Devouring Stars: Master of Evolution

Chapter 158 Choice

"What should we do?"

If one chooses to sell intelligence, one can undoubtedly acquire a large amount of wealth in a short period of time.

According to the internal rules of Virtual Universe Company, if special resources such as secret realms are discovered, there are two options when reporting to the company.

One option is a one-time sale, after which Virtual Universe Company will send personnel to develop it.

In this case, depending on the difficulty of developing the secret realm, one will receive a minimum share of five to ten percent of the total value of the secret realm.

Secondly, it involves joint development with the virtual universe, with revenue allocated based on the contributions of both parties.

If I were to sell, given my financial situation, I could only choose the first option.

How big could a secret realm inhabited by special life forms be?

That was enough to cause the fall of even a peak realm lord like the Earth Realm Lord Lan, who could contend with immortals for a short time.

Furthermore, the fact that a friend of the Earth Lord 'Lan' had visited him almost leads to the conclusion that no news of 'Lan' was released before his fall.

It's highly likely they'll be instantly killed!

This means that there is a very high possibility that there are immortal special life forms in that secret realm.

How big could a secret realm possibly be that could give birth to special life forms of immortality?

What kind of wealth is contained within this?

Even if the weakest special life form becomes immortal, the value of that secret realm would be an extremely terrifying figure.

Even if they only get five percent, they will still have at least several thousand, or even tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of Hunyuan.

This is still the most conservative estimate.

If it's a particularly powerful special life form, then it's even more extraordinary.

Given his status as a third-tier pharmacist in the Virtual Universe Company and a disciple of Master Yu Chen, the Virtual Universe Company should provide him with a substantial amount.

Although Teacher Yu Chen's own strength is average, his status as an Immortal Alchemist is higher than that of a regular Marquis.

It is foreseeable that if one chooses to sell the information to Virtual Universe Company, one will gain a large amount of wealth in a short period of time.

Besides selling it to Virtual Universe Company, I have a second option: to keep this information for now.

Once I've become stronger, I'll develop it myself.

The advantage of choosing to develop it yourself is that all the resources in the secret realm belong to you, and the swarm can also have an extremely large world.

A secret world capable of nurturing immortal and unique life forms!

When conquering secret realms, great battles will break out, and in the midst of intense warfare, the swarm can even evolve.

If successful, the Zerg swarm could harvest the genes of special life forms, and if the analysis is successful, perhaps a top-tier unit even more powerful than the Golden Horned Beast could emerge from the Zerg swarm.

However, if it fails, needless to say, the losses will be enormous.

Based on current intelligence, to explore this secret realm, one would need to wait until the insect swarm reaches the peak of the Realm Lord level before there is any chance of success.

Even the peak of the Realm Lord level might not be enough; one needs to reach the Immortal level.

This is undoubtedly a long process, during which one will not gain any benefit.

Not only is there no benefit, but there is also a certain risk: if this secret place is discovered by others, you may end up with nothing.

The Lord of the Thick Earth Realm, 'Lan,' lost his gamble and perished here.

Lan is undoubtedly a person with great fortune. He suffered a calamity in his childhood, but he managed to escape.

After entering the universe, he also obtained the inheritance of immortality and successfully avenged all his enemies.

After reaching the peak of the Realm Lord, he entered the extraterritorial battlefield, experienced life and death, successfully retired, and established his own family.

If she hadn't ultimately perished, Lan's life would undoubtedly have been that of a protagonist.

Lan didn't rush into the secret realm on a whim after obtaining information; he had been preparing for three hundred years!

They exchanged all their assets, including the immortal legacy of that king, for resources to enhance their strength, which shows they were well prepared.

Even so, he still perished.

It's easy to imagine how dangerous the secret realm is.

Of course, as the overlord of the swarm, there is no danger of his own demise.

Qin Mu pondered carefully what benefits he would gain if he chose the first option—selling the information to the Virtual Universe Company—and what benefits he would gain if he chose the second option.

At the same time, he was also considering another question: what was he lacking and what did he need?

My current strength is only at the ninth level of the Hengxing Star, but I have no shortage of various secret techniques and money.

The only problem is that the swarm lacks combat, appropriate and high-intensity combat. Of course, the swarm also lacks breeding grounds and resources.

After three years of secluded cultivation, it is now June 2064, and the Genius Battle is just over two years away.

