Journey to Australia

Swallowed Star World.

Qi Fei exited the Shared Space and opened his eyes.

After taking a lap around inside and returning, the fourth miniature planet in his dantian had also taken shape.

"Clone Cultivation really is something."

Qi Fei couldn't help but sigh.

The human forces on his side were simply too outrageous; they could directly give their geniuses nutrient solutions to help them grow rapidly.

In other worlds—especially classical cultivation worlds where it took ages to advance a single level—people would go crazy with joy if they encountered this.

After that brief sigh, Qi Fei began checking his other powers.

It was probably a characteristic of the Swallowed Universe.

When the Essence Boundary Breaker physique of Shen San Qi Fei and the legendary Dragon Race bloodline of Witch Qi Fei were shared with him, they had transformed into something similar to the Bloodline Potion from the original story.

However, the process was much gentler than with the Bloodline Potion.

Qi Fei could feel every cell in his body undergoing a transformation.

Even in that short time, he could feel that his cells had become noticeably more active and could hold a little more energy.

But that transformation wasn't the main point.

The main point was that, during the process, Qi Fei vaguely sensed his perception of water improving.

Following the example of the other Qi Feis in his memories, he activated his comprehension of ice, a facet of the Water Element Law that he had gained from the Bone Spirit Cold Flame.

The next moment, a stream of cold air formed in Qi Fei's hand.

"It feels a little awkward, but I should be able to get the hang of it soon."

Comparing it with his own senses, he adjusted his comprehension of the Water Element Law and used the process to check how his perception had changed.

As this comprehension of the law gradually became more natural, Qi Fei finally confirmed that his instincts had been right.

The improvement was slight, but Witch Qi Fei's bloodline had indeed enhanced his perception of water by a tiny amount.

That was far more important than an improvement in bloodline rank.

In the Swallowed Star World, comprehending the laws was everything. Only by fully understanding the corresponding laws could one become a top-tier powerhouse.

Besides, Qi Fei wanted to pull off something unusual after joining the Virtual Universe Company.

To do that, he would have to surpass Bolan, the Genius Tournament's number-one prodigy in the original story, and even the winners of every previous tournament.

Only then would humanity's higher-ups let him do as he pleased.

In that situation, even the tiniest advantage in comprehending the laws was invaluable.

Of course, if Qi Fei were willing to create a clone ahead of time, he could solve this problem outright.

But he had plans for his clones and wasn't going to waste one of his precious slots on an ordinary race.

"If nothing unexpected happens, there should be some wind too, though probably not as much as water."

Witch Qi Fei's bloodline was Storm.

Although it leaned toward water, it still had some wind in it. He just couldn't verify that for now.

Qi Fei shifted his thoughts, and the cold air in his hand instantly changed into a stream of water that surrounded him.

It was the Domain of Water.

With his comprehension of the law adjusted, he had officially stepped through the doorway to the Origin Law of Water in the Swallowed Star World. Naturally, he had gained the lower level of the law: a domain.

Through the domain, his perception of water improved further.

"Not bad. Let's try this too."

Two strings of Life Beads appeared around Qi Fei's wrists, and a vast aura spread outward.

After being strengthened in turn by the Supreme God of Destruction and the laws of the universe, the beads hadn't changed much in appearance, but their essence had become immeasurably more powerful.

Qi Fei activated the water attribute of the Will Jewel, and the Genetic Origin Energy in his body transformed, flowing through him like water.

At the same time, the world around him began to resonate with him. The Origin Law of Water appeared in his perception with astonishing clarity.

During the process, his comprehension began to expand from ice alone toward the more complete Three Phases.

"Layer upon layer—wonderful."

Qi Fei couldn't help praising it.

His own perception, the domain, and the Will Jewel all complemented and reinforced one another. This was a tremendous help.

After excitedly exploring the feeling for a while, Qi Fei dispersed the domain and switched the Will Jewel's attribute to space.

Without the boost of his own aptitude and domain, the Origin Law of Space was much less clear to him than the Water Element Law. If he had to put it into words, it was like the difference between 360p and 4K.

Qi Fei switched the attribute to time and found that the effect was about the same as with space.

"Just as expected."

Qi Fei wasn't too disappointed.

At least he had 360p, instead of having the picture disappear altogether and being left with sound alone.

