Chapter 1012: Popularity
Su Ping looked at the speaker.
It was an old man sitting next to him, with hair and eyebrows of a red color; he was leaning against a giant wine gourd that was three meters tall. He was looking at Su Ping with a smile and a bottle of purple wine, half drunk.
Sensing his non-malicious attitude, Su Ping gave him a slight nod. "That's me. Senior, are you a friend of the Loulan family too?"
"I've long heard of an unparalleled genius emerging in the recent Universe Geniuses' Contest, who condensed a small world in the Fate State. Your future is nothing but promising!"
The old man chuckled and continued, "I didn't expect you to be invited by the Loulans; they must have paid a fortune. You're calling me senior, so I'll offer you a bowl of wine as a sign of respect. Come on."
He poured wine from the massive gourd into a giant bowl, and drank it quickly.
Seeing that he had downed the whole wine serving, Su Ping could only pour himself a bowl of wine with a smile. "You're an Ascendant State expert. It's only natural to address you as a senior."
"Mr. Su, you're too kind. If you don't consider it demeaning, just call me Brother Jiu."
The old man wasn't as arrogant as normal Ascendants. He said casually, "You'll reach our level soon enough. Considering your talent and potential, maybe I'll have to ask for your help by then."
"You're too kind, sir. I'll be the one in need of your help," said Su Ping, not taking the answer as flattery.
The old man narrowed his eyes, as if observing Su Ping carefully. "Mr. Su, you're obviously very young. The cultivation journey is long and boring, and yet this world is wonderful and lovely. Are you interested in enjoying it?"
"Oh?"
"I have a junior who is stunningly beautiful. She's the most beautiful woman in our galaxy. I can arrange for her to become your mistress if you're willing to take her," said the old man with a smile.
Dazed for a moment, Su Ping immediately realized that the old man was there to play matchmaker.
"Senior, girls affect my training. I won't consider that until I reach the Ascendant State," Su Ping said to subtly decline.
The old man heaved a sigh. "You'll feel different about girls when you reach the Ascendant State; you won't be able to enjoy them by then. You'll be able to see through anyone's guise after you condense your Divine Mark, and your heart will be as tranquil as still water. It'll be practically impossible to become excited by anyone."
Su Ping was stunned by this anser. He then asked with a weird expression, "Senior, are you saying that men will suffer from erectile dysfunction when they break through to the Ascendant State?"
The beautiful waitresses serving them quickly blinked their eyes since they happened to overhear, feeling that they had heard a shocking secret. Breaking news! All the Ascendant State experts are…
"Cough!"
The old man almost choked. He looked around and noticed the weirdness in the waitresses' eyes. Lost for words, he said, "Of course not. What I'm saying is that certain things will feel different when you reach higher levels, compared with your current situation.
"It's just like the time when you were very weak, you could still feel the heat of the sun, but then the feeling would no longer be there as you grew stronger. Maybe you think it's great, when in fact you've been deprived of that faint sensation of heat.
"The stronger you are, the more you will lose. You will lose a lot of feelings and emotions."
There was depression and regret in the old man's eyes as he talked about it. "Strength is obtained by trading many valuable things. You won't be able to feel many things when you become stronger. So… You should get married while you're still young, or at least try to enjoy yourself. Once you reach the Ascendant State, you'll only be able to enjoy wine and your reminiscences."
Su Ping understood. He thought he had indeed lost certain things, especially his subtle feelings.
It was said that all experts were lonely.
Maybe loneliness wasn't about the lack of companionship, but the loss of familiar feelings from the past.
After a lapse in deep thought, Su Ping asked, "So, senior, will we really suffer from erectile dysfunction when we reach the Ascendant State?"
"Ha!"
The old man spilled the wine in his mouth and glared at Su Ping. "What are you talking about? How could that be possible? Even the Ocean State guys can take care of such minor physical problems. You think that would be a problem for Ascendants?"
"If that's not a problem, let's just wait for the future then. I have to devote myself to cultivation right now," Su Ping quickly replied.
