Swallowed Star: Primordial Artifact

Chapter 273 Apprenticeship
"Master, Master!" Dark Thunder King's consciousness suddenly rang in Jiang Ye's mind. "I just escaped from that void, but the Rain Demon King ultimately perished under the encirclement of the demon race! Master, where are you? Although I have sensed your location, it seems that I am blocked by an invisible force and cannot get close."

"Fallen?" Upon hearing the news, Jiang Ye remained calm, showing neither anger nor regret.

After all, recalling that critical situation, it's understandable that the Rain Demon King, as a comrade-in-arms, chose to withdraw.

But I also have no obligation to remind him.

However, Jiang Ye couldn't help but grit his teeth and mutter to himself, "King Lin Yuan! I'll remember this grudge. Just wait for me."

Immediately, he swiftly ordered Dark Thunder King, "Dark Thunder, you must leave the Star Tower immediately, and even stay away from the outer battlefield, find a secluded place to lie low for the time being. At that time, I will contact you through the virtual universe."

Previously, Jiang Ye had already prepared some anonymous virtual universe network consciousness sensors for Dark Thunder King.

……

"Yes, Master!" Dark Thunder King accepted the order and quickly left.

……

"brat."

“I’m warning you, although this Star Tower is a rare ‘treasure,’ it is very difficult for it to recognize a master. Once the recognition process begins, you will have no way out. Even if your Chaos City Lord teacher comes, he won’t be able to save you.” The Mountain Guest said solemnly, “Although your teacher, the Chaos City Lord, is quite powerful, especially in the initial universe, he will be dumbfounded when he comes to the original universe and to the Star Tower.”

"Once the process of recognizing a master in the Star Tower begins, no one can stop it."

"If we fail."

"Your will completely crumble, your soul will completely disintegrate, and you will surely die," the Mountain-Sitting Guest solemnly said. "Although your Chaos City Lord teacher can reverse time and space to revive you, some inheritances and memories that are incompatible with the original universe will not be revived. Your current physical genetic level is so high, presumably because of that ancient inheritance. However, the universe is balanced. For every gain, there is a loss. I think once you are revived, the transformation you have gained will also disappear."

……

Listening to the words of the mountain hermit, Jiang Ye was torn between his inner turmoil and was caught in a deep dilemma.

On the one hand, the allure of the Star Tower is simply irresistible. Once he successfully recognizes the master, he will not only obtain a powerful weapon at the level of a god-king, but also have the opportunity to become a disciple of the Mountain-Sitting Guest, thereby obtaining the secret art of will created by the Hunyuan Lord "Yuan" called "Lieyuan Technique".

Moreover, even if they manage to break through the cycle of reincarnation and enter the Origin Continent in the future, they won't be completely ignorant.

On the other hand, he knew that doing so might change the established future trajectory. After all, this Star Tower was very likely an opportunity given to him by the future Lord Luo. If he rashly intervened, no one could predict what kind of complicated chain reaction it would trigger.

"Senior, you've told me so much. Surely I don't only have the option of recognizing a master?" Jiang Ye smiled wryly, his thoughts drifting back to the past. To prevent the system's secrets from being exposed, he had deliberately made the Xuanhuang Pagoda Bead transform into the Xuanhuang Linglong Pagoda to demonstrate its power.

According to the system, the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Exquisite Pagoda is located in the Cosmic Sea. Although the specifics are unclear, Jiang Ye firmly believes that such a magical treasure must have attracted the attention of many powerful figures.

He was certain that the mountain dweller had witnessed it.

However, Jiang Ye was really unsure whether, in the mind of the Mountain-Sitting Guest, he was regarded as a local native human who had accidentally recognized the Xuanhuang Tower as his master, or as a reincarnated god-king from the distant Origin Continent, just like him.

If it's the former, Jiang Ye felt that the Mountain Guest wouldn't easily harm him.

After all, the other party was willing to give up his lofty God-King cultivation and endure humiliation to come to this universe, just to find the World Beast and carefully cultivate a capable disciple who could help him with his revenge plan.
A little guy who can recognize a master who is at least a god-king weapon would undoubtedly be the best candidate.

But if it's the latter, facing Jiang Ye, who is also a 'reincarnated god-king,' as the saying goes, 'you can't judge a book by its cover,' and even if you're from the same hometown, it's hard to guarantee that he won't stab you in the back.

Jiang Ye couldn't predict the final outcome; he might be won over, but he was also very likely to suffer the tragic fate of being murdered and robbed.

