Swallowed Star: Primordial Artifact

Chapter 272 Recognizing a Master and Accepting Disciples? (Revised from the first two chapters)
"What exactly does this Mountain-Sitting Guest want from me? Does he want me to try to recognize the Star Tower as my master? Although I came from Earth in my previous life, my soul has now transmigrated to this Devouring World, not to be born on this 'Earth' that the Mountain-Sitting Guest guided me to create." Upon hearing the Mountain-Sitting Guest's words, Jiang Ye's thoughts swirled rapidly like a tangled mess.

He knew the true origin and purpose of the mountain dweller before him.

He came from a treasure-refining sect on the Origin Continent, was skilled in refining treasures, and after becoming a God King, he established the "Jin Kingdom" and proclaimed himself the ruler of the Jin Kingdom.

Later, he unintentionally obtained the secret technique of the will of creation, "Lieyuan Technique", created by the super existence Hunyuan Lord "Yuan". He was attacked and his sect and kingdom were destroyed by the three kings (god kings) of the Food Kingdom and he was hunted down. In order to take revenge, he fled to the Cosmic Sea. He originally wanted to enslave the world beast in its gestation period and use its destructive power to take revenge, but he failed in the end. He was forced to reincarnate as a special life form in the Cosmic Sea - Zuoshanke. Before reincarnation, he forged the god king weapon Star Tower.

The initial attempt was to cultivate the Flame God Clan capable of reaching the third level of divine body, but the Flame God Clan's limited comprehension and achievements led to a change in the focus to cultivating the Earth lineage capable of recognizing the Star Tower as their master.
All of this was done in order to cultivate an accomplice who could help him take revenge.

"Little fellow, how about it? Are you interested in trying to become the master of this Star Tower? If you can successfully become its master, I will make an exception and accept you as my disciple." A smile appeared on the face of the Mountain Guest, his voice carrying a hint of temptation.

"what!"

Jiang Ye stared in shock at the mountain hermit before him, and couldn't help but ask, "Senior, I want to know, why me..."

“Jiang Ye, you don’t need to worry. Your teacher has traversed the vast universe and already stands at the pinnacle of the universe.” Puti interrupted Jiang Ye with his old but steady voice. “As one of the strongest people in the universe, your teacher has long received offers from various forces to become their leaders, but he has always disdained them and refused them all.”

"The top forces in the universe, such as the Human Alliance (Hong Alliance), the Starry Sky Beast Alliance, the Zerg Alliance, and so on, are all behemoths standing at the pinnacle of the universe. In addition, there are forces like the 'Nine Domains Alliance' that are slightly inferior. I will focus on telling you about the Nine Domains Alliance."

"The Nine Realms Alliance is formed by the union of 100,000 races, many of which are powerful. In terms of both the number and quality of races, it far surpasses the Human Alliance, the Zerg Alliance, and others."

"The Nine Domains Alliance boasts over 5 million King-level Immortals, over 1 Universe Venerables, and over 1 Universe Lords! In terms of combat power, it is in no way inferior to any other alliance," Puti said. "So they invited you, Teacher, to be their Nine Domains Alliance's Grand Alliance Leader. Do you know why?"

Seeing Puti's inscrutable expression, Jiang Ye shook his head cooperatively, without revealing the reason himself.

"The Lord of the Universe is considered a pinnacle existence in the vast universe. Why would he be willing to submit to the Master as his leader? Why would he be willing to have 100,000 races obey the Master's orders? Even the strongest beings in the universe would find it extremely difficult to kill the Lord of the Universe. It seems there is no need for them to bow down. Why would they bow down?" Puti laughed. "It's because... the Master can resurrect any powerful being below the Lord of the Universe."

“You should know that some of the overlords among the cosmic sovereigns are even comparable in combat power to the cosmic lords,” Puti said. “If we can revive them, then we can send these cosmic overlords into battle, to fight regardless of their lives! Even if they perish, they can be revived again! This alliance will naturally be incredibly powerful.”

"The most powerful force in the universe."

"Each of the six top races has a strongest individual capable of achieving this. Among you humans, that is the 'Founder of the Giant Axe'!" As for your teacher, the Lord of Chaos City, he is still somewhat inferior. "And outside the six top races, there are some extraordinary and unique life forms, like your teacher, who is a one-of-a-kind existence in the universe, without any other life of his kind."

"Beyond the six peak races, many special life forms, as well as some heaven-defying beings among billions of races... have also produced great and invincible beings like the 'Giant Axe Founder'."

"Teachers are one of them."

