Astral Pet Store (WN)
chapter-1007

Loulan Feng was stunned for a moment. Then, he put on a smile. He realized that Su Ping was willing to visit mainly because of the Sea of Illusions.

The tycoon liked Su Ping, who was talented and hardworking. As long as Su Ping didn't end up stuck in the threshold of the Ascendant State, the Loulan family would have a Heavenly Lord friend sooner or later.

"Yes. Our training holy land will forever be open to you for free, Mr. Su," said Loulan Feng with a smile.

Su Ping nodded.

"Let's talk along the way." Loulan Feng invited Su Ping to board the aircraft, before he continued with a smile, "In fact, our family used this occasion to invite a lot of geniuses so they could communicate and practice with the juniors of our family. You're probably familiar with three of them; they were your competitors during the Universe Geniuses' Contest."

"Oh?"

Su Ping sat down in the aircraft together with Loulan Feng. He had a lot of mixed feelings at the mention of the contest. Only a few years had passed, yet he felt that it had taken place a long time before.

"It is Six Lives Buddha who masters the laws of time and space, the lady named Lilian, and Dragon Shepard, who uses a full lineup of dragons," said Loulan Feng with a smile. "They've all advanced into the Star State over the years. I believe you'll have a lot of subjects to discuss."

"It's them?" Su Ping was slightly surprised, as they were from powerful organizations from different star zones. The fact that all of them had been invited was a telltale of the family's clout.

"Besides them, some geniuses listed on the local Divine Lord Rank will also come. They're very curious about you, as they heard that you couldn't leave the Celestial Court without challenging the Divine Lord Rank," said Loulan Feng, with admiration for the young legend next to him.

He had condensed a small world while he was still at the Fate State, to later reach the top ten of the Divine Lord Rank when he was a mere Star State warrior. He was ahead of his peers the whole time. If he advanced into the Ascendant State, even the ancient Heavenly Lords would probably be interested in him.

"It's indeed a splendid occasion." Su Ping realized that a lot of important figures had surely been invited to the gala. Besides his peers, many Ascendants were surely invited.

The aircraft then flew past the planet's seas and landed on a giant city in one of the continents.

That planet was as large as a star. Its continents covered an area hundreds of times as big as the Blue Planet's surface. The Loulans' core members lived there. Their businesses and influence were spread throughout the universe.

Once the aircraft landed, Loulan Feng took Su Ping to a helical building inside the city. "Mr. Su, I hope this place isn't too demeaning for you. Here's your access card."

Loulan Feng gave Su Ping a metallic card and said, "Just as a measure to prevent outsiders from sneaking in, entering and exiting the city requires identity confirmation. I hope you can forgive us, Mr. Su."

Su Ping nodded and accepted the card. "This place is good enough. Let's check the training place first."

Loulan Feng smiled bitterly. He had arranged many people to serve Su Ping in the building, including top stars and models. However, the latter had ignored his gifts before he could give them away.

"Okay." Loulan Feng didn't insist; he immediately took Su Ping away from the city.

"There are altogether seven continents on this planet; our training holy land is one one of them. It's been set up and optimized by a lot of Celestial experts. All those who cultivate there are the most talented descendants from our family; it will be their honor to meet you," said Loulan Feng.

He had also planned to introduce the juniors of his family to Su Ping. After all, the young genius was their peer, and they would have more things in common. The ties with Su Ping and the Loulans would become stronger if any of them befriended him; the juniors would also benefit from it at a personal level.

Su Ping knew what was on Loulan Feng's mind, but chose to accommodate. After all, he had accepted a lot of materials from him; he could manage the trivial things as long as they didn't affect him.

The aircraft soon reached the central area of the continent.

There was a vast and prosperous city there, with buildings made in different architectural styles and all kinds of business streets.

On the east side—closer to the core region—there was an area with splendid mountains; many men were flying to and fro. There was also a purple cloud above the biggest mountain at the center. It was spraying a substantial amount of astral power all the time.

"That is a treasure that a Heavenly Lord gave up," Loulan Feng introduced it to Su Ping, "It was made by ancient deities, which was collected from some ruins. It may look like a cloud, but it's actually a deity craft; it can decompose astral crystals into pure energy, so that it's easier to absorb them."

"A deity artifact?"

Su Ping looked at the glow. He had already seen the deities' items in Luofu. Unlike the futuristic items from the Federation, all the deities' treasures looked marvelous; they were like drops of water, clouds or stones. Such items were refined in different ways, unlike those used in the Federation.

"Mr. Su, you may cultivate on the main peak. I'll make arrangements for you later," said Loulan Feng with a smile.

The aircraft reached the main peak where the purple cloud was hanging. Loulan Feng invited Su Ping to step out; the two of them then flew to a spacious square on top of the main peak. There were a lot of people at the square, and a few arenas for pet fights.

"All of them are geniuses of our clan," said Loulan Feng.

Some members of the Loulan family had participated in the Universe Geniuses' Contest too, but none made it to the top ten; some did reach the top hundred, but they were eclipsed by geniuses such as Su Ping.

Still, they became famous within their family, and received a lot of resources.

Su Ping nodded, then followed Loulan Feng to land on the square. He saw rays falling from the glowing purple cloud all the time. Some landed on his body and increased his astral power, while others leaked into the astral array on the ground, making it even more powerful.

From the sky to the ground, the entire mountain was a precious land for cultivation. It was as effective as Su Ping's training room in the Celestial Court.

"It's the director."

"Huh. The man next to him looks so familiar."

Many people at the square noticed their arrival. Very soon, someone recognized Su Ping and exclaimed, "Ah! Damn it! Seriously? Isn't he the monster who became the champion of the Universe Geniuses' Contest?"

