Dark Lord's gaze settled on Zhang Dong, his eyes full of approval. A disciple with such comprehension, if properly nurtured, had a very good chance of becoming a Universe Master.
By then, he would have two Universe Master disciples—a fine tale in the history of the Human Race.
"You've become my disciple, so you'll go straight in as a personal disciple. You also have a senior brother, Dark Marquis Lord." Dark Lord smiled. "At the Virtual Universe Company, Realm Lords focus primarily on building a solid foundation. I'll give you a few useful things."
With Zhang Dong's talent, there was no need for him to go through the process of becoming an ordinary disciple before being accepted as a personal disciple.
Moreover, Dark Lord was quite pleased with Zhang Dong's character. He had spent thirty whole years in Chaos City without attempting the Heavenly Bridge. He had kept quiet until the moment he astonished everyone.
Back when Dark Lord was under Origin Ancestor, he had been extremely low-key as well.
"Thank you, Teacher." Zhang Dong was overjoyed.
Anything that could help him build a solid foundation was enough. The most important thing in cultivation was one's level of understanding; external objects came second. As for whether his teacher gave him anything when he reached the Realm Lord stage, Zhang Dong didn't mind either way.
Zhang Dong planned to wait until he was capable of protecting himself before advancing to the Realm Lord stage and undergoing a Life-and-Death Trial.
What counted as being capable of protecting himself? Zhang Dong had no intention of going to the Outer Domain Battlefield or a Cosmic Secret Realm while at the Second-Class Divine Heart stage, or even the Third Realm of First-Class True Intent.
His requirements weren't high. He would go after becoming a World God.
Dark Lord pondered for a moment before speaking. "I'll grant you thirty opportunities to study the Universe Chaos Stele, as well as the complete version of the secret technique Universe that you're cultivating. I'll also give the order for the race to find a suitable Special Lifeform for you to possess."
This was what it truly meant to enjoy the shade beneath a great tree.
Dark Lord had offered thirty opportunities to study the stele and the complete Universe secret technique right away. He was even going to find Zhang Dong a suitable Special Lifeform to possess.
Once he revealed enough talent at the Virtual Universe Company, he wouldn't need to search for resources like clones and secret techniques himself.
If he were struggling alone, how could he be given so many resources? Forget treasures and secret techniques—even advancing through the basic levels would require slowly absorbing cosmic energy.
"Possess a Special Lifeform?" Zhang Dong didn't have high hopes for that.
Finding a Golden-Horned Beast would be good enough. Special Lifeforms with high gene multipliers were simply too hard to find, and there probably weren't any in the Hong Alliance's collection.
The truly high-multiplier Special Lifeforms were all in Cosmic Secret Realms with extremely harsh environments.
Take the Ancestral God Secret Realm, for example. Even High Universe Venerables and ordinary Cosmic Overlords faced considerable risks in places like that.
Besides, Special Lifeforms weren't stupid. Before they had enough strength, they wouldn't expose themselves. Most of the ancient powerhouses had already possessed a body, and it only became more difficult to do so as time went on.
The Human Race had only three Peak Cosmic Overlords in all, which was enough to show how rare Special Lifeforms were. Possessing one would be extremely difficult.
"Teacher, is this the new junior brother you just took in?"
Suddenly, another figure appeared on the rooftop. He was somewhat thin, and his entire body was covered in dark teal armor. His aura of baleful energy surged so fiercely that Zhang Dong couldn't make out his appearance.
This man was Dark Marquis Lord.
Once Dark Marquis Lord approached, his baleful aura faded somewhat, and Zhang Dong could finally see his features. His ears were shaped like sickles, and he had an eye in the middle of his brow. On his back was his distinctive Supreme Treasure: the Youhou Thorn.
"Senior Brother." Although Zhang Dong addressed him as Senior Brother, the other man was, after all, a Universe Master. Since this was their first meeting, Zhang Dong still bowed deeply to show his respect.
Dark Marquis Lord laughed heartily. "Junior Brother, I finally have a junior brother!"
Dark Lord rarely showed himself among the Human Race, so he naturally didn't take many disciples. Most of the disciples in his lineage had been taken in by Dark Marquis Lord.
"I spend most of my time in the Cosmic Sea," Dark Lord said softly. "If anything happens within the race, you can ask your senior brother for help. I'll also come to the Virtual Universe to instruct you once every three thousand years."
Dark Lord had considered things carefully. He spent very little time in the Primordial Universe, so having Dark Marquis Lord look after Zhang Dong was the best arrangement.
To outsiders, most Cosmic Venerables would probably assume that Zhang Dong was Dark Marquis Lord's disciple.
"Thank you, Teacher. Thank you, Senior Brother. I'll be counting on you from now on," Zhang Dong replied politely.
His manner also made Dark Marquis Lord like him even more.
He wasn't conceited because of his talent or his teacher. Instead, he was courteous and showed him considerable respect.
After giving Zhang Dong a few more pointers about his cultivation, Dark Lord left first. Dark Marquis Lord then took Zhang Dong out of the Initial Universe and to the Primordial Realm.
From then on, Zhang Dong could go to Chaos City to cultivate whenever he wanted. Dark Lord's disciples were granted permanent residency there.
After crossing the passage between the two universes, Dark Marquis Lord used a single Teleportation to arrive at the Primordial Realm.
The estates in the Primordial Realm were all vast, each several thousand kilometers in diameter. Dark Marquis Lord took Zhang Dong directly to Estate No. 113.
The Primordial Realm had one hundred Realm Lords, ten Domain Lords, and three Cosmic Level members. Since Zhang Dong had arrived, he would naturally live in Estate No. 113. After many long years, this estate would have another owner, named Luo Feng.
The Primal Region was a long way from the Initial Universe, yet Dark Marquis Lord had crossed the distance with a single Teleportation.
He had even appeared directly inside the depths of the estate. His abilities were truly wondrous.
"Junior Brother, according to the Virtual Universe Company's rules, the leader of a Primordial Realm member's guard force is an Immortal God."
Dark Marquis Lord smiled. "But with your talent, you deserve special treatment. You'll become a Domain Lord before long and return to the Ganwu Universe Kingdom. I'll find you a stronger Immortal God to lead your guard force."
Zhang Dong didn't think that was necessary at all. After considering it, he replied, "Senior Brother, once I become a Domain Lord and return to the Ganwu Universe Kingdom, I'll stay with my teacher most of the time. There's no need to change the leader of my guard force."
Once he returned to the Primordial Universe, he planned to go to the Boundary Heart Continent again and first find a sect or some other faction to join.
He could learn a few secret arts and improve his level of True Intent. That alone would give him King-Level Combat Power, so why would he need someone else to protect him?
"Your teacher? That'll work too." Dark Marquis Lord knew about the Thirteenth Divine General. With the thinking capacity of a Universe Master, he remembered even the more powerful Marquises and Kings within the race.
He had Peak Marquis strength and could contact the Ganwu Kingdom Master at any time.
Zhang Dong was a personal disciple of a Universe Master. Given that status, the Ganwu Kingdom Master would naturally do everything in his power to protect him and wouldn't dare let anything go wrong. He would never allow an assassination by the Alien Race to take place.
Dark Marquis Lord was openly giving Zhang Dong special treatment. This was enough to show how different his approach was from Chaos City Lord's. Chaos City Lord always considered balance above all else.
Dark Marquis Lord had even considered assigning a King Rank powerhouse to serve as Zhang Dong's guard.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Dark Marquis Lord used Teleportation and left.
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