"That's it, this is the place, let me take a look."
A hint of joy appeared in Huan's voice, and he emitted a pleasant ripple of excitement.
"Dear Nascent Soul cultivator, hello. As your origin universe, I... ptooey, what kind of nonsense is this? It's so cheesy."
Huan seemed to have found some documents, but Li Xingkong didn't see them.
"To make a long story short, it's like this: although cultivators are not common in the Cosmic Sea, they are quite renowned, especially Nascent Soul cultivators."
Li Xingkong seemed to hear the sound of a book being thrown aside, and then Huan began to explain to him.
"Now that you've leaped into the Cosmic Sea, you must have gained some understanding of the existence of the universe."
"Hmm, I'd say I know a little bit about it."
Li Xingkong looked back at his model and could only say that he was slightly proficient in a certain aspect, which could be considered as a blind man touching an elephant.
"As the will of the universe, although we start from a much higher point, there is also a significant price to pay. We can only fine-tune the internal workings of the universe and set various rules, but we have no control over the expansion of the universe itself or its interaction with the outside world."
"After all, the will of the universe is difficult to manifest externally, and its influence outside the universe is limited."
"But cultivators are different, especially Nascent Soul cultivators. You are simply the best gift that heaven has bestowed upon the universe! You are messengers, foreign ministers, and extensions of every universe! This is especially true for cultivators born in this world."
At this point, Huan's eyes lit up.
"Wow, do you know how long I've been waiting? Several batches of cultivators from other universes have already appeared, but there's still not a sound from my side. Maybe my rules are too complicated? Logically, this shouldn't be the case. I've missed so many classes, how complicated could my rules be..."
"Attend class?"
Li Xingkong heard some incredible words.
"That's right. First came the universe, then the cosmic will. But the cosmic will is not a solitary entity. In the Cosmic Sea, there are many wills like mine. We are all interconnected, and there is even a special alliance of wills that educates newly formed cosmic wills on basic knowledge."
"Hmm, I was a bit confused by what I was hearing, so I was a little lazy... But our universe is very stable, you have to trust me, there's absolutely no chance of it collapsing halfway through expansion!!"
Li Xingkong patted his head and muttered to himself.
"No wonder. If the system hadn't come, it would have been a miracle if any cultivators had even appeared. There wasn't even Spiritual Qi to be set up; where would they have gotten the cultivators to nurture?"
"Anyway, hehe, now I have a universe with cultivators too!"
Huan's tone was quite smug.
"So, besides saying these things, is there anything else you wanted to discuss with me here?"
If it's just about saying these things, then there's absolutely no need to fix it for him; there are plenty of ways to talk to him about it.
"Emmm, you're the first Nascent Soul cultivator. I won't keep you in suspense any longer. I haven't had time to translate the script yet. It's like this..."
"All things in nature are created to nourish humankind. The Universe Will Alliance has a mature system for dealing with new cultivators. The general idea is that before reaching the Nascent Soul, the universe is the one-sided provider of nurturing cultivators. So, after advancing to the Nascent Soul, each cultivator has to sign a contract with the Cosmic Will, working for the universe for a few years to give back to the investment of so many years."
"After all, you know how much energy and matter a Nascent Soul cultivator can take away from this universe. If there isn't a positive feedback channel, the more prosperous a universe's cultivation is, the faster it will decline."
"So, the reason I invited you here is to sign a Heavenly Dao Contract with you. Through the contract, we'll calculate the resources you need to give back and generate a small IOU, hmm."
Huan was clearly a little guilty when he said these words, after all, he had never done this job before, and he didn't know if Li Xingkong would agree.
" The Primordial Universe treated me like my own parents, so it's only right that I repay them in any way. There's no need to mention a contract; Li Xingkong will naturally do his utmost to repay them properly."
Filial piety is something Li Xingkong takes for granted; making it into a contract seems a bit too formal.
"Sigh, I have indeed witnessed your life, and I've just reviewed it. Your character is indeed quite flawless, but this contract doesn't just protect me; it protects you as well."
"The debt of gratitude for nurturing is immense, but it is ultimately finite. Many unscrupulous cosmic consciousnesses often exploit this debt for personal gain, using it as tools for their cultivators, thus causing much resentment. This contract protects both my interests and your freedom."
"Um, okay, then let's sign it."
What else can we do now that things have come to this?
As soon as he finished speaking, a scroll emitting a pale golden light appeared in front of Li Xingkong. As soon as the scroll was unfurled, Li Xingkong felt that the power, rules, and everything else he had relied on seemed to have lost their effect.
His soul, no, his very essence, seemed to have been directly extracted and exposed within the small space constructed by this scroll.
The space was small, like a tiny attic, and in the middle of the room, a uniquely shaped instrument sat quietly.
The golden light was still shrinking, and soon, a figure solidified opposite Li Xingkong, although it looked much shorter than Li Xingkong.
When the golden light faded, Li Xingkong saw that the figure opposite him looked like a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl, tender and quite adorable.
"Ahem, Li Xingkong? Come and look at the contract. If there are no problems, sign it."
The little girl wanted to make her voice more powerful, just like before, but unfortunately, under the scroll's radiance, her abilities seemed to have lost their effectiveness.
Unable to put on an act, she could only cough awkwardly twice before quickly turning her attention to the instrument in the middle.
"This is the Heavenly Dao Covenant jointly created by the Universe Will Alliance and the Jade Void Palace. Just place your hand here to read its contents."
The little girl, Huan, skipped and hopped to the instrument and placed her palm on a disc on it.
Li Xingkong followed suit, placing his palm on another spot.
As soon as his hand touched the instrument, a detailed treaty entered Li Xingkong's mind.
The language in which this treaty is written is unknown, but anyone who comes into contact with it can deeply understand its meaning; there are absolutely no linguistic traps or word games involved.
The agreement was simple: Li Xingkong would have to return three times the amount of resources and energy he had consumed during his cultivation in his original Original Universe. He could either go to the Cosmic Sea to be a gold prospector or sneak into other universes to make some money.