Swallowing the Stars: The cheat system only comes when I'm almost a god?

"Welcome to pass the test." Lin Yuan laughed and patted Ren on the shoulder. "Now, we can talk formally."

When consciousness returned to reality, the three were still in the training field.

"Your combat strength meets the requirements, so let's move on to the specifics of cooperation." Lin Yuan's expression became more serious. "The initial area we've chosen for our activities is the 'Shattered Star Abyss' secret realm. What do you think?"

Ren frowned slightly: "Shattered Star Abyss? I remember that the danger level there is marked as 'medium', and it is mainly an area where Immortal Army Lords and a small number of newly appointed Marquis level experts are active."

"Given your standards for recruiting high-ranking combatants for titles and ranks, isn't the return too low going there?"

This is a reasonable question. Those who have achieved the rank of Marquis are virtually immortal and typically prefer to venture into areas with higher danger levels but also greater rewards.

Lin Yuan was prepared and explained, "To be honest, I used to roam other battlefields, and I haven't been here long before coming to the Seventh Battlefield."

We need to familiarize ourselves with the environment, the activity patterns of the alien race, and even the coordinates of the stars.

"Shattered Star Abyss" is relatively close to the barracks base, making it a suitable starting point for adaptation and team cohesion.

"Moreover, this serves as a buffer for both of us." He paused, looking at the blade:

"If we find our styles don't match after working together, or if you have a better opportunity elsewhere, we can quickly dissolve the team and each go back to find new teammates, so no one is held back. What do you think?"

This reason is reasonable, taking into account the actual situation of adapting to the new environment and team integration, and also giving both parties room to maneuver. Ren's wariness dissipated a little.

Alien spies are often impatient for quick results, eager to lure their targets to a remote and dangerous area far from the base, rather than carefully choosing an area close to the base as their starting point.

"So, what is the main objective of the hunt?" Blade asked the most crucial question. "If it's just about the Immortal Lords, then this team might just be a transitional phase for me to familiarize myself with the battlefield in the early stages."

He kept a close eye on Meng Qi's reaction. If the other party boasted that he would hunt for a peak-level Marquis or even a King in order to lure him, then it was almost certain that it was a trap.

A Realm Lord challenging a Marquis is already a genius. If someone can consistently hunt down peak Marquis-level beings, then they must be the most outstanding prodigies of their clan. Such a team clearly has a problem.

Lin Yuan said calmly, "Our main goal is naturally to achieve the title of Marquis and Immortal. If we encounter any valuable Immortal Military Lords along the way, we can deal with them as well, but we won't go to any dangerous areas in the early stages."

He looked at the other person and said something that hit the nail on the head: "Although your combat strength has reached the high level of the Marquis, you are still only a Realm Lord. In terms of survival ability and continuous combat ability, you are still inferior to the Marquis Immortal who truly possesses an immortal body."

With this in mind, we will try to target those between the initial and advanced ranks of Marquis, avoiding encountering formidable enemies from the outset.

These words were well-organized and comprehensive, affirming Ren's combat capabilities while also pointing out his weaknesses, and proposing a sound combat strategy.

It is entirely based on the perspective of team safety and effective hunting, without any exaggeration or enticement.

Blade fell silent.

The other party's words were reasonable and could even be described as being for his benefit, completely overturning his previous suspicion that he might be a spy from another race.

But this completely dashed his previous idea of ​​"taking the opportunity to teach the other party a lesson for looking down on him".

They're not looking down on you; they're just giving an objective analysis, and their analysis is accurate.

He felt a mix of emotions, a sense of relief mixed with a strange...suppressed feeling, as if he had punched a piece of cotton.

"I understand." Blade finally nodded. "This arrangement is reasonable. I agree to join the team."

"Haha, that's good!" Lin Yuan smiled brightly. How could he not see the other party's genius? He never expected that it would be after breaking through to the Marquis level that he would have the opportunity to befriend a peerless genius. Sure enough, the stronger you are, the more opportunities you have.

"Welcome to the Firewood Squad. Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Meng Qi, a high-level Marquis-level martial artist. In times of crisis, I can also temporarily assume the role of a peak Marquis. I am skilled in swordsmanship."

He pointed to the woman in crimson armor beside him, "This is Yue, my old partner."

His introduction of the woman was excessively brief, without even mentioning her level of strength.

Ren looked at Yue, who only nodded slightly to him but still did not speak. Ren wisely refrained from asking any further questions.

However, delving too much into the background of teammates is an unwritten tacit understanding on the battlefield outside the territory, especially for temporary teammates who have just met.

"Then, let's rest for a bit and set off for the Shattered Star Abyss area tomorrow. We can discuss the specific tactics and coordination details along the way," Lin Yuan decided.

