Xu Jingming was a little speechless.

Earth was clearly trying to inspire members of its homeworld to work hard and reach Lv. 8!

Lv. 8 cosmic lifeforms were a goal that many basic civilizations in the universe yearned for. After all, most basic civilizations couldn’t produce a Lv. 8 in their entire history!

As for Lv. 9? Everyone only had it as a thought.

Huh? Xu Jingming noticed that beside the towering Cosmos Tower, a new huge list had been unfolded. There was only one name on the list.

Cosmos Ranking (6th level)—

World Number One: Xu Jingming (China)

Just me? Xu Jingming glanced at the other list beside him. Tejano was ranked second on the fifth level.

Ambassador Tejano will be leaving after the civilization protection period expires, right? Xu Jingming thought.

…

On Mars.

In a daze, Tejano sat on the outer wall of the spaceship.

What do I want? Tejano was very vexed. My mission will end after the civilization protection period ends. I have to give Father an answer.

He had many ideas, but he was also in a dilemma.

Huh? 

A notification suddenly appeared. Tejano looked at the message that appeared in midair and blinked. Xu Jingming has already cleared Cosmos Tower’s sixth level? This… is a true genius?

Tejano whispered softly, “As for me, I’m still only a Lv. 5 cosmic lifeform.”

Tejano reached out and tapped open Xu Jingming’s personal information. As ambassador of the Cosmic Human Alliance, he was in charge of protecting Earth during the civilization protection period. At this stage, he could naturally obtain a large amount of information about Earth.

Xu Jingming’s information was also available to him.

I shouldn’t have looked at it. Tejano wore a bitter expression. This was because the information was very clear—Lv. 7!

He’s already at Lv. 7, but I’m only at Lv. 5. Tejano realized how low his talent in evolution was.

Perhaps it was because of laziness? Perhaps it was because of his poor talent?

In short, Tejano understood that he really couldn’t compete with Xu Jingming and the countless geniuses in the universe. He would be left in the dust.

My father is Redmond! How can I embarrass my father? Tejano had his pride. How could he tolerate being trampled on in the dust?

The evolutionary path won’t work, but the academic path… Tejano murmured. I’m not cut out for it either.

Then, there’s only one path! Tejano nodded. Be a boss and get Xu Jingming and the other geniuses to work for me! If I can’t become an expert, I’ll become the boss of many experts!

Tejano had already determined his direction.

His advantage was his network; his father’s identity allowed him to make connections all over the Cosmic Human Alliance! With his huge network, as long as he knew how to use people, he could naturally do well.

When I rise to prominence, I’ll invite Xu Jingming to work for me, Tejano thought happily. Then, he tapped open the projection and began reading through all kinds of information in preparation for his entrepreneurship.

******

The news of Xu Jingming clearing Cosmos Tower’s sixth level caused a stir on Earth, but he didn’t pay attention to it. The countdown to the civilization protection period’s end gave Xu Jingming a sense of urgency, and he didn’t dare relax.

Blood Rain World, Imperial Capital, Fei residence.

“Greetings, Lord Fei.” Xu Jingming bowed respectfully to Fei Qing.

Fei Qing’s expression was gloomy and a little tired, but his eyes remained calm and firm. When he saw Xu Jingming, Fei Qing revealed a rare smile. “Why did you suddenly come to see me?”

“I’ve been under your wing ever since I came to the capital, and I’m very grateful. However, I need to leave the capital for a few days. I can’t confirm when I’ll be back, so I specially came to bid you farewell,” Xu Jingming said.

“You’re leaving?” Fei Qing was puzzled. “Are you dissatisfied because you’ve been an ordinary Blood Rain Guard and want to leave?”

“No.” Xu Jingming shook his head. “I’m very grateful for your grooming. I recently broke through to the super realm due to personal matters and have sufficient strength. Therefore, I have to leave the capital to settle some personal matters. After I’m done, I’ll return to the capital and continue to be of service to you.”

“Super realm?” Fei Qing was surprised and observed Xu Jingming carefully.

“When do you think you’ll be back?” Fei Qing asked.

“If everything goes well, I’ll be back in a few months,” Xu Jingming replied. “It’s hard to say if anything crops up.”

He didn’t know what would happen when he sacrificed and headed to the mysterious land.

“Alright.” Fei Qing nodded. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

Xu Jingming’s heart stirred as he said, “I’ve made three good friends in the capital, and I trust them very much. I hope that in the future… the three of them will be my helpers in the Blood Rain Guard.”

“How strong are the three?” Fei Qing asked.

“One is a first-rate expert, and the other two are second-rate experts,” Xu Jingming stated.

It had been more than two months since they dealt with the Yang family’s convoy. Zhang Qing had also reached Lv. 6 and had the strength of a second-rate expert.

“Send their names and household registration to my residence,” Fei Qing said. “The Blood Rain Guard has been recruiting recently. With the three of them as the core, we can establish a team. They will be under you in the future.”

Xu Jingming was delighted. A team with his master as captain, and Tu Ling and Zhang Qing as deputy captains?

When Wang Jiuyan led an expedition to the western region, he had recruited many people from the capital’s Blood Rain Guard. Recently, the Blood Rain Guard had been constantly recruiting new members, but the offered conditions were relatively bad. With Fei Qing’s help, his master and the others’ matters were settled.