Chapter 1193: First Star Dweller

The Wind Rises in Kyushu

Little Nine made its decision, though it had always been indecisive.

Previously, it didn't show itself to others, so no one noticed anything. But since revealing its true form to Lu Ye, its reliance on him has become increasingly severe.

Many times, Lu Ye felt it wasn't like an artifact spirit that had existed for thousands or tens of thousands of years, but rather an undeveloped child.

Perhaps for an artifact spirit, thousands or tens of thousands of years is merely an infancy stage.

Several days later, on Clear Heart Peak, as Lu Ye was discussing the various transformations of spiritual patterns with his master, Yun Xuechu suddenly let out a soft exclamation, darted out of her bedchamber, and looked up at the sky.

Lu Ye also followed her out, sensing something. At the same time, on Righteous Guard Peak, the sect master looked up. Throughout Kyushu, all cultivators who had reached a certain level in the Divine Sea Realm simultaneously experienced a wondrous sensation.

The next instant, a point of spiritual light appeared from the heavens. The light wasn't dazzling, but even from a great distance, the many Divine Sea Realm cultivators could see it clearly.

That point of spiritual light seemed like a feather falling from the sky, drifting straight towards a certain direction in Kyushu.

This location, remarkably, was where Bingzhou was situated!

Beside the sect master, Wuchang burst into laughter: "I'm off!" As he spoke, he shot into the sky, heading directly towards the spiritual light.

The sect master seemed to be tempted, but ultimately restrained himself. In the North Profound Sword Sect, a streak of sword light soared, as Jian Guhong merged with his sword, his momentum like thunder.

At the Righteous Qi Sect, Meng Jie let out a soft snort, his body bending slightly. The next instant, his entire being shot out like an arrow released from a bowstring, the ground beneath his feet shattering.

In various parts of Bingzhou, several other figures ascended into the sky, rushing towards the falling spiritual light.

Not only in Bingzhou, but the top experts from the other eight major landmasses also reacted swiftly, and in an instant, a storm brewed.

Everyone knew that the heavenly secret Lu Ye had mentioned earlier had arrived, and this was their key to breaking through the Divine Sea and ascending to the Star Lord realm!

In present-day Kyushu, many cultivators were qualified to take this step, at least several hundred. After all, this was the accumulation of long years, so the number couldn't be small. Taking the Bloodstream Sect as an example, both the sect master and Yun Xuechu were qualified to take this step.

However, with a tacit understanding, among the cultivators who moved this time, only the old seniors who had once been in the Bloodstream Sacred Land participated.

Figures like the sect master, Yun Xuechu, Pang Zhen, and Long Bai, even if their hearts itched with eagerness, did not interfere in this competition.

This was not only because they knew they couldn't compete with these old seniors, whose strength had already reached its peak, but also out of courtesy.

Respecting the elderly and cherishing the young was a good tradition that needed to be maintained. Moreover, in terms of age, these old seniors indeed needed to take this step more urgently than others. For people like Granny Jiu, if they didn't quickly advance, they might truly exhaust their lifespan and die of old age in Kyushu.

Within the newly established Bloodstream Sacred Land, Feng Wujiang gazed at the spiritual light in the sky, making no move. Qiu Min, somewhat uneasily, softly said, "Aren't you going?"

Feng Wujiang smiled slightly, gripping her hand. "No! When you need to take this step someday, I'll snatch two, and we'll each have one!"

Having missed out for several decades, this was the time to make up for lost time with his wife and child. So, even though that spiritual light held immense temptation for him, if he were to genuinely contend for it, few would dare or be willing to compete with him. And even if they did, probably no one would be his match.

Qiu Min nestled against Feng Wujiang's shoulder, her eyes full of happiness, smiling sweetly.

Before that point of spiritual light could land, a fierce battle erupted high in the sky. Although they had coexisted for decades, no one was willing to back down or concede in the face of such an opportunity. If that was the case, then they could only fight for it without reservation.

No one knew the exact details of the struggle. The distance was too great, and the scene was too chaotic, making it difficult to see clearly even with the Divine Sea Realm's eyesight.

In less than half an hour, the dust settled. It ended so quickly that the strong cultivators from the other major landmasses hadn't even arrived yet.

Wuchang flew back, bruised and swollen, his clothes tattered, seemingly having sustained sword wounds.

As he flew, he grumbled, "That old coot, that sword maniac, he truly showed no mercy. I must have been blind to associate with such a person for decades. Sword cultivators deserve to live a solitary life, without friends or companions!"

He appeared exasperated, which made Lu Ye realize that Jian Guhong was very likely the one who had succeeded this time!

As expected, among the old seniors of Bingzhou, if Senior Brother Feng Wujiang did not make a move, Jian Guhong's strength was undoubtedly the greatest. Not to mention Wuchang, a ghost cultivator, couldn't gain an advantage in a head-on confrontation with him, even body cultivators like Meng Jie had to be constantly wary of his flying sword.

Another day passed, and a clear, exceedingly pleasant sword chime suddenly echoed from the direction of Tianshan. Everyone in Bingzhou heard it clearly. Immediately after, from that direction, a point of sword light shot into the sky, breaking through the clouds in an instant and soaring straight into the heavens.

