Chapter 456 - 294: External Member

Chapter 456: Chapter 294: External Member

Rondo Karls’s invitation was incredibly tempting.

It spoke directly to a Cultivator’s most fundamental pursuits—resources, heritage, a platform, and a future.

He didn’t use any coercive language.

He simply laid out what the Source Net could offer Li Wen.

Li Wen listened quietly, his heart a storm of emotions.

’The Source Net... a titan that built the Virtual Cosmos!’

It was a behemoth he had encountered as soon as he first entered the cosmos.

The invitation was indeed full of sincerity, and the future it painted was alluring.

He didn’t agree immediately. After a moment of contemplation, he met the Chief Director’s expectant gaze and spoke calmly:

"I am grateful for your high regard, Chief Director. However, this matter is of great importance and concerns my future path. Might I have some time to consider it carefully?"

"Haha, of course!" Rondo Karls laughed heartily, appearing very understanding.

"A genius’s choice should be made with care. This is my private contact ID for the Virtual Cosmos. You can contact me with this ID within three days, regardless of your decision."

With a flick of his hand, he sent a streak of golden light toward Li Wen, which transformed into a complex runic sigil.

"Thank you for your understanding, Chief Director." Li Wen accepted the sigil and cupped his fist again.

"I look forward to good news." Rondo Karls smiled and nodded. His figure, along with Karon’s, slowly faded away.

Li Wen stood alone in the combat arena’s preparation area, gazing at the sigil in his hand—a symbol of a top-tier invitation—and fell deep in thought.

"Source Net..." he murmured to himself, quickly sorting through everything he knew.

From Ancestral Master Chang Jia’s introductions and the snippets of information he had gathered since entering the Virtual Cosmos.

In this vast cosmos, within the territory of the Human Race, the ones who truly stood at the apex, their influence reaching every corner, were the four undisputed super-titans:

The Source Net, the Star River Alliance, the Cosmic Bank, and the Slaughter Tower.

These four titans held a transcendent status.

They towered over even behemoths like the Alka Advanced Empire, the true leviathans that held the lifeblood of the Human Race in their grasp.

Their tendrils reached into every corner of the known universe.

’The Source Net’s invitation is indeed a path to the heavens...’ Li Wen mused, rubbing the sigil, his gaze profound. ’But what about the other three titans? What are their unique characteristics? Which path is the most suitable for me?’

Joining any of these titans meant soaring to the heavens in a single step, but it also meant deeply binding his own fate to that of the organization.

He needed time to understand, to weigh his options, and to make a crucial decision that would affect his entire journey through the starry skies.

He didn’t queue for another match. Instead, with a single thought, he logged out of the Virtual Cosmos.

In a quiet room in Jinglan Villa, Li Wen slowly opened his eyes.

Outside the window were the brilliant yet cold starlight lamps of Dubhe City.

He needed to think things through.

In three days, he needed to learn as much as possible about these four titans.

...

"Star Pivot," Li Wen thought.

"At your command, Master," the smart terminal on his wrist immediately responded.

"Access the Virtual Cosmos public database. Maximum priority search for targets: Source Net, Star River Alliance, Cosmic Bank, Slaughter Tower.

"The four organizations’ structures, core areas of advantage, genius development systems, resource allocation policies, and the level of importance they place on ’extreme Martial Artists’ or Cultivators with high-level technical skills.

"Also, their internal operational styles, assessments of personal freedom, and composition of their network of contacts...compile all publicly available detailed information and organize it by priority."

"Command received. Searching database... Filtering, analyzing, and organizing now..."

Star Pivot’s high-efficiency processing power activated instantly, precisely capturing and refining the near-endless stream of data from the Virtual Cosmos.

At the same time, Li Wen’s own powerful Primordial Spirit aided in analyzing the massive amount of information, striving to paint a true picture of the four titans from the overwhelming flood of data.

For the next two days, Li Wen barely left his room. He was completely immersed in a deep analysis of the data on the four titans.

The Cosmic Bank, as its name implied, was centered on finance and resources. It possessed the most extensive wealth network in the cosmos and the highest-tier resource stockpiles.

The Star River Alliance was the most widespread cross-civilization organization, more akin to a vast and loosely-structured parliamentary confederation.

It offered a high degree of freedom, but systematic training and exclusive top-tier heritages were difficult to obtain. The competition was both broader and more intense. Its genius development system was relatively decentralized, and acquiring resources relied more on completing Alliance missions to accumulate contribution points.

The Slaughter Tower’s very name carried an aura of iron and blood. It was a cradle for pure warriors and Mercenaries, centered on actual combat and life-or-death trials.

Its training system was the most brutal, with an astonishing elimination rate, but it was also the best at forging true fighting machines. Resources were geared toward combat equipment, Secret Techniques, and the distribution of spoils after bloody trials.

Its reverence for the strong was bone-deep. "Extreme Martial Artists" with high-level technical skills would receive both immense attention and extreme challenges here.

However, its methods were aggressive, and freedom was highly restricted by missions and the Tower’s internal rules. The internal competitive environment was a bloody, law-of-the-jungle scenario. For someone like Li Wen, who carried the hopes of his race, the environment was too extreme and uncontrollable.

