The Root Universe was vast. Even with Jin Gang tearing through space to travel quickly with Fang Jueyu, it took more than two months to reach its outer perimeter.
Along the way, the two of them plundered hundreds of relics occupied by fierce beasts, making off with all the treasures left behind. They collected hundreds of Divine Weapons alone!
For ordinary Martial Artists entering this Root Universe to explore, finding a single Divine Weapon in a relic, even if it’s just a fragment, would be exciting enough to lose sleep. But for Fang Jueyu now, he wouldn’t even glance at those fragments!
He had acquired the forging techniques for Divine Weapons and accumulated a large amount of materials for crafting them. Given time, he could eventually create Divine Weapons himself!
"Swish!" Three figures appeared on a grassy plain at the edge of the Root Universe.
"Hahaha, I’m back, Fang Jueyu again!" Fang Jueyu laughed wildly. Jin Gang beside him looked puzzled. Just returning to the edge of the Root Universe, what’s there to be so happy about?
"Sure enough, my name reappeared on the leaderboard upon returning here," Fang Jueyu found his name again on the entrance exam ranking list.
Over a year had passed, and the number of candidates, originally more than 30 billion, was now under 10 billion, showing how fierce the competition was during this period.
Fang Jueyu’s points initially ranked him in the top few hundred, but now he had fallen beyond two hundred million!
He also found Bernard and others’ names on the list. He had been worried whether any accidents would happen to Great Eagle City after he left. At least it seemed they were still safe so far.
"Little Black is also still alive!" Through the soul contract, Fang Jueyu located Little Black, and it was surprisingly still at the original location of Great Eagle City!
"Strange, didn’t that group attack Great Eagle City?" Fang Jueyu wondered.
When he left Great Eagle City, he didn’t expect to be gone for over a year, leaving only enough Energy Crystal Cores for Bernard and the others to use for a month. Under normal use, they should have run out long ago.
How had they managed to defend Great Eagle City until now without weapons or the Universal Nature Sword Formation? Or had something already happened to Great Eagle City?
"Jin Gang, let’s part ways here!" Fang Jueyu said to Jin Gang.
"Boss, do you need any help from me?" Jin Gang knew Fang Jueyu was participating in the so-called Cosmic Federation School entrance exam this time.
"I can handle this myself," Fang Jueyu smiled, "You’ve been stifled here long enough. It’s better for you to leave quickly."
"Boss, take care," Jin Gang said. "If you ever need me, Jin Gang, you can find me anytime through the soul contract. If anyone bullies you, I’ll twist their head off!"
"Haha, alright, alright, once you’re in the human world, don’t be so aggressive. Eating, drinking, and having fun are more important!"
"Alright then, Boss, I’m heading out. If you ever miss me, Jin Gang, we can always find a way to meet!"
"Mm!" Fang Jueyu tossed Jin Gang a spatial storage ring. "Here’s some equipment to connect to our human virtual network, along with tens of thousands of bubble teas, spicy snacks, and a ton of other treats. It should last you quite a while!"
"Hehehe, thanks, Boss! You’re always kind to me, Jin Gang!"
Jin Gang opened a pack of spicy snacks, eating with delight. After a moment, his figure disappeared into a pitch-black rift.
"Host, these Martial Artists seem to have set up plenty of communications devices throughout this Root Universe. I’ve found a lot of information!"
"Oh? Let me hear it."
"Currently, among all those taking the entrance exam, the one with the highest points and the strongest power is a Martial Artist from the Gust Civilisation named Kaiya. He has occupied hundreds of city relics and recruited many strong Martial Artists. There are hundreds ranked in the top ten thousand alone!"
"Is it him?" A flame of jealousy flickered in Fang Jueyu’s eyes. He remembered this Martial Artist, the guy ranked first on the black market betting list while he languished beyond 100 million. "He was the one with the lowest odds!"
"Even if it’s just to infuriate the black market’s owner, I must get first place in this exam!"
People live for dignity. Fang Jueyu wasn’t obsessed with power ranking, but why should someone else’s rank be worth so much while his name held no value?
It felt as if he and that Kaiya guy were both wanted, yet Kaiya’s bounty was worth a billion US Dollars, while his own head only fetched 50 bucks. Why?
"Host, there’s another very interesting piece of news!"
"Great Eagle City has changed hands!"
"Indeed!" Fang Jueyu wasn’t too surprised. Bernard and the others were quite strong, but among the Martial Artists he met at Wanshen Manor, plenty were stronger. Without that Sword Array, they couldn’t possibly hold Great Eagle City.
He was just curious why Little Black was still there?
"Host, a year ago, after those Martial Artists assumed you were dead, news of the fall of one of the Twenty-Four Stars of Shenhao Civilization spread throughout the Root Universe. That same day, a major upheaval occurred at Great Eagle City."
That upheaval was barely suppressed thanks to the resources Fang Jueyu left behind and Little Black’s power.
However, after that day, occupiers and other Martial Artists from various cities began challenging relentlessly. Under the pressure of both internal unrest and external threats, Great Eagle City’s defenses completely collapsed within a month.
Bernard, Lancelot, and Panuo were gravely injured and disappeared, while Little Black was captured. The city’s current ruler was the Martial Artist named Liu Qi.
They all thought Kato Taka had died, but Little Black hadn’t. So, the soul contract they signed must have been a fair one.
If they could get help from a fiercely high-blooded beast like Little Black, they would have a better foothold in this Root Universe. Hence, Liu Qi kept trying to force Little Black to break the contract and sign with him instead.
But only Little Black knew that Fang Jueyu wasn’t dead, or he would’ve been kicked out of the Root Universe. Breaking the soul contract was impossible, so Little Black was confined in a cage in Great Eagle City, suffering inhumane torture daily.
"Ergouzi, let’s seek revenge for our grievances and rescue Little Black!"
Now renamed Xiu King City by Liu Qi, it was teeming with over three million Martial Artists thanks to Liu Qi’s recruitment, even more prosperous than old Great Eagle City.
At the central square of Xiu King City sat a massive cage, crafted from an extremely strong third-tier metal, indestructible by anyone below a Controller.
Little Black had been imprisoned here for over a year, covered in horrible wounds, its once thick, glossy black fur now patchy, and its three heads brutally scarred, its breath weak to an extreme.
In front of it sat a young man, sipping fine wine leisurely. "Wake it up!"
"Slash!" A basin of chili-water-like liquid was splashed onto Little Black, the intense pain jolting it awake from unconsciousness.
"What? Still not willing to surrender to me?"
"Pah! When my boss comes, you’re all doomed!" Little Black muttered weakly, though with a different thought, "If my boss hadn’t signed a Slave Contract with me, I wouldn’t be suffering !"