After descending a long flight of stairs, Xu Huang led Han Jue to the entrance of a grand hall whose architecture spoke of ancient power and purpose.
Inside the hall stood King Flame Phoenix himself, identical in appearance to the imposing figure Han Jue had encountered upon first entering the Seven Flames Palace. The five-meter-tall king with his fiery red wings and eagle-sharp eyes radiated an aura of peak-level Immortal strength.
"Sir," Xu Huang said respectfully, bowing his head.
"You may go," King Flame Phoenix waved his hand dismissively. As Xu Huang departed, the king turned to Han Jue with a genuine smile crossing his sharp features.
"Han Jue, you truly are a genius valued by great beings. In just a few decades, you've earned the recognition of the Water-Sky Holy Flame. I never imagined witnessing such an achievement," King Flame Phoenix said, his tone carrying both admiration and surprise.
"I was fortunate," Han Jue replied modestly, though his mind remained alert. Compliments from powerful beings often preceded difficult conversations.
"This is far more than fortune," King Flame Phoenix shook his head firmly. "Do you understand what's required to gain Holy Flame recognition? Beyond passing the seventh level of the Sacred Pillar Trial, you must possess comprehension of fusion laws equivalent to a peak Immortal Marquis, while at the World Master level."
He gestured as he continued, "Although your law comprehension hasn't quite reached that peak yet, you're only at the Universe level! The requirements naturally adjust downward for lower cultivation realms, but the achievement remains extraordinary."
King Flame Phoenix's expression turned somewhat rueful. "Those within the Seven Flames Palace possess treasures like Holy Flame Sparks and Origin Fire Seeds to help them comprehend and fuse laws. Yet most lack the necessary talent. The seven Holy Spirits already represent the seven most gifted individuals here. The others struggle to comprehend even a single Origin Law, let alone fuse multiple laws together."
"That's why they developed Holy Flame Sparks, temporary power boosts for emergency situations. A complete waste of potential, though admittedly effective for preserving one's life," the king said, shaking his head with obvious disappointment at the wasted resources.
His demeanor brightened as he refocused on Han Jue. "Since you've been recognized by the Water-Sky Holy Flame, you've far exceeded your training mission requirements. Therefore, I'm granting you an additional 890,000 points, bringing your total to exactly one million."
"Thank you, King Flame Phoenix!" Han Jue said, genuinely pleased. One million points represented a significant milestone toward purchasing resources for completing the fourth stage of his Ice Evolution Body technique.
"Also, take this," King Flame Phoenix raised his hand, and a flame suddenly materialized in his palm, the Water-Sky Origin Fire that had recognized Han Jue. The flame floated down gently before settling in front of him.
Han Jue carefully absorbed the Origin Fire, feeling it integrate seamlessly with his body and the other seven Origin Fires he'd already collected.
"If you gather all eight Origin Fires and use them according to the burning method recorded in the Seven Flames Palace archives, you can temporarily unleash power 2,560 times that of a World Master," King Flame Phoenix explained. "However, that would be tremendously wasteful. Your greatest benefit lies in using them to comprehend fusion laws."
The king's expression turned serious. "I suggest you focus exclusively on cultivating the Water-Sky fusion law. Attempting too many paths simultaneously will scatter your efforts and slow your progress. Reserve the other Origin Fires for life-threatening emergencies."
"I understand. Thank you for the guidance, King Flame Phoenix," Han Jue said gratefully, recognizing the wisdom in the advice. His Six Eyes ability already gave him advantages in law comprehension, spreading himself too thin would indeed waste that potential.
"Now you may depart. Return to your estate and consolidate your gains before undertaking another training mission," King Flame Phoenix advised. "Don't rush forward recklessly. You should already know this, but I felt it worth emphasizing."
Had Han Jue not been the Lord of Ice Peak's disciple and achieved Water-Sky Holy Flame recognition, the king wouldn't have invested this much time in guidance and conversation.
"Yes, I'll keep that in mind," Han Jue nodded seriously.