The Source Net, relying on the unparalleled platform of the Virtual Cosmos, possessed a unique advantage in information acquisition, knowledge inheritance, simulated training, and instant communication.

Its genius development program was highly systematized and clearly stratified. What moved Li Wen the most was that the Source Net’s reverence for "technical skill" was a perfect match for the core of his "extreme Martial Artist" path!

Judging from the fact that a Chief Director like Rondo Karls had personally extended the invitation and had seen the potential for his saber techniques to integrate Space Law at a glance, the Source Net clearly had a mature and efficient system for discovering and evaluating such geniuses.

The "systematic development plan" and "massive resource allocation" it offered were the safest and most efficient starting point for a newcomer to the cosmos who urgently needed to improve himself.

Although internal competition was just as fierce, the rules were clearer. The virtual combat environment provided by the platform was also a perfect fit for Li Wen’s need to temper himself through battle and raise his Martial Daoist rank.

The sincerity Chief Director Rondo had personally shown was also a big plus.

He repeatedly weighed the pros and cons against his own core needs.

Rapidly increasing his strength, needing a stable and powerful platform as a springboard, and having a relatively manageable degree of freedom.

The scales in Li Wen’s mind gradually tipped.

’On the path of an extreme Martial Artist, technical skill is fundamental. The Source Net places the highest importance on this, and the virtual platform it provides is the most suitable for me to digest combat experience, deduce saber techniques, and raise my Martial Daoist professional rank.

’Systematic resources and training will save me a great deal of energy I would otherwise spend searching for Cultivation Techniques, Secret Techniques, and resources, allowing me to focus on core breakthroughs.

’Rondo Karls’s attitude also represents a certain degree of the Source Net’s sincerity. As a newcomer, this is the most suitable entry point.

’More importantly, the other three factions haven’t sent me an invitation yet.’ Li Wen’s gaze firmed, his decision made.

He hesitated no longer. Using the private Virtual Cosmos sigil Rondo Karls had left him, he sent a message indicating his willingness to join.

Almost at the instant the message was sent, a gentle and satisfied consciousness transmitted itself across the Virtual Cosmos:

"A wise choice, Li Wen. The Source Net welcomes you!"

"Lord Rondo, I’ve looked up some information over the past two days. The Source Net is divided into external and internal factions. I’d like to ask, what are the specific differences between them?" Li Wen asked, looking at Rondo Karls’s virtual image.

"The difference lies in responsibility and resources. Internal members receive far more resources and training, but their responsibilities are correspondingly greater. Especially in the early stages, when your strength is low, you must strictly follow the plan the Source Net sets for you. In short, there is very little freedom. Of course, as your strength increases, so will your freedom.

"As for external members, it’s the opposite. You receive fewer training resources, and everything requires contribution points, but you have a high degree of freedom," Rondo Karls replied directly.

"Then, may I be so bold as to ask, Lord Rondo, are you an internal or external member?" Li Wen asked again.

"I am an external member." Rondo Karls’s virtual image materialized before Li Wen, his smile sincere.

"If you can’t accept overly strict management, you can start as an external member. You can still be promoted to a core internal member later on, but in the early stages, you’ll need to rely on your own efforts to earn resources."

"These are some of the rules for becoming an internal and external member of our Source Net. You can take a close look." With that, Rondo Karls’s virtual image waved a hand, and a large amount of information appeared before Li Wen.

With a sweep of his powerful Primordial Spirit, Li Wen quickly discerned the differences between internal and external members.

Just as Rondo Karls had said, there were far more rules and regulations for internal members compared to external ones.

But correspondingly, the resources they received were also immense. Becoming an internal member was practically a guarantee that one would never have to worry about resources again.

In the end, however, Li Wen still leaned toward the external faction. After all, he could still be promoted to an internal member later on.

But once you became an internal member, there was no turning back.

After a moment of thought, Li Wen made up his mind. He looked at the virtual image of Rondo Karls before him and said, "Lord Rondo, I choose to become an external member."

"Very well. I respect your choice. Next, you will undergo placement."

"According to procedure, ’provisional members’ are required to travel to the ’Source Net Elite Training Base No. 7,’ located in the core of the Morlo Intermediate Empire’s Star Domain—the ’Morlo Star Region’—for one year of basic training and in-depth comprehensive potential assessment."

Rondo Karls explained, "The results of the assessment will determine your subsequent training level and the intensity of your resource allocation within the Source Net.

"The base will provide you with the most fundamental universal knowledge, the Source Net’s internal regulations, and initial resource guidance. This is a crucial step in integrating into the Source Net system."

"Understood. When do I depart?" Li Wen asked crisply.

"The base can receive you at any time. I suggest you handle your affairs on Planet Lain as soon as possible and prepare for departure.

"I will arrange for a private Source Net ship to pick you up at the Dubhe City interstellar port. The ship’s identification code will be sent to you shortly."

Rondo Karls was extremely efficient. "I look forward to seeing your performance at the training base, Li Wen."