The moment Yang Zhen grabbed the star that looked like Halley's Comet, he felt heaven and earth collapse, as though the entire world had been destroyed in his hands. Immediately afterward, he was thrown out of the Dao Comprehension Stele.
As for what the star he had grabbed actually was, Yang Zhen hadn't had time to examine it closely. It just didn't seem to be a cultivation method or martial technique, which left him somewhat disappointed.
Could it be that what one obtained from the Dao Comprehension Stele really did depend on luck, and that talent alone wasn't enough to comprehend something good?
Yang Zhen was brooding over it when a pleasantly surprised voice suddenly called out, "Yang Zhen, is that you?"
"No... Uh, Princess Changyang?" Yang Zhen turned around and saw Princess Changyang walking toward him, looking as delighted as if she had met an old friend far from home.
Yang Zhen looked at Princess Changyang strangely. Why did he always end up with her whenever something like this happened?
Then Yang Zhen realized he was overthinking it. A group of cultivators followed Princess Changyang, including Su Qingyu, the woman whose face was likewise bare and concealed behind a veil. Fang Shenhe, the Turtle-Snake Island successor who hadn't spoken a word, was there too. The fellow was cloaked in golden light and was said to be highly accomplished in formations. He was not someone to mess with.
Zhang Zongjin looked bewildered as his fellow disciples supported him. Only when he saw Yang Zhen did intense anger appear in his vacant eyes.
The fellow had clearly suffered a terrible blow. The steadier one's state of mind, the greater the blow when it was shattered.
When they saw Yang Zhen, everyone except Princess Changyang wore strange expressions.
Princess Changyang came over to Yang Zhen with a gentle smile and said, "Someone triggered the restriction on the Dao Comprehension Stele, and we're trapped inside it. What did you encounter inside the stele just now?"
Yang Zhen suddenly understood. No wonder the place felt strange. They were trapped inside the Dao Comprehension Stele's restriction. That world-overturning sensation just now had not only thrown Yang Zhen out of the stele, but had also unleashed a terrifying restriction that enveloped everyone nearby.
The group looked at Yang Zhen with hostile expressions, waiting for him to answer Princess Changyang.
"Are you interrogating me?" Yang Zhen asked, looking at Princess Changyang in surprise.
Princess Changyang hurriedly said, "Don't misunderstand. Nothing like this has ever happened to the Dao Comprehension Stele before. We only want to find out what happened. We're all trapped in here and can't get out, so we can only think of a way once we've asked about every circumstance and possibility."
At that, Princess Changyang hesitated for a moment before asking, "How many star-units of light did you encounter in the Dao Comprehension Stele?"
"How many what of light?" Yang Zhen was taken aback. He hadn't understood what Princess Changyang meant.
Princess Changyang was also taken aback. She raised a finger as smooth and fair as jade, and a glimmer of light flashed atop it. Then she asked, "This is one star-unit of light. How much brighter was the one you saw?"
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Yang Zhen said a little sheepishly, "Just... a tiny bit brighter!"
Pfft!
A snicker came from the darkness nearby, followed by silence. Judging from the expressions of the people around him, though, they had all breathed a sigh of relief.
If it was only a tiny bit brighter than one star-unit of light, how good could it be?
The profound cultivation method Su Qingyu had comprehended, for instance, had been at least eight star-units of light, if not higher. Even a Heaven Grade cultivation method at eight star-units of light hadn't triggered the Dao Comprehension Stele's restriction, much less whatever Yang Zhen had found.
For a moment, everyone was relieved, but also somewhat disappointed. If Yang Zhen didn't know why this had happened either, they were in trouble. They would have to look elsewhere for the cause.
Princess Changyang was much more relaxed as well, as though the fact that Yang Zhen hadn't caused this enormous trouble had brought her great relief. Still, a trace of disappointment involuntarily flashed in her eyes.
"Then... what about compared to this?" The light at Princess Changyang's fingertip grew a little brighter. "This is two star-units of light!"
"It was a tiny bit brighter than that too!" Yang Zhen looked even more embarrassed, while growing increasingly puzzled.
What the hell was this? It wasn't even as bright as a firefly, yet it deserved to be called starlight-and two star-units of light at that?
Even the star Yang Zhen had initially picked with "rooster head" had been much brighter than this. Were these people idiots?
Princess Changyang's beautiful eyes lit up. "Everyone who enters the Dao Comprehension Stele encounters a star. The star is formed from a cultivator's comprehension and talent. Through the light of that condensed star, the Dao Comprehension Stele allows the cultivator to gain something. So how bright the starlight one encounters after entering the Dao Comprehension Stele is vitally important to a cultivator."
After hearing Princess Changyang's explanation, Yang Zhen suddenly understood.
"I see. Wait, did you just say... everyone who enters the Dao Comprehension Stele encounters one star?" Yang Zhen suddenly felt that something wasn't quite right.
"Yes. Didn't you encounter starlight too?" Princess Changyang asked in surprise.
"I did, I did." Yang Zhen was sweating profusely.
He had encountered them, all right, but not just one. The stars had filled the sky, spread out like a chessboard, just as they had when he lay on the roof at his grandmother's house as a child. In that boundless starry sky, there had been eighty thousand if not a hundred thousand.
One?
Are you kidding me?
Yang Zhen had only grabbed one, and it seemed he could only grab one, but that one seemed... a little big!
A smile appeared on Princess Changyang's face. "At three star-units of light, one can comprehend a decent cultivation method or martial technique. I imagine you gained quite a lot. How did it compare to this?"
Princess Changyang seemed to realize that Yang Zhen didn't know much about starlight, so she continued explaining it to him carefully. She also seemed very curious about how many star-units of light Yang Zhen had comprehended.
Three star-units of light were already as bright as a candle, and the group behind Princess Changyang grew solemn.
Clearly, they had realized that what Yang Zhen had comprehended seemed somewhat unusual.
"Well... it was a little brighter than that too!" Yang Zhen was even more embarrassed and wasn't quite sure how to explain. If he told them the truth, would he scare them?
"Ah!" Princess Changyang exclaimed, her bright eyes full of curiosity. "Could it be four star-units of light?"
"No... a little brighter!"
"Five star-units of light?"
"Bigger! Brighter!"
"Hiss, six star-units of light?"
"Just make ten star-units of light and let me see!" Yang Zhen said with a serious expression.
"Uh, are you sure?" Princess Changyang hesitated for a moment, then produced a light like an ordinary small light bulb.
Yang Zhen was somewhat disappointed. "None of those. The star I found seemed a little brighter than this too!"
Everyone: "..."
"Fuck, there's a limit to bragging!"
In the crowd, Su Qingyu and Fang Shenhe exchanged a glance, each seeing the shock in the other's eyes.
Yang Zhen glanced at the guy who had accused him of bragging and said, somewhat speechless, "Let me demonstrate it for you. I don't know how many star-units the star I saw counts as, but I think the ones you saw were all fake."
Hearing Yang Zhen's words, everyone present felt like cursing. They had seen shameless people before, but never anyone this shameless.
Fake? Your sister's fake! However many star-units it is, that's what it is. Could there be fakes in the Dao Comprehension Stele?
Anything above six star-units of light was already rare in the world, let alone ten. If ten star-units of light appeared this year, the major sects would probably all be shaken.
Yet Yang Zhen claimed that what he had seen was bigger and brighter than ten star-units of light. It was sheer nonsense.
Princess Changyang nodded, looking just as stunned. "All right, demonstrate it yourself."
The next moment, an enormous ball of light appeared before everyone.
"This is bad! What happened? I'm blind! Why can't I see anything?"
Wails rang out one after another from the crowd.