Chapter 299 – Lesser Celestial Cycle Star Observation Method, Battling the Heavenly Immortal Realm! [8k]

【Diving deep beneath the sea, you locked onto the cultivator with your divine sense and quickly discovered he was heading toward a specific location with a clear objective.】

【Along the way, the cultivator was cautious and careful, concealing his breath the entire time, afraid someone might be tracking him.】

【But you were several major realms above him. No matter how careful he was, he could not detect your presence…】

【Soon, you both descended to a depth of tens of thousands of zhang beneath the sea. The cultivator stopped before an underwater cavern, activated a small formation array, and slipped inside.】

【You chose not to enter rashly, instead hiding yourself outside.】

【Half a day later, the dull-witted cultivator emerged from the formation, a look of joy on his face.】

【Seeing this, you hesitated no longer. You seized him directly, then performed the Soul Search technique on him…】

【Moments later, joy appeared on your face—you had obtained the intelligence you wanted.】

【As it turned out, just as you had predicted, this cultivator had been cultivated by the Advent Cult several hundred years ago as a sleeper agent planted in the Black Water Realm. He had been secretly monitoring conditions there, waiting for the right moment to launch an invasion.】

【Several hundred years ago, this cultivator had accidentally stumbled into a hidden realm and obtained a portion of Luo Tian’s legacy inheritance!】

【Within that legacy were the supreme post-celestial treasure Blackwater Banner, countless spirit stones and spirit liquid, as well as numerous cultivation inheritances…】

【But possessing great treasure without the strength to protect it, the cultivator had decided to hide the treasures and the vast majority of the resources within this deep-sea formation space. Every ten years or so, he would extract a portion of resources for his own cultivation…】

【It was precisely because of this that in a mere few hundred years, he had grown from a Spirit Transformation cultivator into a Mahayana cultivator!】

【But regardless, the remaining Luotian legacy would now belong to you!】

【Your heart stirred, and you slipped into the formation…】

In the Real World, Su Xing saw this and felt his heart stir. He silently murmured:

“Activate immersive simulation, duration one day!”

【Ding…】

The notification chime faded, and Su Xing appeared within the formation space.

It was a concealed cave. The moment Su Xing entered, his Dragon Vein Geomancy talent began to take effect, ultimately guiding him to several storage artifacts that had been hidden away.

Without hesitation, Su Xing retrieved the storage artifacts and was immediately stunned by the wealth inside.

Nearly a hundred million low-grade spirit stones, tens of millions of mid-grade spirit stones, and even close to three million high-grade spirit stones!

What excited Su Xing even more was the spirit liquid within!

Approximately five million drops of high-grade spirit liquid, ten million drops of mid-grade spirit liquid, and tens of millions of low-grade spirit liquid…

Su Xing put away the storage artifacts containing the spirit stones and spirit liquid, shaking his head as he said:

“This batch of spirit liquid is probably not the entirety of the Black Water Realm’s Luotian legacy… But after several cosmic cycles, the fact that this much remains is already quite impressive!”

According to the intelligence Su Xing had obtained, the Luotian Sect cultivator who had fled to the Black Water Realm back then should have been at the Heavenly Immortal realm, and the resources he carried were certainly far more than what Luo Bing’er had possessed.

But after hundreds of thousands of years, the twists and turns that had occurred were impossible to know.

“Still… these spirit stones and spirit liquid are quite valuable to me!”

“Combined with the resources I previously obtained from the Spirit Clan ancestral grounds, I should have enough cultivation resources for everything after the Earthly Immortal realm!”

Su Xing nodded slightly, then inspected the remaining storage artifacts.

Various treasures and cultivation techniques were piled up like mountains, but there was no trace of Dao-guarding puppets. This only further confirmed Su Xing’s belief that the original legacy had contained far more than this.

“And then there’s this Blackwater Banner…”

Su Xing’s heart stirred, and a black banner appeared in his hand. Sensing the terrifying power contained within it, Su Xing was inwardly shocked.

“A true supreme post-celestial treasure! What a pity that after several cosmic cycles, the artifact spirit has been lost… But it still remains at the supreme post-celestial treasure level!”

Su Xing also retrieved a supernatural art—《Weak Water Three Thousand》!

