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

Chapter 7 Leaving Maple Leaf Star

On the vast continent at the very center of Maple Leaf Star, a magnificent palace complex covering millions of square kilometers stands proudly—this is the imperial palace of the Maple Leaf Empire.

Lu Qingshan had few children. After his wife Catherine passed away due to her advanced age, he never remarried and had only one son, Lu Lingxiao.

However, the royal bloodline has already branched out and spread.

Over the course of 30,000 years, the number of princes and princesses residing in the palace has reached tens of thousands. If all direct descendants are included, the population has long since exceeded 100 million.

Among them, a large number of neglected royal children were assigned to various corners of the empire's territory. Except for remote planets, almost every administrative planet had members of the Maple Leaf royal family flowing in their veins.

Most of these royal family members are not significantly different from ordinary citizens of the empire, except that they enjoy some advantages when doing business or engaging in politics.

Even worse, some squander their fortunes and end up on the streets, worse off than ordinary people.

For these vast collateral branches of the royal family, the greatest hope was that a member of their descendants would be exceptionally talented. Only in this way could they regain the favor of the clan and reclaim their privileged status.

"Father, you...you've broken through?"

Deep within the palace, the contemporary emperor, Lu Lingxiao, dressed in a gold-embroidered python robe and wearing an imperial crown, spoke with an incredulous and shocked tone.

He knew his father's situation all too well.

His foundation had been damaged in his early years, making his hopes of breaking through to the Domain Lord level slim. In recent years, he had poured the empire's resources into helping him, largely out of filial piety, and not out of genuine expectation. But now, his father, a true Domain Lord-level powerhouse, stood before him!
“Ling Xiao,” Lu Qingshan said calmly, “some time ago, I bought a bottle of Heavenly Purification Water at an auction, which helped me repair most of my foundation and allowed me to enter the Domain Lord realm.”

Even with his own son, Lu Qingshan didn't reveal the true reason. Fortunately, the purchase of the Heavenly Purification Water was traceable, so this breakthrough had a reasonable explanation, and no one could question it.

Lu Lingxiao's face lit up with joy: "Congratulations, Father! Congratulations, Father! You have broken through to the Domain Lord realm and will live a long life. If Mother knew this in the afterlife, she would be very happy for you."

He knew that his father's lifelong wish was to break through to the Domain Lord level, and he had even sacrificed a lot of time with his wife and children for this.

Now, my wish has finally come true.

Moreover, the father's breakthrough is of immense benefit to the Maple Leaf Empire.

The reason why the Maple Leaf Empire previously only had one star system was because the empire did not have a domain lord-level expert. Now, even if it expands its territory, the surrounding countries can't say anything.

Moreover, my father's strength is comparable to that of a domain lord at the cosmic level. Now that he has broken through, he is probably not comparable to a low-level domain lord.

Lu Qingshan's gaze lingered on his son for a moment, and he sighed inwardly.

"Now that I have broken through to the Domain Lord level, I will no longer draw upon the Empire's resources; they will all be left for you to use."

His purpose in leaving the seclusion to search for his son was twofold: first, to share the good news of his breakthrough, and second, to see how gifted his son was.

As a seventh-level Universe Realm cultivator, Lu Lingxiao possesses considerable talent. If he were to be rated as a third-class genius by the system, he would definitely take him as a disciple. Who says a biological son can't be a disciple?
He naturally leaned more towards this sole bloodline. Unfortunately, Lu Lingxiao's potential didn't meet the system's criteria for genius. Lu Qingshan couldn't help but wonder, just how high was the threshold for this third-tier genius? Did it require the potential to break through to the realm lord level or even achieve a sliver of immortality?

“Father! You have just become a Domain Lord, and this is the time when you need a large amount of resources to consolidate your position. How could I…” Lu Lingxiao said anxiously.

"No need for further words." Lu Qingshan raised his hand to interrupt, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "From this day forward, not only resources, but also the future development of the empire will no longer be my concern. Where this giant ship of the Maple Leaf Empire should sail is entirely up to you, the helmsman."

"Is Father planning to leave the Maple Leaf Empire?"

A hint of disappointment flickered in Lu Lingxiao's eyes. He had originally planned to expand his territory by leveraging his father's newfound fame after his breakthrough, but now that his father was about to leave the Maple Leaf Empire, his expansion plans had to be put on hold.

