On Qiu Long Star, the five of them rarely had a chance to sit together and relax. Hong wore an unusually broad smile.
"Big brother, doesn't it feel great? I'm already at the fourth tier, two tiers above you. You can't bully me with your domain like you used to!"
"Hmph, I'm still your big brother!" Hong quickly sobered up and looked at Chen Qing with a sigh.
"With your comprehension and achievements, the Human Race might not even care about Earth!
I don't know what your reasons are, but from now on, I'm your big brother. Don't shoulder everything alone!"
"Exactly! But you have to be fourth in line—no, no, you have to be sixth. That suits you! Hahaha!"
"No!" Jiang Fang hurriedly interrupted. "You can figure out your ranking yourselves. We'll just call you big brother and second brother."
"Right. We've already accepted Xu Xin as our younger sister. We're not interested in getting involved in men's business!"
Yao Rao stared with wide, sparkling eyes, her little mouth voicing her grievance.
"If you find out Luo Feng has done something to wrong our little sister, whose side will you take?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Thor turned away with an awkward grin. Hong opened his mouth, but no sound came out for a long while.
"Tell me. I'll definitely be able to beat him up someday!"
Chen Qing answered without the slightest hesitation. He had that much confidence, whether in himself or Luo Feng!
He might as well take advantage of the situation and see if he could unlock a new level.
Hong hurriedly took a sip of tea, using the opportunity to change the subject.
"Now that Second Brother and I have recovered our origins, and we have no shortage of secret techniques, we can just keep cultivating step by step. But there's something Fourth Brother needs to deal with!"
Seeing the four of them look so serious, Chen Qing was a little bewildered. He lowered his head and glanced over himself.
"Is there something wrong with me?"
Jiang Fang took Chen Qing's right hand and placed it on the table.
"You may have comprehended a profound blade technique, but you've never killed anyone. How many battles have you even fought?"
"Hey, young man, you can protect us, right?" Yao Rao took his other hand, deliberately pitching her voice.
Chen Qing rolled his eyes and looked at his hands. Perhaps it was the Green Lotus's influence, but he didn't seem to have much interest in fighting.
Thor patted Chen Qing on the shoulder. His teeth and the top of his head shone with a dazzling light.
"Your gaze is too calm. You lack sharpness. And your experience and combat awareness—those are all major problems!"
"Exactly. When you're fighting for your life, those are the skills that keep you alive!"
Hong added from the side, "Come on. We're going to the Slaughter Arena!"
In the Slaughter Arena's training space, their physical abilities were limited to the Apprentice level. Chen Qing and Hong faced each other, while the other three stood to the side and watched.
"You comprehended your secret technique yourself. All you need now is experience and combat awareness. This is the best place for that. Here I come!"
As soon as Hong finished speaking, a long spear shot straight toward him. Chen Qing frowned. The stench of blood reached his nose first, and as his blade rippled like water, he moved to block the spearpoint.
"Something's wrong!"
Chen Qing's Water Ripple was meant to help Jiang Fang comprehend her domain. When activated, it made his body resonate inside and out, so he was extremely sensitive to changes around him!
With a turn of his hand, the blade slid toward the other side of the spearpoint. He barely managed to deflect the real spear, turning with its momentum and narrowly dodging the strike.
Hong lowered his spear and stood still. "You felt it, didn't you? Even though you sensed something was wrong, your blade's momentum hadn't changed before you reacted. You were just a little too slow."
Chen Qing nodded and closed his eyes, recalling what had just happened. The changes in Hong's spear weren't the key; Chen Qing could make his own blade move however he wished.
The key was his ability to anticipate the next move. He was only reacting to changes, not taking the initiative and controlling the fight.
"Again!"
As time passed, the two of them had no idea how long they'd been fighting on the arena. Thor kept yelling from above.
"You can't even get a hit in when he's going easy on you. Hit him harder!"
"I can't take it anymore! Big brother, I'm joining in too. I'm beating him up today!"
