Leaving Qibao Shop, Lu Qingshan came before a majestic castle.
The castle covered a vast area, over 100 kilometers in both length and width. Although no one had lived there for a long time, it was well maintained, showing not a trace of decay.
In the garden, all manner of exotic flowers and plants bloomed together in dazzling splendor.
The most eye-catching was a massive ice-blue flower vine, dozens of meters tall.
Its giant ice-blue blossoms spread out, nearly covering half the sky, radiating a cold, dreamlike glow.
Looking at the ice-blue flower, Lu Qingshan thought of his wife Catherine.
His wife Catherine had little interest in cultivation but was obsessed with gardening. Most of the plants in this garden had been planted by her own hand.
This ice-blue flower was the result of her planting it herself and carefully cultivating it generation after generation; it had now reached the perfect form she had once imagined.
Alas, the person was gone and would not return, never again able to appreciate the beautiful scenery she had created with her own hands.
A bitterness rose in Lu Qingshan's heart. Back then, he and his father-in-law Kevin had planned to spare no expense to push Catherine into the Cosmic Level.
After all, the Cosmic Level was not the Domain Master level; a domain was not a requirement.
With two Domain Masters lending their full support, it was by no means hopeless.
But Catherine refused.
She even quietly transferred the cultivation resources her father and husband had prepared for her to her son Lu Lingxiao.
After learning of this, Lu Qingshan and Kevin ultimately chose to respect her wishes.
During the last century of Catherine's life, Lu Qingshan set everything aside and lived with her in this castle on Qionglong Star. On her deathbed, she said it had been the happiest time of her life.
After briefly lingering in the garden, Lu Qingshan pushed open the castle's heavy doors.
On the living room wall hung a huge wedding photograph.
The photograph was made of a special material, immortal for ten thousand years.
In the photograph, Catherine had a head of wine-red long hair like fire and a radiant smile. Beside her, Lu Qingshan wore black formal attire, handsome of face, yet his brow carried a solitary coldness left by the painful experiences of his years as a slave.
The Lu Qingshan of that time was cold and aloof.
It was Catherine who, over ten thousand years of gentleness, melted that frozen heart bit by bit.
His state of mind was now vastly different from before; past scars and gloom, like passing clouds and smoke, no longer lingered in his heart.
"You've come to Qionglong Star, why not come sit at my place?" a gentle voice sounded at the doorway.
Lu Qingshan turned, smiling: "Father."
The one who came was Kevin in a red robe, the master of Qionglong Star.
"Afraid you'd come collecting debts, are we?"
Lu Qingshan said half-jokingly.
"Heh..." Kevin chuckled, his gaze carefully sizing up Lu Qingshan, with undisguised admiration and surprise. "You really made it... Back when I married Catherine to you, I never dared imagine you could reach this step."
As a senior Domain Master, Kevin could naturally tell Lu Qingshan had broken through to Domain Master.
He sighed: "If that girl Catherine knew, she'd certainly be happy for you."
"Indeed." Lu Qingshan sighed softly. "Back then, to avoid dragging me down, she even gave up the chance to step into the Cosmic Level."
"No need to be sorrowful," Kevin comforted. "Catherine would be proud of you."
The decision to give up back then had also received his approval, so he naturally wouldn't blame his son-in-law for it. Lu Qingshan breaking through to Domain Master before his lifespan ran out exactly proved the correctness of their choice.
"You've broken through to Domain Master, what are your plans? Continue staying on Maple Leaf Star as an Old Ancestor, or do you have other plans?" Kevin asked.
"I'm not very interested in being an Old Ancestor of an Elementary Universe Nation," Lu Qingshan said candidly. "I plan to join a major power, and meanwhile select and cultivate a few good seedlings as disciples."
"Oh?" Kevin was somewhat surprised.
Given Lu Qingshan's early adventuring experience as a Giant Axe Martial Arts Practitioner, plus breaking through to Domain Master only after suppressing it for so many years, he had thought his son-in-law would reclaim his adventurous spirit, but unexpectedly chose a steadier path.
"If you're willing to stay on Qionglong Star," Kevin probed, his tone serious, "I can transfer half of Qionglong Star's shares to you."
"So generous?" Lu Qingshan smiled. It was clear his father-in-law wasn't joking.
Qionglong Star's value far exceeded the Maple Leaf Empire, and half its shares was worth an astronomical figure. Just the real estate here was exaggerated—for example, this castle under his feet was worth more than a life-bearing planet.
Not to mention those ultra-high residential communities, and the terrifying revenue from prosperous shops and commercial ports.
To keep his son-in-law by his side, this old guy Kevin had gone all out.
"Leave Qionglong Star to Kaili," Lu Qingshan declined. "With his talent, he has great hope of breaking through to Domain Master; the industries here can be passed down to him."
Kaili was the son Kevin had with a concubine after Catherine's death, Lu Qingshan's younger brother-in-law.
Although the two siblings had never met, after Kaili came of age he had visited Maple Leaf Star several times and was not unfamiliar with his brother-in-law Lu Qingshan.
Kevin had a son late in life and valued this youngest son, who was already Cosmic Level Six before ten thousand years of age, extremely highly.
Mentioning Kaili, Kevin's tone carried a bit of helplessness and resentment. "That brat, after passing the Universe Mercenary Alliance assessment, goes around adventuring in secret realms like he's gone mad. Who knows which day he'll fall in some remote corner!"
Hearing his father-in-law's concern, Lu Qingshan smiled. "If I have the chance to meet him in the future, I'll certainly give him a good talking-to."
"Good!" Kevin's eyes lit up, and he vigorously patted his son-in-law's shoulder. "If he won't listen to advice, you beat him for me. This brat deserves a thrashing!"
Seeing Lu Qingshan had already made up his mind, he no longer dwelled on persuading him to stay, and instead asked: "Joining a major power, do you have a specific target?"
"I have a rough plan," Lu Qingshan said. Still hoping his father-in-law would help make connections, he naturally wouldn't hide it. "The five major powers' threshold is too high. Even if I find a way in, I'd have difficulty joining. I plan to try Qianwu Dojo first, and move up later if there's an opportunity."
"Qianwu Dojo is a fine choice," Kevin nodded in agreement. "With your Domain Master strength, joining makes you a Two-Leaf Qianwu Practitioner. With that status, ordinary World Masters wouldn't dare lightly move against you. And, you want to take disciples, don't you?"
Kevin chuckled. "Qianwu Dojo is the only official dojo of Qianwu Universe Kingdom, and more importantly, the Qianwu Secret Realm gathers the top geniuses of the Universe Kingdom. If you can enter the core layer, you might just be able to take a top-tier genius as a disciple."
The more he said, the more excited he got, as if seeing the future. "If you really cultivate an Immortal disciple... haha! By then, let alone Black Dragon Mountain Starfield, even if the Black Dragon Mountain God Lord saw you, he'd have to be courteous."
Hearing this, Lu Qingshan couldn't help but draw in a breath, looking at his father-in-law in surprise. "An Immortal disciple, you really dare to dream!"
Chapter 9