Chapter 55: Astonishing Will (5000 for First Orders)

On the Sky-Connecting Bridge Plane, in the central square.

Walsh, who was watching Lu Qingshan's live battle broadcast, was completely stunned when he saw Lu Qingshan truly cross the twelfth layer of the Thunder Sky-Connecting Bridge.

He knew that his own comprehension of the laws was currently at this very level.

And what about this Lu Qingshan?

Not only had he barely comprehended the Time Origin Law before breaking through to Immortality, but his cultivation time was also much shorter than Walsh's, yet he had caught up to him?

When he had interacted with Lu Qingshan before, Walsh had felt some contempt in his heart for Lu Qingshan, a common Immortal who could only break through to Immortality by focusing solely on comprehending lower-level Origin Laws.

Although they both possessed the strength of a Junior Army Master, his achievements in the upper-level Origin Laws were far higher than those of a common Immortal like Lu Qingshan, and his future path to further increase his strength would be much simpler!

But now, Lu Qingshan had actually crossed the twelfth layer of the Sky-Connecting Bridge within just over a million years after becoming an Immortal; how could he, who had cultivated for three million years after becoming an Immortal yet made little progress, bear this?

"I didn't expect that Lu Qingshan's cultivation speed after becoming an Immortal was not affected at all, but even became faster!"

Looking at Lu Qingshan's figure on the screen, Walsh couldn't help but sigh inwardly: "If Lu Qingshan can maintain this cultivation speed, I'm afraid that in another few million years, his strength will surpass mine!"

And beside Walsh, Guardian Bafen, the warden of the Sky-Connecting Bridge Plane, was also slightly surprised after seeing Lu Qingshan cross the twelfth layer of the Thunder Sky-Connecting Bridge.

"What an interesting little fellow!"

Guardian Bafen thought inwardly: "Perhaps tens of thousands of eons from now, this little fellow will have the chance to become a Marquis Immortal possessing an indestructible body!"

Yes!

In Guardian Bafen's eyes, Lu Qingshan's astonishing progress within just over a million years after becoming an Immortal was merely good.

After all, throughout the long history of the Human Race, geniuses and strong ones were countless, and there were even a very few super geniuses who could cross the twelfth layer of the Sky-Connecting Bridge at the Universe Level...

Compared to those super geniuses, the achievements Lu Qingshan had made so far were simply insignificant!

The reason Guardian Bafen was somewhat surprised was entirely because Lu Qingshan's progress during this period did not resemble that of a common Immortal Deity who broke through by specializing in comprehending lower-level Origin Laws.

But in reality, Lu Qingshan's current strength and speed of progress were at most considered good at the Immortal Army Master level, and among the countless Immortal Deities within the Virtual Universe Company, he was utterly unremarkable!

On the other side, Lu Qingshan, who had crossed the twelfth layer of the Thunder Sky-Connecting Bridge, had already begun flying along the bridge surface towards the thirteenth layer of the Thunder Sky-Connecting Bridge.

The Thunder Sky-Connecting Bridge spanned the starry sky, connecting a planet directly to a massive star.

Lu Qingshan quickly flew along the bridge surface to the surface of this star.

Hiss... Hiss...

Endless flames surrounded him.

"Choose your opponent: Warrior, Controller, or Illusionist. Choose one, and defeat him to pass the thirteenth layer." A low voice came from within the entire star.

Lu Qingshan immediately responded: "I choose the Warrior!"

Boom!

As soon as Lu Qingshan finished speaking, clusters of flames suddenly erupted from the endless burning flames on the star's surface; these clusters of scorching flames gathered directly above the Sky-Connecting Bridge, finally forming a burly man clad in fiery red armor.

"Challenger, the fact that you have reached me is already quite good among common Immortals!"

The burly man, wearing a fiery red mask, looked at Lu Qingshan from afar, then said in a deep voice: "As long as you can pass my trial, it means you possess greater strength, and at the same time, your related permissions within the Virtual Universe will be upgraded!"

"However, I assume you understand that my strength is far beyond comparable to the gatekeeper of the twelfth layer of the Sky-Connecting Bridge!"

Hearing these words, Lu Qingshan's expression changed slightly.

