Astral Pet Store (WN)

Su Ping wasn't worried that Green Lady could be exposed, as all probing methods were blocked inside the store. No one could detect her existence; nobody, not even a Heavenly Lord such as Mo Tianhua, unless she expressly showed up in public.

"I claimed it from a treasury building. It's one of the prizes I won in the competition. It's the egg of a path beast called Chaos, left from the primordial age when the universe was just established. I'm going to hatch it here," said Su Ping, then added, "Take care of the store while I'm away. I'll be back soon."

"A path beast?!"

Green Lady was stunned for a moment. She then asked in shock, "Is it the legendary path beast that knows thousands of paths in the universe from the moment it's born? Do such creatures really exist?"

"That is correct."

Su Ping nodded.

"Aren't you talking about the divine essence beast?" Joanna was also dazed.

She narrowed her eyes; that was the sole expression she had shown after defeating the previous visitors. "The creatures born with thousands of paths only lived in the primordial times and have long gone extinct. That was an actual prize in the competition?"

She was truly dumbfounded.

The prize for defeating those kids was that precious?

She knew that there were other worlds aside from the Demigod Burial. Still, Su Ping's world was terrifying!

Even such extinct creatures from the primordial times had been given away for free!

Joanna's dazed expression made Su Ping find her cute all of a sudden. She didn't have her usual, indifferent God of War look.

He smiled and said, "Don't overthink. I only got it because nobody else knew what it was. Don't expose it."

Both of them realized what had happened.

Joanna seemed to have been enlightened; such an answer was the only plausible explanation. Treasures of that magnitude would have never been given away easily, not even in the Archean Divinity.

Furthermore, it had been quite easy to claim the prize.

"I would have tried my luck if I knew this. Unfortunately…" Joanna felt a pang of regret. It was the very first time she was sorry and angry due to her inability to leave the store.

Su Ping remained silent, only offering a smile and bidding farewell.

"I'll be away for a couple of months, or even one or two years. Please take care of my store while I'm away," said Su Ping.

Although professional training would be unavailable while he was away, his Dummy Trainer could handle the normal training on his behalf.

"That long?"

The three women frowned. Green Lady didn't consider it a big deal, but Tang Ruyan showed reluctance; she was only in her twenties, and one year was a very long time for her. On the other hand, Joanna and Green Lady considered it like the blink of an eye.

"I'll try my best to come back sooner," said Su Ping.

He left after giving them some instructions.

Everybody was waiting for him on the spaceship. Su Ping offered apologies, then went to the portal under Mo Tianhua's lead.

The latter had the spaceship send out VIP signals. A special channel was immediately opened, allowing the vessel to pass in advance.

A lot of spaceships nearby were waiting in line to be teleported.

"Guys, this is where we must say goodbye. Take care of yourselves during the remaining part of the journey," said Mo Tianhua to everyone at the portal.

All the Ascendant experts thanked him, then stepped into the portal with the geniuses they were protecting.

Luo Ying gazed at Su Ping and made a pact with him. "Let's fight again next time we meet!"

Su Ping accepted the challenge with a smile.

"Don't relax just because you're the champion; we'll catch up with you soon. I hope we have a chance to fight next time," said Lilian, winking at the end.

Six Lives Buddha said with a gentle smile, "Be prepared to fight three of my future selves next time we meet!"

Su Ping said with a helpless smile, "I won't even dare to rest if you keep talking like that."

"Haha."

Luo Ying laughed and waved goodbye.

Lilian also smiled and left with her Ascendant State protector.

The others bid farewell too, one after the other.

Su Ping stepped into the portal right after everyone left, then selected the Celestial Court.

…

Celestial Court, Golden Star Zone—

The splendid Celestial Court, like a glowing temple, radiated a light even brighter than that of stars, illuminating the quiet and dark space.

In one of the Celestial Court's palaces.

"Master, I'm back," said Su Ping respectfully, head lowered while he stood before his master.

Shen Huang, wearing a luxurious and fashionable robe, had a gentle and approachable look as he sat on the throne. He chuckled and said, "Diaz just came back and told me you would surely return without issues. Your performance during the competition was great. No more than a hundred people have ever condensed a small world while still in the Fate State."

"A hundred?" Su Ping was stunned. He had at first thought that it had been an impossibly difficult task, yet his master was implying that plenty others had achieved the feat.

"No need to feel surprised. After all, there are too many geniuses in this vast universe. However, some of them have either died young or lost their brilliance due to several different reasons, later being unable to continue their rise and distinguishing themselves further," said Shen Huang with a smile.

Su Ping gave a slight nod as his mindset also changed.

"You can break through and reach the Star State at any moment, but I do hope you stay put until you become a Star Lord. Until that happens, just cultivate in the Celestial Court. All the resources you need are here," said Shen Huang.

Even though he was prepared, Su Ping could not help but ask in a low voice, "Master, do I have to wait until I become a Star Lord?"

"Yes. Considering your talent, few people will be able to hurt you if you become a Star Lord. They won't be able to kill you even if they surround you and use secret treasures. I will also give you life-saving treasures; you'll be safe unless an Ascendant attacks you."

"All Ascendant experts are famous for years. It is easy for us to track down whoever is behind them if any of them attack you," Shen Huang smiled and said, "You now have the added prestige of being my disciple, but it's still possible that others will scheme against you. I have my own share of enemies; some of them would not dare to challenge me in the open, while others could be complete strangers to me. They are blaming me for mistakes done by people under my command."

"You must bear as much hostility as the attention you receive. So, avoid relaxing at all costs."

Su Ping also understood the reason. He smiled bitterly.

Shen Huang was amused to see Su Ping's expression. Others would have dreamed to cultivate with him, but Su Ping seemed to be quite reluctant.

He thought for a moment, then said, "You're allowed to leave in advance if you really want to. I'll set you free if you make it to the top of the Divine Lord Rank."

"The Divine Lord Rank?" Su Ping was stunned.

Shen Huang smiled and replied, "Yes. The Divine Lord Rank is where the top hundred of all the Star Lords in the Golden Star Zone are listed. It's a very famous ranking list. All the Star Lords on the listing are the best ones in their level."

"The top ten are easily able to crush opponents of their same level. Given your talent, you should be able to make it to the top hundred, and even the top ten soon after you become a Star Lord."

He glanced at Su Ping and said, "You're the best genius of the universe at the moment; it doesn't mean that you'll always be. Some people are late bloomers, but that was fast. So, you must not relax in any phase, or you may easily be surpassed."

"I understand."

Su Ping nodded.