Luo Feng nodded, gazing toward a group of mighty immortal deities walking and chatting leisurely in the distance.
“Marquis Jinyu, Marquis Zi Dian, Marquis Heiyan!” Leading the group was a man with a large nose, a single horn, and curly hair, wearing an extravagant dark golden robe. He laughed heartily as he walked at the forefront of these immortal deities. In a flash, he had already reached the entrance of the banquet hall’s main hall, smiling broadly toward Luo Feng. “Ah, you must be the newly arrived Inspector Luo Feng, right?”
“Haha, you run the fastest,” the ape-like Marquis Zi Dian chuckled, turning his head to look at Luo Feng. “Luo Feng, this is Longyin Wang, one of the three hundred lords of the Qianwu Cosmic Nation.”
“Longyin Wang, greetings,” Luo Feng nodded with a smile.
The lords of the cosmic nation were not as prestigious; each of these three hundred lords was an immortal deity at the Marquis level.
“Haha, I’ve long heard of your reputation. You’ve brought great honor to our Qianwu Cosmic Nation. It’s finally my pleasure to meet you in person,” Longyin Wang said with a cheerful smile. Then, accompanied by his two subordinates and led by the banquet hall staff, he entered the banquet hall.
Soon after, another immortal deity approached, warmly greeting the three leaders of the Qianwu Branch and Luo Feng.
…
One immortal deity after another arrived with their subordinates. The three leaders of the Qianwu Branch and Luo Feng greeted each guest in turn.
A short while later.
“Marquis Zi Dian, Marquis Jinyu, Marquis Heiyan. Your invitation brings me immense joy, Black Dragon!” A towering, muscular behemoth clad in obsidian draconic scales, crowned with a single onyx horn, strode forward with fervor, his eyes ablaze with excitement upon spotting Luo Feng.
“Luo Feng, this is the Divine Ruler of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire from your homeland. You can simply address him as Black Dragon,” Marquis Zi Dian, who resembled an ape, introduced with a grin.
Luo Feng’s eyes lit up.
Oh…
This was the colossal deity, exuding a savage beastly aura—none other than the Divine Sovereign of the Sacred Obsidian Dragon Peak from the Blackscale Dominion.
“Greetings, Mr. Black Dragon,” Luo Feng said with a smile.
“Haha, you hail from my Black Dragon Mountain Empire, and I, the Black Dragon, am equally honored,” the Divine Sovereign of Black Dragon Mountain boomed with laughter before striding into the grand banquet hall’s main chamber.
(Note: I maintained “黑龙” as “Black Dragon” since it appears to be a title/name in this context. The translation preserves the fantasy regal tone while adapting natural English flow. “Divine Sovereign” elevates the ruler’s status appropriately for the genre.)
After witnessing the entrance of Hei Long (Black Dragon), the ape-like Marquis Zi Dian sent a voice transmission to Luo Feng: “Luo Feng, this Divine Ruler of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire from your homeland… he hails from the Black Dragon Mountain Tribe, a relatively minor clan among the dragonkin. The Black Dragon Mountain Tribe consists of roughly ten thousand pure-blooded members, and Hei Long serves as their chieftain, having established the Black Dragon Mountain Empire. His power is merely average, still far from reaching the Marquis level. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t even be qualified to attend such an assembly. However, given his status as the Divine Ruler of your homeland, he received a special invitation this time.”
Luo Feng nodded.
One after another.
“It’s him—”
Luo Feng’s eyes brightened.
He saw a tall, thin man with silver nodules all over his head, accompanied by a kind-faced old man with graying hair. Luo Feng naturally recognized the old man with graying hair—it was Master Luo, the teacher of his elder brother Hong! The one beside him must be his friend, the immortal deity Bushika.
“Bushika,” the ape-like Marquis Zi Dian called out with a laugh. “Haha, you’ve finally arrived. As for Luo Feng… I don’t think I need to introduce him, right?”
Luo Feng’s relationship with Hong had already been revealed to the three leaders of the Qianwu Branch during their first meeting.
And when Bushika received the invitation, he already knew the reason.
The tall, thin man with silver nodules on his head smiled at Luo Feng, and Master Luo beside him also looked at Luo Feng.
