Longyu King

Chaos City.

As one of the holy lands of the human race in the entire universe, existing for billions of years, Chaos City had barely changed in a mere decade.

It was still enveloped in chaotic energy currents, and countless cultivators still sat on its rooftops.

If a camera had recorded the scene ten years ago and compared it to today, one might find that most of the cultivators in Chaos City hadn't moved for the entire decade!

“They’re here.”

“Mm.”

Above Chaos City, two majestic and imposing figures stood. One was an ape-man clad in golden combat armor, his eyes seemingly capable of piercing through the void. Beside him stood another individual in white robes, appearing slightly gaunt, with a pale complexion and two black horns. The space around him subtly distorted and twisted, and most notably, his eyes remained closed.

“Rumble~~” A sleek, arc-shaped spaceship, entirely azure, appeared in the distance.

“Zhenyan, Tongnan!” A clear voice rang out. A beautiful woman, clad in azure combat armor with flowing purple hair, emerged from the spaceship’s hatch, and then the vessel vanished instantly.

“Longyu!” Zhenyan King exclaimed with a hearty laugh.

The gaunt, white-robed man with closed eyes also smiled and called out, “Longyu, long time no see.”

“You two have been meditating in Chaos City, rarely even entering the Virtual Universe, while I’ve been constantly in the primal universe. How could I meet you?” Longyu smiled. Her entire being seemed carved from jade, possessing a translucent quality, as if she didn't quite belong to this space-time.

“Come, to my place.” The gaunt, white-robed man smiled.

…

A moment later.

In an oddly styled building, light and darkness seemed to coexist in perfect harmony.

Zhenyan King, Tongnan King, and Longyu King, three super-beings of extremely high status within the Virtual Universe Company, sat together.

“Tsk tsk, delicious.” Longyu raised a crystal goblet and took a sip of the wine within. The liquid faintly shimmered with circulating stars, exceptionally beautiful.

“Haha, I’m benefiting from you, Longyu, to be able to drink this ‘Five-Colored Stars’!” Zhenyan King gulped down the wine in his cup, then comfortably stroked the fur on his mouth, his eyes wide with praise. “Tongnan, this blind fellow, is so stingy. I’ve been with him here for hundreds of millions of years, and he’s only let me drink it once.”

“It’s very expensive!” Tongnan King said in a low voice. “You just drank 30,000 mixed-element units!”

“Don’t be stingy, don’t be stingy, give me more. You earned a lot during that time in the universe secret realm. Are you really pained by drinking this little wine?” Zhenyan King chuckled mischievously, reaching for the wine bottle.

The entirely black, cylindrical wine bottle sat on the table. Tongnan King didn't stop him, allowing Zhenyan King to take it.

“Tsk tsk!” Zhenyan King glanced at Longyu King. “Longyu, your influence is still the greatest.”

Longyu King smiled faintly, casting a look at Tongnan King.

As beings with incredibly long lifespans, even if they could allow their relatives to live for a thousand epochs, in the long river of time, their relatives would still have long since perished… Thus, Zhenyan King, Longyu King, and Tongnan King had no immediate family. For them, friends who had endured countless life-and-death battles were akin to family.

Zhenyan, Tongnan, and Longyu had once been in a squad, comrades-in-arms through life and death!

They had faced countless tribulations together!

Their bond was exceptionally deep, especially between Tongnan and Longyu, where a hint of affection had blossomed. However, Tongnan King and Longyu King had never broken through that barrier. Although both understood the other's feelings, they consistently maintained a certain distance. They had grown accustomed to this feeling, as if they were friends, yet also like companions.

“Why have you come this time?” Tongnan King asked.

“By the Venerable’s command.” Longyu King smiled.

“Jiujian Venerable?” Zhenyan King asked in surprise. “What did the Venerable ask you to do?”

“The Venerable places great importance on this batch of newcomers. They need to stay in Chaos City for over 30 years, and now a third of that time has passed, allowing us to gauge their future achievements to some extent.” Longyu smiled. “The Venerable will only come to retrieve these newcomers on the very last day. As for observing them normally… naturally, he dispatches his subordinates. So, I came.”

“Oh.” Tongnan King, the blind man, nodded. “That’s right. This batch of newcomers was brought in by Jiujian Venerable. If a powerful expert emerges from them in the future, they will be assigned to Jiujian Venerable’s command.”

“Indeed.” Longyu smiled. “Although the probability of these geniuses becoming Immortals is very low, I estimate that a few will still make it! With their talent, coupled with the long-term focused cultivation from our Virtual Universe Company… once they become Immortals, they will certainly not be ordinary Immortals. The Venerable naturally pays attention to his future subordinates.”

Every genius battle and expert battle saw the Virtual Universe Company dispatch a Venerable to preside! The one who presided would have the geniuses of that generation, who eventually became Immortals, assigned to their command. Without this reason… how could a Venerable of such status specifically send a group of newcomers to Chaos City and then personally pick them up at the end?

“This batch of newcomers is quite good, especially Bolan, who passed the fourth level of the Sky-Reaching Bridge half a year ago!” Tongnan King raised his goblet and took a small sip. “Among the other geniuses, a total of seven have broken through the second level of the Sky-Reaching Bridge, while the rest are still on the first level. These seven are… Gusiluo, Longyun, Jialaixi, Tao, Qianshui, Wuka, and Rongjun.”

