Coming-of-Age Ceremony

Deep within the Zhulong Star Sector of the Ganwu Universe Kingdom floats a planet shrouded in mystery—Manlong Planet.

The humans here maintain a primitive lifestyle, clad in animal skins and dwelling in wooden huts.

In the void above, a burly man draped in animal skins stands suspended in mid-air.

His disheveled hair flutters in the wind, and his body is wreathed in faint, fluctuating ripples of origin energy.

A booming voice, infused with origin energy, carries clearly to the ears of the youths standing solemnly below: "Little ones! Today is the day you come of age. According to the rules of our Mangu Tribe, we are to hold the coming-of-age ceremony. Are you all prepared?"

"We are prepared!" hundreds of youths shout in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

The burly man scans the crowd and says in a deep voice: "I trust your elders have already informed you of the ceremony's details, so I will say no more. Set off, and remember—come back alive!"

With that, he waves a large hand, and a spaceship—a stark contrast to the primitive aesthetic of the planet—appears abruptly.

The hatch opens, and the youths of Manlong Planet file inside one after another.

Some might mistake this for a primitive planet due to the lifestyle of the Manlong people.

In reality, however, the humans here have a profound background.

The people of Manlong Planet are a branch of the royal family of the Zhulong Empire, and the history of the Zhulong Empire is even more ancient than the Ganwu Universe Kingdom that governs it.

Long before the Ganwu Kingdom Lord was forbidden from venturing out to establish a universe kingdom due to falling three times in succession, the Zhulong Empire had already existed for countless eons.

Today, the Zhulong lineage possesses a deep foundation, boasting not only the Zhulong Ancestor—a King-level Immortal who rose to prominence during the arduous early days of humanity's expansion—but also multiple Marquis-level Immortal Elders, making it the strongest medium-sized universe kingdom within the Ganwu Universe Kingdom.

As direct descendants of an elder with Marquis-level strength, the people of Manlong Planet are born with sixth-tier universe bloodlines, reaching planetary-level strength upon adulthood.

The coming-of-age ceremony they inherit stems from ancient traditions dating back to the dawn of humanity's rise.

Legend has it that the Zhulong Ancestor himself emerged from that era, and his descendants have continued this ancient custom to this day.

According to the rules, every Manlong person who has just come of age must slay a demonic beast two levels higher than themselves within a trial secret realm.

In other words, a first-tier planetary-level Manlong youth must defeat a third-tier planetary-level demonic beast to complete the trial.

The entire process is conducted under the strict surveillance of the Virtual Universe to ensure absolute fairness and eliminate any possibility of cheating.

Inside the spaceship, the metal cabin walls emit a cold, metallic luster.

The youths of the Mangu Tribe, dressed in simple animal-skin tunics, sit casually on standard seats.

Some rest their hands behind their heads, daydreaming about the trial, while others huddle together, whispering about their strategies, their voices weaving into a hum.

In a corner of the cabin, Ling Xuan sits quietly, curled up.

He wears a brand-new animal-skin tunic, and compared to the robust youths around him, his youthful face has yet to shed its innocence; only his amber eyes occasionally flash with a hint of melancholy.

Ling Xuan is filled with helplessness and anxiety.

As a transmigrator, he had hoped to rely on his knowledge of the future to progress steadily on the path of cultivation, slowly accumulating strength, and even if his talent was average, he could reach immortality without a cheat and eventually cling to the coattails of City Lord Luo.

However, fate played a cruel joke on him.

The coming-of-age trial on Manlong Planet has a strict schedule, held once every year.

It just so happened that shortly after he "accidentally" broke through to the planetary level, the time for this year's trial arrived.

The Mangu Tribe has always revered bloody battle, viewing cowardice as the greatest shame.

An ancient precept circulates within the tribe: "Those who fear battle are unworthy of the Zhulong bloodline."

Under such traditions, even though Ling Xuan feels unprepared and hasn't even mastered a planetary-level secret technique, there is no option to "delay due to fear of battle."

If he were to shrink back, he would not only be spurned by his tribesmen but would also bring shame upon his family.