This supernatural art was ranked among the seventy-two Earth Fiend supernatural arts!

When paired with the Blackwater Banner, if a mid-to-late stage Earthly Immortal realm cultivator cultivated it to Major Mastery, they could fight above their level against Heavenly Immortal realm cultivators!

“What a pity… it requires a water spirit root to unleash its full power…”

Su Xing shook his head slightly and put it away.

Without a water spirit root, the power of this supernatural art would naturally be diminished.

After ransacking every treasure in the cavern and confirming nothing had been overlooked, Su Xing also seized all the storage resources from the cultivator’s person, yielding tens of thousands of drops of high-grade spirit liquid and more.

“It may be killing for treasure… but people of the Advent Cult are traitors to all. Anyone has the right to execute them!”

Su Xing thought this to himself, secretly noting the location of this underwater cavern. In future simulations, he would have access to a bounty of additional resources.

…

After the immersive simulation ended, Su Xing returned to reality and turned his gaze back to the simulation panel.

【After leaving the underwater cavern, you obtained a wealth of resources.】

【You erased all traces and aura from the area, destroyed the formation, and headed for the vicinity of the deep-sea hidden realm where the Origin-channeling Flowers grew.】

【Over the next ten years, you practiced the Great Shaman Body Forging Art daily while also using your Dragon Vein Geomancy talent to search the Black Water Realm for any rare treasures or mineral veins that might exist.】

【Thus, over ten years passed.】

【In the thirty-fifth year, as you continuously consumed Earth Origin Pills for cultivation, your power grew steadily. However, the Great Shaman Body Forging Art required the accumulation of time, so progress was slow.】

【But consuming one Earth Origin Pill per month gradually depleted your previously refined supply.】

【After considerable deliberation, you decided to reduce your Earth Origin Pill consumption and save them up for use after the seventy-seventh year…】

In the Real World, Su Xing nodded slightly at this.

“That’s right… After age one hundred, with the Late Bloomer enhancement, one Earth Origin Pill will be as effective as two… If I use too many before then, it won’t be worth it!”

Su Xing estimated that at one pill per month, he would need to save at least six or seven hundred Earth Origin Pills for cultivation after age eighty.

“As for before age one hundred, if progress is slow, so be it… It’ll give me time to explore the Black Water Realm!”

Su Xing wanted to see if he could find other Luotian legacies within the Black Water Realm.

His gaze turned to the simulation panel.

【That same year, the Origin-channeling Flower hidden realm opened. You stormed in and harvested one hundred and eighty Origin-channeling Flowers in a single day.】

【Afterward, you ambushed the area near the hidden realm, seizing the opportunity to kill three Advent Cult officers, gaining substantial resources.】

【After killing the Advent Cult officers, you remained in the Black Water Realm to explore further, continuing to search for any remaining Luotian secret caches.】

【Thus, five years passed.】

【In the fortieth year, you had not found any Luotian legacies, but your Blessed by Fortune talent faintly transmitted a sense of crisis. You surmised that perhaps the killing of the Advent Cult officers had drawn the Cult to investigate the Black Water Realm.】

【So you simply boarded the Flowing Cloud Golden Light Vessel and departed from this realm…】

【Your destination was the Star Realm, over a dozen void nodes away. Numerous secrets lay hidden there, and you decided to go explore.】

【After several months of void jumping, you arrived safely at the Star Realm.】

【You immediately erased all traces of your landing, then entered the spirit field grotto-heaven.】

【In the forty-first year, after your magical power had fully recovered to its peak, you re-emerged into the Star Realm.】

【The moment you appeared in the Star Realm, a number of native cultivators took notice of you.】

【Dozens of Immortal realm cultivators slowly approached you…】

【After friendly negotiations, you paid two hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones and secured the right to temporarily reside in the Star Realm.】

【From then on, you began wandering throughout the Star Realm. Beyond necessary cultivation, you devoted your efforts to gathering information about traces of the ancient Wu Clan in the Star Realm.】

【Thus, nineteen years passed in the blink of an eye.】

【Over these nineteen years, you assumed a new identity and visited nearly a thousand tribes, paying spirit stones to purchase potentially relevant ancient texts at various tribal gathering places.】

【In the sixtieth year, after nearly twenty years of investigation, you did manage to find some clues recorded in the ancient texts of certain old tribes.】

【You compiled and recorded these ancient texts…】

In the Real World, Su Xing’s heart stirred at the sight of this, and he silently murmured:

“Activate immersive simulation…”

【Ding…】

Appearing in the simulated world, Su Xing rapidly flipped through the information he had personally recorded.

