In the end, only about a thousand individuals met the eligibility criteria and successfully registered for the competition.
While this number seemed small, it was understandable—though not explicitly stated, soul cultivators below the Soul Elder level were effectively ineligible. Their strength was simply too weak.
The age limit for participants was set at thirty years old. At this stage, excluding the top-tier prodigies from major powers, most soul masters typically hovered around the ranks of Soul King, Soul Ancestor, or Soul Elder. Their Soul Contract beasts were also generally within the same tier.
In addition to the above limitations, the Soul Contract Master Tournament clearly stated that the competition was to be conducted with the spirit of friendly exchange. Participants were to avoid causing lasting harm to their opponents—and under no circumstances was killing permitted!
Any intentional act of killing, whether targeting the soul master or their soul beast partner—both considered a single unit—would result in immediate disqualification and further accountability.
The purpose of holding the Soul Contract Master Tournament was to promote harmony between humans and soul beasts. Naturally, this ruled out encouraging violent brawls that emphasized brute strength, which would run contrary to the event's founding ideals.
After outlining the tournament rules and requirements, Ye Cheng delegated the remaining responsibilities to his subordinates and withdrew from further involvement.
Instead, he turned his focus to exploring a new world.
And by "world," this wasn't simply another planet—but rather, a wholly different universe, one distinct from the Douluo Universe itself!
After temporarily applying a 20% completed persona of the [Abyssal Overlord], Ye Cheng found that with a single thought, he could extend his awareness to cover the entire universe.
The vastness of the cosmos—once seemingly boundless—now appeared oddly "small" to him, as he could see its edges with just a glance.
To Ye Cheng, who now held partial Overlord-level powers, there were no more secrets left within the Douluo Universe.
Once someone stood at the pinnacle of their world, the only way to avoid stagnation and decay was to forge onward—pushing into new, unexplored frontiers.
Fortunately, even with only 20% of the Abyssal Overlord persona active, Ye Cheng already possessed the strength to break through the boundaries of the Douluo Universe and peer into what lay beyond.
Compared to the now-transparent Douluo Universe, what lay outside was an unfathomable mystery—far beyond human imagination.
With his divine perception elevated to an omniscient level, Ye Cheng observed the Douluo Universe from a macrocosmic perspective.
He found that the Douluo Universe resembled a massive spherical orb, with a vast internal star system containing countless planets. Its outer edge was wrapped in an invisible "shell," much like the surface of an egg.
Now, Ye Cheng's goal was simple: to poke a small hole through the shell of this cosmic "egg" and see what lay beyond.
With the current level of the Abyssal Overlord persona, such a feat was achievable. After all, he wasn't trying to alter cosmic laws or destroy a universe—just drill a tiny exit, which was far easier.
As a transmigrator, Ye Cheng naturally understood that there were other worlds beyond this universe. Without hesitation, he used his current powers to forcibly pierce a small hole in the universe's shell.
Immediately, the universe's self-repair mechanisms activated, attempting to seal the breach.
But Ye Cheng wouldn't allow it—he used his own power to hold the opening open, resisting the universe's recovery force.
Through this gap, he projected a sliver of his consciousness beyond the "shell," while leaving his true body inside the Douluo Universe to avoid unforeseen dangers.
In that moment, a wondrous scene unfolded.
It defied conventional description.
If one had to describe it—it was simply vast.
Beyond the universe, there was boundless emptiness—without up, down, left, right, front, or back. The familiar laws of reality no longer applied. There was only the "void," and countless other cosmic "eggs" stretching into infinity.
To Ye Cheng's amazement, he realized that the Douluo Universe was merely one egg among many in this cosmic cluster.
Clearly, each of these "eggs" was a separate, self-contained universe.
To think that it was this easy to discover a method of world-hopping!
Ye Cheng's curiosity flared. He quickly chose a nearby "egg" and attempted to crack open its shell and penetrate its interior—in other words, to traverse into another universe.
But he quickly realized he couldn't.
The shell of this particular "egg" was too thick. What's more, the universe inside was at least a thousand times larger than the Douluo Universe.
In his own world, Ye Cheng might reign supreme—but in a much larger cosmos, he clearly wasn't omnipotent.
Time to pick a softer target.
Seeing that this "egg" was impenetrable, Ye Cheng shifted his gaze to another one—this time, a universe much smaller than Douluo, roughly a tenth its size.
Attempting again, he easily broke through this "egg's" shell and extended his consciousness inside. He sensed that while its laws bore similarities to Douluo's, there were distinct differences. And his presence triggered an immediate rejection from that universe's laws.
Ye Cheng's thoughts moved quickly. He began attempting to draw this smaller universe toward the Douluo Universe, testing whether it was possible for Douluo to devour it.
If the smaller universe could be swallowed, then without a doubt, the Douluo Universe's origin power would be greatly enhanced—its size would expand through fusion, becoming increasingly massive!
And as a being within that universe, all life forms would benefit from the upgrade.
This, then, was the path of world evolution.
Before long, under his persistent efforts, the smaller universe slowly drifted closer… until the two spheres finally touched.
However, at this point, there was no sign of any merging or consumption.
Both universes had protective "shells," preventing fusion or invasion from either side.
So… now what?
Ye Cheng found himself scratching his head.
If universes couldn't devour each other, then his plan to evolve the Douluo World was effectively stuck.
Do universes even have the ability to devour one another?
Or… is inter-universal devouring a myth?
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