Wind Thunder Island, Qianwu Secret Realm.
Inside the cultivation chamber of his mountainside villa, Lu Qingshan ended the call, his expression darkening slightly.
The call had come from Luo Er, the housekeeper of his estate at the Qianwu Dojo, informing him that a mysterious powerhouse had arrived at his doorstep not long ago.
Because Lu Qingshan had merely been seconded to the secret realm, his estate had been preserved. Now that he had officially become a Special-Class Instructor, his status and standing had risen considerably, so unless strictly necessary, the dojo headquarters would not take back the estate.
As a result, Luo Er remained his housekeeper, and the servants and cooks in the villa were still under his charge...
"They truly are lingering like ghosts!"
Lu Qingshan had been extremely cautious during this outing. He had only submitted a leave request to Yang and asked him to keep it confidential.
Over at the Qianwu Dojo, only Luo Er knew he had returned; not even Chi Yan, Jimmy, or any of the other First-Class Instructors he was close with knew he had visited the estate.
Yet despite that, he had still been discovered...
This meant someone had been keeping a constant watch on his residence. Had someone spotted the delivery from the Universe Star River Bank? Or had they seen him leaving in the night?
Lu Qingshan was glad he had acted decisively. If he had not returned to the secret realm immediately after collecting the goods, he likely would have been intercepted by that mysterious powerhouse.
Even if the other party would not dare move against him at the Qianwu Dojo Headquarters, facing someone who was possibly an Undying was still perilous. Who knew what hidden methods they might possess?
"I need to break through to the World Master realm as soon as possible. If I want revenge, my current strength isn't nearly enough..."
"Now, let's see whether these Sangsong fruits can deliver the desired result."
Lu Qingshan was eager to break through to the World Master realm. Only by reaching World Master, relying on his comprehension of an Upper Law, would he have the capital to contend with an Undying.
Lu Qingshan sent messages to Lei Ming and Paris, telling them to come to his villa.
While waiting, Lu Qingshan placed a call to Yang.
"Brother Yang, I heard you've been in Qianwu City for centuries. Could I ask you about something?"
"Brother Qingshan, not to brag, but as long as it doesn't involve the high-level secrets of the universe kingdom, there is nothing in Qianwu City, big or small, that I don't know."
"I'd like to ask, who is behind the Treasure Pavilion?" Lu Qingshan asked.
He had previously had Nesethes look into who the Undying backing the Treasure Pavilion was, but unfortunately had not obtained a satisfactory answer.
Undying Deities concealed themselves behind the scenes and rarely revealed their identities publicly.
"Brother Qingshan, why are you asking about this? That Treasure Pavilion is no simple place..."
"Haha, I have a treasure I was planning to trade with them, so I wanted to ask around to see if they're reliable..."
"Ah, I see. Treasure Pavilion's reputation in Qianwu City is actually quite good. I haven't heard any negative news about them over the years. Behind Treasure Pavilion stands an Undying, who is also a subordinate of our great Universe Country Leader named Kunshaluo—an extraordinarily powerful being!"
"Thank you for letting me know, Brother Yang..." Lu Qingshan offered his thanks before hanging up.
As expected!
If his guess was right, the one coveting the Luoke God Water on him was likely this very Undying, or a key core figure under his command.
After all, their current actions had completely trampled upon Treasure Pavilion's reputation; mere minor figures would never have the audacity or courage to do such a thing.
Kunshaluo...
The name seemed somewhat familiar.
Ah, wasn't he the one who had delivered the message to Luo Feng, demanding that he join the Qianwu Secret Realm after the Genius Battle?
Back then, Luo Feng had only displayed ordinary strength, merely at the threshold of the Gold Origin Law. Who could have known that Luo Feng would later breed a Mosha clan clone, quickly comprehend the fundamentals of Space Law, and ultimately fight his way into the top ten to enter the Virtual Universe Company's Taichu Secret Realm? Only then was the matter dropped...
Moreover, this fellow seemed to harbor an irreconcilable feud with the Sacred Emperor of Black Dragon Mountain?
The enemy of an enemy was a friend. If he had to deal with this guy in the future, perhaps he could cooperate with the Sacred Emperor of Black Dragon Mountain.
...
"Teacher."
Half an hour later, the two disciples arrived at the villa.
Over the past few years, their strength had improved considerably. Lei Ming's domain had already reached the eighth level, while Paris was slightly behind, currently at the peak of the seventh level... Yet in terms of actual combat prowess, Lei Ming wasn't necessarily Paris's match.
Lu Qingshan asked, "How have things been for you in the secret realm lately?"
"Teacher, Junior Brother and I are doing very well here. Instructor White Eyebrows regards us highly and assigns us tasks that aren't dangerous, yet provide excellent training..."
"Mm." Lu Qingshan nodded, knowing White Eyebrows had taken his words from a few years ago to heart.
White Eyebrows wasn't overly rigid. After all, it cost him nothing; simply tilting a bit of the secret realm's resources toward Lei Ming and Paris earned him Lu Qingshan's gratitude—a very profitable bargain for White Eyebrows as well.
"I called you here today because I have something to give you."
Hearing their teacher's words, Lei Ming and Paris exchanged a glance, thinking to themselves, *Just as we thought...*
Though their teacher hadn't bestowed any substantial gifts upon them in recent years, he was still the same teacher—as generous as ever.
With a wave of Lu Qingshan's hand, several crates of Sangsong fruits appeared before them.
"These are Sangsong fruits. They aren't particularly expensive, but their value lies in their rarity; at least within the Qianwu Universe Kingdom, very few places produce them. Their function is to assist in soul transformation... You are both at the Star Level right now, so using these Sangsong fruits to build your foundation should yield excellent results."
"Thank you, Teacher..." Lei Ming and Paris expressed their gratitude in unison.
They did not decline this time. Both of them had looked up the Sangsong fruit moments ago; compared to the treasures their teacher had bestowed in the past, it wasn't overly pricey, but it was exceptionally rare. Their teacher had surely gone to great lengths for them, so naturally they couldn't turn down his goodwill.
"Mm." Lu Qingshan smiled faintly. "How to use them is quite simple; you'll know once you look it up. Aside from that, focus on cultivating your domains and don't waste your energy elsewhere. You don't need to worry about advancing your Moyun Vines—I will prepare what is needed for you..."
"Teacher, we can manage on our own..." Lei Ming felt a warm surge in his heart. It seemed their teacher had been watching over them all along, aware that they had recently traded for treasures to promote the evolution of their Moyun Vines.
Currently at the Star Level Ninth Stage, they could advance no further in raw level; the only ways to increase their strength, besides domains and laws, were plant life forms.
With their teacher's help, their Moyun Vines had previously reached the Universe Level First Stage. Promoting them further required far too many resources, and the two of them were essentially broke—the rewards they had received upon entering the secret realm had all been spent buying gifts for their teacher.
"These trifling resources are nothing to me. Just remember: raise your domains to the ninth level as quickly as possible... Over these years, you've probably heard some rumors. Without the strength of at least a level-nine domain, going into that grand event makes you nothing more than cannon fodder..."
Over the past few years, talk of the Genius Battle had been spreading like wildfire within the secret realm. Lu Qingshan knew his two disciples had surely picked up on some news.
"Teacher, so that news really is true! There are only twelve years left?" Lei Ming's eyes lit up. Previously, they had only heard rumors and hadn't been completely certain.
"Indeed... Twelve years from now will be the test of your achievements!" Lu Qingshan confirmed.
"Teacher, we will definitely work hard and not let you down!" Lei Ming and Paris answered together.
Chapter 57