Leng Qing’s sharp edges were now completely restrained. Not even another Progenitor could see through the man anymore.

Leng Qing moved forward, approaching Lu Yin and the others, before bowing to Lu Yin. "Thank you, Dao Monarch, for your kindness."

Lu Buzheng and the others all quickly left the area. They were no longer Leng Qing’s peers, as he had pulled away from them all. That would only change once they also became Progenitors. If they failed, they would never be regarded as Leng Qing’s equal again.

Logically speaking, Lu Yin did not deserve such gratitude from Leng Qing, but his words had allowed Leng Qing to successfully pass his tribulation. Whether Lu Yin had deliberately assisted or not, his actions had still helped Leng Qing become a Progenitor, and Leng Qing would respect that.

Upon becoming a Progenitor, some people would become as arrogant as the sky and contemptuous of all who were beneath them, but others would remain grounded. Clearly, Leng Qing was one of the latter.

Lu Yin smiled. "Senior, your self-enlightenment has nothing to do with me. Congratulations, Senior, on successfully becoming a Progenitor."

Leng Qing's face remained calm. For some reason, he found that it was easier to get along with people than before. "Regardless, it was because of you that I was able to answer the question of the heart. Thank you, Dao Monarch. What do you intend for me next, Dao Monarch? Should I remain in the Heavens Sect or return to the Astral Beast Domain?"

Lu Yin replied, "Don't worry about that. Let's go to the Heavens Sect first to talk..."

There were many onlookers present, and the expressions of many of them started to change. They were people from the four ruling powers and the Sixverse Association.

The fact that Leng Qing had successfully become a Progenitor had massive implications. This was not merely due to his increased combat strength; rather, the presence of another Progenitor was an additional layer of protection for the Heavens Sect. This was not a simple matter, and it felt more like an omen.

If Leng Qing could succeed in his breakthrough, then the rest of the Heavens Sect’s gatemasters might similarly succeed. While everyone knew that Lu Buzheng and the others had a high chance of success, the actual appearance of another Progenitor indicated that it was necessary to reevaluate the Heavens Sect and its potential.

All of this was true without even considering Leng Qing’s actual power.

He had been one of the Twelve Heavenly Gatemasters, which was a title only given to the most powerful Semi-Progenitors. His breakthrough meant that he was now a powerful Progenitor who far surpassed most others. It was impossible to even estimate how strong the man had become, and that was what terrified people the most.

News of Leng Qing’s breakthrough quickly spread throughout the Sixverse Association and the four ruling powers, creating an uproar everywhere.

However, the commotion caused by the emergence of another Progenitor had nothing to do with Lu Yin. With the Great Sovereign’s command in effect, no one from the Sixverse Association dared to cause any trouble for the Heavens Sect.

As for the four ruling powers, they were incapable of making trouble.

Lu Yin had become quite relaxed at this moment. The more Progenitors that his Heavens Sect gained, the stronger his voice would eventually be in the Sixverse Association, and also the more trouble he could make for the four ruling powers.

The day would come when he overthrew the four ruling powers and returned the entire Perennial World to the Lu family’s care.

On a mountain in the back of the Heavens Sect, Zhao Ran was smiling as she prepared some tea. She had never made so many cups of tea at the same time while following Lu Yin, and it was incredibly satisfying for her to make seven cups of tea at the same time.

Lu Yin, the Progenitor of Bloodlines, Arch-Elder Zen, Cloudflow, Leng Qing, Master Shan, and Lu Yin’s senior brother Mu Xie—seven experts with Progenitor-level strength had gathered on the mountain. This was the first time so many powerhouses had gathered together since the Heavens Sect’s reestablishment.

If other Progenitor-level combatants were included, such as the jiao and E Chi, then Lu Yin could field eight Progenitor-level experts, including himself. Unfortunately, the Progenitor of Bloodlines could not be considered when it came to combat power, as he was already in the twilight of his life.

However, Master Shan’s combat strength was equal to what the Progenitor of Bloodlines had possessed at his peak, which Master Shan achieved with the black energy converter.

The Heavens Sect had already come a very long way and had weathered numerous tribulations.

The meeting on the mountain lasted for a whole day, and no one outside of the meeting had any idea of what was said there.

While Lu Buzheng and others would have been welcome to join, none of them did so. They felt that it would be wrong for them to intrude on a meeting of Progenitor-level powerhouses.The Progenitor of Bloodlines was in a wonderful mood. Seeing the Heavens Sect rise in power and gain another Progenitor showed that, not only was the sect becoming more powerful, but also humanity as a whole.

