Thor

Inside the Origin Core space, the lotus shadow at the center remained unchanged through the ages, while nine enormous spheres of light revolved around it.

With a thought from Chen Qing, the spheres exploded like the universe itself, scattering into countless points of light!

A moment later, the lights converged on the center. The instant a black hole formed, countless streams of cosmic energy surged in from both the Green Lotus and the outside world...

Three days later, Chen Qing opened his eyes. Everything had gone smoothly. Judging by how quickly the Green Lotus absorbed the source energy, it should finish accumulating enough energy in about ten years.

Now all that was left was to deal with that big shot called the laws!

"Spirit Butterfly, look up the price of Blood Drift!"

Blood Drift was the secret art Chen Qing knew best. After all, it was Babata's dark history—the art that had caused Luo Feng the most trouble.

"Master, no relevant information was found."

"..."

Chen Qing was a little speechless. He couldn't afford it, sure, but couldn't he at least admire it from afar?

"Spirit Butterfly, search the Eight Lower Laws for secret arts that follow the path of analyzing the laws."

"Master, 52,437 related secret arts were found."

Now that was more like it. With all those Ordinary Immortals having nothing better to do, yet unable to grasp the higher laws despite wanting to grow stronger, they'd naturally have to work on their secret arts. If they kept at it long enough, they could grind out all thirty-six fundamental aspects.

"Sort them into eight categories by law. Prioritize blade techniques, and list them from cheapest to most expensive."

Looking at the eight-column table on the screen, Chen Qing went straight to the prices at the top.

The numbers weren't high, mostly fluctuating between 500 and 1,000. It was the units after them that stung.

Chen Qing quietly turned off the screen. When something was far beyond his reach, ignoring it was the best approach!

The only place he could get secret arts now was through battlefield points. Chen Qing had been prepared for that; first, he just had to get money and equipment!

Speaking of making money, he had to mention the traffickers, though time seemed a little tight.

After Luo Feng broke through to Domain Lord, the Virtual Universe Company would surely have its eye on him. They might even be watching him sooner.

And without intelligence to help, Chen Qing would have to stake out the place in advance by himself. As for snatching opportunities, he had no qualms about it.

In the original story, Luo Feng had cultivated so many plants using only a tiny fraction of his resources. What a waste.

If Chen Qing gave him a few plants, he could still get his hands on some rare goods. Luo Feng wouldn't lose out, and Chen Qing would win twice over!

His long-term plans were pretty much settled. In the short term, he'd sort out the second layer of Creation and refine the Nine Basic Forms.

Maybe he could raise his bloodline to the first tier, or even improve his genes a little, and give Sister Fang and the others some confidence.

He had to comprehend the laws, but there was no rushing that. Blood Drift needed some refinement, too.

He also needed to create a secret art tailored to Yao Rao, one that would help her develop a domain. With Water Ripple as a foundation, it wouldn't take long.

But when he imagined personally guiding Yao Rao, Chen Qing felt a fire kindle within him.

"Spirit Butterfly, set a course for Bailan Planet and move at full speed! Oh, and send Di Fan a message. We'll meet up on Bailan Planet."

Qiu Long Star still shone as brilliantly as ever. The three of them had stayed there for over ten years.

Aside from going out to explore at first, they'd stayed cooped up in the manor the whole time. They hadn't even met their neighbors.

Still, they'd made good progress, stockpiling plenty of resources. This time, Jiang Fang had gone into seclusion to break through to Star Level, only a few months after Yao Rao.

Chen Qing had not only reached the peak of Universe Level, but had also gained an introductory understanding of the Ten Great Laws.

By refining Water Ripple and Yao Rao's Spirit Thunder, he'd made particularly good progress in the laws of water and thunder.

The Nine Basic Forms had become much like body-refining techniques from fantasy worlds. Once perfected, they could double one's genes.

But there was a barrier to overcome. Chen Qing vaguely sensed that it involved the soul and will.

Still, as with the Black Pattern Stone Pillar, though the training was painful, it was relatively gentle by comparison!