“Only alliances with the strongest individuals at their helm are truly powerful alliances in the universe. The strongest individuals don’t even need to fight; their ability to reverse time and resurrect is enough to terrify other hostile forces. Moreover, the strongest individuals possess many other special abilities.” Puti looked at Jiang Ye. “At the level of a teacher, vying for supremacy in the vast universe is meaningless. If one were to vie for supremacy, one could easily join an alliance and become its leader! For a teacher, that is utterly meaningless.”

"The teacher is unconventional."

"He is carefree and at ease. The six top clans have long spent countless efforts to invite him to join, but he simply ignores them and disdains to participate in those struggles."

"On the contrary, teachers may have some special pursuits."

"The Yan God Clan lineage is one of the crystallizations of his mental energy."

"Of course, if you succeed and become the third disciple of the master, then your future will be limitless. Becoming the master of the universe and ruling over a region is not impossible... Do you wish to stay among the human race and become the highest-ranking member of the human race? Or do you wish to follow the example of the second junior brother, lead a race away, occupy a territory in the universe, and become a hegemon in your own right? It is up to you."

"This..." Hearing the benefits Puti described, Jiang Ye couldn't deny that the Star Tower was at least a God-King level weapon. Once it successfully recognized a master, the benefits would be countless. Although he already possessed the Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Tower, treasures were always a welcome addition, but the Star Tower's recognition of a master...

“Little fellow, to be honest, you weren’t originally my first choice. However, the fact that you could trigger an anomaly in the Star Tower shows that you are extremely special,” the Mountain-Sitting Guest explained slowly.

"After forging the Star Tower, I began to devote more energy to thinking and trying every possible method, and finally guided the birth of a lineage of Earth."

"The souls of this Earth lineage are pure and naturally extraordinary. But their physical talents are lacking."

"I have also spent endless effort creating a heaven-defying secret technique specifically for their Earth lineage. This secret technique can allow the cultivator's physical genes to continuously leap and improve, reaching the genetic level of some heaven-defying and rare races in the universe."

“The soul has an innate advantage, and combined with this secret technique, this is the best combination in my mind.” The Mountain Guest’s eyes lit up.

Jiang Ye listened quietly, his expression focused.

"It's just that this secret manual is resisted by the laws of the universe." The Mountain-Sitting Guest shook his head and said, "Although it was created, once I pass this secret technique on to someone, the laws of the universe will automatically erase the contents of the secret technique as soon as it is taught... I am powerful, and the laws of the universe cannot erase my memories, but they can erase the memories of other cultivators."

"Later, I found a special treasure called the 'Heavenly Soul Crystal' and recorded that secret technique in it," said the Mountain-Sitting Guest. "The Heavenly Soul Crystal has incredible power. As long as you are a human of Earth lineage and can withstand the test of that illusion, you can obtain this secret technique from the Heavenly Soul Crystal."

The Mountain-Sitting Guest continued, “Of course, the laws governing the universe are fair; there are no absolutes, and there is always a glimmer of hope. To inherit this secret technique, one only needs the Heavenly Soul Crystal. The Heavenly Soul Crystal itself possesses the power to transmit the memory of this secret technique to others without being erased by the laws governing the universe… but this is only a one-time opportunity.”

"Although the Heavenly Soul Crystal can record this secret technique, it contains power that can only be passed on once. As long as the cultivator is alive... the Heavenly Soul Crystal cannot be passed on to a second cultivator. Unless the first cultivator perishes!" "Therefore, the Earth lineage currently has three candidates."

"Only after the first candidate perished and the Heavenly Soul Crystal regained its power could a second candidate be born."

"Only when the second candidate falls can a third candidate be born."

"Such a secret technique, even with the Heavenly Soul Crystal as a carrier for inheritance, would absolutely not allow two candidates to live at the same time."

Jiang Ye listened, feeling a pang of emotion. The Nine Tribulations Secret Manual, a heaven-defying secret technique originating from the Origin Continent, could only be cultivated by one person at a time due to the Heavenly Soul Crystal. However, the fact that it could be passed down in the Primordial Universe was already an extremely rare thing.

"Speaking of which, that candidate must have reached the realm master level by now!" The Mountain Guest looked into the distance, as if he could see the figure of that candidate—(Luo Feng)—through the endless void.

"The lineage of Earth that I nurtured has had two candidates in history. The first candidate persisted for 26 years before perishing, and the second candidate persisted for 33 years during the process of recognizing the master before perishing! Now, the third one is still a long shot, but your appearance has given me a glimmer of hope," the Mountain-Sitting Guest said with emotion.

