Chapter 471: Becoming a Disciple?

In the rest chamber of an unremarkable residence within the Human Race’s sacred cultivation ground known as Chaos City:

Luo Feng sat on a chair, gazing down at a book previously delivered by the Black-Robed Messenger. Within the book were the following words:

“Those who successfully pass the 18th level of the Heaven-Piercing Bridge are the true elites of our human race—Grandmasters among the Immortals. They can directly obtain permanent residency in Chaos City and are permitted to establish sects, teach disciples, and give lectures, earning the respect of all!”

“Any cultivator who arrives in Chaos City and passes the third level of the Heaven-Piercing Bridge may attend lectures.”

“You may attend any Grandmaster’s lecture.”

“But if you wish to become a disciple of a certain Grandmaster, then you must attend their lecture the very first time. This is a sign of respect, after which you may formally request apprenticeship. If the Grandmaster agrees, then your apprenticeship is confirmed.”

“Remember!”

“Unless you have no intention of becoming a disciple, if you wish to apprentice under someone, you must attend their lecture the first time. This is a sign of respect.”

…

After reading this passage, Luo Feng finally understood why the Black-Robed Messenger had emphasized the importance of attending the first lecture.

“Apprenticeship?” Luo Feng frowned slightly.

“Apprenticeship is great, Luo Feng! Those lecturing in Chaos City are all Grandmasters among the Immortals—each one a King-Level expert,” Babetta exclaimed excitedly. “When you are still weak, having a powerful expert to guide you is extremely important. For example, if it weren’t for Zhenyan’s advice earlier, you might have followed the same misguided path as ordinary cultivators when learning the *Drifting Blood* technique.”

“I already have a teacher,” Luo Feng felt a slight hesitation in his heart.

“No problem!”

Babetta was unconcerned. “In the universe, the lives of powerful beings are incredibly long. You may have a teacher at the Stellar Level, another at the Cosmic Level, and yet another when you become a World Lord. Your needs change with your strength and perspective. It is perfectly normal for a powerful being to have dozens of teachers.”

“Oh?” Luo Feng nodded slightly.

…

Indeed, in the universe, anyone ranked within the top 1000 of the Cosmic Peak Genius Battle would have teachers. However, if these geniuses were told that the Cosmic Sovereign himself wished to take them as a disciple, they would be ecstatic. When Ronjun was accepted as a disciple by the Sovereign of the Yuanchen Cosmos, many were envious.

…

“Who should I choose?” Luo Feng looked through the records of the eighteen Grandmasters from the Jiuyu sect.

These were all Grandmasters—Grandmasters among the Immortals!

Far superior to his former teacher, the Master of Yimo Star. The Master of Yimo Star could barely attain the rank of Marquis, while these Grandmasters were among the strongest even among Kings. Many of their disciples were already Immortal-level cultivators!

“Who should I choose?”

“Who should I choose?”

Luo Feng muttered to himself as he quickly scanned the profiles of the eighteen Grandmasters. “Hmm, within Chaos City, the Jiuyu sect has a total of eighteen Grandmasters. Among these eighteen, four belong to the Virtual Universe Company: Yanlong, Zhenyan, Qianhuan, and Jianhuang. They all sound terrifying.”

“Yanlong? I’ve seen him in action!” Babetta shouted excitedly. “Back then, when I and your teacher entered a cosmic secret realm, we braved great dangers and arrived on a planet shrouded in icy currents. I personally witnessed Yanlong transform into a star within that icy current, engulfing dozens of Immortals and burning them to ashes—utterly destroyed!”

“Transform into a star?” Luo Feng was stunned.

“Even more terrifying than a real star! It’s easy for an Immortal to destroy a star, but Yanlong’s star form was far hotter than a real one. With a single move, he annihilated dozens of Immortals—among them were human Immortals, and even mechanical race Immortals. Yanlong is an extremely, extremely terrifying figure.”

“Oh?” Luo Feng held his breath.

“Even that bastard who killed your teacher wouldn’t have lasted a single move against him. Who would have thought he now resides in Chaos City, quietly giving lectures,” Babetta mused.

“Yanlong, Qianhuan, Jianhuang, Zhenyan.” Luo Feng gazed at the profiles of the four, his eyes filled with a hint of longing.

…

The cultivators within Chaos City were mostly divided into five major factions—the Virtual Universe Company, the Axe Battleground, the First Cosmic Bank, the Cosmic Milky Way Bank, and the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance—with only a few cultivators being independent with no factional affiliations.

Within a grand estate:

“Haha, Jianhuang, don’t be too confident,” the ape-like warrior Zhenyan laughed heartily.

“Just look at yourself,” a man clad in purple battle armor, always carrying a golden sword on his back, laughed loudly. “Out of the four of you, one is an ape, one is a dragon-man, and another is always gloomy and sinister. Only I—only I, Jianhuang—resemble Earth humans the most. Who else would he choose but me?”

“Jianhuang, apprenticeship isn’t about appearance!” said another figure with two dragon horns and a face covered in crimson dragon scales, his eyes seeming like two miniature stars.

“Yanlong, in terms of strength, I’m not inferior to you either,” Jianhuang laughed.

