The Makings of an Immortal

Qiu Yan stood rooted to the spot for several seconds, thoughts racing through his mind. The more he thought about it, the more unfathomable the two young men before him seemed. His dark-gold vertical pupils narrowed slightly, then widened again. He quickly composed himself and smiled once more.

"As this is your first visit to Qiu Long Star, is there anything I can do for you?" Qiu Yan held one hand against his chest, his manner exceedingly humble. "Qiu Long Star may not be much of a place, but I have managed affairs here for many years and do carry a little weight."

Jiang Xian glanced at him, then at Luo Feng.

"All right," Jiang Xian said. "We mainly came to Qiu Long Star to register our citizenship and open Virtual Universe accounts so we can enter the upcoming Genius Battle. Just point us in the right direction."

Qiu Yan's eyes lit up at that. These two really had been raised by a major power. So their first venture into the world was to prepare for the Genius Battle.

"The administration building is a little over two hundred kilometers from here. Allow me to take you there myself."

With that, he stepped aside to clear a path and raised a hand toward a direction outside the port. The crew members and port staff nearby had yet to disperse. Seeing the master of Qiu Long Star treat two young men with such deference, their eyes nearly popped out of their heads.

The three rose into the air. Qiu Yan led the way, keeping his speed just right, neither seeming to hurry them nor drag things out.

During the flight, he turned back to make conversation, his tone attentive yet restrained. "Mr. Jiang Xian, have you always cultivated within your sect before this?"

Jiang Xian still had both hands in his pockets, his flying posture as casual as if he were strolling on level ground. "Yes."

"No wonder someone as poorly informed as I am has never heard of you." Qiu Yan gave an awkward smile.

He dared not ask anything more.

They covered the two hundred-odd kilometers in an instant. A tall, silver-gray building appeared ahead, the Black Dragon Mountain Empire's star emblem hanging above its main entrance and gleaming with a solemn metallic luster in the sunlight. Two tall guards stood on either side of the entrance.

Qiu Yan landed first, then turned to the pair and extended a hand toward the building. "Gentlemen, here we are."

Jiang Xian and Luo Feng landed on the stone steps outside the administration building. The automatic doors slid open, revealing a softly lit lobby.

Qiu Yan continued straight inside without stopping. He came to a halt in the center of the lobby and scanned the room, his gaze finally settling on a silver-haired middle-aged man in a corner who was holding a cup and drinking tea.

"Levent."

Hearing the voice, the silver-haired middle-aged man looked up. His hand shook, and he nearly dropped his teacup. He sprang to his feet and hurried around the counter to greet them, his expression swiftly shifting from surprise to a fearful, somewhat ingratiating smile. "Lord Qiu Yan?! What brings you here in person? If you need anything, you only have to say the word."

Qiu Yan waved a hand and stepped aside to reveal Jiang Xian and Luo Feng behind him. "This is Mr. Jiang Xian, and this is Mr. Luo Feng. They wish to register for imperial citizenship. Handle it yourself, and don't keep them waiting."

The silver-haired middle-aged man, Levent, quickly swept his gaze over Jiang Xian and Luo Feng: one at the Star Level, the other at the Planetary Level. His mind worked rapidly. If the planetary lord had brought them here himself, this was no ordinary Star Level individual. He must have a powerful background. His smile grew even warmer as he bowed. "Mr. Jiang Xian, Mr. Luo Feng, this way, please. I will personally handle everything for you."

He led the two into a separate reception room nearby, and Qiu Yan followed them inside. Gao Yang quickly brought up the Optical Computer terminal, his fingers flying over the interface as he looked up to ask Luo Feng, "Mr. Luo Feng, Mr. Jiang Xian, have either of you previously registered for citizenship anywhere?"

"No, we're both stateless," Jiang Xian replied.

"Very well." Levent stood and fetched a portable scanner. Blue light swept over both men, and a few seconds later, the words "No matching individual found" appeared on the terminal. Gao Yang nodded. "That will do. Mr. Jiang Xian, Mr. Luo Feng, your situation is very straightforward. Stateless applicants require no preliminary procedures for naturalization. You only need to..."

He had been about to say "pay the fee" when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Qiu Yan standing nearby with his arms folded, his dark-gold vertical pupils watching him quietly. Gao Yang's throat tightened, and he forcibly changed the words on the tip of his tongue. "...you only need to fill out a basic information registration form."

He swiftly pulled a thin sheet of card stock from a drawer, tapped twice on the terminal to print it, and presented it to the two men with both hands. "Gentlemen, just fill in your names and your Star Domain of origin."

The two took the pens and finished in a few quick strokes. Levent took back the cards, entered the information into the terminal, and clicked submit, the entire process flowing smoothly. He stood, retrieved a brand-new silver card from the card-making machine beside him, and offered it with both hands. "Gentlemen, your Black Dragon Mountain Empire citizenship identification cards are ready. From today onward, you are official citizens of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire."

The two accepted the cards and thanked him. Levent hurriedly waved his hands. "Of course, of course. It is my honor to serve you both."

Seeing that the two had obtained their identification documents, Qiu Yan looked at Jiang Xian and said, "Sir, the Virtual Universe Network has a dedicated access service building in Qiu Long City. It is indeed some distance from the administration building. I will take you both there now."

At their speed, a little over a hundred kilometers was hardly any distance at all. Before long, a streamlined building with a pale-blue glow shimmering over its outer walls appeared in their field of vision.

"This is the place." Qiu Yan landed first.

Jiang Xian and Luo Feng soon went inside, opened their accounts, and bought several dozen anonymous accounts while they were at it. Just as Jiang Xian was about to pay, Qiu Yan stepped forward and paid ten thousand years of Virtual Universe Network fees for both of them.

The three walked out through the main entrance. Qiu Yan followed about half a step behind the pair, a trace of satisfaction at having finished the task still in his dark-gold vertical pupils. All his running around for them today could be considered to have left a good impression on these two.

Jiang Xian suddenly stopped and turned around.

Qiu Yan was taken aback and stopped as well.

Jiang Xian looked him up and down, then reached out and patted Qiu Yan's thick, broad shoulder twice. The pats were light and casual, carrying the approval of an elder patting a junior, or a senior patting a newcomer.

Qiu Yan's entire body stiffened for an instant. As a Domain Lord Level expert, his instinctive response was almost to reflexively reject outside contact, but he forcibly suppressed that impulse and allowed the Star Level hand to land on his shoulder.

"You're quite good," Jiang Xian said, his tone utterly casual. "You have the makings of an Immortal."

Qiu Yan froze.

Qiu Yan's lips moved, his throat a little dry. "You flatter me, sir."

Jiang Xian withdrew his hand, tucked it back into his pocket, and said with a smile, "It's no flattery. You'll understand someday. All right, you don't need to follow us anymore. The two of us will look around on our own."