Choices and Gains

"Alright, the half hour is up!"

Just as Lu Qingshan settled on the Heavenly Thunder Chaos Stele, the black-robed envoy suddenly walked in and called out to everyone, "Tell me which Chaos Stele you wish to study. I'll record your choices!"

After saying this, the black-robed guide began walking over from one end of the corridor, asking each person about their choice.

"I choose the Windshadow Chaos Stele."

"I choose the Ancestral Mother Chaos Stele."

As the black-robed envoy approached Lu Qingshan, Kremor, the wolfkin expert who had met Lu Qingshan once before, unexpectedly came over to him again.

"Brother Qingshan, listen to me!"

Kremor secretly transmitted, "Although these Chaos Steles were all created by supreme experts of our human race, there are differences in strength between them! Before coming to Chaos City, I learned the rankings of these Chaos Steles from a senior!"

"Among them, the Giant Axe Chaos Stele ranks first, the Universe Chaos Stele ranks second, the Yan Mountain Chaos Stele ranks third, and the Shadow Chaos Stele ranks fourth..."

"Brother Qingshan, if you're choosing, pick one of the higher-ranked Chaos Steles. After studying them, your strength will definitely be greater in the future!"

Lu Qingshan was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

It was true that the Chaos Steles had rankings, but that was because the Heavenly Bridges corresponding to them had different numbers of levels.

During the early stages of cultivation, experts on the same level were almost equal in strength. At most, their methods differed.

Moreover, Kremor was no peerless genius, just like him. Choosing one of the higher-ranked Chaos Steles would undoubtedly be an extremely unwise choice.

Seeing how enthusiastic Kremor was, Lu Qingshan still decided to offer him a little advice. He then told Kremor about a World Master from the Yan Feng Universe Country who had once delayed his cultivation of the lightning origin law by studying the time origin law, ultimately failing to break through to the immortal realm.

A thoughtful expression appeared on Kremor's face after hearing this.

Before long, the black-robed guide arrived beside Lu Qingshan. "Which one do you choose?"

"I choose the Heavenly Thunder Chaos Stele," Lu Qingshan said without hesitation.

"Alright! Next!" The black-robed envoy immediately turned his gaze toward Kremor beside him.

A trace of hesitation appeared on Kremor's face, but he quickly said, "I choose the Golden Peak Chaos Stele!"

Lu Qingshan clearly thought more highly of Kremor after hearing that.

The Golden Peak Chaos Stele was similar to the Heavenly Thunder Chaos Stele. Both began with a lower origin law before gradually studying a higher origin law. One began with the gold origin law before gradually studying the space origin law, while the other began with the lightning origin law before gradually studying the time origin law.

Kremor had swiftly made the choice best suited to himself after receiving Lu Qingshan's reminder. He could be considered a decisive person.

Not long after, the black-robed guide had recorded all of Lu Qingshan's group's choices. Only then did he turn around and say, "Alright, I've recorded all your choices. Follow me now!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingshan and the others followed him farther down the corridor.

A moment later, they arrived at an extremely spacious training ground.

This training ground covered an enormous area, stretching dozens of kilometers in both length and width.

Lu Qingshan and the others stood in the training ground while the black-robed envoy stood before them and said, "Of the fifty Chaos Stele cultivation chambers, seven are occupied, while the other forty-five are empty."

"Now, I'll announce the Chaos Steles corresponding to the forty-five empty chambers. Those who selected these Chaos Steles should go directly to the entrance at the far left ahead. You will be assigned to the cultivation chambers of your chosen Chaos Steles."

"Yan Mountain Chaos Stele, Heartmark Chaos Stele, Heavenly Thunder Chaos Stele... Universe Chaos Stele!"

The black-robed envoy pointed into the distance. Lu Qingshan and the others soon spotted the massive entrance on the left side at the end of the vast training ground, which stood a full thirty meters tall.

"Go over now," the black-robed guide continued.

At these words, most of the cultivators turned into streaks of light and flew toward the distant entrance. Lu Qingshan, who had chosen the Heavenly Thunder Chaos Stele, was among them.

After passing through the entrance, Lu Qingshan and the others entered a corridor roughly sixty meters wide and one hundred twenty meters tall.

On both sides of the corridor stood ancient, towering bronze doors. Each bronze door bore ancient characters carved in the universal language of the universe.

"Ancestral Mother." "Giant Axe." "Dragon Walk"...