Thor was fast and attacked with fierce momentum. Combined with his coordination with Hong, he pinned Chen Qing's blade in place as soon as he joined the fight.
All three of them had perfected their force output, and their strength was equal, putting Chen Qing under tremendous pressure.
Water Ripple and Spirit Thunder began to intermingle. Gradually, he managed to hold his own.
But Chen Qing's insights kept growing. The two techniques began to merge, slowly returning to where they had started.
Chen Qing also began to realize that he couldn't bring his power to bear—or rather, these two secret techniques were more about aiding cultivation!
He could handle Thor well enough, but Hong's spear stirred his Origin Core every time, leaving him flustered.
It was only a ripple in the light on the surface, but the Origin Core held the Green Lotus within, suppressing it. That meant Hong's spear carried an influence that reached the soul!
"I'm done, I'm done!" Before long, Thor jumped off the arena in frustration, and Hong lowered his spear as well.
"That feeling of wanting to hit you but not being able to knock you down is awful. Is your secret technique some kind of tortoise technique? Why does it feel like I'm hitting a tortoise shell?"
"Heh, heh, heh."
Chen Qing smiled smugly. The Creation Green Lotus not only nurtured the Dao; it was also said to keep all laws at bay and withstand all tribulations.
He hadn't even grasped the basics yet. This was nothing.
Hong shook his head with a rueful smile. "Maybe that's just Fourth Brother's style, like Third Brother's madness. I don't have any better ideas."
Yao Rao wrapped her arms around Jiang Fang's, her dark eyes fixed on Chen Qing as if she were about to devour him.
"That's fine. He can just be a quiet, handsome man!"
"He's more like a refined gentleman, like an orchid in a secluded valley, even if he has plenty of schemes up his sleeve."
"Hehehe, our sister's right!"
Ignoring the two women's teasing—there'd be plenty of time to set them straight—Chen Qing instead looked at Hong.
"Big brother, have you ever felt that your talent for illusions—or your soul talent, I mean—is especially strong?"
Hong paused as he was about to leave the arena. After hesitating for a moment, he slowly replied,
"Before, when I comprehended the laws, I could add a few insights to interfere with my opponent's perception of light and sound. It worked quite well. As for just how strong it is, I can't say yet!"
"It works very well. But it doesn't just affect their senses; it directly influences their souls. With your willpower, big brother, you'll definitely become a master of the soul!"
Hong merely smiled calmly at that. "We'll talk when we get back."
Back at the manor, Thor finally stopped talking. He downed a cup of wine and sat off to the side, ignoring everyone.
Hong leisurely brewed tea, his movements unhurried and graceful. Only after taking a light sip did he speak.
"Although my teacher agreed to let me join the Virtual Company, there are conditions. Even though I'm progressing twice as fast now and the task won't be too difficult, I can't stay here forever."
"Big brother, where are you planning to go? Can we come too?"
Thor perked up at that. Xu Xin was going to enter the Apocalypse Secret Realm, while he was still wasting away here.
"We're going too!"
Yao Rao and Jiang Fang exchanged a glance. Chen Qing had spent most of his fortune using Nutrient Solution to help them reach the peak of Star Level.
They had also cultivated the Nine Basic Forms up to the sixth form. They could break through to Universe Level at any time, but they were clearly starting to struggle.
Hong had no specific requirements. He simply looked at Chen Qing, who tapped his fingers against the table.
The two sisters had reached a bottleneck with the Nine Basic Forms. For the final three forms—especially the very last one—they either had to reach a breakthrough in battle or spend time grinding their way through it!
The same went for their domains. But after breaking through, they'd have a lifespan of a hundred thousand years. As long as they weren't subjected to Soul Enslavement, Chen Qing would have plenty of time to become a senior member of the Human Race!
"I told you both long ago: what I want is your company, not to keep you hidden away in a golden house!"
Chen Qing's gaze moved earnestly between the two women. Only after seeing the smiles on their faces did he turn to Hong and say,
"In a few days, I'll take them to the Apprentice Mercenary assessment. After that, we can discuss going somewhere together!"
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