Just as Lu Qingshan was raking in a fortune on the stock market, a banquet was underway at the distant Black Dragon Mountain Sacred Land.
"Sacred Lord, great news, great news..."
A bald old man with a hooked nose suddenly spoke up loudly.
"Hagelefu... what happy news? Has your daughter conceived an imperial prince?"
Mengduo, a burly man at the peak of World Master, roared with laughter nearby.
Though Mengduo was at the World Master realm, he and the Sacred Lord of Black Dragon Mountain were brothers, so he could speak freely in the Sacred Lord's presence.
"My daughter only married His Majesty last year—how could it happen so soon... Mengduo, stop teasing me. The happy news I'm talking about isn't that."
Hagelefu smiled awkwardly.
"Hagelefu, tell us... what's the happy news? Let everyone share in the joy."
The Sacred Lord of Black Dragon Mountain's enormous pupils glimmered with an eerie red light.
"Sacred Lord, didn't you have me keep watch on news of that Kunshaluo? That Kunshaluo must have offended someone—his Treasure Pavilion has been attacked again and again, and even its branch in the Zichen Empire has been razed to the ground. Now Treasure Pavilion's stock is plummeting, and it's on the verge of bankruptcy..."
Hagelefu spoke excitedly.
He knew the Sacred Lord's hatred for that man named Kunshaluo was utterly irreconcilable. Hearing this news, the Sacred Lord was sure to be delighted.
"Is that so? Such a thing actually happened!"
The Sacred Lord sent a wisp of consciousness into the Virtual Universe to search. The Qianwu Universe Kingdom was home to over a thousand Medium Universe Nations and countless fiefdoms of nobles, and the Black Dragon Mountain Empire sat in a remote region—news didn't travel that fast.
"Hahaha."
A moment later, the Sacred Lord of Black Dragon Mountain burst into unrestrained laughter.
"That bastard had it coming... He thought that by throwing in his lot with the Qianwu Country Master, he could run wild with impunity. I knew it—sooner or later, someone would make him pay the price!"
Hearing this, a flash of fury crossed Mengduo's eyes. "That Kunshaluo deserves to die. Because of him, my second brother was gravely wounded—most of his lifespan as a World Master vanished into thin air, and he won't live more than a few tens of thousands of years! If I break through to Undying, I'll make him pay in blood!!"
"Mengduo, my brother!" the Sacred Lord said. "If it weren't for the Black Dragon Mountain Empire weighing on my shoulders, I too would surely avenge Wode. But even if I gave it my all, I might not be able to kill Kunshaluo—and if I tried and failed, our Black Dragon Mountain Empire would be finished. Rest assured, if there's a chance in the future, I won't let that bastard off!! Wode is my brother; I will make Kunshaluo pay the price!!"
"Big brother, that's not what I meant... Kunshaluo has joined the Qianwu Country Master's forces, so it really isn't convenient for you to make a move..."
Mengduo realized he had gotten a little worked up and changed the subject.
"Didn't second brother say he wanted to find a disciple to inherit his legacy? I've found a promising prospect."
"Hm? Who..."
"He's the emperor of an Elementary Universe Nation under our Black Dragon Mountain Empire. I ran into him at the Killing Field too. His talent is quite good—he's at the Cosmic Level Seventh Stage now, and his Metal Domain has already reached the peak of the eighth layer. And most importantly, his willpower is very strong; even under my pressure, he didn't so much as flinch..."
Hearing this, the Sacred Lord of Black Dragon Mountain grew more interested. "A mere Cosmic Level Expert who can keep his composure even under your pressure—this little fellow's willpower must be extraordinary, at least at a World Master's level... It's just that his talent is a bit lacking. But talent can be made up for; willpower is the hardest thing to obtain. This little fellow will at least reach the Domain Master realm in the future, and he might even have hope of breaking through to World Master!"
He paused.
The Sacred Lord of Black Dragon Mountain went on: "Pass word to Wode and let him assess the candidate himself. If he's satisfied, he can take him as a disciple... Having a disciple would do him good; perhaps it might lift his spirits. Wode is in a very bad state right now..."
...
The stars wheeled on, and in the blink of an eye, another three years passed.
Lu Qingshan was in the cultivation room of his villa, contemplating the Lightning Origin Law as he faced the Wind Thunder Mountain.
Over these years, after handing the task of dissecting the Time Origin Law over to his Ghost King avatar, Lu Qingshan had devoted himself to comprehending the Lightning Origin Law, and by now he had already advanced by leaps and bounds. His disciples Lei Ming and Paris had made successive breakthroughs in their domains, which in turn brought Lu Qingshan a good deal of cashback.
Though the Lightning Origin Law was a Lower Law, it was still vast and boundless. An ordinary World Master could not comprehend even a tenth of it in an entire lifetime. Between the so-called origin law recognition and complete mastery of a law lay a gulf of several million light-years.
To say nothing of anything else—in the Virtual Universe's Doomsday Secret Realm alone, among the ten million World Masters, every one had gained origin law recognition, yet how many among them could become Undying? Ten? Or a hundred?
Among the millions of World Masters in the Qianwu Universe Kingdom, over nearly a hundred thousand years, the only one who had openly become Undying was Kunshaluo alone.
Undying! It meant eternal life. Cultivating a single Undying was even harder than cultivating a million World Masters.
Half a day later, Lu Qingshan slowly rose to his feet.
"The Lightning Origin Law is at about 25%!"
There were no shortcuts to comprehending a law. No matter how great a genius, one still had to sense the law's transformations step by step...
Even with a comprehension speed a thousand times that of a World Master, it would still be very hard for Lu Qingshan to break through to Undying via the Lightning Law in the short term...
Unless one of the two, Paris or Lei Ming, were to comprehend the Lightning Origin Law—only then could his comprehension speed of the origin law be greatly accelerated.
"Still, if this speed of mine got out, the other World Masters would probably be scared stiff."
Yang had cultivated for eight million years and had been in the Qianwu Secret Realm for nearly seven million years, yet he was still far, far away from completely comprehending the Wind Law. By his own estimate, he had comprehended at most two-thirds by now.
Most of the World Master special-grade instructors on Wind Thunder Island hadn't even comprehended half.
Mind you, these special-grade instructors were all the most elite among the World Masters, and they enjoyed the best cultivation environment the Qianwu Universe Kingdom had to offer. Even so... their chance of breaking through to Undying was merely one in a hundred thousand. Perhaps after several million years, not a single one of them would have broken through to the Undying realm!
"Hm? Lingxiao and my father-in-law are calling at the same time."
When his cultivation session ended, Lu Qingshan received a reminder from Nesethes—he had been cultivating just now, so Nesethes had declined all incoming calls.
"Nesethes, tell them to wait for me at my home in Black Dragon Mountain in the Virtual Universe. I'll go see them!"
So many years had passed; it was about time he saw his own family.
Lu Qingshan tidied up his appearance a little and changed into a brand-new set of instructor's clothing.
Only then did he pass through the Virtual Universe's teleportation channel and arrive at the home he had purchased on the Black Dragon Mountain island.
In the Virtual Universe, as long as one had bought property—or owned property in reality—one could teleport directly to one's own residence. This was a convenience the Virtual Universe offered: no matter how many star seas apart they were, people could reach one another instantly within the Virtual Universe.
"Father... Qingshan..."
The moment Lu Qingshan's figure appeared, he saw his father-in-law Kevin and his son Lu Lingxiao.
The two of them noticed Lu Qingshan as well.
When they saw the three-leaf badge pinned to Lu Qingshan's chest, shock filled both their eyes...
Chapter 79