Kevin had naturally been joking.
How exalted were Immortal Experts?
Even the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, a powerful intermediate civilization that occupied the entire Black Dragon Mountain Starfield, had only one Immortal presiding over it-the Black Dragon God Lord.
Immortals were an entirely different form of life. They transcended the mundane and lived forever; even the Primal Universe's rules governing the limits of life could not constrain them.
Even among the Universe Level geniuses who made the top thousand in the once-every-five-thousand-years Genius Battle and entered the Core Layer of the Virtual Universe Company or the Giant Axe Arena, most perished on the road to immortality.
"Father, do you know anyone at the Ganwu Dojo on Qiu Long Star?" Lu Qingshan asked.
Kevin answered with a smile, "Qiu Long Star's Ganwu Dojo has three One-Leaf Ganwu Practitioners, all frequent guests at the city lord's residence. The strongest among them, Mo Li, is Universe Level 9. In terms of strength, he's about on par with you before your breakthrough. If he entered the Giant Axe Life-and-Death Battle, earning the title of Giant Axe Warrior wouldn't be difficult."
Not every powerful expert was willing to participate in the Giant Axe Life-and-Death Battle.
Those thousand battles to the death were far too perilous. Even someone as strong as a previous champion could never guarantee they would not encounter an even more heaven-defying opponent.
Those who entered the Giant Axe Life-and-Death Battle were either cultivation maniacs who would stop at nothing to improve their strength, whose needs even the Killing Field could not satisfy, or people like Lu Qingshan before, forced to stake everything on their freedom.
"Mo Li has held his post for over a thousand years, and we're on good terms," Kevin continued. "I'll take you straight to the Ganwu Dojo shortly. With his recommendation, you'll have a good chance of joining."
"No time like the present. Let's head over now. I've never been to the Ganwu Dojo before."
"Hehe, let's go."
Half an hour later, Lu Qingshan and Kevin arrived at the Ganwu Dojo on Qiu Long Star.
The dojo occupied an immense area, almost like a small city.
Above the main entrance, the large characters spelling "Ganwu Dojo" exuded an imposing aura. Gilded leaf decorations surrounded them, sumptuous yet elegant.
Not far away, three enormous purple-robed statues towered majestically.
The statues depicted two men and one woman, each with different features. The single golden leaf on each chest proclaimed their status.
One-Leaf Ganwu Practitioners, the Ganwu Dojo's Universe Level experts.
"Are those three in charge of the dojo?" Lu Qingshan asked.
"Yes."
Kevin's tone held a measure of pride.
"The administrators the Ganwu Dojo posts to its various branches rotate every five thousand years. To demonstrate their status and give the students a goal to strive toward, their statues are always placed in the most conspicuous location.
"The Ganwu Dojo on Qiu Long Star is the largest in the surrounding several thousand galaxies, with a full three One-Leaf Ganwu Practitioners stationed here. The Ganwu Dojos in the imperial capitals of other elementary cosmic civilizations usually have only one or two."
This arrangement highlighted the special standing of Qiu Long Star's Ganwu Dojo.
Lu Qingshan understood. It was like the universities in his previous life: the other dojos were ordinary schools, while Qiu Long Star's dojo was a prestigious university.
"So the caliber of the students here is also among the best across several thousand galaxies?"
A hint of anticipation appeared in Lu Qingshan's eyes.
He had not forgotten his original intentions. Joining a major power would, first, give him a status and backing that others would fear, and second, make it easier to find geniuses recognized by the system.
Both were important.
He did not want to end up like Hu Yanbo, hunted down despite having become a Marquis Immortal, only to meet his end with his life extinguished and his path cut short.
"You could put it that way." Before Kevin finished speaking, his gaze had already shifted into the distance.
A purple-robed man was flying toward them.
His appearance drew not only Lu Qingshan's and Kevin's attention, but also the gazes of the many Planetary Level and Star Level students training within the dojo, who began discussing him curiously.
"It's Instructor Mo Li! What's he doing here?"
"I heard Teacher Mo Li is the strongest of the three instructors. Is that true?"
"Of course it is! Teacher Qianxue admitted it herself during an open class."
"When did Teacher Qianxue hold an open class? How come I didn't know?"
"You happened to be home on leave that day."
"Damn it! I actually missed something that important!"
Amid the crowd's discussions, Mo Li landed before Kevin and Lu Qingshan.