“Jiang Ye, although you are not from the Earth’s lineage, but from the Yan God Clan.” The mountain-like guest looked down at Luo Feng, his voice booming, “I will give you a chance. As long as you can pass the Star Tower’s inheritance test, you will be my disciple.”

Jiang Ye was taken aback.

Disciple? If I were to successfully become the master of the Star Tower and steal Luo Feng's opportunity, wouldn't that change the future?

The mountain dweller's gaze was like sunlight, shining into Jiang Ye's heart. "Originally, in the earliest stages of the universe's evolution, I had ideas and plans. I spent countless efforts and years acquiring wealth and treasures, most of which were given to my two disciples. But if you can recognize the Star Tower as your master, then the treasures I originally gave to these three disciples will be yours."

"Most of the wealth and treasures?" Jiang Ye murmured.

"Take the creation of this Star Tower, for example. Even if your human race were to exhaust all its resources, even if you possess my methods for crafting supreme treasures, how many could you possibly forge?" The Mountain-Sitting Guest turned to look at Puti. "In comparison, my help to Puti has been the least."

Puti quickly bowed and said, "Teacher, without your help, I would probably only be an immortal god in my entire life."

“Even without me, you could have become a Universe Venerable.” The Mountain-Sitting Guest shook his head. “Back then, I took in many servants, each with exceptional talent. I provided them with roughly the same level of assistance. They all had the same talent and the same guidance from me, yet most of them only became Universe Venerables, while you became the Lord of the Universe.”

"However, every treasure in the universe is extremely demanding in recognizing its master. For the sake of your second and third junior brothers, I began preparations long before they were even born."

“This disciple already possesses a priceless treasure,” Puti hurriedly replied.

"Your item isn't even top-tier. Among the six most powerful races and the universe lords of various forces, your treasure is only of average quality." The Mountain Guest shook his head. "I'm preparing a supreme treasure for you. After countless epochs of collecting, it's now taking shape and should be completed in about ten million epochs."

Puti prostrated himself on the ground with excitement, saying respectfully and gratefully, "I could never repay you for everything you have done, Master."

"Haha, my disciples are certainly extraordinary," the Mountain-Sitting Guest laughed heartily. "I only hope that one of you three can catch up with me, haha... that would be a great tale in the universe, master and disciples both being the strongest in the universe, hahaha..."

Jiang Ye listened, inwardly scoffing. Cultivating the strongest in the universe? If his disciple were merely the strongest in the universe, then the Mountain Hermit would probably be disappointed.

He knew perfectly well why the hermit in front of him planned to only take on two apprentices.
Part of the reason is that he was alone and had no sense of community.

No matter how many races exist in the universe, and no matter how many geniuses and powerful figures have emerged throughout the past, he will not casually accept disciples.

The "Lord of Chaos City" is different. He shoulders the heavy responsibility of strengthening the human race. Whenever some top geniuses or peerless figures appear, the Lords of the Human Universe will take them as disciples, resulting in a large number of personal disciples and countless nominal disciples. Even the founder of the Giant Axe is no exception.

That's how it is when there's a bond between people. But the Mountain Dweller, reincarnated as a unique life form in the universe, has no such bond. No matter how talented you are, he might not be willing to teach you.

The people he nurtured were like his children; he would carefully plan for them.

The other part, and the most crucial one, is that his fundamental purpose goes far beyond simply cultivating the strongest being in the universe.

You must know that the Mountain-Sitting Guest is a reincarnated God-King. His vision is extremely high. Do you think his goal is simply to cultivate the strongest person in the universe?
That's right, it's simple!
Although it is extremely difficult for one of the billions of races in the entire primordial universe to become the strongest being, there have only been a dozen or so in countless years.

However, even the strongest beings (true gods) in the Origin Continent universe could barely serve as cannon fodder.

It's hard for any normal person to believe that a reincarnated god-king would spend time and energy cultivating a cannon fodder.

For the reincarnated god-king before him, his true goal was to cultivate a god-king powerhouse!
God-King level powerhouses—let alone in this primordial universe, even in the vast and boundless Origin Continent, how many cultivators can reach this level?

However, only a God-King level powerhouse can truly help him avenge the Mountain-Sitting Guest!
Therefore, he could only carefully cultivate one or two disciples.

This is why the Mountain Hermit takes in very few disciples, and his second and third disciples are the most outstanding ones whom he carefully selected through his active guidance in nurturing new groups and creating secret techniques.

(End of this chapter)