"Junior Brother, your eyes are truly remarkable, and your innate secret technique... quite impressive indeed."
Venerable Lianyi extended a slender white finger, attempting to place it on Han Jue's shoulder, but was blocked by his subconscious activation of [No Limit]. The invisible spatial barrier that manifested piqued her curiosity considerably.
"What level of attack can your innate secret technique currently withstand?" Venerable Lianyi asked with genuine interest, her eyes gleaming as she studied the phenomenon.
"It can probably withstand the full force of an ordinary sixth-level World Master," Han Jue replied, subconsciously glancing at Venerable Lianyi as he spoke.
Venerable Lianyi's appearance resembled a human woman from Earth, strikingly beautiful with an aura that radiated cold aloofness. Her long gray-blue hair cascaded past her shoulders, and she floated slightly above the ground, barefoot. She wore a white robe whose design revealed her fair, well-toned legs, with a golden ring adorning one thigh, though its purpose remained mysterious to Han Jue's observations.
Venerable Lianyi sensed his analytical gaze but paid it no mind.
She could see no improper emotion in Han Jue's eyes, only pure, clinical observation and admiration for martial prowess. The detached quality of his study reminded her that this young genius approached everything with the same analytical mindset he applied to comprehending the fundamental laws.
Of course, even if there had been other emotions, Venerable Lianyi wouldn't have particularly cared. She was a Universe Overlord who'd lived through countless epochs, such things were beneath her notice.
"Junior Brother, we're going to Earth first," Venerable Lianyi said with an encouraging smile. "Once we've resolved your bloodline inheritance matters, we'll send you back to the Primal Secret Realm to continue your cultivation. Go inform your friends first."
"Yes, Senior Sister," Han Jue nodded respectfully.
Luo Feng already knew Han Jue was returning to Earth.
He understood Han Jue's helplessness regarding the forced relocation of Earth's population, and he knew the situation was unchangeable through any action they could currently take. The only recourse was to become stronger, powerful enough to eventually control their own destiny and protect what mattered most.
Furthermore, Earth ultimately remained in the hands of Earthlings, only temporarily administered by the Virtual Universe Company. The arrangement was more trusteeship than conquest, with clear provisions for future autonomy once Han Jue's bloodline was properly established.
The family and friends Luo Feng truly cared about were also able to remain on Earth without being relocated. Most of the people who'd been moved to other planets were from nations and regions he'd never had deep connections with, strangers whose welfare, while regrettable, couldn't compare to those closest to his heart.
Han Jue certainly felt no particular attachment to those relocated populations. His priorities lay with his own family and the handful of individuals he considered friends or allies.
And Luo Feng? His sentiments weren't much different.
At least over a million Chinese people remained on Earth, all protected by the Virtual Universe Company's overwhelming military might. Their continued survival on humanity's ancestral homeworld represented the cherished aspiration of Earth's civilization, a foothold that could eventually expand into full control once the Han bloodline proved its worth.
"Let's go, Senior Sister," Han Jue said after sending brief farewells to the others through the Virtual Universe network.
Venerable Lianyi nodded slightly and immediately produced a massive palace-type treasure from her world ring. Upon closer inspection, Han Jue discovered it bore striking resemblance to the Iceberg Palace, though this version possessed subtle differences in the architectural details and energy signatures.
This was none other than Venerable Lianyi's pinnacle flying palace treasure, the Ice and Snow Temple!
Upon entering the Ice and Snow Temple, the vessel passed through a dimensional channel that distorted the flow of time itself, emerging moments later into the Original Universe. The transition was so smooth that Han Jue barely felt the shift, though his Six Eyes could perceive the fundamental change in the ambient laws surrounding them.
"Junior Brother, this is something your Senior Brother Lingji asked me to bring you."
Inside the temple's main chamber, Venerable Lianyi handed Han Jue an elegant world ring whose surface was covered in intricate frost patterns.
Han Jue accepted it with both hands and immediately examined its contents with his consciousness. Inside, he discovered a vast quantity of resources specifically designed for cultivating Star-Eating Grass, more than enough to evolve his plant companion into a Thousand-Vine configuration at the World Master level, with sufficient remaining materials to cultivate it all the way to the ninth level of World Master rank.
