The Qianwu Secret Realm was boundlessly vast, comparable to a small star domain.
Besides Wind Thunder Island, home to the Star Level geniuses, there were countless other islands.
One million kilometers east of Wind Thunder Island lay a giant island—Island No. 1027—one of the so-called public areas.
The Qianwu Secret Realm was strictly managed. Apart from the three Undying Deities who presided over the realm, no one else was permitted to go visiting from island to island. Whichever island one was assigned to, one could only stay there and cultivate.
The only exception was these public areas.
Here you could mingle with cultivators from different islands, purchase supplies, and exchange resources...
Of course, if cultivation grew dull, you could also come here to enjoy yourself a little.
Now, for his resource purchases—besides the Qianwu Auction and the internal Points exchange—the trading market of this public area also met his needs.
Lu Qingshan, in a green robe, slowly descended. The Lightning Origin Law mark flickering between his brows proclaimed his status as a Special-Grade Instructor.
"Who is this person?"
No sooner had Lu Qingshan set foot on the island than he heard someone mutter quietly.
"Dunno. Maybe a newly arrived Special-Grade Instructor of the secret realm? Look—he's gained the recognition of the Lightning Origin Law. He's probably from Wind Thunder Island!"
"No wonder. Judging by the direction he came from just now, he must have flown over from Wind Thunder Island!"
"There are more and more new instructors lately. It's because of the Genius Battle, right?"
"What else could it be? The three Undying Deity lords are probably anxious too. If they fail to cultivate any geniuses again this time, even the great Kingdom Lord might have complaints."
Most people who could come to the public areas had backgrounds—Special-Class Instructors, geniuses of some island, or Undying descendants—and they did not care whether their discussion was overheard.
Lu Qingshan surveyed his surroundings.
The place was like a city.
Rows of shops lined both sides of the streets, where food, clothing, shelter, and transport could all be found.
Lu Qingshan found the largest shop on the whole street and walked in.
"Do you sell spaceships here?" Lu Qingshan asked.
"This way, my lord." The old clerk inside the shop glanced at the origin law mark on Lu Qingshan's forehead and said politely, "Our shop carries many models and types of spaceships. Which kind does my lord want?"
As he spoke, he brought up a screen displaying introductions to all sorts of spaceships.
The lowest was Grade C, the highest Grade E; the types and models were all complete...
As for anything below Grade C, it wasn't what secret realm members needed, so they didn't sell it. Grade F ships were probably simply not powerful enough.
The value of just these ships was considerable, showing that the boss behind this shop was not to be underestimated.
"Give me one D-grade Machine Race spaceship. And also one E5-model spaceship produced by the Virtual Universe Company."
Lu Qingshan looked for a while and chose the two with the higher prices.
A D-grade Machine Race spaceship was worth roughly several hundred billion Cosmic Currency. Most were spoils of war captured on the Extra-Domain Battlefield, which even the Virtual Universe Company could not perfectly replicate. Though rated Grade D, it was actually equivalent to a normal Grade D9 ship.
An E5-grade ship was worth even more—it was of a level worthy of the Qianwu Auction. The last time Lu Qingshan was at the Qianwu Auction, he had seen a scene where a hundred ships were auctioned off together.
"My lord, the D-grade Machine Race spaceship is worth 320 billion Cosmic Currency, ninety-nine percent new, with a thousand-year warranty. The E5-grade ship produced by the Virtual Universe Company is nine Hunyuan units. It's a mount favored by many World Master experts."
This price was just slightly higher than at the auction, but that was normal—the auction didn't hold a ship sale every time.
"These two, then."
Lu Qingshan didn't look at anything else.
Then he asked, "Do you have any treasures that speed up a World Master's accumulation of origin force?"
The old clerk listed several.
Lu Qingshan looked them over, then shook his head. These treasures were either too expensive, poor value for the price, or too weak in effect.
As for World Master nutrient solution, he could forget about that. Unless one was a genius of a core secret realm of the Five Great Hegemons, one didn't even have the qualification to buy it.
And even if it were available, Lu Qingshan couldn't afford it.
The transaction went smoothly. Lu Qingshan paid and received the two spaceships. Just as he was about to leave, a richly dressed, slightly portly man walked in.
"Your Highness."
Seeing the newcomer, the old clerk hurriedly bowed.
"I told you not to call me 'Your Highness.' Just call me 'Boss.' This guest—I am the owner of the Myriad Treasure Tower. Have you found goods to your satisfaction?"
Lu Qingshan was still sizing up this "boss" when the old clerk at his side spoke up: "Boss, this lord bought two spaceships, spending a total of just over nine Hunyuan units..."
Hearing that he was a big customer, the man's smile grew even brighter. "I am the Eighteenth Prince of the Qianwu Universe Kingdom. You look a bit unfamiliar, my friend—which island are you from?"
"Wind Thunder Island. Lu Qingshan..."
Lu Qingshan did not conceal his identity.
He looked at the richly dressed man with slight surprise, not expecting the fellow to be a prince. No wonder he could run such a large shop in the public area of the Qianwu Secret Realm.
"Lu Qingshan... Oh, I know. You're that Domain Master brought in by Silver Moon Marquis... You've already reached World Master..."
Most people in the Qianwu Secret Realm did not know of Lu Qingshan's existence, but the higher-ups understood a thing or two.
Silver Moon Marquis bringing in a Domain Master from outside to serve as the instructor of her disciple—this matter was itself rather unusual.
Her Highness Ling Yu was the finest genius of the Qianwu Secret Realm, and Silver Moon Marquis's most valued disciple. Handing her over to a Domain Master to cultivate left many people baffled, and thus they learned Lu Qingshan's name for the first time.
The second time was, naturally, that affair with Kunshaluo...
A Domain Master making an enemy of an Undying—that, too, was a rare thing.
But from the look of things now, Lu Qingshan had not only broken through to the World Master level, but also gained the recognition of an origin law. Clearly he had not been an ordinary Domain Master before either.
"That is indeed me. I didn't expect Your Highness to know of me."
Lu Qingshan smiled faintly.
The Eighteenth Prince said with a smile, "Many people have heard your name. I hear you have a feud with Kunshaluo? Would you like me to smooth things over for you? That Kunshaluo should show me some face."
"I'm grateful for Your Highness's kindness, but there's only a minor conflict between Kunshaluo and me. There's no need for Your Highness to intervene..."
Though Lu Qingshan declined, he still raised his hand in thanks.
It was only their first meeting, yet the other party had already offered to mediate between him and an Undying Deity. Whatever the reason, it was a gesture of goodwill toward him.
"Oh? If that's the case, then you think it over yourself. If you run into trouble, you can contact me."
The Eighteenth Prince quickly rattled off a Virtual Universe contact number.
"Many thanks, Your Highness the Prince."
Lu Qingshan thanked him again, then took his leave.
After he had gone...
The old clerk stared out the door for a long while before asking, somewhat puzzled, "Your Highness, what ability does this Lu Qingshan have, that you regard him so highly?"
"My eye for people is mediocre; I can't see anything special. But I still trust the judgment of an Undying Deity. Silver Moon Marquis could hand her treasured disciple over to him, and Kunshaluo, despite his grudge against him, has been helpless to do anything—this shows that this Lu Qingshan is not as simple as he appears..."
"It's just about making friends widely. Even if he had accepted my offer to mediate, at the end of the day it's only a matter of face... For a person you can't see through like this, the best approach is to befriend him. There's nothing to lose either way."
"If only all the princes were like Your Highness..." the old clerk sighed.
The Eighteenth Prince shook his head. "Hard... so hard..."
Chapter 69