Swallowing the Stars, Hu Yanbo's Pre-Godhood

Back at his residence, Hu Yanbo poured himself a glass of fine wine, savoring it slowly and enjoying the rare tranquility and pleasure.

Indeed, the higher one's talent and the greater one's potential, the more valued and recognized one becomes by truly powerful forces. This feeling is indeed completely different from before.

Becoming a core member of a super power had been the original owner's wish for many years.

"Master! Core level of the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance! Top-tier King Seed!" Babata's excited voice rang in his mind, filled with unbelievable excitement.

"You are destined to become a king-level expert! As far as I know, in the entire Qianwu Universe Kingdom, among the so-called 'Three Hundred Kings,' there isn't even a single true king! And none of them are even core members of the five major powers!"

Babata continued excitedly, "If you were to return to the Qianwu Universe Kingdom now, the treatment you'd receive would be worlds apart from before! What Snow Silver Marquis, what Golden Feather Marquis… Hmph, let's see who dares to act so high and mighty in front of you! Let's see who dares to be so self-important!"

Upon hearing this, Hu Yanbo's lips curled into a faint smile.

He remembered that a long time ago, the Qianwu Universe Kingdom did send an immortal named "Thirteen" to win him over, hoping that he could become one of the "Three Hundred Kings" under the Qianwu Kingdom's ruler.

But at the time, he declined almost without much consideration.

The so-called "Three Hundred Marquises" sound impressive, but in reality, they are just a group of old guys who have been stuck at the Marquis level for countless epochs and have almost no hope of advancing.

What future can one have by associating with them and going along with their corrupt practices?

I fear that being surrounded by bad influences will corrupt one's own ambition and even destroy it.

The ancient proverb "One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black" is also an irrefutable truth in the primitive universe where the strong are respected, only expressed in a different way.

Now, he has chosen the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance, one of the most elite circles in the human race!

The "Zhu" here refers to those true immortal kings, or even higher beings in the universe!

Huyanbo raised his glass and drank the wine in one gulp.

"Hahaha! Not only the kings and nobles of the Qianwu Universe Kingdom, but even if they encounter a true king-level expert, they must treat us with great courtesy!" Babata's voice rang in Huyanbo's mind, filled with triumphant excitement, looking exactly like a "petty person who has achieved his goal".

Do you even know the value of being crowned a king within the system?

Being in the same price range makes you superior!

Oh no, it's that they're two levels above others!

Hu Yanbo chuckled as he listened to Babata's almost ethereal tone, took another sip of wine, shook his head and laughed, "Alright, alright, Babata, think long-term."

"This achievement is just the beginning. Once your master becomes stronger and accumulates enough contribution points, I will definitely exchange it for a real 'Mechanical Heart' for you, so that you can evolve properly."

"A mechanical heart?!" Babata's voice rose instantly, filled with unbelievable ecstasy. "Master! Are you serious?! That's a cosmic treasure that can leap forward the very essence of my life! Amazing! Hahaha!"

After calming the overly excited Babata, Hu Yanbo suppressed his smile and focused his mind on the core member privileges he had just acquired in the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance.

After a quick glance, he felt reassured.

Leaving aside the long-term benefits, the task of repaying the advance payment of the title of Marquis has already been settled!

When we came out of the cultivation chamber of the Chaos Stele, Lord Kander had made it clear.

To comprehend the Chaos Stele again, one must join the core layer of the five major forces. Only then can one apply for access to the "Bridge to Heaven" dimension in the virtual universe and accumulate comprehension attempts by crossing the Bridge to Heaven.

Now, he is a core member of the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance, and his authority is sufficient!

"The Bridge to Heaven..." A glint flashed in Hu Yanbo's eyes.

With his current high-level understanding of spatial laws, he could easily pass through the sixteenth level of the Tongtian Bridge corresponding to the "Nine Universes Chaos Stele".

More than enough to meet the repayment task!

A confident smile played on Huyan Bo's lips. "It seems I won't have to wait much longer for this high-ranking title!"

Having determined the next step, Hu Yanbo turned his attention to the many newly unlocked features in the permission list in front of him.

With a thought, he chose one of them—the path to "Mount Glory," the exclusive virtual dimension for the immortal core members of the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance.

With a flash of light, Hu Yanbo's consciousness appeared at a public teleportation point on the outskirts of Mount Glory.

Since he has not yet been assigned a private palace, he is temporarily appearing in this public area.

