Stellar Level

Inside Jiang Yao's consciousness.

A boat radiating brilliant golden light stood within.

Jiang Yao's consciousness inspected the boat up and down, feeling uneasy.

"Hmm, it doesn't seem to have any problems..."

A few minutes ago, after he finished forging the boat, his mind had returned from his focused cultivation. Afterward, an incredulous Jiang Yao could hardly believe this was his own masterpiece.

Because from the moment he began practicing the Guidance Secret Technique to the moment he finished forging the Boat of Guidance, it had only taken him 25 days!

The Guidance Secret Technique was divided into 12 steps, each more complex and difficult than the Seven Turns of Heaven's End he had practiced before. Yet, he hadn't encountered a single obstacle or bottleneck, sailing through all 12 steps with ease.

One had to remember that this was a secret technique that Prose had claimed would be "fast if mastered in 150 years."

After carefully inspecting the forged boat, Jiang Yao confirmed with a strange expression that this was indeed the Boat of Guidance described in the secret technique.

A single case proves nothing, but if his astonishing cultivation speed in the Seven Turns of Heaven's End couldn't give him an accurate gauge, then adding this Guidance Secret Technique allowed Jiang Yao to conclude that his comprehension was at least a thousand times that of a normal Lingtong Race genius.

And all of this stemmed from that moment when he swung his axe, his soul fell into Nirvana, and he awoke in the Xu Yuan Space with the posture of a god.

Xu Yuan Opening—this was the most incredible secret technique and the most profound divine ability he had ever seen, truly a case of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly and being reborn.

In Jiang Yao's heart, mastering Xu Yuan Opening was an opportunity that could absolutely compare to Luo Feng seizing the body of the Golden Horned Beast.

This also made him even more expectant of the cultivation method that the Envoy said he could only practice upon reaching the Stellar Level.

Thinking of this, Jiang Yao didn't want to waste a single second. His consciousness rode the Boat of Guidance, tracing the flow of his bloodline back to its source. Before long, he saw an infinitely tall barrier blocking the bloodline, stretching across the void.

"Xu Yuan Space!"

This mysterious place, existing between reality and illusion, opened its gates under Jiang Yao's belief. His consciousness then took control of the Xu Yuan Space, and the power emanating from the space was added to the Boat of Guidance, erupting with incredible force.

Under the blessing of this sudden explosive power, the Boat of Guidance shot toward the bloodline barrier like an arrow released from a bow. The sturdy dam was crushed and collapsed like sand, allowing Jiang Yao's consciousness to clearly "see" the source of his bloodline revealed after the barrier was torn apart.

Many savage auras within the bloodline source seemed to sense the power Jiang Yao had unleashed to destroy the barrier in an instant; they stirred, sending out a summons toward him.

However, activating bloodline divine abilities required Elder Luo, so Jiang Yao stopped the Boat of Guidance and ceased moving toward the bloodline source.

After the barrier was shattered, a massive amount of refined spiritual energy poured down like a flood. The nine miniature planets in his consciousness hungrily absorbed the infinite energy, rapidly expanding, and then—one by one—they exploded!

The dust clouds formed by the explosions swirled continuously, condensing into a tiny core at the center. It generated a massive gravitational pull, attracting the dust clouds to gather rapidly toward the center, eventually forming a huge crimson sphere.

The crimson sphere continuously contracted and expanded. It was as if the entire world consisted only of this one celestial body. With every contraction, his entire consciousness roared in response.

Until a dazzling, glowing miniature star was formed.

Stellar Level One!

Jiang Yao had finally reached the Stellar Level!

The bloodline divine ability he could activate immediately, the cultivation method the Taihuan Token Envoy mentioned he could practice at the Stellar Level, the secret techniques and treasures he could obtain at the Jiuyuan Holy Land where the main sect was located, and the Universe Peak Genius Competition three hundred years later.

One excited thought after another surfaced, only to be forcibly suppressed by Jiang Yao.

The path of the strong has only just begun!

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

Jiang Yao thought about the 25 days spent practicing the secret technique, then recalled the fastest historical record of 96 years for practicing the Guidance Secret Technique that Prose had mentioned, and the 19-year pact between him, Prose, and Kuman.

Would it be... a bit too much to come out of seclusion now?

The Taihuan Token Envoy seemed to share the sentiment: "Don't come out of seclusion yet. Wait another year before going to the Central Island to find Elder Luo; they will likely find it easier to accept. During this time, practice the Control Chapter of Xu Yuan Opening. Although this short time isn't enough to advance from the first level to the second, the stronger your Xu Yuan Control becomes, the greater your chances of successfully inheriting the cultivation method I am going to teach you."