“My elder brother is inside. Mr. Bushika, Master Luo, let’s catch up later,” Luo Feng nodded slightly.
“Mm.”
The two nodded and entered the banquet hall.
…
The three leaders of the Qianwu Branch had sent out nearly a thousand invitations in total. Except for a very small number who couldn’t attend due to special circumstances, such as exploring cosmic secret realms or adventuring in other cosmic races’ territories, the vast majority had arrived—about 80% of the invitees were present.
Luo Feng greeted each guest one by one and gained a clear understanding of the upper echelons of the Qianwu Cosmic Nation.
Those so-called royal families and crown princes were truly laughable.
The true power in the cosmic nation still lay with these great immortals.
“Marquis Jinyu, Marquis Zi Dian, Marquis Heiyan,” a crisp voice rang out. A silver-robed man with silver hair fluttering at his temples approached, accompanied by a male and female subordinate. He smiled slightly as he greeted them and then turned to Luo Feng. “Inspector Luo Feng, it’s truly a pleasure to see you.”
“Luo Feng, this is Marquis Yin Xue,” the ape-like Marquis Zi Dian swiftly explained with a grin.
He’s here!
The main guest of honor had finally arrived! This welcoming banquet was primarily held for him!
It was him who had stopped Hong and Ji Qing!
Luo Feng looked at this silver-robed man with a cool demeanor and smiled, saying, “I’ve heard many people talk about Marquis Yin Xue ever since I first arrived at the planet Lonyu. In fact, there’s even a city named after you on this planet—Tiancang City. It’s truly a pleasure to finally meet Marquis Yin Xue in person.”
“Haha,” Marquis Yin Xue couldn’t help but laugh.
“I’ve also heard from my head guard about the story of Marquis Yin Xue chasing down the immortal metal life-form ‘Kubati.’ I imagine you pursuing him across countless star regions, all the way into the insect race’s territory, and finally slaying Kubati amidst a tide of insect warriors. It’s truly inspiring,” Luo Feng marveled.
Marquis Yin Xue’s smile widened as he said, “That was a long time ago. It’s not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning at all.”
Although Marquis Yin Xue appeared aloof,
It also depended on who he was speaking with. As a member of the Original Secret Realm and the current Inspector, Luo Feng’s status was in no way inferior to his. As a peerless genius of the new generation valued by the Virtual Universe Company, and with Zhenyan Wang as his mentor, he was undoubtedly a favored child of heaven among the human race in the entire universe.
Such sincere words from a peerless genius naturally made Marquis Yin Xue feel very pleased.
“Marquis Yin Xue, please go inside and rest first. We can chat in detail later,” Luo Feng said.
“Mm.”
Marquis Yin Xue smiled and nodded, then entered the banquet hall with his subordinates, Yukan and Jifengyan.
This scene caused Marquis Zi Dian, Marquis Jinyu, and Marquis Heiyan to exchange glances and silently communicate with each other through voice transmission.
“We’ve greeted so many guests, but I’ve never seen Luo Feng this enthusiastic before.”
“Yeah, it’s as if he’s meeting someone he deeply admires. Luo Feng’s status and vision are both extraordinary. There’s no need for him to humble himself like this.”
“Could it be that he truly admires Marquis Yin Xue?”
Although the three leaders of the Qianwu Branch knew about Luo Feng’s relationship with Hong because Luo Feng had voluntarily disclosed it, they were completely unaware of the incident involving Hong and Ji Qing. After all, as the three supreme leaders of the Qianwu Branch, they had no interest in the trivial love affairs of younger generations. Therefore, seeing Luo Feng’s unusual politeness, the three of them felt slightly puzzled.
…
Finally, nearly a thousand immortal deity guests had all entered the banquet hall, sitting in small groups and chatting quietly.
Luo Feng and the three leaders of the Qianwu Branch also returned to the banquet hall.
“Marquis Jinyu.”
A voice reached Marquis Jinyu’s ears. He turned his head and saw Marquis Yin Xue, Ji Tiancang, sitting at a distance.
“Marquis Yin Xue, do you need something?” Marquis Jinyu walked over and sat opposite Marquis Yin Xue.
