Awakened!

Seven Stars Sect, front courtyard.

The banquet had already been prepared. Numerous Human Ranking prodigies, along with the sect masters and elders of various factions, took their seats in turn.

Compared to three days ago, the atmosphere had completely relaxed. Cups clinked and wine flowed as everyone beamed with delight.

Long Yeyun set down his wine cup, looked at Li Qingshan, and said with a smile,

"Now that everything has been settled and you have entered the Inner Scene, when do you plan to return to the Star Academy?"

The entire courtyard fell silent at those words.

The Human Ranking prodigies present, along with their elders, all turned their gazes toward him.

After this battle, they no longer wished to remain frogs at the bottom of a well. They wanted even more to see the world beyond the heavens.

Li Qingshan first looked toward Qiao Jingxing and the others, then shook his head with a faint smile.

"There is no need to hurry. Breaking through to the Inner Scene on Crimson Rainbow Continent will benefit your future cultivation. Once you break through, you can head into the cosmic starry sky whenever you wish."

After saying that, he turned back to Long Yeyun.

"Sect Master, going out will take quite some time. I plan to set off tomorrow morning, but..."

Li Qingshan rubbed his fingers together and smiled sheepishly.

"Before that, there is one more matter I need to trouble you with, Sect Master."

"The evil god wrought havoc, and heaven and earth were on the brink of collapse! After enduring untold hardships and turning the tide, the Star Academy should reward me according to my merits, shouldn't it?"

Hm?

Before the others could react, the expressions of the Human Ranking prodigies changed. Every one of them looked at him strangely.

"Slaying evil and banishing wickedness is what our generation ought to do. What hardship is there to speak of?"

"As people of the righteous path, we should naturally hold all living beings beneath heaven in our hearts!"

One saying after another surfaced in their minds, all of them Li Qingshan's own words from before.

And now, the filter had shattered completely.

"Cough, cough!"

Li Qingshan gave two dry coughs, looked back at the Human Ranking prodigies, and said solemnly,

"Junior brothers and sisters, only by making yourselves strong can you slay stronger 'evil entities.' Do not forget your original intentions."

As his words fell, the young men and women were filled with solemn respect and lowered their heads in shame.

Long Yeyun was amused. He said,

"Rest assured. I will record everything that happened truthfully and have Liu Licheng bring it back to the Star Academy. Your reward certainly will not be lacking."

"Sect Master, actually..."

Li Qingshan smiled mysteriously and raised a hand to point at the sky.

"You can go back personally."

Long Yeyun's finger trembled. The calmness vanished from his face as his eyes lit up.

"You mean..."

Li Qingshan stopped keeping him in suspense and answered directly,

"Seven Stars World Breach. The World Gate's rules have now changed, enough to allow Fifth-Order Outer World experts to pass through."

Bang!

Wine cups fell one after another as figures rose to their feet. They were all Outer World Celestials from the various sects.

At that moment, everyone was flushed with excitement.

Before this, they had only hoped to send their disciples out, no longer trapped within this small patch of heaven and earth.

But now, they also had the chance to personally set foot in the cosmic starry sky and see the "sky beyond the well"!

More than that, the restrictions of Crimson Rainbow Continent's heaven and earth offered no opportunity at all to break through to the Sixth-Order Dharma Aspect.

Now that the World Gate's rules had changed, they could also seek opportunities in the cosmic starry sky and continue advancing along the martial path.

The sect masters all looked toward Long Yeyun and spoke impatiently.

"Sect Master Long, might we follow Yama Li and head beyond the heavens together?"

"Of course."

Long Yeyun stood up, suppressing the excitement in his heart as he pressed both hands downward.

"Everyone, please remain calm. Allow me to first arrange the sect's affairs. You should also make your own arrangements as quickly as possible."

"Tomorrow morning, we will depart on time!"

"Many thanks, Sect Master Long!"

The sect masters and elders cupped their hands in thanks, then pulled their disciples away and quickly departed.

After all, before Lingtian Sect's attack, countless disciples below the Aperture Opening realm had been scattered across various places.

Though they could leave, they could not simply abandon them.

Now that the Great Calamity had passed, they had to arrange the sects' reconstruction in advance.

Figures hurried away one after another, and the vast courtyard grew desolate once more.

Long Yeyun lifted his foot to leave, only for Li Qingshan to call out to him again.

"Sect Master, we have not finished discussing my reward yet!"

Long Yeyun waved a hand and declared generously,

"Rest assured. Once I get out, no matter how precious the resources you want, I can find them for you!"

As the former number one on the Heavenly Rankings, he had remained at the peak of the Outer World for a full century.

As long as he could break free from this cage, Long Yeyun had complete confidence in breaking through to the Dharma Aspect. Naturally, he had the confidence to make such a promise.

Li Qingshan slowly shook his head and sighed.

"It is not that it is particularly precious. It might just be very expensive."

Long Yeyun's expression turned serious. He sat back down and asked earnestly,

"What exactly is this 'reward' that you want?"

Li Qingshan was not... although he loved money, he would not fail to distinguish what mattered.

