Two months passed in what felt like an instant within the vast expanse of the cosmos.
"Click!"
The nutrient chamber's hatch unsealed with a satisfying pneumatic hiss.
White mist billowed out as Han Jue emerged from the medical pod, his muscles rippling with newly consolidated power. Every cell in his body thrummed with vitality, his cultivation base solidified at its new plateau.
"Stellar Level Four," Han Jue muttered, flexing his fingers experimentally. "Not bad progress."
"Rimuru, activate exterior simulation," he commanded.
"Yes, Master!"
The spacecraft's interior walls instantly became transparent, advanced holographic technology creating the illusion that he stood directly in the starry void itself. The sensation was breathtaking, like floating naked through the infinite cosmos.
A massive verdant planet materialized before him, its sheer scale making Han Jue feel infinitesimally small despite his recent advancement. The world dominated his field of vision, atmospheric bands swirling across its surface in mesmerizing patterns.
"This is Qiongling Star," Rimuru explained, his holographic form appearing beside Han Jue with obvious enthusiasm. "It's owned and administered by the First Bank of the Universe. The planet's diameter exceeds one million kilometers, making it a Class-3 world suitable for hosting major financial operations."
Powerful tractor beams from the orbital port seized the spacecraft, guiding it through the designated approach corridor with mechanical precision. Within minutes, they'd descended through the atmosphere and landed at one of countless docking bays dotting the planet's surface.
As Han Jue disembarked down the boarding ramp, a welcoming committee awaited him at the hatch.
The delegation consisted of members of the Rock Peak Clan, tall, imposing figures with stone-like grey skin and crystalline formations protruding from their joints. Their leader, a Territory Lord-level warrior whose aura radiated quiet authority, stood at the forefront. Behind him, several Cosmic Level Nine subordinates maintained respectful positions.
"They're here to greet the bank's valued customers," Rimuru said directly into Han Jue's mind, his tone carrying a note of satisfaction. "Your four-star client rating commands significant respect."
Sure enough, the Rock Peak Clan Territory Lord stepped forward with practiced deference.
"Honored customer," the Territory Lord rumbled, his voice like grinding stone, "please follow us to the reception chamber. The official transport vessel to the Dry Sea Secret Realm will depart in two days' time. We have prepared accommodations befitting your station."
Han Jue nodded slightly, acknowledging the greeting without excessive familiarity. He followed the delegation toward an imposing structure nearby, a towering edifice that dwarfed even the massive spacecraft behind him.
"Any client with a three-star rating or above receives this treatment when visiting Qiongling Star," Rimuru continued his explanation privately. "We hold four-star status, which theoretically warrants a Realm Lord greeting personally. However, only one Realm Lord is stationed here, the guardian responsible for the Dry Sea Secret Realm's security, so he doesn't participate in routine customer reception."
"It doesn't matter," Han Jue said casually, his attention focused on observing the planet's architecture and the diverse alien species moving through the plaza. "They can't follow me into the secret realm anyway."
The Dry Sea Secret Realm maintained strict entry requirements. Only cultivators at Stellar Level Nine or below could enter. Even if someone broke through to Cosmic level while inside, they had a limited time to exit before the realm's defensive systems forcibly ejected them, or worse, according to some rumors.
The exact consequences of overstaying one's welcome remained classified information that the First Bank of the Universe declined to share publicly.
The reception chamber proved spacious and luxuriously appointed, with accommodations suited for dozens of different species' environmental requirements. Quite a few people were already waiting when Han Jue entered. Some glanced up briefly, sizing up the newcomer with calculating gazes, while many others remained immersed in the Virtual Universe, their bodies present but their consciousness elsewhere.
Han Jue had barely settled into one of the provided seats when a figure approached him with enthusiastic energy.
"Hey there, friend! I'm Xie Peng. What's your name?"
The speaker stood approximately five feet four inches tall, with pale silver skin marked by colorful, intricate patterns covering his face like natural tattoos. His eyes gleamed with friendly curiosity, and perhaps a touch of desperate loneliness.
"Han Jue," Han Jue replied, offering a polite smile as greeting.
"Brother Han Jue, you're also cultivating the Water Origin Law, right? Of course you are, everyone here cultivates the Water Origin Law!" Xie Peng seemed to be asking himself the question, laughing at his own rhetorical inquiry. "That's the whole point of the Dry Sea Secret Realm!"
Han Jue's lips twitched slightly, but he maintained his composure and quietly settled deeper into his seat, hoping the conversation might naturally conclude.
It didn't.
"You know, my family insisted I come here to train," Xie Peng continued without pause, a note of frustration entering his voice. "They said I can't return home until I comprehend the Water Domain! Can you believe that? Do you know how difficult Domain comprehension is? I mean, theoretically I understand the principles, but..."