He had originally intended to break through early to show his talent and receive better training from the tribe, burying himself in cultivation and planning to suddenly break through to the planetary level, then casually claim it was a "lucky breakthrough" before the surprised eyes of his two older sisters; he never expected to "luckily" collide with the coming-of-age trial.

However, the trial itself is not highly dangerous and poses no threat to life, so he has no choice but to accept it and see what happens.

It's just that if he fails, it would be truly embarrassing.

To Ling Xuan's left and right, his twin sisters, Ling Yue and Ling Xue, are arguing until their faces are red.

The animal-skin soft armor on his second sister, Ling Xue, rises and falls with her rapid breathing, and the bone ornaments in her hair jingle with her movements. Her phoenix eyes are wide open: "Xiao Xuan, later you and the eldest sister stay close to me. With the three of us siblings working together, the trial will be a piece of cake!"

"Second sister, what nonsense are you spouting!" The eldest sister, Ling Yue, swats away her sister's hand from Ling Xuan's shoulder, her tone filled with pride. "It is you two who should stay close to me. With your big sister here, I guarantee I'll lead you through this trial in style!"

Ling Xuan smiles bitterly and pokes his head out, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of his seat: "Two sisters, I just broke through to the planetary level and haven't even mastered a secret technique. This trial..."

His words are cut off before he can finish.

"What kind of defeatist talk is that, little brat!" Ling Xue reaches out to pinch her brother's cheek, her hair brushing against the tip of his nose. "So what if you just broke through? With your sisters here, we'll look after you, and you'll be fine!"

Ling Yue shakes her fist, her knuckles popping with a crisp sound, her eyes filled with doting affection: "Don't be afraid, Third Brother. How hard can this stupid trial be? Even if we run into trouble, we sisters will protect you from both sides!"

A warmth surges in Ling Xuan's heart.

Unfortunately, the trial requires the virtual network to be synced throughout the entire process; this allows the elders in charge to provide timely support to the youngsters, but it also completely eliminates the possibility of anyone else helping.

The spaceship is incredibly fast, capable of reaching four times the speed of light.

The moment the speed climbs to the speed of light, the ship seems to be dragged by a mysterious and powerful force into an entirely different dimension.

Ling Xuan feels the scene before his eyes undergo a bizarre transformation; the stars that were originally embedded like jewels in the night sky are instantly stretched into long, distorted ribbons of light. These ribbons are colorful, yet they give off a sense of being illusory and unreal.

The spaceship, like a sharp blade, effortlessly tears through the seemingly indestructible barrier of space and plunges headlong into the mysterious and unfathomable Dark Universe.

A few days later, the sound of the spaceship's engines faded, and it finally arrived at its destination.

As his vision pierced through the vast star mist, a secret realm beyond imagination suddenly crashed into his sight—the Zhulong Secret Realm hung in the void like a giant beast slumbering in the depths of the universe.

Deep blue energy halos flowed slowly around the secret realm like a liquid galaxy, occasionally condensing into whirlpools or scattering into thousands of tiny, shimmering specks, each ripple causing the space to undulate.

Beneath the halos, the outline of the secret realm's continent loomed in and out of sight; floating islands, inverted mountain ranges, and rivers flowing with golden light—every detail subverted his understanding of geography.

Ling Xuan's throat bobbed, his heart hammered violently against his chest, and he even held his breath unconsciously.

"It truly is a sight to behold," Ling Xuan murmured to himself, his voice carrying a tremor he hadn't even noticed.

Although he had seen these scenes countless times in the Virtual Universe.

Yet now, as the real Zhulong Secret Realm stood before his eyes, its tangible existence carried an ancient pressure, and every trace of energy fluctuation and every topographical detail was so vivid it was breathtaking.

An energy tide that suddenly erupted on a distant floating island illuminated the entire airspace, and the energy particles drifting within the secret realm brushed against the spaceship's protective shield, emitting a faint hum—these were real traces that were difficult to capture in the Virtual Universe.

"This is one of the charms of Swallowed Star," Ling Xuan said, his pupils reflecting the shifting light and shadows of the secret realm, while his thoughts drifted toward more distant space and time, "exploring the unknown universe, observing the entire vast and boundless starry sky..."

Devouring Seedling, seeking support.