Chapter 126: Rising Fame

Virtual Universe, within a divine temple in the area belonging to the Lu family on Lei Guang Hai Island.

At this moment, Lu Qingshan, Huo Gesi, and Lu Hongwen were gathered together; as for Ka Lisita, she had long since departed.

In fact, when Lu Qingshan met with his disciple Huo Gesi, they would mostly do so on Lei Ting Island of the Virtual Universe Company.

It's just that Lu Hongwen had not joined the Virtual Universe Company, and given Lu Qingshan's current standing within the Virtual Universe Company, he was not qualified to bring outsiders to Lei Ting Island, so they could only gather on Lei Guang Hai Island.

"Brother Hongwen!"

Huo Gesi raised the wine cup before him, then looked toward Lu Hongwen and offered his congratulations: "Congratulations on successfully breaking through to become Immortal, henceforth enjoying eternal life!"

Toward Lu Hongwen, Huo Gesi still felt considerable gratitude.

Back when Teacher Lu Qingshan had just taken him as a disciple, he was still only a minor Star-level cultivator, while Lu Hongwen had already been a Realm Master at the time.

And while Teacher Lu Qingshan was guiding his cultivation, Lu Hongwen also brought him to meet many powerful beings within the Lei Guang Hai starfield, broadening his horizons considerably.

Although most of those powerful beings have since perished, and the so-called experience he gained is now trivial to Huo Gesi, he still remembers the help Lu Hongwen gave him back then.

It's just that Lu Hongwen's talent was ultimately limited; even with Teacher Lu Qingshan's great assistance, he only barely obtained the acknowledgment of the Origin Law of Metal.

Previously, when Lu Hongwen was about to reach the limit of his lifespan, he had once met with him privately, and at that time Lu Hongwen had even asked him to look after Teacher Lu Qingshan in the future.

But who could have expected that just a few thousand years later, Lu Hongwen had already broken through to become an Immortal deity!

This was truly too incredible!

When Huo Gesi had just received Lu Qingshan's email, he had even thought Lu Qingshan was playing a joke on him!

After all, for the vast majority of ordinary cultivators in the universe, breaking through to become an Immortal is simply too difficult, especially when one's talent is nothing remarkable!

One must understand that even among many Hei Fengwang-level, or even Fengwang-level Immortals of the Virtual Universe Company, while they might have many disciples who crossed into the Immortal realm, among their family's younger generations, those who can become Immortal deities are exceedingly few!

Huo Gesi has now broken through to become an Immortal deity for several million years, and combined with the fact that he joined the Virtual Universe Company very early, he can be considered to have modest accumulated wealth.

But among his family's younger generations, while there may be some geniuses who can become Realm Masters with his help, breaking through to become Immortals would be no different from a fool's dream!

And this is precisely the enormous reason for the astonishing gap in status between Immortal deities and Realm Masters!

Of course, Lu Hongwen being able to break through to become an Immortal is also a good thing for him; after all, in the long ages to come, the two of them can support each other.

"I merely broke through by luck!"

With Lu Qingshan's instructions, even when facing Huo Gesi, Lu Hongwen would not speak of the matter of the Tianxuan Fruit: "Father sent me into the Primordial Universe twice in succession, and even invited a teacher who had mastered the complete Origin Law of Metal to guide me; now I have finally not let down Father's expectations!"

"By the way, Brother Hongwen, why didn't you choose to join the Virtual Universe Company?"

Huo Gesi asked with a smile: "If you joined the Virtual Universe Company, given Teacher's current strength and status, he could absolutely arrange a relatively relaxed position for you!"

One must understand that when Lu Qingshan first joined the Virtual Universe Company, Huo Gesi was merely a high-ranking Military Lord, yet he was still able to find a way to place Lu Qingshan in the transportation department;

and Lu Qingshan is now already a Fengwang-level Immortal, with a master like Lei Huanwang backing him, and even connected to figures of the caliber of Lord Tian Shi Wang — arranging a good position for Lu Hongwen would be an easy matter, wouldn't it?