For me, the most important thing is to prepare for the Genius Battle, as it concerns all my future plans.

So now that you've acquired a large sum of wealth, whether it's several thousand or tens of thousands of Hunyuan or even more, does it really mean that much to you now?

Even if I were to acquire such a fortune, what could I do with it?

But can someone as small as a star truly protect such a vast fortune?

This is a fortune that would even make an immortal envious!

Qin Mu asked himself.

The answer is obvious.

I can't protect it myself!

Even a Level 3 Pharmacist from the Virtual Universe Company, whose status is comparable to a Realm Lord and who is also Master Yu Chen's disciple, is not allowed!

"With these treasures, and the twenty Chaos Yuan left behind by 'Lan' in the cosmic galaxy, there are a total of over three hundred Chaos Yuan. This amount of money is more than enough for me."

Qin Mu took a deep breath and made a decision in his heart.

"Instead of selling the information to Virtual Universe Company now, it's better to wait until after the Genius Battle, when we are stronger and have a higher status, before considering it."

With my current abilities, joining the core of Virtual Universe Company is practically a done deal.

"If we run out of money later, or if we really can't take over this secret realm, then we can exchange it for money."

Qin Mu is not the Lord of the Thick Earth Realm, 'Lan'. Backed by the Virtual Universe Company, he has more options.

As the ruler of the swarm, he has more confidence.

"Let's decide on this!"

After making his decision, Qin Mu put all the treasures in the vault into his spatial ring and then turned to leave.

When Qin Mu passed the test and received the quantum computer, he gained control over the World Lord's world, including control over this castle.

Back in the hall, the illusory figure of the scaled woman appeared beside Qin Mu, her expression a mixture of relief and disbelief.

"Congratulations, you have successfully passed the test."

"I didn't expect you to pass the assessment in just three years."

It originally thought that even if Qin Mu could pass the test, it would take at least several decades.

When Qin Mu first entered the castle, he was only at the first level of the Earth Domain. Even the most talented person would need several decades to touch the origin of Earth.

"It was just luck."

Qin Mu smiled.

The illusory figure of the scaled woman shook her head, clearly disagreeing with Qin Mu's statement.

There is no such thing as luck in spiritual practice.

"Now that you have successfully passed the test, my mission is complete, and I am going to join my master."

The scaly woman's eyes lit up with joy; as an intelligent life form, she was the most loyal.

If it weren't for its owner's arrangements before leaving, it would have followed its owner long ago.

As it spoke, its body transformed into specks of starlight and vanished.

"this?!"

Qin Mu was startled by this sudden turn of events. Having already gained the highest authority in the castle, he knew that this time, the scaled woman's intelligence had been completely annihilated.

He was still considering what to do with the scaly woman, but he never expected that she would choose to commit suicide.

"Haha, there's no need for that. Actually, I'm just a subroutine here. My true self died long ago when my master fell."

Now I am merely following in my master's footsteps; I have waited for this day for a long time.

Seemingly sensing Qin Mu's thoughts, the scaled woman smiled, showing no fear of death whatsoever; on the contrary, she seemed to be filled with anticipation.

Its body completely disappeared in its smile.

"well--"

Qin Mu sighed. Intelligent life forms are the most loyal; once they recognize a master, they will only be loyal to that one person.

"After you get out, search carefully for the descendants of the Lord of the Thick Earth Realm, 'Lan'. If you can find them, take care of them. This is the only thing I can do."

While researching information about the Earth Realm Lord "Lan", Qin Mu learned that the family established by "Lan" had been destroyed, but it was unknown whether any descendants had survived.

Before that family was destroyed, there was still a domain lord, but not long after, that domain lord also died.

The wealth left behind by a peak realm lord cannot be protected by a domain lord.

Having too much wealth when you lack ability and background is sometimes not a good thing.

Eighty thousand years may not be much for a realm lord, but it is an extremely long time for ordinary people and even ordinary martial artists.

When I get back this time, I'll use the authority granted by Virtual Universe Company to investigate thoroughly.

With this thought in mind, Qin Mu left the castle and returned to the insect swarm.

Over the past three years, his strength has increased significantly, as has the Zerg swarm.

Although they did not experience war, and only routinely analyzed biological genetic information, the strength of the swarm has increased significantly.

Its strongest golden-horned behemoth has reached the eighth level of the cosmic realm!

