Chapter 1353: Lu Wen

After distributing the rewards, the Sovereign of Xingju, the Sovereign of Noah, and numerous Immortal deities departed.

Only Lu Wen remained.

"Jingming."

Lu Wen looked at Xu Jingming before him, his eyes filled with pride.

"I am immensely proud that you won the Genius Competition."

The Eternal Star Alliance differs from the Noah Empire—there, the Immortal-tier cultivators are generally far stronger than ours.

But as a newcomer, once you reach the Star Dome Academy, remember to keep a low profile."

"Rest assured, Master, I understand," Xu Jingming nodded solemnly.

"Good."

Lu Wen withdrew an ancient tome from his space ring, its cover inscribed in bold, swirling characters: "Thunder Punishment Heavenly Prison."

"This is my self-created T4 combat technique, 'Thunder Punishment Heavenly Prison,' learnable at the Star Level."

You are currently at Starlight Peak, just one step away from the Star Level, so I give you the tome now."

But once you reach the Star Dome Academy, I fear I won't have the chance to teach you personally."

Xu Jingming took the tome and swept it with his spiritual force; instantly, he sensed the profound secrets within.

He bowed deeply: "Thank you, Master."

Lu Wen smiled and waved his hand: "We are master and disciple—no need for such formalities."

"Enough. I must return to the Sacred Ground to handle affairs; I won't stay longer."

"Remember, if you encounter difficulties at the Star Dome Academy, you may still contact me for help."

With that, Lu Wen's figure dissolved into a streak of Lei Guang, shooting skyward.

"I never expected to part from my Master so soon."

Xu Jingming stood in place, gazing at the tome in his hand, unable to suppress a wave of emotion.

Had it not been for the Eternal Star Alliance's Genius Competition, he might have trained under Master Lu Wen for a long time.

"S-level! Are you done?" Eva's holographic projection suddenly popped up.

"What's wrong?" Xu Jingming looked at her in confusion.

"I just received word—the Sheng Liao Dan has arrived at the capital planet's courier station!"

Eva's face glowed with excitement.

"So fast?" Xu Jingming was surprised. "Wasn't it supposed to take a few more days?"

He had asked before the one-on-one tournament began.

"Hehe, I paid for express delivery—spent one billion cosmic credits!"

Eva swung her green twin tails proudly. "Aren't I clever?"

Xu Jingming couldn't help but smile.

Then again, after waiting so long, Eva must have longed to return to her body.

"Then let's go pick up the Sheng Liao Dan," Xu Jingming said with a smile.

The capital planet had dedicated interstellar courier stations; for valuable goods, even Star-level experts guarded them.

The Sheng Liao Dan Xu Jingming purchased received this level of service.

After informing Ye Lan and the others, he headed to the Xingju Courier Station.

After identity verification, the staff respectfully handed him a safebox forged from special alloy.

The box was entirely silver-white, its surface engraved with complex runes, emitting a faint energy fluctuation.

"This is a specialized safebox for S-level items—it blocks all forms of detection and ensures the pill's potency remains intact," the staff explained.

Unconsciously, his tone carried deep respect.

Indeed, facing the genius who ranked first among all human beings in the cosmos, it was hard to remain indifferent.

"Alright, thank you for your effort."

Xu Jingming took the box and quickly returned to the Yunhai Community villa.

He placed the safebox on the stone table in the courtyard.

Upon hearing Eva would soon return to her body, Ye Lan and the others gathered curiously around.

"This is the Sheng Liao Dan that can restore an artificial lifeform to a physical form?"

Song Qiuyun stared intently at the safebox, her big eyes wide.

"I heard it's worth ten billion cosmic credits!"

Jiang Chuxuan stuck out her pink tongue. "I'll never earn that much in my lifetime."

"I never thought the AI from our Mo University could ever return to its body."

Ling Shuang also felt a pang of emotion.

Xu Jingming smiled, entered the password, and opened the safebox.

As the lid opened, a rich medicinal fragrance surged forth, invigorating the spirit.

Inside floated a crystal-clear pill, its entire body glowing emerald green.

Golden patterns swirled across its surface, rotating slowly as if alive.

"This is the Sheng Liao Dan."

Eva's holographic projection stood beside the box, her small hands clenched tightly, her voice trembling:

"I've finally waited for this day..."

For too long—so, so long!

Ten thousand years!

Her original age was merely less than three hundred thousand years.

"Are you ready?" Xu Jingming smiled at her.

"I'm ready!" Eva nodded firmly.

"Good, I'll retrieve your true body first."

With a thought, Xu Jingming took out the crystal coffin, carefully preserved, from his space ring.

The crystal coffin shimmered with dreamlike light in the sunlight.

The woman inside possessed breathtaking beauty.

Her emerald-green hair cascaded like a waterfall, her pointed elf ears exuding an exotic charm.

She wore a simple white gown, beneath which slender, proportionate legs were faintly visible.

Above her slender waist rose a perfectly sculpted, majestic curve.

Her exquisitely crafted face seemed the pinnacle of heaven's artistry; even in closed-eyed slumber, she radiated a soul-stirring allure.

Whoosh—

With a flick of his spiritual force, the coffin lid burst open with a roar.

"We can begin," Xu Jingming whispered.

"Alright."

The holographic projection of little Eva drew a deep breath and dissolved into a streak of light, sinking into the brow of her true body.

In an instant, brilliant green light erupted from within the coffin.

A powerful spiritual surge swept outward, bending the courtyard's flowers and grasses low.

The elf woman's eyelashes trembled slightly; her lips parted, and the Holy Healing Pill floating above her slid automatically into her mouth.

As the pill entered her belly, fine green specks began to glow across her body, like countless fireflies swirling around her.

"So beautiful..." Ye Lan couldn't help but sigh.

In terms of beauty alone, Eva's true body truly matched any woman present.

Xu Jingming stared unblinkingly at the changes within the coffin.

He could feel Eva's spiritual force merging with her physical form.

And under the effect of the Holy Healing Pill, this fusion was utterly smooth, with no resistance.

Even the hidden injuries left by the Star Peak demonic beast had healed one by one.

"No wonder it's an S1-level resource—its effect is truly immense."

Xu Jingming couldn't help but marvel.

Soon, ten minutes passed.

The elf woman's aura stabilized; her complexion regained its rosy hue.

"Mmm~"

With a soft sigh, the elf woman slowly opened her eyes.

They were eyes as clear and luminous as emeralds, more vivid and spirited than the adult Eva Xu Jingming remembered.

She gently raised her hand, touching her cheek, as if unable to believe it was real.

Then, she pushed herself up slowly against the coffin's edge, movements slightly awkward yet naturally graceful.

"Eva?" Xu Jingming called out tentatively.

The elf woman turned her head, her gaze settling on Xu Jingming; her red lips parted.

Her voice was no longer the childlike treble, but a soft, mature feminine tone:

"S-class... I succeeded."