Chapter 1323: The Benefits of Free Rewards! The Lord of Noa Himself Arrives!

"Come to think of it, our villa has gotten a lot busier lately."

Ye Lan rose and walked behind Xu Jingming, her slender fingers gently massaging his shoulders.

"Huh? What's going on?" Xu Jingming asked, puzzled.

"Ever since your ranking entered the top ten in the arena."

"Almost every day, Star-tier and even Cosmic-tier powerhouses 'pass by' near our villa."

Ye Lan smiled and explained, "Some even deliberately linger nearby, pretending to admire the scenery."

"In reality, they're just waiting for you to leave the Virtual Universe so they can come over and speak to you."

This was the allure of the top ten in the arena.

"Cosmic-tier?" Xu Jingming raised an eyebrow. "They're awfully idle."

"Idle? That's not the half of it."

Su Qingli chuckled softly and handed him a cup of Ling Tea, a specialty of Blue Star.

"The property prices in Yunhai Community have multiplied dozens of times over."

"Even the vacant villa next door was bought at a sky-high price by a Star Peak powerhouse."

"They probably just want a chance to get close to you."

"I never expected that winning first place in the arena would bring so many changes."

Xu Jingming murmured in amazement, took a sip of the tea, and felt its fragrance soothe his spirit.

"That's not all."

Ling Shuang curled her red lips slightly and spoke eagerly: "We're all Level 1 Geniuses of the Noa Sacred Land now!"

"Level 1 Geniuses? Did you all pass the Noa Sacred Land's evaluation?" Xu Jingming was taken aback.

Although Ling Shuang and the others had decent talent, they still fell short of the Noa Sacred Land's requirements.

According to his estimate, they wouldn't enter the Noa Sacred Land for another two or three years.

And even then, they'd likely be Level 5 Geniuses—how could they suddenly become Level 1 Geniuses?

"It's all thanks to you, Jingming."

Su Qingli smiled sweetly and said, "The Lord of Noa personally ordered that all of us be transferred into the Noa Sacred Land and granted the benefits of Level 1 Geniuses."

Lu Yunji added softly: "Moreover, Master Niki has decided to take me and Ling Shuang as her students and will soon bestow upon us the Seed of Law imprint."

"Su Qingli and the others also each have an Immortal Deity as their mentor, who has promised to grant them the Seed of Law imprint."

"Seed of Law?!"

Xu Jingming was genuinely shocked.

The Seed of Law was an imprint formed from an Immortal Deity's own Law, capable of greatly accelerating a cultivator's comprehension of Law.

Even Star-tier powerhouses found it difficult to obtain—Ye Lan spent over a century, even waiting until she mastered the Succubus bloodline, before being granted one.

And now, these Immortal Deities were directly promising to grant them?

"Is the prestige of winning first place in the arena really that great?" Xu Jingming hadn't expected this.

"Of course it is!"

EVA's holographic projection appeared in the room, shaking her head and grinning:

"The Star Torch Empire has 100 arenas, each with ten billion competitors!"

"The champion who emerges from such a pool, if they don't perish along the way, will inevitably reach the Cosmic Tier!"

"And there's even a slim chance they'll achieve the Immortal Tier!"

"Moreover, with your S-rank achievement of wiping out the entire top hundred of Arena 65, you have a real shot at entering the core of the Eternal Star Alliance!"

"Even if you ultimately don't join the Eternal Star Alliance, merely catching the attention of Star Torch Sacred Land's powerhouses is enough to bring boundless benefits to the Noa Empire."

"So now, every high-ranking official in the Noa Empire is scrambling to get closer to you."

Did the Star Torch Empire's attention matter?

Of course it did!

Although the Lord of Noa was attempting to break through to the Dominator Tier,

the entire process would last nearly a thousand years—or even ten thousand years!

The probability of success was extremely low; failure was almost certain.

The Star Torch Empire, however, was ruled by powerhouses among the Dominator Tier.

The Star Torch Empire's attention was naturally of immense importance to the Noa Empire.

But it would take a thousand—or even ten thousand—years to benefit from it.

"I see."

Xu Jingming nodded thoughtfully, then chuckled: "No wonder Master Niki and the others are being so generous."

"Exactly. The benefits of a Level 1 Genius in the Noa Sacred Land might be precious to a Starlight Tier,

but to Immortal Deities, they mean nothing."

"Even the Seed of Law can be reformed by expending a bit of Yuan Energy."

EVA giggled: "If you can trade a little resource for the future favor of an Immortal Deity, it's an incredible deal."

"That's true."

Xu Jingming suddenly understood, and a wave of reflection rose within him.

He had still underestimated the influence of winning first place in the arena.

And if first place in the arena was this powerful, what about first place in the Genius Tournament?

The Cosmic Genius Battle covered the entire human territory and countless advanced civilization empires, with an incalculable number of participants.

If he could reach the summit, his name would echo throughout the entire human cosmos.

At that time, how terrifying would his influence be?

Perhaps even Sovereign-level powerhouses would turn their extra attention toward him.

Thinking of this, Xu Jingming's battle spirit surged even higher.

Of course, with his current strength, he truly had no confidence in securing first place in the Talent War.

After all, the Cosmic Realm was simply too vast; no one knew what hidden prodigies lay concealed.

Moreover, the time left to him was far too short.

If only he had another year, with the Deep Blue System, he was confident no one could match him.

"Jingming, these arrangements have already been made."

"But we haven't accepted them yet—we want to hear what you think."

"If you're unwilling, then we have no need to accept these privileges."

Ling Shuang turned her clear, large eyes toward him; Lu Yunji and the other women fell silent, looking at Xu Jingming.

To eat another's food is to be bound; to take another's gift is to be indebted.

Though these privileges were extremely tempting, they feared that later, the other side might use this favor to demand Xu Jingming do things he would refuse.

So after the State Lord proposed these privileges,

they used the fact that the selection match was still ongoing as an excuse and did not immediately accept—simply to see Xu Jingming's opinion.

"Accept them. Free benefits? Of course we take them."

Xu Jingming wrapped his large hand around Ling Shuang's slender waist and smiled faintly, "As for what comes later—we'll deal with it later."

"Good." Upon hearing this, Ling Shuang and the other women immediately lit up with joy.

With the Level One Talent privileges, their rate of strength growth would accelerate greatly.

"Xu Jingming."

Suddenly, a solemn voice rang out.

Above Yunhai Community, the once-calm sky suddenly twisted, and the bright light dimmed.

Immediately, a majestic figure, seemingly forged from light, tore through the void and descended above Yunhai Community!

The pressure radiating from that figure made the atmosphere tremble.

Countless living beings involuntarily looked upward, their spirits shaken.

It was none other than the Noah State Lord!

"The State Lord has come in person!"

"He's here for Xu Jingming!"

The residents of Yunhai Community all wore expressions of shock.

As the founding emperor of the Noah Empire, Noah was exceedingly rare to see.

Even when seen, it was always others who traveled to the palace to meet him.

Yet now, the State Lord had come in person!

This clearly revealed the high regard he held for Xu Jingming.