A Bowl of Instant Noodle Soup: A Blood Feud

A Realm Lord! And a ninth-level Realm Lord at that!

These words struck Liu Hui like a thunderclap, making his brain buzz and his breath catch for half a second.

Ninth-tier Realm Lord!

What does this mean?

In the vast universe, Immortal God often hide in secret realms and go into seclusion, sometimes not emerging for thousands or tens of thousands of years. The realm lords, on the other hand, are the absolute core of various forces, the ones who hold the rules of a region and whose words can determine the fate of billions of living beings!

Take, for example, the renowned Black Dragon Mountain Empire, a mid-sized Universe Country. Its His Highness, who is of extremely high status and conducts foreign exchanges, is only at the second level of the World Lord Rank!

Liu Hui's gaze fell on Tang Ping in front of him, and his heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand, overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

The world lord standing at the top of the cosmic pyramid was just a high school graduate a few decades ago, a weakling who hadn't even reached the Planetary Rank level and was a common sight on Earth.

But since marrying Sister-in-law Ping, in less than a hundred years, he has risen rapidly to the level of a border lord, and his current status is comparable to that of a prince of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire!

Terrifying!

Liu Hui stood frozen in place, his gaze sweeping over his former best friend with a complex expression.

The scenes in my memory overlap with the figures before my eyes: sharing a bucket of instant noodles at home, fighting over a bag of spicy strips, bickering for ages over a five-cent popsicle; skipping class together to go to internet cafes, secretly admiring the school beauty on the playground, running wildly through puddles in a downpour...

But now, although Tang Ping did not deliberately release any pressure, he naturally exuded a calm demeanor that looked down on all living beings, like a god above the clouds.

Am I worthy of dining at the same table with such an important person?

Liu Hui subconsciously recalled the high-level energy gathering of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire in the Virtual Universe a few years ago.

At that time, he sat in the corner closest to the door, only able to watch from afar as Luo Yanchang chatted and laughed with the energy minister, who was at the Domain Lord level, exuding the composure of a superior in every gesture.

Even though they were at the same long table, eating the same delicacies and drinking the same fine wine, those few steps felt like an infinitely distant and indestructible barrier, completely isolating him from that social class.

Now, his brothers, who were once his equals, have also stood on the other side of that barrier.

Waaaaah~

Tang Ping's smile gradually faded. Seeing Liu Hui standing there, seemingly lost in thought, he waved his hand in front of Liu Hui's face and asked, "Brother Hui, what's wrong?"

Liu Hui snapped back to reality, his lips trembling uncontrollably. He instinctively lowered his head, his voice tinged with awkwardness and restraint. "M--sir, it's... it's nothing."

"Grown ups?"

Tang Ping was taken aback, then a smirk appeared on his face. He raised his hand and punched him lightly, the force carrying a familiar intimacy. "With our relationship, you're giving me this nonsense? Alright, Liu Hui, you've grown wings, haven't you? You've learned to play dumb, huh?"

Come here! Little Liu Hui, kneel down and shine my shoes, or I'll expose your embarrassing moment on the first night of the Lunar New Year! You said you'd only drink a sip of my instant noodle soup, but good grief, you emptied the whole thing!

Liu Hui staggered from the blow, then felt a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

Good heavens! A powerful figure at the ninth level of the Realm Lord level actually still holds a grudge over a bowl of instant noodle soup from decades ago? His heart is smaller than a pinhead!

He subconsciously muttered to himself, "Then why don't you remember when we went fishing by the river during the summer vacation after the second year of junior high, I finally caught a big fish weighing over 100 pounds, and you just scooped it up with your net and it got off the hook?"

There was also the time in elementary school when we sneaked into the girls' restroom. You ran faster than a rabbit, but I got caught red-handed by my dad and was hung in the yard and beaten for half the night. In the end, I had to take the blame for you, saying that I did it all by myself!

However, as soon as he said those words, the slight sense of distance that Liu Hui felt due to the difference in their social status vanished instantly.

It's still the same Tang Ping, unchanged!

He immediately put on a grinning face, rushed over and grabbed Tang Ping's leg, rubbing his head against his trouser leg, his voice filled with exaggerated flattery. "Brother Ping! My good Brother Ping! You're a big shot in the realm now, you have to take good care of me!"

I'm not greedy. Just give me some of the leftover rare and precious materials you don't care about! If you don't take me with you, I'll cry myself to death at your doorstep and let the whole universe know that you, Great Realm Lord Tang, are ungrateful! Waaaaah~"

Isn't this the scene he's always dreamed of? His brother's taking off and making a fortune, he'd better hold on tight to this powerful figure!