This discovery left Chen Qing marveling at how powerful the Creation Green Lotus was, but it also made him more cautious. Damn it, Earth hadn't even been dealt with yet, and now he'd gone and lit a barrel of oil!

He put his gene research on hold and diligently comprehended the first three layers of Creation before stopping.

In the manor's training ground, lightning flickered everywhere, impossible to make out clearly.

A mermaid appeared and vanished within the flashing bolts. It was Yao Rao, who had just broken through. Chen Qing stood to the side, leisurely admiring the view.

"Excellent, excellent. You've just broken through and already mastered the third form. You're getting the hang of Spirit Thunder, too. Your body, energy, and spirit are well coordinated. That'll help you with your domain later!"

Spirit Thunder was a secret art tailored to Yao Rao's genetic attributes. Like Water Ripple, it first refined the user, then resonated with heaven and earth to form a domain. It, too, drew on Earth's theory of unity between man and nature.

Yao Rao smiled alluringly, strode over on her long, shapely legs, and wrapped her arms around Chen Qing's neck.

Chen Qing's Adam's apple bobbed. Though they'd been together for over ten years, neither of them was after a fleeting thrill. So during their training, they usually just flirted and traded dirty jokes. It was rare to see Yao Rao so passionately moved.

His hands settled on her soft waist of their own accord. As he gazed into her intoxicated eyes and breathed in her sweet scent, the distance between them dwindled...

"Chen, you little punk! I'm Thor. Get out of bed already!"

A sudden roar rang through the manor, and the alarm of the defense system began to blare.

Yao Rao snapped back to her senses, a flush spreading across her face. Still, she lightly kissed Chen Qing on the lips.

"Go on. Don't disturb Jiang Fang while she's breaking through!" With that, she vanished like a fragrant breeze.

Chen Qing narrowed his eyes and rubbed his fingers together beneath his nose, savoring the scent for a moment before heading to the door with a dark expression.

"Spirit Butterfly, shut down the defense system and open the gate!"

"Yes, Master!"

He wasn't even at the entrance yet when he spotted the bald man standing with his hands behind his back. His face was stern, but his eyes couldn't sit still.

"Senior, you're disturbing the neighbors. They might attack us! What if you interrupt our cultivation?"

"Oh... Chen, are you sure you were cultivating?" Thor wore a sly grin, nothing like his earlier stern self.

"Is there really nothing more important than cultivation?"

Chen Qing's mind flashed back to that sweet moment. "There is!"

"Exactly!" Before Chen Qing could react, Thor hooked an arm around his neck.

"You're something else, kid! While we were out there fighting for our lives, eating dust and sleeping rough, we came back and found out our home had been stolen!

"If our third brother weren't about to come out, and our big brother hadn't gone to ask your sister-in-law what was going on, we'd still be in the dark!"

Right, Chen Qing realized. Luo Feng would be leaving the Initial Universe in a few years. Before, it hadn't mattered that their affairs didn't interfere with cultivation. Once cultivation was over, though, Babata would probably report everything.

"We wouldn't dare disturb you, Senior. Besides, we've been cultivating in peace, and there's been no danger!"

"Kid, you're still a bit too naive. Remember what your senior told you: always, always remain in awe of the universe!"

Chen Qing understood, of course. And Thor was still pretty "chuunibyou," so he could only obediently agree. Otherwise, this conversation would never end!

"You idiot! And you've got the nerve to lecture someone else? She's already at the ninth rank, way stronger than your second rank. You've wasted the Old Master's inheritance—you should be ashamed to live!"

As Chen Qing dealt with Thor, a wail suddenly came from his outer shoulder. It had to be Old Man Mist.

Thor hopped away, his face full of confusion. "Lord Mist, what are you talking about?" Then he circled Chen Qing again.

"Well, well! I was wondering who had the nerve to steal our big brother's home!" He patted Chen Qing on the shoulder.

"Be careful about some things. There are plenty of jealous people out there."