"Father did ask me at the time, but I still wanted to stay in my hometown and help Father look after the family!"

Lu Hongwen said with a smile: "And your family's junior, Brother Shi Di — if there's anything you can't attend to in the future, you can come directly to me!"

"Then in the future, I'll have to trouble Brother Hongwen whenever I have matters!"

Huo Gesi's face was full of smiles, then he looked toward Lu Qingshan and asked with a smile: "Teacher, now that Brother Hongwen has broken through to become an Immortal, shouldn't we hold a banquet for him, so that other Immortals within the Yanfeng Universe Country can get to know him a little?"

"Other Immortals within the Yanfeng Universe Country?"

Hearing these words from Huo Gesi, Lu Hongwen was also slightly startled in his heart.

One must understand that there are over ten thousand Immortal deities within the Yanfeng Universe Country, among whom there are even more than two hundred Fengwang-level Wang Hou!

"That's right!"

Huo Gesi nodded, then said with a smile: "Brother Hongwen, rest assured. With the Teacher's current strength and status, although he may not be among the very top in our Yanfeng Universe Country, even the three giants of our Virtual Universe Company's Yanfeng branch will show him respect!"

In fact, if Lu Qingshan were still an Immortal Military Lord, or even an ordinary early-stage Fengwang-level Immortal, Huo Gesi wouldn't dare to speak such bold words; at most he would invite only some Immortals from around the Lei Guang Hai starfield.

But now Lu Qingshan's name is still very prominent among the many Fengwang-level Immortals within the Virtual Universe Company!

Even the second teacher he took after joining the Virtual Universe Company — 'Qing Lei Hou', who possessed peak Fengwang-level strength — had also used him to invite Lu Qingshan to several banquets, and even said in person at one banquet that the probability of Lu Qingshan breaking through to become a Fengwang-level Immortal in the future was higher than his own!

It was only after that banquet ended that Huo Gesi understood why so many high-stage Fengwang-level, and even peak Fengwang-level Immortals would befriend Lu Qingshan!

"Huo Gesi, that's not a bad idea of yours!"

Lu Qingshan nodded slightly and said: "Holding a banquet is good; it's been a long time since I've hosted friends for a feast, so this time I can take the opportunity to do it up properly!"

"Teacher, leave this matter to me!" Huo Gesi said promptly.

"Alright then, I'm quite at ease with how you handle things!"

Lu Qingshan nodded and said: "However, it's best to hold this banquet within the Virtual Universe, after all, many friends are on missions, and gathering in reality would likely be very difficult!"

At this moment, Lu Hongwen beside them hurriedly spoke up: "Father, Brother Shi Di, there's no need to go to such..."

"What do you mean no need? It's very necessary!"

Huo Gesi hurriedly said: "Brother Hongwen, you've now broken through to become an Immortal; from now on, how you conduct yourself will be clearly different from a Realm Master!"

"For us Immortal deities with eternal lifespans, face is often regarded as extremely important in many situations! You've just broken through, and it's possible that people within the Yanfeng Universe Country will look down on you because of it. Holding a grand banquet isn't just a matter of your own face — it's also Teacher's face!"

Hearing these words, Lu Hongwen quickly said: "Then I'll listen to Father and Brother Shi Di!"

For Lu Hongwen, he could not care about his own face, but he could not fail to care about Father Lu Qingshan's face!

"Leave this matter to me!"

Huo Gesi looked toward Lu Qingshan again, then asked with a smile: "Teacher, what do you think about holding the banquet one month from now?"

"Mm!" Lu Qingshan nodded slightly.

……

Although Lu Qingshan's cultivation years were not particularly long, and he had joined the core layer of the Virtual Universe Company for less than two million years, he was still quite well-known among the many Military Lord Immortals and Fengwang-level Immortals of the Virtual Universe Company.

For Immortal Military Lords, Lu Qingshan was absolutely someone they all envied immensely, and even admired immensely.

Ever since Lu Qingshan had cleared the fifteenth level of the Tongtian Bridge, and the many Immortal Military Lords of the Virtual Universe Company faction had received an email from Guardian Bafen, the warden of the Tongtian Bridge plane, many of them had looked into Lu Qingshan's information.