Ren nodded in agreement and then left the training ground to make final preparations before departure.

Only "Meng Qi" and "Yue" remained in the training ground.

After confirming that he had left, the space around Yue slightly distorted, and the deliberately maintained aura of immortality as a marquis quietly dissipated, replaced by a more profound and restrained artistic conception.

She removed her faceplate, revealing a cold and familiar face—it was none other than Lin Yuan's teacher, the King-level immortal powerhouse, Flame Moon King!

"Your disguise is getting more and more sophisticated." The Flame Moon King's clone glanced at Lin Yuan, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

Lin Yuan smiled wryly: "Teacher, what brings you to the seventh battlefield?"

He was speechless. He knew that his master, Venerable Yan Cang, had gone to the Primordial Star, but who would have thought that his master would turn around and create an avatar to come to the extraterrestrial battlefield?

While the Zerg Queen Vicona was peacefully studying the laws of space within the World Ring, seeking an opportunity to break through to immortality, she couldn't just sit idly by, so she prepared to come out and continue her adventures.

But he never expected to encounter this person so soon after arriving at the military base...

Lin Yuan felt a sense of familiarity upon first meeting her. Not long ago, after he posted a recruitment notice for his team, she came looking for him, and her identity was immediately exposed after she unleashed her divine power.

The key point is that Yan Yue Wang and Ren arrived one after the other, which meant that he only had a chance to ask about the specific situation now.

"What, are you surprised?" she explained calmly. "Lawrence's appearance has attracted a lot of attention from the alien races, which has eased the pressure on us old folks."

Lin Yuan suddenly realized.

Lawrence, the newly emerged peerless genius who appeared once in tens of millions of years, indeed attracted a lot of attention and assassination firepower from the alien races like a magnet. This was undoubtedly a rare chance for the Flame Moon King, who ranked high on the alien races' kill list, to catch his breath.

"Moreover," King Yanyue continued casually, "after the Primordial Star opened, your grandmaster, Venerable Yancang, went there."

Since no one is watching, I'll naturally come back. The outer battlefield is still the best fit for me.

Lin Yuan remained silent; he knew his teacher's style of doing things all too well.

A peerless genius like Lawrence would typically conceal his identity while serving as a realm lord and train in the outer battlefields. He would then accidentally expose his identity during a treasure hunt, and subsequently be surrounded and killed by powerful alien races.

At this point, there are only two possible outcomes: either one breaks through to the King level and kills the opponent, or one fails to break through and loses their life.

Even if they successfully break through, they will withdraw from the battlefield to prevent assassination by alien races, and from then on, it will be difficult to see each other on the battlefield outside the domain.

However, her teacher, Yan Yue Wang, was different. Her initial comprehension of the fundamental laws of space was relatively ordinary. When she broke through to immortality, she was only at the peak of the Marquis level. She was not regarded as a peerless genius who appeared only once in tens of millions of eras from the beginning.

She became a thorn in the side of the alien races because of her astonishing cultivation speed even after reaching immortality and her valiant record of slaying several alien kings after breaking through to the king level. It was the countless alien corpses on the battlefield outside the domain that forged her reputation.

She even preferred to remain on the battlefield, using herself as bait to lure foreign spies for assassination, thus tempering herself through the trials of life and death.

Previously, it was because her grandmaster, Venerable Yan Cang, was worried that this behavior was too risky that he forcibly took her away from the battlefield. Now that her grandmaster has gone to the Primordial Star and has no time to spare, she immediately let loose and came back to fight.

As Lin Yuan was thinking this, he didn't notice that King Yan Yue had started teasing him again.

"You, on the other hand, are really lucky." There was a hint of amusement in her eyes. "You've only just arrived at the Seventh Battlefield and you've already managed to recruit a genius like Blade."

"With him around, this Firewood Squad, which is basically an empty shell, can do whatever it wants. As long as they don't encounter any alien king-level experts, they can freely travel to the Flame Sacrifice Continent and the Twin Realms. Moreover, his presence can also conceal your true strength."

Lin Yuan nodded.

Being able to cooperate with a genius like Blade is indeed a pleasant surprise. It can ensure safety in the early stages and allow us to observe the fighting style of the top human geniuses, achieving multiple benefits at once.

"However, don't be careless."

King Yanyue reminded him, "Ren's identity is not simple. His willingness to team up with you may be due to his familiarity with the battlefield, but he may also have other motives."

Be mindful of your boundaries and don't reveal too much.

"Disciple understands," Lin Yuan replied solemnly.

"Alright, it's time for me to return to my place." King Yanyue put his face armor back on, reverting to his cool and aloof demeanor.

"In the team, I will act as Yue, and my strength will be maintained at around the peak of the Marquis level. I will only take action when we encounter a King level expert. Otherwise, you will have to rely on yourselves."