With that, he was confident he could achieve his original goal before the Genius Tournament began.

After that, Qi Fei continued working on adjusting the comprehension of the Laws of Fire he had obtained from the other Qi Feis.

Before long, he had officially entered the Origin Law of Fire.

With both sets of law comprehension converted, Qi Fei ended his seclusion and left the training room.

He planned to obtain the first opportunity Luo Feng had found in the original story: the inheritance left behind by the master of Black Ink Star.

The master of Black Ink Star might not have been a top-tier powerhouse among the Immortals, but he had been an Immortal all the same—a supreme existence, with fewer than one appearing in a thousand star systems.

Whether it was the many secret techniques he had left behind or the cultivation resources, they were crucial to both Qi Fei and Luo Feng at this stage.

The sooner Qi Fei obtained them, the better prepared they would be for the Genius Tournament.

As soon as Qi Fei stepped outside, he saw Luo Feng, still a young and inexperienced boy.

After Luo Feng's Spiritual Force had awakened, Qi Fei had given him a few days off.

Partly, it was to let his disciple rest and decide on his future path; partly, it was to give himself some time to study his cheat.

He hadn't expected Luo Feng to show up on the second day.

"Master."

Luo Feng bowed respectfully to Qi Fei.

"Have you decided?"

Qi Fei asked.

"Yes. I've decided to take the Quasi-Martial Artist examination and officially become a martial artist."

Luo Feng spoke with a serious expression.

"That's the right choice. With your aptitude, spending those few years at university would be a waste."

As he spoke, Qi Fei used his Spiritual Force to bring a metal case over from his training room.

"This is a gift I prepared for you. I planned to give it to you after you passed the examination or finished the college entrance exams, but I have something to take care of now and might not be able to make it to your Quasi-Martial Artist examination, so I'm giving it to you early."

With a casual flick of his Spiritual Force, the metal case opened, revealing the only item inside.

It was a tube that looked entirely ordinary.

Inside it was some kind of viscous golden liquid, filling about a third of the tube.

"Master, what's this?"

Luo Feng asked curiously.

Qi Fei had given him things before, like equipment and manuals, but this was the first time he'd received something that looked like a potion.

"Dragon Blood. It'll improve your physical abilities without affecting your potential. Go use it in the training room."

Qi Fei casually took out the tube and its instructions and tossed them to Luo Feng.

He had started preparing this a long time ago.

To scrape together enough money to buy it, Qi Fei had killed so many monsters he was sick of it, and his throwing knives had even been worn down.

Just thinking about it now still made him feel a little disgusted.

"Oh."

Luo Feng caught the two items Qi Fei tossed him with ease.

After looking through the instructions, he immediately opened the tube and smeared the Dragon Blood over his body.

The Dragon Blood seeped into Luo Feng's body at a visible speed and began to take effect.

His body rapidly transformed, while the solid Spiritual Force in his Sea of Consciousness quickly broke down, raising his level as a Spirit Reader.

As a result, his body temperature shot up.

Within minutes, Luo Feng passed out.

Qi Fei summoned the butler, whose strength was at the Advanced Warrior level, and told him to watch over Luo Feng before leaving.

Only after Luo Feng woke up did he realize that the item his master had casually tossed him had worked a little differently from what he'd expected.

A test against the target showed that his strength had risen from the Advanced Warrior level to the Advanced Warlord level. His Spiritual Force had reached the mid-level Wargod standard.

Even an idiot could tell that what Luo Feng had just used wasn't just some ordinary treasure.

He quickly borrowed Qi Fei's Home of Extremes account to search for Dragon Blood.

Then Luo Feng fell silent.

He wanted to contact Qi Fei, but Qi Fei hadn't brought any communication devices with him this time. He couldn't get in touch with him at all.

In the end, Luo Feng could only train desperately in Qi Fei's training room, determined not to let down his master's expectations.

While Luo Feng trained hard, Qi Fei had already arrived in Australia.

From what he remembered, the area near the Swallowed Star inheritance had mountains, rivers, and a large lake with islands on it.

Using those criteria, Qi Fei found several possible locations on the map.

Then, at each of those places, he used the Origin Law of Water to form ice needles, kill monsters, and gather materials.