The sheer value was staggering, easily worth billions of Mixed Yuan Units. Venerable Lingji's generosity continued to exceed all reasonable expectations.
Of course, full cultivation would require considerable time, years or even decades of careful nurturing and systematic absorption of these precious resources. The process couldn't be rushed without risking damage to the Star-Eating Grass's developmental foundation.
Objectively speaking, Han Jue's resource consumption wasn't particularly demanding compared to other geniuses of his caliber.
He relied primarily on his Six Eyes bloodline ability to comprehend the fundamental laws, eliminating the need for expensive law comprehension treasures or extended time in special cultivation environments. He cultivated secret techniques using the Ice Peak Prologue gifted by the Lord of Ice Peak himself, saving hundreds of billions of points. For weapons, the Cloud Sea Hunting Dragon remained sufficient for now, with the Immortal-grade Ice Wasteland Sword waiting for when he advanced further. As for soul defense treasures, Venerable Lianyi had already promised him a top-tier soul defense treasure upon reaching World Master level.
The cultivation of his Star-Eating Grass had been entirely undertaken by Venerable Lingji's patronage, leaving Han Jue with virtually no significant expenses beyond his body-refining technique.
This meant he still possessed 969,000 points from clearing the tenth level of the Tongtian Bridge, a fortune that continued accumulating without any immediate need to spend it.
Perhaps the only area requiring continued investment was physical cultivation, Han Jue mused thoughtfully.
Cultivating the Heaven's End Ice Derivative technique required consuming large quantities of Heaven's End Ice Derivative Fruits to properly temper his body with extreme cold. The maximum physical amplitude he could theoretically achieve through this method was eightfold, an extraordinary enhancement that would place his physical power on par with some peak bloodline creatures.
Han Jue was currently only at the second stage of Ice Derivative Body cultivation, achieving twice the physical amplitude baseline. With his tenfold genetic level further multiplying his capabilities, advancing to the third stage would require consuming ten times more Heaven's End Ice Derivative Fruits than a normal human, hundreds of them in total, representing an expenditure exceeding one hundred thousand points even after his Primal Secret Realm discount.
The investment was substantial but worthwhile, considering the dramatic combat effectiveness increase each stage provided.
"Junior Brother, I heard your Earthling lineage possesses exceptional mental state abilities?" Venerable Lianyi asked with obvious interest, her eyes brightening at the prospect. "Now that you've left Primal Chaos City, access to the Fantasy Ocean and the Immortal Altar should be available to you. Why not give them a try? I'm quite curious to see how you perform."
"The Fantasy Ocean?" Han Jue was momentarily taken aback.
He'd almost forgotten about that opportunity in his focus on law comprehension and combat training.
Now that Earth had been exposed to the Virtual Universe Company's highest echelons, Hong and Lei Shen would finally be able to access the Fantasy Ocean as well! The testing ground had previously been restricted to core members of the five major powers, but as residents of Earth, now designated as a sacred bloodline birthplace, they would qualify for entry.
In the original timeline, Hong had successfully passed through the twentieth island during his first attempt at the Fantasy Ocean, immediately drawing the Huge Axe Creator's personal attention and being accepted as a registered disciple. Lei Shen, while not quite matching that achievement, had still performed remarkably well and attracted the interest of several Universe Venerables.
With their natural advantages in mental state cultivation, a trait apparently enhanced by whatever mysterious modifications Sitting Mountain Guest had performed on Earth itself, both of his sworn brothers should achieve extraordinary results.
"Then let's give it a try," Han Jue said with an anticipatory smile, genuine excitement coloring his features for the first time in weeks.
The Immortal Altar Plane.
A vast, endless black mountain range stretched to every horizon, with towering peaks rising one after another into the virtual sky. Atop each peak stood a gleaming golden altar, and at a single glance, one could see tens of thousands of these structures dotting the landscape, each one waiting to test a cultivator's mastery over their own physical strength.
Swoosh!
A figure materialized at the base of the stone steps leading up to one of the countless golden altars.
After taking a moment to adjust to the strange sensations pervading this dimensional plane, Han Jue immediately noticed something profoundly disorienting.
His genetic energy had vanished. His psychic force was gone. His ability to sense the fluctuations of the fundamental laws, completely absent. Every form of supernatural power he'd relied upon for years had been stripped away, leaving him feeling oddly naked and vulnerable.