Before every bronze door stood a kind-looking elderly man with three eyes.

Yet what was astonishing was...

These dozens of three-eyed elders all looked exactly alike. Even though Lu Qingshan and the others were World Master-level experts, they could not discern the slightest difference between them.

Lu Qingshan and the other cultivators who had chosen the Heavenly Thunder Chaos Stele soon arrived before the bronze door engraved with the words "Heavenly Thunder."

The three-eyed elder before the door smiled and asked, "Are you all little ones who have just entered the Initial Universe?"

"Yes!" Lu Qingshan and the others replied respectfully.

"Hehe, you're truly young! Seeing you is like seeing my younger self!"

The three-eyed elder smiled and said, "Allow me to introduce myself. I am the guardian of the Chaos Stele cultivation chambers. You may call me Lord Kandeli!"

"Lord Kandeli!" Lu Qingshan and the others bowed respectfully again.

"Alright, no one is inside the cultivation chamber at the moment. Hurry in and begin your studies!"

Kandeli then reminded them, "Remember, seven days from now, when the doors open, you must come out immediately. Understand?"

"Understood!" Lu Qingshan and the others nodded one after another before entering their respective cultivation chambers.

The cultivation chamber was extremely spacious and filled with countless streams of chaotic energy.

After entering, Lu Qingshan quickly saw a huge stone stele surrounded by endless streams of chaotic energy.

This towering stone stele stood a hundred meters tall and was nearly a hundred meters wide. Eight extremely profound-looking patterns were carved upon it.

At the edge of the stone stele, the words "Heavenly Thunder" were also carved in the universal language of the universe.

After finding a suitable spot, Lu Qingshan quickly sat down cross-legged. He focused all his attention on the Heavenly Thunder Chaos Stele, carefully studying it until he could clearly make out every pattern upon it.

The first pattern consisted of nine scattered bolts of lightning, dispersed in different places.

The second pattern was likewise formed by nine bolts of lightning, but there was a faintly profound connection between them, as though they formed a single whole.

The third pattern was a thundercloud formed from countless bolts of lightning. The entire thundercloud appeared incomparably mysterious.

The fourth pattern was a star map, with four thunderclouds surrounding a planet.

The fifth pattern was a stellar system map. A single star was surrounded by twelve planets, and each planet had several thunderclouds circling it to varying degrees.

The sixth pattern was a galaxy map, densely packed with stars and planets that formed a vast galaxy.

The seventh pattern depicted a strange beast.

The eighth pattern depicted two extraordinarily strange beasts. One was clearly visible, while the other was extremely blurry.

Lu Qingshan slowly withdrew his gaze. He knew very well that the strange beast depicted in the seventh pattern represented the complete time origin law. Once it was fully comprehended, one could become a Time Venerable.

However, it was still far too early for Lu Qingshan to study the time origin law. For now, he only needed to study the first four patterns and comprehend the complete lightning origin law as quickly as possible.

Lu Qingshan then focused all his attention on the nine bolts of lightning in the first pattern.

These nine bolts of lightning represented the nine simplest essences of the lightning origin law. Lu Qingshan had long received recognition from the lightning origin law, so the first pattern held no secrets whatsoever for him.

The mysteries of the lightning origin law represented by the nine bolts of lightning in the second pattern were clearly deeper, and they also incorporated a certain degree of the time origin law. Although Lu Qingshan only half understood the time origin law contained within, he had already completely grasped the mysteries related to the lightning origin law.

The lightning origin law in the third pattern was clearly even more profound. Even though Lu Qingshan had received recognition from the lightning origin law, he could not fully comprehend it in a short time.

Thus, Lu Qingshan carefully studied the third pattern on the Heavenly Thunder Chaos Stele. Before long, he became completely immersed in his comprehension, unable to sense the passage of time at all.

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

Rumble...

The enormous bronze doors opened with a roar, but Lu Qingshan and the others remained absorbed in their comprehension and did not awaken.

"Come out, all of you!"

A voice rang out, pouring directly into the depths of everyone's minds.

"Come out, all of you!" "Come out, all of you!"...

The voice continuously echoed through Lu Qingshan and the others' minds, growing louder and louder until everyone quickly regained consciousness.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Lu Qingshan and the others reluctantly glanced at the Chaos Stele. Yet under the urging of that demon-like voice, they could only rush out through the bronze doors. Only then did the incessant voice in their minds disappear.

Rumble...

