Swallowing the Stars: Ten Thousand Times Return for Taking on Disciples

Chapter 4 Timeline: Gifts and Returns

At the edge of the Milky Way, in an unknown void

The cold starlight flowed through the porthole as the Maple Leaf spacecraft hovered at what appeared to be an ordinary point in the star system.

Ahead, where that blue planet should have been, is now only a deep void.

The solar system has disappeared.

Lu Qingshan stood in front of the viewing window, his eyes churning with complex emotions that were hard to describe, which eventually turned into a burning passion.

"As expected..."

As a giant axe warrior born and raised in the Black Dragon Mountain Star Region, how could he be unfamiliar with the name "Earth"?

In those years when his foundation was damaged and his future seemed hopeless, he even placed his faint hopes on this.

Thinking that if he could latch onto Luo Feng, the most powerful figure in the primordial universe, what would a mere injury to his foundation be?
However, reality disappointed him.

His first visit to Earth was 80,000 years ago, when he had just become a giant axe warrior and this was his first stop on his journey through the stars.

Back then, Earth was a wild and untamed land. There was no trace of civilization; only apes, eating raw meat and drinking blood, struggled to survive on the vast earth.

That was an ancient era before the Earth had awakened. Lu Qingshan left quietly without lingering, filled with disappointment.

The second time was 30,000 years ago, when he traveled with his wife, Catherine.

At this time, Homo sapiens on Earth began to use rudimentary stone tools, and the spark of civilization was ignited. On that occasion, he used the excuse of temporarily staying to cultivate himself to stay on Earth with Catherine for ten years.

This time, they conceived and gave birth to their only son, Lu Lingxiao. He is now the current emperor of the Maple Leaf Empire, a powerful expert at the seventh level of the universe.

Lu Lingxiao possesses exceptional talent, especially in terms of mental will. He reached the cosmic level in just one thousand years, not much inferior to Lu Qingshan.

But he knew nothing about his special condition, let alone where he was born.

Catherine never revealed this secret until her death.

With this arrangement, even if the founder of the Giant Axe travels back in time in the future, he will only think that Lu Qingshan was a cosmic wanderer who happened to pass by Earth.

After all, Mars had already been visited by space adventurers long before Earth's civilization. It's perfectly normal for a traveler to make a brief stop.

This is the third time; the coordinates are correct, but the target has vanished without a trace.

A century ago, the Maple Leaf Empire's intelligence network marked the area around the solar system as a high-risk zone, where it was rumored that an immortal deity from the outside world had established a dojo.

Lu Qingshan originally intended to investigate in person, but was delayed by his breakthrough.

“The solar system has disappeared… Hu Yanbo has indeed arrived, and is heavily injured and entrenched here…” A glint flashed in Lu Qingshan’s eyes, then returned to a deep calm.

He did not attempt to probe forward.

An immortal deity, gravely wounded and on the verge of death, like a frightened bird, is extremely dangerous. Any slight touch could bring about a devastating blow.

Don't be fond of him just because he is the protagonist Luo Feng's first teacher. He is an old monster who has lived for tens of millions of years. Which one of him didn't walk through mountains of corpses and seas of blood?
Regardless of whether Hu Yanbo is alive or dead at this moment, Lu Qingshan has no intention of taking any risks.

"Let's just wait it out, let's outlive this old guy first," he decided.

The trip was not without its rewards; at least, he accurately pinpointed the timeline.

At this time, it would be about 50,000 years before Luo Feng was born!
This is much clearer than before, when we relied on vague reference points such as the Silver Blue Empire Emperor and the genius Realm Master "Luo".

Lu Qingshan didn't linger. The spaceship changed direction and silently merged into the dark universe.

Unbeknownst to him, the instant he vanished, a million kilometers away, space itself rippled slightly. A towering figure, carrying a massive, dark golden sword, silently appeared, his cold eyes sweeping across the spot where the spaceship had disappeared, seemingly piercing through space itself. Then, the figure vanished like a phantom, leaving only the deathly silence of the starry sky. ...