"What? It's him? The super genius who condensed a small world while in the Fate State?"

Loulan Feng smiled upon hearing the consecutive exclamations. Although battles in the Divine Sea Mysterious Realm were never publicized, the Loulans managed to gain the recordings of those battles; that was why the geniuses of the family became very familiar with the fighting in those conditions.

Loulan Feng suddenly saw a person, and then waved at her with a smile. "Princess Lin."

While standing in the crowd, the girl in the white dress was stunned. She also noticed Su Ping; the exclamations allowed her to learn he was the unparalleled genius who had won the universal contest and condensed a small world while in the Fate State.

She was somewhat puzzled after noticing that Loulan Feng had called out to her, but she walked to him anyway. "Uncle Feng."

"Lin, this is Mr. Su, Su Ping," Loulan Feng introduced with a smile, "Mr. Su, she is Loulan Lin, descendant of one of our Heavenly Lords. She is very gifted, and is currently listed 29th on the Divine Lord Rank. She might become a Heavenly Lord too if she reaches the Ascendant State."

Slightly impressed, Su Ping nodded at the girl.

Loulan Lin detected that Su Ping was in the Star State; however, she didn't underestimate him, at all. She nodded at Su Ping and said, "Hello. I've heard a lot about you and the miracles you've worked; I look forward to fighting you in the Star Lord State."

Loulan Feng was slightly dazed. He hurriedly winked at Lin.

The young woman was confused by his expression. Did she misspeak?

Loulan Feng didn't know what to say. He had long heard that Princess Lin was a manly girl, and that was very true. He smiled bitterly; he had summoned Lin because the family wanted to marry her off to Su Ping, so that he would become attached to the family.

Even if Su Ping couldn't reach the Ascendant State, he had shown enough potential to be the strongest Star Lord!

Considering that estimation, it wouldn't be too humiliating to marry Loulan Lin to him.

"Well, you are peers. You must have a lot of things in common besides training. You can get together and chat often whenever you have the time," Loulan Feng coughed and dropped a hint.

Su Ping was even more surprised to hear that she was his peer. He asked, "How old are you?"

Loulan Lin said in a straightforward manner, "I'm only 128 years old. What about you?"

"Me? I'm only thirty."

Su Ping didn't know how to count his own age. After all, time flowed at a different speed inside cultivation sites, but all in all, he couldn't be older than thirty. Furthermore, he only began cultivating until he was eighteen. The girl, on the other hand, must have trained since she was inside the womb.

"It seems that we're not really peers; you're old enough to be my grandma," said Su Ping.

Loulan Lin obviously didn't expect Su Ping to be that young. She then snorted gloomily and said, "If you want to call me grandma, I'll gladly accept it!"

Loulan Feng: "…"

What was that all about?

Damn it. I was expecting them to talk about art and life. Why did they have to discuss age?

He glanced at Su Ping, wondering if he even knew how to talk to girls. How could he call her grandma on their first meeting?

Cultivators on their level could easily live tens of thousands of years; a hundred year gap wasn't relevant.

However, Loulan Feng didn't expect Su Ping to be as young, either.

Then, he remembered that the young man had merely been a Fate State warrior earlier, so he found it understandable.

Fate State warriors were mostly in their twenties.

Loulan Lin was only sixteen when she reached the Fate State, and eighteen when she reached the Star State. Her level didn't stop soaring until she became a Star Lord. After all, the Ascendant State was just a step above her; she might be stuck there for the rest of her life!

Loulan Feng coughed and said, "Lin, Mr. Su is a guest of our family. You can talk about other things."

Loulan Lin was surprised. "He is? Aren't all our guests in the Ascendant State? He's only a Star State warrior, right?"

Loulan Feng coughed even harder. "Mr. Su is an unparalleled genius, one that will surely reach the Ascendant State; he may even become a Heavenly Lord. I don't think it'll take too long for this to happen."

Su Ping said humbly, "You flatter me."

Loulan Lin realized that their family was considering this as an early investment. She couldn't help but observe the young man carefully, and was rather astonished by his young age and position again. She asked, "You're in the Star State; you must have built a small world. Do you want to practice with me? I'll go easy on you."

"Cough, cough!"

Loulan Feng coughed so hard that he could barely stand straight. "Well, Princess Lin, I'll get someone for you if you want to practice, but Mr. Su isn't the best choice."

"He isn't?" Loulan Lin was puzzled. "Don't worry. I'll go easy on him."

Loulan Feng felt his blood start to freeze. He could only confess with a bitter smile, "Princess Lin, Mr. Su's master tested him recently. He wasn't allowed to leave the Celestial Court unless he was able to fight against the top ten of the Divine Lord Rank. He left the Celestial Court a while back, which is why he's here."

Loulan Lin was stunned. She was direct, but not stupid.

The top ten of the Divine Lord Rank?

She gazed at Su Ping and said, "You're able to fight against the top ten of the Divine Lord Rank? How is that possible? You're barely in the Star State, aren't you? And you've only become one recently. Y did condense a small world, but still…"

She found it hard to believe that a Star State warrior had surpassed her.

Suddenly, she remembered something. She asked, "Did you fight my avatar when you challenged the Divine Lord Rank?"

Su Ping thought for a moment and said, "I don't think so."

"Why not? I've been on the Divine Lord Rank for a long time."

"Maybe I skipped you during the challenges," said Su Ping.

After all, he had skipped ten people at a time. Loulan Lin happened to be the 29th; he had challenged the 20th after defeating the 30th, ignoring everybody in between.