Burial of Immortals! (Thanks to Yuan Zhikong Weixiao for the monthly ticket)

Nothingness, annihilation, hollowness, shattering—every cause and every consequence in this world was extinguished beneath this starry sky.

The myriad worlds and heavens of stars seemed like the toys of some unspeakable being.

That dazzling, towering figure used the galaxy as its stage and the heavens as its performance, continuously shifting through different postures. Every movement, every breath, carried an indescribable mighty power.

Su Tu seared those movements firmly into his mind.

He could feel the terror of this Base Skill. Every time he followed that figure's movements, the bloodline and Bone Root within his body continuously transformed. He could even hear the sound of blood vessels tearing inside him.

Intense agony instantly swept through Su Tu's entire body, yet his expression remained as calm and indifferent as before.

At last, that towering figure stopped all its movements. It stood straight in the universe like a spear, piercing through the galaxy and the Myriad Realms.

Then everything around him began to fade. Su Tu understood that he was about to leave this place.

Everything here was an illusion created by that Base Skill.

And now that he had committed the Base Skill to memory, he would naturally leave this illusion.

"Thank you, Senior," Su Tu softly said to the figure.

One who imparted teachings was a teacher. Though this figure was merely a manifestation within the Base Skill, in Su Tu's eyes, it had indeed taught him an extraordinary Base Skill and deserved to be called Senior.

The next moment, Su Tu's figure scattered like foam amid the galaxy.

The lonely galaxy still swayed. The figure remained standing, yet two resplendent blazing suns suddenly emerged upon its form, like a pair of eyes!

He—no, it should be called It!

It looked in the direction Su Tu had departed and let out a soft sigh. That sigh seemed to hold a thousand years of sorrow and ten thousand ages of grief. Everywhere its voice reached, the heavens were dyed with weeping grief, as though countless trillions of living beings were sobbing in unison.

"The Immortals... are not among the fallen gods." With every sentence It spoke, the light behind It grew brighter.

"Heaven has fallen." Its final words seemed to trigger some kind of rule, and only those three words could be uttered.

As those words fell, a dilapidated palace appeared behind It. Everything within that palace had rotted away and collapsed.

Its enormous gates, covered in dark-red blood moss, were densely grown with eyeballs that looked about in every direction. The plaque above the gates had been corroded by that dark red, leaving only one incomplete character faintly visible.

South.

When Su Tu opened his eyes again, waves of indescribable, intense pain crashed into him. Veins bulged on his forehead, his entire body turned red, and he burned with heat, as though a fire were boiling his blood.

Ten thousand ants gnawing at his heart, veins flayed and tendons stretched—this was no less than that.

Zhou Wuliang looked at Su Tu, who had now opened his eyes, with surprise in his own.

He understood all too well the pain of cultivating a Base Skill for the first time. Back then, he had been known for having a temperament like stone, yet he had still howled endlessly during his first cultivation of a Base Skill.

The Youth before him had veins bulging and skin red as if boiled. He had clearly reached his limit, yet he had not uttered a single cry of pain.

"Doesn't it hurt?" Zhou Wuliang asked curiously.

"It does." Just that one word made sweat emerge on Su Tu's forehead.

"If it hurts, why don't you cry out?" Zhou Wuliang examined his student.

Su Tu did not answer for a long while. After quite some time, seeming to have adapted to the pain, he finally said, "Would crying make it stop hurting?"

Hearing this, Zhou Wuliang grew even more satisfied with Su Tu.

Not only did he possess such heaven-defying physical talent, but he also had such perseverance and insight. If this child grew up, Zhou Wuliang could almost foresee a blazing sun rising above the galaxy in the future, illuminating the stars.

At this moment, Su Tu had no interest whatsoever in Zhou Wuliang's thoughts.

He now had a strange sense: with a single thought, he could see inside his own body. He saw a dense stream of green qi constantly traveling through the veins and meridians within him, while something seemed to be faintly growing inside his body.

Very soon, that thing seemed to finish gestating completely, and an exceedingly faint 'sprout' appeared within Su Tu's body.

"Innate Qi has been born within your body. You now have the qualifications to cultivate the martial path." Zhou Wuliang withdrew his palm and rose to sit back in the Grand Master's Chair.

Su Tu no longer felt the slightest pain. Instead, he only felt full of vigor, his physical condition far better than before. Especially that additional 'sprout' within him—it was incredibly mysterious, as though it were nourishing his body at every moment.