Every three layers of the Sky-Connecting Bridge constitute a major checkpoint; naturally, the thirteenth layer is not so easy to pass.

In the original work, when Luo Feng crossed the thirteenth layer of the Nine Heavens Sky-Connecting Bridge, he was still slightly short of mastering the essence of all Shi Shi Jian Ben Yuan Laws, but he succeeded in passing the thirteenth layer of the Nine Heavens Sky-Connecting Bridge relying on a mental force amplitude dozens of times stronger, an innate secret technique enhancement, plus a trace of Beast God Intent that even Hun Dun Chengzhu had high hopes for.

But what about the current Lu Qingshan?

Except for having slightly better law comprehension than Luo Feng at that time, he was far inferior to him in all other aspects; naturally, passing the thirteenth layer of this Thunder Sky-Connecting Bridge was a very difficult task.

"Even so, I must see just how strong the gatekeeper of this thirteenth layer truly is!"

"Kill!"

Lu Qingshan let out a explosive shout, then instantly transformed into a dark golden stream of light and charged directly at the opponent.

Seeing Lu Qingshan strike first, the burly man quickly began to activate the complex secret patterns on the long spear in his hand.

Boom!

The two clashed instantly.

The ancient crimson long spear in the burly man's hand seemed to possess true life; it first struck Lu Qingshan's purple crystal long sword away at a very bizarre angle, then with a light thrust, the ancient spear in his hand directly pierced through Lu Qingshan's Marquis Meixin.

Under this terrifying attack, Lu Qingshan had little chance to struggle and perished in a very short moment.

"The gap between the thirteenth and twelfth layers of the Sky-Connecting Bridge is indeed too large!"

"To pass this trial, I'm afraid a long period of arduous cultivation will still be needed!"

A thought flashed through Lu Qingshan's mind, and then he was directly kicked out of the Sky-Connecting Bridge Plane.

When Walsh on the island of the Sky-Connecting Bridge Plane saw Lu Qingshan defeated by the gatekeeper of the thirteenth layer, he finally let out a long sigh of relief in his heart.

"Lu Qingshan has finally lost."

Walsh couldn't help but think inwardly: "If he had really passed this thirteenth layer, I wouldn't know what to say to him when I met him in the future!"

As the saying goes, 'One fears a brother suffering, yet also fears a brother finding a heavy treasure!'

In Walsh's heart, he certainly did not want Lu Qingshan, who was originally weaker than him, to surpass him in strength!

Just then, the voice of Guardian Bafen reached his ears: "Walsh, you may enter now!"

Hearing these words, Walsh immediately transformed into a stream of light and charged towards the Thunder Sky-Connecting Bridge.

"Lu Qingshan could pass the twelfth layer!"

A flash of light appeared in Walsh's eyes: "Then this time I must pass the thirteenth layer!"

Although Walsh's current comprehension of the Time Origin Law was insufficient for him to reconstruct a more powerful divine body, he had already stayed in the core layer of the Virtual Universe Company for tens of millions of years and had some other opportunities.

Thunderbolt Bridge, Level Thirteen.

Walsh held out longer against the guardian this time, but was ultimately pierced through the skull by the guardian's sword.

Thunderbolt Bridge, Level Thirteen: Failure!

……

On the central island beyond, the sole guardian who had witnessed Walsh's failure, Guardian Bafen, couldn't help shaking his head and sighing: "Too arrogant! These genius elites, meticulously nurtured by the company from the start, look down on ordinary Immortals who joined for all sorts of reasons!"

"But they have no idea that among those ordinary Immortals, many possess extraordinary insight—before, they simply lacked the opportunity to join the Five Great Human Factions!"

"Still, this young man named Lu Qingshan, having become an Immortal so recently, has already stormed through Thunderbolt Bridge Level Twelve in one go—this alone should serve as an inspiration to the company's ordinary Immortals who, after breaking through, have grown complacent and ceased striving!"

……

At the very moment Walsh failed his trial, Lu Qingshan's consciousness was ejected from the Thunderbolt Bridge dimension and returned to his residence on Lei Ting Island.

"I've been too busy cultivating—I haven't yet tested the Immortal Altar or the Illusion Sea!"