A man's knees are worth gold; now is the time to cash in.

"Go to hell!"

Tang Ping chuckled and kicked him away, then disdainfully patted the non-existent dust off his calves. Seeing that Liu Hui was about to pounce on him again like a leech, he casually waved his hand, and a secret rune containing pure energy instantly condensed and stuck to Liu Hui with a "snap".

This secret rune contains the energy fluctuations of one million Ganwu Coin; it is a high-level prohibition talisman!

The next second, Liu Hui's Personal Terminal emitted a crisp notification sound:

[Ding! You have received a special red envelope from Tang Ping: "Immobile Fortune!"]

[Effect: By remaining stationary, you will automatically gain 10,000 Ganwu Coin every minute!]

[WARNING: If you leave the current area, the red envelope will automatically expire, and any unclaimed Ganwu Coin will be recycled!]

Liu Hui's eyes widened instantly, his pupils contracted sharply, and the playful smile on his face froze, replaced by unbelievable ecstasy!

Ganwu Coin!

You should know that one Ganwu Coin is equal to one thousand Black Dragon Coin! That means he doesn't have to do anything right now; he can just stand still and earn ten million Black Dragon Coin every minute!

Ten million Black Dragon Coin!

This is enough to cover his family's living expenses for several years, enough for all the material expenses for his daughter's cultivation from the Planetary Rank all the way to the Star Rank, and there would even be a large sum left over!

Liu Hui immediately held his breath, not daring to blink even once, for fear that any movement would cause him to lose this windfall.

Seeing Liu Hui frozen in place by the talisman, not daring to even blink, Tang Ping finally breathed a sigh of relief. He then circled his good brother twice, marveling at his goodness, and patted him heavily on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Brother Hui, we've been inseparable since childhood, how could I forget you? From now on, if I have a bite of meat, you'll definitely have a bite of soup!"

Liu Hui blinked his eyes with difficulty, cursing Tang Ping eight hundred times in his heart. "Still standing still is a coward!"

That bastard realm lord actually went to great lengths to trick him!

Seeing his frustrated and hesitant expression, Tang Ping shook his head helplessly. With a flick of his finger, a shimmering white rune floated down onto Liu Hui's body—it was the Unsealing Talisman.

The next second, Liu Hui's Personal Terminal beeped again with a crisp notification sound:

[Ding! You've received a special red envelope from Tang Ping. Sit and Reap a finger!]

[Effect: Immediately sit down and engage in normal conversation to instantly unlock a reward of 1 million Ganwu Coin!]

"Smack!"

The chair legs made a crisp sound as they hit the ground.

Hesitation? That's the greatest blasphemy against money!

Almost the instant the notification sound rang, Liu Hui sprang to the chair next to him as if he had pressed an accelerator. His previously taut fat instantly relaxed, and a fawning and expectant smile spread across his face. His eyes shone brightly as he stared at Tang Ping, looking just like a puppy waiting for its owner to throw it a bone.

Is there any more, Brother Ping? A little more, please!

Tang Ping chuckled at his greedy appearance, waved his hand, and said without hesitation, "Little Hui, don't just focus on this little bit of money! I've already reserved a whole set of cultivation resources for you to break through to the Universe Level. Go back and quickly go into seclusion to sprint and try to catch up with me as soon as possible."

Otherwise, for thousands or tens of thousands of years to come, when I stand at the top of the universe looking down on all living beings, I won't even have anyone to chat and boast with. How boring would that be?

"Thank you, sir!"

Liu Hui suddenly jumped up from his chair, imitating the way nobles greet their superiors in the Virtual Universe, bowing exaggeratedly and speaking in a voice loud enough to shatter windows.

Good brothers are two-faced, saying one thing and thinking another. They call you "sir" but secretly treat you like a sucker. They'll take advantage of you, since this guy is rolling in money and doesn't need these resources!

Tang Ping obediently raised his chin, deliberately putting on a stern face. "You may leave, I am tired."

"Here you go!"

Liu Hui responded and turned around eagerly, not forgetting to wink at Tang Ping before leaving.

Tang Ping smiled slightly, a genuine sense of satisfaction and warmth, until his good brother's figure completely disappeared outside the door.

There was a time when he fantasized about what would happen if his family and friends suddenly became rich, and he could take them with him to great heights.

But now that I've actually reached this level, I realize that the feeling of "helping others get rich" is far more satisfying than enjoying wealth all by myself.

Happy.