The ancient bronze doors slowly closed.

"You people are visiting these cultivation chambers for the first time, so I need to remind you of something!"

The three-eyed elder Kandeli smiled and said, "You may first find a residence to serve as your home for the next three hundred years!"

"However, if you wish to continue studying the Chaos Steles, you must join the core level of one of the five major powers. Only then can you gain permission in the virtual universe to apply for entry into the Heavenly Bridge Plane."

"The Heavenly Bridge Plane?" Many of the cultivators were puzzled.

Kandeli looked at the crowd and smiled. "I'm sure you have already experienced the wondrous effects of the Chaos Steles. Therefore, even core members of the five major powers must meet many conditions if they wish to study them! Every time you pass a level of the Heavenly Bridge in the Heavenly Bridge Plane, you will gain an opportunity to study a Chaos Stele. So make sure to treasure these chances!"

Everyone's eyes lit up upon hearing this.

Only those who had studied a Chaos Stele understood just how miraculous its effects were.

During their studies, their consciousness had been completely immersed in the images on the Chaos Stele. Its effectiveness was more than a hundred times greater than usual.

Most importantly, the Chaos Stele could guide them and even help them break through bottlenecks!

Some of the peak World Masters among them, those with sufficiently deep accumulations, had even comprehended complete lower origin laws by now!

During their cultivation over the long years, they had needed to risk their lives in desperate battles to obtain all kinds of opportunities. Yet now, merely passing through the Heavenly Bridge could grant them another chance to study the Chaos Steles. To them, this was practically a blessing!

As for joining the core level of one of the five major powers, that was even less of a problem!

After all, core members of the five major powers enjoyed countless benefits. Many of them ordinarily could not join even if they wanted to. Now that they had such an opportunity, how could they possibly refuse?

As for having to strictly obey orders in the future?

Before the temptation of growing stronger and even becoming immortal, what did that amount to?

"Alright, you may leave now," the three-eyed elder Kandeli said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingshan and the others hurriedly bowed respectfully, then turned into streaks of light and left.

After leaving the City Lord's Manor, Lu Qingshan and the others soon went their separate ways and began searching for residences of their own.

Chaos City covered an enormous area. Aside from a very small number of special buildings, the cultivation residences were all exactly the same.

From the black-robed guide's earlier introduction, Lu Qingshan had learned that a pale white residence door indicated that no one lived inside.

Thus, he quickly chose a residence and placed his hand on the door.

Beep, beep, beep...

As a notification sounded, the door swiftly changed from pale white to dark gray.

"Welcome, Master."

An electronic voice then sounded beside Lu Qingshan's ear. "I am the service intelligence. During Master's stay, I will serve you. Please feel free to command me if you need anything, such as food, drink, and so on."

"Mm."

Lu Qingshan nodded slightly before stepping directly into the residence.

The interior facilities were extremely comprehensive, with every kind of equipment available.

Lu Qingshan did not linger. Instead, he walked directly up the stairs to the third-floor terrace, one of the places most frequented by the cultivators in Chaos City.

After all, the time they had to study in Chaos City was incomparably precious. Naturally, they would not indulge in comfort and enjoyment, but would spend as much time as possible comprehending the origin laws.

From the rooftop of the cultivation residence, they could directly observe the externally manifested laws governing the universe. There were also records of insights left behind by senior cultivators, which might offer useful reference.

My talent is still too poor!

Lu Qingshan sat cross-legged on the rooftop and silently sighed. Although my comprehension of the lightning origin law improved greatly after studying the Chaos Stele this time, I'm probably still some distance from fully comprehending the lightning origin law!

If I want to comprehend the complete lightning origin law within the next three hundred years, it would be best to join the core level of the Virtual Universe Company, challenge the Heavenly Thunder Bridge, and gain several more opportunities to study the Heavenly Thunder Chaos Stele!

As for the future, at worst, I can have Hogus help me find a safer job!

His sixth disciple, Hogus, was now an immortal in the core level of the Virtual Universe Company and possessed the strength of an advanced military lord. When the time came, Hogus could certainly arrange a relatively safe ordinary job for him.

However, the most important thing for me now is to take advantage of having just studied the Heavenly Thunder Chaos Stele and digest those insights as thoroughly as possible!

With that thought, Lu Qingshan quickly entered a cultivation state once more, striving to absorb the insights he had gained while studying the Heavenly Thunder Chaos Stele.