Star Bamboo Array Dao

The commotion outside the tent grew from a distant murmur to a clear sound, accompanied by the respectful greetings of many disciples.

"Greetings, Martial Grand-Uncle Qingxu!" "Martial Grand-Uncle, why have you come?"

Martial Grand-Uncle Qingxu? Li Su's heart stirred. He recalled that at the Jade Clarity Retreat, Yu Jizi and others had mentioned this martial uncle, who seemed to be a senior with profound cultivation.

He put away the dark yellow stone and walked out of the tent with Zhiwei to investigate.

In the center of the camp, a middle-aged Daoist priest, clad in a Bagua Taoist robe and holding a whisk, with a lean face and an unfathomable aura, was smiling and conversing with Yun Yao and other disciples.

It was the same True Person Qingxu who had appeared at the retreat that day! His aura was like an abyss or a vast sea, far beyond Yun Yao's Celestial Immortal realm. He was at least a True Immortal, or even higher!

The surrounding disciples all wore expressions of reverence, clearly indicating that True Person Qingxu held a distinguished position within the Jade Clarity Sect.

True Person Qingxu's gaze swept past the crowd and landed on Li Su, who had just emerged from the tent. A flicker of imperceptible deduction and curiosity flashed in his eyes.

Yun Yao quickly stepped forward to report, "Martial Grand-Uncle, this is fellow Daoist Mo Xing."

True Person Qingxu nodded slightly, flicked his whisk, and slowly walked towards Li Su, his voice gentle yet carrying an innate authority. "Little friend Mo Xing, we meet again.

Oh, perhaps I should say, this humble Daoist has finally met you."

Li Su slightly bowed his bamboo body and performed a ritual bow. "Junior Mo Xing greets Senior Qingxu."

What does Senior mean by that?" he thought, inwardly alarmed. Did this person already know, or even pay attention to him?

True Person Qingxu stroked his beard and smiled. "Little friend, there's no need to be nervous. This humble Daoist merely had a sudden inspiration a few days ago and saw a sliver of variable chance in the heavenly mechanisms. Combined with some information from Kunlun Mountain, I came to know of your affairs.

Little friend, with the body of a bamboo spirit, possessing the orthodox path of the stars, cultivating array techniques, and what's more, carrying a trace of the ancient 'Buzhou' essence, gaining the recognition of the Witch Clan, and traversing the Shadowed Marsh to arrive here, is truly extraordinary."

His words were calm, yet he recounted parts of Li Su's journey as if he had witnessed it himself. This made Li Su inwardly tremble; the methods of a True Immortal's power were indeed unfathomable.

"Senior is too kind. Junior was merely fortunate," Li Su maintained his humility.

"It is not luck," True Person Qingxu shook his head, his gaze profound. "In the Primordial World, all things have their destiny.

The fact that little friend has received many destinies is your good fortune. This humble Daoist has come for two reasons: first, to see what this variable entails, and second, entrusted by the sect, to examine your character and foundation."

Examine? Li Su's heart tightened, knowing this was likely a crucial step to entering the Jade Clarity Sect. He said solemnly, "Please guide me, Senior."

True Person Qingxu smiled slightly. Without any apparent movement, the surrounding environment suddenly shifted!

The camp and the disciples vanished instantly. Li Su found himself seemingly beneath a vast expanse of starry sky, with endless void under his feet. Only the stars revolved, emitting a cold and boundless aura.

"This is an illusion created by this humble Daoist's divine sense. Little friend, do not panic."

True Person Qingxu's voice echoed from the depths of the starry sky. "I've heard that little friend is proficient in the Dao of Arrays, having comprehended it yourself. Why not, here, use the stars as a foundation and set up an array for this humble Daoist to observe."

To set up an array with stars as the foundation? Li Su was shocked. Such a method was unheard of! But he quickly calmed himself, knowing this was an opportunity to display his learning.

He quieted his mind and senses, his divine sense connecting with the surrounding stars of the Cosmos. Within this illusion, his perception of stellar power became exceptionally clear.

He recalled the profound principles of the Minor Chiliad Array Analysis, combined with his understanding of the stars and the trace of resilient Daoist charm from the Bedrock Rune, and began to guide the stellar power of the Cosmos with his divine sense.