…

After the immersive simulation ended, Su Xing returned to the Real World, a glimmer of astonishment in his eyes.

“So it’s true—the Star Shamans… were a powerful Wu Clan tribe from the ancient era that eventually migrated to the Star Realm?”

Su Xing rubbed his chin and muttered to himself.

According to the information he had compiled, during the primordial era, among the Ten Ancestral Shamans, there had been one named Star!

This Ancestral Shaman called “Star” was naturally brilliant, excelled in the Dao of Divination, and could even draw upon the power of the stars. His strength was virtually unmatched even among Grand Luo Golden Immortals.

The bloodline descendants of “Star” gradually evolved into the Star Shaman lineage of the ancient era.

The Star Shamans were not as towering as other Wu Clan members. An adult Star Shaman stood only several meters tall—compared to the dozens-of-meters height of other Wu Clan members, they were practically tiny…

It was precisely because of this that during the ancient era, the Star Shamans were regarded as anomalies among the Wu Clan and were exiled to other worlds…

One branch among them had arrived at what was now the Star Realm!

However, though their physiques did not match the other Wu Clan members, the Star Shamans’ wisdom was unparalleled among all the Wu Clan!

The Star Shamans had been skilled at crafting tools since the ancient era, and had now entered a technological age.

“Every race has internal conflicts!”

“Even the primordial Wu Clan… had members who were ostracized… But after that point, the Wu Clan’s overall power seems to have been in steady decline?”

Su Xing roughly calculated the timeline and thought this to himself.

“The Star Shaman tribe is extraordinarily skilled at divination… which is very similar to the current situation…”

“Perhaps I can find some ancient hidden realms in the Star Realm and obtain the Wu Clan’s divination methods from them?”

Su Xing’s eyes lit up. He was very interested in this.

His comprehension of both the Dao of Karma and the Dao of Destiny still needed improvement. If he could grasp the embryonic forms of both Daos, perhaps he could further interfere with Qingyunzi’s pursuit of him?

With this thought, Su Xing turned his gaze to the simulation panel.

【After learning the secrets of the Star Realm, you became even more interested in the tribes’ divination methods, hoping to purchase them with spirit stones.】

【However, while the cultivation methods of the Star Realm’s various tribes were not secret, their divination methods were very well protected. Purchasing them with spirit stones was clearly unrealistic.】

【So you decided to infiltrate the various tribes and steal their divination methods.】

【To be safe, you started with a small tribe. The strongest cultivator in this tribe was only at Human Immortal Realm Peak, but they still had their own chief shaman.】

【You deployed the Heavenly Secrets Concealment Art, infiltrated the tribe, and lay in wait for months before finally obtaining this tribe’s divination technique.】

【This small tribe was called the Tianyue Tribe, and their divination technique was called the Tianyue Star Observation Method!】

【You spent a few hours memorizing the star observation method, then discovered… it was incomplete!】

【Moreover, this star observation method was derived from a supreme divination secret art called the 《Lesser Celestial Cycle Star Observation Method》, dating back hundreds of thousands of years!】

【It could divine one’s own fortune, karmic fate, and cause and effect through observing the stars in the heavens…】

【You were very interested in this star observation method. Based on your deductions… perhaps by collecting enough star observation methods from the tribes, you could compile them into the complete 《Lesser Celestial Cycle Star Observation Method》!】

【This process would undoubtedly require a great deal of time, as there were at least several thousand tribes in the Star Realm, and searching through them one by one would be no easy task.】

【But to explore the Dao of Cause and Effect and Destiny, you decided to invest the time in seeking out these scattered star observation methods.】

【Thus, between cultivation sessions, you began drifting among the various tribes, infiltrating them and collecting their star observation methods.】

【Starting with the weaker tribes, you achieved results almost every month, obtaining fragments of the 《Lesser Celestial Cycle Star Observation Method》.】

【You had a premonition—if you collected them all, it would undoubtedly be of tremendous benefit to you!】

In the Real World, Su Xing’s eyes lit up at this.