It takes 15 years for the Golden Horned Beast to go from Tier 1 to Tier 3 at the cosmic level.

The fourth to sixth order each lasts 20 years, for a total of 60 years.

The seventh, eighth, and ninth orders each require 120 years.

As for the ninth-order cosmic-level advancement to the Domain Lord realm, it takes 500 years! The entire cosmic-level process should theoretically last nearly a thousand years.

The Golden Horned Beast uses the best metal combination to supply its internal space for absorption, achieving an efficiency of 56 times, comparable to 168 years! It has grown from the fifth level of the cosmic level three years ago to the eighth level of the cosmic level.

Due to insufficient resources, there are only five cosmic-level mother nests to date. Therefore, the analysis progress of the mother nests is slower than that of the Golden Horned Beast, and it is only at the seventh level of the cosmic level.

This means that the swarm is now capable of mass-producing cosmic-level Tier 7 Zerg warriors.

Qin Mu himself has also improved significantly. His Metal Domain and Fire Domain have reached the eighth level, and his comprehension of the Origin Laws has also reached a new level.

Cultivating a domain is similar to improving one's strength; the further one progresses, the more difficult it becomes.

In these three years, his Earth Domain has reached the sixth level. Although there is still a gap between it and the domains of the Metal and Fire attributes, it is not too large. Furthermore, he has comprehended the fundamental law of Earth.

His understanding of spatial laws has also improved significantly, becoming much stronger than before.

Qin Mu couldn't judge exactly how strong he was now, but he was at least several times stronger than he was three years ago.

"It's time to go back."

He turned his head and glanced at the castle behind him. This was perhaps the last trace left in the universe by the Lord of the Thick Earth Realm, 'Lan'.

……

In the chaotic star field, Qin Mu's figure appeared on the Zerg hive fortress.

Compared to three years ago, the size of this insect hive fortress has not increased, although the insectoids continue to fill it with planetary fragments, minerals, and other materials that they find in space storms.

However, its internal structure is constantly being optimized, and some residues are being discharged, making its structure more rational.

With the addition of the rock giant, the fortress's structure became even more robust, making it difficult for even a domain lord to shake.

Furthermore, after adjustments to the mother hive, it has gained the ability to move slowly, transforming into a true battle fortress.

"Go directly to the apothecary capital, where you can exchange your resources for wealth and accelerate the growth of the swarm."

The wealth of over three hundred Chaos Yuan, if converted into cosmic crystals, monster corpses, flesh and blood, etc., would be enough to allow the insect swarm to hatch more cosmic-level mother nests and catch up with the evolutionary speed of the Golden Horned Beast.

With enough wealth, one can purchase many desirable items that money cannot buy elsewhere through the internal channels of the Virtual Universe Company.

The Galaxy slowly started up, transforming into a streak of light, entering the energy rift in the chaotic star field, and flying outwards.

Inside the spaceship's control room, Qin Mu carefully inventoried the treasures he had acquired; he didn't intend to sell everything.

Some of these items would also benefit him. Qin Mu planned to leave several weapons to Hong and Lei Shen to enhance their strength as much as possible.

The fifth-tier Origin Force and psychic weapons that Qin Mu wanted to sell were not directly sold to the Virtual Universe Company.

The Virtual Universe Company also recycles these high-level telekinetic weapons, but the price they pay is generally low.

Selling to other forces is a different story. For example, selling to the Third Prince of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, if handled properly, would not only yield more funds but also gain favor.

The weapons and equipment in Qin Mu's hands were carefully selected by the Lord of the Thick Earth Realm, and they were all top-quality among fifth-tier weapons.

Fifth-tier Force weapons and psychic weapons are also valuable to the Third Prince of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, as they can be used to win over subordinates.

Over the years, Qin Mu had made several deals with the third prince of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, selling star-level bloodline potions.

Bloodline potions cannot be sold to ordinary people, but they are not a problem for a pharmacist, especially one within the Virtual Universe Company.

It was precisely because of this relationship that Xinghe Trading Company's expansion in the Black Dragon Mountain Empire went much more smoothly.

That's how human relationships work – it's a give-and-take dynamic.

Through the virtual universe, they contacted the third prince of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, and the Galaxy also entered the dark universe.

"After five years of cultivation, it's time to get out and about."

(End of this chapter)