Lost for words, the old man thought for a moment and waved his finger, projecting the image of an attractive redhead. He said, "What do you say? Are you really not going to consider her?"
Su Ping glanced at him and shook his head. "Thank you for your kindness, but I'm not interested in anyone right now."
Su Ping had seen Joanna and Green Lady, who were both extremely beautiful. He had also seen the princesses among gods in the cultivation site, and the Deity Queen in Luofu. All of them were alluring and pretty, basically making him immune to the average beauties.
Seeing how the young man wasn't tempted, the old man could only frown and heave a sigh. He then thought even more highly of Su Ping. Since the man could stave off boredom and the temptation of girls, it was hard to imagine what could stop him from growing.
"Never mind. Devoting yourself to cultivation is not a bad thing. I can only congratulate you in advance for reaching the Ascendant State." The old man shook his head and downed another drink.
Su Ping also had another drink to join the old fellow.
Other Ascendants arrived at that moment; all of them seemed to be friends of the Loulans. They went to exchange a few words with the old man, seemingly being very familiar with each other.
They immediately surrounded Su Ping when they learned that he was Shen Huang's disciple, planning to set him up with someone. Some even gifted him strange treasures.
They had to invest in him early in the game.
Considering Su Ping's popularity and potential, none of those experts acted proud before him. They wouldn't have a chance to befriend him once he reached the Ascendant State, or even further, if he became a Heavenly Lord.
Su Ping didn't expect to be as cherished. He could only look up to Ascendants in awe before winning the Universe Geniuses' Contest, but now they could even become friends.
"Mr. Su, you're truly talented. Feel free to visit the Roland Galaxy; you won't need to pay a thing while you're there. I'll ask the most beautiful girl in my family to entertain you."
"Old Bai, do you think Mr. Su is short of money? That's beneath you. It just so happens that I have an invitation to the Forbidden Space Forest. I can give it to you if you're interested, Mr. Su. I requested it for a junior from my family."
"The Forbidden Space Forest is too dangerous. Although Mr. Su is extraordinarily gifted and his master must have given him a lot of treasures for his safety, that place is too dangerous even for us if we're careless. You'd better save that invitation for your junior. While youngsters still need life-and-death training, an unparalleled genius such as Mr. Su doesn't."
"That's true. Mr. Su, what kind of girl do you like? Just tell me. I have an interstellar entertainment corporation; you may find all kinds of cute girls there."
"Are you interested in stone gambling games, Mr. Su?"
Many Ascendants went to greet and shower Su Ping with flattery. They all tried to make friends with him, as it was highly unlikely that he would have trouble reaching the Ascendant State. Such an investment would eventually bring great returns.
Su Ping was feeling at the top of the world while being surrounded and flattered by that many people. Most importantly, all those present trying to curry his favor were Ascendant bigshots. Fortunately, he had seen stronger beings in the cultivation sites, and was well aware that he had yet to touch the limits of the Star Lord State.
He was an absolute weakling compared to the Ancestral God who had managed to create seven small worlds.
He wasn't the unparalleled genius they thought he was.
After the several rounds of compliments, Su Ping gradually calmed down and politely replied to everyone present. "Some of the geniuses became famous at an early stage, but then gradually lost their brilliance. Others were distracted by self-indulging, while some became too obsessed with all the bouquets and applause to think about growing stronger."
He didn't accept any of the gifts offered.
As a matter of fact, he was barely short of anything at this moment.
Some gifts were indeed good, but he could ask his master for them. They weren't really significant to him at the moment.
All the Ascendants started to hesitate and back down after seeing how the young man was unaffected by their praises. Their goal wasn't achieved, but they respected him even more because of it.
More friends of the Loulans arrived shortly after.
Most were Ascendant experts, more than eighty in total. Only two of them were Star Lords, while Su Ping was the only Star State warrior.
Half of them went to say hello to Su Ping; the others kept their distance, and merely glanced at him. After all, not all Ascendants were willing to praise a junior.
