Yang Hao did not begin studying Hunyuan Ten Turns right away. Instead, he spent a great deal of time assimilating the Qian Wu Country Lord's memories.
As one of humanity's oldest powerhouses, the Qian Wu Country Lord had so many memories that assimilating them alone took ten days.
Afterward, Yang Hao worked on gaining complete control of his body, including its many secret techniques and combat skills.
"Whew, being a Venerable really isn't easy!" Yang Hao sighed.
It took almost five years for him to gain perfect control of this body, even with Qian Wu's memories assimilated.
The five years spent familiarizing himself with the body were far from boring. After all, the power of a High Venerable was simply incredible!
Having fully comprehended the laws of space, he could appear anywhere within a thousand light-years with a single teleportation. He could also seal off space, easily sealing away ordinary Immortals.
With nothing but this body's basic strength, he could easily crush a star.
"Qian Wu had a will comparable to a Universe Overlord's, and I inherited it perfectly." Yang Hao could not help nodding.
There was also his self-created ultimate Universe Venerable level secret technique. His combat strength was quite respectable among high-level Universe Venerables.
"Once I master the first turn of Hunyuan Ten Turns, my combat strength will be ten times what it is now. That should barely put me on par with a Universe Overlord."
But Qian Wu was too poor. His only weapon was a spear that was a high-grade heavy treasure, while his armor was an ordinary heavy treasure.
Generally, ordinary heavy treasure armor could withstand an Intermediate Universe Venerable's full-power strike and reduce its force to one ten-thousandth.
Against stronger enemies, however, its defenses fell short. If struck by a Universe Overlord-level attack, it would fail outright and shatter.
Clearly, if Yang Hao wanted to truly possess the strength of a Universe Overlord, he needed at least a Supreme Treasure. A dignified high-level Universe Venerable with only one top-grade offensive heavy treasure would be a laughingstock.
Hunyuan Ten Turns was a supreme cultivation method passed down from some unknown reincarnation cycle. After Yang Hao read and memorized its information, the cultivation method vanished.
Time flowed on, and a thousand years passed in the blink of an eye.
"A single cultivation session can take over a thousand years..." Yang Hao shook his head.
Then he opened his eyes, feeling boundless strength fill his entire body. His life genes had now reached 300 times the normal level!
"Haha, 300 times the normal life gene level! That's comparable to some special lifeforms!"
How could Yang Hao not be happy? Normally, after reaching the Universe Venerable stage, one would gradually use treasures to improve their life genes.
But under normal circumstances, before becoming a Universe Master, one could only raise them to 100 times the normal level.
"Whoo, I feel so powerful! Hahahaha!"
Unrestrained laughter echoed throughout the Qian Wu Secret Realm, leaving everyone wondering what had happened.
It must have been a hundred thousand eras since the Country Lord was last this happy, Thirteenth thought as that wild laughter echoed in his ears.
The first thought of everyone in the Qian Wu Secret Realm was that the Country Lord's strength had increased during his seclusion.
"Seventh Prince, Eighteen Divine Generals, come at once!"
Yang Hao's commanding voice rang in the ears of all nineteen of them.
"Seventh, has anything major happened in the Qian Wu Universe Country over the past thousand years?"
Of all the Qian Wu Country Lord's many descendants, the Seventh Prince was the only surviving prince. Only by breaking through to the Immortal Level could one live for such a long time.
"Father!" The Seventh Prince bowed. "Nothing major has happened in the Universe Country over these past thousand years. However, in the Strongest Battle five hundred years ago..."
"Huiyun, from our Qian Wu Universe Country, made it into the top thousand in the overall universe rankings, finishing in 483rd place."
The Strongest Battle was similar to the Genius Battle, but its contestants were at the Universe Level. Normally, it attracted somewhat more attention than the Genius Battle.
"Mm, good. Reward her!" Yang Hao nodded slightly.
Naturally, the reward was for Huiyun. Humanity had 1,008 Universe Countries in total, and having someone from the Qian Wu Universe Country reach the top thousand was already an excellent result.
When geniuses who distinguished themselves in events such as the Strongest Battle and the Genius Battle became powerhouses in the future, the Human Race would reward the Country Lords of their home Universe Countries.
Buried in debt, Qian Wu had grown dejected and lost his former drive. He could only help the race nurture geniuses to slowly repay what he owed.
Unfortunately, there were plenty of fiercely competitive Country Lords among the 1,008 Universe Countries. Some Universe Countries had healthier training systems.
