Locke Divine Water required a World Ring for storage, and the system had thoughtfully provided one.
The space inside the ring was only about a kilometer in diameter, as small as could be, just a tiny bit larger than Lu Qingshan's Space Ring.
But with the World Ring, the Locke Divine Water could be perfectly concealed by world power, so he did not have to worry about it being discovered.
That spared Lu Qingshan some concerns.
After all, even Immortal Gods coveted this stuff, while he was merely a Domain Lord.
After claiming ownership of the World Ring, Lu Qingshan entered it and saw a small pond in the middle of a mountain hollow.
Ten thousand cubic meters sounded enormous, but in reality, it was merely a little cube with sides less than twenty-two meters long.
From a distance, it looked just like a small pond outside a rural home.
Compared with Panxi's lake, the difference was practically that between heaven and earth.
That lake of Locke Divine Water belonging to Panxi was worth 6.3 billion Hunyuan Units, comparable to the entire fortune of a King-level Immortal.
What I have is only the spare change from his total after taking away the hundred-millions.
"What a lucky guy..."
To have obtained such vast resources before even reaching the Planetary stage, this fellow named Panxi could definitely have been a heaven-blessed protagonist in another novel.
Unfortunately.
The Primal Universe was boundless. Viewed from an infinitely broader perspective, his fortuitous encounter was merely middling.
About on par with Luo Feng possessing the Golden Horned Beast...
Although he envied the lucky Panxi, Lu Qingshan had no intention of plundering him for now.
Panxi's trump cards were two World Lord Ninth Stage plant lifeforms, and he himself was also a World Lord.
Even if he had not yet reached the World Lord realm himself, given how quickly Locke Divine Water could nurture plant lifeforms, he might already have raised World Lord plant lifeforms. Going after him now would not only beat the grass and startle the snake, but might even put Lu Qingshan's life in danger.
That would be far too poor a bargain.
Panxi, a fellow with merely a minor, middling fortuitous encounter, would still be nothing more than a small fry at World Lord Third Stage even fifty thousand years later. No matter how strong he became, he could not compare to an Immortal God.
Lu Qingshan's fortuitous encounter, however, was absolutely top-tier. He only needed to wait patiently for a while, then take Panxi down once he possessed the strength to rival an Immortal God.
The enemy was in the open while he remained in the shadows. Panxi was merely a turtle in a jar, so why fight to the death? Crushing him with overwhelming strength was the best way to solve the problem.
The Locke Divine Water was bone-chillingly cold. Even standing beside it, Lu Qingshan could feel the chill washing over him.
With a few drops of this stuff at home, he was guaranteed never to need air conditioning in summer for the rest of his life.
More importantly, the life force it emitted could subtly improve the physiques of those nearby.
Panxi was the sort of person who had no talent, yet even he could rely on Locke Divine Water to break through to the World Lord realm. That alone offered a glimpse of its effectiveness.
This Locke Divine Water would pair well with Blood Dragon Fruit. Perhaps it could raise his strength to Domain Lord Ninth Stage.
Originally, the Dragon Blood Fruits Lu Qingshan had purchased could, at best, raise his strength to Domain Lord Level 8 within a year. Now that he had this Locke Divine Water, however, he raised his target a little.
He would first break through to Domain Lord Ninth Stage, then seek resources for breaking through to World Lord after he had adapted to all his body's power.
Lu Qingshan took out a wine flask, filled it with Locke Divine Water, and poured it into his mouth, draining it in one gulp.
An intense life force instantly filled his entire body.
Next, Lu Qingshan took out a Blood Dragon Fruit. Compared with the gentle calm of the Locke Divine Water, the life force contained in this Blood Dragon Fruit was far more violent.
With the two balancing each other out, they were just right for breaking through realms.
"Break."
Nourished by the life force, the origin force within Lu Qingshan's body surged forth continuously. Soon, it broke through the limit, raising his strength to Domain Lord Level 8...
At this stage, the World Lord realm was no longer far away. Lu Qingshan digested the remaining life force within his body and continued accumulating origin force...
About another three months passed. By the time Lu Qingshan ate the last Blood Dragon Fruit, his strength had reached Domain Lord Ninth Stage.
The Blood Dragon Fruits were gone, but plenty of Locke Divine Water remained.
Lu Qingshan had used roughly one hundred cubic meters of Locke Divine Water to break through, leaving ninety-nine hundred cubic meters.
"I'll go to the Killing Field to adapt to my strength first, then find a way to make some money!"
As soon as he entered the Virtual Universe, Lu Qingshan discovered several new messages in his inbox.
One was even marked for special attention. It was from Jimi, the head of the Ganwu Dojo's personnel department.
The message was simple: he was to visit the personnel department after finishing his cultivation.
It did not say what exactly he was to do there.
But the wording was very courteous, using terms such as "please" and respectful forms of address, so it probably was not anything bad.
Lu Qingshan looked through the other messages as well.
One was from his butler, Luo Er, concerning Jimi's visit during his cultivation.
There was also a message from his neighbor, the fire-element instructor Chi Yan, asking whether he needed points. If he did, Chi Yan still had some...
"What's Chi Yan in such a hurry to sell points for? Is he planning to run away?"
Lu Qingshan did not reply to him immediately, instead deciding to visit Jimi first.
Jimi was his superior, and Lu Qingshan did not want to offend him.
Before long, Lu Qingshan met Jimi in an office on the third floor of the administration building.
"Lord Jimi, I'm truly sorry. I've been in seclusion lately, breaking through to the next stage, and didn't know you had visited."
Lu Qingshan offered an apology first.
"Have a seat, Instructor Lu." Smiling broadly, Jimi gestured toward the chair opposite him, his manner far warmer than before. "You truly are a cultivation genius, Instructor Lu. To think you reached Domain Lord Ninth Stage in just a few short years."
"You flatter me, Lord Jimi. I merely bought a few natural treasures at the Treasure Pavilion and exhausted my years of savings."
Lu Qingshan spoke modestly.
"Oh." Jimi had no intention of pressing further and said directly, "Instructor Lu Qingshan, I sought you out this time because I have something important to discuss with you."
"Please go ahead, Lord Jimi." Lu Qingshan's expression remained unchanged.
Jimi's expression was equally serious as he said, "I received orders from Marquis Silvermoon for you to go to the Ganwu Secret Realm and instruct a certain Highness."
"Lord Marquis Silvermoon!"
Lu Qingshan had been at the Ganwu Dojo for several years, so naturally, he knew who was in charge.
The Ganwu Dojo headquarters, and even the Ganwu Mystic Region, were managed by three Immortal Gods. Marquis Silvermoon was one of them!
To think I've caught this lord's attention.
Lu Qingshan felt a little apprehensive. Without sufficient ability to protect himself, he did not want direct contact with Immortals.
However, Lu Qingshan was quite interested in that Highness in the Ganwu Mystic Region.
Anyone whom even Jimi addressed as "Your Highness" had to be a peerless genius who had gained an initial grasp of an origin law.
I just don't know whether being an instructor counts as being a teacher, or whether the system will acknowledge it.
(End of chapter)