Swallowing the Stars: Equipment Slots, Starting with a Genius Battle

In the virtual universe, in the public area of ​​Yuxiang Mountain, there is a private room in an antique-style restaurant.

Ye Feng pushed open the intricately patterned wooden door and went inside. The private room was large, but only two people were seated. The table was densely covered with 1081 delicacies, their aromas filling the air.

Fourth Senior Brother Yunlan was chatting and laughing with a robust middle-aged man with a powerful aura sitting in the main seat.

"King Tu Yu, back when you were dominating the battlefields beyond the realms, I was just a minor realm lord struggling in a secret realm. Your fame, especially your battle against the Azure Wolf King of the Demon Emperor Clan, shook the Seventh Battlefield. We grew up listening to your legendary stories."

Yunlan wore a polite smile and her tone was full of just the right amount of flattery.

Having spent years handling trivial matters for his teacher, the Nine Swords Venerable, Yunlan is naturally adept at handling all kinds of affairs.

King Tu Yu sat in the main seat with an air of superiority, drinking cup after cup of fine wine poured by Yun Lan, his expression laced with arrogance. He responded to Yun Lan's flattery only half-heartedly, appearing uninterested.

"Yunlan, you're not bad either," he said lazily, putting down his empty cup. "You became a king in less than a hundred epochs of cultivation; your talent is stronger than mine."

Yunlan quickly refilled his cup, saying repeatedly, "King Tuyu, you flatter me. I know my own limitations. After barely being crowned a king, my potential is almost exhausted. Now I just help Master Jiujian with some miscellaneous tasks."

He then changed the subject, his words carrying a pointed meaning: "In terms of talent, it has to be our junior brother Ye Feng. He was only recently accepted into the master's fold, yet he was already hailed as a prodigy, a once-in-ten-million-epoch genius. Even my second senior brother, Shuang Kong, said that junior brother Ye Feng's future is even brighter than his own."

Upon hearing the name "Frost Sky," the arrogance on King Tu Yu's face froze for a moment, and he quickly picked up his wine cup to cover it up.

He possessed the strength of a peak-level King, and could put on airs with Yunlan, who was just an ordinary King and whose company position was inferior to his. However, he, Tu Yu Wang, could only look up to Shuang Kong, the King-level powerhouse who was currently attempting to break through to the Universe Venerable realm.

They can still compete now, but if Shuang Kong really takes that step and becomes a Venerable, Tu Yu Wang won't even be worthy of carrying his shoes. The gap between the peak of the King-level realm and the Universe Venerable is even more terrifying than the gap between the Realm Lord and the King-level realm.

Tu Yu Wang shook his head, his tone much more subdued: "Alright, Yun Lan, don't flatter me. I know my own abilities perfectly well; I'm far inferior to your second senior brother."

He changed the subject: "By the way, have you contacted your junior brother? When is he arriving? Our time is precious."

Yunlan quickly smiled apologetically, "We notified them a long time ago, and they should be arriving soon. They were probably too engrossed in their cultivation and were a little delayed. Tu Yu Wang, please try this Huilin fish first. It's a rare delicacy from the Qinghe Secret Realm. Let's eat while we wait."

As he spoke, he served food to Tu Yuwang with great hospitality.

Tu Yuwang picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks, chewed it twice, and snorted with an ambiguous meaning: "Heh, no wonder you were able to pass through the 11th level of the Heavenly Bridge at such a young age. When you're cultivating, you really forget to eat and sleep..."

That sarcastic tone was clearly directed at Ye Feng, who was late in arriving.

Yunlan almost lost her smile, inwardly cursing, "What's wrong with this King Tuyu?"

You're really getting cocky when I say you're fat. I'm a king, after all; isn't it enough that I'm groveling before you and greeting you with a smile?

"You're even picking a fight with my junior brother? If it weren't for Ye Feng's matter, who would bother with you?"

But on the surface, they still had to keep smiling and serving the food.

Just then, the door to the private room opened, and Ye Feng walked in.

Yun Lan felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He quickly got up to greet Ye Feng, grabbed his arm, and led him to the main seat, introducing him enthusiastically: "Junior Brother, you've finally arrived. Quickly, greet King Tu Yu. This is a peak-level King-level expert who is renowned throughout the outer battlefields, a big shot in our Virtual Universe Company."