"From today onward, you have officially set foot on the martial path. Cultivate your Base Skill diligently every day, and try to channel that qi into the acupoints throughout your body. Once you successfully enter qi, you will have stepped into the first stage of the martial path, the Peeking Branch Realm."

"Thank you, Teacher. What would you like me to do?" Feeling the changes in himself, Su Tu looked at Zhou Wuliang with gratitude in his eyes.

Having lived two lives, Su Tu always asked himself three questions before facing any matter: Why me? What makes me worthy? How could it be me?

Zhou Wuliang had been treating him a little too well. Though he had arrived with the so-called Red Seal, neither the Seventh Grade Base Skill from earlier nor that tattered booklet was anything ordinary.

Su Tu did not believe the other man would support every student so generously.

After all, he was only a student, not a disciple. Earlier, while Li Hu had guided him, casual conversation had already taught him the difference between students and disciples.

Students were merely people learning martial arts. They were taught only fists, kicks, and techniques; being taught a Base Skill was already a tremendous favor. Disciples, meanwhile, were future inheritors—their lives, fortunes, and future honor and disgrace were all bound to their master.

Su Tu knew Lin Feiyang had a great background, but he did not think that merely bearing the other party's name could make Zhou Wuliang treat him so well.

Hearing Su Tu's words, Zhou Wuliang was slightly stunned.

Does this kid think I have something for him to do?

He does have a clever mind.

But Su Tu had indeed misunderstood Zhou Wuliang. Everyone familiar with Zhou Wuliang knew that he cherished talent immensely. Whenever he encountered a genius in the galaxy, he could not help but offer guidance. Because of this, he had exceptionally good connections throughout the galaxy.

And now, seeing Su Tu's extraordinary physical talent, coupled with the fact that Su Tu was his seventh student—seven was his lucky number!!

That was why he had done so much.

But since Su Tu had asked, Zhou Wuliang immediately assumed an inscrutable expression. He lightly tapped the table with his palm and said,

"Of the North Sea's ten slots, I want you to claim one!"

Upon hearing this, Su Tu answered without the slightest hesitation, "I will certainly give it my all!"

Su Tu himself had wanted to see what the Martial Examination was like. Now that it happened to align with Zhou Wuliang's request, he was naturally willing.

"Enough. Today was your first time laying your foundation, so go back and rest. Come here every day after school from now on. How are your grades?"

"My grades are decent. They're passable," Su Tu said rather modestly.

"Mm. What you study isn't important. What matters is the word 'study.' Once you enter a stage, you'll understand what I mean."

Su Tu had thought he would have to spend every day at the martial arts hall from now on and had even prepared to ask for leave, but he had not expected Zhou Wuliang to tell him to continue attending class during the day.

"You probably don't understand a lot of information. Later, I'll have Li Hu send you a website. It contains most of the information about the martial path, and you can look through it."

"Go on. This old man won't see you out." Zhou Wuliang waved his hand.

After politely giving a bow, Su Tu left the room.

The instant he left, Zhou Wuliang, who had been putting on an inscrutable appearance, immediately slumped down. He looked exactly like Li Hu had earlier, like a programmer whose body had been completely hollowed out.

"What kind of monster is this kid? It was only guidance, yet he nearly drained me dry. Though we're suppressed on the Ancestral Star, this... this is far too outrageous."

"I wonder what he comprehended from that Base Skill." Zhou Wuliang assumed a Ge You slouching pose, vaguely feeling that something was uncomfortable.

He looked at the table and suddenly understood. Forcing himself up, he tapped it six more times before finally nodding in satisfaction.

"Why don't you ask him?" A harsh voice sounded then. The Black Mist Man was sitting in the Grand Master's Chair beside Zhou Wuliang, but Su Tu had never seen him from beginning to end.

"Heh. What one comprehends from it cannot be stolen by anyone else. What use would asking do?" Zhou Wuliang replied.

There had once been a martial prodigy who coveted that Base Skill and forcibly seized the stance of its movements from a genius who had gained insight from it. After practicing only a few steps, his soul had been destroyed, and dark-red eyes had spread across his entire body.

After leaving Zhou Wuliang's room, Su Tu found Li Hu, obtained some materials, and prepared to leave.

It was worth mentioning that he encountered his classmates on the way. Unlike what Su Tu had imagined, they had none of the arrogance of scions from great families. Instead, their tone toward him carried a hint of deliberate friendliness.

But Su Tu did not pay much attention to it. When he left the martial arts hall, quite a few people were still waiting outside.

As he walked home, he spoke three words.

"Burial of Immortals!"