While all the friends of the Loulans gathered, the Ascendants from other star zones also made an appearance to congratulate the hosts.
The gala began half a day later. Both the dragon and the phoenix roared, turning the entire planet into an exciting sea of splendors. The most dazzling fireworks were blossoming in the sky.
Su Ping suddenly remembered the Blue Planet while enjoying the wonderful scenery. His home planet had been badly ruined after going through a war, and it was in a poor state when he left. His current abilities and position made it easy for him to rebuild the Blue Planet, to eventually turn it into a tier-1 planet.
Come to think of it, I'm still the Lord of the Blue Planet. It seems that I've been too irresponsible. Su Ping's eyes glittered; he planned to modify the Blue Planet after his visit to the Loulans ended. He could also direct the Blue Planet toward the Celestial Court, or a tier-1 galaxy nearby, so that the planet's inhabitants would have true and closer connections with the Federation.
I need to find a good school too, so that the talented people on the planet can attend for free. Su Ping considered the Blue Planet's modification plan in silence.
Meanwhile, he also thought of his naughty yet stubborn sister. He intended to ask Elder Yan to find her for him.
I'm already capable of providing a comfortable environment for an entire planet without even realizing it. Su Ping looked at the distance, fascinated.
The gala became livelier as time went by; different activities were taking place.
A lot of Ascendants were merrily interacting with the Loulans.
Su Ping even saw a familiar person among them. I was Loulan Lin, who had defended him earlier; she was seated at the edge of the high platform. There was a beautiful woman at the center; she wore a purple robe with sword patterned sleeves. Astonishingly enough, the maid standing behind her was also an Ascendant.
The maid was holding a strange sword, which resembled water and clouds. It was enshrouded by brilliance, making it hard to be seen clearly.
Is she Heavenly Lord Jian Lan of the Loulan family? Su Ping's eyes glittered after noticing her.
The people seated around Heavenly Lord Jian Lan obviously emanated a different aura, when compared to normal Ascendants; all of them seemed to be Heavenly Lords.
Their seats were clearly more splendid in comparison to the rest.
Su Ping then felt that someone was looking at him. He turned his head, only to find Loulan Lin who was looking back at him.
Their eyes locked. Loulan Lin remembered what Director Yu had said, so she snorted and turned her head away. She later peeped at Su Ping from the corner of her eye, only to find that Su Ping had also looked away, causing another snort of hers.
Heavenly Lord Jian Lan was talking with other Heavenly Lords when she heard the snort. She lowered her head and asked with a smile. "Huh? Lin'er, what's wrong?"
Loulan Lin replied in an obedient and polite way, "It's nothing, Grandmother."
Heavenly Lord Jian Lan's eyebrows moved. Many lines suddenly appeared in her eyes, allowing her to see the events that had happened a few seconds earlier. She looked in the direction where her granddaughter was looking earlier, and soon saw a young man. She quickly realized the gist of the situation.
"I've been informed that they plan to marry you off to Mr. Su, who came to visit," said the powerful cultivator with a gentle and soothing tone, "Still, your own opinion is what really matters. Don't feel pressured. Nobody can force you if you're not interested in him. Do you understand?"
Feeling warm, Loulan Lin quickly said, "Thank you, grandmother. I'm aware of that."
"Although the guy is very talented, even as talented as Celestials when they were young, the cultivation journey is really long. Many accidents can happen along the way. Besides, not even Celestials can teach how to reach the Ascendant State. They can only offer resources to those who already have what it takes to reach the Ascendant State, all in order to expedite the process.
"So, it's your own feelings that matter," said Heavenly Lord Jian Lan softly, "You can try to get to know him better. If he is not decent enough, just forget it."
Loulan Lin nodded and said, "Got it."
Heavenly Lord Jian Lan smiled and stopped minding about the topic. She then resumed her conversation with the other Heavenly Lords about important matters.
The Loulan gala was a special event that involved a large number of plans and preparations.