The pinnacle of being crowned a king?

Ye Feng knew that his overall combat strength was now at the high level of the King rank, while his opponent was only one level higher, so the difference in status was not significant.

A nod would have been enough, but seeing how warmly his fourth senior brother was behaving, Ye Feng assumed he was a friend of his senior brother and thus gave him face by bowing slightly in greeting.

"Ye Feng greets King Tu Yu."

Tu Yu Wang didn't even lift his eyelids, remaining seated with his imposing posture. He slowly picked up another bite of food, chewing and swallowing it meticulously until he did. Only then, as if he had just noticed Ye Feng, did he glance at him out of the corner of his eye and drawl out, "Oh—you're that Ye Feng? The super genius who's been all over the news lately?"

Ye Feng straightened up, his brows furrowed slightly, and looked at Yun Lan with a questioning gaze: Is this guy sick? What did I do to offend him? Why is he giving me attitude the moment we meet?

The other party's attitude made Ye Feng involuntarily take a few more glances at Tu Yu Wang. He had indeed never seen the other party before, and it was impossible for him to have any grudge against him.

At the level of being granted the title of king, are there still people with mental instability like this?

Yunlan blushed under Ye Feng's gaze and awkwardly tried to smooth things over: "Ahem, Ye Feng, you just finished cultivating, right? Please sit down, have something to eat first, and we can chat while we eat."

Ye Feng had barely sat down, not even warmed his seat, when Tu Yu Wang picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth and said indifferently, "Alright, Yun Lan, I'm done eating. We've met everyone, that's enough."

He turned his gaze to Ye Feng, his expression one of condescending scrutiny: "Ye Feng, right? Your strength has already reached the level of an immortal military lord. It's inappropriate for you to cling to the position of a universe-level genius and continue to venture into secret realms."

After investigation by the company's Secret Realm Management Department, it has been decided to officially disqualify you from further exploration of the Secret Realm.

As for whether you choose to break through to the Domain Lord level and be released to the outside world, or continue to stay at the Universe level, that's up to you.

His tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable verdict.

Deprive them of the right to explore secret realms?

Ye Feng's eyes instantly turned cold.

The fact that his strength had reached the level of a king was probably kept secret within a small circle of the company's top executives to protect him, while the official announcement to the public was that he was an immortal military lord.

But with just one sentence from Tu Yuwang, he's going to cut off his remaining nine chances to enter the secret realm over the next hundred years? This is tantamount to directly cutting off his channel for quickly acquiring a large amount of precious resources.

What kind of cosmic joke is this?

Let alone someone at the peak of the King-level realm, even if the Heavenly Eclipse Palace Master or the Chaos City Lord were right in front of him, Ye Feng would still have to fight for it for these tangible benefits.

"King Tu Yu," Ye Feng's voice was as cold as ice, "I would like to ask, who made the decision to strip me of my right to explore the Desolate Realm? What was the basis for that decision?"

He looked directly at the other person without flinching.

Tu Yu Wang, who had already stood up, sat back down upon hearing this, a mocking look on his face: "Oh? You're not convinced?"

"Of course, it was a decision made jointly by Venerable Qingjian of the Secret Realm Management Department and all of our high-ranking members. What, you, a mere genius from a primitive secret realm, have a problem with our Secret Realm Management Department's decision?"

He deliberately emphasized the word "small".

Tu Yuwang sneered inwardly, "No matter how strong his talent is, he's still just a genius, far from being a king, let alone a venerable one."

"So what if it's targeting you? It's because your teacher, Nine Swords Venerable, has a grudge against our Minister, Qingjian Venerable."

He admitted that he acted first and reported later, without obtaining authorization from Venerable Qingjian.

But so what? It just so happens that I know about the grudge between the Nine Swords Venerable and the Clear Stream Venerable when they were young.

He was certain that if Ye Feng was dealt with in a "compliant" manner, even the Nine Swords Venerable wouldn't be able to say anything. In a good mood, the Clear Stream Venerable might even promote him to vice minister.

The former deputy director of the Secret Realm Management Department was transferred, and there happened to be a vacancy for the deputy director position, which he was competing with several other people for.