Star Sea King.
That was the title Han Jue had chosen for his Star Stream Sea avatar. To Han Jue's ears, it sounded far more dignified than "Ice Arrow King," better reflecting the true nature of his clone's abilities.
"I'm willing to join the Hongmeng," Han Jue said.
"Excellent," Blackwater King replied with a satisfied nod.
Within the virtual universe's private meeting room, a dazzling star suddenly materialized between them. The brilliant celestial body gradually shrank, transforming into a stream of light that flew directly onto Han Jue's right arm, appearing as a small star mark on his sleeve.
"Boom!"
Simultaneously, a hazy humanoid figure descended from above, hovering in midair. An invisible pressure emanated from the entity, pressing down on both Blackwater King and Han Jue with such overwhelming force that even these two powerful individuals couldn't raise their heads. Like ants before a god, they were utterly powerless to resist.
The humanoid figure tilted its head slightly, gazing down at Han Jue.
"Star Sea King!"
"Welcome to the Hongmeng. From this moment forward, you are an official member!"
After delivering this pronouncement, the figure vanished without a trace.
Once the presence disappeared, Han Jue asked curiously, "Who was that?"
"That's one of the Hongmeng's great mysteries," Blackwater King chuckled softly. "Everyone who officially joins experiences this exact scene, leaving countless members wondering about that figure's true identity. One theory suggests it's an avatar of a Palace Master from the Hongmeng Hall. Another claims it's an intelligent simulation created by the Virtual Universe System, which could easily replicate any kind of pressure, making it quite plausible."
"The Palace Masters..." Blackwater King continued, his tone reverent. "Those beings exist at the level of Universe Masters."
Han Jue nodded, indicating his understanding.
"Star Sea King, every new member begins at One-Star rank!" Blackwater King explained. "One-Star represents the lowest level among official Hongmeng members. However, with your demonstrated strength, even disregarding your previous accomplishments, you should easily reach Three-Star level as the system recognizes your combat record."
"Lord Star Sea King, before you enter Hongmeng City..." Blackwater King gestured meaningfully. "You should carefully review the introductory information I'll send you. That way, you won't be completely lost when you arrive. I'll take my leave now."
After Blackwater King departed, Han Jue received a comprehensive data packet containing everything he needed to know about the Hongmeng.
The headquarters of the Hongmeng existed within a specially created dimensional space inside the Virtual Universe. This dimensional space contained countless stars, and at the center of these celestial bodies floated a massive ancient city, Hongmeng City, inhabited by countless powerful beings.
Hongmeng City served as the gathering place for an alliance between humanity and numerous other races, teeming with immortal powerhouses from across the universe.
Peace reigned here, after all, within the Virtual Universe, true violence was impossible.
Yet hierarchy remained strictly enforced. Status depended entirely on strength and contribution, with higher rankings naturally conferring greater privileges and authority.
The strength of official Hongmeng members was determined solely by their combat records. The stronger one's demonstrated abilities, the higher their strength ranking. This system used a simple star-based classification: one star, two stars, three stars... up to seven stars.
All powerful individuals bore star marks on their arm guards or sleeves, making their relative strength immediately apparent.
Every newly inducted Hongmeng member started at One-Star level. Later, based on their real-world combat achievements, the Hongmeng City subsystem of the Virtual Universe would automatically evaluate their records and assign them an appropriate rank.
One-Star represented newcomers to the Hongmeng, generally the most ordinary tier of King-level Immortals, or those at the initial stage of King-level.
Two-Star indicated strength among King-level beings, typically corresponding to high-level Kings.
Three-Star marked the limit of King-level power.
Four-Star denoted the initial realm of Universe Venerables, or more accurately, Invincible Kings who stood at the absolute peak of King-level might.
...
Seven-Star represented the initial level of Universe Masters. Even top-tier Universe Overlords typically fell into this classification. A Universe Venerable at full power could barely reach this level.
...
"Finally, I've joined the Hongmeng," Han Jue murmured to himself.
He began exploring the outer districts of Hongmeng City.
Hongmeng City was divided into three major sections: the Outer City, the Inner City, and the Hongmeng Palace.
The ancient metropolis floated suspended within the starry void, surrounded by countless stars. Over three million Immortal Kings from various races made their home here.
Those ranked One-Star through Three-Star resided in the Outer City.
Those ranked Four-Star through Six-Star dwelled in the Inner City, which was almost entirely populated by Universe Venerables.
At the very core of Hongmeng City stood a magnificent and mysterious palace reaching millions of kilometers high, resembling a colossal sword piercing the heavens, this was the Hongmeng Palace itself.
The Hongmeng Palace housed Seven-Star beings. A Seven-Star powerhouse represented at minimum a top-tier Universe Overlord like the Heavenly Eclipse Palace Master, with strength comparable even to the weakest Universe Masters.
The Palace Masters of the Hongmeng... were existences beyond even Seven-Star classification.
The Lord of Ice Peak had instructed Han Jue to reach Four-Star status within the Hongmeng, which would grant him access to the Inner City and its resources.
"Puyai Palace? A casino?"
Han Jue paused before an establishment, observing a crowd of King-level powerhouses from various races staring intently at something ahead, shouting and laughing with excitement.
Shaking his head, Han Jue felt no interest in gambling halls. He turned to leave.
He'd rather visit Yubao Hall, he wanted to liquidate the assets he'd obtained from killing those alien Kings at Rainbow Mountain.
Yubao Hall occupied two massive floors, each spanning several kilometers in length and width.
When Han Jue arrived, he found himself surrounded by treasures stretching as far as the eye could see. Each item was accompanied by detailed holographic displays showing videos, images, and text explanations of the treasure's origins, special properties, and price.
The treasures on the first floor ranged in price from millions to hundreds of billions of Chaos Units.
The second floor contained even more precious items. Some could be purchased with Chaos Units, but certain exceptional treasures were restricted from monetary transactions entirely, they could only be acquired through direct barter exchanges.
This barter system allowed Han Jue to sell his spoils on the very same floor.
"Lord Star Sea King, are you certain you wish to sell all these treasures?" the Yubao Hall staff member asked, his voice tinged with astonishment.
The quantity was simply enormous. Even this experienced appraiser found himself shocked by the sheer volume.
How many Kings had this customer killed?
"Yes, calculate the total price," Han Jue said with a nod.
"Understood... The preliminary total valuation should exceed five hundred billion Chaos Units. However, the exact amount is difficult to determine completely, as several items are extremely rare and could fetch even higher prices through auctions," the staff member explained.
"When can everything be sold?" Han Jue inquired.
"Lord Star Sea King, please wait a moment while I consult with my supervisor."
A brief interval passed,
"Lord Star Sea King, your spoils are worth a total of seven hundred seventy-eight point three billion Chaos Units," the supervisor said respectfully. "We'll round up to seven hundred eighty billion Chaos Units. Does this satisfy you?"
The supervisor was quite astute. To acquire such a massive quantity of spoils at once, this couldn't possibly be an ordinary One-Star King-level cultivator.
"Acceptable," Han Jue replied with a slight nod.
Over seven hundred billion Chaos Units should barely suffice for his Star Stream Sea clone to refine the fifth level of the Ice Peak Nine Hells Body technique.
Killing truly remained the fastest path to wealth!
Those competing for the Rainbow Mountain treasure had mostly been high-level King-class immortals, each worth hundreds of billions of Chaos Units. Peak Kings contributed hundreds of billions or even trillions in assets. The result was an enormous windfall for Han Jue!
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