Six months later, in the underground cave deep within the Maple Leaf Star Imperial Palace

The broken gemstones have been replaced by new rare minerals, and the refurbished ground reflects a mesmerizing halo under the soft light.

Lei Ming held his breath and stared in awe at the figure sitting cross-legged not far away.

Only after the other person opened their eyes did Lei Ming respectfully bow and say, "Greetings, teacher."

"Hmm." Lu Qingshan's voice was gentle yet carried an all-knowing power. "It's been a year since you came to Maple Leaf Star. Has your cultivation progressed?"

Lei Ming's spirits lifted; he knew this was a test from the teacher. He took a deep breath, his eyes flashing with a sharp light: "Please enlighten me, teacher!"

Before he finished speaking, a long, deep blue, chilling blade was already in his hand. The "Thunderclap Blade," forged from B2-grade metal, weighed over ten thousand pounds, yet it felt as light as a feather in Lei Ming's hands.

He lowered his body slightly and suddenly slashed out with his sword!

"laugh!!"

A surge of purple primal force erupted instantly, tearing through the air with the blade's edge, and even beyond the blade's edge, a faint, transparent, distorted spatial fluctuation was faintly outlined!

The blade flashed, and the sturdy D5 metal ore walls of the cavern only emitted a slight muffled sound, remaining completely undamaged.

A barely perceptible hint of approval flashed in Lu Qingshan's eyes.

"Not bad." He said calmly, "This strike has touched the threshold of the lightning domain. It seems you haven't slacked off this past year. If you can dedicate yourself to honing your skills for several hundred years, you may have a chance to push the domain to the first level at the planetary level."

With a comprehension level of planetary significance, he could be considered a genius even within the vast Qianwu Universe.

Lei Ming also received systematic training and guidance from Lu Qingshan, a powerhouse comparable to a domain lord.

This made him marvel at just how extraordinary Hong and Luo Feng were on Earth.

“I am a dull student.” Lei Ming looked ashamed. “A year ago, you had already developed a complete prototype of the field, but I have only been able to learn the basics. I have really failed you in your teaching.”

“Don’t underestimate yourself.” Lu Qingshan raised his hand to interrupt him. “Compared to the other four, your comprehension is already top-notch. Planetary-level lifespans are limited; there’s no need to obsessively spend hundreds of years forcing a domain. I took you as my disciple a year ago, and haven’t even given you a gift yet…”

With a flick of his wrist, a smooth and translucent white jade box appeared out of thin air and hovered in front of Lei Ming.

The jade box is almost transparent, and a strange plant is clearly visible inside.

An indescribable longing, seemingly originating from the very source of life, instantly swept over Lei Ming, causing him to tremble slightly.

"Teacher, this is..." He suppressed his restlessness, his voice tinged with excitement.

"You don't need to delve into what it is," Lu Qingshan said calmly. "The method of use is simple; just swallow it directly. If you are alone, you need to be careful when refining it, but with me by your side to protect you, there's no need to worry. Break through to the Stellar Realm right here. It would be too shabby for my disciple, Lu Qingshan, to only be at the ninth level of the Planetary Realm."

He did not tell Lei Ming the value of the nine-leaf ginseng.

If the other party knew that this precious item was worth as much as a galaxy, they would probably be quite frightened.

Lei Ming dared not ask any more questions. He respectfully accepted the jade box with both hands, sat down cross-legged, and focused his mind on regulating his breathing.

A moment later, he carefully picked a small piece of green leaf, put it in his mouth, and the pure and powerful life energy instantly exploded in his body.

Lu Qingshan glanced at the disciple who had begun to break through the bottleneck, and seeing that he was not greedy for more, he stopped paying attention to him.

He reached out and grabbed at the air, and a fruit that seemed to appear out of thin air, radiating a surging and powerful life force, appeared in his hand.

(End of this chapter)