zhou Yuan canceled the lease on his estate and stored all his belongings in his World Ring. Rather than taking the Sky Roc again, he headed directly to the agreed meeting place—Phoenix Grace Restaurant.

Phoenix Grace Restaurant was the most famous restaurant within the Universe Mercenary Alliance base. Its dishes were prepared using rare ingredients from across the universe and were extremely expensive. Only World Lord-level experts and above could afford to dine there.

As soon as Zhou Yuan entered the main hall, a Universe Level attendant respectfully approached him. "Sir, do you have a reservation?"

"I reserved the Serene Orchid Private Room on the third floor," Zhou Yuan said calmly.

"Certainly. Please follow me." The attendant made a welcoming gesture and led Zhou Yuan to the third floor in a private elevator.

The third floor was even more secluded, with private rooms lining both sides of the corridor. Guided by the attendant, Zhou Yuan arrived before the Serene Orchid Private Room and gently pushed open the door.

Four teammates were already inside. A huge dining table was covered in all kinds of exquisite delicacies. Most of the dishes had been prepared from rare ingredients found throughout the universe, filling the room with a rich aroma.

"Zhou Yuan, you came at just the right time. We were only waiting for you and Mu Feng." The man seated at the head of the table was a burly three-meter-tall man. He was Gao Tao, the captain of this team.

Gao Tao had a sturdy frame, as though he had been cast from steel. He excelled at defense and direct assault, had comprehended the Metal Origin Law, and had already reached the peak of the World Lord level.

Gao Tao belonged to the Golden Extremity Tribe, a major clan among humanity. Rumor had it that an immortal god at the King level presided over his clan.

"Zhou Yuan, hurry and sit down. We can eat while we wait." To Gao Tao's left sat a petite female World Lord named Suo Lin. She specialized in assassination, had comprehended the Light Origin Law, and was a seventh-stage World Lord from the ordinary human race.

Beside Suo Lin sat a massive man over eight meters tall. He was Ka En. Ka En belonged to the Rocka Tribe, a branch of the giant race. He had also comprehended the Earth Origin Law and was an eighth-stage World Lord.

He specialized in defense and was practically a moving wall of flesh. Ka En nodded at Zhou Yuan without speaking, but his bell-like eyes were filled with goodwill.

Another teammate was seated to the captain's right. He also waved Zhou Yuan over, inviting him to sit beside him. This was Yun Yan. He specialized in direct assault, had comprehended the Fire Origin Law, and was already a ninth-stage World Lord, only one step away from the peak of the World Lord level. He was also from the ordinary human race.

Yun Yan sat to Gao Tao's right. He too belonged to the ordinary human race, had comprehended the Fire Origin Law, was a sixth-stage World Lord, and specialized in direct assault.

Yun Yan enthusiastically waved at Zhou Yuan. "Zhou Yuan, come sit over here. We can talk about blade techniques."

Zhou Yuan smiled and walked over to sit beside Yun Yan, beginning to chat with everyone. They were all World Lord-level experts with a common goal, so naturally their conversation revolved around cultivation insights and strange tales from across the universe. Zhou Yuan's explanation of the Earth Origin Law especially made Ka En's eyes light up.

Just as everyone was chatting animatedly, the door to the private room was pushed open again.

A handsome man with a pair of pale blue wings on his back walked in. As he entered, he said with a smile, "Sorry I'm the last one here. Sorry for the wait."

This was the final teammate—Mu Feng. Mu Feng belonged to the Windwing Tribe, a branch of the Winged Human Tribe. He was a spirit reader who had comprehended the Wind Origin Law. He was a sixth-stage World Lord and excelled at speed and area attacks.

"It's fine as long as you're here. We were just about to start eating." Gao Tao greeted him with a smile. "Sit down quickly and try this Nebula Beast meat. It tastes quite good."

Everyone ate and chatted, and the atmosphere was very harmonious. They each introduced their abilities and preferred combat styles in detail so they could coordinate better in the battles ahead.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the six left Phoenix Grace Restaurant together and headed toward the Universe Mercenary Alliance's contract signing hall. Their destination was the Sixth Continent, a place fraught with danger. Only by trusting one another completely could they survive in those perilous secret realms.

Before long, the six arrived at the contract signing hall. The hall was crowded with mercenary teams who had come to sign contracts. At the service counter, they received the contracts that had already been prepared.

Of course, World Lord-level contracts were also expensive. Each person had to pay a contract fee of one Chaos Unit.

This was a standardized contract drafted by the Universe Mercenary Alliance. It lasted for a thousand years, and its terms were extremely detailed, mainly containing three core provisions:

First, teammates were forbidden from attacking one another. The contract explicitly stated that no one could attack a teammate. Violators would have a pursuit mission issued against them by the Universe Mercenary Alliance, and it would be a four-star mission—enough to draw the attention of immortal experts.

Second, treasures would be distributed according to contribution. The contract laid out the principles for treasure distribution, with contribution determined by the Virtual Universe. The Virtual Universe could ensure absolute fairness by considering factors such as attack, defense, and support, ensuring that distributions were fair and reasonable.

Third, no one was allowed to flee without authorization. The contract stipulated that even when danger required retreat, teammates had to be informed in advance. Anyone who fled on their own would likewise have a pursuit mission issued against them by the Universe Mercenary Alliance.

After carefully reading the terms and confirming that there were no issues, everyone added their soul imprints and life imprints one after another.

When the final imprint was attached to the contract, a pale blue glow lit up from its surface. The contract's contents were instantly uploaded to the Virtual Universe database, while a record was also left in the Universe Mercenary Alliance's system.

"All right, the contract has been signed." Gao Tao looked at everyone with a serious expression. "From this moment on, we are teammates who will live and die together.

Make your preparations. Tomorrow morning at nine, we will meet at the base's spaceport and then depart together for the Sixth Continent!"