“Is this the Virtual Universe Company Headquarters? It’s truly magnificent,” Qin Hao exclaimed, standing on his spaceship above a boundless continent, looking down at the Virtual Universe Company Headquarters. He couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.
Boundless was more of an adjective, but now it was truly presented before his eyes. The descriptions in novels were completely different from seeing the real thing. Moreover, looking from afar, various buildings stood tall across the entire continent, and he could even see people coming and going.
“The Company Headquarters is much larger than it appears. Without entering the Dark Universe, a spaceship would need to fly for over ten years to get from one end to the other,” Longyu Wang explained, seeing Qin Hao’s somewhat surprised expression.
“Let’s go meet the Exalt first. This Genius Battle of yours was overseen by the Exalt, and you will all be under his command from now on.” As Longyu Wang spoke, the spaceship flew into the continent. After traveling for over ten hours, the spaceship entered through an entrance of the Virtual Universe Company Headquarters.
After flying for another hour, the spaceship landed in a huge manor.
“Every Exalt has an exclusive manor at the Headquarters, but they rarely reside here,” Longyu Wang said, leading Qin Hao out of the cabin door and into the manor.
“Exalt,” Longyu Wang respectfully saluted, then walked behind Ninesword Exalt.
“Exalt,” Qin Hao also saluted respectfully. Whether it was out of respect for the strong or for Ninesword Exalt’s guidance during the Genius Battle, he felt it was well-deserved.
“Not bad. Your performance in this Genius Battle was excellent, and you’ve also been targeted by the alien races. News from the Corporation states that the alien races have ranked you as No. 1 on their assassination list,” Ninesword Exalt said. Hearing his words, Qin Hao hadn't expected to be so closely watched by the alien races.
“However, there’s no need to fear. You are absolutely safe within the Corporation. Even if you encounter an alien race, as long as your soul isn’t controlled, you can directly self-destruct, and your race will revive you.”
“What you need to do now is continuously grow stronger. There are still three years until the other geniuses arrive at the Headquarters. For these three years, you will cultivate here. If you have any questions, you can directly ask Longyu,” Ninesword Exalt said, and his figure then vanished.
After Ninesword Exalt left, Qin Hao was led by Longyu Wang to a training ground. The training ground, spanning over a hundred miles in length and width, was fully equipped with various facilities.
“You will cultivate here from now on. I will come once every six months to answer your questions.”
“Thank you, Longyu Wang.”
Qin Hao expressed his gratitude. As a King-level Immortal, Longyu Wang was a powerful figure who had established her own sect in Primordial Chaos City, so guiding Qin Hao posed no problem. It was just that as Ninesword Exalt’s right-hand woman, she was extremely busy; otherwise, she would have stayed in Primordial Chaos City for extended periods.
After Longyu Wang left, Qin Hao immediately entered the Virtual Universe to meet with his parents and sister. After chatting for a while, he entered his Sea of Consciousness.
It was still a very simple panel, and the Check-in button on the panel had lit up again. Qin Hao directly pressed the button, awaiting his reward.
Check-in Location: Virtual Universe Company Headquarters, Reward: One drop of Zhu Jiuyin's blood.
Subsequently, a stream of light entered Qin Hao’s Sea of Consciousness, and a drop of golden blood floated above the Sea of Consciousness.
“Zhu Jiuyin, the Ancestral Witch of Time, or is it the blood of the legendary Candle Dragon?” Qin Hao was very satisfied with the reward. As the Ancestral Witch of Time, Zhu Jiuyin’s talent in the Time Law was top-notch even in the Honghuang World. It was only due to certain restrictions that he didn’t fall.
However, Qin Hao was hesitant about how to use Zhu Jiuyin’s blood. His body would have difficulty bearing Zhu Jiuyin’s blood. The previous time with Kong Xuan was already extremely lucky, and the Wu race was naturally physically strong, with blood power far exceeding Kong Xuan’s.
