Chapter 318: The Hidden Truth

“The 17 top factions of humanity in the universe?” Xu Jingming jolted.

Tejano held his wine glass, took a sip, and nodded. “In the vast universe, humans have had a very long history. There are now 34 universe dominions that are still flush with life! The reason why humans are so powerful isn’t only due to their deep technological heritage but also due to some Paramount realm existences that have been born in the field of evolution. When Supreme Realm existences use forbidden destructive weapons, they exert terrifying deterrence.”

Xu Jingming nodded. He had some understanding of the Paramount realm.

When he possessed Xuan, Xu Jingming understood that Xuan was ultimately only a cosmic legend and hadn’t reached the Paramount realm!

“Human history extends far into the past, and many histories are missing. There are no records left,” Tejano said. “But according to speculation, there should be 20 Paramounts born from ancient times until now. This is a rough number, but it won’t be too off.”

“And now, I know of three Paramount existences in the entire Cosmic Human Alliance who are still alive,” Tejano said.

“Three living Paramounts?” Xu Jingming memorized these secrets.

Tejano hadn’t thought of keeping it a secret. This was basic knowledge for the core members of the Cosmic Human Alliance.

“All 17 top factions have produced Paramount experts,” Tejano said. “Even if some of the ancient Paramount experts had disappeared over the years, the factions they left behind remain a force to be reckoned with.”

“The Cosmic Human Alliance has also been protecting the continuity of the 17 factions’ legacies. These 17 top factions… produce a large number of Lv. 10 experts every generation, and even cosmic legends,” Tejano continued. “It’s unimaginable how many secrets they have hidden over the years.”

“It can be said everything built up by humans on the evolutionary path is mainly from these 17 top factions,” Tejano remarked. “The three advanced cosmic civilizations and all the highest-level members of the Star Alliance are almost all members of the 17 top factions.”

Xu Jingming realized how terrifying these 17 factions were.

“The 17 top factions set the bar for recruitment extremely high,” Tejano said. “Usually, one has to become an Origin lifeform to be recruited and become an official member.”

Origin lifeform? Xu Jingming was secretly surprised.

This threshold was ridiculously high!

“Later on, there were strong objections from the Cosmic Human Alliance,” Tejano said. “As the basic civilizations in the universe which make up the majority are too weak, the strength they can groom is limited. Even with the same talent, these talents can only reach Lv. 9 in advanced civilizations, but they can probably only reach Lv. 8 in basic civilizations.”

“The original competition mode wasn’t able to maximize the strength of the entire human race. Therefore…” Tejano put down his glass. “With Blood Rain World’s ‘mysterious land,’ it’s also the only way to publicly and fairly recruit talent. It gives many ordinary cosmic citizens a chance.”

“Sacrificing 10,000 gold to enter the mysterious land to undergo a screening,” Tejano said. “Those who are outstanding enough will be recruited by the 17 top factions as peripheral members in advance and groomed.”

“Peripheral members?” Xu Jingming commented.

“Those selected might only be Lv. 7 or 8, so how can they become official members?” Tejano smiled and said, “Through the preliminary recruitment and becoming a peripheral member, one can receive the grooming of the 17 top factions! This is in no way inferior to the grooming of geniuses by advanced cosmic civilizations. Countless weak civilizations are crazy about it.”

“The princes and princesses of some basic cosmic civilizations and even geniuses from intermediate cosmic civilizations will enter Blood Rain World, hoping to be selected,” Tejano said.

Xu Jingming recalled something. Many of the people he had encountered in Blood Rain World who had made the sacrifice had powerful backgrounds.

“Xu Jingming.” Tejano suddenly thought of something and immediately reminded him, “Oh right, the virtual world network… has a lag in between cosmic sectors. Therefore, the Blood Rain World you enter will only be cosmic citizens of Hunter Cosmic Sector.”

Xu Jingming nodded.

“In the mysterious land, your peers are also from the Hunter Cosmic Sector,” Tejano said. “Therefore, other than the 17 top factions, the other 352 factions in the Hunter Cosmic Sector will secretly monitor you.”

“The Hunter Cosmic Sector’s 352 factions?” Xu Jingming’s heart stirred.

“These factions are also quite strong. They are either overlord-level factions of a single Star Alliance or powerful factions that have infiltrated many Star Alliances,” Tejano said. “It’s not easy to be ranked among the 352 factions in the universe.”

Xu Jingming memorized this information.

“In the mysterious land, every move you make is under the observation of the 17 top factions and 352 regional factions. Those observers are in charge of reviewing and voting to determine whether to recruit you.”

“The seven planets are actually seven test planets. The further one goes, the harder the test becomes.”

“Those who can successfully reach the fifth planet will usually be selected by the 352 regional factions. Only by successfully reaching the seventh planet can one have a chance of being selected by the 17 top factions,” Tejano said.

“A chance?” Xu Jingming asked.

“Yeah.” Tejano nodded. “The selection of people from the 17 top factions is very harsh.”

“I’m also aware of their selection rules,” Tejano whispered. “If I tell you, don’t tell anyone.”

“Understood.” Xu Jingming was grateful.

The selection rules? These were usually not made public.

“You should know that there are many opportunities in the mysterious place,” Tejano explained.

