Swallowing the Stars, Hu Yanbo's Pre-Godhood

In Chaos City, on countless rooftops, cultivators of all races sat in meditation, sensing the clear fluctuations of the fundamental laws of the universe, immersed in their cultivation.

The rooftop where Hu Yanbo was located was originally no different from other places.

But recently, the energy around him has become unusually active.

Vast cosmic energy, as if drawn by an invisible giant hand, gently yet continuously flowed into his divine body, and his cultivation method was completely different from that of many immortals.

Such commotion might not directly disturb the cultivation of the other immortals who were also cultivating on the rooftop, but it was like a gentle yet persistent eddy suddenly appearing on a calm lake, inevitably attracting attention.

Even high in the heavens, the great beings near those enormous spatial rifts that are constantly breaking and weaving together the laws of the universe would be able to sense it.

In this region where ordinary immortals cannot stay for long and only those with a profound understanding of the higher laws can stand, several figures can be vaguely seen standing in the air.

At that moment, one of the figures shrouded in faint starlight paused slightly as his gaze inadvertently swept over a certain area below.

That gaze didn't contain much power, yet it seemed to pierce through illusion and point directly to the essence.

"Interesting." The being in the starlight murmured softly. The sound did not travel through the air, but was transmitted through ethereal divine power to its friends nearby.

"A little guy who just arrived not long ago, and his divine body is actually undergoing a transformation?"

Another being, whose body was surrounded by invisible sword intent fluctuations, also noticed the anomaly below.

The sword intent's gaze also fell upon him, and after a moment, it spoke with a hint of understanding (the divine power was communicating in a ethereal way, so it wouldn't disturb anyone below): "Oh? It's him. That lone little marquis. It seems he's gained quite a bit from comprehending the Chaos Stele this time."

Although there are many immortal gods in the human realm, those with even a slight name or impression can be easily remembered.

The gods have an extremely strong memory.

The existence of sword intent clearly indicates that he knew or understood Hu Yanbo below.

"A lone traveler?" After hearing this, the Starlight Being sent a wisp of its consciousness into the virtual universe to retrieve some information.

Hu Yanbo hails from an ordinary star region of the Qianwu Universe Kingdom. He has no ethnic background or powerful master, and is a four-star mercenary in the Universe Mercenary Alliance.

Over approximately 60 million years, he painstakingly climbed from the immortal realm of a military lord to the rank of marquis (Note: His divine body appears not yet stable). He possesses an F-class spaceship and nine immortal servants, among whom is the marquis-level deity 'Iron Sword Marquis'!

This is a typical resume of a lone strongman, full of struggles and luck. Reaching the rank of Marquis is already quite an achievement, but his future prospects are basically over.

"They even enslaved those who were granted the title of Marquis and Immortal. That's interesting." The being in the starlight stroked his chin.

This resume finally has some bright spots.

The fact that he could enslave people of higher social class shows that he did have unique insights into the path of the soul, and that it was not just a matter of luck.

But then, his gaze paused on the note "Immortality not yet stable," and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"Is the intelligence from this department too outdated?" He looked down at the rooftop below, feeling the restrained yet incredibly solid aura that was constantly rising and strengthening.

"Where is there any sign that the immortal body is not yet stable? This is clearly the process of condensing a divine body of the high rank of Marquis, and the process is exceptionally smooth and efficient."

As a powerful being who had long since passed through this stage, he was extremely familiar with the energy fluctuations and law compatibility characteristics of immortal gods breaking through at various levels.

"It seems this kid concealed his strength first, and then after comprehending the Chaos Stele in Chaos City, he directly advanced his understanding of the laws to the advanced level of Marquis?"

"Either this is the explosion of potential accumulated over tens of millions of years, or... he gained unimaginable benefits from the Chaos Stele. Either way, it shows that his comprehension and potential are much stronger than the data on paper."

The existence of starlight made a more realistic judgment the instant it appeared.

For a lone traveler to reach this point, both temperament and perseverance are indispensable. If they also possess exceptional insight, then it's worth investing in them.

"It's worth investing some money to acquire it."

The being in the starlight was moved by the talent and felt that he could invite Hu Yanbo to join the Virtual Universe Company.

Don't assume that this kind of invitation is commonplace.

For the countless immortal gods across the vast human realm, if they were not absorbed into the core of the five major powers before achieving immortality, the difficulty of joining their core circle after achieving immortality would increase dramatically.

The five giants have no shortage of ordinary immortal gods; what they truly lack are geniuses with unlimited potential and super strong individuals who can stand alone.

The claim circulating outside that "one can easily join the five major powers once they break through to immortality" is nothing but the imagination of the ignorant.

The real barrier to entry is higher than you can imagine.

Otherwise, in the original work, Babata wouldn't have regretted that Huyanbo didn't bow down and follow a certain master to become an outsider of the Virtual Universe Company when he was young.

So that in the future one may become immortal, and thus enter the core!

As for the so-called four-star mercenary title of Longyun, it is just a title that powerful lone wolves use to make it easier to accept missions. The core of the mercenary alliance does not have such loose identities.

Huyanbo is at best an outsider within the outside, and has no real connection with the alliance.

"Robbing a peripheral member of a mercenary alliance isn't considered breaking the rules," Starlight's thoughts remained unmoved.

Although the five major powers have a tacit understanding, they have always competed for truly talented individuals through their own means.

"Let's wait until he finishes this seclusion!" Starlight thought to himself.

His consciousness then swept over the other immortals cultivating in the Chaos City, looking for any overlooked gems like Hu Yanbo.

But in just a moment, that vast consciousness was withdrawn.

"Tsk, nothing special." Compared to the methodical, even somewhat difficult, cultivation of other immortals, Hu Yanbo's efficient and rapid breakthrough process below was particularly dazzling.

Without comparison, there is no harm.

Having witnessed Hu Yanbo's breakthrough, other immortal works seem rather dull, and I have no interest in exploring them further.

......

Of course, Hu Yanbo, who was on the rooftop below, was completely unaware of the various thoughts and intentions of the bigwigs above.

His entire being was immersed in the transformation of his divine body, guiding the vast cosmic energy to cleanse and fill every cell again and again.

Time stands still within the Chaos City. He absorbed, transformed, and consolidated his knowledge single-mindedly... and so the cycle continued, and hundreds of years passed in the blink of an eye.

The surging energy tide around Hu Yanbo gradually subsided, and the intense and active fluctuations of spatial laws slowly subsided, eventually stabilizing completely.

He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze shining brightly, and a far more powerful and refined aura than before naturally emanated from them.

He was granted the title of Marquis (High-Rank)! His divine body and understanding of the laws were now perfectly aligned, resulting in a qualitative leap in his strength!

"Finally, it's done." He felt the surging power within his body and the spatial laws that were now many times clearer, and he felt exhilarated.

Now, even if I am no match for the Demon Hand King, I can easily retreat.