Truly, a trace of chilling sword light rose, a great roc soaring ninety thousand miles! The first person in the current Kyushu era capable of breaking through the realm barrier and stepping into the starry sky was born. This also signified that Kyushu, long sealed, had once again entered the vast stage of the starry sky.

This filled the few who had failed to obtain that spiritual light the day before with immense envy. History would always remember the first person. As for such a fleeting reputation, no one truly cared; what they cared about was the inability to be that first person themselves.

What exactly was the starry sky like? What wonders did it hold? One had to see it with their own eyes to know. Jian Guhong had taken this step, what about the rest?

As if responding to their anticipation, several more points of spiritual light suddenly appeared above the heavens, just like before, drifting down towards the earth.

Condensing such spiritual light indeed consumed Kyushu's reserves. Under normal circumstances, no world would condense them too frequently or densely. However, Kyushu was currently devouring the reserves of the Blood Refinement Realm, and the number of cultivators in Kyushu awaiting such an opportunity was too vast, so there was no need for too much consideration.

It was necessary to give those qualified cultivators an opportunity to take that step.

Once Kyushu's reserves stabilized in the future, how to regulate the condensation of such spiritual light could be considered later. Perhaps a certain number of spiritual lights would condense every few years, and cultivators would then strive for them.

Initially, those few points of spiritual light converged in one place, but as they drifted down, they suddenly burst open, scattering in all directions and falling into various states.

The top experts from those major landmasses immediately engaged in continuous competition. Soon after, some succeeded and laughed loudly, while others sighed in regret.

Although they were competing, they ultimately showed restraint in their clashes. For such opportunities, if they didn't succeed this time, there would always be a next time, and if not then, the time after that.

Therefore, there wouldn wouldn't be a situation of relentless pursuit. Generally, after someone succeeded, the others would stop and offer congratulations.

Time flowed on. Almost every one or two days, a varying number of spiritual lights would appear, falling into different states, attracting everyone to vie for them.

Wuchang made four attempts. He ran back bruised and swollen from the intense competition but with a triumphant look on his face.

In such clashes, his ghost cultivation arts offered him a distinct advantage. Other factions, like medical cultivators, soldier cultivators, body cultivators, and spell cultivators, were all impressive in their own right.

Upon returning to the Bloodstream Sect, he immediately found an unclaimed spiritual peak and began cultivating in seclusion.

In less than a day, he emerged from his seclusion.

For old seniors like them, who had accumulated countless years at the ninth level of the Divine Sea Realm, what they lacked was the key to taking that step. The spiritual light condensed by Little Nine was that key, so once they obtained it, they could quickly break through and wouldn't need to spend too much time.

On Verdant Bamboo Peak, Wuchang found Lu Ye, who was examining the talent tree. As they met, Lu Ye marveled.

Because in just one day, Wuchang clearly looked much younger. If Wuchang's appearance previously looked like that of a mortal in his forties, now he appeared to be in his thirties.

This was a noticeable change. A less obvious change was that Lu Ye could sense an astonishing power contained within Wuchang's body.

While Wuchang's strength used to be greater than his, Lu Ye could still sense the extent of it. In other words, the difference in their strengths wouldn't be too vast.

But after Wuchang's breakthrough, that gap was clearly widened significantly.

"Congratulations, Senior, on achieving your wish and ascending to the Star Lord realm!" Lu Ye congratulated him.

Wuchang grinned, his smile reaching his ears. As a solitary individual, he hadn't had many opportunities to show off his breakthrough. Even Tang Yifeng wasn't someone he could brag to easily, so he specifically came to Lu Ye to hear a few congratulatory words and satisfy himself.

"How do you feel now, Senior?" Lu Ye was actually quite curious about the difference between the Star Lord Realm and the Divine Sea Realm.

"It's hard to say, but my physical body certainly feels more vibrant. It seems what you said about the Star Lord realm corresponding to the essence of a person is correct. I also feel that cultivation at this realm primarily focuses on the improvement of the essence aspect. However, regarding what you said about limb regeneration, it doesn't seem very reliable. At least, I don't feel capable of that right now."

Lu Ye chuckled, "That's because you've only just ascended to the Star Lord realm, Senior. When your cultivation deepens in the future, you'll probably be able to do such things."

Wuchang nodded, "What you say is possible." "Are you preparing to depart now, Senior?"

"Of course. After waiting so many years, I finally have this opportunity. Of course, I should go and see the wonders of the starry sky, otherwise, wouldn't I always be a frog in a well?" He mysteriously leaned closer to Lu Ye and whispered, "Do you have any instructions for me?"

He had an expression that implied: if you have any inside information, tell me quickly.

It wasn't surprising that Wuchang thought this way. Traveling the starry sky was, after all, a new endeavor for Kyushu cultivators. No one knew what to pay attention to; they could only figure it out themselves. But since Lu Ye knew about the Upper Three Realms, he might know things others didn't. Wuchang was also a cautious person, so asking an extra question wouldn't hurt.