Technological advancement begins with devouring.

Chapter 92 The Invitation from the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance (5th Update)

Hearing what 'Qinya' said, Jiang Chen felt a little conflicted.

Although both Virtual Universe Corporation and the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance are among the five major powers of the human race, there is still a difference in their relative strengths.

Among the five giants, Virtual Universe Company and Giant Axe Arena are clearly a level above the other three, both in terms of their strength and the resources they can mobilize.

However, this has nothing to do with Jiang Chen, a stellar-level 'little guy'.

Let alone the five giants, even the secret realms within the 1008 Universe Kingdom, such as the 'Qianwu Secret Realm,' would provide enough resources for Jiang Chen's cultivation.

Even considering future developments, at least before they reach immortality, the five giants are no different to these geniuses in the universe.

The battle of geniuses is still several years away from starting, and the time until its end is even longer.

If Jiang Chen had been able to infiltrate the core of the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance a few years earlier, he would have been able to accelerate his growth much faster.

Since it's just an avatar anyway, it doesn't really matter which faction it joins.

But what makes Jiang Chen hesitate is whether he can become a core genius of the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance in a short period of time.

Even if they could, could the benefits of receiving focused training a few years earlier outweigh the gains from the Genius Battle?

The Cosmic Genius Battle is a grand event that attracts the attention of all humankind, and the rewards for the geniuses who stand out from it are extremely generous.

Jiang Chen guessed that the mere fact that one has the opportunity to directly obtain a spot in the 'Primordial Secret Realm' or the 'Original Secret Realm' made it highly unlikely that those who entered the five giants through other channels and became core geniuses after passing through a series of assessments would receive such treatment.

If you join the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance, you will most likely start as an ordinary genius and go through rounds of assessments and eliminations before becoming one of the core geniuses.

However, those who join at the beginning are most likely to be at the same level as the Virtual Universe Company's 'Apocalyptic Secret Realm'.

If the rules for core geniuses are the same for the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance and the Virtual Universe Company, then even to advance to the 'Heaven and Earth Secret Realm', one would have to wait until the 'Qualification Battle' begins, which would take at least several decades or even hundreds of years.

Even among the core geniuses of the five giants, the differences in treatment between different levels of secret realms are significant.

After hesitating for a while, Jiang Chen decided to ask for clarification.

"Lady Qinia..." Jiang Chen raised his head, looked at the silver-haired woman opposite him, and asked seriously, "I've heard that among the five giants, there's a concept of 'core geniuses.' What are the requirements to become a core genius of the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance?"

"You know quite a lot."

'Qinya' glanced at Jiang Chen and said, "To become a core genius, first, you must be an internal member of the alliance! Peripheral members have absolutely no chance! Second, only the most outstanding and monstrous geniuses in the universe can become core geniuses of the alliance by passing extremely difficult tests. Hmm... I joined the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance when I was at the Stellar level, but it wasn't until I reached the Cosmic level that I barely passed the test and became a core genius."

After a pause, 'Qinya' continued, "As for my strength back then, you probably wouldn't have a concept of it anyway. To put it simply, at the cosmic level, I could kill an ordinary domain lord head-on!"

Cosmic level, capable of killing a domain lord head-on.

That's really impressive.

Defeating an enemy across a major realm might be easy in the early stages, but the difficulty increases as you progress.

The gap between a cosmic-level being and a domain lord is far greater than the gap between an apprentice-level being and a planetary-level being.

"You shouldn't be so ambitious. The core geniuses of the five giants value the comprehension of laws the most. You, a mercenary who was born a slave, probably haven't even seen the secret techniques that allow you to comprehend laws, have you?"

"Qinya" advised, "It's safest to join our Cosmic Mercenary Alliance first, acquire powerful secret techniques, improve your weaknesses, and then advance step by step through internal selection..."

'Qinya' suddenly widened her eyes halfway through her sentence.

In Jiang Chen's palm, a ball of azure light flowed and transformed into countless different shapes.

Although it was just a ball of non-lethal primal force, with 'Kinya's' knowledge, she could tell at a glance that being able to 'mimic' primal force to this extent meant that even if she hadn't crossed the threshold of 'wind-based laws', she wouldn't be too far off!

