An agreement reached

Void True King cut straight to Hu Yanbo's real purpose.

Across from him, Hu Yanbo felt a weight lift from his heart, then realized that, as expected, he could never have hidden his intentions from someone of this caliber.

"Nothing escapes your eyes, Senior! I did come rushing to see you because there was another matter I wanted to ask your advice and help with."

He went straight to the point. "I want to enter the Initial Universe!" Hu Yanbo made no attempt to dance around it.

"The workings of the laws are clearly visible there, which is an enormous help in comprehending them! More importantly, there are the Chaos Steles. They're said to be guides left behind by humanity's great beings, and they could spare me countless wrong turns!"

"But I've already tried the usual channels."

A trace of helplessness appeared on Hu Yanbo's face as he continued.

"I've searched every available catalog for intermediate auctions over the next few hundred years. Not one has a Marquis Level entry slot!"

"As for the more prestigious high-level auctions, I don't even know when they're being held. There's simply no hope in sight."

Void True King listened quietly, showing no surprise. It was perfectly normal for a Marquis Immortal like Hu Yanbo to know the value of the Initial Universe and the Chaos Steles.

He raised his brows slightly and asked evenly, "So you want to obtain an internal entry slot through me? That is feasible. With my position and standing in the Universe Mercenary Alliance, applying for a slot for you within the rules wouldn't be too difficult."

As an upper-middle-ranking member of the Universe Mercenary Alliance overseeing elite training programs in certain regions of the Human Territory, he had the authority to apply for a cultivation slot for a Marquis-level Immortal within a given period!

But...

"However-what about the money?" Void True King shifted the subject.

Applying for a slot was not free either. Anyone wishing to enjoy Chaos City's resources had to pay to enter unless the higher-ups granted special approval.

Void True King was only an upper-middle-ranking member, not one of those higher-ups. Applying on someone else's behalf still came at a cost.

"I can help you apply for a slot, but you'll have to pay for it yourself!"

"If a slot becomes available at an auction, you should know what fierce competition does to the final price. Several hundred million hunyuan units is commonplace!"

"The internal price can be discounted, but it still won't be cheap!"

Void True King watched Hu Yanbo quietly, making quick calculations.

Having reached Marquis in sixty million years and acquired Immortal Servants, he had accumulated some wealth, but his financial foundation was certainly not substantial!

Based on the upper estimate of his assets in the intelligence reports, even a few tens of millions of hunyuan units would be impressive.

And that included his fixed assets.

Even if he could seek a loan from the Universe First Bank or the Universe Galaxy Bank, their loan assessments were extremely strict!

How much credit could a newly advanced Early Marquis with no powerful backing possibly receive?

Even if his loan were approved, he could borrow no more than a few tens of millions of hunyuan units. That was nowhere near enough to pay for a slot.

Yet Hu Yanbo smiled at those words, his tone carrying some of the calm of a man who had survived disaster. "Thanks to you, Senior, after my soul breakthrough a little while ago, I happened upon some opportunities while exploring the universe. Once I convert those gains into hunyuan units, I believe they should be enough to cover the cost of a slot!"

"Oh? A little windfall?" Void True King paused briefly, then asked with interest, "Worth several hundred million hunyuan units?"

"Enough to cover it," Hu Yanbo answered succinctly.

Hearing Hu Yanbo's answer, Void True King was genuinely shocked once again!

What sort of "little windfall" could increase a newly advanced Marquis Immortal's assets by several hundred million or more in just a few days?!

Even a Peak King powerhouse like him could only marvel at such fortune. What incredible luck!

The universe was vast, and fortune truly defied all reason!

Still, Void True King had no ulterior thoughts about it. For a powerhouse at his level, the things that truly tempted him were treasures involving special genes, powerful inheritances, or rare opportunities found in the universe.

Hunyuan units?

Even several billion could not buy a treasure that would dramatically improve his strength.

Besides, Void True King genuinely thought highly of Hu Yanbo's talent and potential.

As those thoughts flashed through his mind, the appreciation in his gaze deepened.

This lone wanderer had no powerful master or lineage backing him, yet possessed astonishing courage, talent, and luck. His future achievements would certainly not stop at Marquis.

Void True King no longer hesitated. "Good! Since you have enough money, everything else is easy. I'll set things in motion and apply for a cultivation slot in the Initial Universe for you. I'll give you a discounted internal price-two hundred million hunyuan units! Have the funds ready and wait for my notification."

The price sounded astronomical, but Hu Yanbo understood that this was already the greatest discount Void True King could offer.

That was because cultivation slots in the Initial Universe were never really sold to the people who actually needed to enter and cultivate.

The real buyers were overwhelmingly the families or factions behind powerful beings.

After all, no matter how exceptional a World Lord Level genius was, how much wealth could they have?

Even a top World Lord like Time World Lord Luo, who could escape from Immortals, possessed total assets worth only a few thousand hunyuan units at most.

Yet a World Lord Level slot could easily be bid up to tens of thousands of hunyuan units at an auction!

Even an ordinary Immortal Army Lord might be unable to afford that price.

Why was it so expensive?

The fundamental reason was that once a World Lord entered the Initial Universe, the guidance of the Chaos Steles and the clearly visible laws would vastly increase their chances of becoming an Immortal God!

Spending tens of thousands of hunyuan units on a chance to "become a god" was an extraordinarily worthwhile deal for Marquis Level factions eager to see their families continually produce Immortal Gods!

By comparison, although Marquis Level slots were also expensive, their prices had not soared to thousands of times their users' net worth as World Lord slots had.

The reason was that they offered far less value for money. Marquis Immortals entered the Initial Universe primarily to comprehend laws more efficiently, consolidate their cultivation, or find a Chaos Stele path that suited them.

There were benefits, of course. Their law comprehension would accelerate, but it could not produce the earthshaking qualitative transformation of a World Lord becoming an Immortal.

Many Immortals did improve after a period of cultivation there, but they did not undergo a qualitative transformation. They became stronger, but not by much.

The results were nowhere near as obvious or as "valuable" as a World Lord's breakthrough to Immortal, so Marquis Level slots did not command the same outrageous prices as World Lord slots.

"All right. Since you've thought it through and have enough funds, I'll apply for this slot for you now," Void True King said with a nod.

"Thank you, Senior!" Hu Yanbo bowed respectfully, excitement surging through his heart.

He had never expected things to go so smoothly, or for Void True King to agree to help so readily.

"Go on, then. Prepare well." As Void True King watched Hu Yanbo respectfully withdraw, a meaningful look flickered in his eyes.

This fellow is rather interesting. He advanced from Army Lord to Marquis in just sixty million years, and even mastered the seventh level of the Void Tower... Perhaps he really will reach King Rank one day!