The alien expert had a physique similar to that of a human. His appearance was ordinary, and he too possessed the strength of a Peak Demigod.

"My friend!"

With the ease of someone who could strike up a conversation with anyone, he cupped his fists and greeted them warmly.

"I come from the Terminus Universe. My name is Gareth, a Peak Demigod."

"You’re traveling together, aren’t you? May I ask where you’re from?"

John glanced at him calmly.

Clearly, he’d run into someone who was a social butterfly—a natural extrovert.

"The Terminus Universe?"

"I’ve heard of it."

Naturally, John had no intention of revealing his origins. The world was dangerous, and people were unpredictable.

Instead, he replied casually,

"I’ve heard it’s home to countless experts and outstanding geniuses."

Hearing someone praise his homeland, Gareth felt rather pleased.

His impression of John immediately improved.

"So you’ve traveled widely as well."

"The Terminus Universe may not be large, but it’s blessed with exceptional talents..."

He paused before letting out a sigh.

"Of course, the competition is equally fierce."

When the Skyvault Consortium had come to recruit experts, countless geniuses had paid tremendous prices for a chance to be selected.

In the end, only a handful had succeeded.

"As for me, I cultivated in seclusion for years just to pass the selection."

"I haven’t even seen my family in all that time."

He puffed out his chest proudly.

"But it was all worth it!"

"The Skyvault Consortium is one of the supreme powers of the cosmos."

"It possesses countless rare cultivation resources."

"Anyone selected is destined to soar into the heavens and leave peers of the same realm far behind."

"Since you’ve made it here as well, you must have gone through unimaginable hardships too, right?"

Hardships?

Sorry, but not really.

John smiled faintly.

"Mmm..."

"I know someone."

Just two words.

Instantly, Gareth understood.

A trace of envy flashed across his face.

He envied John for having connections, for not needing to pay such a painful price as he had.

But then another thought occurred to him.

He had overheard other candidates in the plaza discussing this earlier.

People who entered through connections were usually received by nothing more than Demigod-grade staff.

As for himself...

He had been personally escorted here by a High God.

Could the prestige possibly be the same?

Only those who had truly earned their place through ability received such treatment.

After joining, their resource allocation would also far surpass that of those who had entered through personal connections.

Thinking this way, Gareth finally regained a bit of psychological balance.

The envy in his eyes remained...

...but it was now mixed with a subtle sense of superiority.

At that very moment—

Whoosh!

A streak of light descended from afar and came to a halt above the plaza.

It transformed into a High God.

Looking down upon the crowd below, he announced loudly,

"Candidates from the Terminus Universe, Rune Universe, Douluo Universe, and the remaining Sequence Universes—assemble!"

"Once I call your names, follow me for registration."

The moment those words fell, Gareth’s face lit up with excitement and anticipation.

Turning to John, he grinned.

"Brother, my High God escort has arrived."

"This is where we part."

John merely nodded.

Suddenly—

Whoosh!

A figure appeared before John without the slightest warning.

The instant that person arrived, the High God who had been floating majestically in the air underwent a dramatic change of expression.

Immediately, he suppressed his aura, descended respectfully to the ground, and silently stepped aside.

Both John and Gareth turned toward the newcomer.

The man wore a gentle smile.

His graying hair was neatly combed, and although his clothes appeared simple, they were anything but ordinary.

Pinned to his chest was a diamond badge, dazzling brilliantly beneath the sunlight.

"John."

"And your companions."

"Come with me."

His voice was calm and courteous.

"G-God... God King..."

Gareth stared fixedly at the diamond badge.

His mind went completely blank.

Only moments earlier, he had been secretly proud of being personally escorted by a High God.

Now...

A God King had come solely for John.

John nodded politely to the newcomer.

Then he turned back toward Gareth with a smile.

"This is where we part."

With that, he led the three members of Valhalla, following behind the God King as they transformed into streaks of light and disappeared into the distance.

Gareth remained standing where he was.

He stared blankly at the direction in which they had vanished, his heart surging with overwhelming shock.

"A God King... personally receiving them..."

"And not just receiving them..."

"He came specifically... solely... for that group."

"The ’connection’ that brother mentioned..."

"Could it be someone at the Pavilion Master level within the Consortium?"

"Only someone like that could possibly command such treatment..."

The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.

Just then, an impatient shout interrupted his thoughts.

"What are you standing around for?"

"Get over here and assemble!"

The High God, who had regained his imposing demeanor after the God King’s departure, was glaring at him impatiently.

Suppressing the shock in his heart, Gareth hurried toward the gathering candidates.

...

Several streaks of light cut across the sky before descending before a magnificent building.

As the light faded, John and his group appeared.

The God King handed each of them a golden identification plate, then led them deep into the building before finally turning to leave.

Before departing, he simply said,

"When your number is called, proceed for registration."

Inside the grand hall, several Demigod candidates were already waiting in line.

The identification plates they held glowed with silver.

John and his companions, however, held bright golden plates.

Without drawing attention to himself, John quietly surveyed the surroundings.

At the far end of the hall stood a tightly closed door.

Beyond it lay the private registration chamber.

The waiting candidates sat quietly in their seats, solemn-faced and staring straight ahead.

A short while later, a clear voice sounded from inside the room.

"John, Holly, Odelle, Silt."

"Please proceed for registration."

John rose together with the three women and pushed open the door.

Behind them, the silver-plated candidates all froze.

"I was clearly here first..."

"Why are they being called before us?"

One muttered with a frown.

A sharper-looking candidate beside him sneered.

"They’re carrying gold plates."

"Do you even know what a gold plate represents?"

"What does it represent?"

"It signifies Seed-Class Geniuses."

"After joining, they’ll receive priority resource allocation."

"As for people like us carrying silver plates..."

"We’re only slightly better off than those holding bronze ones."

John heard every whispered word behind him.

His expression remained unchanged as he stepped through the doorway.

The instant he crossed the threshold—

The surrounding space transformed.

What had appeared to be a small room suddenly expanded into a magnificent palace.

At its center stood a large desk.

Seated behind it was a kindly-looking God King.

"So you’re John?"

The man smiled warmly.

"Bring your companions over."

"Let’s get you registered."

The procedure proved remarkably simple.

First came the recording of basic information.

Place of origin.

Current cultivation level.

Name.

Then came a blood-binding ceremony to establish ownership of an official Skyvault Token.

The golden token emitted a gentle radiance.

It represented High God-level privileges.

Next came the confirmation of benefits.

"With High God-tier treatment, you’ll receive 500,000 Contribution Points immediately upon registration."

"Your annual salary is likewise 500,000 Contribution Points."

"We’ll issue both together right now."