Chapter 53: Reattempting the Heavenly Bridge
"Time really flies!"
After hearing the reminder from the AI lifeform Deep Blue, Lu Qingshan couldn't help but sigh: "I didn't expect Third Son is also nearing his lifespan limit!"
Among Lu Qingshan’s three sons and three daughters, his third son Lu Hongwen was closest to him, for Lu Hongwen was the youngest son of Lu Qingshan and his first wife, Situ Qingqing.
Situ Qingqing and Lu Qingshan met during the Planetary Stage and were childhood companions; since both were weak at the time, conceiving children was simple, so Situ Qingqing bore Lu Qingshan three sons and one daughter in succession.
Unfortunately, Situ Qingqing’s cultivation talent was not strong, and with Lu Qingshan’s capabilities back then, he could at most use precious nutrient fluids to forcibly elevate her to the peak of the Cosmic Stage—there was no way he could help her break through to the Domain Lord Stage.
Thus, as time passed, Situ Qingqing, Lu Qingshan’s childhood companion, soon perished due to the one-hundred-thousand-year lifespan limit of the Cosmic Stage.
His other two sons and one daughter, though possessing some cultivation talent, all failed to break through to the Domain Lord Stage, and thus perished hundreds of millions of years ago due to their lifespan limits.
Only his third son, Lu Hongwen, ultimately broke through to the Domain Lord Stage, and has followed Lu Qingshan ever since.
When Lu Qingshan entered seclusion to cultivate, Lu Hongwen diligently managed family affairs; when Lu Qingshan traveled outside, Lu Hongwen returned to Thunder Star to hold the family’s base; when Lu Qingshan needed sufficient resources to purchase an Initial Universe insight slot, Lu Hongwen exhausted every means to gather wealth...
"Third Son has truly worked hard all these years—I should give him a chance to enter the Initial Universe for insight!" Lu Qingshan thought silently.
If possible, Lu Qingshan even wished for Lu Hongwen to directly break through and become an Immortal Deity.
But now, he was merely an ordinary Immortal, and the most beneficial and cost-effective thing he could access for cultivation was an Initial Universe insight slot.
However, Lu Hongwen’s cultivation talent was not particularly strong—he had never gained recognition from the Metal Primordial Law even after all these years of cultivation, and even after three hundred years of training in the Initial Universe, the likelihood of mastering the complete Metal Primordial Law remained low.
Yet, considering the nearly ten-million-year bond with his third son, Lu Qingshan still decided to give him a chance.
Thinking of this, Lu Qingshan quickly asked in his mind: "Deep Blue, how many points do I have left?"
"Master, you currently have 18,564 points remaining!" Deep Blue replied promptly.
"What?" Upon hearing Deep Blue’s answer, Lu Qingshan was slightly stunned: "How did I end up with so few points?"
Keep in mind that Lu Qingshan has already been working in the Virtual Universe Corporation's transportation department for over a million years; even if he never encountered any troubles during his missions, his basic salary alone should have already exceeded 30,000 credits.
"Master!"
The AI lifeform Deep Blue quickly replied: "You previously purchased some treasures and secret techniques, and often socialized with colleagues—remaining with this many points is already quite good!"
"What about my bank account balance?" Lu Qingshan asked again.
"Your Universe River Bank account currently holds 4,673.4 Huan Yuan units!" the AI lifeform Deep Blue replied promptly.
"This..."
Upon hearing Deep Blue’s words, Lu Qingshan’s face showed a helpless expression.
All his wealth combined was insufficient to exchange for even one Domain Lord Initial Universe insight slot.
"Should I wait a while longer, or borrow some points from someone else?" Lu Qingshan thought silently.
Over the past hundred million years, Lu Qingshan had made many Immortal Deity friends within the Virtual Universe Corporation, and as a member of the Transport Department who had worked diligently for over a hundred million years, his income was secure—borrowing a few points from others was no problem at all.
But at that moment, the AI lifeform Deep Blue suddenly reminded him: "Master, you could try crossing the Thunder Star Heavenly Bridge! If you pass the eleventh level, you’ll immediately earn over one hundred thousand points!"
Hearing this, Lu Qingshan’s heart stirred.
That’s right!
His law comprehension had now reached the level of the twelfth level of the Heavenly Bridge; to gain a large amount of points quickly, crossing the Heavenly Bridge was undoubtedly his best choice.
Thinking of this, Lu Qingshan immediately linked his consciousness to the Virtual Universe and headed for the Heavenly Bridge dimension.
Virtual Universe, Heavenly Bridge Dimension.
On the magnificent central island, over a dozen figures were currently attempting the Heavenly Bridge.
