Inside Thunder Mountain Residence, Stellar Transformations

The seven-colored spiritual light of the teleportation array enveloped the two men and one beast. Surrounding them was a distorted blur of space and time, and the whistling sound of tearing through the void echoed in their ears. Qin Yu felt his entire body weightless, yet he was steadily protected by a gentle force. Beside him, Yun Ce stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm. Xiao Hei had retracted its wings and was huddled close to Yun Ce's side, its eagle eyes filled with vigilance, yet also harboring a hint of curiosity.

Within a few breaths, the spiritual light suddenly dissipated. As the sensation of solid ground returned, Qin Yu instinctively opened his eyes and was instantly stunned into silence by the scene before him.

This was not the rocky, desolate wilderness of the Boundless Wilderness, but a tranquil lakeside. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth in the depths of the Boundless Wilderness was so dense here that it was almost condensing into mist; taking a single breath made one feel the spiritual power within their body circulating slowly, feeling incredibly refreshed. By the lakeside stood a massive mountain-like structure. It was not built of mundane bricks or stones, but was entirely composed of a material with a faint metallic luster. Though it was only two stories high, standing no more than eight or nine meters tall, its footprint was vast, stretching over a hundred meters in both length and width. It was magnificent, exuding a peculiar style Qin Yu had never seen before—lacking the carved beams and painted rafters of the architecture on the Hidden Dragon Continent, yet possessing a sense of orderly simplicity, faintly revealing a strange charm of "regularity."

Yun Ce raised his eyes to scan the surroundings, his gaze landing on the mountain-like building, and a knowing smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He knew clearly in his heart that this was the Thunder Mountain Residence left behind by Lei Wei (of course, this name was given by Qin Yu), and it was exactly as described in the original story: a product of the fusion between technology and cultivation.

"Master, is this..." Qin Yu regained his senses, his voice carrying an irrepressible shock as he turned to look at Yun Ce.

"Correct," Yun Ce nodded slowly, his tone flat yet filled with certainty. "This is the cave dwelling left behind by Senior Lei Wei, the Thunder Mountain Residence, and it is also the place where your destiny lies."

Xiao Hei seemed to have sensed the safety of the surroundings as well; it flapped its wings and let out a low cry, its eagle eyes full of inquiry as it curiously examined the peculiar building.

The two men and one beast walked slowly into the building. As soon as they stepped through the main entrance, a cool, refreshing aura rushed toward them. Unlike the dense spiritual energy outside, the atmosphere here was more gentle and moist, carrying a faint metallic texture. The rooms inside were arranged in an orderly fashion. At a glance, each room appeared extremely luxurious, furnished with objects Qin Yu had never seen before. The walls were embedded with various luminous bodies that emitted a soft glow, illuminating the entire building in a brilliant, flowing light. The colors and styles of those lights were unlike anything on the Hidden Dragon Continent, appearing incredibly novel.

Passing through a corridor, they arrived at a spacious hall. The floor of the hall was pure silver, smooth as a mirror, reflecting the lights from above as if they were stepping on a silver void. Just as Qin Yu was curiously examining his surroundings, a crisp, childlike voice suddenly rang out in the hall, accompanied by a soft, sweet meow: "Welcome, Master. Welcome, everyone~ I am Xiao Xing, the housekeeper of this residence, meow~"

Qin Yu was startled and instinctively clenched his fists. Xiao Hei also immediately tensed its body, slightly spreading its wings in a defensive posture. Only Yun Ce remained calm, thinking to himself: It has arrived as expected; this is the intelligent housekeeper of the Thunder Mountain Residence, Xiao Xing.

The childlike voice remained crisp and carried a hint of excitement as it continued: "Xiao Xing is the housekeeper of this house, an artificial intelligence. The first master of this villa was Master Lei Wei. I drifted through the universe with Master Lei Wei~"

Hearing this, the wariness in Qin Yu's eyes gradually dissipated, replaced by curiosity. He asked softly: "Universe? Artificial intelligence? What are these?"

Xiao Xing's voice carried a hint of patience as it slowly explained: "It doesn't matter if Master doesn't know~ Our original universe was a technological one, and technology was very advanced. This villa was refined by Master Lei Wei using a special method, and it can even be stored in a storage ring to be carried around~ Once, Master ventured into a black hole, and after coming out, he arrived in another universe, and then he found this planet where you are now~"

Yun Ce stood to the side, listening quietly, mapping everything to the plot of the original story in his mind. It was indeed exactly as he knew it to be.

