Devouring Stars: Master of Evolution

Chapter 108 Planning Ahead

"A grand event for the entire universe? A battle of geniuses held in a virtual universe?"

Thor was puzzled. He had gathered a lot of information over the past three days, but he had no recollection of the Genius Battle.

"This is intelligence we obtained from an intelligence organization within the virtual universe, information that many powerful forces are aware of."

Li Xingtao's expression was serious.

"We don't have detailed information about the exact time, but based on the time of the last event, this time it should be around 2066."

"In these few days in the virtual universe, everyone has come to know that there are countless races in the vast universe, and our human race is one of the top races among the many races in the universe."

The selection battle for the pinnacle of human geniuses in the universe is designed to select and cultivate the elite of all humanity.

The Ultimate Genius Selection Battle is open to all Star-level humans from numerous cosmic nations across the entire universe; any Star-level human can participate!

In the virtual conference room, Hong, Thor, and the others were all shocked. This was a grand event that could be attended by humans of all galaxies in the entire universe!

After obtaining the inheritance of Meteorite Star, they all knew how vast the universe was!

There are 1008 universe nations within the human realm!

The Black Dragon Mountain Empire is merely one of nearly a thousand vassal states of medium-level civilizations under the jurisdiction of the Qianwu Universe Kingdom.

The Black Dragon Mountain Empire directly controls more than 6,000 star systems, and also has more than 500 vassal states of "primitive cosmic civilization"!

In such a vast world, how many geniuses meet the criteria?

What a grand event this will be!

At that moment, everyone realized the seriousness of the situation.

"This is a battle between countless star-level humans from various cosmic nations and billions of star systems under 'absolutely fair conditions.' If there are strong individuals on our Earth who achieve a certain ranking in this competition..."

"We don't need to seek benefits throughout the entire universe; even just being among the top one thousand or ten thousand within the Qianwu Universe, or even within the Heilongshan Universe, will bring unimaginable advantages."

Li Xingtao was unaware of the strength and talent of Qin Mu and the others. In his mind, Hong, Thor, and even Qin Mu were invincible geniuses on Earth.

However, compared to the entire human race in the universe, Earth is far too insignificant. Even if he were extremely confident, he wouldn't dare say that Earth's strongest individuals could achieve a ranking among the human race in the universe.

"A battle of billions of geniuses from all the universes?"

"This is a grand gathering for the entire human race."

"..."

The people in the virtual conference room are all elites on Earth, so how could they not understand what this means?

If there are strong individuals on Earth who can achieve a ranking in the Genius Battle, and if they can rank in the top 1,000 or even the top 10,000 within the Qianwu Universe, not to mention what kind of rewards or training they will receive.

The sales of many of the products they sell could multiply many times over, even if they just ride the wave of online traffic!

As long as you achieve a certain ranking, even if you can't become a core member of the Virtual Universe Company, you can still receive training and protecting a small Earth is not a problem.

As long as Earth's true secrets remain hidden, the legacy of Hu Yanbo, the master of the Meteorite Star, is nothing in the entire universe, or even in the Qianwu Universe Kingdom.

After all, this is just the legacy of a barely qualified marquis.

If someone can achieve a ranking in the Cosmic Genius Battle without even such a lineage, that would be abnormal!

"If you rank among the top 1,000 in the Black Dragon Mountain Universe Kingdom and plan ahead, earning tens of trillions, or even hundreds of trillions, of Black Dragon Coins wouldn't be difficult!"

Li Xingtao said solemnly.

"Trillions, even hundreds of trillions of Black Dragon coins."

Thor swallowed hard, taken aback by Li Xingtao's words.

This is an astronomical figure!

Qin Mu then spoke.

"Li Xingtao is right, this is an opportunity for us!"

As long as we can achieve a ranking, earning that amount of money is indeed not difficult.

It was just a small amount of money.

Black Dragon Coins are the official currency of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire. One Qianwu Coin is officially exchanged for one thousand Black Dragon Coins, and one Universe Coin is officially exchanged for more than three thousand Qianwu Coins.

Even without considering the black market premium, one Cosmic Coin can be exchanged for over three million Black Dragon Coins.

"Cosmic currency is the only currency that is used in the universe. One trillion Black Dragon Coins would only amount to a little over 30,000 Cosmic Coins!"

According to the intelligence I received, as long as you rank in the top 1,000 in the Cosmic Genius Battle, you can not only become a 'core member' within the Virtual Universe Company, but also receive a minimum reward of 10 Mixed Yuan Units.

One Hunyuan is worth one trillion cosmic coins!

Do you still think that trillions or tens of trillions of Heilong coins are too much?

In the grand scheme of the universe, ten trillion or even a hundred trillion Black Dragon Coins are nothing.

Upon hearing Qin Mu's words, Hong and Thor, who had little concept of money, both fell silent.

"If you think about it that way, it really is just a small amount of money."

Thor smiled wryly.

The next moment, his eyes burned with passion.

