89 Hunyuan Units

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye. Over these six months, Lu Qingshan had kept up his once-a-month lecturing, slowly raising his comprehension. He wasted none of his remaining time, either. He took one Blood Dragon Fruit, bought from the Treasure Pavilion, each month, and seven had already been used. His strength had risen once more, going from his original Domain Master Sixth Stage to the peak of Domain Master Seventh Stage. Probably just one more Blood Dragon Fruit would lift his strength again to Domain Master Eighth Stage. Slow improvement had its own advantages. Lu Qingshan needed only to set aside a few minutes each day to adapt to his power, and the transition stayed smooth—there was no worry at all of his power slipping out of control. "The one-year mark has come around again..." Lu Qingshan had already prepared this round of gifts seven months earlier. When the time arrived, he sent word to Lei Ming and Paris. Before long, the two arrived at the manor. "We pay our respects, Teacher." The two bowed together. Lu Qingshan looked over his two disciples and nodded slowly. Even without his urging, both of them trained diligently, and their strength had improved markedly. They were now both Star Level Ninth Stage, and their domains had broken through as well, each entering the sixth layer of domain. With that strength, among the nearly one million elite students of the Qianwu Dojo, they could already rank in the first tier. Paris in particular—the Blade Race had the genes for battle running in its blood, and once he had pushed both his strength and his domain to the very peak of the Dojo's elite students, very few were his match anymore. It could be said that, barring surprises, one of the Qianwu Secret Realm slots was already firmly in his grasp. Lei Ming was hardly inferior. Ten years of life-and-death tempering had given him rich combat experience, and in a real fight, whether he could beat Paris would only be known once they actually faced off. Lu Qingshan knew the two disciples had long been quietly competing with each other; he simply paid it no mind. After all, competition breeds progress... "Are you both prepared for the Dojo Grand Competition at year's end and the Qianwu Secret Realm Qualification Battle?" Lu Qingshan asked slowly. "Teacher, I am prepared." Lei Ming said in a low, muffled voice. Paris said coldly, "Teacher, rest assured. In this Qualification Battle, I will win a place in the Qianwu Secret Realm!" "I have confidence in you both... Still, you must not grow careless. By past years' standards, your level is probably enough—but this year's Qualification Battle seems somewhat out of the ordinary. The news I've received is that in this Grand Competition, every branch of the Qianwu Dojo will likewise send disciples to fight in the Virtual Universe..." Lest his disciples grow complacent, Lu Qingshan's gaze turned stern. "Look down on no one. Even the remotest branches of the Qianwu Dojo are not necessarily without geniuses. You two must guard against pride and impatience, and treat every opponent with equal seriousness." How vast the Qianwu Universe Kingdom was! Though most geniuses flocked to the Qianwu Dojo Headquarters, pearls left behind in the sea were inevitable. Take the Genius Battle of Luo Feng's cohort, for example. The emperor of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire probably never even dreamed that from their small, mid-tier universe kingdom would come someone who fought his way into the top ten of the entire universe! "Besides, your teacher has prepared some gifts for you." With a wave of his hand, Lu Qingshan brought out the Lanke Fruits and the Moyun Vine seedlings. "The Qianwu Secret Realm's system for cultivating geniuses is on a completely different level from the Qianwu Dojo's. Once you enter the Qianwu Secret Realm, you must follow arrangements to venture out into all sorts of places, and the risk of falling is not small. These two Moyun Vines and these Lanke Fruits—consider them your teacher's final care for you." "These resources are enough for you to cultivate your Moyun Vines to Cosmic Level. Then, should you meet a life-or-death crisis, they may well save your lives." Lei Ming and Paris were no newcomers to the universe. After so long in the Qianwu Dojo, they knew about both Moyun Vines and Lanke Fruits. Two hundred Lanke Fruits apiece—that was several hundred billion in Cosmic Currency, and for the two of them combined, an astronomical sum. With any other teacher—never mind a Domain Master, even a World Master—such resources would likely never be spent on cultivating disciples. "Teacher, my junior brother and I have already accepted far too much from you. You should keep these resources for your own cultivation. Your disciple does not want to become a burden to you." Lei Ming's eyes had gone a little red. He now had the clearance to look up just what that treasure, brimming with life energy, which his teacher had given him in the early years actually was. Nine-Leaf Spirit Ginseng... A supreme treasure worth half a star system. Back then, his teacher had been merely a Cosmic Level Expert, yet he had given away such a treasure to him. Now they had done nothing at all to help their teacher, while his gifts to them grew richer each time. "Teacher, please take it back. Paris fears no challenge. Even in the Qianwu Secret Realm, Paris will not let you down!" Paris stood there rigid and straight, his face, covered in bluish-green scales, showing no expression. "Take them." Lu Qingshan's tone brooked no argument, and he went on, "Only if you live can you ever become your teacher's help in the future." Seeing that their teacher seemed somewhat displeased, the two disciples could only accept the gifts. Their gratitude toward Lu Qingshan as their teacher was already beyond words... After handing over the Lanke Fruits and Moyun Vines, Lu Qingshan sent them on their way. Watching the two figures vanish, Lu Qingshan felt a measure of gratification. Though he had taken disciples and given gifts more for his own benefit than out of any true concern for them, Lu Qingshan had genuinely given them treatment nearly equal to that of an ordinary Undying Deity's disciples. Having poured in resources on such a scale, Lu Qingshan did not expect them ever truly to become his help—but even less did he wish to raise two ingrates. These two disciples' character and conduct had not disappointed him. Returning to his secret chamber, Lu Qingshan checked his gains. [You gifted your disciple Lei Ming 200 Lanke Fruits, triggering a hundredfold return. You gained 5,000 cubic meters of Luoke God Water.] [You gifted your disciple Paris 200 Lanke Fruits, triggering a hundredfold return. You gained 5,000 cubic meters of Luoke God Water.] ... Luoke God Water, of all things. Lu Qingshan was slightly surprised. He had been hoping for a few more Life Fruits in the return—after all, that stuff was hard currency, readily cashed in anywhere. At the mention of Luoke God Water, Lu Qingshan thought of that lucky fellow named Pan Xi... The Luoke God Water that fellow had obtained by a fortuitous encounter seemed to have been quite a large quantity! "Nesethes, look up the value of Luoke God Water for me." "Yes, Master. The lookup is complete." As Nesethes spoke, a virtual screen appeared in the air, displaying an introduction to Luoke God Water. "In the ancient era, the human expert Luoke discovered this god water of astonishing vitality in a secret realm and named it after himself. Luoke God Water can heal injuries, nurture plant life, and aid cultivation. Its Life Force content exceeds even that of the Life Fruit, and it is highly effective even on Undying-level injuries and Undying plants. Luoke God Water is astonishingly valuable. At the most recent high-level auction, one cubic kilometer of Luoke God Water sold for the sky-high price of 8.9 million Hunyuan." One cubic kilometer was 8.9 million Hunyuan units, and he had 10,000 cubic meters. Lu Qingshan worked out the conversion. His Luoke God Water was worth roughly 89 Hunyuan units.