Friends

The Nine Li clone entered the bar, took a drink, and sat down by himself.

The marquises and Immortal Army Masters seated nearby all consciously moved away. The savage, bloody aura around him was simply too terrifying.

Seeing him sit down, Lian Luo pretended not to know him and invited him with a smile. "New friend, why not come over and drink and chat with us?"

The Nine Li clone raised his head and shot them a surprised glance. The other King Level beings also smiled. From the moment the Nine Li clone entered the bar, they had recognized him as the King Level warrior 'Jiu Li,' the man who had seized a precious treasure and stirred the entire Ninth Battlefield into turmoil!

Naturally, they wanted to befriend such a legendary figure.

"Fine." The Nine Li clone nodded coldly, then carried his wine cup over and joined the gathering of King Level warriors.

The many King Level warriors present were all Early King-level, while the Nine Li clone was stronger than an Early King-level warrior. Moreover, he had obtained a precious treasure; even High King-level warriors likely could not do anything to him.

On top of that, he had a divine-body clone and could burn his divine body in battle without restraint. In terms of both strength and status, he was fully comparable to a peak King-level warrior!

The moment he joined the gathering, he naturally became its central figure!

When speaking to him, the other King Level warriors carried faint traces of flattery, unconsciously appearing humble.

The Nine Li clone did not care. He merely drank and listened, occasionally interjecting with a few words, which immediately drew repeated agreement from the other King Level warriors.

Suddenly, the Nine Li clone frowned. He left behind only a sliver of consciousness here, while most of his consciousness had already entered the Virtual Universe.

When he opened his mailbox, a golden email lay quietly at the very top. The Nine Li clone opened it.

The sender was unexpectedly a Universe Venerable from the Universe Mercenary Alliance. Its contents were simple... he hoped to buy the precious treasure battle boots from him.

At the end of the email, the Venerable also stated: when making a living out in the universe, what use was being able to fight? What mattered most was having backing. As long as the Nine Li clone agreed to the deal, he could recommend him to join the Universe Mercenary Alliance and become a member of one of the Five Great Powers, and so on.

As the Nine Li clone read it, he could not help frowning. How could he fail to see the threat hidden in those words?

In truth, quite a few human peak King-level and King-level Limit warriors had already approached him during this period, hoping to obtain the precious treasure from him. But this was the first Universe Venerable!

However, as a Lone Wanderer with no race, family, or faction to worry about, he naturally did not take the threat to heart. "Venerable Lu Feng, is it? I'll remember you. If you dare provoke me, then wait to become the next 'Universe's Biggest Debtor'!"

The Nine Li clone's expression was cold, and the gathered King Level warriors were somewhat humble before him. Yet what made them envious was that Jiu Li seemed to get along quite well with the kindly old man, 'Ao Fu.'

They all sighed. For a kindly old man like Ao Fu, who never fought with the world, treated others well, and was sincere, it would not be strange for him to become good friends with anyone.

Even they themselves all had excellent relationships with Ao Fu, did they not?

There were three paths of cultivating the heart.

'Enlighten the Mind and See True Nature' was a foolish, stubborn insistence on one's original heart. There were no techniques involved, only one move: 'persist in one's original heart,' forcibly enduring every impact. It was like a boulder being continuously tempered beneath the pounding of floodwaters. Such people were like stinking stones in a latrine; in real life, no one would be willing to deal with them.

'Pure Heart,' on the other hand, involved technique. Be firm when firmness was needed, gentle when gentleness was needed; yin and yang, firmness and softness, all harmonized together. Someone who comprehended the state of mind known as 'Pure Heart' made anyone feel as though they were basking in a spring breeze. Countless people admired and trusted him, sensed his sincerity, and were willing to befriend him.

Lian Luo's Main Body had now embarked on the heart-cultivation path of 'Pure Heart.' Therefore, among the King Level warriors active around Base 076, every one who had interacted with him regarded him as a kindred spirit.

They could sense that Ao Fu was a gentle man who did not contend with the world. He would never deliberately harm his friends for his own benefit!

"Ao Fu truly is such a kindly old man!"

Virtual Universe, halfway up the central divine mountain of Thunder Island.

Lian Luo's Main Body quietly appeared in the plaza before Dry Witch Universe Master's palace. He walked up to the palace and respectfully called out, "Teacher!"

"What is it? Come in and speak," Dry Witch Universe Master's gentle voice came from within the palace.

Lian Luo's Main Body respectfully answered, "Yes, Teacher!"

He then stepped forward and entered the palace.

"Teacher, I have encountered some bottlenecks in my cultivation!" The moment he entered the palace, Lian Luo saw the imposing figure seated high within the hall. He quickly said, "There are some things I do not understand regarding the second level of the Star Prison Demonic Codex!"

Lian Luo followed the path of analyzing the essence of space, the most fundamental path of the Space Law. Before his fall, he had already mastered the first level of the Star Prison Demonic Codex and comprehended the sixth diagram of the Nine Universes Chaos Tablet, the 'Star River Diagram.'

This level of Law Comprehension corresponded to levels sixteen through eighteen of the Tongtian Bridge. Lian Luo's current Law Comprehension was roughly at the seventeenth level. As long as he passed the eighteenth level of the Tongtian Bridge, it would mean he could reach King Level.

If he had focused solely on comprehending the Nine Universes Chaos Tablet, then with his current state of mind of 'Pure Heart,' along with his foundation of having analyzed all 108 essences of the Space Law, even this final diagram would not have troubled him.

However, he was simultaneously comprehending the second level of the Star Prison Demonic Codex, and the fusion of the fire and space laws had stumped him.

If he were not in a hurry, he could eventually comprehend it himself after spending hundreds of millions of years. But he had already taken a teacher. It was one thing to comprehend things by himself before becoming a disciple, but if he still did everything himself after becoming one, would that not make taking a teacher pointless?

Thus, without hesitation, Lian Luo came to seek his teacher's guidance.

Dry Witch Universe Master was an extremely ancient Universe Venerable, one who had completely comprehended the Origin Space Law. With his realm, even a little guidance could save Lian Luo countless years of arduous cultivation.

"Eh?" Dry Witch Universe Master did not immediately offer guidance. Instead, he looked at Lian Luo in surprise. "Disciple, why has your temperament changed so greatly?"

Although this disciple of his had not lived long, his nature had been exceptionally bloodthirsty and cruel. Otherwise, he would not have used a title like 'Blood-Robed Marquis.'

But now, his temperament had changed far too much.

The distinctive blood-red feathered robe he once wore had vanished, replaced by a moon-white long robe. His former savage aura had also disappeared without a trace. Now, his entire body radiated a gentle, approachable air, as though he were a saint who saved the suffering masses.

Lian Luo smiled respectfully. "Teacher, I have made some progress in my state of mind. Perhaps the change in my temperament is related to that."

"State of mind?" Dry Witch Universe Master first pondered, then revealed a delighted expression.

As an ancient being, he naturally knew the benefits of a powerful state of mind. Those with strong mental cultivation not only cultivated faster than other experts, but were also exceptionally skilled at resisting soul attacks!

However, there was no systematic path for cultivating the heart. It relied entirely on personal comprehension, so heart cultivation was very difficult!