Chapter 66: Elevation in Status

“Speaking of you married folks, you’re such a hassle—your family has so many descendants, and you’re always weighed down by concerns!”

“Unlike me! Since my parents passed away, the closest person to me has been my Master; now that I’ve broken through to Immortality, I can follow my Master for endless eons!”

Calista looked at Lu Qing and said: “Enough! Lu Qing, stop overthinking—your children and disciples will surely have other opportunities later. Let’s board the ship first!”

“Alright!” Lu Qing nodded slightly, then followed Calista into the ship’s lounge.

At this moment, others preparing to leave the Chaos City had also arrived; once everyone was assembled, the ship swiftly set course toward the Cosmic Passage.

After traversing a Cosmic Passage where time flowed erratically, Lu Qing and the others finally returned to the Primitive Universe.

“We’ve returned to the Primitive Universe!”

The Black Peak King, who managed the ship, looked at Lu Qing and others and quickly said: “I assume you all know how to proceed from here—disembark!”

With that, the Black Peak King walked over to the only grandson of Dream Moon Venerable.

Just as Lu Qing was about to leave the ship, Calista stopped him: “Lu Qing, wait!”

“Calista, what is it?” Lu Qing asked, puzzled.

“Grandmaster wishes to see you—wait a moment!” Calista whispered quickly.

“The Black Peak King wants to see me?”

A hint of confusion crossed Lu Qing’s face: “Calista, do you know why?”

“It’s probably because you cleared the Heavenly Bridge’s fourteenth level.”

Calista said quickly: “Earlier, Grandmaster even mentioned you—he said Lei Huanwang was lucky to have taken you as a disciple!”

“Alright then!” Lu Qing responded promptly.

Although the Black Peak King had only cleared the Heavenly Bridge’s nineteenth level, he was one of the five directors of the Virtual Universe Company’s Transport Division, primarily overseeing the transport corridor between the Initial Universe and the Primitive Universe—his status within the company was extremely high, even comparable to Lei Huanwang’s.

If he wanted to see Lu Qing, Lu Qing naturally had to obey without hesitation!

Soon after, the Black Peak King smiled as he saw Dream Moon Venerable’s grandson off the ship, then approached Lu Qing.

“Lu Qing!” the Black Peak King greeted calmly.

“Greetings, Black Peak King!” Lu Qing bowed slightly in respect.

“Hahaha!”

The Black Peak King smiled at Lu Qing: “Are you wondering why I specifically kept you behind?”

“Actually, it’s nothing much!”

The Black Peak King continued smiling: “I kept you because I heard a prodigy in my Transport Division had become an Immortal and cleared the Heavenly Bridge’s fourteenth level within a million years—I wanted to meet you!”

“Black Peak King, you flatter me too much!” Lu Qing quickly replied humbly.

“I’m not exaggerating!”

The Black Peak King continued: “When Lei Huanwang came to me requesting leave for you, I was puzzled—how could Lei Huanwang take an ordinary Immortal as a disciple? Then I learned you’d cleared the seventeenth island of the Illusion Sea, and realized you were quite talented. But I never expected your comprehension of cosmic laws to be this exceptional!”

“Now that your strength has broken through, your status in the Transport Division will rise accordingly. Go find Qingcang—he’ll handle all the arrangements for you!”

“Understood!” Lu Qing nodded quickly.

“Keep working hard in your cultivation—I hope to see you in Hongmeng City someday!” the Black Peak King added.

“I will strive with all my might!” Lu Qing immediately pledged.

“Alright, go on then!” the Black Peak King waved dismissively.

“Your servant takes leave!” Lu Qing replied, then flew out of the ship.

…

“Grandmaster!”

After Lu Qing left, Calista couldn’t help but ask: “What exactly is Hongmeng City? Why did you say you hope to see Lu Qing there?”

The Black Peak King glanced at Calista, paused briefly, then continued: “Hongmeng City gathers countless alien elites with my human race at its core—but even among humans, only a King-level Immortal may even approach Hongmeng City!”

King-level Immortal?

Upon hearing this, Calista was momentarily stunned.

After all, even her own Master—the strongest disciple under the Black Peak King—was still only at the peak of Marquis-level Immortal!

And Lu Qing?

Thinking of this, Calista asked hesitantly: “Grandmaster, you said you hope to see Lu Qing in Hongmeng City—does that mean he’ll become a King-level Immortal?”

Becoming a King-level Immortal was extremely difficult; her Master had been stuck at the peak of Marquis-level for billions of years without breaking through!

“Exactly!”

The Black Peak King looked at Calista and said: “Calista, don’t be fooled by Lu Qing’s current weak strength—he has already fully comprehended the essence of the Time Primordial Law. His potential is immense; his chance of becoming a King-level Immortal even surpasses your Master’s!”

