Swallowing the Stars: Recruiting Apprentices and Getting Cash Back

"Haha, my beloved Mr. Hargrave, welcome!" Norlhan, accompanied by his prized disciples, opened the main gate to warmly welcome Hargrave, his face beaming with a radiant smile.

Hargrave's lips twitched, but he was forced to greet her warmly.

"Oh my goodness! I am honored to serve as the special envoy for this occasion. So, may I ask, who is Mr. Luo Feng?" Hargrave's tone and demeanor were hypocritical and affected, and he finally asked the question knowingly, fixing his gaze on Luo Feng.

"Of course, this is my prized student, Luo Feng." Nuolanshan responded in an equally affected and hypocritical manner, pulling Luo Feng to his side.

"Oh, that's wonderful. Mr. Luo Feng, you are a star of our Black Dragon Mountain Empire, the most dazzling existence in the entire Genius Battle. Our Lord is very pleased. I'm sure you will be satisfied with this reward, no, you will definitely be very satisfied."

"The Divine Lord decrees: Based on Luo Feng's outstanding performance in the Cosmic Peak Genius Battle, the entire Milky Way galaxy is hereby bestowed upon Luo Feng as a reward. It is hoped that he will continue his efforts and achieve even greater success." Hargrave, after offering a few insincere praises, publicly announced the Black Dragon Mountain Divine Lord's order.

Whoosh!

The entire audience erupted in uproar. Everyone, even the poorest person, knew the value of a galaxy—at least 1 trillion cosmic coins, or 10000 Chaos Unit. That was wealth that couldn't be spent in ten lifetimes. Moreover, an entire galaxy was like a golden goose, an immortal one at that.

However, Luo Feng remained unmoved. It was just a single Hunyuan unit; his teacher had given it to him so casually. He simply looked at Nuolanshan; whether to accept or refuse the reward was entirely up to his teacher.

"The Divine Lord is truly too kind. How can a mere Hengxing-level cultivator like Luo Feng accept such a great gift? Luo Feng, why don't you thank the Divine Lord for his grace?" Nuolanshan said these beautiful words, but hurriedly urged Luo Feng to express his gratitude.

Anyone who doesn't want free money is a fool, especially since it includes the entire Milky Way galaxy, which isn't something you can just buy whenever you want.

"Thank you for your divine blessing." Luo Feng bowed towards the direction of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire's capital.

"In addition, Hong, Lei Shen, and Wei Mu also stood out in this competition, and the God Lord has also rewarded them." Hargrave pointed to the various boxes in the honor guard.

These things could have been brought directly into the World Ring, but since they are a reward, they should be presented openly and publicly.

"Thank you for your grace, Lord God." Hong, Lei Shen, and Wei Mu also bowed towards the direction of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire's imperial city.

The atmosphere then became awkward, as if no one knew how to proceed. According to custom, since the deity had sent someone to bestow blessings, one should at least invite them in, have a cup of tea, and offer the messenger some compensation for their service.

Nuolanshan is really something else. It was one thing to refuse to see anyone at first, but now that it's open, it still won't let anyone in.

What kind of operation is this?

"Ahem, Lord Hargrave, I won't see you off since you're so busy." Noranshan broke the awkward silence.

But this made Hargrave even more embarrassed, because he still had a gift for Norlan Mountain that he hadn't given out. However, he couldn't present this gift in front of everyone; it concerned his own reputation, and the reputation of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire.

But Nolanshan won't let me in; he's afraid to be alone with me. He's such a rude and arrogant guy.

But who can you blame? Last time Hargrave came to the Dry Witchcraft Temple, he almost razed it to the ground.

Having a criminal record means you can't blame others for viewing you with prejudice; it's all Hargrave's own fault.

"You've all worked hard. Go and move everything in," Nuolanshan ordered, and immediately many ninth-level Hengxing students went to move things.

"Wait!" Hargrave stopped him.

"Retreat!" Nuolanshan shouted, jumping back as he quickly took out a token containing the power of a World Lord's attack, ready to crush it and deliver a fatal blow to Hargrave.

Clang!

The students of the Ganwu Dojo simultaneously drew their weapons, the atmosphere turned icy, and a major battle was about to break out.

This scene left Hargrave's side completely dumbfounded. What was going on? They had given gifts more than once or twice, but this was the first time they had not only been turned away, but they were also being threatened with a fight.

No way, we're all civil servants.

Hargrave was on the verge of exploding, his face full of black lines, but he still smiled and raised his hand, saying, "Don't be nervous, don't be nervous. Please don't rush, I still have a reward to bestow."

"Hahaha..." Nuolanshan hurriedly retrieved his token and laughed awkwardly, "Misunderstanding, misunderstanding. The Divine Lord is too kind, too kind." As he spoke, he gestured to the students to put away their weapons.

"The outstanding performance of the students at the Dragon Star Dojo is all thanks to you, the Leaf-like Dry Wizard, who is in charge of the dojo. Therefore, this final reward is for you; it is a soul defense treasure." Hargrave took out a box from his world ring. When the box was opened, a faint white light emanated from it.

The value of this gift far exceeds that of a galaxy; after all, the soul is the most vulnerable part of a person.

"Thank you for your grace, Lord God." Norlanshan bowed towards the capital of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, and before Hargrave could react, he used his telekinesis to take the treasure box in Hargrave's hand and all the rewards into the dojo with lightning speed.

"Is there anything else?" Nolanshan asked to confirm.

"That's all," Hargrave honestly shook his head.

"Goodbye, no need to see me off, close the door."

Boom!

Noranshan's movements were so fluid and graceful that Hargrave was completely stumped.

The goods have been delivered, but the mission isn't finished yet. However, given the current situation, the mission is completely stalled. We can't just force our way in; that would only escalate the conflict.

"My lord, what should we do now?" the secretary asked, looking at the tightly closed city gates.

"You're asking me? Who should I ask!" Hargrave roared, already seething with anger, and his secretary had just walked right into his trap.

The secretary shrank back in fright and quickly stepped aside, not daring to say a word.

Hargrave looked around and saw the Dragon Star Lord ostrich-like in the crowd, and suddenly had an idea.

"Hey you, come here." Hargrave beckoned to the Dragon Star Lord.

The Dragon Lord pretended not to see it. Good heavens, even his closest secretary was yelled at. If he went up there, wouldn't he get beaten up?

"Qiulong, come here!" Hargreave directly called out to Qiulong Star Lord.

"Me?" The Dragon Star Lord pointed to himself blankly, then hurriedly ran over.

"My lord, please give your orders." The Dragon Star Lord stood at attention, ready to be beaten.

"Contact Noranshan. I need to meet with him alone. I have important matters to discuss," Hargrave said.

"Ah, my lord, this..." The Dragon Star Lord looked troubled. Boss, don't you listen to what you're saying? Why would my brother Nuolanshan meet with you alone? How could he not value his own life?

"Hmm, you won't agree?" Hargrave roared, and the temperature plummeted.

"No, no, I'll contact them right away, immediately." The Dragon Star Lord had no choice, after all, he was a government official, and a higher rank could crush a person.

In front of Hargrave, Qiulongxing contacted Nuolanshan and even put the call on speakerphone.

"Meeting him alone? He's delusional. Tell him that during the Genius Battle preparation period, no unauthorized personnel are allowed, and he's not allowed to disturb us. I'm busy, bye. Hehe, come on, my little darling." Nuolanshan directly refused, and even made a rather discordant sound.

"Let's go!" Hargrave gritted his teeth in anger and led his honor guard away in a sorry state.

This is intolerable! Let it be destroyed! That's it!