Cultivating for eight million years before entering the Primordial Universe by purchasing a quota for comprehension, thereby joining the Virtual Universe Company;

After leaving the Primordial Universe, he smoothly broke through with the complete Origin Law of Lightning to become an early-stage Military Lord, and then joined the transportation department of the Virtual Universe Company;

After becoming an immortal, he cultivated for over a million years and broke through to the twelfth level of the Tongtian Bridge, even becoming a disciple under Lei Huanwang;

Later, he entered the Primordial Universe and cultivated for two thousand years, directly breaking through to the fourteenth level of the Tongtian Bridge;

And not long ago, Lu Qingshan directly broke through to the fifteenth level of the Tongtian Bridge, becoming a Marquis Immortal with an undying body!

Lu Qingshan's experiences during those first eight hundred thousand years were naturally looked down upon by those military-lord immortals, after all, back then each of them was far more brilliant than Lu Qingshan at the time;

Later, when Lu Qingshan broke through the twelfth level of the Tongtian Bridge and became a disciple under Lei Huanwang, it made them extremely envious, feeling that Lu Qingshan had stumbled upon dog-shit luck;

By the time Lu Qingshan broke through to become a Marquis Immortal, they had already begun to admire him immensely!

As for the Marquis Immortals, most of them had already begun to comprehend the sixth picture on the various Chaos Steles, and to fully comprehend the sixth picture and become a King Sealed Immortal, one must first comprehend all the essences of the time or space origin laws one is studying, which is an incredibly difficult matter even for Marquis Immortals.

And the matter of Lu Qingshan having now comprehended all the essences of the time origin law had long since spread throughout the King Sealed Immortal circles of the Virtual Universe Company; those Marquis Immortals with better-informed news had all already learned of it, and naturally held Lu Qingshan in higher regard!

Precisely for this reason, after receiving the invitation sent out by Lu Qingshan, many Marquis Immortals began preparing to attend the banquet.

"Marquis Qingshan's invitation?"

"Marquis Qingshan rarely holds banquets! It turns out his son has broken through to become an immortal—Marquis Qingshan really has such good fortune!"

"Indeed! Since becoming immortal gods, our relatives have long since passed away one after another. Marquis Qingshan's son breaking through to become an immortal means he can continue to accompany him for endless years to come—truly enviable!"

"Marquis Qingshan's banquet is absolutely a must-attend!"

……

Lei Guang Hai star region, Imperial Capital Star.

"Ancestor!"

"Teacher!"

Over twenty Realm Lords bowed respectfully, with over a hundred Domain Lords and several thousand Universe-Levels all kneeling behind them.

This was the true upper echelon of the Lei Guang Hai royal clan, and before them stood the true stabilizing pillar of the entire royal clan—the immortal god 'Lei Guang Laozu'!

"Rise!" Lei Guang Laozu's calm voice rang out.

Hearing these words, the over twenty Realm Lords, along with the many Domain Lords and Universe-Levels behind them, only then respectfully stood up.

"Marquis Qingshan himself has sent me an invitation!"

A hint of envy was in Lei Guang Laozu's voice: "This time it's Marquis Qingshan's third son, Lu Hongwen, who has broken through to become an immortal god, so Marquis Qingshan is widely inviting friends to celebrate!"

"The banquet will be held on the Lei Guang Hai island of the Virtual Universe, but since this banquet is limited in scale, I can only bring two people!"

Hearing these words, the many Realm Lords and Domain Lords below raised their heads one after another, each hoping that Lei Guang Laozu would choose them.

That was a banquet hosted by a Marquis Immortal!

Anyone able to attend the banquet would absolutely be among the most top-tier figures in the entire Yanfeng Universe Nation.

If they could be chosen by Lei Guang Laozu, they might be able to make connections with some important figures at the banquet!

"Lei Kesi, Qing Lan, the two of you will come with me this time!" Lei Guang Laozu said after a moment of thought.