Xiao Xing's voice remained excited: "This planet is actually entirely for cultivation! Our original universe had cultivation too, but in a universe dominated by technology, there were very, very few cultivators. Yet, this planet has tens of thousands of them; it's so magical~"

"Master spent some time on this planet, but later he had to face the Heavenly Tribulation. Fearing that he would fail, he left me here in the Boundless Wilderness early, telling me to wait for the second master~" The childlike voice carried a hint of grievance, then suddenly became joyful again. "Sure enough, after waiting for so many years, the teleportation array finally activated and brought you here, Master~ Meow~"

Hearing this, Qin Yu finally vaguely understood that his arrival here was entirely the arrangement of Senior Lei Wei, and that he was able to trigger the teleportation array precisely because, under his Master's guidance, he had cultivated the Three Heaven-Reaching Charts to perfection and condensed that set of three-colored armor formed by 108 pillars of energy.

"It doesn't matter if Master doesn't know what technology is," Xiao Xing's voice chimed in at the right moment. "Old Master Lei Wei has already prepared a book for you, written in the language of your Hidden Dragon Continent. You can read it slowly, and you will understand everything once you do. Just tell me if you need to turn the page~"

As soon as the words fell, a virtual book floated out of thin air in front of Qin Yu, Yun Ce, and Xiao Hei. The pages emitted a faint white light, and while the cover had no text, it exuded an ancient aura. Qin Yu reached out and touched it lightly, feeling a hint of coldness at his fingertips, as if he were touching real paper. He slowly turned the first page, which clearly recorded various knowledge about the technological universe, interstellar travel, and artificial intelligence. It was easy to understand, and the more Qin Yu read, the more fascinated he became, gradually coming to understand the origins of Senior Lei Wei.

A moment later, Qin Yu closed the virtual book, having already sorted out the cause and effect in his mind: Senior Lei Wei was a powerhouse from another universe who had accidentally arrived on the Hidden Dragon Continent. Fearing failure during his tribulation, he had left behind the Thunder Mountain Residence and the intelligent housekeeper Xiao Xing to wait for a successor who could cultivate the Three Heaven-Reaching Charts to perfection—and he was that chosen one.

Just then, Xiao Xing's voice sounded again, carrying a hint of playfulness: "Meow~ Master, the first master once left behind a recording containing some things he wanted to say to you. Would you like to watch it?"

Qin Yu was startled and instinctively turned to look at Yun Ce beside him, his eyes full of inquiry. Although he was curious, he knew this was no small matter and instinctively wanted to seek his Master's opinion.

Yun Ce nodded with a smile and said softly: "It would be good to watch. Senior Lei Wei was a visitor from beyond the heavens, his strength unfathomable. With a cultivation at the Tribulation Transcendence Stage, he could slay experts at the Dacheng Stage, multiple Loose Immortal experts, and dozens of experts at the Tribulation Transcendence and Emptiness Realm. Even though he ultimately failed the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation and died, his life was legendary. The words he left behind might give you quite a bit of inspiration."

Hearing this, Qin Yu felt at ease and said softly to the void: "I want to watch it."

"Alrighty~" Xiao Xing's voice was filled with joy. As soon as the words fell, the crisp childlike voice vanished. At the same time, the wall of the training hall on one side of the hall suddenly lit up, and brilliant rays of light emerged, revealing the scene of the cosmic stars—the starry sky slowly rotated on the wall, nebulae swirled, and galaxies rose and fell. For a moment, Qin Yu, Yun Ce, and Xiao Hei felt as if they were in the vast universe. The silver floor beneath their feet also transformed into a view of the void, with nothing to rely on, as if one could step into the sea of stars with a single stride.

Qin Yu was extremely curious, his eyes fixed tightly on the image on the wall, his breathing becoming soft. Yun Ce also raised his eyebrows slightly, his gaze falling on the image. Even though he already knew the story of Lei Wei, seeing the scene of the cosmic stars with his own eyes at this moment, he could not help but be deeply attracted. Xiao Hei widened its eagle eyes, its expression full of shock, occasionally letting out a low cry as if marveling at the wonders of heaven and earth.

Suddenly, a tall, upright figure appeared out of thin air in the void in front of the two men and one beast. The figure stood with his back to them, hands behind his back, gazing at the starry sky. He sighed softly, then slowly turned around.

It was a middle-aged man with a handsome face, his brows carrying a hint of free-spiritedness and pride. Although there was no spiritual energy fluctuation around him, he exuded a majesty that transcended all things. It was Lei Wei. He looked at Qin Yu with a gentle gaze and spoke slowly, his voice coming through the recording with a hint of the vicissitudes of time: "Hello. If you are seeing this recording, it means that I, Lei Wei, have truly failed my tribulation."