"City Lord Kevin, you honor us with your presence. Why didn't you let me know beforehand so I could come out to welcome you?" Mo Li deliberately adopted a humble posture. Though he was powerful among One-Leaf Ganwu Practitioners, his strength was still insufficient in front of a veteran Domain Lord like Kevin.
"I've come to trouble you for some help, Mo Li." Kevin gestured toward Lu Qingshan beside him. "This is my son-in-law, Lu Qingshan... You should know of him, the Giant Axe Warrior from the Maple Leaf Empire."
Mo Li had noticed Lu Qingshan long before, but Lu Qingshan had only recently arrived on Qiu Long Star, and they had never met.
Sensing the undisguised Domain Lord aura emanating from Lu Qingshan, Mo Li was inwardly shocked.
This legendary Giant Axe Warrior had actually broken through to the Domain Lord realm!
"Greetings, Your Excellency Lu Qingshan."
"You're too courteous, Mr. Mo Li. My father-in-law speaks very highly of you. Now that we've met, you are indeed extraordinary." Lu Qingshan cupped his hands in return.
"You flatter me, Mr. Lu. There are too many people and prying eyes here. Shall we move to my office to discuss things in detail?"
"Certainly."
Lu Qingshan had originally wanted to see whether there were any promising seedlings among the students present, but Mo Li had arrived too quickly. Business would have to come first.
A short while later, the three arrived at a spacious office covering several thousand square meters, with separate areas for office work and cultivation.
The Ganwu Dojo's other two One-Leaf Ganwu Practitioners also came upon hearing the news. One man and one woman, both regarded Lu Qingshan curiously.
With all three present, Lu Qingshan explained his intentions.
"You mean you wish to join the Ganwu Dojo, Mr. Lu?" Mo Li's tone held a measure of excitement.
"Exactly." Lu Qingshan nodded with a smile. "After breaking through to Domain Lord, I wanted to find somewhere quiet to focus on cultivation. The Ganwu Dojo is a good choice, but I don't know whether I might have that honor."
Hearing this, Mo Li could hardly conceal his excitement. "Mr. Lu, you are a Universe Level Giant Axe Warrior and the founder of the Maple Leaf Empire. Your background is clean, and you are a native-born citizen of our Ganwu Universe Country. There is absolutely no problem with your joining the dojo."
Before taking up their posts, they had investigated the various powers on Qiu Long Star and had long known of Lu Qingshan's strength. Now, with Qiu Long Star's master vouching for him as well, there was naturally no room for error.
"However..." Mo Li hesitated slightly. "If you were still at Universe Level, Mr. Lu, I would be ninety-nine percent confident of securing approval for you as a One-Leaf Ganwu Practitioner. But you have already advanced to Domain Lord, so you would join as a Two-Leaf Ganwu Practitioner... That is beyond my authority. I must submit an application to my superiors, and you can only officially join after passing a special assessment."
Afraid that Lu Qingshan might change his mind, he hurriedly added, "Of course, even if you fail the assessment, you can first become a One-Leaf Ganwu Practitioner. Once your strength improves in the future, you can apply for the assessment to advance to Two-Leaf."
"Mr. Lu, you only get one chance every hundred years to take the Two-Leaf Ganwu Practitioner assessment," Qianxue, the One-Leaf Ganwu Practitioner beside him, reminded him. "Why not join as a One-Leaf Ganwu Practitioner first, then apply for the advancement assessment once your strength has stabilized?"
Mo Li's and Qianxue's suggestions were both sound. After all, inviting a Domain Lord expert with a clean background to join the dojo would also earn them a generous sum of points.
Lu Qingshan cupped his hands and smiled. "I'd still like to try the assessment first. It's only a hundred years-a mere instant for a Domain Lord. Even if I don't succeed this time, it won't matter."
Mo Li nodded. "All right. The three of us will submit a joint application immediately. Please don't leave Qiu Long Star in the near future, Mr. Lu. Once the application is submitted, the examiner will arrive very soon."
"Thank you, everyone!" Lu Qingshan cupped his hands again in thanks.
Kevin rose with a smile. "I'll host a banquet at the city lord's residence tonight as a small token of gratitude. Would you do me the honor...?"
"With Lord Kevin inviting us, we'll certainly be there on time!"
Mo Li and the other two answered in unison.
(End of chapter)