Swallowing the Stars, Hu Yanbo's Pre-Godhood

Hu Yanbo did not turn off the virtual universe receiver, but his gaze swept over the sender list again and again, his brows furrowing slightly.

No.

Not a single email from the Supreme Being of the Universe.

"It seems that my plan to quickly repay the debt by becoming a disciple of the Venerable One is out of the question."

Hu Yanbo muttered to himself, and was about to close the interface when an email marked with "[Kandri]" popped up at that moment.

Upon opening, the content is simple and straightforward:

"Huyanbo, I heard that you have officially entered the realm of being crowned a king. Congratulations!"

"As I said before, I will invite you to drink when you are crowned king. If you have time, you may come and find me. —Kandri"

Hu Yanbo looked at the email and couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.

"I thought this guardian was here to take me on as an apprentice, but it turns out he's just here to buy me drinks!"

"At first I thought it was just a casual joke, but it turns out he really remembered it and even sent such a formal email invitation?"

This somewhat abrupt invitation, like a ray of light, instantly dispelled the fog in Huyanbo's mind.

What is Lord Candri's status?

Universal Venerable One!

He expressed himself with pure appreciation and a relatively equal goodwill.

They are immortalized as kings, though they exist on different levels.

For the Venerable One, a newly conferred title is more like a "promising and outstanding colleague" or a "young backbone worthy of attention".

They will appreciate you, congratulate you on your achievements, and even offer advice when you encounter obstacles.

But what about the traditional master-apprentice relationship?

That usually involves a respected person nurturing a child from a young age, devoting a great deal of effort to shaping their path.

Once one reaches the level of being crowned an immortal king, their path is already fixed, and there is not much more that a Venerable One can do.

This relationship is closer to that of a senior and a junior.

Therefore, the fact that no venerable master extended an invitation to accept disciples is not a sign of disrespect.

This is precisely an implicit acceptance of Huyan Bo's status as a "king"—he is no longer an apprentice who needs to be taught step by step, but a strong person who is qualified to receive guidance in a more equal manner.

Having figured this out, Hu Yanbo's small doubts and expectations completely dissipated, replaced by a clear mind.

He was currently in a rather delicate and even somewhat awkward situation:

The cosmic beings may admire him, but they will not, and cannot, accept him into the traditional master-disciple relationship and devote all their efforts to his upbringing.

And for even more powerful cosmic overlords or even cosmic masters, one's own talents may not be able to meet their requirements.

Their target for taking on disciples is often those unparalleled geniuses who appear only once in tens of millions of eras.

Although he has the speed of progress of a "thousand-year king", his potential and foundation are probably far from catching the eye of such a great being.

After all, no one knows if their talent is just a result of accumulated experience. If they are truly exceptional, they should have shown even greater potential within six thousand epochs.

"Neither here nor there, that's quite fitting." Hu Yanbo chuckled to himself, but he wasn't discouraged.

"Thank you for your kindness, senior. I need to consolidate my strength and will come to bother you again soon," he replied calmly to Candri.

Since this path is temporarily blocked, then we'll rely on ourselves!

He calmed his mind and prepared to completely shut down the virtual universe receiving system, cutting off all external disturbances, and began to focus on planning his 15,000-year-long period of secluded cultivation.

"No one will help me achieve my lofty ambitions, so I will take out loans to climb to the top!" Hu Yanbo comforted himself.

Just as his mind was about to shut down the virtual universe—

hum!

A new email suddenly appeared at the very top of the inbox.

The sender's name was a code name he had never seen before, yet it carried an aura of domineering power, as if it could tear apart the starry sky and incinerate everything—[Yuanhuang].

"This is…?"

What made Hu Yanbo even more alarmed was that after that code name, the internal permission code automatically marked by the virtual universe system was an extremely short sequence—【YB-004】!

This serial number indicates that the sender ranks fourth in terms of status and authority within the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance!

Hu Yanbo was deeply shocked and dared not be negligent in the slightest.

He immediately separated a sliver of his consciousness to connect to the database inside the virtual universe and quickly searched for the name 'Yuanhuang'.

Previously, although he was immortal, much of the information about the truly top-level strongmen of the human race was hearsay.

Now that he has officially entered the realm of being crowned a king and become a core member of the alliance, many things can be easily inquired about.

At the same time, another part of his consciousness solemnly opened the email.

The content was extremely brief, domineering, and direct, without the slightest bit of politeness or small talk:

Hu Yanbo:

"I've seen your combat log."

"Although he recently joined the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance, he can be said to be walking the path to becoming a king all by himself."

"I've walked this road before!"

"Would you be willing to become my disciple and receive my personal instruction?"

——"Yuanhuang"

It wasn't about asking questions, but rather about informing and giving an opportunity.

On the other hand, the results obtained by the wisp of his consciousness made Hu Yanbo gasp in shock!

Yuanhuang, also known as Yuanhuang!

One of the ancient giants of the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance, a cosmic overlord with unfathomable strength!

According to records, this being was a legendary lone wolf who roamed the human realm in his early years. During his time as an immortal king, he was known for his formidable combat power and valiant style, and had an amazing feat of escaping from the clutches of alien venerables.

He was then personally invited to join the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance by a certain cosmic lord.

He then fought his way through battles, using each battle to fuel his power, broke through to the Venerable level, and continued his triumphant advance, eventually becoming the overlord of the universe.

There are even rumors that he is recognized within the alliance as the greatest being most likely to challenge for the title of Lord of the Universe someday!

Upon seeing this, the slight regret that Hu Yanbo had felt for not having a Universe Venerable take him as a disciple vanished instantly, replaced by an indescribable sense of exhilaration!

Cosmic Overlord!

This is a hundred times more noble than an ordinary cosmic venerable!

When a weak race has a cosmic overlord, it is enough to become an ordinary race, and it can survive in the vast primordial universe without relying on a peak race.

This is the cosmic overlord.

"Number 004..." he murmured to himself, and instantly realized, "The Virtual Universe Company and the Giant Axe Arena have three top cosmic overlords who are famous among billions of races - the Lord of the Heavenly Eclipse Palace, the Venerable Ancestral Tree, and the Lord of the Star Prison!"

The Cosmic Mercenary Alliance should also have its own powerful overlord, but perhaps it is limited by various conditions.

I failed to reach that level.

But it's probably only at this level.

What's there to hesitate about?!

"I am willing! Disciple Huyanbo pays respects to Master!" Huyanbo suppressed his unparalleled excitement and immediately responded in the virtual universe system.

This far exceeded his initial expectations; it was a truly unexpected delight!

A thousand thoughts flashed through Hu Yanbo's mind in an instant.

He was well aware that the talent he was currently displaying was indeed astonishing.

But the human race is vast and boundless, and too many extraordinary beings have been born throughout history.

Those who are chosen by the lords of the universe and taken as their personal disciples are mostly peerless geniuses who appear only once every tens of millions of epochs, and often amaze the world before they become immortal.

To grow into an invincible king in just tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years!

In comparison, although my progress over the years has been terrifying, my potential and foundation still need time to be tested.

The peerless genius had no idea why some people were stuck at the lowest ranks of nobility or kingship.

Most of them reached the advanced level of the King title or even the peak level of the King title as soon as they broke through.

However, even for such a genius, the Lord of the Universe would need to observe for a long time before finally deciding to accept him as a disciple.

The reason Yuanhuang was able to directly accept him as his personal disciple is probably because he saw in him the shadow of himself as a lone wolf struggling, fighting, and rising step by step in the universe!

This is a special preference based on similar experiences!