"I was a prince of an empire in the Milky Way Galaxy, yet I did not care for imperial power; I only loved interstellar adventure and cultivation." Lei Wei's gaze looked into the distance, as if recalling the past. "The cultivators in our place only existed on one planet, and that was Earth. I only learned of that after my cultivation reached a certain level."

"I cultivated continuously back then, and then I obtained a secret manual—the Three Heaven-Reaching Charts. It had only three pages, with thirty-six diagrams on each page. To cultivate the Three Heaven-Reaching Charts, one's physical body must reach the Xiantian realm. I tried every possible way, cultivated diligently, and after experiencing all kinds of difficulties, I finally succeeded." A hint of reminiscence appeared on Lei Wei's face. "I abandoned my status as a prince, piloted my spaceship, and adventured through the stars while continuously cultivating the Three Heaven-Reaching Charts. Finally, one day, the Four-Nine Heavenly Tribulation descended, and I was lucky enough to pass it. However... I no longer had any cultivation techniques to continue."

"While adventuring and wandering in the universe, I had heard of the concepts of the Golden Core and Nascent Soul, but I had never obtained any cultivation techniques, because they were simply too precious." Lei Wei's tone carried a hint of helplessness, then a touch of pride emerged. "At that time, having no cultivation techniques, I chose to create a path of my own. I knew that cultivation is the pursuit of the Heavenly Dao... What is the Heavenly Dao? Is it just forming a Golden Core and cultivating a Nascent Soul?"

Speaking of this, a look of firm confidence appeared on Lei Wei's face: "No, I do not think so. I believe the Heavenly Dao is the most primitive, most natural thing, not something forcibly defined by man. I observed the natural evolution of the cosmic stars and gradually gained insights, so I began to create a new cultivation technique based on my own understanding—this technique was derived from the evolution of the cosmic stars, so I named it Stellar Transformations."

Lei Wei continued: "Afterward, I experienced a series of battles and adventures, and finally learned of the existence of Earth, the base for cultivators in the entire universe. I spent a hundred years on Earth and obtained a few cultivation techniques, but... in my view, those techniques were simply not as good as the Stellar Transformations I had created."

"I left Earth and continued to adventure through the universe, until one day, I was sucked into a black hole. The power of the black hole was simply too strong; it was not something that could be resisted by human power. When I woke up, I had arrived in a new space and discovered the nearest planet—which is the planet where you are now." A hint of amazement appeared on Lei Wei's face. "This planet is huge, ridiculously so, more than ten thousand times larger than Earth in the Milky Way. When I entered it, I discovered that the number of cultivators here was even more terrifying; they were calculated in the tens of thousands."

Speaking of this, Lei Wei smiled wistfully, his gaze falling on Qin Yu again, his tone gentle: "Little guy, in my study here, there are some cultivation techniques I collected, some from Earth and some from this world. If you don't want to cultivate Stellar Transformations, you can also cultivate those techniques."

"However, Stellar Transformations is an incomplete technique, and it follows a path that no one has ever walked before." Lei Wei's tone became solemn. "I drifted through the universe for thousands of years before I created the first six stages—Nebula, Meteor, Star Core, Planet, Tribulation, and Star. And the 'Star' stage was merely my imagination; I had no clue about the stages beyond that. If you cultivate according to my technique, even if you succeed in your tribulation and reach the 'Star' stage to ascend to the Immortal Realm, there will be no more techniques for you to cultivate in the future."

Hearing this, Qin Yu's heart sank, and he instinctively looked at Yun Ce beside him. He knew clearly what an incomplete technique meant; if one reached the peak of the technique and had no subsequent methods to cultivate, one would have to endure the pain of being unable to advance their cultivation. Yet, he could also feel the profound mystery contained within Stellar Transformations—it was a charm of the Great Dao that aligned with the nature of heaven and earth.

Feeling Qin Yu's gaze, Yun Ce nodded slowly toward him, his eyes filled with encouragement and certainty—he had long known the flaws of Stellar Transformations and had already thought of how to help Qin Yu compensate for and perfect this technique.

Watching Qin Yu's expression, Lei Wei smiled faintly and said: "Stellar Transformations, haha... is cultivating this technique a blessing? Or a curse? It is hard to say. Alright, little guy, make your own choice. If you don't cultivate it, if you have the chance in the future, helping me find a successor would be fine. Unfortunately, Stellar Transformations must be based on the peak of Xiantian external cultivation, which means the Three Heaven-Reaching Charts must be cultivated to perfection. Finding such a successor will likely not be easy. But... these are all things for you to consider later."

