The core members of the Virtual Universe Company are divided among four great Secret Realms:
The Doomsday Secret Realm, the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm, the Primeval Secret Realm, and the Primal Secret Realm.
Among them, the Doomsday Secret Realm ranks lowest of the four.
Their names are, in fact, easy to understand.
If we liken them to the evolution of a world...
at first, everything exists in a formless whole, the "Primal."
Then it begins to take shape and become the "Primeval."
When the world fully forms into vast heavens and earth, that is the "Heaven and Earth."
And when decline and destruction set in, that is the "Doomsday."
Primal, Primeval, Heaven and Earth, Doomsday.
They represent the natural progression of a world's rise and fall.
Of these, the Primal Secret Realm where Luo Fan belonged was the most exalted.
Generally speaking, the geniuses within these four Secret Realms were all below the Immortal level.
Once someone broke through to Immortality, they would no longer be considered a genius, but a true powerhouse.
Within these Secret Realms, all geniuses must address any core member of higher standing as "Your Highness."
Although Cang Liu himself was an Immortal, because Luo Fan was a member of the Primal Secret Realm, whose status stood at the pinnacle, he too had to address Luo Fan as Your Highness.
The privileges among the four Secret Realms also differed greatly.
Take the escort teams, for instance.
A member of the Primal Secret Realm was assigned an escort consisting of:
one Immortal commander, ten World Masters, one hundred Domain Lords, and one thousand Universe-level guards.
A Primeval Secret Realm member received only one World Master, ten Domain Lords, and one hundred Universe-level guards.
As for the Heaven and Earth and Doomsday Secret Realms, they also had one World Lord each, but only a single Domain Lord beneath them, and no escort army after entering their respective Secret Realms.
After explaining all this, Cang Liu led Luo Fan into the Virtual Universe itself.
The two of them arrived at a place known as Rainmist Mountain, the Virtual Universe Company's headquarters.
It was an enormous, floating mountain shrouded in rolling clouds and mist, so vast that it dwarfed an ordinary planet.
"The entire Rainmist Mountain is divided into five zones," Cang Liu explained as they walked.
"Namely, the Primal Zone, the Primeval Zone, the Heaven and Earth Zone, the Doomsday Zone, and the Common Zone."
"All five zones are roughly the same in size."
"The Primal Zone holds no more than a hundred and twenty members."
"The Primeval Zone has about a thousand."
"The Heaven and Earth Zone, around ten thousand."
"And the Doomsday Zone has several tens of millions."
As he led Luo Fan through the misty paths, Cang Liu continued his introduction.
"The Common Zone serves as a commercial and recreational area accessible to members from all four Secret Realms."
"Oh, and Your Highness, members of one zone cannot enter the others."
Luo Fan nodded lightly to show he understood.
Cang Liu went on,
"The housing also differs by realm."
"In the Doomsday Zone, each member lives in a high-rise apartment."
"In the Heaven and Earth Zone, each has their own villa."
"In the Primeval Zone, members enjoy personal cultivation grounds and dedicated study areas, already considered extremely luxurious."
"But the Primal Zone, where the two Highnesses reside, is another level entirely."
"With fewer than a hundred and twenty residents, the company built a colossal, thousand-kilometer-wide estate exclusively for them."
"The estate includes all manner of training facilities, Immortal instructors permanently stationed there, numerous servants, and even readily available sparring partners."
As he spoke, a flicker of envy passed through Cang Liu's eyes.
Even as an Immortal himself, he could not compare to the treatment enjoyed by those of the Primal Secret Realm.
Then, standing atop a steep rock ledge, Cang Liu pointed toward a distant, mist-wreathed island that radiated arcs of lightning.
"Look there, Your Highness, that is Thunder Island, also known as Immortal Island. It's hundreds, even thousands of times larger than Rainmist Mountain."
"All the Immortal beings of the Virtual Universe Company reside there."
"If Rainmist Mountain is the core training ground for geniuses below the Immortal level, then Thunder Island is the true domain of powerhouses, a gathering place for the Immortals."
"I myself live at the foot of the central mountain range on Thunder Island."
After touring the area for a while, Cang Liu brought Luo Fan before a massive gray stone gate carved from ancient rock.
"Your Highness, beyond this gate lies the Primal Zone. I shall not accompany you further."
Luo Fan nodded and stepped inside.
"Your Highness Luo Fan."
A white-haired old man in flowing white robes appeared before him.
The man's presence seemed to warm and brighten the surrounding space, as though he himself were a miniature sun radiating gentle light.
"Welcome to the Primal Zone, and congratulations on becoming a member of the Primal Secret Realm."
Luo Fan smiled and greeted him politely.
"Hello."
"I am Aitor, the steward responsible for daily affairs within the Primal Zone," the white-robed elder introduced himself.
His snow-white beard and hair fluttered lightly in the wind.
"Please, Your Highness Luo Fan, follow me."
Luo Fan followed Aitor into the air.
Before long, they arrived at the gates of an enormous estate spanning over a thousand kilometers in diameter.
"Each member of the Primal Secret Realm is assigned their own private guard legion," Aitor explained.
"Each legion is commanded by an Immortal army chief."
"Furthermore, every member of the Primal Secret Realm may personally choose an Immortal deity to reside permanently within their estate as their instructor."
"So the number of Immortals in this zone actually exceeds the number of Primal members themselves."
Luo Fan nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
Indeed, between the Immortal commander of the guard and the resident Immortal instructor, each member had at least two Immortal-level beings by their side.
Aitor gestured toward the endless stretch of palatial estates below.
"There are a total of one hundred and thirteen estates within the Primal Zone."
"This time, due to the Cosmic Genius Battle, three new estates have been added."
"However, after the next Qualification Battle, the number will revert to normal."
The Qualification Battles for the four Secret Realms were held periodically.
For Universe-level geniuses, they were held roughly once every hundred years.
During each battle, one of the three Universe-level members of the Primal Secret Realm would be eliminated.
That eliminated member would then compete with several winners from the Primeval Secret Realm, and whoever triumphed would become the new Primal member.
The other realms operated under similar systems.
"There are one hundred World Masters–level Highnesses, ten Domain Lord–level Highnesses, and three Universe-level Highnesses."
"Each and every one of them," Aitor said solemnly, "is one of the Virtual Universe Company's most precious assets."
Soon, the two arrived before the gates of Estate No. 114, Luo Fan's personal domain.
They descended before the grand entrance, where neat, disciplined formations of troops were assembled in ranks that stretched across the courtyard, numbering in the tens of thousands.
At the very front of the assembled forces stood a black-haired old man in black battle armor, a long warblade strapped to his back.
The moment he saw Luo Fan, he stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
"Your Highness!"
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