Here in this testing ground, all he could utilize was pure physical strength, nothing more, nothing less.
The Immortal Altar existed specifically to measure one's ability to perfectly control and unleash their body's full potential. It was a test of efficiency, technique, and the fundamental mastery required for any cultivator hoping to eventually achieve Immortality. Without perfect force generation and energy utilization, breaking through to the Immortal realm would remain forever impossible, no matter how profound one's law comprehension became.
"How many points can I earn here?" Han Jue murmured curiously, his analytical mind already calculating possibilities.
A hundredfold increase in force generation efficiency over baseline human capability was considered the absolute peak, perfect control representing the theoretical maximum for any physical body. He'd already achieved that milestone back during his time in Primal Chaos City through dedicated practice of the Ice Peak Prologue's martial techniques.
For him, the points at the Immortal Altar were essentially free rewards for demonstrating capabilities he'd already cultivated.
He ascended the stone steps with measured strides and quickly reached the altar's flat summit.
The altar held a humanoid target constructed from some advanced material that could withstand tremendous force. Next to it stood a translucent screen displaying text that automatically translated itself into Chinese for his convenience, "Please strike the target within one second using your fists, elbows, head, knees, and feet. Your score will be calculated based on the lowest power value among these five attacks."
The requirement made perfect sense, a warrior was only as effective as their weakest technique. Perfect mastery meant every part of the body could generate maximum force with equal efficiency.
Han Jue stretched his muscles experimentally, lowered his stance slightly to optimize his center of gravity, and then unleashed five lightning-fast attacks in rapid succession!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
His fists, elbows, knees, and feet transformed into precise weapons, each strike embodying the sophisticated martial principles contained within the first three diagrams of the Ice Peak Chaos Monument. Having thoroughly mastered those foundational techniques, Han Jue was undoubtedly among the most accomplished close-combat practitioners at the Universe level in the entire human race.
As the five attacks connected with the target, data appeared on the translucent screen in glowing numerals:
"100 units, 100 units, 100 units, 100 units, 100 units. Final result: '100 units.' Points awarded: 50,000."
Fifty thousand points deposited directly into his account!
Combined with his previous reserves, Han Jue's point total had apparently exceeded one million. Among Universe-level members of the Primal Secret Realm, this was definitely considered wealthy, most geniuses struggled to accumulate even half that amount during their entire training period.
"Next is the Fantasy Ocean!" Han Jue thought with rising anticipation, and his consciousness vanished from the Immortal Altar plane.
The Fantasy Ocean Plane.
"The Fantasy Ocean?"
Hong, who had been training with the Lord of Time's guidance in a secluded dimensional space, received an unexpected message from Han Jue through the Virtual Universe network.
"You need to be a core member of one of the five major powers to be qualified to venture into the Fantasy Ocean," Hong murmured softly after reading the message's contents carefully, his eyes narrowing with interest.
He immediately understood the implications. Han Jue wouldn't have sent this information unless something significant had changed regarding Earth's status within the Virtual Universe Company's hierarchy.
"The Fantasy Ocean is a place specifically designed to test one's mental state and willpower," Hong continued reading, absorbing every detail. "You can demonstrate your talent for consciousness cultivation and even attract the attention of great beings who might accept you as a disciple... I won't miss this opportunity!"
Hong clenched his fists with determined excitement, his entire body radiating eager anticipation.
This was the chance he'd been waiting for, an opportunity to prove that his path of mental state cultivation could rival even the most talented law comprehension geniuses. While others focused obsessively on understanding the fundamental laws, Hong had walked a different road, refining his consciousness to levels that defied conventional progression.
If the Fantasy Ocean could properly measure that accomplishment, then perhaps he could finally receive recognition commensurate with his actual capabilities.
The Huge Axe Dojo!
That was Hong's ultimate goal, to attract the attention of the Huge Axe Creator himself and earn a place among that legendary founder's personal disciples. With proper resources and guidance from one of humanity's absolute pinnacles, Hong was confident he could ascend to heights beyond what his current circumstances allowed.
He immediately began the application process to access the Fantasy Ocean, his heart pounding with anticipation for what awaited him on those mysterious islands.