Ding~

The Luo Family ancestral hall in the virtual space had no dedicated guards. After all, this was a virtual world. As long as the core rule of "indestructibility" was set, even a World Lord Rank existence could not damage it in the slightest.

Tang Ping entered the ancestral hall, his heart full of reverence.

It might have been an ordinary place to the Luo Family's descendants, but to everyone else, it was a sacred site they could scarcely hope to reach in a lifetime.

On the walls on either side of the entrance hung a series of moving light-and-shadow murals, depicting the epic saga of the Luo Family's ancestor, Luo Feng, who had turned the tide time and again over the past several centuries to protect humanity.

From fighting King-level monsters alone and sweeping aside Beast Emperors, to defeating the Golden Horned Beast—a being with one of the universe's most powerful bloodlines—in a bloody battle; from thwarting the schemes of various factions coveting Earth, to defeating Nuo Lanshan, a Universe Level powerhouse under one of humanity's six peak factions, known as the "Giant Axe Warrior."

In the end, he had placed among the top hundred in the Ganwu Universe Kingdom's Genius Tournament, then gone on to claim the glorious third-place rank in the Universe Human Peak Genius Tournament at Star Rank.

Third among all human Star Rank warriors in the universe—that was the highest honor, placing him at the pinnacle of countless millions of human geniuses.

By contrast, Tang Ping had spent his entire life in classes of no more than a few dozen students, and his best exam result had only been third place. The difference between them was like heaven and earth, enough to inspire awe. It was truly terrifying!

After paying his respects to Luo Feng Ancestor's legendary achievements, Tang Ping and Luo Xiaoyu offered incense to the five heroes together.

Back then, those five heroes had fought alongside Luo Feng and sacrificed their lives to oppose the Golden Horned Beast. With the Luo Family's support, their descendants had since carved out a vast domain for themselves in the Milky Way Galaxy.

After offering incense, the two left the side hall and entered the main hall.

Seated cross-legged in the place of honor was an unusual life-form who looked like a girl of twelve or thirteen. A faint, deep-blue glow surrounded her. Her fluffy white hair looked as though it had been dusted with fresh snow, and faint glimmers like fragments of starlight shimmered between the strands. Her slanted bangs swept across her forehead, partly covering her eyes.

A pair of uncanny vertical pupils rested in her face, their irises a gradient of deep blue that held an indescribable air of mystery.

She wore a skintight outfit that seemed to be made of flowing starlight. Tiny silver flecks dotted its deep-blue surface, accentuating her curves just so.

Dark golden patterns edged the fabric. They were both exquisite decorations and energy circuits imbued with power, crackling faintly as they circulated.

A pair of small, palm-sized blue wings extended from her back, their membranes as thin as a cicada's wings. A translucent blue stinger trailed from her tailbone, its tip sharp as a scorpion's tail and its surface covered in spiral-shaped energy patterns.

Luo Xiaoyu placed her hands lightly in front of her abdomen, crouched, and bowed her head slightly in greeting. Seeing this, Tang Ping immediately cupped his hands in salute. In unison, they said, "Greetings, Lady Babata!"

"Hmm?" A crisp sound of surprise rang out. The next second, Babata flashed to Tang Ping's side, standing so close they were almost touching.

She leaned in with her not-yet-fully-grown oval face and studied Tang Ping with utmost seriousness.

Tang Ping felt a little puzzled under her scrutiny, but he wasn't nervous at all. As far as he was concerned, he'd always behaved honorably. Aside from occasionally watching some art films, he'd never done anything he needed to feel guilty about.

Luo Xiaoyu, however, grew nervous inside.

As far as she knew, when members of the family came here to register, Lady Babata usually couldn't be bothered to move. If she even sat up, that was already a great courtesy. More often, she would lounge in her chair with her legs crossed, and when she was in a bad mood, she might even scold them.

Today's behavior was truly out of the ordinary.

"Lady Babata?" Luo Xiaoyu ventured cautiously.

"Whoosh!" Babata's stinger shot up at once and gently covered Luo Xiaoyu's mouth.

Then she beat her little wings and floated in front of Tang Ping, standing about a head taller than him. Her expression suddenly turned utterly serious. "Tell me, are you willing to marry Luo Xiaoyu? In sickness and in health, in poverty and in wealth, will you love her, care for her, respect her, accept her, and remain faithful to her forever, until the end of your life?"

Tang Ping raised his hand solemnly and held up two fingers in an oath. "I am!" A day as husband and wife was worth a hundred days of affection. As long as Luo Xiaoyu didn't betray him, he naturally wouldn't let her down.

Babata immediately followed with another solemn question. "Tang Ping, are you willing to become an honorary disciple of my Falling Ink Star and fight for its glory from this day forward?"

"I am," Tang Ping answered without hesitation.

"Kehehehe!" Babata put her hands on her hips and let out a hearty, strange laugh. Then she flapped her wings, flew over to Tang Ping, and patted him on the shoulder. "Kid, you're pretty good! From now on, we're family."

"That's an honor," Tang Ping replied respectfully.

Babata's lips curled into a half-smile, revealing two tiny canine teeth. She repeated, "Hehe, you're pretty good."

Tang Ping was full of questions.

Babata had followed a peerless genius like Luo Feng and seen countless talented youths in Chaos City. Why was she treating Tang Ping as someone special?

Could it be... that he, too, had the potential to become one of the universe's supreme powerhouses?

After taking on an honorary disciple, Babata was clearly in an exceptionally good mood.

With a flash, her petite figure returned to the place of honor. She promptly crossed her legs, her slender feet bobbing rhythmically. The blue stinger behind her shimmered with a lustrous glow, standing straight up beside her and swaying leisurely with her body. She looked thoroughly pleased with herself.

Babata grinned for a good while before composing herself and turning serious. "Luo Xiaoyu, Tang Ping, according to the Luo Family's rules and based on your past achievements and aptitude assessments, your post-marriage benefits are provisionally set at Level One. Your marriage reward is one billion Silver Blue Coins."

"Your Planetary Rank assessment will be conducted once every twenty years. In twenty years, your level will be reassessed based on your overall performance, and you'll receive the corresponding rewards.

"Also, during those twenty years, you can receive an extra one hundred million Silver Blue Coins for each child you have, once the child's Luo Family lineage has been verified.

"Let me remind you: try to have your children born on Earth. Don't ask why; it's just Lady Babata's advice."

She paused, then added, "The family also has special incentive programs. For example, if you master a domain or comprehend the Law Essence during your Planetary Rank stage, or achieve a hundred-win or thousand-win streak in the Virtual Killing Field arena, you can claim generous rewards. You can look up the specific details yourselves later."

"Thank you, Lady Babata!" Luo Xiaoyu and Tang Ping exchanged delighted glances and quickly thanked her in unison.

"Ding~ Ten billion Silver Blue Coins have been deposited into your account!" The next second, the identity bracelet on Luo Xiaoyu's wrist gave a clear deposit notification. The unexpected surprise made them both even more excited.

Babata then turned her gaze to Tang Ping, her tone solemn. "As my honorary disciple from Falling Ink Star, Tang Ping has outstanding aptitude and is likewise rated Level One. Your enrollment reward is one billion Silver Blue Coins.

"On top of that, I'll give you a secret technique and a weapon for free. From now on, I'll assess you once every ten years. If you pass, you'll receive generous rewards as well."

Tang Ping's heart jolted. Babata really was generous—so generous!

I love you!

"Thank you, Lady Babata!" He quickly cupped his hands in gratitude, his voice full of appreciation.