A few days later, Lu Yin was sitting alone on that same mountain at the back of the Heavens Sect. He had finally become a peak Envoy, and the sea of stellular energy in his chest was enough for him to break through to the Semi-Progenitor realm. It seemed that he would soon be able to attempt another breakthrough.

Becoming a Semi-Progenitor would mean that Lu Yin was only a single step away from becoming a Progenitor, which was the peak of human cultivation.

However, that final step was extremely difficult to take.

As for Leng Qing, he stayed in the Heavens Sect while others were sent to the Astral Beast Domain. There were still many other Semi-Progenitors.

Even though only Arch-Elder Zen and Leng Qing had become Progenitors in the time since the Heavens Sect had been established, almost ten people had become Semi-Progenitors in that same amount of time. It was an impressive number even if none of the Semi-Progenitors were exceptionally powerful as none of them had opened their three meridian points. While none of them could ever become Progenitors, it was still good to have more Semi-Progenitors.

Lu Yin stared off into the distance. It seemed that it was about time for him to go to the Perennial World and grab some Origin Matter.

Origin Matter could only be found in the Perennial World, specifically in the Dominion Realm, but each of the four ruling powers had their own stash of Origin Matter, and the quantity in the Dominion Realm was merely used for trials and competitions.

When Lu Yin had gone to the Dominion Realm with the Junior Progenitors, not a single one of the Junior Progenitors had acquired Origin Matter. Did that mean that they had failed to open their third meridian point? Of course not.

The expeditions into the Dominion Realm to search for Origin Matter were essentially nothing more than a show to demonstrate the power of the Junior Progenitors and allow them to recruit worthy followers. There was no real need for the Junior Progenitors to acquire their own Origin Matter, as they would be provided what they needed by their own organization.

That was the kind of foundation that the Heavens Sect needed to acquire.

In fact, not only did the Heavens Sect require Origin Matter, but they also needed tribulation crystals.

It was time for Wendy Yushan to absorb the tribulation crystal and open her meridian points, and Lu Yin wanted to provide this opportunity to many others, such as Zhuo Daynight, Wen Sansi, Ling Gong, and Ku Wei. As long as they possessed the required ability, Lu Yin wanted to give all of them the opportunity to open their three meridian points.

In contrast, Chu Yuan, Heluo Mavis, and the other Dao Chosen had opened their three meridian points long ago.

Lu Yin had asked around, and he had learned that, during the Heavens Sect era, there had apparently been no shortage of tribulation crystals or Origin Matter. Back then, cultivation had been everywhere, and it had truly been the most glorious period for humanity.

"Dao Monarch, a woman has arrived, asking to see you. She claims to represent the Merchant Exchange," the Second Nightking respectfully reported.

He had long since accepted being Lu Yin’s servant, just like the rest of the Nightking clan.lightsnovel

The Daynight clan had been abolished, and the Third Nightking had also accepted this as a fact.

Lu Yin was caught off guard. "The Merchant Exchange? Bring her over."

The Second Nightking quickly returned, leading a woman.

The woman smiled at Lu Yin, and her eyes were gentle while her entire demeanor was elegant. She gave the impression of a noble lady, not someone who traveled around and lived off of trading goods.

"Bi Lan greets Dao Monarch Lu." The woman came behind Lu Yin and saluted slowly.

Lu Yin turned around to look at the woman. He smiled at her and motioned for her to take a seat.

Bi Lan did not refuse and slowly sat down while looking back at Lu Yin. She seemed open and trustworthy, giving the impression of someone whom Lu Yin could pour his heart out to.

Lu Yin sat down across from the woman. "I've heard of the Merchant Exchange, but I have never had any dealings with them. Can you give me a bit of an introduction, Ms. Bi Lan?"

Bi Lan smiled. "Of course. The Merchant Exchange’s people travel throughout all the major parallel universes, and we offer a reasonable exchange rate for all major currencies. This allows trade to be conducted between universes, and for providing this service, we collect a meager commission. We are really nothing more than a currency exchange, but one that converts the currencies of various universes. As for our commission, we take a mere one percent."

"You only exchange currencies?" Lu Yin thought back to Zhu Ye, whom he had encountered in the Cloudflow Universe. That guy had been in the middle of buying subhumans. Was that not a part of the Merchant Exchange’s business?That was indeed possible. After all, Zhu Ye had also been part of the Zhu Mercantile Company.