Lu Qingshan saw through his son's thoughts but didn't say much. He needed to go to a place where geniuses gathered to find disciples, so he naturally had no time to attend to the trivial matters of the Maple Leaf Empire.

He paused, then added, "After I leave, please visit your maternal grandfather more often."

Lu Qingshan was a renowned axe-wielding warrior back then, so how could his wife be of ordinary birth?

Lu Lingxiao's maternal grandfather was the Domain Lord-level powerhouse on Qiulong Star. Not long ago, Lu Qingshan had borrowed a hundred billion cosmic coins from his father-in-law when he purchased the Heavenly Purification Water.

With this experienced domain lord looking after him, even if Lu Qingshan leaves the human territory in the future, there won't be any problems for the Maple Leaf Empire.

Subsequently, Lu Qingshan summoned his disciple Lei Ming.

During these three years, he did not completely shut himself away; he would still take time each year to give Lei Ming guidance and present him with a precious item.

It would be a real shame to miss this free opportunity to get a refund.

Over the course of three years, he took three treasures from the royal treasury and presented them to Lei Ming: a battle sword that was compatible with the lightning field, a protective suit of armor, and a pair of boots.

All three are third-tier Origin Force weapons, perfectly suited for Lei Ming's current level. With his current level of understanding of the mysteries of the domain, wielding third-tier Origin Force weapons is no problem. Lu Qingshan also obtained three identical weapons, only their level was upgraded to fourth tier.

“Teacher,” Lei Ming said somewhat awkwardly, scratching the single horn on his head that was crackling with tiny arcs of lightning, “I seem to have hit a bottleneck lately. I’m just one step away from truly stepping into the first level of the lightning domain, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to break through that final step… I have failed to live up to your expectations.”

He felt ashamed. In the past three years, he had been curious to find out what the breakthrough elixir his teacher had given him was, but he had found nothing. Its value was obviously far beyond his authority.

Although his domain had not yet reached the first level, his strength had already soared to the fifth level of the Stellar Realm, far surpassing the other four who had come to Maple Leaf Star with him back then. Of those four, only one had broken through to the Stellar Realm and was still at the first level.

"No need to rush." ​​Lu Qingshan reached out and gently patted his disciple's head with a touch of affection. "You're only in your early thirties. You can't develop a domain by working yourself to the bone, and it's even more unwise to try to learn it behind closed doors."

Even Lu Lingxiao, Lu Qingshan's biological son, wasn't recognized as a genius by the system, demonstrating its extremely high standards. Therefore, Lei Ming's potential was elevated to a higher level in Lu Qingshan's eyes. In Lu Qingshan's eyes, who had lived for 90,000 years, the thirty-year-old Lei Ming was no different from a newborn infant, requiring tolerance and guidance.

"Teacher, what should I do?" Lei Ming knew this was a rare opportunity and quickly asked for advice. His teacher was a giant axe warrior who had lived for ninety thousand years, a being whom even domain lords had to treat as an equal.

“Then let’s go out and take a look at this vast universe…” Lu Qingshan said calmly, but with an unquestionable tone, “I will be leaving Maple Leaf Star for a while soon, and you will come with me.”

Lei Ming showed no resistance to his teacher's decision; on the contrary, he was filled with excitement: "Really, teacher? I can go on a trip to the universe with you?"

“This is a training exercise, not a trip,” Lu Qingshan corrected. “If your progress does not satisfy your master, I will order you to return to Maple Leaf Star alone.”

"Yes, teacher, I will do my best!" Lei Ming nodded emphatically, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

A year passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, Lei Ming returned to his hometown, Jiao Lei Star, as a disciple of the Empire's patriarch. He received the best treatment and returned home in glory.

Then Lu Qingshan returned to the underground cave and summoned the Star-Eating Grass, which had broken through to the ninth level of Domain Lord with the help of eight Life Fruits.

The massive and resilient plant life flowed and reorganized like liquid metal, eventually transforming into a close-fitting vine armor that concealed all its powerful aura and quietly covered Lu Qingshan's battle armor.

Soon after, a spaceship bearing a golden maple leaf emblem slowly rose from Maple Leaf Star, transforming into a streak of light before disappearing into the depths of the vast starry sea.

(End of this chapter)