Hearing this, Jiang Yao knew that the cultivation method the Taihuan Token Envoy was about to teach him was likely not simple. It would most likely be just as dangerous and painful as Xu Yuan Opening, perhaps even far more so!

However, without enduring trials and suffering, how could one become a great figure?

The pain and danger Luo Feng endured when seizing the Golden Horned Beast and claiming the Star Tower were definitely far more severe than what Jiang Yao had experienced.

The more painful the process, the sweeter the fruit of the harvest would naturally be.

On the small island in the center of the core space of Yanhe Planet.

"...According to information revealed by the old patriarch, the main sect has prepared very powerful spiritual weapons for this Peak Genius Competition. Among them are not only top-tier Grade 4 spiritual weapons, but even Grade 5 spiritual weapons! Those are treasures second only to the nine great divine weapons of the Controllers.

However, for a Stellar Level, even mastering the power of the first level of these Grade 4 or Grade 5 spiritual weapons is not easy.

Our Holy Land and its various branches have a huge number of geniuses. With more monks than gruel, wanting to possess a Grade 4 or Grade 5 spiritual weapon will inevitably require intense competition.

But once you secure a spiritual weapon and become familiar with its manipulation, you will have a huge advantage in the Virtual Universe during the genius competition. Furthermore, if you can secure a spiritual weapon, the main sect will certainly allocate more resources to help you improve your domain and bloodline divine abilities.

So, Prose, you must take this seriously. As for Kuman, you are an illusionist, and there are many ways within the main sect to improve your illusionary divine abilities..."

Elder Luo, who was earnestly teaching Prose and Kuman, suddenly stopped, his brows slightly furrowed: "Jiang Yao, that kid, has left the quiet room and just passed the identity verification to enter the island."

Prose said with some embarrassment: "Elder Luo, Kuman and I promised Jiang Yao that if he encountered any difficulties in practicing the Guidance Secret Technique, he could come to the island to ask us. He has been in seclusion for a year now; he must have encountered a problem."

The kind-faced Elder Luo waved his hand: "I don't blame you. Since I gave him the authority to enter and leave the island, I naturally hope he will come to consult me if he encounters difficulties in his cultivation..."

Halfway through his sentence, Elder Luo's expression suddenly changed, and he turned to look to his left.

Following the elder's gaze, a youth walked slowly toward the three of them. It was Jiang Yao, who had just come out of seclusion.

Prose and Kuman also shifted from confusion to shock.

Because Jiang Yao did not deliberately conceal his aura, all three of them could clearly perceive the Stellar Level energy fluctuations emanating from him.

Prose could no longer remember how many times he had been this shocked since meeting Jiang Yao: "You... reached the Stellar Level?"

Jiang Yao nodded and smiled: "I didn't fail the mission; I just stepped into the Stellar Level."

This "just" referred to nearly a year ago.

"Impossible. Every spirit reader of the Lingtong Race is blocked by the bloodline barrier. It is impossible to reach the Stellar Level without breaking it. How did you cross it?"

Elder Luo asked excitedly, wondering if Jiang Yao was the exception. If the method to bypass the bloodline barrier could be discovered, the probability of Lingtong Race spirit readers reaching the Stellar Level would increase significantly.

The price, however, was that those who took a "shortcut" would naturally be unable to awaken their bloodline innate abilities—assuming such a shortcut even existed.

Jiang Yao scratched his scalp and said: "I just crossed it normally. Isn't it required to cultivate the Guidance Secret Technique, forge the Boat of Guidance to sail against the current, trace the source of the bloodline, and smash through the bloodline barrier to achieve the Stellar Level?"

Before him lay a stretch of silence.

Never mind Prose and Kuman; even the knowledgeable Elder Luo was unable to snap back to his senses for a moment.

If you had said you were gifted with extraordinary talent and your willpower was so high that it triggered a mutation in your body and bloodline, allowing you to bypass the bloodline barrier and smoothly enter the Stellar Level, I might have found that easier to accept.

After a long while, Prose asked cautiously: "How did you find the cultivation of the Secret Technique of Guidance? Was it difficult?"

Jiang Yao nodded and said: "Difficult. It is indeed much harder than the Seven Turns of Heaven's End."

Hard my foot!

Even the usually broad-minded Prose struggled to suppress the urge to curse.

Is it so hard that it took you a full year to master it?