Stellar Level

Inside Jiang Yao's mind-sea.

A boat radiating brilliant golden light stood within it.

Jiang Yao's consciousness inspected the boat from every angle, still uneasy.

"Hmm, it looks like there's nothing wrong..."

A few minutes ago, after he had finished forging the boat, his mind had returned from its focused cultivation. Then, still in disbelief, Jiang Yao had almost been unable to believe that this was his own creation.

From the moment he began cultivating the Guidance Secret Technique to the moment he forged the Boat of Guidance, only twenty-five days had passed!

The Guidance Secret Technique had twelve steps, and every one of them was more complicated and more difficult than the Seven Turns of Heaven's End he had cultivated before. Yet he hadn't encountered a single problem or bottleneck. He had sailed through all twelve steps with hardly a hitch.

This was the very secret technique that Prose had said took "150 years to master, if you were fast."

After carefully examining the boat he had forged, Jiang Yao confirmed with a strange expression that it had to be the Boat of Guidance described in the secret technique.

One example wasn't enough to prove anything. If his astonishing speed cultivating the Seven Turns of Heaven's End hadn't given him a reliable way to gauge himself, then the Guidance Secret Technique was enough to convince him that his comprehension was at least a thousand times better than that of an ordinary Lingtong Race genius.

It all stemmed from the moment he swung his axe, his soul fell into Nirvana, and he awoke in the Xu Yuan Space in a godlike state.

Xu Yuan Opening was the most unbelievable secret technique he had ever encountered, the most profound divine ability—a transformation like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, a complete rebirth.

To Jiang Yao, mastering Xu Yuan Opening meant as much as the opportunity Luo Feng had gained by taking over the Golden Horned Beast.

And it had made him even more eager to learn the cultivation method the Messenger had mentioned, the one he could only practice after reaching the Stellar Level.

At the thought, Jiang Yao didn't want to waste a single second. His consciousness rode the Boat of Guidance upstream along the source of his bloodline. Before long, he saw an infinitely towering barrier cutting across the bloodline, stretching across his path.

"Xu Yuan Space!"

At Jiang Yao's behest, this wondrous place between reality and illusion opened its gates. His consciousness then entered the Xu Yuan Space, and the power that emanated from it flowed into the Boat of Guidance, unleashing an incredible force.

Bolstered by this sudden burst of power, the Boat of Guidance shot toward the bloodline barrier like an arrow loosed from a bow. The sturdy dam crumbled like sand under its unstoppable charge, and Jiang Yao's consciousness could clearly "see" the source of the bloodline revealed behind the shattered barrier.

Several wild, ancient forces within the bloodline's source seemed to sense the power Jiang Yao had unleashed when he destroyed the barrier. They stirred restlessly, sending out a summons to him.

But he would need to go to Elder Luo to awaken his Bloodline Divine Ability. Jiang Yao stopped the Boat of Guidance rather than continue toward the source of his bloodline.

Once the barrier had been smashed, a vast torrent of refined telekinetic power poured down. The nine Miniature Planets in his mind-sea greedily absorbed the boundless power, rapidly expanding before one after another exploded!

The clouds of dust produced by the explosions spun ceaselessly. A tiny core condensed at their center, generating enormous gravitational force that drew the dust inward. Then, a massive crimson sphere took shape.

The crimson sphere continued to contract and expand. It seemed as though this were the only celestial body in the entire world. With every contraction, his entire mind-sea rumbled.

At last, a dazzling, miniature star came into being, glowing with light.

First tier of the Stellar Level!

Jiang Yao had finally reached the Stellar Level!

The Bloodline Divine Ability he could soon awaken, the cultivation method the Taihuan Token Envoy said he could learn at the Stellar Level, the secret techniques and treasures he could obtain by going to the Jiuyuan Holy Land where the Main Sect was located, and the Universe Peak Genius Battle, more than three hundred years away.

Excited thoughts surfaced one after another, only for Jiang Yao to force them back down.

The path of the strong was only just beginning!

"Hmm... Should I go out now?"

Jiang Yao thought of the twenty-five days he had spent cultivating the secret technique, then remembered the record for the fastest cultivation of the Guidance Secret Technique: ninety-six years, according to Prose. He also thought of the nineteen-year agreement between himself, Prose, and Kuman.

Wouldn't it be a little too much if he came out now?

