Certain Success

Starry Sky Ancient Saint?

If he wasn't mistaken, this Starry Sky Ancient Saint should be the one who created the Secret Realm of Star Gazing. The violent energy contained within the Star Light came from the Starry Sky Ancient Saint's power.

He had absorbed the Star Light, so this monster sensed the Starry Sky Ancient Saint's aura on him. That was how Zhu Ping'an reasoned it out.

With that thought, an idea struck Zhu Ping'an. He spread his arms and stepped directly in front of Yan Shubing.

"Don't you worry about who I am to the Starry Sky Ancient Saint! You monster, if you've got business, take it up with me! Leave my Bingbing alone!"

Yan Shubing's expression shifted instantly.

"Ping'an Ge, actually..."

She wanted to say he didn't need to drag her into it, but the moment she opened her mouth, Zhu Ping'an cut her off.

"Bingbing, don't worry! I won't let anyone hurt you!"

Yan Shubing: "..."

"Hehehe..." The humanoid creature suddenly let out a strange laugh. "Oh? Since you're willing to talk, then..."

He raised his now-freed left arm and made a grasping motion in the air. Yan Shubing felt an irresistible force yank her over, and the humanoid creature's large hand clamped precisely around her pale neck.

With nails as sharp as blades, he traced them lightly over the delicate skin of Yan Shubing's face.

"I advise you to tell me right now what your relationship is with the Starry Sky Ancient Saint. Otherwise, my patience is limited, and I might accidentally shred this face to pieces."

Feeling that terrifying edge, Yan Shubing trembled all over.

"Ping'an Ge, save me! Save me, quick!"

"Bingbing, don't be afraid! I'm coming to save you! Anyone who wants to hurt you will have to step over my dead body first!" Zhu Ping'an roared with fury, charging at the humanoid creature with the Chuyi Sword in hand, ready to fight to the death.

But it was like a mayfly trying to shake a tree. Before he even got close, the humanoid creature flicked him away with a single finger.

"Admirable courage, but your strength... is too weak. I suggest you just tell the truth." The humanoid creature didn't bother hiding its mockery of Zhu Ping'an.

"Pfft!"

Zhu Ping'an crashed to the ground, blood spraying from his mouth, his face full of despair, as if the humanoid creature had completely beaten him into submission.

Only if you looked closely would you notice the faint, strange curve lifting the corner of his mouth.

The plot couldn't let Yan Shubing, the female lead, die. So next, this humanoid creature was going to die, and the crisis would be resolved.

Just as Zhu Ping'an was waiting for justice to descend from the heavens, a faint voice echoed in the depths of his heart.

"Loyal and devoted, willing to give your life for the one you love, challenging an enemy far stronger than yourself—someone like you is rare. I like it."

Starlight coalesced into a translucent phantom that appeared before Zhu Ping'an's eyes. The figure wore a simple gray ancient robe, with a star embroidered in gold thread on his chest.

A mane of white hair cascaded like a waterfall down to his waist. The star on his chest was eerily strange, like a real celestial body; if you stared at it, it felt like your soul might be sucked in.

The phantom opened his eyes. His black pupils contained all things, as if the myriad stars of the heavens were housed within them, and a gentle smile rested on his face.

"Are you... the Starry Sky Ancient Saint?!"

Zhu Ping'an was stunned. The Secret Realm of Star Gazing had been discovered over three hundred years ago—how many years ago must the Starry Sky Ancient Saint have lived?

"To be precise, I am a wisp of the Starry Sky Ancient Saint's lingering soul. The true Starry Sky Ancient Saint has long since turned to dust." The Starry Sky Ancient Saint sighed with some emotion.

Zhu Ping'an turned to look around and noticed that everyone else's movements had slowed significantly, and they didn't seem to notice the Starry Sky Ancient Saint's presence at all.

"This is a subspace I constructed with my soul power. The flow of time here is different from the outside world." Seeming to read Zhu Ping'an's confusion, the Starry Sky Ancient Saint explained unprompted, then got straight to the point. "Little Ping'an, are you willing to accept my inheritance?"

"Huh?" Zhu Ping'an was taken aback. He'd thought some powerful figure would jump out and destroy the humanoid creature, but instead, the strong one was him?

"Huh what? You're not willing?" The Starry Sky Ancient Saint smiled.

"Willing, willing!" Zhu Ping'an nodded frantically. Who wouldn't be happy when a stroke of fortune landed in their lap? His eyes reddened instantly, and he dropped to his knees with a thud. "I need power! I need the strength to save Bingbing! Please help me, senior! As long as there's even a glimmer of hope, I'm willing to try."

"Good! Since you have that resolve, I'll give you a hand. Consider it helping myself as well, to settle a karmic debt from ten thousand years ago."

The Starry Sky Ancient Saint sighed and spoke softly.

"The technique I cultivated is called the Nine Revolutions Starry Sky Technique! It draws the power of the myriad stars into one's body. One revolution, one world; nine revolutions, one becomes a star! The danger involved is beyond words. Are you certain you want to cultivate it?"

"I'm certain! I won't regret it!" Zhu Ping'an nodded firmly. The technique he was currently practicing was just the Breathing and Exhalation Method provided for free by the Great Xia Ancient Kingdom. No matter what, the Nine Revolutions Starry Sky Technique had to be better than that, right?

The Starry Sky Ancient Saint was silent for a moment, then suddenly burst into loud laughter.

"Kid, you've got a bit of my old romantic spirit!"

The Starry Sky Ancient Saint pointed a finger at Zhu Ping'an's forehead, and a vast torrent of information surged into his mind.

"Little Ping'an, don't worry. Even though the success rate for cultivating the Nine Revolutions Starry Sky Technique is only one in ten thousand, you're bound to succeed!"

"Why is that?" Zhu Ping'an couldn't help asking. Could it be because he was exceptionally gifted, far beyond ordinary people?

Just as Zhu Ping'an was ready to listen to the Starry Sky Ancient Saint praise him, he heard the old man say—

"Before you, I found nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine inheritors and tried to pass on the Nine Revolutions Starry Sky Technique. But they all exploded and died. So by the time it gets to you, it's bound to work!" The Starry Sky Ancient Saint's gaze was firm.

Zhu Ping'an: "..."