"Lady Qinia, is this the law you're referring to? Coincidentally, I know a little about it." Jiang Chen revealed a mysterious smile.

"Third-tier Stellar Realm, comprehending the laws?! What kind of heaven-defying monster is this?! I couldn't even comprehend the laws when I was at the Stellar Realm!"

"If I could bring such a genius into the league, I would definitely make a huge contribution!"

"Moreover, with this connection, we might receive assistance in the future!"

"Qinya" roared inwardly, but quickly composed herself, suppressing her shock, and said, "This is, after all, a reception room, and we can't fully demonstrate your strength here. Would you like to go to the training ground for a demonstration? Only after I confirm your strength can I apply for better resources and treatment for you."

"I will follow Lady Qinia's orders," Jiang Chen said respectfully.

'Qinya' looked at Jiang Chen with a complicated expression and said, "I have a martial arts arena in my manor in the virtual universe. I'll send you an invitation."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Jiang Chen received an invitation.

After confirming his agreement, Jiang Chen immediately appeared in a luxurious manor.

The courtyard alone is so large that you can't see the end of it.

Before he could even take a closer look at his surroundings, Jiang Chen discovered that his Force and Psychic Power had both returned to the 'Stellar Third Order' level.

"You are free to use your strongest moves to attack me. If you have other talents, you can also show them off."

'Qinya' stood in the center of the courtyard and spoke to Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen looked around at the surroundings. It was a martial arts arena that looked quite ordinary, except that it was a bit large. He couldn't see anything special about it.

However, the ground material was extremely hard. Although Jiang Chen couldn't recognize it, he could tell from the feel under his feet that it was definitely a material with a hardness of E level, which would be difficult for even a realm lord to destroy.

"Lady Qinia, I am skilled in wind-based domains, and my weapon is the 'Sky Shuttle'."

Jiang Chen spoke softly.

As soon as he finished speaking, a telekinetic weapon composed of 365 blades appeared beside Jiang Chen.

The individual blades separated from each other and quickly reassembled in mid-air to form the shape of a large sword.

Countless threads connect the 365 blades together, forming a single unit.

"Lady Qinia, please be careful."

Jiang Chen gave a reminder, his mental power surging as he urged the 'Sky Shuttle' to slash at 'Kinya'.

As he made his move, Jiang Chen had already secretly activated the power of the laws.

The domain remained tightly surrounding the body and did not expand outwards.

However, a wisp of blue light appeared on the surface of the Sky Shuttle, and its speed instantly increased dozens of times, covering a distance of more than ten kilometers in the blink of an eye, and fiercely slashing towards 'Qinya's' neck.

"So fast!"

'Qinya' was slightly startled and quickly swung her spear to block Jiang Chen's attack.

After all, he is a domain lord, and a genius domain lord at the core of the five giants. It would be strange if Jiang Chen's attack could actually hurt 'Qinya'.

However, in just a brief exchange, Jiang Chen's performance surprised and delighted 'Qinya'.

With just one attack, 'Qinya' was completely certain that Jiang Chen had indeed crossed the threshold of the laws and grasped a trace of the mysteries of the 'wind law'.

Although its application was somewhat crude and the telekinetic weapons used were subpar.

But thinking about it, this is just because Jiang Chen's background is not good enough, and he doesn't have powerful secret techniques or good resources.

'Qinya' had already investigated and found that Jiang Chen, or rather 'Erso', was just a slave whose race had been wiped out.

It was only by chance that he performed a meritorious service, which led to his former master freeing him from slavery, granting him a sum of money, and allowing him to return to his freedom.

The so-called 'wealth' is only a mere tens of millions of Qianwu coins.

While it would be a huge sum for an ordinary star, it was nothing in the eyes of 'Qinya'.

With such a background and experience, it's natural that they wouldn't be able to obtain any good resources.

Even so, 'Erso' still managed to cross the threshold of the Laws at the Stellar level thanks to his talent.

'Qinya' couldn't imagine how much his talent could be realized if he were given a better cultivation environment, powerful secret techniques, and other cultivation resources.

At this moment, 'Qinya' made up her mind that no matter what, she must bring 'Erso' into the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance.