Others, such as the Wildlands Universe Country, possessed one of humanity's ten supreme bloodlines and produced even more powerhouses.
"Huiyun actually came from a slave race. A slave owner sold this exceptional genius to the Giant Axe Arena, where she won 999 consecutive matches, became a Giant Axe Warrior, and earned her freedom."
Yang Hao connected his consciousness to the Virtual Universe to look up the information.
Afterward, she had entered the Strongest Battle, fighting her way through round after round to finish 483rd in the entire universe.
To be honest, Yang Hao had never understood why humans were allowed to enslave one another. The Human Race certainly needed competitive pressure, but the proportion of geniuses emerging from slaves was clearly lower.
"Forget it. I can't change the entire race, but changing the Qian Wu Universe Country shouldn't be a problem."
"Oh? After joining the Virtual Universe Company, Huiyun advanced from the Apocalypse Secret Realm to the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm? She's rising against the odds, growing bolder with every battle!"
The corners of Yang Hao's mouth lifted into a smile. He was clearly pleased with Huiyun.
"You may leave!"
Yang Hao waved his hand, dismissing everyone.
"Hmm? The human Supreme Council?"
Virtual Universe
Mount of Gods
Countless powerhouses gathered, chatting with those they knew.
Boom! Heaven and earth rumbled...
Thousands of human Venerables looked up. Amid the clouds and mist overhead, two gates radiating brilliant golden light slowly opened. A dazzling starry sky adorned them. These were the gates to the Hall of Gods.
"Human powerhouses! Assemble!"
Inside the great hall, densely packed thrones surrounded a central round table. According to their occupants' strength, the thrones came in widths of two meters, ten meters, fifty meters, two hundred meters, and one thousand meters.
One of the fifty-meter-wide thrones bore the name "Qian Wu."
I haven't even had time to familiarize myself with the universe, and I've already been summoned to a Supreme Council meeting. I wonder what's happened to the Human Race. A thought stirred in Yang Hao's mind. He had a guess, but he still waited patiently.
At the very center stood a dozen or so of the largest thrones. The others were all dazzling gold, but the two at the heart of them were black, radiating a stern, imposing aura.
Through the swirling mist, a giant axe carving could just barely be seen on one of the black thrones, exuding a wild, primitive air.
The one sitting there should be humanity's Universe Strongest, the Giant Axe Founder. Yang Hao looked toward him.
In the original Swallowed Star, Giant Axe's law comprehension was exceptionally high, and his combat strength was immense. Unfortunately, he lacked a supreme supreme treasure, and with the Human Race depending on him, he did not even dare reveal his full strength lightly. His later death was an even greater regret!
If I get the chance, I won't let Giant Axe die! The thought stirred in Yang Hao's mind. He held humanity's strongest powerhouse in deep reverence.
The Giant Axe Founder was extraordinarily gifted. With a supreme supreme treasure giant axe, his combat strength could place him among the very strongest in the Primal Universe.
For now, however, he could only conceal his strength. Many of the Primal Universe's strongest beings did not consider Giant Axe particularly formidable.
"Everyone!" A gentle voice rang in the powerhouses' ears, and the hall immediately fell silent.
"This Supreme Council meeting has been convened because the Primal Star is about to open!"
The Venerables were slightly shocked by the news, and their expressions soon shifted in various ways. Some battle-hungry Venerables were already itching to go.
It really is the Primal Star! Yang Hao's face darkened as soon as he heard it. Just as he had guessed. For the Qian Wu Country Lord, the Primal Star was an utterly unlucky place-he had died there three times in a row.
Had he been born into a weaker race without a Universe Master to resurrect him, those three deaths would truly have been final.
Only a pinnacle race like humanity, with Universe Masters and a Universe Strongest capable of resurrecting Universe Venerables, had allowed him to survive.
"Qian Wu, don't tell me you're planning to venture into the Primal Star again?" The Venerable beside him studied the information on the Primal Star and could not resist making a snide remark.
"Yaoyun, exploring the Primal Star already left me buried in debt. Why would I go again? That cursed place killed me three times in a row," Qian Wu said, shaking his head.
"In ten years, the Primal Star will open, and we humans will advance into it!" With that resounding declaration, the Supreme Council meeting ended.
Rumble...
The golden gates opened. The powerhouses crossed through them, chatting and laughing, then vanished as they were teleported away.
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