Lu Qingshan thought to himself: "Now I have time—I'll try them all. It'll also let me accumulate more points."

With this thought, Lu Qingshan activated his intent and immediately applied to enter the Immortal Altar dimension.

……

Immortal Altar dimension.

This was an immensely vast black mountain range, within which rose countless peaks towering into the clouds.

At the summit of each peak stood a golden Immortal Altar.

Shhh!

On one empty golden altar, Lu Qingshan's figure appeared instantly.

Upon arriving on the golden altar, Lu Qingshan felt deeply uncomfortable.

The Immortal divine power, and the law fluctuations he normally sensed, had vanished entirely.

The only thing he could now use was pure physical strength.

"Since breaking through to Immortality and transforming my entire body into divine power, I haven't felt this way in ages!" Lu Qingshan silently marveled.

In the center of the golden altar stood a humanoid target, beside which a screen displayed the rules of the Immortal Altar dimension.

"Strike the humanoid target once each with your fist, elbow, head, knee, and foot—all within one second. Strength is calculated by minimum attack power!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

After reading the rules, Lu Qingshan swiftly struck the humanoid target five times in succession.

Data immediately appeared on the screen—

"100 units, 100 units, 100 units, 100 units, 100 units. Score: '100 units.' Reward: 81,000 points."

Perfect mastery of one's body, achieving one hundredfold physical output, is one of the most basic requirements for breaking through to Immortality. Lu Qingshan, having already broken through, had long since perfected control of his body.

Moreover, since this was Lu Qingshan's first time entering the Immortal Altar dimension, all previous reward tiers had stacked together, granting him an immediate 81,000-point reward!

"I won't need to come back to this Immortal Altar dimension again!"

Standing atop the peak, Lu Qingshan gazed around and could even spot other figures testing their physical output—likely core-genius elites within the Virtual Universe Company.

……

After leaving the Immortal Altar dimension, Lu Qingshan quickly arrived at the Illusion Sea dimension.

Boom—boom—boom…

Below, a pitch-black ocean roared endlessly, waves dozens of meters high crashing repeatedly against the cliff beneath Lu Qingshan's feet.

Lu Qingshan stood on the cliff, gazing far ahead at the boundless Illusion Sea.

"Through countless life-and-death struggles in the Outer Battlefield, through nearly ten million years of cultivation—just how far can my willpower carry me now?"

With this thought, Lu Qingshan activated his intent and instantly became a streak of light, flying toward the first island of the Illusion Sea.

……

On Lei Ting Star.

A terrifyingly powerful being suddenly descended, intent on annihilating the entire Lei Ting Star.

"How could this be?" Lu Qingshan stood in the void beyond Lei Ting Star, gazing at the supreme being nearby.

"Father, it's because a younger family member killed the favorite disciple of this terrifying powerhouse!" came the voice of his third son, Lu Hongwen, in Lu Qingshan's ear.

"Father, Master, what should we do?" The anxious voices of his other children and disciples also flooded into Lu Qingshan's mind.

"No!"

Lu Qingshan's will roared like thunder: "Do you think this illusion can deceive me? Wake up! Wake up!"

As Lu Qingshan pierced through the illusion, the surrounding scene instantly shifted, revealing an island blanketed in white sand—the true appearance of the Illusion Sea's islands.

And this was the fifteenth island he had broken through!

Fifteen islands—none had affected Lu Qingshan in the slightest!

At the edge of the twenty-first island, deep within the Illusion Sea, sat an old man draped in golden robes, his face covered in black scales—he was the overseer of the entire Illusion Sea dimension.

"Hmm?"

At the moment Lu Qingshan broke through the fifteenth island, the overseer suddenly opened his ancient eyes and exclaimed in surprise: "A mere beginner Military Lord? He broke through the fifteenth island? His will must be stronger than most Marquis-rank beginner Immortals!"

The black-scaled old man smiled toward Lu Qingshan's direction, curious to see how far his limits extended.

Moments later…

"He broke through the sixteenth too?" The overseer's astonishment deepened.

