Chapter 150: A Mortality Rate of 37%!

Planet Juetian.

This planet, several times larger than Earth, was originally a barren, uninhabited world save for the towering Juetian Tower.

As more and more cosmic cultivators came here for trials, Planet Juetian gradually prospered. Over the countless years, this once desolate and uninhabited planet had transformed into a massive life-bearing sphere with a population numbering in the hundreds of billions!

Of course, no matter how it developed, the most famous landmark on Planet Juetian remained its magnificent and awe-inspiring Juetian Tower.

The population of the Yuanlan Empire was countless times greater than trillions, and low-level cultivators were as numerous as the sands of the Ganges River. Consequently, the crowds arriving daily to participate in the Juetian Tower trials formed an endless stream, even reaching a somewhat congested state!

Yet, just five kilometers away from the Juetian Tower, rows of modern high-rise buildings stood, clashing sharply with the ancient and desolate aura of the tower itself.

Humans are social animals—a fact that holds true whether on Earth or out in the universe. Once a population grows, various social activities naturally emerge, such as trade, conflicts, and so on.

Thus, these modern skyscrapers served as department stores, trading hubs, battle arenas, or... hotels.

And understandably so. Depending on the trial-taker's innate talent, a Juetian Tower trial could easily last a month, a year, or even a decade or two. The relatives or friends accompanying the trial-takers naturally could not simply stand outside the Juetian Tower and wait.

Modern cosmic cultivators were no longer like those of the past; given a place to stay, they would never willingly endure the elements. They needed entertainment, cultivation, and above all, a normal life. It was through this that Planet Juetian had developed into what it was today.

In the starry void outside Planet Juetian.

The eternal fabric of space suddenly rippled, like the surface of water struck by a pebble. Emerging from the other side of that spatial tear was a high-grade cosmic warship several thousand meters in length.

Shortly after, the warship's hatch flew open, and an old man and a youth stepped out into the void, walking on air.

"Uncle Gu, is this Planet Juetian?" the youth asked, looking down at the massive planet below with an expression of innocent curiosity.

"Lanqie, your talent and comprehension are exceptionally high, but you severely lack worldly experience. Once this Juetian Tower trial concludes, you will first go down and serve as a supervisor," the old man said with a smile, his eyes filled with approval as he looked at the youth.

"Haha, Young Master Lanqie possesses supreme natural talent. Who knows, he might even shatter historical records during this trial," a richly dressed, elegantly attired middle-aged man flew out from the warship. Although he tried his utmost to conceal it, a hint of flattery still lingered on his face as he spoke.

"Actually, Yuanqing, you really didn't need to go this far. Go tend to your own matters," the old man glanced at the middle-aged man and said indifferently.

"Senior, you are being too polite. This junior simply appreciates talent and wishes to witness just how great a brilliance Young Master Lanqie can forge!" the middle-aged man named Yuanqing said with a smile.

"Since that is the case, let us descend." Taking the lead, the old man descended with the youth, waving his sleeve to make the massive cosmic warship instantly vanish.

......

"Lantian! Can you please be reliable for once? Last time you jumped straight into my living room, and now you've jumped right into the deep sea!" Deep in a pitch-black ocean, Weilin lashed out with a palm strike, instantly obliterating a massive sea beast, while transmitting her voice via mental energy.

"Uh... I just happened to use up a ninth-tier energy crystal, and the cosmic armor's display showed we were still 99.9999999% away from the set coordinates, so I didn't bother to replenish it. Gotta conserve resources..." Lantian watched helplessly as Qipeng was swallowed whole by a ferocious sea beast, put away his Chixin Divine Armor, and transmitted his voice awkwardly.

Cosmic stellar energy surged, and the three of them swiftly shot toward the ocean surface. A mere sea beast could naturally not inflict any real harm on Qipeng, a Star Domain-stage expert.

"Splash, splash, splash!"

Water droplets flew in all directions. The moment she left the surface, Weilin immediately channeled her cosmic stellar energy to vaporize the water from her clothes. Casting a sidelong glance, she scoffed, "Hmph! Landing in the water on purpose—don't tell me you were trying to take advantage of this young lady?!"

"...... You're overthinking it." Lantian was left speechless; this girl really had an overly high opinion of herself.

"Hmph, hurry up and check if this is Planet Juetian. Don't tell me we missed the coordinates again!" Weilin huffed.

"Girl Weilin, you can doubt this jinx Lantian, but how can you doubt Lord Bai?!" Bai materialized, protesting with dissatisfaction. "How could coordinates set by Lord Bai possibly be wrong?!"

"It's Planet Juetian, all right." Lantian connected to the virtual universe network to check their current location, and the geographical data indeed confirmed it to be Planet Juetian.

"Haha, let's go, to the Juetian Tower! I'm finally going to participate in the Juetian Tower trial. I must push through to the higher levels and find a powerful master!" Having finally reached the long-dreamed-of Planet Juetian, Weilin was utterly thrilled.

"What's the rush? You're always making a fuss day in and day out. Let me first check the information regarding the Juetian Tower on the virtual universe network." Lantian rolled his eyes at her and prepared to log back into the virtual universe network.

"With me here, why would you ever need to search yourself?" Bai was actually extremely excited about Lantian's upcoming participation in the Juetian Tower trial. It had already compiled and organized all the relevant data on the Juetian Tower and immediately transferred it directly to Lantian's mind.

This information was largely similar to what Bai had previously told Lantian, but far more detailed, including the mortality rate of the Juetian Tower in recent times.

37%!

Lantian's face turned somewhat pale.

Compared to the Juetian Tower's historical average mortality rate of 30%, this figure was 7% higher. While it hadn't yet reached the peak mortality periods, it was still terrifyingly high. In other words, over the past few centuries, out of every 100 people, 37 would die in the trials of the Juetian Tower...

However, Lantian's attention was drawn to another part of Bai's introduction. The data showed that... a Juetian Tower with an average 30% mortality rate was actually considered a relatively safe secret realm in the universe!

If that was the case, just how dangerous must other secret realms be?!

"The universe is fair; danger and opportunity always coexist. You should understand this principle. The universe is also cruel. Whether the mortality rate is 37% or 73%, dying inside a secret realm is still infinitely better than being bullied and murdered by others. In the universe, secret realms with a 99% mortality rate even exist. What you must do is not fear that 99% mortality rate, but ensure that you become part of the remaining 1%!" Perceiving Lantian's hesitation, Bai spoke in a deep and solemn tone.

"In the face of opportunity, if you lack even the courage to face danger, then you are ultimately destined to be eliminated."

"All right, all right, spare me the grand lecture. It's not like I'm refusing to go!" Lantian waved his hand to signal that he understood. Then, with a flicker of eager anticipation, he said, "After this Juetian Tower trial, I should probably be able to learn that sec—well, that technique, right? Once I successfully cultivate it, I reckon it'll be harder to die than to live!"

With Weilin present, Lantian managed to forcefully swallow back the words "secret technique" that had almost slipped out.

(End of this chapter)