At this moment, although Jiang Ye was filled with many concerns, he also understood that the Mountain Guest's sincere invitation must be hiding a profound and grand plan, and he was probably already deeply involved and could hardly stay out of it.

Jiang Ye couldn't help but secretly regret that if he had known he would be in such a dilemma, he shouldn't have come to the Star Tower rashly in the first place.

……

Upon hearing this, the Mountain Guest laughed loudly: "Haha, it's not that I'm forcing you. It's just that you have a deep connection with this Star Tower, and you possess many unique qualities. It would be a real pity to miss this opportunity."

Although the mountain dweller had a friendly and pleasant expression, as if a spring breeze was blowing, Jiang Ye would not be easily fooled by this appearance.

After all, the man before him was a ruthless character who resolutely abandoned his God-King cultivation for revenge. Now that he knew so many of the man's secrets and possessed a mysterious treasure even more powerful than the Star Tower, how could the Mountain-Sitting Guest possibly let him leave so easily?

Thinking of this,

Jiang Ye took a deep breath, raised his head, and said with a firm gaze, "Senior, after careful consideration, I still do not wish to acknowledge the Star Tower as my master!"
After much deliberation, Jiang Ye felt that it would be a terrible loss to offend the future Lord of Hunyuan just for the sake of a Star Tower.

Moreover, the Star Tower requires one to endure more than six thousand years of life-and-death torment to recognize its master. If one cannot survive, although there is still an avatar to prevent complete death, once the attempt fails, all the torment and time spent will be in vain.

"Oh, why?" The mountain dweller seemed to have expected this, and his face showed no anger whatsoever.

“Senior, the Star Tower’s test of recognizing its master is far too dangerous. I really don’t have any confidence that I can pass it,” Jiang Ye said frankly. “Moreover, as you probably know, I also have a treasure within me, and the Star Tower Bead seems to be extremely hostile towards it. Although I don’t know why, as the saying goes, ‘two tigers cannot share one mountain’…” At this point, Jiang Ye paused and then glanced at the imposing old man before him.

"However, senior, I still very much hope to become your disciple."

The mountain dweller narrowed his eyes slightly, scrutinizing Jiang Ye with great interest, as if trying to see through his innermost thoughts.

After a moment, he slowly said, "What you say makes sense. The Star Tower's test of recognizing its master is indeed extremely dangerous. A slight mistake can lead to utter destruction. As for the treasure within you that has aroused the Star Tower Bead's hatred, it is indeed extraordinary."

Jiang Ye's heart tightened.

However, the mountain dweller did not continue to ask about the treasure, but changed the subject: "But I just said that if you successfully recognize the Star Tower as your master, I will take you as my disciple. You are eager to become my disciple, but you are unwilling to recognize the Star Tower as your master. This seems a bit contradictory."

Jiang Ye hurriedly said, "Senior, I know your strength is extraordinary. If I am fortunate enough to become your disciple, my future cultivation path will be much easier. As for the Star Tower and the treasures you originally prepared for your third disciple, I believe I do not currently have enough strength to claim them as my own, so I am willing to give them up."

The mountain dweller remained silent for a while, his gaze shifting uncertainly over Jiang Ye, as if he were weighing something.

Seeing the hesitant look on the mountain hermit's face, Jiang Ye felt uneasy and said, "Senior, I will take you as my master and never fail to live up to your kindness in cultivating me. If you ever need my help in the future, I will do my best even at the cost of my life."

The hermit nodded slightly, a meaningful smile appearing on his face: "Since you are so determined, I will not force you. However, seeing that your talent and opportunities are both top-notch, I will make an exception and accept you as my disciple."

Jiang Ye was overjoyed and quickly bowed respectfully, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, senior."

"Still calling me senior?" The Mountain Guest looked at Jiang Ye.

Jiang Ye understood immediately, and respectfully knelt down, kowtowed heavily, and shouted, "Teacher!"

Jiang Ye secretly comforted himself, thinking that being able to become a disciple of a reincarnated god-king wasn't a disgrace to his identity as a transmigrator. A true man can bend and stretch, and since his life was now in someone else's hands, it was best to be more compliant.

"Haha, good." The Mountain Guest laughed loudly. "Since you are my disciple, I, as your teacher, will naturally fulfill my responsibilities. I have three habits in teaching my disciples: First, I like to prepare resources and conditions that can be described as top-notch in the universe for my disciples; second, I will not teach any secret techniques; third, I will not interfere with your life or death, much less use time reversal to resurrect you after your death."

