Three hundred years later.
Wu Yun had deliberately controlled his cultivation progress, keeping himself at the fourth level of the Domain Lord stage. Over these years, with this level of strength, he had carved out a formidable reputation within the Giant Axe Battle Arena.
As for his publicly displayed level, reaching peak Domain Lord within a thousand years would be more than enough.
"I really don't even have anyone willing to accept my life-and-death matches anymore."
Wu Yun refined strands of cosmic starlight, a faint Water Law imprint appearing between his brows. It was clear he had already received recognition from the laws.
Over these years, his main focus had been comprehension of the Dao. As for secret techniques and similar skills, he relied entirely on resources provided by the Immortal Divine Hall.
However, resources in the Blood Luo Continent were too scarce. Ba Qi, once hailed as the most monstrous genius in a billion years, was still far below the geniuses of the Primal Secret Region Domain Lords.
Nearly a hundred Domain Lord life-and-death battles later, Wu Yun had grown stronger every single time. His terrifying talent had already drawn the attention of the upper echelon of the Giant Axe Battle Arena's Qianwu branch.
The Qianwu branch of the Giant Axe Battle Arena was only stationed by a single Marquis-level Immortal.
In the human universe, the Virtual Universe Company, the Giant Axe Battle Arena, and the universe nations each controlled vast territories. The Qianwu Universe Nation itself was under the Virtual Universe Company, forming a structure where the three giants overlapped and competed.
The branch director of the Giant Axe Battle Arena had already prepared to give Wu Yun a formal assessment opportunity. If he passed, he would be absorbed into the core ranks.
The reason why "Domain Lord level Giant Axe Warrior" was considered a legend was largely because those who could reach that level were almost always absorbed into the core early for training.
"Ding."
A notification sound rang out.
Wu Yun split a portion of his attention into the Virtual Universe to check the message. He initially thought it was another life-and-death match notice, but the sender turned out to be Nan Jie Hou.
Nan Jie Hou, the branch director of the Giant Axe Battle Arena, a peak Marquis-level Immortal.
The message was simple:
"You no longer need to participate in life-and-death battles. I will apply for your assessment. If you pass, you will be inducted into the core ranks."
Wu Yun immediately replied with a "yes."
Originally, he had not intended to expose his strength so quickly. He planned to give others the impression of gradual improvement.
Concealing some strength would reduce trouble. After all, time meant nothing to him. Delaying a thousand or ten thousand years was irrelevant.
Even Nan Jie Hou believed Wu Yun was improving steadily through battles.
Over these years of combat, Wu Yun had already accumulated enough reputation points. He could trigger a simulation at any time, but he planned to wait until becoming an Immortal.
Otherwise, the outcome might significantly deviate from his plans.
His target achievements were highly random. The lowest possible reward might even be just Immortal rank. And the Domain Lord stage was far too important to waste.
Blood Luo Continent.
Wu Yun once again fused a Blood Luo Crystal. Feeling the surge of power within his body, he could not help but feel satisfied. This was the most important treasure of the entire Blood Luo Continent.
With enough Blood Luo Crystals, one could refine the essence of the Beast God's bloodline.
"So I've finally been noticed by the Giant Axe Battle Arena?"
The Blood Luo version of Wu Yun licked his lips. Since he shared cultivation progress with his main body, he deliberately controlled his comprehension speed as well.
Normally, at the moment of memory synchronization, his thinking speed would have allowed him to gain recognition of the Origin Laws quickly. But he had suppressed it for a long time.
As a result, his talent rating within the Immortal Divine Hall had dropped.
The faster one cultivated, the higher the evaluation, and the more resources one received. That rule was eternal everywhere.
Step by step, Wu Yun walked out of the cultivation chamber.
As a cultivator of the Immortal Divine Hall, he was still in the training phase and had to remain here in seclusion rather than governing a region.
Unlike ordinary Domain Lords stationed in world cities, cultivators from the Immortal Divine Hall could command vast territories through subordinates once they matured.
If one reached Ba Qi's level, their status would be comparable to an ordinary Immortal.
Ba Qi was described as someone who could become Immortal at any moment, though his strength was slightly inferior to the Desolate Beast Qi Niu. He would have less than a ten percent chance of surviving an annihilation cannon strike.
He was known as the most talented Domain Lord in hundreds of millions of years in the Blood Luo Continent, yet his strength only reached the level of an elite Domain Lord warrior.
Other Domain Lords stationed across the continent were even weaker, mostly only elite soldiers in comparison.
"What is it?" a dark-skinned Immortal asked as he slowly raised his head. He was responsible for instructing these Domain Lord disciples.
"Lord Yu Hong, I believe my strength is sufficient to govern a region," Wu Yun said calmly.
The benefits of governing a region were secondary.
What mattered more was that such regions were isolated from the wider universe. Resources were tightly controlled by higher-ups, distributed strictly according to hierarchy.
Even someone like Ba Qi, the so-called genius of the billion-year era, would be crushed in resource allocation compared to Primal Secret Region Domain Lords.
Cosmic Lords thought long term. Resources in the Blood Luo Continent were limited and had to be distributed carefully.
What Wu Yun truly cared about was Blood Luo Crystals.
"Govern a region?" Yu Hong's gaze sharpened like a blade as he studied Wu Yun.
According to the Immortal Divine Hall's standards, merely receiving recognition of the Origin Laws was only the baseline. One typically needed elite Domain Lord combat strength.
Wu Yun nodded. "Please have an Immortal conduct the evaluation."
Normally, governing a region required passing the Divine Hall assessment. Those with comprehension equivalent to the eighth or ninth level of the Tongtian Bridge could usually pass.
The highest difficulty, however, was rivaling an ordinary Immortal. Throughout the entire history of the Blood Luo Continent, such geniuses were almost mythical.
Even Yu Hong had only heard of such figures in legends.
"An Immortal-level evaluation?" Yu Hong muttered. "Do you even understand what you are saying? At Domain Lord level, matching an Immortal is nearly impossible."
He extended a single finger.
Golden light bloomed and then condensed to its extreme.
As a Marquis-level Immortal, Yu Hong had not yet reached the level of a Black Warrior, but he had fused multiple Blood Luo Crystals. Killing intent surged as his finger became like a burning star.
If he did not restrain himself, this strike alone could erase hundreds of thousands of kilometers of space. Even stars would shatter before it.
The finger moved slowly, carrying overwhelming will pressure.
Wu Yun picked up a long staff, a weapon native to the Blood Luo Continent. Its material was comparable to a rank-five origin weapon.
Domain Lord ninth-tier energy poured into it like a raging river. His advanced technique further amplified its power.
With everything he had, he unleashed a strike that could temporarily rival an ordinary Immortal.
Around them, other Domain Lords were shaken.
"Is that Wu Yun?"
"He actually dared to request an Immortal-level test from Lord Yu Hong?"
"Is he a monster who can rival Immortals?"
They stared from the corridors in disbelief.
The staff collided with the fingertip.
There was no instant collapse. Instead, the two forces actually held for several seconds.
Just as Wu Yun seemed about to be overwhelmed, Yu Hong suddenly withdrew his finger.
"Enough," he said with a faint smile.
This strike was already at the level of an ordinary Immortal. Wu Yun managing to match it meant everything needed to be said.