Babata, the intelligent life guarding the Swallowed Star inheritance, had followed an Immortal powerhouse for who knew how many years. If it saw what Qi Fei was doing, it would certainly recognize his methods.

Anyone who could take their first steps in comprehending the Origin Law at the Planet Level had decent aptitude by the standards of the universe.

That was enough for Babata to recruit Qi Fei as an apprentice.

Just like that, after Qi Fei had filled two backpacks with materials, the target of his trip finally made a move.

"What's that smell?"

Qi Fei pretended to be confused.

Just then, a strange, fragrant scent had wafted into his nose.

Qi Fei immediately understood that Babata had noticed him.

That fragrant scent was the smell of Wood Bud Crystals, which Babata used to lure potential heirs.

Wood Bud Crystals were a universal Planet Level cultivation resource, containing a large amount of life energy. Their distinctive feature was that fragrance.

Following the scent, Qi Fei sent his Spiritual Force underground and finally found a white crystal in a hollow.

There were also some monster corpses around the crystal, along with traces of a violent struggle. The monsters had probably swallowed it, been unable to withstand its energy, and died on the spot.

Qi Fei calmly pocketed the Wood Bud Crystal, then continued searching farther down with his Spiritual Force, putting on an act as if he thought there might be more treasures nearby.

After a while, the familiar scent appeared again.

Qi Fei decisively followed it underground and successfully collected another Wood Bud Crystal.

In this manner, he continued picking up the Wood Bud Crystals Babata had placed, descending to a depth of about ten thousand meters.

At last, Qi Fei unearthed an ancient hatch.

"An undiscovered ancient civilization's ruin? I'm rich!"

Qi Fei sounded both excited and surprised.

The surprise was fake, but the excitement was real. He had finally found it. That hadn't been easy.

He put on an eager but cautious expression and, after testing it several times, finally stepped through the hatch.

As soon as he entered, Qi Fei saw more than a hundred Wood Bud Crystals scattered across the floor.

He nearly failed to keep the expression on his face.

Anyone with half a brain would see this and suspect a trap.

However, Babata could influence human thoughts to some extent. That was why Luo Feng had chosen to continue deeper into the ship in the original story instead of taking the crystals and running.

Now, protected by his cheat, Qi Fei was completely unaffected by Babata's influence.

If his original goal hadn't been to obtain the Black Ink Star inheritance, Babata would have learned what it meant for a meat bun to go and never come back.

After putting the Wood Bud Crystals in his new backpack, Qi Fei headed deeper into the ship.

Since he wasn't being influenced, he got lost inside the ship for a while. In the end, he followed the scent of the Wood Bud Crystals and reached the hall containing six bodies.

After pretending to marvel at how powerful the people had been in life, he watched as the dim hall lit up.

The light converged in the middle of the hall, and the figure of a black-robed child appeared before Qi Fei.

Qi Fei was a little disappointed.

He'd heard the animated version of Babata had been made into a girl with a succubus appearance, and he'd been rather looking forward to it.

But instead, this was the original version.

What a shame.

"Hello, Qi Fei,"

the black-robed child said.

"How do you know my name?"

At that moment, the acting experience of Coiling Dragon Qi Fei and Witch Qi Fei both came into play, allowing Qi Fei to display just the right amount of surprise.

"I've been waiting for you for fifty thousand years,"

Babata said mysteriously.

"Fifty thousand years?"

Qi Fei looked around in confusion.

"That's right. They've been dead for fifty thousand years. Come with me. I'll introduce them to you."

Perhaps because Qi Fei hadn't taken the tests at the other Black Ink Star ruins and wasn't yet an heir to Black Ink Star, Babata didn't immediately take him to pay his respects to the master of Black Ink Star, Hu Yanbo. Instead, Babata led him around and told him of these people's great accomplishments.

Babata had probably worked out what to say in advance. He described the Immortals enslaved by Hu Yanbo as utterly peerless beings, capable of anything.

"Then how did such a powerful being die?"

Qi Fei asked with a bit of mischief.

"Because their master, Hu Yanbo, the Lord of Black Ink Star, died in battle. Naturally, they could only be buried alongside my master."

Babata said sadly.

"Qi Fei, let me ask you: are you willing to become my master's disciple and carry on Black Ink Star's legacy?"