He leaned in conspiratorially. "Have you heard of Dry Sea Crystal Source? That's the treasure that awakens Artistic Conception when consumed. I've tried one before, the effect was average, honestly. But I'll tell you what, it tasted absolutely incredible! I heard you can use them multiple times too, really push past your bottlenecks. The only problem? They're absurdly expensive. Over one hundred million Universe Coins each! Can you imagine?"
Stellar Level Two.
This was Xie Peng's demonstrated cultivation level, which Han Jue's Six Eyes had automatically assessed the moment they'd met.
"He's from the Blue Silver Clan," Rimuru's voice whispered in Han Jue's mind, providing context. "They're adult star-level warriors from birth, considered quite famous throughout the Qianwu Universe Nation. Natural talent combined with wealthy family backing. He's probably never faced real hardship in his life, which explains the..."
Rimuru trailed off diplomatically, but his meaning was clear.
No wonder everyone seemed to be avoiding Xie Peng despite his friendly demeanor. Han Jue glanced around the reception chamber, noting the sympathetic expressions on several nearby cultivators' faces, the look of people who'd already endured similar one-sided conversations.
Xie Peng continued his enthusiastic monologue, seemingly oblivious to Han Jue's growing discomfort.
After what felt like an eternity but was probably only a few minutes, Han Jue gently interrupted. "Brother Peng, I apologize, but I have urgent matters requiring my attention in the Virtual Universe. Perhaps we can continue this conversation later?"
"Oh! Of course, of course!" Xie Peng nodded vigorously, though his disappointment was obvious. "We'll talk more later then!"
The moment another newcomer entered through the nearby doorway, Xie Peng's attention shifted like a hunting dog spotting prey.
"Hey there, friend! I'm Xie Peng..."
Han Jue shook his head with a mixture of amusement and sympathy, then closed his eyes and entered the Virtual Universe network.
His consciousness dissolved and reformed in that infinite digital realm.
The Killing Field Arena
The familiar endless white void materialized around Han Jue's avatar. This was one of countless training spaces provided by the Virtual Universe Company, environments where warriors could hone their skills against customizable opponents without risking actual death.
"Configure opponent parameters," Han Jue commanded the arena's control system. "Stellar Level Four warrior. Seventh-level Water Domain. Master of the Ice Wasteland Sword Technique's fundamental applications."
Space rippled, and a white-clad figure materialized across from him.
The simulated warrior stood with perfect posture, emanating an aura of refined competence. His features were deliberately generic, a composite average that wouldn't distract from the purpose of combat analysis. In his hands, an elegant longsword hummed with barely contained energy.
Without preamble or warning, the man in white exploded into motion.
Han Jue's Six Eyes tracked every detail of the attack, the minute shifts in weight distribution, the precise angle of the blade's approach, the flow of energy through his opponent's meridians. His own sword materialized in his hand, rising to intercept.
"Clang!"
The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the white void. Han Jue felt the jarring force travel up his arms, his muscles absorbing and redirecting the momentum according to his training.
Perfect, he thought with fierce satisfaction.
Instead of retreating to recover, Han Jue advanced aggressively, his figure blurring as he activated his movement technique. The simulated opponent couldn't track the sudden acceleration, Han Jue had already appeared at his flank, sword descending in a vicious arc.
The man in white barely twisted aside, his own blade rising defensively.
"Myriad Avatars!"
Han Jue's form split.
After over a year of intensive cultivation, combined with two months of having the ability to directly analyze the essence of spatial laws through his mutated Six Eyes, Han Jue had finally crossed the threshold of comprehending Space's fundamental Origin. His first achievement: cultivating a single functional clone!
While the initial breakthrough had been torturous, once he'd crossed that threshold, subsequent progress had accelerated dramatically. The path from one avatar to multiple would be smoother now that he understood the underlying principles.
Two Han Jues attacked the man in white simultaneously from opposite angles, their movements perfectly synchronized through shared consciousness.
The simulated opponent showed no fear, no hesitation. His blade rose vertically before him in a classical defensive posture.
"Ice Wasteland Sword Technique, Third Form, Ice Seal!"
The man in white's whisper seemed to freeze the very air.
Instantly, Han Jue felt his speed forcibly diminish, as if invisible chains had wrapped around his limbs. His body moved sluggishly through space that had become viscous and resistant. Even his thoughts seemed to slow, consciousness wading through frozen syrup.
Water Domain!
The simulated opponent's Domain manifestation was creating localized environmental effects, transforming the surrounding space into a territory where water-attributed energy answered only to his command.
The man in white's sword flashed forward, seeking to exploit Han Jue's momentary vulnerability.
The blade passed through empty space.
The "Han Jue" he'd struck was merely an avatar, a projection of spatial manipulation rather than the true body. The opponent had made his choice between two targets, and fortune had not favored him.