"Yes!" Two Realm Lord-level powerhouses below hurriedly nodded in response.

One Realm Lord wearing a golden robe had a face full of joy, while the other—a graceful woman in cyan battle armor with a cyan mark at her brow—had a rather complicated expression.

That golden-robed figure, 'Lei Kesi', was the father of Lu Qingshan's current wife Kalina. Being able to go see Lu Qingshan, who had already become a Marquis-level powerhouse, naturally made him very happy, after all, ever since Lu Qingshan became an immortal god, he rarely saw him, at most only going to see his daughter Kalina;

As for the other graceful woman, she was someone Lu Qingshan had once pursued after his third wife's passing—now the number one Realm Lord of the Lei Guang Hai star region, 'Hurricane Realm Lord' Qing Lan!

At this moment, this Hurricane Realm Lord's mood was undoubtedly very complicated!

Back when Lu Qingshan pursued her, she did not agree to Lu Qingshan, because Lu Qingshan had already had three wives before, and also had many children;

Later, after Lu Qingshan became an immortal god, although she felt somewhat wistful, she did not feel too much regret, because she felt that her future achievements would not necessarily lose to Lu Qingshan's;

Therefore, she had been cultivating desperately ever since, even becoming the number one Realm Lord of the Lei Guang Hai star region, and even Lei Guang Laozu valued her more;

But she had not expected that in less than two million years, she was still only a Realm Lord, while Lu Qingshan had actually become a Marquis Immortal even more powerful than Lei Guang Laozu, and even Lu Qingshan's son Lu Hongwen, whose strength was far inferior to hers back then, had already broken through to become an immortal god!

On the other side, Lei Guang Laozu's gaze also turned toward Qing Lan, his heart filled with considerable emotion.

Although Qing Lan had now become the number one Realm Lord of the Lei Guang Hai star region, this kind of talent was nothing at all in Lei Guang Laozu's heart.

After all, the maximum lifespan of a Realm Lord was only ten million years, and over the long ages, Lei Guang Laozu had already seen countless geniuses, and even those two clan juniors he had previously spent vast resources to send into the Primordial Universe were far more brilliant than the current Qing Lan!

"I didn't expect that just after Marquis Qingshan broke through to become an immortal, a second immortal god would appear in his family!"

Lei Guang Laozu could not help sighing in his heart: "And I have already lived for endless ages, yet my family still has not been able to produce a second immortal god!"

In fact, Lei Guang Laozu had also heard about how Lu Qingshan had spent resources to send his children and disciples into the Primordial Universe for comprehension back then.

At the time he had felt Lu Qingshan was wasting resources, but he had not expected that Lu Hongwen would actually break through!

"Perhaps I should give Qing Lan a chance. She and Marquis Qingshan are acquainted, and if she can break through to become an immortal in the future, after Kalina perishes, she might have a chance to become Marquis Qingshan's next wife!" Lei Guang Laozu could not help secretly thinking.

……

'Ice Crystal Island' under the jurisdiction of Yanfeng Continent.

This was a beautiful island constructed entirely of transparent ice crystal, and also the office of the Virtual Universe Company's Yanfeng branch.

In a towering palace in the central area, three figures were currently sitting beside an enormous round table over a thousand meters in diameter, conversing.

These three figures were the three highest-ranking ministers in the Virtual Universe Company's branch in the Yanfeng Universe Nation—'Mie Xin Hou', 'Marquis Zilin Hou', and 'Yan Chihuo'!

All three of them possessed peak Marquis-level strength, and also had astonishing backgrounds—otherwise, it would have been absolutely impossible for them to sit in their current positions!

"You two should have also received that email from Marquis Qingshan, right!"

Yan Chihuo, who wore a crimson robe, spoke up: "What do you think—is it better for us to go in person, or just send someone to deliver the gift?"

"Yan Chihuo!"

Mie Xin Hou, who wore purple gauze attire beside him, quickly said in a soft voice: "In my view, the three of us should still hurry over together to celebrate!"

"Isn't he just a minor initial-stage Marquis?"