As soon as he appeared, a World Lord attendant dressed in the Alliance's standard silver robe quickly flew over and bowed respectfully: "Lord Huyanbo, I am here on the orders of King Qiancang to guide you and assist you in building your own palace."

Hu Yanbo nodded slightly: "Thank you for your trouble."

The attendant then led Huyanbo towards the depths of the sacred mountain.

As we flew, the mountains and rivers below were magnificent, shrouded in clouds and mist, with palaces of different styles dotting the landscape like stars.

Hu Yanbo speculated that this single residential plane was no smaller than the Qianwu Continent in the virtual universe!

The attendant explained, "My lord, please look around. The palaces in these outer areas are relatively densely packed, and they were mostly built by core members at the level of Immortal Military Lords."

Huyanbo nodded and continued on his way with the attendant.

I originally thought that, as an immortal marquis, my palace would most likely be built in the marquisate area.

However, the attendant did not linger in the area where the title of Marquis was conferred, and continued flying at the same speed towards the more central part of the sacred mountain.

After flying for a long time, the surrounding palaces became sparse, each occupying a large area, far exceeding the size of the outer palaces.

The waiter then slowed down and turned to Huyan Bo respectfully, saying, "Lord Huyan Bo, based on the Alliance's assessment of your potential, you have been identified as a 'Top-Tier King Seed'."

"Therefore, your palace construction rights are located in this area—the King's Domain!"

Hu Yanbo's gaze swept over this vast and magnificent area. It was quite different from the Immortal Military Lord District and the Marquis District, which were filled with palaces, that he had passed through before. The space here seemed relatively empty.

The waiter continued, "You may choose any unclaimed mountain or plain within this area as the foundation for your palace."

Hu Yanbo's appearance and his flight directly to the King Conferment Area under the guidance of a servant had already attracted the attention of many powerful figures within the Holy Mountain of Glory.

Many divine thoughts swept over it quietly, carrying curiosity and inquiry.

"Hmm? A new face? They went straight into the royal district?"

"Our Cosmic Mercenary Alliance has recruited another King-level powerhouse?"

"Who is this king? And what is his title?"

"I'm so envious... I reckon it won't be long before that person who was granted the title of king is entrusted with an important task and becomes our superior. We'll find out his title then."

Under the watchful eyes of numerous divine thoughts, Huyanbo did not linger at the edge of the King-Sealing Area, but continued to fly deeper and closer to the core of the Holy Mountain.

This action surprised even the accompanying waiters.

Although there is no explicit rule, the unspoken rule is that the stronger one's strength and potential, the closer the palace will be to the core.

Although Lord Huyanbo is a "top-class candidate for kingship", he has not yet been officially enfeoffed as a king.

Conventionally, building in peripheral areas is the safest option, and it's not too late to relocate later when strength has increased.

But Huyanbo showed no sign of stopping. His gaze swept over the huge palaces and continued flying toward the more central area.

The waiter was surprised but dared not say anything and could only follow closely behind.

Huyanbo's flight continued, eventually pointing towards a distant, unclaimed, majestic mountain peak.

The palaces here are few and far between, and they are far apart from each other. Each palace is like an independent divine kingdom, exuding a vast and unfathomable aura.

The attendant beside him was pale, and his voice trembled slightly: "Yes...yes, sir! I will register and construct the palace for you immediately!" He was inwardly trembling as he worked on the device.

The inhabitants of this area are all renowned and powerful figures at the peak of the King realm!

This Huyanbo is incredibly audacious!

But don't be blindly confident... otherwise, if you can't match the strength of your neighbors who are at the peak of the King level, you'll lose face big time!

The palace was constructed instantly under the virtual universe's authority. A black palace complex, conforming to Huyanbo's aesthetic and characterized by its ancient and grand style, sat on the plain, blending into the surrounding environment and possessing a rather imposing presence.

Hu Yanbo briefly browsed through the virtual residence that symbolized his status in the core of the alliance, and without lingering for long, his consciousness withdrew from the Holy Mountain of Glory and returned to reality.

As soon as he returned, he noticed that Qiancang King's communication had arrived.

Upon opening the communication, a 3D projection of the Thousand Cang King appeared, a strange yet amusing smile on his face.

"You little rascal, you've only just gained access to Mount Glory, and you've already attracted a lot of discussion among the old guys in the alliance."

He looked at Huyan Bo with great interest: "I heard that as soon as you entered, you built your palace right in the heart of the princely territory? You've got some nerve!"

