Swallowing the Stars: Only in my later years did I come to the life-spending panel.

The secret realm of dry witches.

This is a vast continent suspended in the void, with endless chaotic air currents at its edge, isolated by an invisible force of law.

In the center of the continent, majestic mountain ranges stretch endlessly, their peaks shrouded in mist, with countless palaces and pavilions faintly visible among them.

Deep within the continent, a colossal, pitch-black island floats suspended in mid-air, surrounded by nine waterfalls cascading down from the void. The water of these waterfalls contains an extremely concentrated cosmic energy, each drop enough to drive countless cosmic-level powerhouses in the outside world mad.

In the center of the island, a majestic palace built of dark golden jade stands tall. The palace's surface is engraved with densely packed law runes, which shimmer with a faint light and exude a powerful pressure that makes people tremble.

Deep within the palace, a tall man in a dark gold robe sat on a wide throne.

He had a refined and scholarly appearance, with a hint of imposing authority between his brows. His long hair was casually draped over his shoulders, and he held a cup of amber-colored wine in his hand. Stars seemed to shimmer within the wine. This was a special product of the Qianwu Secret Realm, Star Brew, and one cup was enough to allow a cosmic-level expert to break through to the next level.

He is the ruler of the Qianwu Universe Kingdom, the Qianwu King, who rules over countless star systems and has a multitude of powerful figures under his command. He is the true master of this star field.

Opposite him, a tall and imposing figure sat cross-legged in mid-air, also holding a cup of Star Brew in his hand. His dark gold heavy armor reflected a cold luster under the palace's light.

"Lei Yu, you're a rare guest. It's not that you'd like to come and sit here."

The ruler of the Qianwu Kingdom took a sip of wine, a slight smile playing on his lips: "What, your seclusion is over?"

Lei Yu Venerable nodded, a flash of lightning in his golden eyes: "Just came out of seclusion, feeling restless after a long period of quiet."

Looking at his old friend across from him, the ruler of Qianwu Kingdom felt a pang of bitterness in his heart, his gaze complex.

The two were once top geniuses of the same era, emerging together from the ultimate battle of geniuses and undergoing life-and-death trials together in the universe.

At that time, they were evenly matched, neither could defeat the other, and regarded each other as lifelong rivals, but also the best of friends.

But then everything changed. In an adventure, he gambled everything, only to unexpectedly perish and lose everything.

Although the Lord of the Universe intervened to reverse time and pull him back from the brink of death, he lost all the treasures he had accumulated over countless years.

He thus owes the tribe 3.8 treasure points.

This is a number that would shock any cosmic venerable or even cosmic overlord.

He poured all the wealth he had accumulated over countless years into it, but it only paid off a tiny fraction of the debt.

The ruler of the Qianwu Kingdom had no other means of repayment but to cultivate geniuses over countless epochs, repaying the debt little by little.

For every genius he nurtures who can break into the top 100 in the Peak Genius Battle, the Virtual Universe Company will give him some rewards. The better the performance, the more rewards he will receive. He dares not keep a single penny of these rewards and uses them all to repay that debt. As a result, his strength has stagnated at the High Universe Venerable level.

He watched as his friend Lei Yu made great strides forward, first venturing into the Primordial Star, and narrowly escaping death to obtain the Lei Yu Palace, a medium-sized palace-like treasure, which greatly increased his strength.

He then broke through his cultivation level and reached the level of a top-tier cosmic overlord, establishing a formidable reputation in the universe. Now, Thunder Prison Venerable is only one step away from becoming the Lord of the Universe.

He was still troubled by that huge debt, holed up in the Qianwu Secret Realm, slowly paying it off by cultivating geniuses.

The ruler of the Qianwu Kingdom drank the Star Wine in his cup in one gulp, then poured himself another cup.

"Your Star Brew is still as good as ever." Venerable Lei Yu also drank the wine in his cup in one gulp, put down the cup and praised.

The ruler of Qianwu Kingdom smiled and filled his friend's cup again.

"What have you gained this time after your retreat?"

Lei Yu Venerable shook his head: "My realm has become more stable, but I haven't made any great gains. I still have no clue how to break through."

He paused, then continued, "But you, with such a huge debt, how have you been all these years?"

The ruler of Qianwu Kingdom was silent for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said, "What's the difference between good and bad? Just live like that. Let's nurture some geniuses and see if there are any promising talents."

Lei Yu Venerable looked at him, a complex emotion flashing in his golden eyes.

He didn't ask any more questions, but simply picked up his wine glass and drank the amber-colored Star Wine in one gulp.

The two remained silent for a moment, then the ruler of Qianwu Kingdom suddenly sighed, his tone tinged with emotion.

"This year's ultimate battle of geniuses is just a few years away."

Lei Yu Venerable looked up at him: "What's wrong? Still worried about those little guys under your command?"

The ruler of Qianwu Kingdom smiled bitterly, drank the wine in his cup in one gulp, and then poured himself another cup.

"My Qianwu Universe Kingdom has not had a genius break into the top twenty of the Peak Genius Battle for over a hundred sessions."

His voice carried a hint of melancholy, "Look at the several cosmic nations like Manka and Jiuyu, they produce a few prodigies every year."

"And what about me? I have very few people even making it into the top 100."

Lei Yu Venerable held his wine cup and said nothing more.

The ruler of Qianwu Kingdom continued, "I've provided the resources, the secret techniques, and even sent powerful experts to be my teachers, but those little guys are just lacking that one crucial element."

"Genius is something that cannot be forced; it depends entirely on fate."

Lei Yu Venerable said calmly, "Didn't you and I also fight our way out of the peak genius battle back then? We should know better than anyone else."

"I know." The ruler of the Qianwu Kingdom nodded, then sighed, "But seeing other universes producing so many talented people, I... can't help but feel uneasy."

What he didn't say was that those debts still weighed on him. Without genius, there are no rewards; without rewards, those debts would never be paid off.

One term after another, year after year, he doesn't know how much longer he will have to wait to pay off his debts.

Lei Yu Venerable put down his wine cup, and a smile suddenly appeared on his lips.

"Speaking of geniuses..."

He paused, a meaningful glint in his golden eyes, "This time I came out, and I found an interesting little fellow on your turf."

The ruler of the Qianwu Kingdom raised an eyebrow: "My territory?"

"A remote little star system in the Black Dragon Mountain Empire."

Lei Yu Venerable said with great interest, "A little guy who has only recently broken through to the planetary level has actually gained the recognition of the fundamental laws of lightning."

"What?"

The king of Qianwu Kingdom paused in his wine cup, and the wine inside spilled out.

"Planetary level, recognized by the fundamental laws? Are you sure?"

Lei Yu Venerable nodded. "I saw it with my own eyes."

"Although the immortals on that planet used secret techniques to seal it off and isolate most of its aura, the fluctuations of the primordial laws could not escape my notice."

He paused, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.

"And I'm a little interested in this little guy."