Countless starlight in the void was drawn, converging and flowing, gradually outlining numerous profound trajectories.

Li Su used his bamboo body's phantom image as the array's core, stellar power as the lines, and the stars as nodes, painstakingly yet stably constructing an array.

He did not pursue complexity or grandeur, but instead combined the three fundamental array concepts he currently understood most thoroughly – "defense," "trapping enemies," and "gathering spiritual energy" – with the laws of stellar movement, setting up a simplified version of the Cosmos Stellar Dust Array!

Although this array was far from one ten-thousandth of the legendary Cosmos Stellar Array, and not even comparable to the profound arrays recorded in the Minor Chiliad Array Analysis, it was the most compatible fusion with the stars that he could achieve at present!

The moment the array took shape, a miniature starry vortex slowly spun in the void, emitting a combined effect of stable defense, spatial distortion, and stellar energy convergence.

True Person Qingxu let out a soft "Oh," and the illusion dissipated. The two returned to the camp. The surrounding disciples seemed not to have noticed the anomaly.

True Person Qingxu looked at Li Su, his eyes filled with even greater admiration. "At the Earth Immortal realm, to touch upon the essence of stellar arrays, though immature, the direction is correct, the foundation is solid, and what's more, that natural affinity with the stars... Little friend indeed has a connection with my Jade Clarity lineage, and a profound destiny with the path of the stars."

He paused and then added, "Observing little friend's array just now, it seemed to contain the essence of 'bedrock,' resilient and stable. Did you have another encounter?"

Li Su inwardly admired the other's insight once again and frankly replied, "Junior did indeed have some encounters in the past, accidentally obtaining a trace of ancient defensive Daoist charm, which I integrated into the array."

He did not elaborate on the "Bedrock Rune."

True Person Qingxu nodded and did not press further. Everyone had their own opportunities and secrets.

"I understand your intention. You wish to go to Kunlun to seek a master; this ambition is commendable. However, the gates of Kunlun Mountain are not easily entered, especially since... my master, Yuanshi Tianzun, has not personally taken disciples in a long time."

True Person Qingxu's tone was calm. "However, with little friend's talent, even if you cannot directly enter my master's tutelage, entering the inner sect of my Jade Clarity Sect, or even gaining the favor of a certain martial uncle or aunt and being taken as a disciple, would not be difficult."

Upon hearing this, Li Su felt a mix of slight disappointment and renewed hope. As long as he could enter the Jade Clarity Sect, it would be a significant step forward!

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior!"

True Person Qingxu took out a purple-gold token from his sleeve and handed it to Li Su. "This is my token of credence.

With this token, you may proceed unimpeded to the 'Welcoming Immortal Pavilion' at the foot of Kunlun Mountain.

There, disciples on duty will receive you and conduct further assessments.

Whether you can truly be admitted, and even encounter immortal destiny, will depend on your own fortune."

The purple-gold token felt warm in his hand, imbued with a powerful Daoist charm, far more precious than the white jade token he had before.

"Junior will not fail Senior's expectations!" Li Su solemnly accepted it.

True Person Qingxu nodded with satisfaction and glanced in the northwest direction. "Ahead, due to the beast tide, space is in turmoil, and conventional teleportation arrays can no longer be used.

You will need to trek through the three thousand li of 'Riftwind Canyon' to reach a relatively safe area."

The canyon was not only filled with fierce winds, but also with hidden spatial rifts, requiring extreme caution. Yun Yao."

"Disciple is here." Yun Yao stepped forward.

"Tomorrow, you will select a team of elite disciples to escort our young friend Mo Xing through Riftwind Canyon."

"Understood!"

After True Person Qingxu finished his arrangements and offered a few words of encouragement to Li Su, he transformed into a clear light and disappeared.

The camp returned to its quiet state, but all the disciples looked at Li Su with entirely different eyes, filled with curiosity and awe.

To be so highly regarded by Martial Grand-Uncle Qingxu, and to personally receive a token, this Bamboo Spirit senior's background was likely extraordinary!

Li Su held the purple-gold token in his hand and gazed in the northwest direction.

Riftwind Canyon... Is this the final trial?

Kunlun was already visible in the distance!