“I'll wait for the Second Clone to be nurtured and use it as nourishment for the clone,” Qin Hao finally decided. Of his three clones, the First Clone would focus on the Five Elements Laws and Space Law. With Zhu Jiuyin’s blood, the Second Clone would have no problem comprehending other Time Laws.
Having made his decision, Qin Hao entered a state of cultivation. The Genius Battle had ended, and it was time to break through to the Universe Rank. The surrounding energy was rapidly absorbed by Qin Hao, all his acupoints fully opened, and the nine Astral Rank stars in his upper, middle, and lower Dantians rapidly rotated, constantly expanding and contracting.
As the speed of expansion and contraction gradually slowed, the Astral Rank stars approached their limit.
“Bang!” With a faint sound of cracking, the barrier from Astral Rank to Universe Rank was broken. The Astral Rank stars began to shatter, transforming into countless tiny stars. These tiny stars gradually formed a galaxy, and the galaxy slowly condensed into the state of a universe.
After entering the Universe Rank, Qin Hao remained immersed in the breakthrough state, absorbing energy even faster. The surrounding cosmic energy seemed to condense into a liquid, forming streams of galaxies that were swallowed into his various acupoints, finally converging in his Dantian world to nourish his universe.
The simultaneous breakthrough of all three Dantians made Qin Hao’s demand for energy extremely strong. However, at the Virtual Universe Company Headquarters, the concentration of cosmic energy was even richer than in the training ground built by Gu in the world ring.
After his cultivation stabilized, Qin Hao continued to absorb energy while returning to his Sea of Consciousness. With his cultivation breaking through to the Universe Rank, a new check-in opportunity was unlocked.
Pressed the button.
Check-in successful, Cultivation: Universe Rank, Reward: One drop of Dijiang’s blood.
Subsequently, a ray of light appeared in Qin Hao’s Sea of Consciousness. Beside Zhu Jiuyin’s golden blood, a drop of silver glowing blood appeared.
“The blood of the Ancestral Witch of Time and the Ancestral Witch of Space. I wonder if I can nurture the Second Clone with both of them. If successful, then the potential of this clone will far exceed the First Clone,” Qin Hao thought, and immediately took action.
“Nurture!”
A thought arose, and from the One Qi Transforms into Three Clears divine ability in his Sea of Consciousness, a ray of light enveloped Zhu Jiuyin’s and Dijiang’s blood, appearing within his inner world. Subsequently, the light from the One Qi Transforms into Three Clears divine ability transformed into a giant cocoon. The two drops of blood floated above the giant cocoon, and wisps of blood energy were continuously absorbed into the giant cocoon.
As the blood energy continuously merged, Qin Hao could clearly feel the life aura within the giant cocoon constantly strengthening. Seeing this situation, Qin Hao couldn't help but feel relieved. At the same time, with a thought, he extracted two wisps from the blood energy and integrated them into his own body.
“It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!”
The integration of the two wisps of blood energy made Qin Hao feel as if two scorching flames had entered his body, continuously burning him. Moreover, these two forces were constantly colliding, generating immense destructive power.
“I was a bit reckless.”
However, Qin Hao had no regrets. He mobilized all the power in his body, continuously repairing the damage to his body. The Wood Laws, Water Law, Space Law, and Time Law were all fully mobilized. The Space Law communicated with Dijiang’s blood, the Time Law communicated with Zhu Jiuyin’s blood, continuously taming the power within the blood and integrating it into his body. The Water Law and Wood Laws continuously repaired the damage to his body.
At the same time, the Crimson Bright Nine Heavens Diagram also rapidly circulated, continuously refining his body.
Under the operation of multiple cultivation techniques and powers, Qin Hao’s body gradually formed a peculiar state of balance. Dijiang’s and Zhu Jiuyin’s blood were slowly digested, gradually integrating into Qin Hao’s body. At the same time, Qin Hao’s body also gradually grew stronger under the combined effect of the two blood energies and the Crimson Bright Nine Heavens Diagram.