Jiang Ye nodded to indicate that he understood.

“True super-strong individuals are not made through the teachings of others,” said the Mountain-Sitting Guest in a low voice. “Everything depends on yourself. Every master of the universe reached that level by creating their own secret techniques. Constantly relying on the protection of a teacher will never make you a true strong individual.”

"Understood," Jiang Ye replied respectfully.

"You understand the principle. No matter how powerful the teacher is, or how many resources and treasures are provided, if the disciple doesn't cultivate diligently, it's impossible to even become an immortal powerhouse," the Mountain-Sitting Guest continued. "External resources are important, but personal effort is even more crucial. Moreover, the stronger one is, the less effective external help becomes. With endless treasures, even someone with poor aptitude can be cultivated into an immortal powerhouse as long as they actively cultivate. But to cultivate a Universe Venerable, there are stringent requirements for personal effort. Becoming a Universe Lord is an extremely difficult and arduous path. And after becoming a Universe Lord, if you want to advance further and reach my level, no treasure will be of any use. Your eldest and second eldest brothers have been trapped at this step for countless years. Among your human race, apart from the Giant Axe Founder, no one else has been able to take that final step."

"Disciple understands, disciple will certainly work hard," Jiang Ye nodded and said.

For many powerful individuals, the biggest worry is the lack of sufficient resources.

Why do elite clans and super powers fight and kill each other?

It's all about resources! A clan needs resources to nurture geniuses, and the growth of strong individuals is also inseparable from resources.

Having resources is like having a foundation; the rest depends entirely on your own efforts.

With the system's assistance and numerous primordial treasures, Jiang Ye has no need to worry about resources at all.

Moreover, he has a reincarnated god-king as his master, and becoming the strongest being in the universe (a true god) is only the first step on his path of cultivation.

"Originally, I prepared two supreme treasures each for your second senior brother and the Earth lineage, for a total of four supreme treasures. Three of these treasures are of similar quality, only the Star Tower..." the Mountain-Sitting Guest sighed.
"The Star Tower is very special. Back then, I used countless precious materials and treasures to forge the Star Tower. During the forging process, some unexpected special circumstances occurred, which greatly enhanced the power of the Star Tower, making it one of the strongest treasures in the universe."

Although its power has increased, the most basic difficulty of recognizing a master has increased a thousandfold. To ensure the Star Tower could successfully recognize a master, I specifically guided and nurtured a lineage of Earthlings with a more steadfast spiritual will. Even so, the first and second candidates still failed. Meanwhile, the Yan God Clan, from back then, was able to easily complete the treasure's recognition process.

Jiang Ye sighed inwardly. How could a weapon of the God-King level recognize its master so easily? Moreover, this Star Tower might be a cheat code that the future City Lord Luo personally gave him when he was weak.

“The Star Tower’s power is extremely strong. Due to the special changes that have occurred, even the most basic requirement of recognizing a master is so difficult. I don’t even know where the limit of its recognition conditions is,” said the Mountain Guest. “However, judging from the previous situation, the treasure you have is no less powerful than this Star Tower, and may even be more powerful. I’m very curious about how you recognized it as your master.”

"Um, this..." Jiang Ye was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to answer.

Jiang Ye's mind raced, trying to come up with a plausible explanation to answer the question from the mountain dweller. He was nervous, but tried to remain calm, saying, "Teacher, to be honest, this treasure didn't willingly recognize me as its master. Rather, it established a connection with me on its own through a very special coincidence. At the time, I accidentally entered a mysterious place filled with dense and peculiar energy. That energy seemed to be constantly drawing this treasure in, and then it merged into my body. I became connected to it without even realizing it. I really can't explain the specific reasons."

The mountain dweller frowned slightly, scrutinizing Jiang Ye for a moment, seemingly trying to determine the truthfulness of his words.

After a moment, he slowly said, "It is your good fortune to have such an opportunity. It seems that you have more secrets than I thought. However, I am not one to pry into things. Since you are unwilling to say more, I will not ask any further."

Jiang Ye secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "Thank you for your understanding, teacher."

The Mountain Hermit waved his hand, indicating that Jiang Ye didn't need to be so polite, and continued, "However, I can tell you that your treasure is incomplete. It is quite similar to the tower bead of this Star Tower, both being the core controllers of the tower. As for where the tower controlled by your bead is, with your current strength, it's too early for you to come into contact with it. When your strength increases to a certain level in the future, and the opportunity arises, you will naturally encounter it."

(End of this chapter)