“There is something,” Marquis Yin Xue said. “Isn’t your Military Department also responsible for recruiting and cultivating elites throughout the Qianwu Cosmic Nation?”
“What’s the matter?” Marquis Jinyu looked at him.
Beyond the Genius War, the recruitment of talents also encompassed scouring the cosmos for Level 3, Level 2, Level 1, and Special Tier elites during ordinary times, ultimately handpicking the finest to ascend into the core echelon. In truth, when measured against the Genius War and the Hero War, the prodigies nurtured through this method of selection proved no less extraordinary.
“There are quotas for elite cultivation. Could you allocate an additional 50% quota to my Ji Clan?” Marquis Yin Xue said.
“50%?” Marquis Jinyu’s lips slightly curled upward. “That’s too high. Well, I have something else to attend to. We can discuss this later.”
With that, Marquis Jinyu stood up and left directly.
“This Marquis Yin Xue dares to ask for an additional 50% quota? The Virtual Universe Company invests enormous resources in cultivating elites. He wants the Ji Clan to get so many spots, letting the company cultivate talents for his clan without him spending a single credit. Hmph—” Marquis Jinyu’s eyes briefly flashed with disdain, and a hint of a sinister charm appeared on his face.
Yet, when he saw Luo Feng in the distance, Marquis Jinyu immediately adjusted his demeanor, becoming sunny and approachable once again.
“Luo Feng,” Marquis Jinyu smiled as he approached.
…
Watching Marquis Jinyu leave, Ji Tiancang, the Marquis Yin Xue, slightly furrowed his brows. At this moment, Jifengyan and Yukan returned.
“Ancestor, did Marquis Jinyu refuse?” Jifengyan whispered.
“Marquis Jinyu didn’t refuse, nor did he agree,” Marquis Yin Xue snorted coldly. “Adding an extra 50% quota for my Ji Clan in the Xuejiang Star Domain is barely noticeable on the scale of the entire Qianwu Cosmic Nation… According to the quality of each generation of elites, the number of cultivated elites can fluctuate. Adding a few more people doesn’t cost Marquis Jinyu any resources… However, without his satisfaction, this matter will indeed be difficult to accomplish.”
For a clan, the future is always more important.
Fifteen immortal deities under my command—if I were a mere figurehead, would I have such power today?
From small clans to large races,
Cultivating the next generation is always of utmost importance.
“Ancestor,” Jifengyan spoke softly.
“Hmm?” Marquis Yin Xue looked at Jifengyan.
“Probably everyone here can see that Luo Feng himself is just a Domain Lord at the ninth stage, albeit a peerless genius in the cosmos. However, the path to immortality is never easy. He might even perish in the future. I suspect few of the great immortals here truly care about Luo Feng,” Jifengyan whispered.
“But from beginning to end, everyone has been polite to Luo Feng. Undoubtedly, it’s because of the three leaders of the Qianwu Branch.”
Marquis Yin Xue continued to look at Jifengyan.
“The three leaders of the Qianwu Branch control too many resources! For a clan’s development… we need to please the Commercial Department! For the future cultivation of our clan… we need to please the Military Department! Even for stronger individuals wanting greater safety and more merits on the battlefield, we must please the War Department. Among the three hundred lords and many powerful immortal clans, few dare to offend the three leaders of the Qianwu Branch!”
“Everyone is polite to Luo Feng!”
“It’s because of the three leaders of the Qianwu Branch. Those three leaders fear Luo Feng because he holds the authority of an inspector. Hence, they are so diligent, personally inviting all the major figures of the Qianwu Cosmic Nation and personally introducing each immortal deity to Luo Feng. Who has ever seen the three leaders of the Qianwu Branch being so diligent before? Usually, it’s others who are diligent toward them!”
“Therefore!” Jifengyan said confidently, “If we can persuade Luo Feng to help, his words would likely be much more effective.”
“Mm.”
Marquis Yin Xue nodded. “I understand this point. However, Luo Feng’s background and connections are also quite significant. It won’t be easy to get his help.”
“Isn’t Luo Feng very respectful toward you, Ancestor?” Jifengyan quickly added.
“Respectful?”
Marquis Yin Xue narrowed his eyes, pondering for a moment. “Mm… Later, I’ll find an opportunity to talk with Luo Feng.”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage