In the void of the Star Picking Sacred Court.
Xu Mu sat cross-legged amidst swirling starlight, which descended from the celestial dome. A verdant star, intensely bright, scorched his physical form to a fiery red.
The sensation was akin to standing in a horse stance under a scorching sun. Xu Mu's brow furrowed slightly, but he did not resist the starlight; instead, he welcomed it.
The starlight penetrated him, his blood boiled, and the Sacred Glazed Heart beat powerfully, absorbing all the starlight that entered his body.
Time passed, though he knew not how long. Xu Mu's tightly furrowed brow finally relaxed as he could now fully endure, or rather, enjoy, the baptism of the starlight, much like soaking in a hot bath.
Xu Mu closed his eyes, sitting on the ground with a look of contentment, almost on the verge of slumber.
According to the Wine Immortal, one must first gain the stars' approval and then withstand the starlight's baptism. He had accomplished both. All that remained was to wait for the baptism to conclude before returning to the Star Picking Sacred Court to consult the ancient texts.
However, to Xu Mu's surprise, his consciousness was suddenly lifted by the flowing starlight and carried towards the verdant star.
Xu Mu opened his eyes and looked around in astonishment.
He now existed in the form of his spirit, standing upon the verdant star, surrounded by a sea of stars composed of countless dazzling celestial bodies.
From such close proximity, he could discern that upon each star, a vague silhouette seemed to float, exuding an ancient and profound aura, appearing exceptionally powerful.
Whose residual aura was this?
Just as Xu Mu contemplated a possible explanation, the starlight on the star where he stood slowly coalesced into a tall, ethereal figure.
The figure’s face was indistinct, but its posture was upright. It held a towering pagoda in its hands, and several gray ribbons, seemingly some kind of artifact, floated behind it.
The figure gazed at Xu Mu and then spoke:
"Descendant, you have gained my approval."
"I am the Supreme Profound Spirit Heavenly Venerable, my Dharma name being Wuya. I can impart to you the supreme divine technique. Upon its completion, your cultivation will be unrestrained by realms, and with a single thought, you shall reach the other shore."
"However, the prerequisite for cultivating this technique is to forget all the cultivation methods you have previously learned. Are you willing to learn it and inherit my legacy?"
Xu Mu blinked. Although the situation was beyond his expectations, he did not hesitate. He shook his head and refused:
"Thank you for your kind offer, senior. This junior already has a heritage, and my talent is limited. I would not wish to tarnish your name."
Xu Mu bowed to the ethereal figure with a respectful expression.
His existing heritage was already exceptional. Whether it was Fuxi’s Human Emperor’s Pre-celestial Eight Trigrams or the sword techniques of a previous powerful cultivator inherited from the King of the Sky Tree, neither could possibly be inferior to the heritage of this Heavenly Venerable.
If it were free, he would accept it. But the problem was that accepting the heritage required him to forget all his previous learning. How could Xu Mu possibly agree to that!
The Supreme Profound Spirit Heavenly Venerable heard his words and observed Xu Mu in silence for a moment before speaking again: "Are you certain?"
"My supreme technique can easily help you become the master of a realm, or even a more magnificent existence, provided your talent is high enough to learn it."
Xu Mu nodded and said again, "Thank you again for your kind offer, senior. This junior believes that through his own efforts, he will one day achieve such heights. Please reserve your supreme technique for someone else."
The Heavenly Venerable’s ethereal figure fell silent once more.
Then, its body, formed from coalesced starlight, began to slowly dissipate, as if preparing to depart.
"Actually, I sensed the aura of some old acquaintances on you long ago. You likely do not think highly of my heritage."
"It is laughable that in my time, I, with this supreme technique, dominated the world, slew demon gods, and was revered by all races. I thought it would last for eternity, yet now, my heritage is lost."
Xu Mu listened quietly to the ethereal Heavenly Venerable's lament. The figure's dissipation speed was extremely rapid. In a short while, only a near-transparent outline remained. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
In its final moments, it glanced at Xu Mu.
"On the central star, there may be something you need. However, your current realm is too low. Do not rush to obtain it."
"The great tribulation of billions of years of reincarnation is about to arrive. Young one, you have little time left."
The starlight gradually faded. Xu Mu stared at the disappearing ethereal figure, his expression stunned.
The central star held something he needed?
What on earth was this tribulation of billions of years?
Xu Mu was speechless, unsure what to say or do. He instinctively scratched his head.
But in the next second, his movement froze.
For at some unknown time, his spirit had returned to his body without any discomfort or strangeness, as if he had never been to that distant star.
Xu Mu stood up, carefully examined his body for a moment, then extended a finger. With a slight movement of his divine sense, he condensed a trace of starlight in the air.
Xu Mu fell silent.
He could sense that within his current body, his hundred orifices were filled with starlight, constantly regenerating. It had completely purified the foul yin energy left within him by the Jialan Charm Ghost and even healed his internal injuries.
He was undoubtedly stronger now, his physical body more resilient, and his strength greater, clearly a result of the starlight tempering.
"If things like this could happen a few more times, it would truly be a blessing!" Xu Mu smacked his lips in contemplation, retracted the starlight within his body, and then stepped out through the shimmering curtain before him.
The next moment, he found himself at a corner of a corridor. A sign on the left indicated that going downstairs would lead back to where he came from, while a sign on the right pointed towards the library.
Without hesitation, Xu Mu headed right, as the library was the ultimate destination of his journey.
His footsteps echoed on the floor. The path was meticulously clean, and though the decorations were ancient, not a speck of dust was present.
After a short while, a door, unlocked, appeared before Xu Mu.
Xu Mu naturally pushed the door open and entered. He then beheld an immense space, so vast that his eyesight could not reach its limits.
Most terrifyingly, the contents of this space were all books. The books were arranged on shelves, categorized according to their subjects, filling the entire expanse.
Xu Mu looked up and searched for a long time but did not find the category he was looking for. There were books on cultivation techniques and records of previous dynasties, but nothing about the previous epoch.
However, at that moment, he discovered a staircase on his left.
After a few seconds of hesitation, Xu Mu walked up the stairs and pushed open another door.
This time, the world beyond the door was smaller, about the size of a single-floor library in a common academy, but it still held a great number of books.
There were no category labels here, but upon seeing the yellowed and mottled pages of the books, Xu Mu knew he had come to the right place.
He casually walked to a bookshelf, picked up a book at random, and opened its first page.
"Biography of the Supreme Profound Spirit Heavenly Venerable."
Xu Mu was astonished. The Supreme Profound Spirit Heavenly Venerable – was this not the supreme being who had offered him the divine technique on the verdant star earlier and whom he had refused? He had not expected to stumble upon his biography so coincidentally.
"The Supreme Profound Spirit Heavenly Venerable, Dharma name Wuya, was at the peak of the ninth realm of the Supreme rank. He was the 941st sect leader of Divine Court Mountain, born in the year 9,411,281,111 of the Qiongyu Sacred Emperor Calendar, and died before the epochal tribulation."
"During his lifetime, the Supreme Profound Spirit Heavenly Venerable slew three demon gods and millions of foreign evil spirits. His mount was the Azure Heaven White Phoenix, and he once refined a saint-grade artifact..."
Xu Mu quickly skimmed through this biography. He did not read it too carefully until he reached the end, the period before the Heavenly Venerable's death, before the so-called epochal tribulation. His reading pace slowed.
"A cycle of billions of years, the epochal tribulation arrives, spiritual energy withers, the age of great decline descends, and invaders from outer realms invade the great world. Humanity and demons unite to resist, only to be annihilated together in the tribulation."
This was the last page.
Xu Mu was silent for a moment, then casually picked up several more ancient books. These were also biographies of various Heavenly Venerables or peerless figures from the previous epoch.
As time passed, Xu Mu quickly read through a hundred books. He ultimately discovered that apart from a very small number of Heavenly Venerable powerhouses who died in battles against demon gods, most others had perished in the so-called epochal tribulation.
However, there were no detailed records of this epochal tribulation. It merely mentioned the arrival of the age of great decline, foreign invasions, and that after a pyrrhic victory by humans and demons, they were all consumed by the epochal tribulation.
Xu Mu was perplexed. What exactly was this epochal tribulation?
"You must be very confused. At first, I was just like you, frantically searching through these ancient books. I even compiled information on the price of a cabbage in the previous epoch, but I still couldn't figure out what the epochal tribulation was."
Just as Xu Mu was about to continue his search for clues, a person suddenly appeared opposite the bookshelf.
Through the gaps in the bookshelf, Xu Mu could see that it was a youth of a similar age to himself. His attire was simple, but his words and demeanor exuded an undeniable noble aura.
Xu Mu furrowed his brow and asked, "Who are you?"
The noble youth smiled slightly, walked around the end of the bookshelf, and looked at Xu Mu, saying, "Don't be so fierce. I mean no harm."
"It's just hard to imagine that besides that fellow from the Demon Slaying Division, there's anyone else as curious about the previous epoch as I am, and so persistent. I imagine if I hadn't come out, you would have been searching here for half a month or even longer."
"No, I don't have that much time," Xu Mu replied calmly.
Although he was filled with curiosity and desperately wished to absorb everything recorded in these books, he also knew that such a feat was impossible.
Time was limited, and if all else failed, he could have Charles come over. Now that Charles had his own body, he could read here day and night for him.
The noble youth smiled again, "Regardless, I feel we are fated to meet."
"And I can tell you definitively, there is nothing you are looking for here."
"Regarding the previous epoch, we know how it came to be, but not how it ended. These texts only mention it briefly, but it all ultimately boils down to the four words 'epochal tribulation'."
Xu Mu was somewhat surprised and asked, "Have you read all the books here?"
The noble youth shook his head and chuckled, "Do I have that much free time?"
"However, I found many helpers. They read many books for me, and I read many myself. In the end, after finishing all the books, I still couldn't find the answer I sought."
"And I don't want you to waste that much time, so I've come to tell you to stop searching."
Xu Mu and the youth exchanged glances for a moment. Sensing no malice, Xu Mu lowered his guard slightly but still asked with a hint of doubt, "We don't know each other. Why are you helping me?"
The noble youth smiled faintly, "Because you are a genius. Those who can appear in this place are the most elite geniuses on the entire continent. And this Prince... this young master likes to befriend geniuses, so I'm telling you this."
Hearing this, Xu Mu put down the book in his hand and teased, "Let's be clear, I'm not a genius. I'm just a lucky individual who happened to pass the test of the verdant star."
The noble youth smiled, hands behind his back, "If you were just lucky, you wouldn't be in this state right now."
"I can sense the starlight within you is exceptionally vigorous. You have clearly just completed the baptism."
"For ordinary cultivators, after undergoing baptism, although their physical bodies become stronger, their consciousness is inevitably very fatigued. But you are not. You are very relaxed."
Xu Mu shrugged, "But I really did come from the verdant star."
The noble youth smiled faintly, "Choosing the relatively less difficult verdant star for your first selection is normal. But this absolutely does not mean your limit is confined to the verdant star."
"Think as you will," Xu Mu smacked his lips and did not continue the conversation, as he sensed that the person before him was far from ordinary.
Although the latter exuded no threatening spiritual fluctuations or any special aura, Xu Mu instinctively felt that this young man was definitely not a commoner.
And if he were an opponent, Xu Mu had a premonition that this might be the most formidable opponent he would face in his life, aside from the Grey-White Eyes.
"I've said so much and saved you time. Aren't you going to give me some reward? Perhaps tell me your name?"
"My name is Mu Xu," Xu Mu replied.
The noble youth shook his head, "I wish to befriend you, and you even lie about your name. This is truly not good."
Xu Mu paused, then chuckled, "How do you know I'm lying?"
"Your answer was too decisive, too quick, completely contradicting your initial guardedness. And most importantly, my intuition tells me you are lying."
The noble youth looked at Xu Mu, his smile unwavering. As he spoke the word 'lying,' two brilliant golden lights suddenly erupted from his eyes, sacred and immensely imposing.
In an instant, Xu Mu's hair stood on end. After a moment of hesitation, he immediately retreated several steps backward. The surge of blood qi from his body and the pervasive aura of death neutralized the golden light.
The noble youth sensed the blood qi floating in the air and was momentarily stunned. Then, smiling, he suppressed the radiance in his eyes.
"Don't be afraid. This won't harm you. It's just ordinary light."
Xu Mu remained vigilant for a long time, then looked at the perpetually smiling youth with a hint of helplessness. He lowered his hands and asked, "What exactly do you want?"
The noble youth smiled and replied, "I want to know which faction you belong to. The Great Zhou Dynasty, the Xia Dynasty, or the Golden Horde Kingdom?"
Xu Mu raised an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes, asking, "Could I not be from the Hundred Clans Alliance?"
"All cultivators of our age who come to the Sacred City recently are here to participate in the Myriad Races Assembly. Logically, I should have a higher chance of being from the Hundred Clans' territory, right?"
The noble youth shook his head and asked seriously, "Do I look like I'm here to participate in the Myriad Races Assembly?"
Xu Mu stared at him and shook his head, "No."
"I don't sense any fighting spirit from you, or rather, any desire for victory or defeat. Moreover, you said earlier that you've been reading many books here, which proves you haven't been diligently cultivating."
"And if you were a genius participating in the Myriad Races Assembly, you wouldn't have so much time to spend reading books."
The noble youth's smile deepened. He snapped his fingers, "Clever."
"But I am," Xu Mu smiled. He then took out the token symbolizing his status in the Jiang family and the qualification proof for the Myriad Races Assembly. "Look, I'm here to participate in the Myriad Races Assembly. I am from the Jiang family."
...