Not only for the reward, but also to witness the many geniuses in the universe, he was determined to participate in this battle of geniuses!

"Looks like I need to work harder, otherwise I won't even qualify for the competition."

A hint of excitement appeared on Hong Ping's calm face.

With such a grand stage and so many geniuses, how could he not want to see it?

Not only them, but Qin Mu was also somewhat excited.

Compared to others who knew nothing about the Genius Battle, he was very clear about the benefits of becoming a core member of the Virtual Universe Company!

"I'm not strong enough to win a place in the Genius Battle."

Qin Mu thought to himself.

In the original timeline, when Luo Feng participated in the Genius Battle, he was a seventh-level spiritualist of the Hengxing level, with a will amplitude intensity of 58. He already possessed five domains and had also crossed the threshold of the Cosmic Golden Origin Law.

Furthermore, the Divine Weapon of the Nine Divine Weapons, which is most suitable for the master of mental cultivation, has also been cultivated to the first level.

Even so, in Babata's eyes, it would be difficult for Luo Feng to break into the top 1000 of the Qianwu Universe Kingdom!

At this moment, compared to Luo Feng in the original timeline, he is only slightly stronger in terms of willpower amplitude; in everything else, he is far inferior!

Of course, he had only been cultivating as the overlord of the swarm for a little over a year, and there were still more than eight years before the Genius Battle began.

I still have plenty of time to become stronger!

Seeing that everyone understood his words, Li Xingtao solemnly addressed the four of them.

"Therefore, from any perspective, we will fully support you in making further progress in your spiritual practice!"

Hong, Lei Shen, and Qin Mu all smiled. How could they let such an opportunity slip by?

But Jia Yi shook his head and said...

"I know my own talent. It's okay on Earth, but it's terrible in the universe."

Afterwards, all of China's resources will be prioritized for the three of you. China will do everything in its power to facilitate anything beneficial to your cultivation!

Of the four, Jia Yi has the worst talent. On Earth, this difference might not be too obvious, but in the universe, the gap is too large.

Therefore, Jia Yi voluntarily gave up his share of the resources at this time.

When Qin Mu appeared on Earth, he placed all his hopes on Qin Mu.

Facing Qin Mu's gaze, he smiled and said.

"I will not give up cultivation, but my mind has always been on China, and it will probably remain so in the future."

This is my choice, you don't need to mind!

Hearing Jia Yi's words, Qin Mu nodded slightly. In comparison, Jia Yi's talent was indeed much inferior.

That's good too. With Jia Yi looking after Huaxia, he can feel more at ease.

Cultivation resources?

With him around, would Jia Yi really be missing out?

As for Hong and Thor, in the original timeline, neither of them made it into the top 1,000 of the Qianwu Universe Kingdom. Hong was only a little short, while Thor was much further behind.

But those were two people who fought to the death with the Golden Horned Beast, burned their souls, and slept for two years!

Because of Qin Mu's presence, the Golden Horned Beast was captured as soon as it landed on Earth, so they didn't have to risk their lives. They also came into contact with the martial arts secrets of Meteorite Star much earlier.

If we can get a lot of cultivation resources, we have a good chance of entering the Qianwu Secret Realm.

As for Luo Feng, who is still possessing the Golden Horned Beast on Earth, his strength will only increase. In this battle of geniuses, there may be a spectacular scene of four people joining the Virtual Universe Company at the same time.

"The battle of geniuses is eight years from now. Let's focus on the present and improve our strength."

Seeing that everyone was excited, Qin Mu said...

The current group of people has only just begun to explore the universe, so thinking about a battle of geniuses is indeed too early.

"Qin Mu is right. Being down-to-earth is the most important thing. We have only had the inheritance of Meteorite Star for a few months, and our strength is still in its explosive growth phase. At this time, it is more important to improve our strength."

Hong, having calmed down, also said.

"Um."

The fervor in Thor's eyes gradually subsided. Although his mental cultivation was not as high as Hong's, it was still extremely high.

Seeing that everyone had calmed down, Li Xingtao reported on some other matters. Several researchers also spoke in turn, explaining the technologies and resources needed by the Earth.

"Let's adjourn the meeting here. We'll proceed as planned: some of us will go and exchange the relics we've been leading, and then we'll register the company."

After that, we'll go together to buy some cosmic slaves and cultivation supplies to improve our strength.

Trading in the universe inevitably leads to conflicts of interest with other powers; without strength, it's impossible.

After everything was arranged, Qin Mu announced the end of the meeting and made arrangements.

This encounter with the universe gave Qin Mu a huge surprise; he was able to adapt to the rules of the universe so quickly and take on a large number of orders.

This will inevitably lead to friction, or even targeting, with competitors in the universe.

As it grows larger, it will compete with some major forces for orders, which is a process that any force must go through if it wants to grow stronger.

Assassination, looting and similar methods are all too common; such things have happened countless times throughout China's thousands of years of history.

