Deep Winter

Within the territory of the Ganwu Universe Nation, there was an incredibly beautiful pale red planet named Fula Planet. It was quite renowned throughout the universe nation because it served as the ancestral home of a great Immortal's family, and this Immortal held a high position within the Virtual Universe Company.

On the planet itself, a legion of Universe-level experts, affiliated with the Virtual Universe Company, was stationed. The lowest-ranking soldiers in this legion were at least Universe-level experts.

“Hurry!”

“Faster! The Ganwu Auction is about to end. The 100 brothers who won the duels earlier, quickly get online and prepare to receive the important figures.”

“Haha, the auction is finally over. All the brothers have been waiting impatiently.”

Inside a sprawling military camp, a clamor suddenly erupted.

“Second Brother, I heard the Ganwu Auction gathered almost all the important figures from our universe nation. I heard there were millions of Sector Lords! And quite a few Immortals. Plus some young individuals with incredibly powerful backgrounds. You must keep a good eye out for us and tell us all about it later. We didn't even see a few Immortals during our trip to the outer battlefield.”

“Don't worry! Millions of Sector Lords… tsk tsk, I'll tell you all about it slowly later.”

“My military service is ending, and before returning to my planetary territory, I never expected to have the chance to witness such a grand event. I heard the minimum entry requirement for the Ganwu Auction is a Three-Star Tier account! We might never get the chance to attend in our lifetime. It's truly lucky that our legion was chosen to send 100 people this time.”

“What are the requirements for a Three-Star Tier account?”

“I heard you need a deposit of 10 trillion cosmic currency.”

“Heavens! 10 trillion cosmic currency? This… my territory only has a few hundred life planets. That's not even enough for a fraction of it.”

…

Amidst the discussions of these Universe-level soldiers, the 100 victors proudly entered the Virtual Universe network.

…

Within one of the Floating Islands above the Ganwu Continent in the Virtual Universe.

The main structure inside the Floating Island was the colossal auction hall. At this moment, figures continuously appeared on the island, and under guidance, they quickly dispersed to various important locations on the island. There were thousands of people, and the lowest-ranking of these service personnel were also Universe-level!

“Carter, I heard that almost all the guests here are Sector Lords. Millions of Sector Lords.”

“I've never seen so many Sector Lords in my life.”

Two men in formal attire stood by a small bridge, discussing in hushed tones, suppressing their excitement.

Universe-level experts…

While they could dominate a single star system, their status was much lower when placed across an entire starfield. And if placed within the vast Ganwu Universe Nation, they were practically nothing! The Ganwu Universe Nation alone had over a hundred million star systems, and within the universe nation, there were millions of Sector Lords. How many organizations must there be?

Under the guidance of numerous Sector Lords, the probability of producing Universe-level experts was much higher.

Across the entire universe nation, with over a hundred million star systems, there were at least a billion Universe-level experts! The armies dispatched to the outer battlefield consisted entirely of Universe-level soldiers!

The Universe-level soldiers clearly understood that within the entire universe nation, they were merely at the grassroots level. The guests attending the highest assembly of the entire universe nation—the Ganwu Auction—those were the true high-ranking figures of this universe nation.

“The auction has officially concluded. All guests will be leaving the auction hall in succession. All guides, remember your duties. Your performance will be linked to your contribution points.” A cold voice swiftly echoed through the minds of all service personnel on the Floating Island. The two men who had been whispering earlier immediately stood at attention.

…

Whoosh!

From the various exits of the magnificent and beautiful auction hall in the distance, a large flow of people began to emerge. Over 1.8 million guests, more than 99% of whom were Sector Lords, along with some Immortal beings and a few wealthy young individuals with extraordinary backgrounds.

“Sir, this way to the teleportation point. Other areas are available for you to tour our Floating Island.” The service personnel smiled, utterly respectful.

“Mm.”

Three tall, burly men walked side by side, occasionally glancing at the service personnel. However, the powerful will contained in their eyes made the service personnel tremble: “This is still the Virtual Universe. If it were in reality, the powerful will of Sector Lords could shatter our souls with just a glance.”

One Sector Lord after another…

Sector Lords were practically worthless here. Occasionally, even more terrifying beings than Sector Lords would appear. Although they appeared in ordinary bodies within the Virtual Universe, the Immortal will contained within them, a will that communicated with the cosmic origin laws, made the service personnel even more respectful.

“There are too many Sector Lords. The two who just passed were too terrifying; they must be Immortals!” The service personnel even held their breath.

“Another young man is coming. He doesn't look like a Sector Lord, much less an Immortal! Hmm, he's probably a young man with a super background.” The service personnel dared not be careless. As the black-haired young man approached from a distance, they greeted him with respectful smiles: “Sir, this way to the teleportation point. Other directions are available for you to tour our Floating Island.”

“Oh.” The black-haired young man nodded slightly, gave the service personnel a smiling glance, and walked towards the teleportation point.

“He actually smiled at me? This young man isn't arrogant at all.” The Universe-level service personnel felt a thrill in their hearts. Having seen so many cold Sector Lords, occasionally encountering someone with a smile warmed their hearts.

…

Following the service personnel's guidance, Luo Feng quickly reached the teleportation point.