Yan Chihuo said nonchalantly: "Although his teacher is Lei Huanwang, Lei Huanwang has so many disciples, there's no need for us to give him this much face, is there?"

"Yan Chihuo, you are unaware of something!"

Mie Xin Hou said softly: "I once heard my teacher mention that Marquis Qingshan has already fully comprehended the essence of the time origin law. As long as he doesn't perish in the future, stepping into the King Sealed Realm is only a matter of time!"

"Besides, I've heard he has some connections with Lord Tian Shi Wang. Once he truly becomes a Feng Wang Immortal, his position within the company will probably surpass ours by a notch. It certainly wouldn't hurt for us to go over now and build good relations!"

"Lord Qingshan actually has connections with Lord Tian Shi Wang?" Upon hearing Mie Xin Hou's words, Yan Chihuo was visibly surprised.

"This matter I can confirm!"

Marquis Zilin Hou, standing to one side, quickly spoke up: "Back when Lord Tian Shi Wang had just broken through to the Decay Realm, he held a banquet. I went along with my teacher at the time, and at that banquet I saw Lord Qingshan. Moreover, he had received an invitation from Lord Tian Shi Wang himself, not tagging along with a teacher like I was!"

"I remember that during the banquet, Lord Tian Shi Wang even walked over and exchanged a few words with that Lord Qingshan — clearly they had some connection!"

"So that's how it is!"

Yan Chihuo nodded slightly, then said: "Then it seems not only must we go this time, we'd best prepare a fairly suitable gift as well!"

"Actually, I've already thought of a gift!"

Mie Xin Hou quickly said in a soft voice: "From what I know, after Lord Qingshan's son became an Immortal, he didn't join our Virtual Universe Company faction, but chose to return to his hometown to hold down the family! We can fully absorb him into our Yan Feng branch, then hand over the affairs of the star domains around the Lei Guang Hai star domain to him to manage!"

"That's a great idea!"

"I agree too!"

Yan Chihuo and Marquis Zilin Hou quickly nodded in agreement.

This gift required no money from them, yet would let Lu Qingshan feel their sincerity — simply perfect!

……

And in one of the rather unassuming towering palaces on this Ice Crystal Island, there were three figures. Two of them wore black robes and stood respectfully behind a man in white.

And that man in white was precisely Lu Qingshan's former direct superior back when he worked at the Yan Feng branch before entering the Initial Universe — the Immortal God 'Marshas'!

"Lord Qingshan has just personally sent me an invitation!"

There was a hint of excitement in Marshas's voice: "This time it's because Lord Qingshan's third son, Lu Hongwen, has broken through to become an Immortal God, so Lord Qingshan is widely inviting friends to celebrate!"

"From what I know, among the several hundred Immortal Gods in our entire Yan Feng branch, those who receive an invitation absolutely won't exceed thirty! This time you two will come with me to attend the banquet — it'll be a good chance to broaden your horizons…"

"Teacher!"

Before Marshas finished speaking, a black-robed youth behind him exclaimed: "Are you saying that Lu Hongwen of the Lei Guang Hai star domain has broken through to become an Immortal God?"

"That's right!"

Marshas nodded slightly, then asked with a smile: "Keren, I previously instructed you to build good relations with that Lu Hongwen — how did that go?"

"This…"

Upon hearing Marshas's words, World Lord Keren hemmed and hawed, completely at a loss for what to say.

Back when Lu Qingshan went to Marshas to apply for a World Lord-level Initial Universe comprehension quota, this Keren was right beside Marshas.

But until Lu Qingshan broke through to become an Immortal, he only ever felt that Lu Qingshan was merely lucky, and naturally paid even less attention to Lu Hongwen — who hadn't even gained the acknowledgment of the Origin Laws!

But how long had it been since then, and that Lu Hongwen had actually broken through to become an Immortal?

And Marshas, seeing his disciple Keren in such a state, how could he not know the reason.

He then directly said: "Marty, notify Sokoni later — this time the two of you will go with me to attend the banquet!"

"Yes, Teacher!" the other black-robed World Lord hurriedly said respectfully.

(End of this chapter)