Ke Jian nodded as he took a seat. With a smile, he said, "The acting Bureau Director's fame has been rising throughout the entire Sixverse Association in recent days. Madam He Ran sends her regards."
"Share my thanks with Madam He Ran," Lu Yin replied with a smile.
After a bit of small talk, Ke Jian finally got to the purpose of his visit. "Bureau Director, I was wondering, would you be willing to help us persuade the Voidforce Universe to sell resources to us?"
"Isn't that what we agreed upon before? Is there some doubt about things, Senior?" Lu Yin asked.
"Of course not," Ke Jian quickly replied.
It was not Ke Jian who was worried that things had changed with Xuan Qi’s rise in status, but rather He Ran. Xuan Qi had completely transformed the Bureau's status in the Voidforce Universe, and the shift had sent ripples of fear throughout the entire universe. There was nobody who dared to offend the Bureau any longer, and given these new circumstances, He Ran was worried that Xuan Qi would no longer take the Transcendent Universe’s interests into account.
It was a given that He Ran understood that, at the current moment, Xuan Qi was no longer the same young man that she had dealt with in the past. She had once told Zi Jing that, even if Xuan Qi joined the Voidforce Universe or became a disciple of a peak powerhouse, He Ran would still be able to ensure his loyalty to her. However, the woman knew that her previous claim no longer held true. There was not just one peak powerhouse standing behind Xuan Qi, but rather four.
In addition to the negotiations for acquiring resources from the Voidforce Universe, Ke Jian also intended to test Xuan Qi’s attitude while visiting. It was important to see if the young man’s view of the Transcendent Universe had changed in recent days.
However, Lu Yin’s response let the old man to sigh with relief. The youth had not changed his stance at all. It was true that Xuan Qi was behaving more arrogantly, but that was only natural, given his rise in status.
Lu Yin and Ke Jian soon left the Bureau’s headquarters. They made their way towards the Void Yang and Void Yin clans to complete the purchase of the dual-colored soil.
Ke Jian had already noticed that Xuan Qi’s cultivation had risen dramatically. Despite the old man’s shock, he did not mention the matter at all.
Having a peak powerhouse as a mentor made all the difference.
Despite Xu Wuwei merely acting as Xuan Qi’s cultivation guide, the young man could wield Spiral Domain. No matter how people looked at the situation, Xuan Qi was regarded as Xu Wuwei's true disciple.
Xu Wuwei was second only to Lord Xu in the Voidforce Universe.
Ke Jian stared at Lu Yin with unconcealed envy.
The Void Yang and Void Yin clans offered Lu Yin a grand welcome, and Xu Heng and Xu Leng even made personal appearances, which gave Lu Yin a great deal of face.
This also served to give Ke Jian a better understanding of Xuan Qi’s relationship with the two clans.
The sale of the dual-colored soil finished without any issues.
Ever since Xu Leng had become a Void Suprema, the entire Void Yin clan had acquiesced and obeyed her every word. Previous disagreements had completely disappeared, which had greatly expedited the merging of the two clans. At the moment, the members of the clans no longer identified as being from one clan or the other, but as members of a single clan.
Xu Lie had also left for the Sixverse Academy, which she had decided on her own. Xu Leng had done nothing to stop the woman, and she also did not blame Xu Lie for wanting to take her place as matriarch. On the contrary, Xu Leng greatly valued Xu Lie.
The Sixverse Academy was not a school that just anyone could attend, and it was highly unusual for Xu Lie to be given entrance, despite already being close to the Void Morphora realm.
With the sale of the dual-colored soil complete, Lu Yin and Ke Jian left the Void Yang and Void Yin clans. Ke Jian also started showing greater respect for Xuan Qi than ever before. It was clear that the young man’s influence was beyond impressive.
"Senior-"
Lu Yin spoke up, only to have Ke Jian quickly interrupt, "Bureau Director, please don't refer to me as senior anymore. Just call me Ke Jian."
"How could I do that?" Lu Yin said humbly.
Ke Jian answered with a bitter smile. "If you keep calling me Senior, how am I supposed to face Xu Heng and the others in the future?"
Lu Yin nodded. "Alright then. Ke Jian, when will the next transaction with the Origin Universe take place?"
Ke Jian answered, "If you are available now, Bureau Director, we can take care of that right away."
"What about Zi Jing? Is she available?" Lu Yin asked.
"Yes, I can go get her now."
"Then go fetch her. I'll return to the Origin Universe," Lu Yin replied.
Just as Ke Jian was about to leave, Lu Yin suddenly asked, "How many people are aware that I’m from the Origin Universe?"
Ke Jian thought for a moment. "Not many: just Madam He Ran, He Shu, Senior Mo, and myself. There are just four of us."
"Senior Mo? Is he the peak powerhouse who protects Madam He Ran?" Lu Yin clarified.
Ke Jian nodded.
Lu Yin motioned for the older man to leave, and Ke Jian immediately returned to the Transcendent Universe while Lu Yin made his own way to Aeternus Nation before returning to the Fifth Mainland.
Once back in the Heavens Sect, Lu Yin met with Lu Buzheng and several other people. He found that nothing much had happened in the Fifth Mainland during the recent months. Arch-Elder Zen was already in the Three Monarchs Universe, helping to hold back Forgotten Ruins God. Although dangerous, Monarch Luo would also be doing his best to prevent the Three Monarchs Universe from being destroyed, so Monarch Luo, Arch-Elder Zen, and Monarch Xing were working together to endure.
However, Lu Yin had no idea what Xia Shenji was up to.
"There's something that you need to be aware of," said Wang Wen. He accessed his gadget and brought up images of several people. "All of these people are from the Sixverse Association."
Lu Yin was surprised. "The Sixverse Association?"
Wang Wen nodded. "They use forms of energy that don’t match any of the Fifth Mainland’s cultivation methods. It's not that these energies are powerful. Rather, they have never appeared in the Fifth Mainland before, and they are not from any of the six member universes of the Sixverse Association either. Most likely, these people are all from parallel universes that are allied or subordinate to the Sixverse Association."
"None of these people are particularly strong," Lu Yin noted.
Wang Wen agreed. "That's just the problem. It’s not easy for people from the Sixverse Association to enter our Origin Universe. According to you, the Three Monarchs Universe doesn't even have the coordinates to reach this universe. Very few people are able to come here, and given these people’s cultivation, there’s no way they could have attracted the notice of those few individuals. The question is, why were these people specifically sent here?
"We've been keeping an eye on them for a long time, but they haven’t been doing anything. They behave just like normal cultivators. In my opinion, they are trying to adapt to life in the Origin Universe."
Lu Yin frowned. The Sixverse Association as a whole did not have a good opinion of the Origin Universe. There was certainly a reason why these people had been sent to their universe, but what could it be?
"Have you captured and questioned any of them?"
"We did, and they gave up everything they knew. Their only task is to adapt to life here in the Origin Universe, nothing more."
"Could it really be that simple?"
"It would seem that their first task is to adjust, and then they will be assigned missions later on."
Lu Yin made a decision. "Then don’t bother with them. I'll do some investigating of my own within the Sixverse Association."