His previous 《Eight Trigrams Divination Art》 was also a divination method that approached the level of Dao, but at most it could only help him reach the embryonic form of the Dao of Destiny and Karma. Going further was nearly impossible.

But if he possessed the star observation method passed down from the Star Shamans, Su Xing’s exploration of the Dao of Cause and Effect and Destiny would undergo a qualitative leap…

As for whether stealing divination methods from the various tribes was moral, Su Xing had his own take on the matter.

“The secret art passed down from the ancient Star Shamans has been fragmented to this extreme degree… This clearly goes against the original intent of their inheritance!”

“Once I’ve collected the complete 《Lesser Celestial Cycle Star Observation Method》, at most I’ll gift the complete art back to each tribe. That could even be considered a great deed!”

Su Xing rubbed his chin and turned his gaze back to the simulation panel.

【And so, over the next twenty years, each day you either cultivated or devised ways to steal star observation methods.】

【In just twenty years, you found the star observation methods of a full two hundred and thirty-some tribes.】

【There were many repetitions and contradictions among these methods, but based on your own understanding of divination, you integrated and recorded them all.】

【In the eightieth year, with the Late Bloomer talent enhancement, you devoted even more time to cultivating the Great Shaman Body Forging Art.】

【Consuming one Earth Origin Pill per month, your body tempering cultivation advanced rapidly…】

【Thus, another twenty years passed.】

【In the hundredth year, you had collected star observation methods from three hundred and fifty tribes, and your Great Shaman Body Forging Art had also made significant progress.】

【This year, your pure physical strength had increased by more than fifty percent compared to a hundred years ago. You sensed that you were not far from reaching the second layer Minor Mastery of the Great Shaman Body Forging Art…】

【Your previously stockpiled Earth Origin Pills still numbered over two hundred. You began consuming supreme-grade Earth Origin Pills for cultivation, making your body tempering efficiency even greater than before.】

【Year 120. The total number of visualization methods you’ve collected has reached 450.】

【Based on the contents of these visualization methods, you have already compiled portions of the Lesser Celestial Cycle Star Observation Method. The Dao of Divination contained within is extremely profound.】

【Just like that, another thirteen years passed.】

【Year 133. One day, you felt a stirring within you. The primordial energy flower inside your body was blooming far more vigorously than before.】

【Your primordial energy intensity has deepened another level, and the strength and defense augmentation it provides has reached fourfold!】

【That same year, your physical body’s power formally broke through…】

【Congratulations on stepping into the second layer Minor Mastery-level of the Great Shaman Body Forging Art!】

In the Real World, Su Xing let out a long breath of relief upon seeing this.

“Whew… after over a hundred and thirty years of arduous cultivation, the second layer of the Great Shaman Body Forging Art has finally reached Minor Mastery!”

“With Minor Mastery of the second layer, pure physical strength alone is comparable to a mid-stage Earthly Immortal realm cultivator!”

“But that’s only secondary. Most importantly, the quality of my primordial energy has further improved, so the power of my Protective Sword Aura should have grown as well…”

Su Xing pondered silently.

As his cultivation deepened, Su Xing increasingly felt the difficulty of fighting above his realm.

Beyond having sufficient cultivation in both Qi Refinement and Body Tempering… what was even more important was possessing corresponding supernatural arts!

“What a pity… my cultivation is at the Earthly Immortal realm, but the magical treasures I’m using have already fallen to an inferior level…”

“Forget comparing with some Heavenly Immortal realm cultivators — even compared to some Earthly Immortal realm cultivators, they’re considerably weaker…”

Su Xing drew the Blackice sword and sighed.

Although primordial energy provided a significant boost to magical treasures, the material quality of the treasure itself was also crucial.

The Blackice sword possessed some spiritual nature, but its quality was truly too low. If it could be reforged, Su Xing’s combat power would surely see a significant increase.

“If it could be upgraded to top-grade immortal treasure level… at least before the Heavenly Immortal realm, I wouldn’t be at a disadvantage when it comes to weapons…”

Su Xing felt a flicker of anticipation, musing that when he had the time, perhaps he could study the art of artifact refinement.