The real Han Jue attacked from behind, his sword howling through the air with devastating intent.
Whoosh!
Domains collided!
Han Jue's Water Domain had entered the Sixth Level upon his breakthrough to Stellar cultivation. After his Six Eyes evolved and granted him the ability to analyze law essences, he'd rapidly advanced to the Seventh Level. Combined with his genuine comprehension of Water's fundamental Origin rather than mere surface-level understanding, his Domain actually suppressed the simulated opponent's despite their supposedly equal mastery!
The invisible chains binding Han Jue shattered. His movements returned to normal speed, and then exceeded it as his own Domain enhancement took effect.
Han Jue broke free completely and re-engaged with explosive force.
The simulated warrior attempted to recover his momentum, executing the Ice Wasteland Sword Technique's second form with flawless precision.
"Ice Wasteland Sword Technique, Second Form, Frost!"
Han Jue countered with his own interpretation of that same technique.
The Frost Form was notoriously difficult to master at the Stellar level. Most practitioners couldn't fully execute it until reaching Cosmic level, when their energy reserves and control increased sufficiently to handle its demanding requirements.
Han Jue hadn't yet achieved perfect mastery either, but that didn't matter.
With his deep understanding of Water's fundamental laws and the overwhelming advantage of his Seventh-Level Domain, the power Han Jue could extract from the Frost Form matched or exceeded what the simulated opponent achieved with technically superior execution!
"Boom!"
The collision sent the man in white flying backward, his form tumbling through the white void.
Han Jue pursued relentlessly, his eyes blazing with determination.
"Let's test it!" Han Jue's voice rang with confidence. "Time to demonstrate my self-created technique!"
Long ago, back when he was still struggling to master basic combat principles, Han Jue had attempted to create his own sword technique, a move he'd named Waves.
Since learning the Ice Wasteland Sword Technique's formal applications, he'd largely abandoned that primitive creation. The gap in sophistication and power had been too vast to justify continued practice.
But after over a year of intensive study, combining the principles of the Ice Wasteland Sword Technique with his own original insights and his growing comprehension of Water's fundamental laws, Han Jue had finally perfected his Waves technique into something truly formidable.
The evolved form's power now surpassed Frost and approached the level of Ice, the Ice Wasteland Sword Technique's devastating third form. At the Stellar level, few warriors could withstand such an attack!
"Cloud Sea Sword Technique, First Form, Waves!"
Han Jue's soft roar accompanied the descending blade.
Layers upon layers of water energy coalesced, transforming from individual ripples into towering waves. The accumulated force crashed down upon the white-clad figure like an ocean's wrath compressed into a single strike!
The waves engulfed his opponent completely. Hidden within those seemingly fluid motions, invisible sword intent tore at the simulated warrior's defenses from countless angles simultaneously.
The figure shattered like broken glass, dissolving into scattered pixels.
Han Jue stood alone in the white void, breathing slowly and deliberately. His Cloud Sea Sword remained extended, its edge still vibrating from the released power.
The prototype of the Cloud Sea Sword Technique's second form had already taken shape in his mind, but the simulated opponent clearly lacked sufficient capabilities to force Han Jue to reveal that trump card.
"Master, based on the standards of previous Genius Battles, your current strength virtually guarantees qualification for the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm," Rimuru said, his holographic form materializing beside Han Jue with obvious pride. "You have a legitimate chance of reaching the Primordial Secret Realm tier, the top hundred participants overall."
Crossing the threshold of comprehending dual fundamental Origins!
For any genius, that achievement alone placed them among the absolute elite.
"That's not enough," Han Jue said quietly, shaking his head.
The geniuses participating in this generation's Genius Battle would be considerably stronger than those in previous tournaments. The standards had risen, the competition intensified beyond historical precedent.
The goal Han Jue had set for himself was far more ambitious: achieve a thousand functional avatars in the Myriad Avatars technique before the Genius Battle commenced. Completely perfect the Cloud Sea Sword Technique's second form. And corresponding to those technical achievements, advance his comprehension of both Water and Space's fundamental Origins to unprecedented heights!
Now that he possessed the ability to directly analyze the essence of universal laws, a capability so rare that ordinary geniuses couldn't even imagine it, was merely placing well in the Genius Battle sufficient?
Absolutely not.
First place was the only acceptable outcome.
"Again!" Han Jue commanded.
A new opponent materialized in the Killing Field's white void.
This time, the simulated warrior's law comprehension parameters had been elevated to match Han Jue's exact level, creating the most challenging training environment possible.
The figure attacked before fully solidifying, blade already in motion.
Han Jue's lips curved into a fierce smile as he raised his own sword to meet the assault.
The path to supremacy demanded relentless effort. He would walk it without hesitation, one brutal training session at a time.
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