"Yes, teacher... oh no, Yue." Lin Yuan quickly corrected himself.

The Flame Moon King's clone said no more, turned around and walked to the side to close his eyes and rest.

……

On the original star numbered 9371.

Venerable Yan Cang sat in meditation above the Arctic lava sea, his mind connected with the Flame Heart Lock.

The sense of shared origin and calling became clearer and clearer; he could feel that the final component of this pinnacle domain-level treasure was slowly taking shape.

According to intuition and calculation, Luo Tiansuo will inevitably be born in a million years at most.

Therefore, even if treasures appeared elsewhere on this primordial star, he wouldn't even glance at them, focusing his attention solely on this place.

For a top cosmic overlord, time is the cheapest yet most worthwhile investment.

……

Original star number 3341.

Emperor Yan reaped treasures like a whirlwind, his footprints spreading from the earliest numbered primordial star to the rear.

When encountering ordinary cosmic venerables or even cosmic overlords from other races, Emperor Yan didn't utter a single wasted word.

Wherever his gaze falls, an oppressive aura descends. Those who dare to resist have their divine bodies instantly shattered, their treasures seized, and the weak perish completely before they can even send a message.

As time went by, more and more powerful individuals from various races came to explore the Primordial Star, and the factions they belonged to became more complex.

On the original star numbered 3362, he encountered a team consisting of three alien Venerables from the Hongmeng Alliance and one human Universe Venerable.

They had just joined forces to defeat a powerful enemy and obtained a newly discovered ordinary treasure armor.

An oppressive aura descended, and the eyes beneath the crown of flames looked down indifferently.

The four men's expressions changed drastically. The human leader, gritting his teeth, stepped forward: "Emperor Yan, we are..."

"Hand over the treasure." Before he could even beg the Emperor Yan for mercy, a cold voice interrupted him.

"Lord Yan Emperor, according to..." the Human Universe Venerable continued, trying to speak.

An even more terrifying will crashed down, causing the four divine bodies to tremble and kneel on the ground.

Finally, the newly acquired treasured armor was respectfully presented.

Emperor Yan glanced at them and then vanished in flames. The four of them looked at each other in silence. Their faces showed resentment at losing the treasure, but none of them dared to utter a word of complaint.

By the time they reached the original star numbered 4025, the Yan Emperor's fame had spread like wildfire.

When he descended upon a planet filled with golden light, he happened to remotely sense an avatar of "Lord Qiming," a cosmic ruler from the Northern Frontier Alliance.

The two sides didn't even meet.

After sensing the violent and domineering aura approaching its area, the avatar of Lord Qi Ming remained silent for a moment, then took the initiative to suppress its fluctuations and retreated to another part of the planet.

The powerful beings of all races in the universe all know that Emperor Yan possesses numerous treasures and his strength is unfathomable.

Unless there is sufficient certainty and a conflict of interest, an ordinary cosmic ruler would not be willing to easily confront this ruthless fellow.

Emperor Yan did not pursue or provoke him. After collecting the spoils from several alien venerables on this planet, he left for the next primordial star.

The original star, number 5697, is located at the bottom of a frozen abyss.

A cosmic venerable from the powerful "Ice Cliff Clan" was staring at the Flame Emperor before him with a livid expression.

"Emperor Yan, this is the Heart of Extreme Cold that my master, Lord Beixuan, bestowed upon me for protection. It was not produced by the Primordial Star!" The Ice Cliff Clan Venerable suppressed his anger.

"This treasure is destined for me, and it is rightfully mine." Emperor Yan said calmly, and a piece of ordinary supreme treasure armor that exuded a heavy earth elemental aura appeared in his hand. "Don't say I'm not giving face to the Lord of Beixuan. I just snatch everything from others. This time, I'll exchange it for this armor."

"This..." The Ice Cliff Clan's Cosmic Venerable looked at the armor, whose value was vastly different from the Heart of Extreme Cold, and was almost bursting with rage. "This is outright theft! My master, the Lord of Northern Profound, will not let this go!"

Emperor Yan slightly raised his eyes, and the mere pressure of his gaze caused the soul of this cosmic venerable to tremble: "I will ask one more time: choose to exchange or perish?"

In the end, the Ice Cliff Clan Venerable surrendered the Heart of Extreme Cold in humiliation in exchange for the earth-elemental treasure armor that he had no use for at all.

After the Yan Emperor left, he immediately left the Primordial Star and, through a special channel, complained to the Lord of Beixuan, who was adventuring in the Cosmic Sea.

But Emperor Yan's steps never faltered.

As he left, the vortex passage leading to the original star 5698 was already in sight in the starry sky ahead.

At this rate, a million years from now, his figure will set foot in areas numbered nine thousand or higher...