His gaze returned to the simulation panel.

【After reaching Minor Mastery in the second layer of the Great Shaman Body Forging Art, your Earth Origin Pills were nearly exhausted, and progress in the Great Shaman Body Forging Art slowed considerably.】

【Thus, you devoted more time to collecting star observation methods.】

【Seven years passed in this manner…】

【Year 140. Over these years, the total number of star observation methods you’ve collected has reached 600!】

【They came from different tribes. You compiled them into a collection, removed duplicate portions, and recorded everything…】

Su Xing’s heart stirred when he saw this, and he silently recited:

“Activate immersive simulation, duration: 7 days!”

【Ding…】

Su Xing’s consciousness entered the simulated world. Looking at the compiled collection of star observation methods before him, he began memorizing them.

…

The immersive simulation soon ended, and Su Xing returned to reality.

Rubbing his slightly swollen brow, Su Xing let out a long breath.

“Whew, as expected of star observation methods passed down from the Wu Clan — truly extraordinary!”

“Even with my current soul strength, it still took me a full five days to memorize everything… if I want to thoroughly digest it all, I’m afraid it will take considerable time!”

A peculiar light flashed in Su Xing’s eyes.

Although he had only committed it to rote memory without comprehending it, Su Xing could already sense the extraordinary nature of this Lesser Celestial Cycle Star Observation Method — far surpassing the Eight Trigrams Divination Art he had obtained before.

“If I can completely gather the full version, the Dao of Cause and Effect and Destiny could probably take me very far!”

The corners of Su Xing’s mouth curved upward as his gaze returned to the simulation panel.

【After memorizing the star observation methods, you knew that Qingyunzi might soon come for you.】

【You wanted to leave the Star Realm…】

【But your Flowing Cloud Golden Light Vessel had already sustained severe damage. With your level of artifact refinement, repairing it would be extremely difficult.】

【You asked Star Realm cultivators to repair it, but there were no skilled artifact refinement Grandmasters in the Star Realm capable of restoring the vessel.】

【You felt quite helpless…】

【One day, your Blessed by Fortune talent sent a warning.】

【But this warning seemed different from the ones before…】

【You had assumed the one who found you would be Qingyunzi, but unexpectedly, it was a native cultivator of the Star Realm!】

【This was an early-stage Heavenly Immortal realm cultivator! Standing roughly two and a half meters tall with a muscular build, it seemed that in addition to Qi Refinement, he also practiced Body Tempering!】

【The moment you met, this Heavenly Immortal realm cultivator attacked you without a word!】

【Shocked, you hastily summoned 2,200 layers of Protective Sword Aura for defense.】

【During the battle, you asked him why he was attacking you…】

【The Heavenly Immortal realm cultivator sneered coldly. As it turned out, your earlier theft of his tribe’s star observation arts had been discovered through divination. They had tracked your whereabouts for years and finally located your hiding place…】

【The star observation methods were a tribe’s closely guarded secrets. Now that you had obtained them, he would naturally fight you to the death!】

【During the battle, you offered spirit stone compensation, but he refused and continued pursuing you relentlessly.】

【You felt somewhat displeased, suspecting that beyond the theft of the star observation methods, this cultivator had also taken notice of the wealth and resources on your person and harbored thoughts of killing you for your treasures.】

【A great battle was unavoidable!】

In the Real World, Su Xing frowned slightly upon seeing this.

“A Heavenly Immortal realm cultivator… can I even match him as I am now?”

Su Xing took a deep breath, feeling somewhat worried.

With Minor Mastery of the Great Shaman Body Forging Art’s second layer, combined with his Protective Sword Aura and other techniques, Su Xing was confident he had few rivals within the Earthly Immortal realm.

But between Heavenly Immortal and Earthly Immortal, the gap was like a vast chasm!

Peak Earthly Immortal realm cultivators had to endure a tribulation of lightning — known as the Heart-Shattering Thunder!

The Heart-Shattering Thunder, as one of the Three Calamities, could strengthen the divine soul, fortify the spiritual roots, and also bring about a metamorphosis in an immortal’s magical power.

Therefore, even the most talented geniuses at Peak Earthly Immortal realm would find it extremely difficult to kill a Heavenly Immortal realm cultivator.

“I wonder if 2,200 layers of Protective Sword Aura combined with the No Martial Virtue talent… can I kill this Heavenly Immortal realm cultivator?”

Su Xing squeezed the sweat from his palms, feeling no certainty at all.

His gaze returned to the simulation panel.

【As soon as the battle began, you summoned 2,200 layers of Protective Sword Aura around your body.】

【Simultaneously, you called forth your Embryonic Spirit Domain. Nine types of Dao Origin Forces merged together as you began exchanging blows!】

【Within the Spirit Domain, with a thought, you could appear at any point within a hundred-zhang (333 m) radius. This was not extreme speed, but spatial displacement — sufficient for evading spells!】

【Even facing a Heavenly Immortal realm cultivator, you showed no trace of panic. You simply let out a sharp cry, clenched your left fist, and pulled down a bolt of lightning from the Nine Heavens, hurling it at the cultivator.】

【But unexpectedly, this Heavenly Immortal realm cultivator’s mastery of Spirit Domain was considerably greater than yours.】

【Also at the Embryonic Spirit Domain level, this cultivator had only grasped four types of Great Dao powers. Among those you could identify were the Great Dao of Strength, the Great Dao of Space, and the Great Dao of Earth!】

【Moreover, all three of these Dao origins had reached the Initial Glimpse level!】

【There was still one more Dao origin that you could not identify.】

【In the first clash of Spirit Domains, you were firmly suppressed by this Heavenly Immortal realm cultivator.】

【But your repertoire of techniques was far from exhausted. With a thought, you drank a thousand drops of high-grade spirit liquid, then rapidly gathered Wood-Fire immortal power in your palm, merging it into a spiral shape.】

【Then, the Wood-Fire Great Dao origin fused into it!】

【With a single thought, a burst of the Immortal Burst technique shot toward the Heavenly Immortal realm cultivator!】

【Upon seeing the Immortal Burst, the Heavenly Immortal realm cultivator’s pupils contracted. Not daring to underestimate it, he made a gesture with his fingers, and layers of thick, deep-yellow earthen barriers materialized before him.】

【The earth transformed into an impenetrable fortress, infused with the Great Dao of Earth, its defensive power nothing short of terrifying.】

【The Immortal Burst struck the earthen wall but failed to inflict any real damage — it merely caused the fortress to crack slightly.】

【Seeing this, your heart sank. The Five Elements Immortal Burst was already one of your three strongest trump cards, yet it still couldn’t deal substantial damage to this Heavenly Immortal realm cultivator.】

【You immediately changed tactics, deciding to fight with pure physical strength.】

【Sure enough, just as you anticipated, although this cultivator practiced both Qi Refinement and Body Tempering, his physical strength had only barely reached the Earthly Immortal realm — slightly below yours.】

【This battle lasted a full 4 hours!】

【After over a thousand exchanges, the immortal power within your body had been severely depleted. The Five Elements Immortal Burst was, after all, an explosive supernatural art with enormous energy consumption.】

【What made things even more troublesome was a magical treasure in this Heavenly Immortal’s hands.】

【The treasure was in the shape of the Heaven-Overturning Seal, its entire body an earthy yellow. When hurled at you, it carried the terrifying force of over a hundred mountains and rivers.】

【Where you fought, the ground collapsed and the terrain shifted rapidly…】

【Compared to this Heaven-Overturning Seal, the Blackice sword in your hand was clearly far inferior, unable to fully unleash your Sword Dao prowess.】

【And so, several more shichen of fierce battle passed…】

【By now your stamina and immortal power were severely depleted. You knew in your heart that you had only one final chance!】

【So you gritted your teeth and deliberately exposed an opening, taking the Heaven-Overturning Seal’s blow head-on. The impact made you grimace in agony, as if the weight of the Hundred Thousand Mountains had crashed down upon your skull.】

【Even as your consciousness grew hazy, you gritted your teeth and delivered your most powerful sword strike!】

【All 2,200 layers of Protective Sword Aura surged forth in unison, combined with No Martial Virtue, slashing toward the Heavenly Immortal realm cultivator!】