The same principle applies to the universe.

Qin Mu understood this principle, and so did Li Xingtao.

You can't grow in the universe if you're timid and hesitant; you have to fight for it!

Not everyone can be like Luo Feng, with a teacher arranging a path for them, allowing them to obtain a large amount of resources as long as they have the necessary strength.

Not everyone can be like Luo Feng, joining the core of the Virtual Universe Company, receiving all sorts of resources, and focusing solely on cultivation.

Even after Luo Feng joins Virtual Universe Company, he will still fight for it!

The competition is even more intense!

In the universe, we must fight!

On Earth, Qin Mu controlled almost everything, suppressing the course of history and forcibly completing unification, allowing the power of the Earth to be integrated to the greatest extent.

However, once you enter the universe and come into contact with it a few years in advance, you lose most of this advantage of foresight.

There are too many powerful beings in the universe. Even with the help of the Zerg swarm, Qin Mu still needs enough time to develop.

The growth of a swarm also requires resources!

The flesh and genes of powerful creatures, the treasures they cultivate, the psychic weapons they use, and even the weapons they control—which of these doesn't require massive amounts of resources?

The swarm also has golden-horned behemoths. To accelerate the growth of these behemoths, a massive amount of special metals is needed!

The current Zerg swarm only has one Golden Horned Beast, but Qin Mu plans to build Zerg legions around the Golden Horned Beast!

The more resources a swarm has, the stronger it becomes, and the faster it grows, making the swarm itself stronger.

No matter how many resources you have, the swarm of insects will never have enough.

He's going to fight for it too!

After dismissing everyone, he and Li Xingtao stayed behind.

"There's something I need you to investigate for me."

Qin Mu said to Li Xingtao.

"I need to know how to join one of the departments at Virtual Universe Corporation that specializes in breeding monsters and bloodline potions."

Virtual Universe Corporation is the most powerful and technologically advanced human in the universe.

While on Earth, Qin Mu had been planning how to make the insect swarm appear openly in the universe before the Genius Battle after entering the universe.

There was one scene in the original timeline that Qin Mu remembered very clearly.

Luo Feng, Hong, and Lei Shen spent a month in the killing field of the virtual universe, fighting non-stop every day. Their talents quickly attracted the attention of Ming Yu, the external steward of the "Black Dragon Mountain Branch" of the Virtual Universe Company stationed in the Black Dragon Mountain Empire.

Mingyu told them that it was okay to train occasionally in the killing field, but they had to take risks and fight to the death to break through.

At that time, Babata made it clear that unless there was a life-or-death threat, Hong and Thor would at most stop at the Hengxing level.

However, Luo Feng, who possesses the Golden Horned Beast clone, is not subject to such restrictions, and his presence in the killing field is a waste of Hong and Thor's time.

Babata only cares about the task his master gave him, which is to train Luo Feng. He doesn't care about Hong or Lei Shen at all.

Besides life-or-death adventures, there is another important thing: bloodline!

They learned what bloodline is and what bloodline evolution agent is.

Bloodline is the foundation, enabling them to go further on the path to becoming strong.

The process of cultivation for ordinary humans is just like building a house!

Lineage is the foundation of a house. Poor lineage means a poor foundation!

If the foundation is poor, it will be difficult to build a tall house!

Those with strong bloodlines have a solid foundation, allowing them to easily build skyscrapers hundreds of stories high and directly become 'Domain Lords,' without even encountering any dangers or obstacles.

Bloodline Evolution Agent is a treasure that modifies bloodlines and enhances one's foundation!

But where does the bloodline evolution agent come from?

Virtual Universe Company!

The Virtual Universe Company, possessing the most advanced technology in the human world of the universe! This evolution agent was developed by them.

Qin Mu, who developed the Bloodline Evolution Agent through the insect swarm, was not interested in purchasing it; he wanted to join the department that developed it!

How can relying on your own slow research compare to directly joining a virtual universe company that has already mastered the technology?

If you can successfully join the Virtual Universe Corporation's department that specializes in breeding monsters or making bloodline potions.

I could easily make the swarm change its appearance and appear openly, just like it did on Earth.

At the same time, it can also acquire the knowledge in the universe that is most suitable for human evolution.

This is of great significance to both myself and the swarm.

"I understand, I'll arrange for someone to take care of it as soon as possible!"

Upon hearing Qin Mu's words, a glint of light flashed in Li Xingtao's eyes, and almost instantly, he understood Qin Mu's thoughts.

He still had the gene-enhancing serum that Qin Mu had given him, and he knew about Qin Mu's talent in gene research.

If Qin Mu's idea can be realized, it will be of great significance to China!

If we can successfully join the Virtual Universe Company before the Genius Battle and have its protection, then China can move faster and more steadily in the universe!

"Okay, go do it!"

There's only one chapter today, but it's only 4400 words, which is a bit short. Tomorrow I'll resume the normal two chapters a day.

(End of this chapter)