The Taihuan Token Envoy seemed to feel the same way. "You'd better stay in seclusion for now. Go to Central Island to see Elder Luo in a year. They'll probably find it easier to accept that. In the meantime, cultivate the Control Chapter of Xu Yuan Opening. You probably won't have enough time to advance from the first level to the second, but the stronger your control over Xu Yuan becomes, the greater your chances of successfully inheriting the cultivation method I'm going to teach you."

From those words, Jiang Yao could tell that the method the Taihuan Token Envoy wanted him to cultivate was no ordinary technique. Most likely, it was dangerous and painful, just like Xu Yuan Opening—and perhaps even more dangerous and painful!

But how could he become great without enduring trials and suffering?

The pain and danger Luo Feng had endured when he took over the Golden Horned Beast and recognized the Star Tower as his master had certainly been far worse than what Jiang Yao had faced.

The greater the pain, the sweeter the reward.

Yanhe Planet, on the small island at the center of the core space.

"...According to what the Old Patriarch revealed, the Main Sect has prepared powerful telekinetic weapons for the Peak Genius Tournament. They include not only top-tier fourth-order weapons, but even fifth-order ones! Those treasures are second only to the Nine Great Divine Weapons of the Controller.

"But even for Stellar-Level cultivators, it's extremely difficult to master even the first level of a fourth- or fifth-order Telepathic Weapon.

"Our Holy Land and all the branch sects have a great many geniuses, but too few weapons to go around. Anyone hoping to obtain a fourth- or fifth-order Telepathic Weapon will have to face fierce competition.

"But once you win one and master how to wield it, you'll have a tremendous advantage in the Genius Tournament, even in the Virtual Universe. And if you manage to secure one, the Main Sect will undoubtedly devote even more resources to helping you improve your Domain and Bloodline Divine Ability.

"So, Prose, you must take this seriously. As for you, Kuman, you're an Illusionist. The Main Sect has plenty of ways to improve your illusion divine ability..."

Elder Luo had been earnestly instructing Prose and Kuman when he suddenly stopped. His brow furrowed. "That boy Jiang Yao has left his quiet room. He just passed the identity check to enter the island."

Prose replied a little sheepishly, "Elder Luo, Kuman and I promised Jiang Yao that if he ran into any difficulties while cultivating the Guidance Secret Technique, he could come to the island and ask us. He's been in seclusion for a year now, so he must have run into a problem."

The kindly-looking Elder Luo waved a hand. "I don't blame you. Since I gave him permission to come and go from the island, naturally I want him to ask me whenever he runs into difficulties in his cultivation..."

He had only gotten halfway through his sentence when his expression abruptly changed. He turned to look to his left.

Following the old man's gaze, they saw a youth walking slowly toward them. It was Jiang Yao, fresh out of seclusion.

Prose and Kuman's confusion turned to shock.

Jiang Yao wasn't deliberately hiding his aura, so all three of them could clearly sense the Stellar-Level energy fluctuations around him.

Prose had lost count of how many times Jiang Yao had shocked him since they'd met. "You... reached the Stellar Level?"

Jiang Yao nodded with a smile. "I've managed to do it. I just broke through to the Stellar Level."

By "just," he meant nearly a year ago.

"Impossible! Spirit Readers of the Lingtong Race are all blocked by the bloodline barrier. You can't reach the Stellar Level without breaking through it. How did you get past?"

Elder Luo asked excitedly, pressing him for an answer. Could Jiang Yao be an exception? If he could learn how to bypass the bloodline barrier, the odds of Spirit Readers of the Lingtong Race reaching the Stellar Level would increase considerably.

The price, of course, would be that anyone who took this "shortcut" couldn't awaken their Bloodline Divine Ability—assuming such a shortcut even existed.

Jiang Yao scratched his head. "I just broke through normally. Aren't we supposed to cultivate the Guidance Secret Technique, forge a Boat of Guidance, and sail upstream to trace the source of our bloodline, then smash through the bloodline barrier to reach the Stellar Level?"

Silence fell around him.

Not just Prose and Kuman—even the well-traveled Elder Luo was momentarily unable to react.

If you'd told me you were exceptionally gifted, with such formidable willpower that it caused a transformation in your body and bloodline, allowing you to overcome the bloodline barrier and reach the Stellar Level, I might have found it easier to accept.

After a long pause, Prose asked cautiously, "What did you think of cultivating the Guidance Secret Technique? Was it difficult?"

Jiang Yao nodded. "Difficult. It really was much harder than the Seven Turns of Heaven's End."

"Difficult my ass!"

Even Prose, a man with a broad mind, had to struggle to hold back a curse.

Was it so difficult that it took you a whole year to master?