【The Heavenly Immortal realm cultivator was already on guard. The No Martial Virtue talent failed to activate…】

【The sword strike landed. Though the cultivator defended with all his might, you still wounded his left arm, nearly severing the entire limb at the root!】

【This, without a doubt, thoroughly enraged the Heavenly Immortal realm cultivator!】

【With a furious roar, his body suddenly swelled to dozens of times its size, transforming into a towering giant several dozen meters tall!】

【You were stunned — could this be the supernatural art known as the Heaven and Earth Dharma Manifestation!?】

【But you had no time to think further, because an even more terrifying sight unfolded…】

【After transforming into the Heaven and Earth Dharma Manifestation, this cultivator unleashed some unknown supernatural art. Above in the Nine Heavens, countless stars seemed to fall from the sky, hurtling straight toward you…】

【In the last instant before losing consciousness, you saw a small planet smash into you…】

【Endless, excruciating pain engulfed you as you plunged into darkness…】

【You died!】

【Ding, this simulation has ended!】

After the simulation ended, Su Xing’s eyes went wide.

“What the hell? What kind of freak is this Heavenly Immortal realm cultivator from the Star Realm?”

“He can literally pull stars down from the sky… how is anyone supposed to fight that!”

“Could this be the power of the ancient Star Shamans… using one’s own cultivation to command the stars of the Nine Heavens in battle?”

Su Xing immediately felt a headache coming on. This time, although he had managed to collect the star observation methods, he had died at the hands of a Star Realm cultivator.

The techniques of this Star Realm cultivator had truly caught Su Xing off guard.

“Pulling stars down from the heavens — that kind of ability would be practically invincible within the same realm, wouldn’t it?”

“In terms of pure combat power, this cultivator probably has very few rivals among early-stage Heavenly Immortals!”

“In fact, before the True Immortal realm, few cultivators would have any means to resist the power of falling stars… it’s likely only after reaching the True Immortal realm that Star Realm cultivators would gradually lose their same-realm advantage…”

Su Xing sighed, then continued:

“But that Heaven-Overturning Seal was terrifying too… by comparison, my spirit sword Blackice is more than one tier weaker!”

“What a pity… if my artifact refinement skills were sufficient, could I have repaired the Flowing Cloud Golden Light Vessel on my own and escaped to a more distant small world, thereby extending the simulation time?”

“Or if the Blackice sword were reforged, would I still be at a disadvantage fighting a Heavenly Immortal realm cultivator?”

Su Xing estimated that if his weapon were powerful enough, at least he wouldn’t have died quite so miserably…

“It seems the Dao of artifact refinement is indeed something I need to cultivate!”

“Whether from the perspective of enhancing my strength or facilitating escape, artifact refinement is necessary…”

In truth, Su Xing was not entirely clueless about artifact refinement.

The crafting of Dao-guarding puppets already involved rudimentary artifact refinement techniques.

If Su Xing was willing to exchange for an artifact refinement master talent, perhaps after just a few simulations, he could become an artifact refinement Grandmaster.

At that point, he could attempt to repair the Flowing Cloud Golden Light Vessel…

Su Xing already had the beginnings of a plan forming in his mind. He murmured:

“But for now, the priority is still extracting my cultivation realm!”

His gaze turned to the simulation rewards list.

【Dragon Vein Geomancy】: Gold talent, priced at 10 origin energy.

【Great Shaman Body Forging Art, Second Layer (Minor Mastery)】: A cultivation method left behind by the ancient Wu Clan, enabling immortals to temper their bodies. The second layer enhances primordial energy. When cultivated to a profound level, one can battle great cultivators. Currently equivalent to mid-stage Earthly Immortal realm combat power. Priced at 60,000 origin energy!

【Lesser Celestial Cycle Star Observation Method (Incomplete)】: A divination art passed down from the Star Shamans of the ancient Wu Clan. When cultivated to a profound level, one can glimpse the Dao of Cause and Effect and Destiny — a supreme secret art. Unfortunately, most of it is missing, making it difficult to practice. Priced at 10,000 origin energy.

【High-grade spirit liquid (5,000,000 drops)】: Priced at 50,000 origin energy.