“Almost all the guests here are Sector Lords. The will contained in a Sector Lord's gaze, even in the Virtual Universe, is still terrifying. These service staff must be at least Universe-level, otherwise, they would definitely lose their composure,” Babata said.

“I don't find it that terrifying,” Luo Feng replied.

“Firstly, your will is quite strong; your Golden Horn Beast body is already at Universe-level 6th tier. Secondly, when those Sector Lords see you, they will treat you as an equal and restrain themselves somewhat. After all, in the cosmos, there are two types of people you cannot offend: one is a super expert, and the other is someone with a super background,” Babata explained. “And those who are weaker but come here usually have a strong background.”

Luo Feng nodded.

Without a background, even if one acquired a treasure, they probably wouldn't have the means to sell it!

“Sir, welcome to this auction. Thank you for your support.” An incredibly beautiful girl with long reddish-brown hair smiled, her every smile and frown containing a strange allure.

Under the girl's soft voice, Luo Feng stepped into the teleportation point. As he was being teleported, he looked back at the Floating Island…

On the Floating Island were a group of incredibly respectful Universe-level service personnel, and countless Sector Lords, even Immortals!

“Coming here really makes one a little nervous,” Luo Feng said with a shake of his head and a smile.

Swish!

The figure vanished.

…

For Luo Feng, participating in the Ganwu Auction, the highest-level event in the Ganwu Universe Nation, felt like a dream. In that dream… the value of those treasures was comparable to entire Milky Way Galaxies. Now that the dream was over, Luo Feng returned to his hometown, an inconspicuous small planet in the Black Dragon Mountain Starfield, Milky Way Galaxy, within the Ganwu Universe Nation—Earth.

Fifteen days after the Ganwu Auction concluded, Luo Feng, accompanied by Difan, traveled by spaceship to Bailan Star.

Bailan Star was still covered in white snow.

Luo Feng walked ahead, with Difan following behind, their footsteps crunching on the snow as they approached the beautiful spaceship in the distance—a vessel belonging to the Virtual Universe Company.

“Guest identity confirmed. Transaction authorized.”

Under the electronic voice, the Virtual Universe Company staff placed large boxes on the ground. Luo Feng waved his hand and instantly stored them in his spatial ring.

“Respected guest, thank you for your support of our Virtual Universe Company. Thank you.”

Luo Feng shook hands with a silver-haired middle-aged man, then they parted ways. Luo Feng and Difan swiftly flew back to their spaceship.

“With the items in hand, let's return to Earth!” Luo Feng commanded.

The spaceship soared into the sky, broke through Bailan Star's atmosphere, then performed a cosmic jump, entering the dark universe and heading towards Earth's corresponding dark universe coordinates.

…

Inside the spaceship's control room, large boxes were laid out.

“I spent enough wealth to buy dozens of star systems to acquire these treasures,” Luo Feng sighed. Difan, beside him, smiled and said, “The more you invest, the more you can reap. With such a vast expenditure this time, Master, I believe you will gain a hundredfold, even a thousandfold, in the future.”

“Haha.”

Luo Feng laughed and strode forward, directly opening a box. *Thud!* The first box opened, revealing numerous crystalline containers, each holding an incredibly delicate fruit with dew still clinging to its surface—Lanke Fruits. While Lanke Fruits were not as potent as Life Fruits, a single Lanke Fruit was still worth a thousand life planets.

*Thud.* The second box also contained stacks of crystalline containers, similarly filled with Lanke Fruits.

*Thud,* the third box opened.

Luo Feng's eyes lit up.

This box contained a strange, dark-golden long staff—precisely the Yanshen Blade, one of the nine divine weapons of the Mental-Power Master Controller lineage! Luo Feng crouched down and reached out to touch the dark-golden staff, feeling an extreme coldness emanating from the metal. His heart filled with anticipation.

This Yanshen Blade… would accompany him for thousands, even tens of thousands of years!

*Thud!* Luo Feng turned and opened the last box. Inside was the incomplete black skin with strange dark-golden secret patterns.

“My second clone!” Luo Feng's eyes gleamed, his heart burning with fervor.

In this cosmos, while diligent effort and comprehension were undoubtedly important, talent, resources, and other factors were equally crucial.

Someone who was incredibly diligent and insightful might dominate a single star system.

However, those with talent, backing, abundant resources, and who were also incredibly diligent and insightful, would naturally achieve far greater things!

“My goal is to become a powerful expert, an expert among Immortals, and even an expert who surpasses my teacher! This foundation, naturally, must be as solid as possible.” Luo Feng's eyes burned. This incomplete skin was his reliance for nurturing his second clone. Once the second clone was formed, his Golden Horn Beast main body would primarily cultivate the cosmic origin of metal, while the second clone would primarily cultivate the cosmic origin of space.

Luo Feng's Earthling body, meanwhile, would focus on researching Yanshen Blade techniques.

With these three combined…

His potential would be limitless.

“No more thinking about that. Oh, right, it's already the twelfth lunar month today. The Spring Festival is just a few days away. I should start thinking about what gifts to get Pingping and Xiaohai.” Luo Feng rubbed his nose.