Within the Killing Field.
Under the crushing oppression of mighty world power, Lu Qingshan's body remained as agile as ever. Several dozen illusion bodies continuously swapped positions, leaving the fiercely imposing Ninth Stage World Master across from him completely helpless.
After a hundred breaths, Lu Qingshan gave up resisting and let a furious blade stroke laden with world power end his life.
Soon, his body condensed once more...
"With the third layer of *Thunderlight Flash*, even the world power of a Ninth Stage World Master cannot impose an effective restriction on me. If I dodge with all my might, given enough space, even a Ninth Stage World Master recognized by a Lower Origin Law wouldn't be able to inflict sufficient damage on me!"
Such was the terrifying nature of the Upper Law of Time.
One had to realize that before this, against the world power of a Ninth Stage World Master, Lu Qingshan's second-layer Thunderlight Flash had left him with virtually no power to fight back.
He had only barely been able to parry an early-stage World Master.
This improvement was far more than a hundredfold.
Lu Qingshan now had a clear understanding of his own strength.
Against First or Second Stage World Masters, with his nimble movement technique and the formidable power of his Lightning Law, he could slay them!
Beyond the Fifth Stage of World Master, their world power would prevent him from breaking through, but they wouldn't be able to do anything to him either!
Only core Domain Masters and World Masters of major powers like Jin Jian, who had grasped an Upper Origin Law, could pose a threat to him. And those, let alone among Domain Masters, were exceedingly rare even among World Masters—there might not even be one in ten thousand!
If he were further equipped with an E-grade or higher spaceship, Lu Qingshan could easily escape the pursuit of a group of World Masters right now.
Such life-saving ability was something few World Masters could match.
Lu Qingshan thought of Luo, the famous Time World Master from the Black Dragon Mountain Galaxy. Luo had likely grasped some sort of time-fusion technique, allowing him to easily escape from the grasp of an Undying and even contend with an ordinary Undying Army Master!
He was a stunning genius. Had he not been trapped in a secret realm and wasted so much precious lifespan, he would probably have had the potential to become a Marquis-level Undying!
Even if he was not a second-class genius, he was at least a third-class genius.
A peak World Master third-class genius would open up a vast scope of bestowals. Lu Qingshan made a mental note; if he had an opportunity to take him as a disciple in the future, he could certainly lend him a hand.
Of course, if Luo would not take him as master, then forget it...
Helping Luo break through to Undying would undoubtedly cost an immense amount, and Lu Qingshan would not do anything that offered no return.
"Nesethes, pull up my status panel," Lu Qingshan instructed.
"Right away, Master."
Nesethes brought up a data display.
Name: Lu Qingshan
Age: Approx. 90,000 Universe Years
Realm: Domain Master Ninth Stage
Laws: Lightning Origin Law 10%, Light Ray Origin Law 1.1%, Time Origin Law 0.12%
Secret Techniques: Thunderbolt Ten Transformations, Thunderclap Nine Blades, Thunderlight Flash... (omitted)
Treasures: (omitted)...
...
The digitized panel presented his complete strength far more intuitively. Lu Qingshan looked at the Time Law entry; though it was less than one percent, it had granted him a tenfold boost.
"Nesethes, optimize the panel. Remove age, techniques, and treasures entirely, and add a disciple sub-panel..."
"Understood, optimizing it for you right away."
Before long, the optimized panel reappeared. Sure enough, Lei Ming, Paris, and his newly acknowledged disciple Ling Yu were included.
Among the three disciples, Ling Yu's stats were the most magnificent: Dual Ninth Layer Domains, Lightning Origin Law, Wind Origin Law.
She practically blew Lu Qingshan's previous two disciples out of the water.
*Just what race are the two sisters, Ling Yu and Ling Xi? Where do they come from? Why is their talent so astonishing?*
Curiosity flared in Lu Qingshan's heart; once they became more familiar in the future, he would ask.
Furthermore, what was this One-Horned Ghost King bloodline?
It seemed only Ling Yu possessed it, while none was visible on her younger sister, Ling Xi.
"Nesethes, search for the One-Horned Ghost King bloodline!"
Lu Qingshan was rather curious about this bloodline. After all, the System had specially noted it. In addition, he suspected their outstanding innate talent might be closely linked to it.
Nesethes swiftly swept through all knowledge available on the accessible network, then shook his pitch-black dog head and said, "Master, no useful leads were gathered... According to my estimation, there is a 96.56% probability that our clearance is insufficient and the information has been suppressed by the higher-ups of the Virtual Universe..."
It seemed this One-Horned Ghost King was likely even rarer than pinnacle races like the Golden Horned Beast. After all, Lu Qingshan's living AI could search up information on Golden Horned Beasts and Glacier Beasts.
Since his clearance was insufficient and he couldn't find any useful information, Lu Qingshan didn't dwell on it further. At any rate, this mystery would surely be unraveled in the future...
Perhaps once he broke through to Undying or became a core member of one of the Five Great Hegemons, these concealed records would be opened to him.
Next, Lu Qingshan had the Killing Field simulate that Jin Jian Domain Master from last time.
The Killing Field couldn't simulate the opponent's exact details, but based on Lu Qingshan's parameters, it could generate a similar adversary.
That genius with a proficient grasp of the Space Origin Law had left a very deep impression on Lu Qingshan.
Less than a minute later.
Lu Qingshan's body condensed anew.
"Considerable progress this time. At least I wasn't killed in an instant. His grasp of the Space Origin Law far exceeds my grasp of the Time Origin Law—the gap is just too vast!"
Just as Lu Qingshan was planning to lower his requirements slightly, a voice call came through.
Lu Qingshan checked the caller's name and accepted the call.
On the other end was Chi Yan, who favored wearing red robes: "Brother Qingshan, congratulations on entering the Qianwu Secret Realm! I just returned from a mission and only now learned the news. I always knew you were a genius, brother, and would never waste away in the position of a First-Class Instructor."
Lu Qingshan found it amusing; that wasn't what Chi Yan had said last time.
"Brother Chi Yan, contacting me today couldn't just be to catch up, could it?" Lu Qingshan asked with a smile.
Chi Yan lifted his flagon, took a hearty swig, and shook his head. "Of course not. What an incredible place the Qianwu Secret Realm is—how could I disturb your cultivation? But I ran into something strange this time, and I figured I'd better tell you about it."
"Oh? What is it?" Lu Qingshan asked.
Chi Yan let out a boozy burp and said, "The instructors at the Qianwu Dojo all know we're on good terms. When I came back this time, several unfamiliar instructors suddenly started asking around about you. It struck me as odd. If they just wanted to congratulate you on entering the Qianwu Secret Realm, wouldn't an email straight to you have done the trick? Nothing's happened on your end recently, has it?"
"Oh, I see. Nothing's happened; don't worry about it, Brother Chi Yan." Lu Qingshan's expression remained unchanged.
"Mm, as long as you're aware. In any case, you're in the Qianwu Secret Realm, so even if the sky falls, it won't hit you. Ah, the Qianwu Secret Realm... I wonder if I, Chi Yan, will ever get a chance in this lifetime to go inside and behold the sights."
"Haha, with your talent, Brother Chi Yan, you'll certainly break through to World Master in the future. Joining the secret realm by then will be child's play."
...
Hanging up the voice call, Lu Qingshan's expression darkened slightly.
*This Treasure Pavilion really isn't playing straight.*
Chapter 44