225: professional mercenaries

But compared to previous Star Tower Trial participants, this speed of progress was already at the level of a top-tier monster.

In the future, there is even hope of reaching the Universe Venerable level.

At this moment, Qing Lan was standing on the walls of Longyuan Fortress, gazing into deep space at planets covered by mountain-like insect eggs.

The defensive lines of the Eastern Universe were shrinking at an alarming rate every year.

If things continued at this rate, in at most a million years, the entire universe would become the territory of the Zerg.

A man in azure armor looked at Qing Lan's profile and said, "Junior Sister, what are you looking at?"

Qing Lan gripped the hilt of the Mo Yuan Sword, her desire for power reaching its limit.

She pointed in a direction and murmured, "That place was once my home."

"Alas, the Zerg are too powerful. If our Human Race could give birth to two more at the Universe Venerable level, perhaps we could sweep through and reclaim our lost lands."

"Junior Sister, with your talent, there is hope for you to reach the Universe Venerable level."

Qing Lan's expression was solemn; she naturally knew her own foundation, but time was running out.

Her master, Venerable Qing Ming, once said that if a new Cosmic Venerable wasn't born within the next million years, the entire universe would cease to exist.

Becoming a Universe Venerable level was easier said than done.

In a million years, she felt she might not even reach the Immortal Level.

The shadow of a person involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

"With him, I still have a chance."

It had been nearly three years since the last Star Tower Trial, but Qing Lan still couldn't forget that arrogant man.

"Senior Brother, do you know what realm Wang Chao's strength has reached now?"

"This is a top-secret matter of the Human Alliance; even I have no right to know."

Qing Lan sighed. She had also asked her master, but Venerable Qing Ming's answer was ambiguous, only telling her to practice hard and improve her strength.

Longyuan Fortress, Mercenary Guild.

He Ming brought Shui Meng to the registration desk.

"We're newcomers and would like to register."

The clerk in charge of registration skillfully picked up a scanner and aimed it at the two, and two profiles immediately popped up on the virtual panel.

"The Milky Way Galaxy..."

He Ming noticed the surprise in the clerk's tone and said with a smile, "Yes, it has been many years since we left the Milky Way Galaxy."

"Alright, let's test your strength."

The clerk took out a crystal ball emitting a seven-colored glow and explained, "Place your hand on it and release your Star Power."

Shui Meng impatiently placed her hand on it and released a trace of Star Power.

Before long, a message appeared on the crystal ball.

[Domain Lord Level Nine Peak]

The clerk was stunned and looked closely at the information on the system panel.

Shui Meng, only 10,231 years old, had actually reached the peak of Domain Lord Level Nine!

She held no position; she was a commoner.

The clerk scratched his head and looked at Shui Meng: "May I ask how you reached Domain Lord Level Nine?"

Shui Meng said casually, "I left the Milky Way Galaxy ten thousand years ago and encountered many opportunities along the way. Reaching Domain Lord Level Nine must be due to good luck."

The clerk frowned slightly and looked at He Ming.

"Your turn."

He Ming placed his palm on the crystal ball, and soon, a message appeared.

[Star Lord Level One Peak]

Huh!?

The clerk glanced back and forth between the two. One had reached the peak of Domain Lord Level Nine, and the other was simply at the Star Lord Level, and neither had any official background.

"Were you lucky too?"

He Ming nodded and replied, "Yes, I indeed have quite good luck."

The clerk looked them over and said slowly, "With your strength, you could completely apply to the authorities for a territory larger than the Milky Way Galaxy. Why choose to come to the Front-line Battlefield?"

He Ming said seriously, "To make money."

The clerk couldn't help but chuckle; those words were honest.

Ninety-nine percent of the people who came to the Front-line Battlefield were there to make money.

He quickly operated the system panel, and soon, two identification cards were produced.

"These are your Mercenary IDs."

He Ming and Shui Meng each took their IDs.

The clerk continued, "You start at Level 1. Since your strength far exceeds that of a Level 1 Mercenary, we've made an exception and raised the limit for the star-rated missions you can take. You can take up to three-star missions, but your Mercenary level still needs to be raised by earning points through completing tasks."

"Alright, thank you."

"You're welcome. I wish you the best of luck."

Watching their departing figures, the clerk hurriedly dialed a communication.

"Supervisor, two people from the Milky Way Galaxy just came to register. The woman is Domain Lord Level Nine, and the man is Star Lord Level One."

"Hmm?"

"I remember the Champion of the last Star Tower Trial was from the Milky Way Galaxy, right?"

"Yes, these two are only 10,231 years old, the same age, and have no official background."

"I see. Keep an eye on them."

"Understood."

He Ming and Shui Meng arrived at the Mission Hall.

In the center of the hall, available missions from one-star to seven-star were rapidly scrolling across a virtual display panel.

Mercenary levels range from 1 to 7, corresponding to the star-rated missions that can be accepted.

Although He Ming was currently only a Level 1 Mercenary, his registered realm was Star Lord Level One, so he could exceptionally accept three-star missions.

Shui Meng looked at the reward amounts displayed under the missions on the virtual panel, curled her lip, and whispered, "Boss, the reward for a three-star mission isn't much money—only a bit over ten thousand tons of seven-colored star marrow crystals. It's not as much as the Spatial Artifacts we make."

He Ming chuckled.

"Indeed. But what if it were a hundred three-star missions?"

Shui Meng realized.

"Over a million tons."

He Ming scanned the huge virtual panel in the center of the hall, reading ten lines at a glance, and gained a general understanding of the three-star missions.

Entering Zerg-occupied star systems, defending outposts, attacking Insect Swarms, and scouting.

The missions weren't very difficult, but they would take some time.

With a thought, he established contact with his Clone.

"Haiyuan Star System."

"Understood."

He Ming operated his Terminal, downloaded the Mercenary mission system, logged in with his ID number... and set the search for three-star missions in the Haiyuan Star System.

There were thousands of three-star missions, large and small.

"A3 Stronghold."

"Rendezvous in three days."

He Ming chose the A3 Stronghold defense mission. The time limit was three days, and the reward was 13,500 tons of seven-colored star marrow crystals.

These seven-colored star marrow crystals were nothing to He Ming, but for an ordinary Domain Lord Level, they were already a huge sum of money, well worth risking their lives for.

The seven-colored star marrow crystal itself was a top-tier cultivation resource and served as an unshakeable hard currency in the Eastern Universe; the settlement method for some high-end goods was primarily in seven-colored star marrow crystals.