The twenty-one islands of the Illusion Sea resemble the first twenty-one levels of the Thunderbolt Bridge—once one breaks through the twenty-first island, their willpower rivals that of a Cosmic Zunzhe.

"His consciousness strength is certainly nowhere near that of a Marquis-rank Immortal!"

The black-scaled old man couldn't help marveling: "Yet his will is astonishingly strong—compensating for his weak consciousness! This young man's willpower is so immense, few Marquis-rank Immortals could match it!"

"The seventeenth!"

Having broken through the Illusion Realm on the sixteenth island, Lu Qingshan continued flying forward!

Boom boom boom!

The Illusion Realm on the seventeenth island descended, accompanied by an incomparably terrifying pressure…

But Lu Qingshan's will was incomparably tenacious, and in the end he still withstood the terrifying pressure and broke through the powerful Illusion Realm on this island!

Immediately after, Lu Qingshan charged up onto the eighteenth island!

However, the pressure carried by the Illusion Realm on this eighteenth island, as it descended, had once again grown much stronger. Even though Lu Qingshan's will was incomparably powerful, that terrifying pressure struck his consciousness like the heavens collapsing and the earth splitting apart!

In barely an instant, Lu Qingshan's consciousness was completely blasted apart by that dreadful pressure!

Eighteenth island, failure!

"This little fellow's strength of will is truly remarkable!"

The black-scaled-armor elder could not help sighing in admiration: "Although he is currently only an initial-grade Military Commander Undying, if he were to walk the path of an Illusionist, with such terrifying will, he would probably be able to display the strength of a high-grade Military Commander, or even an initial-grade Marquis!"

"It seems this news should be passed along to those Hei Fengwang Undying who walk the path of an Illusionist — perhaps among them there will be someone willing to take this little fellow as a disciple!"

Thinking of this, the black-scaled-armor elder quickly composed an email and then sent it out as a mass broadcast.

In each of these emails, the black-scaled-armor elder emphasized in particular how terrifying Lu Qingshan's will was — that with consciousness at the level of an initial-grade Military Commander, he had actually broken through the seventeenth island of the Illusion Sea, something that not even every Hei Fengwang Undying could accomplish!

Lu Qingshan naturally knew nothing of all this that the black-scaled-armor elder had done. Having been kicked out of the Illusion Sea plane, he was feeling quite emotional at this moment.

In fact, before challenging the Illusion Sea, he had not expected his own will to be so astonishing!

One must know that the eighteenth island of the Illusion Sea corresponds to the eighteenth level of the Tongtian Bridge — that is the realm that the majority of Hei Fengwang Undying can only Achieved realm.

Although he had failed to break through that eighteenth island, considering that his current consciousness is still far inferior to that of a Hei Fengwang Undying, it is enough to show that his will is already comparable to that of a Hei Fengwang Undying!

Of course, the reason Lu Qingshan was able to achieve this also involved many fortunate encounters.

First, his soul had crossed over from another world, and after fusing with the original host's soul, he was already quite gifted in terms of will;

However, when one's strength was still weak, the boost in strength that will could bring was not very great, so most people paid more attention to improving their comprehension of the Laws;

Second, when he had previously gone to the Extraterritorial Battlefield to temper himself and accumulate wealth, although he ultimately chose to retire, during this process he had also brushed with death several times, and had even encountered some powerful enemies skilled in soul attacks;

This kind of true life-and-death crisis naturally helped a great deal in raising one's soul and will;

Third, there was Lu Qingshan's continuous tempering of his own will over the long years that had passed;

Although his original plan had been to lie flat after becoming Undying, even if he kept hiding within the core territories of the human race, there was still a chance he could be targeted by alien-race spies and have his soul enslaved.

And once one's soul was enslaved, it would truly be over — even reversing time and space could not bring one back — so he usually placed extra emphasis on raising his own will.

With the help of so many fortunate chances, and combined with the accumulation of nearly ten million years, Lu Qingshan was finally able to possess a powerful will comparable to that of a Hei Fengwang Undying!

"However, after this challenge, the points in my hands have suddenly increased a lot!" Lu Qingshan looked at the points in his account that had surged, and a faint smile could not help appearing on his face.

The second chapter is still being written, it will be posted a little later

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(End of this chapter)