Since he had brought it up again and again, this "reward" was clearly extremely important to him.

After pondering for a moment, Li Qingshan slowly spoke.

"Sect Master, I want one thousand... Starry Sky Martial Arts!"

"One thousand?!"

Long Yeyun's expression changed at once, and he frowned.

"Although the licensing fees for that amount are substantial, they are nothing to the Star Academy. However..."

Long Yeyun stared at Li Qingshan and said seriously,

"Starry Sky Martial Arts are the products of Federation seniors 'turning the Dao into principles.' They can only serve as a transition to raise one's combat power before the Inner Scene."

"I explained this to you during class before. Inner Scene cultivation is divided into two steps: the inner heaven and earth, and visualization methods."

"Your inner heaven and earth has already formed, so there is no need to say more."

"A visualization method is the process of, after comprehending one's own Dao, using the 'principles' of all things in heaven and earth to fill out one's own 'Dao'!"

"The reason the Star Academy assigns you missions throughout the various star regions after the Inner Scene is so that you may seek principles suited to yourselves."

"The principles of all things in heaven and earth are vast and boundless. The principles contained within Starry Sky Martial Arts are merely the individual understandings of various seniors. They are far from the whole picture, and even less capable of filling one's own Dao!"

Long Yeyun said a great deal in one breath, every word revealing his concern.

"Thank you, Sect Master. I understand all of that, but..."

Li Qingshan cupped his hands gratefully, then said solemnly,

"No matter who a Starry Sky Martial Art came from, so long as the 'principle' within it can be used, that is enough for me."

"This is my Dao!"

"You have comprehended a visualization method?" Long Yeyun's gaze turned strange, then gradually grew even stranger.

With Li Qingshan's talent, it was not unusual for him to directly comprehend his own Dao after Heaven-Human Unification.

But...

What kind of Dao, what kind of visualization method, could accommodate the principles of others?

Moreover, Li Qingshan wanted a full thousand Starry Sky Martial Arts!

One had to know that among those Outer World Celestials who had just left, most had no more than ten principles within the embryonic form of their Dharma Aspects.

Of course, principles were not simply better in greater numbers. The key was whether they suited one's own Dao.

Yet Li Qingshan had not mentioned any attribute requirements for the Starry Sky Martial Arts. Clearly, he would take anything that came his way!

"Fine, I will do as you ask. Once I return, I will arrange it for you!"

With a sigh, Long Yeyun asked no further questions and walked straight out of the courtyard.

Li Qingshan smiled as an illusory panel appeared before his eyes.

Li Qingshan

Realm: Inner Scene 1/1000

Cultivation Method: "Star River Cosmos Sutra" 1/1000 (Inner Scene), omitted

Martial Skills: "Endless Vitality" (Perfect), "Wind Thunder Limitless" (Perfect), omitted

Secret Art: "Blood Ignition Sacred Art" (Perfect)

Function: Martial Dao Space Lv4 (6,063,843/100,000,000)

Available Time: 283 years

Time Flow Rate: 1:

His gaze swept over the panel, and Li Qingshan smiled faintly.

"How could vague and intangible comprehension compare to earnest cultivation with both feet planted on the ground?"

"As long as it can be used, that is enough!"

As his words fell, "Endless Vitality" and "Wind Thunder Limitless" shattered at the same time, turning into specks of light that flew into the icon for "Star River Cosmos Sutra."

The Realm and Cultivation Method sections changed at the same time.

Realm: Inner Scene 1/1000 → Realm: Inner Scene 3/1000

Cultivation Method: "Star River Cosmos Sutra" 1/1000 (Inner Scene) → Cultivation Method: "Star River Cosmos Sutra" 3/1000 (Inner Scene)

At the same time, all kinds of insights surged into his mind.

Starry Sky Martial Arts were products of Federation seniors "turning the Dao into principles." Even if cultivated to perfection, they could only be used, not comprehended.

But now, Li Qingshan had awakened!

The next morning,

The myriad cities of the continent lay quiet.

After a night of celebration, whether wandering martial artists or countless ordinary people, all were still immersed in dreams.

Within Seven Stars City, inns and taverns were filled everywhere with drunken figures.

Suddenly, young faces stepped onto the streets, dressed in all manner of clothing.

Shop assistants, all kinds of peddlers, blacksmiths, escorts, matchmakers, tailors...

"Big Brother Li, I'm heading back. If fate allows, we will meet again!"

The words echoed beside his ears. The burly man, his drunken eyes still bleary, climbed up from the table and looked out the window.

Morning rays spilled down as metal giants rose into the air one after another. Their metal armor gleamed brilliantly beneath the sunlight.

Li Heta sobered instantly. He leaped out the window and looked up.

In the sky, a million metal giants stood arrayed in midair, with nearly a thousand figures gathered at their center.

In the blink of an eye, every figure shot upward, becoming tiny black dots as they charged straight toward the vault of heaven.

Li Heta waved his arms and shouted with all his might,

"Jiang Lei, if fate allows, we will meet again!"