Bi Lan replied, "That’s correct. We are a currency exchange, nothing more. Dao Monarch, I came to see you at this time because the Three Monarchs Universe has opened a spatial passage with your Origin Universe, which means that your universe is fully connected to the Sixverse Association. In order to facilitate trade, my Merchant Exchange wants to establish an official exchange rate, which will be calculated based off of the ratio of resources between the Origin Universe and the Sixverse Association. With that, the Origin Universe will be able to conduct business with any universe that is part of the Sixverse Association, and they can also purchase your universe’s resources."

Lu Yin was not interested in any of this, as he intended to leave all financial matters to Qiong Xi’er. What Lu Yin was personally concerned about was the actual Merchant Exchange.

Lu Yin tapped his fingers on the table as he looked at Bi Lan.

The woman’s cultivation level was not particularly high, as she had only just become the equivalent of an Envoy. However, it seemed that the Merchant Exchange was not concerned about a people’s personal strength. After all, they provided their representatives with power vessels that could shift them out of phase with the regular universe.

Cloudflow had wanted to kill Zhu Ye, but he had not been able to do so because the man had been protected by the Merchant Exchange’s power vessel.

Bi Lan did not grow angry, despite being brazenly stared at by Lu Yin. Instead, she stared straight back at him.

This man was a true legend.

He was the heir of the exiled Lu family and had lost all of his memories and cultivation. He had somehow managed to return to the Origin Universe and then climbed to the peak of the universe after just a few short decades. He had even confronted the Sixverse Association, where his name had reached the ears of the Great Sovereign. Lu Yin had challenged the Three Monarchs Universe and insulted the Three Sovereigns and Nine Sages. As a representative of the Merchant Exchange, Bi Lan had met far too many exceptional people, each of whom was an important figure in their own universe.

Even so, Bi Lan had never met anyone like Lu Yin before.

This man was not intimidated by even the Three Sovereigns and Nine Sages. He had only just left the Endless Frontier and returned to the Heavens Sect, and yet he had already had an impressive breakthrough. As far as Bi Lan could see, Lu Yin seemed to be some sort of destined child.

Before such a person, she could not afford to be disrespectful at all.

Even if the Merchant Exchange’s people were able to run rampant across the Sixverse Association, Bi Lan was currently in the Origin Universe. This had once been the home of the glorious Heavens Sect, which everyone in the Sixverse Association remembered. Regardless of whether one felt disgust or hatred for the Origin Universe, there was no denying that the Origin Universe was different from the Sixverse Association’s member universes, including even the Cyclic Universe.

The two people stared at each other, each lost in their own thoughts.

Zhao Ran arrived, delivering some tea that she had made for Bi Lan.

The woman stared blankly at the strange herbal tea and then looked up at Zhao Ran. There was an expectant expression on Zhao Ran's face, and Bi Lan could not help but glance over at Lu Yin.

Was he trying to poison her to death? How was this tea? It was clearly poison, and there were even living creatures in it. She could see them swimming around!

Lu Yin regained his senses when he saw Bi Lan giving the hot tea an odd look. He let out an awkward cough. "Zhao Ran prepared this specially for you. Do you want to try it?"

Bi Lan looked back at Lu Yin. "My Merchant Exchange is a neutral party that does not get involved in any conflicts."

Lu Yin laughed."Don't misunderstand me. This really is tea, and it’s quite tasty as well."

With that, he took a sip of his own tea.

Bi Lan watched as Lu Yin happily drank his cup of tea. She gulped and then glanced back at Zhao Ran again.

Zhao Ran was still staring at Bi Lan, clearly eager to see the woman try her tea.

Bi Lan considered herself a brave, knowledgeable, and forthright individual. She had a good reputation within the Merchant Exchange, but even so, there were times when she could not help but hesitate. She gave a bitter smile, picked up the tea, and downed the entire cup in one gulp.

Zhao Ran frowned. She had worked hard to prepare that tea, but this guest was not even tasting it.

As Bi Lan set her cup down, her eyes lit up. After a moment’s thought, she said, "It’s not bad."

lightsnοvεl Zhao Ran smiled, and so did Lu Yin. "I’m glad that you enjoyed it."

Bi Lan turned to Zhao Ran. "Can I have another cup? This time I will savor it."

Hearing a request for another cup of tea was so exciting for Zhao Ran that she clenched her fists. "Just wait!"

With that, she dashed off at top speed. Anyone who did not know better would assume that she was running off to join a fight.

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