“I see you two get along well—spend more time with him. If you become his wife, it will greatly benefit your future cultivation and development!”

“Grandmaster, what are you talking about?!”

Calista’s beautiful face flushed crimson: “Lu Qing already has a wife, and he has many children!”

“So what?” the Black Peak King waved dismissively: “It’s perfectly normal for a powerful being to have many spouses! You’re both young—over time, your loved ones will inevitably perish from lifespan limits. The only ones who’ll remain by your side forever are Immortal deities who also possess eternal life!”

“Even if Lu Qing has a wife and children now, they’ll all perish within a few million years. But if you become his wife, you’ll accompany him for endless eons!”

“This…” After hearing the Black Peak King’s words, Calista fell silent.

“This…” After hearing Black Peak King’s words, Kalista couldn’t help but pause slightly.

Lu Qing, having already left, knew nothing of the exchange between the Black Peak King and Calista—even if he had known, he wouldn’t have cared much.

After all, for him, the most important thing was to continuously strengthen his power until he became the supreme elite.

As for wife and children, he would leave it to fate.

After leaving the Black Peak King’s ship, Lu Qing quickly arrived at the Transport Division’s designated base. Qingcang was currently resting there, so Lu Qing soon found him.

Lu Qing soon arrived at the transport department’s dedicated base after leaving the Black Peak King’s ship; at that moment, Qingcang Marquis was resting at the base, so Lu Qing quickly found him.

Lu Qing looked at the towering, muscular ape-man before him, clad in an ancient green battle armor, then bowed slightly: “Greetings, Qingcang Marquis!”

“Hahaha! Brother Qing, I already heard you cleared the Heavenly Bridge’s fourteenth level!”

Seeing Lu Qing, Qingcang Marquis was extremely warm: “I recall you joined our Transport Division only a million years ago—your cultivation speed is incredible! In time, your strength might even surpass mine!”

Seeing Lu Qing appear, Qingcang Marquis showed extreme enthusiasm: “I remember you only joined our transport department a little over a million years ago! Your cultivation speed is truly astonishing—perhaps soon your strength will surpass mine!”

Lu Qing quickly said: “I came here to handle my official duties!”

“Brother Qing, just call me Qingcang!”

Qingcang Marquis smiled: “Don’t worry—I’ve already arranged everything for you!”

“Now that you’ve cleared the Thunder Heavenly Bridge’s fourteenth level, you’ve reached the rank of High Military Lord! According to Transport Division regulations, for every hundred thousand years you work, you may rest five thousand years—and you’ll earn five thousand credits per hundred thousand years!”

“But…” Qingcang paused slightly, then continued: “Brother Qing, you previously applied for a six-thousand-year leave. Since you applied as a Low Military Lord, you were supposed to work seven hundred thousand years consecutively afterward!”

“Fortunately, since you cleared the Heavenly Bridge’s fourteenth level so quickly, we can handle this easily—I’ll submit an application claiming you already possessed High Military Lord strength before your leave, but simply hadn’t completed verification yet!”

“Though this isn’t strictly compliant, the examiners will likely give us both some leeway—you’ll now only need to work two hundred thousand years consecutively, though your next leave will be reduced to four thousand years!”

Hearing this, Lu Qing finally understood how his status and position had changed with his increased strength.

His leave had been extended fivefold, and his income nearly doubled.

Even Qingcang’s attitude toward him had shifted…

After all, when he first served under Qingcang, though Qingcang never mistreated him, he’d always been coldly professional!

Even when Lu Qing requested leave in the Chaos City, Qingcang had sent him an official email reminding him of his duties afterward…

Now, because he’d become Lei Huanwang’s disciple and cleared the Heavenly Bridge’s fourteenth level, everything was different!

“Qingcang, thank you so much for this!” Lu Qing smiled.

“Hahaha, it’s just a small thing!”

Qingcang continued: “By the way, Brother Qing, your authority level within the Transport Division has also been upgraded since your strength increased—check your access permissions later!”

“And…” Qingcang glanced toward the chamber’s entrance and called out: “Come in!”

Qingcang Marquis continued: “By the way! Brother Qing, since your strength has increased, your relevant permissions within our transport department have also been upgraded—just check them yourself later!”

The chamber door slid open, and ten figures entered, bowing to Lu Qing and Qingcang: “Greetings, Qingcang Marquis! Greetings, Lu Qing Lord!”

Lu Qing looked and saw all ten were Peak World Lord cultivators who had received recognition from Primordial Laws!

“Qingcang, what is this…?” Lu Qing asked, puzzled.

“These are the assistants assigned to every High Military Lord in our Transport Division!”

Qingcang Marquis smiled: “All ten have undergone our division’s training and will accompany you for the next two million years, handling your daily administrative tasks!”

“Of course, if you’re dissatisfied with any of them, you may request replacements!”