The guardian Bafen, dressed in a black star-patterned robe, was clearly surprised to see Lu Qingshan appear out of thin air.
As the guardian of the Heavenly Bridge dimension, Bafen was intimately familiar with every individual who had ever visited the Heavenly Bridge dimension.
In his memory, Lu Qingshan had previously crossed the tenth level of the Thunder Star Heavenly Bridge primarily using the complete Lightning Primordial Law; logically, his future progress should have been far slower than those who crossed the tenth level using higher-tier primordial laws.
But now...
"Guardian!" Lu Qingshan bowed slightly in greeting.
"Little one, since you last crossed the tenth level of the Heavenly Bridge, it’s been over a hundred million years!" Guardian Bafen smiled and asked: "Are you here this time to attempt the eleventh level?"
Guardian Bafen had presided over the Heavenly Bridge dimension for eons; he had seen countless individuals like Lu Qingshan—those who broke through to Immortality primarily using complete lower-tier primordial laws.
Thus, he knew well that such individuals faced far greater difficulty in advancing further along the Immortal path.
Those who broke through to Immortality using lower-tier primordial laws and then crossed the eleventh level of the Heavenly Bridge within a hundred million years were not nonexistent—but they were rarer than the champions of every generation’s Heavenly Tournament!
"Yes, Guardian!" Lu Qingshan nodded gently in response.
"Little one, you seem quite confident!" Guardian Bafen chuckled. "Someone is currently attempting the Thunder Star Heavenly Bridge—you’re next. Wait until he finishes, then you may proceed."
"Understood!" Lu Qingshan nodded and waited to the side.
Moments later, another figure appeared in the Heavenly Bridge dimension. After greeting Guardian Bafen, he immediately noticed Lu Qingshan nearby.
"Brother Qingshan!" A voice echoed in Lu Qingshan’s ear.
Turning his head, Lu Qingshan saw it was one of his friends from within the Virtual Universe Corporation—a Yuanren Immortal Deity from the Thunder Star lineage, Walsh.
Unlike Lu Qingshan, Walsh had joined the Virtual Universe Corporation through the Cosmic Human Peak Genius Tournament; though merely a member of the Endtime Secret Realm, before becoming an Immortal, his comprehension of the Space Primordial Law had already surpassed the twelfth level of the Heavenly Bridge!
"Walsh!" Lu Qingshan smiled in greeting.
Unlike Lu Qing, Walsh joined the Virtual Universe Corporation through the Cosmic Human Peak Genius Tournament; although only a member of the Endtime Mystery Realm, before breaking through to Immortality, his comprehension of the spatial primordial law had already cleared the Twelfth Level of the Heavenly Bridge!
Walsh quickly walked over to Lu Qingshan’s side and asked with some curiosity: "Are you here to attempt the eleventh level?"
"Yes."
Lu Qingshan nodded slightly: "After over a hundred million years of arduous cultivation, my strength has finally improved a bit—I’ve come to try the eleventh level."
Walsh was about to say more, but Guardian Bafen had already approached and reminded them: "Lu Qingshan, the Thunder Star Heavenly Bridge is now clear—you may proceed. Walsh, you’re next."
"Yes, Guardian!" Lu Qingshan nodded and immediately shot forward as a streak of light toward the nearby Thunder Star Heavenly Bridge.
At that moment, Walsh beside him asked: "Guardian, may I watch Brother Qingshan’s trial live broadcast?"
He was not a King-ranked Immortal with high access privileges in the Virtual Universe, so he needed permission to view others’ battle livestreams.
"As long as Lu Qingshan agrees," Guardian Bafen replied promptly.
Meanwhile, Lu Qingshan, now at the entrance of the Thunder Star Heavenly Bridge, turned and answered: "Guardian, I agree."
No sooner had he spoken than his figure vanished into the entrance of the Thunder Star Heavenly Bridge.
Upon hearing Lu Qingshan’s reply, Guardian Bafen waved his hand, and a massive screen instantly appeared before Walsh.
On the screen, Lu Qingshan’s figure appeared, ascending the Thunder Star Heavenly Bridge toward the eleventh level.
After becoming an Immortal, the divine energy drawn from the Law Ocean and the base power of each Immortal stage have been revised: from level 11 to 20, the multipliers are 200, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 3000, 6000, 10,000, 30,000, and 100,000 times Domain Lord power, respectively.
The screen immediately showed Lu Qingshan’s figure, now ascending the Heavenly Thunder Bridge toward the eleventh level.
The method of drawing divine power from the Law Ocean after achieving Immortality, as well as the base power of each Immortality stage, has been revised: from level 11 to 20, the multipliers are 200, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 3000, 6000, ten thousand, thirty thousand, and one hundred thousand times the power of a Realm Master.
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