“Jianhuang is getting too cocky. I think this time he’ll be disappointed,” a black-robed figure whose form seemed ethereal and indistinct sat there, speaking in a low voice. “But this Luo Feng is indeed a rare prodigy in the Jiuyu sect in hundreds of millions of years. To have comprehended the first set of the *Drifting Blood* sword technique in just ten years is truly remarkable talent.”

“So, he must choose me as his master—I’m a swordsman after all,” Jianhuang smiled.

The four of them belonged to the Jiuyu sect, were members of the Virtual Universe Company, and were all Grandmasters among the Immortals lecturing in Chaos City. Naturally, they had a close relationship.

From time to time, they would gather to discuss cultivation, and even engage in sparring matches.

As for Luo Feng…

He was an unexpected delight for the Jiuyu sect.

Each generation had its shining stars—such as Bolan, who was arguably the greatest in millions of years. Luo Feng had not initially drawn much attention from the four, but when he suddenly passed the second and third levels of the Heaven-Piercing Bridge, it became clear that he had mastered the first set of the *Drifting Blood* sword technique in just ten years.

Such talent was astonishing!

Extremely astonishing!

Only those with supreme talent, temperament, and insight could ever hope to study the essence of cosmic space, as Lian Luo had once done. If one couldn’t master the first sword technique within twenty years, it meant they had no hope. Yet Luo Feng had done it in just ten.

“Bolan was mainly ahead from the start. If we ignore his initial advantage and focus solely on the rate of progress, Luo Feng is no less than Bolan!” the black-robed figure’s deep voice echoed, praising him. “Perhaps in hundreds of millions of years, there may be a few who rival Luo Feng, but they may not choose our Jiuyu sect.”

“A once-in-hundreds-of-millions-of-years prodigy for the Jiuyu sect,” Yanlong sighed.

“How could we not cultivate such a rare talent?”

The four of them all admired Luo Feng. It was natural for them to take a liking to such a rare and exceptional disciple, for a genius of such caliber, if not felled, had a great chance of becoming a Marquis or even a King in the future. Cultivating a disciple who could become a King would elevate their own status greatly.

The master-disciple relationship was a very stable bond.

“Jianhuang, being smug now won’t help. Just wait and see who he chooses as his master,” Zhenyan stroked the golden fur on his chin and chuckled.

“We’ll see!” Jianhuang was equally confident.

Yanlong and Qianhuan watched with smiles.

…

Several days later, in a special realm within the Virtual Universe:

A towering, majestic temple floated above the clouds. Zhenyan appeared directly in front of the temple plaza, where many guards stood. Each guard varied in height, but all shared one common trait—they were apes! Some were black-furred, some golden-furred, some long-armed. Despite differences in fur color, height, and build, they were all apes.

“Hmph.”

Zhenyan’s expression darkened as he strode toward the temple gates.

“Lord of the Hall.”

“Lord of the Hall.”

The guards respectfully saluted.

Zhenyan stormed into the temple, where sixteen apes already sat upon the throne. Upon seeing Zhenyan enter, their expressions subtly changed.

“What is going on?” Zhenyan roared, his golden eyes scanning the sixteen figures. “Why does my Kamos Clan have only one spot on the list for entering the Hong Alliance?”

“Zhenyan, your absence from Chaos City and lack of participation in governance has been noted. This decision was reached unanimously by the other Hall Masters,” boomed a colossal black-furred ape, standing twelve meters tall, his thunderous voice reverberating through the grand temple.

“Nonsense!”

Zhenyan pointed at the colossal ape and bellowed, “Within the Grand Ape Temple, there are eighteen Hall Masters. With the Supreme Patriarch currently abstaining from affairs, all decisions must be made by these eighteen Hall Masters—and I am one of them! Normally, I remain aloof from such disputes, but do not presume upon my patience! The Vajra Clan receives four slots, while my Kamos Clan is granted but a single opportunity?”

“Zhenyan…” the black-robed ape growled.

“Silence!” Zhenyan swept his gaze over the others. “I usually don’t bother with such matters, but don’t treat me like a fool. If you truly wish to provoke me, I won’t hesitate to fight you in the real world and seal you all away!”

The other fifteen Hall Masters fell silent, too terrified to utter a word.

Zhenyan was indeed a supreme being among the Ape Race, second only to the Grand Lord, and on the verge of reaching the Venerable level. He rarely interfered in Ape Race affairs.

“One last thing—I don’t wish to bully others, but don’t treat me like a fool either,” Zhenyan glared at the group. “If this happens again, I won’t be arguing with you in the Virtual Universe—I’ll come directly to your homes. Hmph!” With that, Zhenyan turned and left.

Ape beings were a significant part of the human race in the cosmos, found everywhere.

The Ape Race itself was divided into thousands of sub-species.

The “Ape Race Grand Temple” was the highest authority governing all Ape races.

“Zhenyan actually got entangled in such affairs. Wasn’t he supposed to be secluded in Chaos City, immersed in cultivation, striving to ascend as a Venerable?” muttered the crimson-eyed Ape Hallmaster, his voice low and contemplative.

“It seems Zhenyan still keeps a close eye on his Kamos Clan.”

The hall masters were utterly helpless and seething with frustration.