Punishment

Hu Yanbo sat cross-legged on a rooftop in Chaos City once more, immersing himself completely in cultivation.

This time, he sat there far longer than before.

One hundred years, two hundred years, three hundred years... Time slipped quietly by, yet his figure remained utterly still, as though he had become part of the rooftop.

Four hundred years, five hundred years!

For ordinary Immortal Gods, even rebuilding their divine bodies after a breakthrough took at most several decades to a century.

Yet Hu Yanbo's divine body seemed like a bottomless black hole. Throughout those long five hundred years, it continued devouring the vast cosmic energy around him at a steady, prodigious rate!

Such a phenomenon had long since surpassed the bounds of an ordinary breakthrough.

At first, only a few Immortal Gods on nearby rooftops were disturbed by the enormous energy vortex that persisted year after year. They awoke from cultivation and stared, dumbfounded, at the seemingly endless influx of energy, their eyes filled with disbelief.

"Five hundred years... and he's still absorbing it?!"

"Does Hu Yanbo's divine body have no limit?!"

"What realm has he actually reached? The amount of energy he needs is terrifying!"

Whispers and astonished looks passed among the Immortals, but no one dared approach and interrupt him.

Soon, this extraordinary spectacle drew attention from higher up as well.

High in the sky, the King-level Immortals who had initially cast only an occasional glance his way gradually grew solemn, their surprise finally turning to profound shock.

"Such a prolonged, intense influx of energy... this doesn't look like he's merely reached Peak Marquis!"

"It looks more like his comprehension of the space law has reached King Rank!"

At those words, several supreme figures among the King Rank experts instinctively exchanged looks.

There was nothing in their exchanged glances but pure, almost overflowing astonishment and inquiry-Have any of us ever seen anything like this?!

They were all silently asking their companions the same question: throughout their long lives, had they ever seen anyone, as an Immortal, rely solely on studying the Chaos Stele to advance from a newly minted Marquis to King Rank law comprehension in a mere thousand years, surging through every obstacle along the way?!

After all, an Immortal God's soul had completely fused with their divine body. They had lost the enormous advantage they enjoyed as World Lords, when their consciousness could easily enter the ocean of the universe origin law and their comprehension efficiency would soar.

Their efficiency in studying the Chaos Stele was actually not much higher than that of Domain Lords. They relied more on accumulation over long years and painstaking, steady effort.

Moreover, the space law was a higher law. The further one progressed in studying it, the more profound and obscure its mysteries became. Every sliver of progress required immense effort and time.

That was precisely why Hu Yanbo's almost unchecked growth was so astonishing, overturning everything they thought they knew!

Could there truly be such a late bloomer in this world? That was the thought shared by the King Rank experts gathered in the sky.

The phenomenon's duration and scale were simply too staggering. The disturbances it caused finally spread quietly into the deeper reaches of Chaos City.

Several gentle strands of consciousness, carrying supreme majesty, lightly swept over the area with a trace of pure curiosity.

Then a calm voice seemed to ring directly within the minds of the King Rank experts:

"Star Radiance."

Star Radiance King shuddered slightly at being addressed. Immediately reining in all his emotions, he bowed respectfully toward a certain direction in the void. "Venerable Greenstone."

The other King Rank experts around him instantly grew solemn and paid their respects. They all knew that the speaker was one of the Virtual Universe Company's Universe Venerables who resided in Chaos City year-round.

Venerable Greenstone did not appear. The voice remained calm, but carried a faint note of inquiry. "From what I have observed, Hu Yanbo possesses exceptional talent and temperament. He has spent only a thousand years in Chaos City, yet he has already reached King Rank."

"As the head of the Virtual Universe Company's department for recruiting powerful individuals, you reside in Chaos City and were the first to discover him. Why did you fail to bring him into our ranks?"

A trace of embarrassment that he could not conceal immediately surfaced on Star Radiance King's face.

All he could do was answer respectfully, "Venerable, my judgment was poor. I failed to recognize his true potential at the time and assessed him incorrectly, causing us to miss out on an exceptional talent."

Star Radiance King took full responsibility, but inwardly, he was filled with bitterness and helplessness.

How else could he explain it?

Could he tell the Venerable that it was not that the company could not offer a contract, but that its internal factions were so tangled that securing a top-tier core contract for a lone operator from outside meant facing far greater resistance and balancing far more interests than anyone might imagine?

That even if he pushed with all his might, he might still fail, and instead provoke disputes among numerous King Level executives?

He absolutely could not say any of that.

Upon hearing his answer, Venerable Greenstone fell silent for a moment.

That vast consciousness did not immediately withdraw.

"Star Radiance, you have indeed remained in Chaos City for rather too long."

At those words, Star Radiance King's heart abruptly tightened.

The Venerable's voice continued calmly, "I will personally discuss this matter with your teacher shortly."

"If you are determined to remain in Chaos City for the long term and devote yourself to cultivation, then relinquish your position as head of the Virtual Universe Company's external recruitment department and hand it over to someone more suitable. This place is peaceful, well suited to secluded cultivation."

"Alternatively, if you still wish to retain your authority and serve our race, then make your preparations at once. Leave Chaos City, return to your original post, and focus on fulfilling your duties."

As the voice fell silent, that vast will receded like the tide, leaving Star Radiance King no opportunity to argue or hesitate.

Only Star Radiance King remained frozen in place, his expression shifting uncertainly.

He had never imagined that failing to recruit a single Hu Yanbo would leave him facing such a choice.

Star Radiance King instinctively lowered his head. His gaze pierced the intervening space and once again settled on Hu Yanbo, who was still furiously devouring energy. A jumble of emotions filled his heart.

Still... on reflection, the Venerable's words are not without reason. He smiled bitterly inwardly, forced to acknowledge a fact. With the terrifying potential this young man has displayed, his eventual rise to Peak King is practically a certainty.

And I, the person chiefly responsible for recruiting outside experts for the Virtual Universe Company, was the first to meet him, yet watched the opportunity slip away...

At that thought, intense regret and self-mockery welled up within him.

Before this, the company might have turned a blind eye to my prolonged stay in Chaos City for cultivation despite holding such an important position.

But now, my grave mistake has caused the alliance to miss out on a future Peak King expert. That tolerance... has probably reached its limit.

The choice Venerable Greenstone had presented was less a demand for accountability than a disguised expulsion or punishment.

He had to pay the price for his poor judgment and his prolonged "inaction."