“Rongjun broke through the second level of the Sky-Reaching Bridge in his fourth year.” Zhenyan King also laughed. “Tao passed the second level in his seventh year. Gusiluo, Longyun, and Jialaixi all passed the second level in their eighth year. Wuka and Qianshui both broke through the second level in their ninth year.”

Longyu smiled, “I know. In terms of strength, Bolan is first, and Rongjun is second. The next six—Tao, Gusiluo, Longyun, Jialaixi, Wuka, Qianshui—are all quite close, with Tao, who uses a blood axe, slightly ahead. By the way… what about Luo Feng, who performed so well before?”

“Unclear.” Tongnan King shook his head. “Zhenyan definitely knows; he’s been paying attention to that kid.”

“Zhenyan.” Longyu King looked at the ape-man expert before her.

“This Luo Feng…” Zhenyan King stroked his chin, then his head, frowning. “How should I put it? He performed very well when he first arrived, but these past ten years have been very strange. That kid has only gone out to kill chaotic beasts outside the city a few times; the rest of the time, he’s been sitting on that rooftop comprehending. And he hasn’t challenged the Sky-Reaching Bridge even once.”

“Oh?”

Longyu King nodded slightly, then smiled. “I came this time specifically to observe them personally. My first target is Bolan.”

“The Venerable also praised Bolan. The Sky-Reaching Bridge gets progressively harder to pass, with the difficulty increasing geometrically. I originally thought he would take twenty years to pass the fourth level. I didn’t expect him to do it in ten years.” Longyu sighed with a smile. “The second is Rongjun. He’s ranked second among this group, and I estimate he should be able to pass the third level in the next few years.”

“Mm.”

“Right.”

Tongnan King and Zhenyan King both nodded.

“He passed the second level in his fourth year in Chaos City. Especially this year, he has already attempted it twice… he’s not far from passing the third level!” Zhenyan King laughed heartily. “And with the Yuan Chen Cosmic Nation Lord personally teaching him, how could his progress be slow?” Although he was praising Rongjun, he felt a little displeased in his heart.

Because Rongjun and Bolan were not from the Jiuyu lineage.

“Did I make a mistake recommending Luo Feng to study ‘Piaoxue’? Is it possible that analyzing the essence of cosmic space laws is too difficult and has delayed him?” Zhenyan King worried in his heart. Taking the wrong path meant wasting time. Assuming this path didn't work out, then Luo Feng would have wasted a precious decade.

…

Longyu King, under the command of Jiujian Venerable, came to observe this batch of newcomers in person.

With Longyu King’s strength, observing quietly from a distance, none of the newcomers could detect her.

“This Bolan is truly excellent, worthy of being a super genius who can rank first for tens of millions of years.” Longyu King floated amidst the chaotic energy currents, watching Bolan practicing his sword in the distant wilderness. Bolan’s eyes were firm and resolute, as if external matters couldn't affect him at all.

…

“Rongjun is a born warrior, but what exactly about him attracted two Cosmic Nation Lords?” Longyu stood in the void, looking down at Rongjun, with his messy hair and bare feet, slowly practicing his moves on another distant rooftop, occasionally looking up at the sky to observe the operation of cosmic laws.

…

“Longyun, hmm, very steady. If he can maintain his strengths, his future is boundless.”

…

“Wuka, truly a genius of Manka Star. His combat talent feels not much inferior to Rongjun’s.”

…

Longyu King quietly observed each newcomer, making her judgments in her heart, preparing to report back to Jiujian Venerable.

“Is this Luo Feng?” Longyu King walked through an alley in Chaos City, looking at the black-haired youth in deep red combat armor sitting motionless with closed eyes on the rooftop of a cultivation residence not far away. Ten years had passed, and his short hair had grown long, now completely unbound.

“Could his comprehension have gone astray?” Longyu King mused.

When cosmic experts comprehend the fundamental laws of the universe, sometimes their comprehension can lead them down a wrong path. Sometimes they don't even realize their mistake until many years later. Taking a wrong path in comprehension… is very common among experts of various races in the vast universe.

It’s not about taking the wrong path.

It’s about taking the wrong path and not realizing it.

“These 30 years are the most crucial for laying the foundation. Little fellow, I wish you good luck.” Longyu King turned and left.

…

On the rooftop of the cultivation residence.

Luo Feng sat cross-legged, unaware that within his inner world,

His Demon Killer Clan clone was undergoing incredibly intense, repeated training. For a full decade, the Demon Killer Clan clone had barely stopped, immersed in the pleasure of analyzing the essence of cosmic laws… almost oblivious to the passage of time.

“Boom!”

On the rooftop, Luo Feng, who had been sitting cross-legged, felt a surge of energy around his body, scattering dust. Then, he opened his eyes.

Whoosh!

He stood up, gazing into the distance. Chaos City was still exactly as it had been, time leaving no trace on it.

“How long did I cultivate this time?” Luo Feng asked.

“This time was longer than the previous ones, 3 years and 9 months,” Babata replied.

“Mm.”

Luo Feng gently waved his hand, leaving a series of afterimages in the air, and smiled faintly. “Give up if I can’t cultivate it in 20 years? Fortunately… in 10 years, I’ve fully comprehended this first sword technique. At least I’m qualified to cultivate ‘Piaoxue’. Well, it’s time to challenge the Sky-Reaching Bridge.”