152: Chapter 152 One Year Later

In the starry sky, ten S-class super-experts gathered together, all because of a single order.

Boom!

Just as everyone was deep in thought, the Void Realm was suddenly torn apart. An unparalleled power sliced through space, and flower petals began to drift through the air.

Everyone knew this was Hua Zizai's signature. They immediately dropped to one knee, lining up on both sides.

Among them, there was one exception who remained standing.

Whoosh!

No person emerged from the rift in the Void Realm; it was merely a gray humanoid shadow.

“Welcome, Lord!”

The gray shadow slowly turned its head. It was unclear if it actually spoke, but a voice rang out.

“Haven't I said there's no need for this?”

“Lord, we do this of our own free will,” the crowd whispered.

“If word gets out, people will think I mistreat my subordinates... Rise,” the gray shadow said slowly.

Upon hearing this, everyone stood up.

“Lord, what are your instructions this time?” the man in black, known as Number One, asked.

“In another hundred years, a great change will occur in the Universe Sea. At that time, a Secret Realm will open. It is a massive opportunity and the key to my attainment of the Dao of Immortality,” the gray shadow spoke.

“We will do everything in our power to assist you, Lord, in ascending to the seat of the Immortal God!” everyone said in unison.

The gray shadow nodded slowly and glanced at Li Yueran.

“In recent years, our Esper Alliance has produced many talents, and the number of experts is increasing. This is a good sign, but the downside is that their growth speed is too slow.”

“During these hundred years, Cultivate well. If you find any promising talent, help them if you can; do not suppress them.”

“In this era, no talent should be suppressed, and I do not wish to see it happen.”

After saying this, the gray shadow gradually dissipated.

“Respectfully seeing the Lord off!” Everyone bowed in farewell.

“What did the Lord mean by that? Does he want us to mentor the rising stars?” the blond man mused.

“Number Nine, you've only just arrived, so naturally you don't quite understand the reasons behind this,” the man in black, Number One, glanced over.

“Is there a story behind it?” Number Nine, the blond man, asked.

Number One sighed slightly and said, “The Lord... he just wants the Alliance to grow strong, so that more people can stand on the battlefield and fight the enemy.”

Li Yueran spoke up: “But to mention another reason, I think... perhaps the Lord feels a bit lonely.”

Number Nine frowned slightly and hesitated, “Lonely? What nonsense are you talking about? If the Lord wanted it, would he ever lack companionship?”

Li Yueran looked at him calmly, her gaze like that of someone looking at a newly arrived, foolish younger brother—full of tolerance.

However, this still made the blond man very unhappy. You've only been here ten years longer than me; what's with that look?

Number One waved his hand to stop them. “Enough.”

He looked toward the direction where the gray shadow had vanished and said slowly, “Number Eight is right. The Lord is indeed a bit lonely, but not in the way you're thinking.”

Number Nine frowned: “Then in what way?”

Number One looked at him with a calm expression: “You aren't an invincible person like the Lord, so you can't feel it—that sense of loneliness that comes from being invincible.”

Hearing this, Number Nine was astonished: “Invincibility... can also bring loneliness?”

Number One nodded: “The Lord is too strong. Precisely because he has no rivals, he fought his way into the Demon Race recently, only to find that not a single one was his match. This disappointed him even more.”

“The Lord... he wants an opponent who can make him go all out, and it has to be a battle within the same Realm,” Li Yueran said.

“That... how is that possible? Within the same Realm, who could possibly stand on equal footing with the Lord?” Number Nine shook his head.

“Because he is too invincible and cannot find an opponent, the Lord feels lonely. Can you understand that?” Li Yueran sighed.

“I...” Hearing this, Number Nine couldn't help but think of the miserable state he and Number Ten were in after being defeated by Hua Zizai a while ago.

“Even if all ten of us attacked together, we wouldn't be a match for the Lord. And any one of us is already among the top experts across more than twenty Universes!” he couldn't help but exclaim.

Number One waved his hand: “Let's not talk about this anymore. I'm going back to my own Universe to Cultivate.”

Li Yueran spoke up: “Don't forget the instructions. If there's promising talent, we should mentor them a bit.”

Number One looked at her: “Why, do you have someone in mind?”

Li Yueran nodded slightly: “Although I'm very dissatisfied with that guy's attitude, he is indeed a promising talent.”

Number Nine hesitated: “Are you talking about... Number Eleven?”

Li Yueran was noncommittal: “He hasn't truly joined us yet; don't use that title lightly.”

“Fine, then I'll go test his level for you.” Number Nine nodded.

“No matter what, he is a Disciple of a True God. If you act recklessly, you'll gain nothing in the end and instead lose the Lord's face,” Li Yueran said coldly.

“Why would I act recklessly? As a Senior, isn't it perfectly natural for me to have a sparring match to guide him?” Number Nine spread his hands, looking like it was the most reasonable thing in the world.

“Heh... I'm just afraid you won't be able to beat him,” Li Yueran sneered.

“Can't beat him?” Hearing this, Number Nine was so angry he laughed.

“The Domain of God has a monthly minor exam to decide if a talent can stay, and a major exam at the end of the year. I'll see if he can pass the major exam to stay there; otherwise, there's no need for me to waste my time.”

With that, Number Nine turned and left.

“This guy... he really doesn't respect anyone except you two,” Li Yueran said, watching his departing back.

“It's normal not to be convinced, but as long as you beat him into submission, everything becomes easy to talk about,” spoke Number Ten, who hadn't said a word until now.

The “you two” Li Yueran mentioned did not include Hua Zizai, but rather Number One and Number Ten.

The numbers of the Ten Great Guardians were not assigned by strength, but by the order in which they joined.

Among them, Number One had followed Hua Zizai the longest and was undoubtedly the most powerful.

However, Number Ten was no ordinary person. Back when Hua Zizai first became famous, he was also a dazzlingly powerful expert, though his brilliance was overshadowed by the former.

Among the Ten Great Guardians, the strength of Number One and Number Ten was a level above the other eight. Furthermore, Number Ten had greater talent.

Earlier, while everyone else was kneeling, he alone remained standing because he was still somewhat defiant, but the others could do nothing about it.

After all, Number One couldn't kill him, the others couldn't beat him, and Hua Zizai—the only one who could defeat him—had told everyone not to kneel anyway, so no one criticized him.

“Alright, everyone go back to your respective places. Look for promising talent when you have the chance; it's good to mentor the juniors,” Number One waved his hand, officially dismissing the meeting.

...

A year passed.

Chen Xing had shattered his Perfect Seed a total of eight times, continuously Cultivating and reforging it, and his strength grew ever greater.

During this period, he also cultivated the fifth and sixth glows—the Glow of the Physical Body and the Glow of Magic Power.

The Alliance had once proposed the concept of the [Trinity], stating that if three Domains reached a certain limit, unimaginable changes would occur.

Therefore, true experts would generally complete these between their fifth and seventh glows.