As his voice fell, a look of deep wistfulness appeared on Lei Wei's face, and he sighed softly: "Milky Way, Dream Planet..."

With this soft sigh, Lei Wei's figure gradually became transparent and finally disappeared completely into the starry sky. The cosmic image on the wall also faded, the walls of the training hall returned to their original appearance, and the silver floor beneath their feet became real once again.

A brief silence fell over the hall. Qin Yu remained standing where he was, Lei Wei's words echoing repeatedly in his mind, his heart filled with a complex mix of emotions. Xiao Hei also retracted the shock in its eyes and stood quietly beside Yun Ce, as if it too felt the heaviness of the atmosphere.

"Master, I..." Qin Yu turned to look at Yun Ce, his tone carrying a hint of hesitation.

Yun Ce patted him on the shoulder and said softly: "No need to hesitate; just follow your heart. Although Stellar Transformations has flaws, it is also a unique Great Dao. As long as I am here, I can help you make up for the deficiencies and perfect the technique. Trust me."

Hearing this, the hesitation in Qin Yu's heart instantly dissipated, and a firm light reignited in his eyes. He knew that he had long been attracted by the charm of the Great Dao in Stellar Transformations, and his Master had said long ago that there would be many benefits to cultivating this technique. Moreover, he had great confidence in his Master; he believed that his Master could help him perfect the flaws of the technique.

Afterward, under Xiao Xing's guidance, Qin Yu, Yun Ce, and Xiao Hei arrived at the study on the second floor of the Thunder Mountain Residence. The study was huge, with rows of bookshelves filled with all kinds of books—there were cultivation techniques common on the Hidden Dragon Continent, secret cultivation manuals from Earth, and many books recording cosmic astronomy, geography, and interstellar common knowledge. It was dazzling, and Qin Yu was overwhelmed by the sight.

On the top shelf of the most prominent bookshelf sat an ancient book. The three characters "Stellar Transformations" on the cover were vigorous and powerful, emitting a faint spiritual light. It was the Stellar Transformations technique created by Lei Wei.

Qin Yu walked up quickly, carefully took down Stellar Transformations, and opened the first page, which clearly recorded Lei Wei's annotations: "Is the Golden Core and Nascent Soul truly the correct path of cultivation? What is the so-called pursuit of the Heavenly Dao? Observing the evolution of the universe, I created this technique, which can also be considered a path of cultivation. This technique is divided into six major stages. Let us first discuss the first chapter—the Nebula Chapter."

"After an ordinary cultivator succeeds in their tribulation, the Xiantian true energy in their Dantian becomes liquid. It must be condensed together like a water ball and then refined into a Golden Core. But must it be so? Must it be gathered?"

"The first stage of my Stellar Transformations is to disperse—to turn the Xiantian true energy back into a gaseous state and scatter it. It must not only spread throughout the dantian but even extend outside the body. Using the dantian as the heart and the physical body as a bridge, one must connect the universe with the inner self to evolve the natural laws of the heavens together..."

Qin Yu became more and more mesmerized as he read, as if he had been transported into an entirely new world of cultivation. The spiritual energy around his body began to circulate involuntarily, and he became completely immersed in the profound mysteries of Stellar Transformations.

Yun Ce stood to the side, watching Qin Yu's focused expression, a gratified smile appearing at the corners of his mouth. He knew that Qin Yu would ultimately choose to cultivate Stellar Transformations; it was not only the legacy of Lei Wei but also the inevitable path for Qin Yu to reach higher realms.

Afterward, Yun Ce casually picked up a book from the shelf and opened it to read—it was a volume recording common knowledge of the Earth Cultivation World. The content within was completely different from the cultivation system of the Hidden Dragon Continent, yet it possessed its own unique logic. As he flipped through the pages, he calculated in his mind how to combine his knowledge of the original story to help Qin Yu compensate for the flaws in Stellar Transformations and assist him in stepping onto the Starry Path more quickly. However, he also knew that this could not be rushed; helping Qin Yu perfect the Stellar Transformations technique was something for after Qin Yu reached the Constant Star Stage, and it was still too early to think about that now.

Xiao Hei paced back and forth in the study, occasionally rubbing his head against the books on the shelves. His eagle eyes were filled with curiosity, and he would occasionally let out a low cry, adding a touch of vitality to the quiet study.

In the second-floor study of the Thunder Mountain Residence, the lighting was soft and the scent of books lingered. Two men and one beast were each immersed in their own worlds.