“Yeah.” Xu Jingming nodded. “I heard that there are many opportunities.”

“In fact, each of you can only stay on the seven planets for a maximum of 330 days,” Tejano said. “During this process, you can try repeatedly… to see if you can pass the test and head to the next planet.”

“As for some people, their strength and potential are limited. For example, they can’t go beyond the third planet,” Tejano remarked. “They can spend the remaining time searching for opportunities on the third planet.”

“Actually, there are opportunities on all seven planets,” Tejano said. “These are the gifts the 17 top factions have prepared for these geniuses.”

“Even if one isn’t selected by the 17 major factions or the regional factions, finding an opportunity that suits them and improving their strength would make it profitable,” Tejano explained.

Xu Jingming nodded.

This selection was done out of goodwill, and the intention was to make the entire human race stronger.

“There are three main rules for the 17 factions’ selection. First, one has to reach the seventh planet.”

“Second, it’s the opportunities on the seventh planet! The opportunities on it are all the best opportunities for humans in the universe. One has to successfully comprehend one of them and gain basic mastery.”

“Third, they will review your resume. Your past experiences, your age…”

“By combining the three aspects and going through an internal vote, it will be decided whether to accept you as a peripheral member,” Tejano said. “Therefore, as long as you arrive on the seventh planet, make the best use of your time to study those opportunities.”

“Don’t waste your time on the first six planets! The faster you reach the seventh planet, the more time you have to comprehend the opportunities,” Tejano reminded. “Of course, it’s very, very difficult to do this. After all, there are too many geniuses in the vast universe.”

Xu Jingming nodded.

He became a Transcendent planetary lifeform in less than a year of cultivation. He reached Lv. 7 in less than two years.

He seemed to be a genius, but the universe was vast… There were so many geniuses!

“Actually, it’s fine if you can’t enter the 17 top factions for the time being,” Tejano said. “Don’t feel too pressured.”

“Thank you, Your Excellency.” Xu Jingming was very grateful.

Tejano had indeed put in a lot of effort to help him. Knowing this information prevented him from taking the wrong path.

If he didn’t know anything, he might be attracted by the opportunities on the first six planets and waste time.

“Also, remember to hide your identity,” Tejano reminded him. “You should’ve changed your appearance after entering the mysterious land.”

“Yes.” Xu Jingming nodded.

“Although the observers from the 17 top factions and 352 regional factions are secretly observing, they don’t know your true identity,” Tejano said. “Don’t reveal it in your conversation. As long as you say it, those observers will learn of it.”

“Once hundreds of factions find out…” Tejano shook his head. “It would be fine if you weren’t a genius! If you were sufficiently monstrous and outstanding, you would be targeted by some dark forces.”

Xu Jingming’s pupils constricted.

“Even though the laws are harsh, the universe is too vast, and there are too many things that are beyond control,” Tejano said. “And a genius selected by the 17 top factions is priceless.”

“Even if you were an official member, the dark forces would have no qualms killing you, not to mention you being a peripheral member.” Tejano shook his head slightly. “You’ll learn of these in the future.”

“In short, keep it a secret.” Tejano said, “The more talented you are and the more monstrous you are, the more you have to keep it a secret. Other than yourself, nobody else can be trusted. Only when you are strong enough will you be unafraid of the darkness’s spying.”

Xu Jingming nodded.

No wonder… he was requested to change his appearance and hide his true identity the moment he entered the mysterious place. There were probably many problems in history that resulted in this strict requirement.

Even with the Cosmic Human Alliance’s laws in place, there are still so many criminals and so many nasty matters. I wonder what would’ve happened without the alliance’s restrictions…

“Any more questions?” Tejano asked.

Xu Jingming replied, “Thank you, Your Excellency. I understand what’s up with the mysterious land now.”

“It’s one thing to know, but how far you can go and how much you gain depends on you,” Tejano said. For example, he knew too many secrets! His father was a senior executive of the Cosmic Human Alliance, but… he was only a Lv. 5 cosmic lifeform.

Sigh, what could he do when he was a failure?

“Go on.” Tejano waved his hand. “You don’t have to tell me the outcome of challenging the mysterious land, nor do you have to tell anyone, including your most trusted family!”

“Once you say it… Even if your family keeps it a secret for you, Earth’s security and defense systems will monitor the records. As long as you mention it, it might leak even if you say it to the air,” Tejano said. “The more talented one is, the more careful they have to be when they are weak. You mustn’t pin your hopes on being lucky.”

“Thank you, Your Excellency. I’ll definitely keep it in mind.” Xu Jingming then bade farewell and left.

Tejano watched the other party leave.

I’m so envious, Tejano muttered. He could obtain all the grooming resources he wanted, but Xu Jingming didn’t have a good teacher to teach him and only studied the first treatise of Beam Transformation by himself. He reached Lv. 7 in less than two years.

Tejano knew that there was no comparison between them.

Even though he really wanted his parents to be proud of him, reality tormented him time and time again. Even him becoming a cosmic lifeform relied on external forces. What could he do?

From Father and Mother’s point of view, they should be very satisfied as long as I don’t cause trouble for them and have a steady career. It’s just that… I actually want to do better. Tejano continued reading the information.