King Flame Phoenix personally escorted Han Jue from the hall and watched him depart. Once the young genius had left, the king's expression grew contemplative.
There was one crucial detail he hadn't mentioned.
The Seven Flames Palace itself functioned as a palace-type supreme treasure with extraordinary capabilities. However, claiming ownership required meeting extremely demanding conditions. Either all eight Holy Flames must grant simultaneous recognition, or a Universe Master must forcibly subjugate it through overwhelming power.
The problem was that the Seven Flames Palace, while valuable, wasn't significant enough to attract Universe Master attention. Even if a Universe Master desired it, the palace's unique nature made forced ownership nearly impossible without the proper prerequisites.
King Flame Phoenix shook his head thoughtfully.
He privately speculated that a third method might exist, becoming a Universe Master through fusion law comprehension. Such an individual might possess the necessary affinity to claim the Seven Flames Palace naturally.
Unfortunately, that path was extraordinarily difficult. Achieving Universe Master status through fusion laws represented one of the hardest cultivation paths imaginable.
Under the guidance of the Virtual Universe network, Han Jue boarded the Virtual Universe Company's transport spaceship that would return him to his estate in the Primal Secret Realm.
By his calculations, Luo Feng should still be training in the Blood Luo World, completing his own assigned mission.
A gray, sword-shaped inspection vessel barely a hundred meters long descended gracefully onto the Wuchen Continent, landing near Han Jue's estate.
Han Jue signaled Ian not to summon the guard detail and approached the spacecraft alone.
"Greetings, Your Highness Han Jue," said the lead inspector as three individuals in black Virtual Universe Company uniforms emerged from the hatch. Their demeanor was extremely humble and courteous.
Han Jue stepped into the sword-shaped inspection vessel and was quickly directed to a dedicated verification chamber.
"Your Highness Han Jue, please enter the inspection chamber and follow the intelligent system's prompts," the three inspectors said respectfully. While all three possessed World Master level strength, they lacked combat talent and instead handled various administrative duties for the company.
They were naturally aware of Han Jue's status as the premier genius of the Primal Secret Realm and the personal disciple of the Lord of Ice Peak. Their attitudes reflected appropriate respect for someone far above their station despite their own respectable cultivation levels.
"Understood," Han Jue nodded slightly and entered the chamber without further acknowledgment.
Inside the verification chamber, an electronic voice activated, "Han Jue, please produce one million Spark Coins or one hundred cubic meters of Spark Crystals and place them on the table before you."
Han Jue followed the instructions, retrieving the required Spark Coins from his storage device and placing them on the designated surface.
During his final days in the Seven Flames Palace, Han Jue had successfully become the city lord of the main city. Although he'd ultimately transferred that position to Qi Yunxian, the interim period had provided easy access to the city's treasury. He'd essentially emptied the entire inventory before departing.
One million Spark Coins? Ten billion? One trillion? All were trivial amounts from Han Jue's perspective after that wholesale appropriation.
"First objective verified: Obtain one million Spark Coins. Mission complete. Reward: 10,000 points," the electronic voice announced.
"Han Jue, for the second objective, please produce a Holy Flame Spark and place it on the table before you."
Han Jue casually retrieved a Holy Flame Spark and set it down. He now possessed eight different Origin Fires within his body. By consuming substantial quantities of Spark Coins or Spark Crystals, these Origin Fires could generate Holy Flame Sparks, approximately one spark per one hundred million Spark Coins invested.
This meant Han Jue could produce Holy Flame Sparks in virtually unlimited quantities if needed, though doing so would be resource-intensive.
A blue scanning light swept across the table's surface.
"Verification complete!"
"Han Jue, congratulations on completing the second mission objective: Obtain a Holy Flame Spark. Reward: 100,000 points," the electronic voice confirmed.
Han Jue nodded with satisfaction. Combined with the 890,000 points gifted by King Flame Phoenix, his total now stood at exactly one million points.
While still insufficient to purchase everything needed for cultivating the final stage of the Ice Evolution Body technique, this represented genuine progress toward that goal. Hope existed where none had before.