Contribution points are secondary; building a good relationship with such a genius would be very helpful for her future development.

However, 'Qinya' did not immediately call off the battle, but continued to act as a 'sparring partner', allowing the opponent to fully display his 'talent'.

'Qinya' was curious whether, besides the wind element, there were any other aspects of the other party that could surprise her.

However, 'Qinya' was destined to be disappointed.

Jiang Chen had no intention of revealing all his cards.

Jiang Chen's description of the clone 'Erso' is that it is a 'genius who is good at wind-type laws'.

As for the other laws, Jiang Chen had also mastered quite a few, but he had no intention of showing them off.

According to Jiang Chen's memory and the relevant descriptions in the original work, at the stellar level, once a single system law crosses the threshold of law, it can almost guarantee passing the preliminary selection of the Genius Battle and entering the final of the universe.

Moreover, Jiang Chen's level of understanding of the laws he demonstrated was not merely at the threshold of the law realm, but rather he had already gained a certain level of comprehension in the wind-based laws.

This level of skill, if placed in a battle of geniuses, would be enough to rank among the top 1,000 in the universe.

Even if the selection criteria of the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance are different, it wouldn't be so bad as to reject a genius who is at the star level and has already gained a considerable understanding of the laws.

The battle did not last long.

There's not much Jiang Chen can show by merely demonstrating the laws of wind.

In just over ten minutes, Jiang Chen used all his wind-based techniques and then stopped his attack.

"Your understanding of the laws is quite good, very good! But your secret techniques and weapons are lacking, and your combat skills are also somewhat rough."

After making a few comments, 'Qinya' hesitated for a moment before continuing, "With your talent, joining my Cosmic Mercenary Alliance and becoming a core genius is definitely not a problem. However, it's not the time for core genius selection right now, and my authority isn't sufficient. At most, I can only help you apply for a special assessment."

After a pause, 'Qinya' seemed afraid of discouraging Jiang Chen, and quickly explained, "'Erso', your talent is definitely enough! As long as you perform normally, you will definitely pass the special assessment! Once you pass the special assessment, you can become a core genius of my Cosmic Mercenary Alliance and obtain resources you never dared to dream of before! With your talent, plus the full support of my Cosmic Mercenary Alliance, you may even have the potential to become an immortal god!"

Immortal gods are still only 'hopeful'.

It sounds low-class, but that's the reality.

The five giants continuously recruit geniuses from various cosmic nations and star regions of the human race, investing huge amounts of resources in their cultivation.

But the purpose of this training is simply to hope that a few geniuses from each generation will stand out and achieve immortality.

Like the Genius Battle of the Virtual Universe Company, which is held once every ten thousand years, generation after generation, each session absorbs a thousand geniuses, and on average only a dozen or so people can achieve immortality.

The rest either fell during their growth or exhausted their potential, unable to move forward until their time came.

Only occasionally will a particular generation of geniuses emerge of exceptionally high quality, giving rise to a large number of immortals, or even greater and stronger individuals.

Even 'Qinya' herself dared not say that she could definitely cross the threshold of immortality and obtain the ticket to 'eternal life'.

"Lord Qiniya..."

Jiang Chen had already made up his mind, but he still wanted to confirm things first: "May I ask about the treatment of core geniuses in the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance?"

"Of course, let's go to the meeting room, and I'll tell you slowly."

Seeing Jiang Chen's attitude, 'Qinya's' attitude softened considerably. She smiled and led Jiang Chen to the reception room, ordering servants to serve tea and snacks.

Then he explained in detail: "Our Cosmic Mercenary Alliance divides core geniuses into four levels. However, regardless of the level, the basic treatment is the same."

"First, you will receive a spot to enter the 'Primordial Universe' for enlightenment. I cannot tell you the specific details of this spot now. I can only say that this spot is extremely precious. Even immortal gods are willing to pay a high price to obtain it, but most immortal gods would go bankrupt and still not be able to buy a single spot."

"Secondly, based on your performance in the assessment, you will receive a sum of money of varying amounts..."

'Qinya' spoke eloquently and carefully explained the treatment of core geniuses of the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance, trying to impress Jiang Chen and persuade him to join voluntarily.