Qingcang Marquis smiled and introduced: “These ten have all undergone various trainings from our transport department and will accompany you for the next two million years, handling routine tasks for you!”

“Alright, I’m handing them over to you!”

Qingcang Marquis smiled: “Get to know them well. If you have any questions, find me anytime in the Virtual Universe—I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll leave you now!”

“Understood!”

Lu Qing nodded, then promptly departed with his ten Peak World Lord assistants.

…

Moments later, inside the “Blood Red No. 3” starship’s main hall.

Lu Qing looked at his ten newly assigned assistants—each had height and appearance similar to his own, clearly carefully selected by Qingcang.

“This is the ship I use for work—you’ll all be working aboard this vessel from now on!”

Lu Qing explained, then asked: “What are your names?”

“Lord!” The first to speak was a woman, a Peak World Lord who had received recognition from the Wind Primordial Law: “My name is Mansfield Deloris Tristress!”

Lu Qingshan first explained, then asked, “What are your names?”

“My lord!” said the female Boundary Peak, one who had received the recognition of the Wind Primordial Law, first: “My name is Mansfield Deloris Tristris!”

“My lord, my name is Vida Scauderson Tulad.” Another burly man, recognized by the Earth Prime Principle, spoke respectfully.

“My lord, my name is…”

The ten assistants each gave their names; some were impossibly long.

“Enough!”

Lu Qing quickly said: “From today on, I won’t care what you call each other, but I’ll refer to you as Deloris, Scauderson, Zachary, Priscis…”

Lu Qing took the simplest part from each of their names.

“Yes, my lord!” All ten assistants replied in turn.

“Deloris!”

Lu Qing turned again to the stunning woman who had spoken first, recognized by the Wind Prime Principle: “Did you ten know each other before?”

“Your humble servant, we ten did not all know each other previously!”

Deloris quickly answered: “Priscis and I are of the same clan, but I had never met the others before!”

“Then how did you join the Virtual Universe Corporation?”

Lu Qing asked curiously: “Were you also members of the Endtime Mystery Realm?”

“My lord, we are not noble Endtime Mystery Realm Princes!”

Deloris replied again: “Priscis and I were recommended by our ancestral elder to join the Virtual Universe Corporation. We previously served in the Black Flame Branch until we received recognition from the Prime Principles and were transferred to the Headquarters Transport Division!”

…

After speaking with these ten assistants, Lu Qing finally learned their origins.

Though all ten had reached the peak of Domain Lord cultivation and received recognition from the Prime Principles, each had cultivated for over five million years.

Now serving under Lu Qing, they would have no holidays whatsoever; as long as Lu Qing did not replace them, each must serve him for two million years.

After those two million years, each would receive a reward of five thousand credits!

Notably, all ten shared one trait: they were all born within Divine Realms and were Divine Realm humans.

All humans of the Human Clan, if categorized by living environment, could be divided into Divine Realm humans, Universe Mystery humans, and Universe Nation humans.

Compared to Divine Realm humans and Universe Mystery humans, Universe Nation humans were far fewer in number.

After all, some Universe Mysteries contained supercontinents, each with a population rivaling that of an entire Universe Nation; as for the Divine Realms of Immortals, they were vast beyond measure, capable of housing immense human populations.

Moreover, the energy in Universe Mysteries and Divine Realms was often far denser than in Universe Nation territories, making it easier for inhabitants to strengthen themselves.

In many places, humans could reach Planetary or even Stellar level upon reaching adulthood…

Yet, despite their smaller numbers and greater cultivation difficulties, Universe Nation humans possessed the highest potential and produced the most supreme experts.

Just as plants require ample sunlight—too much crowding leads to stunted growth—the same applied to all life in the universe.

The birth and growth of life required absorbing a set of highly specialized cosmic energies.

For example, if only one life-bearing planet existed within a thousand light-years, all the special energy in that thousand-light-year span would be devoted to nurturing life on that single planet.

But population density in Universe Mysteries and Divine Realms far exceeded that of Universe Nation territories; thus, the life born there received far less of these special energies, naturally limiting their potential.

Generally, Divine Realm humans faced countless times greater difficulty than Universe Nation humans in breaking through to Immortality; over endless eons, few ever succeeded.

Universe Mystery humans had a chance to break through to Immortality normally, but becoming a Universe Sovereign was far harder than for a Universe Nation human of equal cultivation.

Territory was like fertile soil!

The larger the territory, the greater the potential of life within it, and the higher the probability of producing supreme experts.

Even with Lu Qing’s current authority, he could not learn this information from the Virtual Universe.

He knew it only because it had been mentioned in the original text.

Looking at the ten assistants before him, Lu Qing felt a pang of regret.

Their talents far surpassed those of his own children, yet their chance of breaking through to Immortality was nearly zero.

“What a pity,” Lu Qing silently sighed, then let the thought go.

(End of Chapter)