"There are so many people here."
Thor scanned his surroundings, astonished by the sheer number of powerful individuals gathered. Warships of every grade hovered nearby, their hulls humming with energy. Entire crews disembarked in waves. Some vessels opened their hatches to reveal dozens of Stellar-level experts stepping out at once. Even more astonishing, Thor sensed a great number of Cosmic-level warriors mixed into the crowd.
"I didn't expect there to be so many ninth-level Stellar experts here, whether they're spirit readers or martial artists." Hong's expression tightened as he looked around.
The overwhelming number of elites made his confidence falter. His own strength was respectable, but… what about Luo Feng? Among their four, Luo Feng was the weakest.
Rowan noticed Hong's worry immediately and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Relax. Our team is strong enough to handle whatever the Kaabu World throws at us. As long as we get the assessment materials, we can pull out immediately."
By now, Rowan had already calculated the time precisely. The true inheritance of Kaabu World Master would appear in about seventeen hours.
That event would trigger even while they were still taking part in the assessment.
Kaabu himself had only been a World Master, but he had been extraordinarily lucky. By pure chance he had inherited the wealth of an Undying powerhouse. Without that legacy, no ordinary World Master could possibly have accumulated such an immense fortune. Even after Kaabu spent a great portion of it, the leftover treasures still approached one hundred mixed-element units.
That was wealth equivalent to a typical Undying warrior.
Luo Feng's attention shifted to a group of warriors clad in bronze-colored armor. "Those people seem to be from the same faction. Their armor is almost identical."
"They're from the White Tiger Tower," Babata explained, appearing on Luo Feng's shoulder. "A major force under the Black Dragon Mountain Empire."
He then gave a briefing for the group.
"In most cases, the Universe Mercenary Alliance conducts assessments inside the dead World Master realms scattered across the cosmos. These worlds contain naturally formed monsters and hazards. The natural death rate for candidates is around thirty percent."
Babata paused.
"But the real danger comes from competing factions. The moment plundering and ambushes get involved, the mortality rate usually climbs to fifty percent. Combined with environmental hazards, the overall death rate often reaches eighty percent."
Hong frowned. "No wonder so many teams have five or six ninth-level Stellar experts. We only have three. Our safety margin is low."
Rowan laughed.
"Who lives and who dies isn't decided so easily. Let's move."
To be honest, Rowan didn't fear this place at all. With his current strength, he could move through Kaabu's world unhindered. Unless a B-grade laser cannon hit him directly, nothing here posed a real threat.
Even at his base power, Rowan could contend with an ordinary first-level Cosmic warrior. If he unleashed everything, he could even kill one.
Hong nodded, straightening his shoulders. "We'll be fine. We're strong too."
With spirits lifted, the group continued forward.
Soon they reached the outer area. The assessment did not send all candidates in at once. Anyone could enter at any time, so long as they retrieved the required items before the deadline. Success would earn them the title of Apprentice Mercenary, after which they could attempt the One-Star, Two-Star, even Three-Star trials.
When they reached the gate, a virtual staff member materialized before them and explained the assessment rules.
The content itself was simple. Surviving the place was the hard part.
"Candidates must enter the Thunder World and collect three Windhorn Stones and one Ironhorn Rhinoceros Horn. Deliver the materials to the exit to complete the assessment," the system announced.
After confirming their objectives, Rowan led the group toward the giant fortress ahead. At its center was a swirling spatial vortex. One by one, they stepped through and disappeared into the portal.
Meanwhile, at the Virtual Universe Company's Black Dragon Mountain branch…
Within a vast virtual mansion, Mingyu knelt respectfully before a stern figure in a technologically enhanced chamber.
"Greetings, Lord Cangbo."
Cangbo sipped from his glass. "You said you found four exceptional seedlings. Two specialist-grade, one first-grade elite, and one third-grade elite. And all from the same place?"
Recently, he had been too busy to log into the virtual universe. Once he finally checked his pending messages, he discovered Mingyu's report and summoned him immediately.
"Yes, Lord Cangbo. Here are their battle recordings."
The air shimmered as holographic footage filled the room. Cangbo, an Undying warrior of the Military Lord rank, narrowed his eyes as he watched.
"Five-fold Domain. Fire Laws. Three-fold Domain plus Blade Will. A three-fold movement domain. And someone with no domain at all but whose spirit power far surpasses his peers..."
His gaze sharpened, impressed.
"These four are all from the same origin world. A primitive planet called Earth. One of them, Rowan, has even purchased Earth's territorial rights."
Mingyu finished reporting.
"What?" Cangbo shot upright, eyes wide.
"A primitive planet suddenly produced four top-tier prodigies?"
Normally, among the countless star systems under Black Dragon Mountain's rule, true geniuses were few and far between. Even among billions of lives, discovering a single third-rate genius was fortunate. Let alone multiple top-tier elites emerging from a single tiny world… the odds were absurd.
Mingyu continued, delivering an even greater shock.
"They all belong to ninth-tier bloodlines."
Cangbo froze.
"Are you certain?"
Ninth-tier was the lowest rung of bloodline classifications. It was nearly impossible for such bloodlines to produce geniuses. Most ninth-tier descendants never advanced beyond apprenticeship, and many were sold as slaves within the universe.
"Yes, Lord Cangbo. Earth's civilization is roughly five thousand years old and only at a basic technological level. A viral catastrophe wiped out most low-grade bloodlines, leaving only the strongest survivors. Even so, the planet has only a hundred or so Planet-level fighters, and nearly all are low-tier. Only four are at the Stellar level, and all four are the ones we observed. Hong and Thor are in their fifties. Rowan and Luo Feng are only around twenty."
Cangbo took a deep breath.
"And Earth's coordinates were originally hidden by a powerful individual. Likely a disciple of the Yunmo Star lineage. A sealed-marquis warrior named Hu Yanbo."
Mingyu added, "Hu Yanbo died tens of thousands of years ago. Earth's prodigies might have acquired his legacy."
Cangbo pondered silently.
A dead Undying's inheritance could not possibly produce three prodigies with advanced domains. Something more was at play.
Should he report this?
After a long pause, he asked, "Where are they now?"
"They declined invitations to join the Virtual Universe Company as full members. Instead, they purchased bloodline enhancement agents, each paying one hundred million. At the moment, they are inside Thunder World for the Apprentice Mercenary assessment."
"I see." Cangbo sent a message.
Moments later, a figure clad in dark armor, a massive scythe strapped to his back, entered the chamber.
"Greetings, Lord Tianxu," Mingyu said respectfully.
Cangbo smiled faintly. "I need your help. There are a few promising candidates in Thunder World. I want them evaluated."
Tianxu raised an eyebrow. "So you want to poach someone. Interesting. If one catches my eye, perhaps I'll take one as a student."
Cangbo snorted. "Impossible. I already submitted their profiles to headquarters."
Tianxu smirked. "Then what do you want?"
"To monitor Thunder World. Discreetly."
"That violates the alliance's rules."
Cangbo held up three fingers. "Three mixed-chaos units."
"Ten," Tianxu countered immediately.
"Fine."
A deal struck.
Tianxu signaled to his subordinates, who immediately dispatched high-precision detectors capable of scanning even World-Master-level disturbances inside Thunder World.
The hunt had begun.