"Lu Sheng."
Haiji Dao nodded slightly upon seeing Lu Sheng, then entered the room.
Sheng thought that he had come to tell him about the follow-up matters concerning the Space Pirates and the Star Spirit Flower spaceship. But unexpectedly, Haiji Dao's first words after sitting down were: "I didn't expect you to have comprehended an Extreme Rank Law."
"An Extreme Rank Law?"
Sheng was taken aback, unfamiliar with this new term. Haiji Dao noticed his confusion and then briefly explained the definition of Extreme Rank Laws to him.
"So the Extreme Yang Law belongs to the Extreme Rank Laws." Sheng suddenly understood, yet it also seemed somewhat natural. Indeed, the power of the Extreme Yang Law was undeniable, encompassing powerful laws such as Light, Fire, Heat, and Stellar. It could be hailed as the monarch governing the Extreme Yang aspect of the universe.
To some extent, he even felt that the Extreme Yang Law was almost comparable to the Space Law. Of course, it could also be because his current level of development and control over the Space Law was low.
Just as he was thinking this, Haiji Dao's next question was direct: "Lu Sheng, do you also possess the power of the Space Law?"
Sheng looked up and saw Haiji Dao staring intently at him. He thought for a moment, then nodded in admission, "Not completely, it's just a superficial understanding."
Since he dared to use the power of Space Law in front of Haiji Dao, he naturally had no intention of hiding it. Anyway, he had enough trump cards; even if he revealed one, there were countless others. He simply couldn't use them all.
Hearing Sheng's answer, Haiji Dao, although somewhat prepared, was still deeply shocked. His body trembled slightly, and a deep expression of emotion appeared on his face.
"An Extreme Rank Law, the Space Law..."
Haiji Dao spoke softly, with an indescribable emotion, "I don't know how to describe it. The Chief Star Elder was right about you; your talent shines brightly across the starry sky. Even within the entire Celestial Serpent galaxy, or even the entire Star Domain, you will eventually grow into one of the most dazzling protagonists."
Sheng had grown immune to such praise, he simply smiled and said nothing. Haiji Dao barely managed to calm his inner turmoil before beginning to retrieve items from his storage bracelet. Sheng watched his actions, seeing him place one small silver box after another in front of him. There were ten in total.
"What are these?" Sheng couldn't help but ask curiously.
"A gift of gratitude from the Star Spirit Flower family." Haiji Dao said, "To thank you for your help in saving the Star Spirit Flower from a calamity and preventing it from suffering enormous losses."
"A gift of gratitude?"
Sheng was slightly surprised but quickly recovered. This was somewhat expected. It would have been strange if he had helped the Star Spirit Flower ship deal with the Space Pirates and they hadn't shown any reaction.
He casually picked up a silver box in front of him. He opened it and probed it with his spiritual power. What he saw there moved him deeply. This unassuming silver box was actually a spatial storage item. Moreover, the space inside was astonishingly large, many times larger than the one he was currently using.
As for what was inside the box, it was even more astonishing. It was a huge sphere of light, enveloped in flames. Or rather… a star.
"This is…"
Sheng subconsciously looked at Haiji Dao, who seemed unsurprised by his reaction, calmly explaining, "A Star Core. This is a high-quality, refined Star Core."
"A Star Core?!"
Sheng blinked, slightly taken aback. He was no stranger to this concept: a star core is the energy Core of a star, its heart, and the so-called "star-level combat power" is a power that can shatter a Star Core, like crushing a person's heart.
Sheng never expected that the Star Spirit Flower would give him Star Cores as a thank-you gift. Moreover, ten of them at once.
"These are high-quality Star Cores refined using a special process, suitable for direct use in daily cultivation. Don't underestimate them. Extracting an entire Star Core is already extremely difficult, let alone the subsequent refining process. To reach a level where it can be directly absorbed for cultivation, the cost is far greater than you could imagine."
Haiji Dao seemed to think Sheng wouldn't quite understand their true value.
He added, "Let me put it this way, this one Star Core you're holding... Even using the resources of an entire Star Region, you might not be able to refine even one a year."
"Not even one a year for an entire Star Region?" Sheng was now somewhat shocked.
How big was an entire star region? How many planets and stars did it contain? And even with such a vast number, not even one a year could be produced. It was easy to imagine how precious this thing was. Even within the entire galaxy, it's probably an extremely expensive luxury item. Sheng now felt the weight of this gift. But he had even less reason to refuse. He was just worrying about the resources for his cultivation chain, and unexpectedly, someone delivered a godsend.
"Please thank Star Spirit Flower for me; they're too kind."
As he said this, Sheng unceremoniously pocketed all ten Star Cores.
Seeing that he had accepted the gift, Haiji Dao thought for a moment and then said, "The Star Spirit Flower family has probably already taken a liking to your talent. They've indicated that this is only part of their thank-you gift. Another gift is being prepared for you after you arrive at the Hunting Bow. Furthermore, they will cover all your expenses at the Hunting Bow..."
Sheng was taken aback and couldn't help but laugh, "Is this considered courting?"
"It's a gesture of goodwill, a kind of investment," Haiji Dao replied. "A powerful family cannot maintain its strength solely through wealth. The assistance of martial arts experts is indispensable. Many powerful families do similar things. If the investment fails, it only results in a loss of wealth, but if you bet on one right thing, it could bring the family stability and prosperity for tens of thousands of years or even longer. I have conveyed the Star Spirit Flower family's message; whether you accept it or not is up to you. Of course, these ten Star Cores are not part of the investment; they are simply a thank-you gift."
After saying this, Haiji Dao didn't wait for Sheng's reply. He nodded, said his last words, "I'll come find you again when we reach the Hunting Bow," and then left.
After seeing Haiji Dao off, Sheng looked at the ten silver boxes on the table. He casually picked one up and opened it. Looking at the blue Star Core quietly floating inside, he muttered to himself, "Invest in me? My appetite is huge, you know. Let's see if you can afford to invest."
Having said that, he activated his mental energy to activate the blue star core within. Immediately, a line of virtual text appeared on the box: "Use with caution. It is recommended that each use not exceed one ten-millionth of the total energy of the Star Core…"
Sheng read this text and twitched the corner of his mouth. Then he opened his mouth and inhaled. He swallowed the entire Star Core in one gulp. The process was smooth and casual, as if he had casually eaten a candy. However, this candy seemed to have a bit too much power.
After Lu Sheng swallowed it, in an instant, every pore on his body erupted with intense blue light. Then, this blue light quickly filled the entire room. The surging and pure energy of the Star Core engulfed everything.
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Translation notes by dhoo
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The Star Spirit Flower family or guild or clan
星靈花家族: 星 star 靈 spirit 花 flower 家族 family
It had started as a "merchant guild", now it's a "family".
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A Star Core
星, xīng: a star or planet
星球, xīngqiú: a spherical celestial body (in other words, in general, a star or a planet)
星核, xīng hé: a star core
A xīng hé (a star core) is the energy nucleus, the heart of a xīngqiú
星球的能量核心: 星球 xīngqiú 的 's 能量 energy 核心 heart, core
To be honest, I still don't know if this is only valid for stars or also for planets. But "star core" sounds fancy, doesn't it?