"The place you chose is full of ordinary people; every single one of them is a seasoned, peak-level king, and their strength is no weaker than mine!"

Upon hearing this, Hu Yanbo calmly replied, "I heard from the guide that the location of the palace on Mount Glory is not fixed. As the strength or potential of the members changes, the size and location of the palace will be adjusted accordingly."

"I was thinking that since we're going to move to the central area sooner or later, we might as well settle down in one place from the beginning. That way, we won't have to move around so often as our strength increases, which would just cause us more trouble."

Upon hearing this, King Qiancang was first taken aback, then couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter: "Hahaha! Good! What a brilliant 'avoiding trouble'! You've got guts! I admire your confidence!"

"I've brought your top-tier seed cultivation contract. Take a look."

As he spoke, a detailed list emerged:

1. Guidance from a Cosmic Venerable: You can receive personal guidance from a Cosmic Venerable within your clan, or you can follow a Cosmic Venerable to cultivate for a period of time.

2. Top-tier secret technique creation: A top-tier combat technique will be created by the Supreme Being of the Universe, based on your understanding of the laws and your opponent's path.

3. King-level Equipment Set: A complete set of King-level weapons and armor will be crafted for you by the clan's master blacksmith (you can choose one of them, crafted using G-grade metal).

4. Start-up capital: 3 million mixed units.

.......

Every item on this list is enough to drive the immortal gods of the outside world mad!

Hu Yanbo's gaze swept across the list, quickly assessing the value of each item in his mind. The start-up capital of "3 million Hunyuan units" seemed to be the most "ordinary" item in this otherwise luxurious list.

But he knew very well that this "ordinary" was only relative to those rare resources that even powerful kings would covet.

For the vast majority of immortal gods, 3 million Chaos Units is an unimaginable fortune!

Many powerful individuals who have just entered the King-level realm may only have a net worth of around one billion Chaos Units, even if they exhaust all their wealth.

This initial investment is equivalent to one-third of a newly crowned king's net worth!

That's enough to acquire many precious resources and achieve the rank of Marquis and Immortal.

And the items at the top of the list—their value is immeasurably higher than 300 million Mixed Yuan Units!

Any genius with sufficient potential, given the dedicated nurturing of these resources, can become a top performer among those who are crowned kings, provided they do not perish along the way.

Hu Yanbo's gaze quickly fell on a supplementary clause at the end of the list, which clearly stated: "Given that member 'Hu Yanbo' is still in a period of rapid growth in strength, the Alliance will not force him to participate in the Alliance's daily affairs management during this period of growth, so as to ensure that he can focus on cultivation and improvement."

Upon seeing this, Hu Yanbo finally revealed a genuinely satisfied smile.

The Cosmic Mercenary Alliance kept its promise.

It seems that for a long time to come, I will be living a carefree life with a powerful background but no responsibilities.

"How is it? Are you satisfied?" King Qiancang asked with a smile.

In the cultivation system of the five major forces, although both the "Superior King-Sealing Seed Contract" and the "Special King-Sealing Seed Contract" are awarded to geniuses who are considered to have a high probability of becoming kings, the internal differences are actually huge.

The "Superior Contract" recognizes that the recipient has the potential to steadily advance to the initial level of the King rank.

The alliance will allocate the necessary resources to ensure that it achieves this goal smoothly.

The "Special Contract" recognizes that the recipient possesses the astonishing potential to reach the highest level of the King rank!

This means that the alliance believes that as long as the resources are sufficient and the training is proper, the winner will have a very high probability of becoming a strong figure among the kings in the future!

The difference in resources invested between these two groups, if roughly measured in mixed units, is as high as billions or even more!

As for why there aren't higher contracts to cultivate "Peak of Kingship".

It's because that goes beyond what a conventional "contract" can cultivate.

Many prodigies capable of reaching this level have already been noticed by cosmic venerables or even greater beings, and taken as their personal disciples.

All their needs were naturally taken care of by their teachers, which was a different level of resource allocation.

Hu Yanbo confirmed all the terms again, and with a slight thought, he imprinted his soul mark on the virtual contract runes.

"Very satisfied." He raised his head and looked at King Qiancang. "Thank you for the Alliance's high regard, and thank you, King Qiancang, for fighting for me."

"Haha," King Qiancang laughed, "You'd better work hard, kid, or you'll embarrass me and Xuzhen."