"Your Highness," a strong male voice suddenly spoke through the Virtual Universe network connection. "The information I'm about to share involves confidential Virtual Universe Company intelligence. Please maintain strict discretion regarding what you learn."
Confidential information?
Regarding the Holy Flames?
Han Jue felt slightly puzzled. Even with Holy Flame recognition, the power boost only reached peak Immortal King level, roughly equivalent to King Flame Phoenix's own strength. Compared to Blood Luo Crystals, which connected to the Beast God's bloodline legacy, this seemed like relatively minor classified information.
Why the emphasis on secrecy?
"Your Highness Han Jue, I must ask, have you received recognition from a Holy Flame?" the voice inquired gently, already knowing the answer but following proper protocol.
"Yes, I have," Han Jue confirmed. The commotion during his achievement had been significant enough that secrecy seemed pointless.
Even if it were meant to be classified, Han Jue felt confident in his protection. Without the Lord of Ice Peak's intervention, his senior martial sister Venerable Lianyi's strength alone would be sufficient to safeguard him.
"Very well," the powerful voice turned noticeably more serious. "There's something crucial you must understand. The Seven Flames Palace itself is a supreme treasure naturally formed within a secret realm of heaven and earth. The conditions for obtaining its recognition are exceptionally demanding. One absolute requirement is gaining Holy Flame approval before achieving Immortality, then successfully advancing to the Universe Master realm."
The voice paused for emphasis before continuing. "Before you, only King Flame Phoenix had met this prerequisite within our Virtual Universe Company's records."
Han Jue's mind immediately connected the implications. King Flame Phoenix had achieved Holy Flame recognition but hadn't originated from within the company's genius cultivation system.
"Now that you possess Holy Flame approval, you have a genuine opportunity to claim this supreme treasure eventually," the voice continued. "My Virtual Universe Company will fully support your growth and provide necessary resources. Although King Flame Phoenix is also a Virtual Universe Company member, he wasn't a genius we cultivated from the beginning, but rather an external talent who emerged from the Seven Flames Palace itself. Your Highness, do you understand what I'm conveying?"
The subtext was clear: The company trusted their own cultivated geniuses more than external recruits, regardless of those recruits' loyalty or achievements. Han Jue represented their ideal candidate, raised within their system, bound by the Lord of Ice Peak's authority, and possessing the necessary qualifications.
"Yes, I understand completely," Han Jue replied solemnly.
So the Seven Flames Palace functioned as a palace-type supreme treasure after all. That explained many things.
Remembering the magnificent chamber he'd witnessed in the Sacred Pillar Space, that octagonal altar surrounded by seven towering pillars, Han Jue immediately understood. That had been the Seven Flames Palace's main control chamber, the heart of the supreme treasure itself.
It made perfect sense that the Virtual Universe Company would prefer someone like him over King Flame Phoenix. Han Jue had risen through their Genius Battle system, demonstrated exceptional talent, and become a personal disciple of the Lord of Ice Peak. His loyalty to the company was essentially guaranteed by his master's position.
There was virtually no possibility of him betraying the Virtual Universe Company's interests.
The powerful voice was obviously relieved by Han Jue's understanding. "Since Your Highness comprehends the situation, I won't disturb you further. Remember, today's conversation is strictly confidential. Please don't disclose any details."
"Of course. You have my word," Han Jue assured him.
The connection terminated, and Han Jue exited the inspection chamber. The three black-uniformed officials escorted him respectfully from the vessel before departing.
As their ship lifted off, Han Jue stood on the landing platform, gazing up at the alien sky of the Primal Secret Realm.
A supreme treasure.
The revelation added new dimensions to his long-term planning. While claiming the Seven Flames Palace remained a distant goal requiring advancement to Universe Master level, knowing such a prize existed provided additional motivation.
For now, though, he needed to consolidate his recent gains, integrate his law comprehension more deeply, and continue building the foundation that would eventually carry him to greater heights.
The journey was far from over. In many ways, it had barely begun.
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