Seeing the staggering daily fee for the Killing Grounds, Qi Yuan couldn't help but hesitate.
It wasn't just the Killing Grounds—any feature related to cultivation in this virtual universe came with an enormous cost.
A beginner-level domain course video recorded by a Domain Lord-ranked expert cost one billion Eternal Coins just to watch once.
In the Treasure Market, a secret technique that only slightly enhanced the power of the Thunder Domain would easily cost tens of billions of Lanting Coins!
As for wanting to join a cultivation dojo and receive specialized guidance from teachers, the expenses were unimaginably high.
The annual spending limit of five million Eternal Coins that Huo Ge granted Qi Yuan was probably only enough to cover his internet fees and afford some low-level services.
For truly cultivation-related features, he basically couldn't afford a single one.
"It's a pity that Cang Fan isn't around. If he were here, even a casual transaction on him could multiply the returns by at least eight times."
Qi Yuan sighed helplessly.
Of course, this was just a fleeting thought.
Giving Cang Fan some "Earth Soul Liquid" resources occasionally was one thing — after all, it could be explained as saving from his own "rations."
But directly sending him money? Even a fool could see the problem with that.
Not to mention, Cang Fan didn't even have a bank account to receive transfers.
"I can't afford to stay on Thunderstorm Star too long. I have to find a chance to break free as soon as possible!"
At this moment, Qi Yuan's desire to escape grew even stronger.
On one hand, his trip to Lanka Star had already forced him into the arena's conflict.
If it hadn't been for the domain granted by the system, he would have almost certainly faced a fatal outcome.
As long as he remained under Huo Ge's "control," who knew how many more such incidents would happen?
On the other hand, if he stayed on Thunderstorm Star any longer…
Under the surveillance of Huo Ge, his "master," it would be extremely difficult to collect different "gifts" or handle the system's returned "rewards."
This would severely limit his ability to maximize the system's use and ultimately slow down his progress!
Moreover, the only disciple currently bound to him, Cang Fan, had too low a level and basic return multiplier.
To fully unlock the system's potential, he had to keep searching for disciples with higher return multipliers.
"Now Luo Feng has started the Star Tower trials. His progress will accelerate even more, and the original story's pace will pick up significantly."
"If I can't rise quickly with the system's help, I'm afraid I'll miss out on many exciting moments!"
Days passed by.
Amid the eager anticipation of countless people,
The "Lord of the Domain Banquet," prepared for nearly a year by the Ortega family, finally opened atop Galong City in an enormous, magnificent Cloud Peak Palace—
Countless distinguished guests from powerful factions across the Eternal Star Domain, along with many direct descendants and core members of the Ortega family, gathered from their residences and assembled in the splendid Cloud Peak Palace.
Huo Ge, as a direct member of the Ortega family, naturally earned the right to enter the palace.
"Stay in the manor. Don't go out casually!"
Dressed in luxurious formalwear, Huo Ge instructed Qi Yuan and the others before flying straight toward the Cloud Peak Palace above.
Only after his figure disappeared through the palace's main gate did Qi Yuan, Lao Wu, and the other bodyguards withdraw their gazes and return to their posts.
"This Lord of the Domain Banquet is estimated to have representatives from over half of the top powers in the Eternal Empire. Rumor even says some Domain Lord-level experts will attend in person!"
Walking alongside Qi Yuan, Lao Wu looked regretful.
"It's such a pity. This grand event is right in front of us, yet we have no chance to witness it. Such a shame."
Seeing his rare frown, Qi Yuan teased:
"Pity what? You should train hard too! When you break through to Domain Lord, hold a banquet even grander than this. Just don't block me from entering!"
"Break through my ass!"
Lao Wu, usually extremely mild-mannered, unexpectedly cursed.
"With my comprehension, whether I can break through to Universe Level is still uncertain, let alone Domain Lord!"
"Besides…"
His gaze suddenly darkened.
"Besides, slaves like us controlled by bio-chips—if we really did reach Domain Lord, we'd probably be controlled by some special means long before that."
"Sigh, it's fate."
The Lord of the Domain Banquet lasted nearly a month, featuring not only feasts but also debates, exchanges of ideas, lectures, and teachings.
Qi Yuan naturally did not waste this time. Instead, he returned to his training chamber and continued to study the "Nine Radiance Heavenly Blade"'s power techniques.
But now, his focus was not only on increasing the power amplitude but also on figuring out how to flexibly apply it in actual combat.
His last fight with Meng Shan of the Tie Gao clan in the arena had thoroughly exposed his weaknesses.
He had practiced the Nine Radiance Heavenly Blade for too short a time and had almost no real combat experience.
Though he had grasped the seventh stage of the blade's power techniques, barely reaching the stellar-level "passing line,"
His reaction to opponents and practical application were still very crude.
If it hadn't been for the domain's support last time, he would very likely have lost to Meng Shan.
And who was Meng Shan?
Just an ordinary, fourth-rank stellar-level common slave—one that could be found in droves on any moderately prosperous planet!
Thinking of how he was, after all, a transmigrator—a cheating transmigrator at that—yet still couldn't defeat such a common slave warrior, filled him with deep frustration.
Feeling this setback, he naturally pushed himself to train twice as hard.
Above Galong City, the Lord of the Domain Banquet at Cloud Peak Palace was in full swing.
Meanwhile, in the city's manor training chamber, Qi Yuan seized every spare moment to improve himself.
"Huff!Huff!Huff!"
In the chamber, Qi Yuan wielded his primal force war blade, continuously striking with sheer physical power.
Each strike was accompanied by waves of hidden energy converging and bursting from his arms, unleashing even greater force!
During this process, Qi Yuan also consciously integrated footwork and defensive techniques, striving to make them more suitable for actual combat scenarios.
Such full-power blade swings combined with footwork and defense training quickly drained his stamina, and he soon entered a state of fatigue.
Whenever that happened, he would take the opportunity to browse the virtual universe.
Although he couldn't afford those expensive cultivation functions, the virtual universe had some areas akin to Earth's "internet forums."
Many cultivation enthusiasts with a strong desire to share would often post their adventures and insights.
Occasionally, some helpful netizens would even offer free advice answering others' cultivation questions.
Qi Yuan often mingled in these forums and gleaned quite a bit of useful knowledge for free.
In this way, Qi Yuan practiced his blade techniques while patching up his knowledge gaps in the virtual universe, progressing surprisingly quickly.
In just over half a month, he successfully grasped the eighth stage of the "Nine Radiance Heavenly Blade" power technique, increasing the power amplitude to 24 times!
And all this was done without any assistance from the system!
Encouraged by this experience, Qi Yuan immersed himself even more deeply in his intense training.
However, peaceful days were always short-lived.
Just as Qi Yuan was fully absorbed in his blade cultivation, Huo Ge—who had been attending the Lord of the Domain Banquet—suddenly returned to the manor.
Huo Ge's face looked rather unpleasant, as if he had just gone through a heated dispute.
He wasted no time and immediately ordered Lao Wu to summon all the personal guards.
"Prepare to depart. We're returning to Thunderstorm Star!"