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Inside the secret chamber of the cave, Su Ning sat cross-legged in the center of the spirit-gathering array, surrounded by a visible vortex of spiritual energy.

The Great Wilderness Seal floated above his head, emitting rays of golden light that resonated wonderfully with the golden core within his dantian.

After ten years of seclusion, Su Ning's appearance remained unchanged, but his aura was several times more profound than it had been ten years ago.

The number of golden lines on the golden core inside the body has increased from nine to twelve, which is a sign of the middle stage of the Golden Core formation.

Suddenly, all the spiritual energy surged into Su Ning's body like rivers flowing into the sea.

He opened his eyes, golden light swirling within them, and two tiny characters for "desolate" could be faintly seen rotating deep within his pupils.

"Finally done." Su Ning exhaled a breath of turbid air, which pierced through the secret chamber's restrictions like a sharp arrow, leaving a bottomless hole in the stone wall.

The mid-stage of Core Formation, a realm that was unattainable ten years ago, has finally been reached.

Su Ning looked inward at his dantian and saw that the golden core was becoming increasingly crystal clear. The twelve golden lines on its surface formed a mysterious pattern, which was seven parts similar to the runes at the bottom of the Great Wilderness Seal.

"This 'Great Wilderness Manual' is truly wondrous," Su Ning muttered to himself.

Ordinary Core Formation cultivators need at least several decades of arduous cultivation to break through a minor realm, but he only took ten years, even while he was distracted by nurturing the Great Wilderness Seal.

Putting away the Great Wilderness Seal, Suning got up and stretched.

As he moved, the air in the sealed room emitted subtle popping sounds, a sign that his physical strength had reached its peak.

Over the course of ten years, he not only made breakthroughs in his cultivation, but also in his physical body and spiritual sense. The effects of the Great Wilderness Technique on the transformation of his physical body and soul far exceeded expectations.

Pushing open the stone door to the secret room, sunlight streamed in through the stained-glass windows.

The dust-removing seal within the cave remained spotless, as if time had stood still.

Su Ning walked to the window and looked at the familiar scenery of Tianxing City, suddenly feeling as if she had been transported to another world.

"It's time to go out for a walk." With a thought, Su Ning covered his face with the Thousand Illusion Mask, transforming into the aged appearance of "Mo Juren".

His cultivation level was suppressed to the peak of the early Core Formation stage; this was his apparent realm, and he could never expose his bottom line to others.

The Star Palace Mission Hall was as lively as ever.

The cultivators gathered before the enormous jade tablet of quests, searching for quests that suited them.

Su Ning headed straight for the high-level mission area, where missions required at least Core Formation cultivation to accept.

"Fellow Daoist Mo has emerged from seclusion?" The white-haired elder in charge of registration recognized Su Ning. "What kind of mission would you like to take this time?"

Su Ning's gaze swept across the jade disc and landed on a hunting mission: "Level 6 demonic beast 'Azure Fire Black Tortoise', this one will do."

The old man raised an eyebrow: "The Azure Flame Black Tortoise's defense is comparable to that of a late-stage Core Formation cultivator, are you sure, fellow Daoist?"

Su Ning smiled and took out his guest elder token: "Register."

After leaving the mission hall, Su Ning did not set off immediately, but went to the Star Palace Scripture Pavilion first.

After breaking through to the mid-stage of Core Formation, he was able to access higher-level cultivation manuals.

On the third floor of the Sutra Repository, Su Ning paused before rows of jade slips.

He mainly sought two types of information: an encyclopedia of alien sea monsters and spatial magic.

The former is to prepare for the mission, while the latter is to find inspiration for the use of the Great Wilderness Seal.

"A detailed explanation of the Void Restriction?" Su Ning took out a purple jade slip, and his eyes lit up after scanning the contents with his divine sense.

This jade slip records several methods for setting up restrictions using spatial power, which can be used in conjunction with the Great Wilderness Seal.

Just as he was engrossed in reading, a divine sense quietly swept over him.

This divine sense was extremely well concealed. If Su Ning hadn't cultivated the Great Wilderness Technique and the Great Evolution Technique, his divine sense would have been far sharper than others of the same level, and he would have had no way of detecting it.

“A Nascent Soul cultivator…” Su Ning’s heart skipped a beat, but he remained outwardly calm and continued to peruse the jade slip.

The divine sense lingered on him for a moment before quietly retreating, as if it had never appeared.

At the highest point of the Star Palace Observatory, an old man in a golden robe withdrew his divine sense and looked deep in thought.

His face was ancient and simple, his eyes like stars; standing there, he seemed to blend into the entire starry sky…

It was none other than Jin Kui, the Grand Elder of the Star Palace, with a peak mid-Nascent Soul cultivation level.

"An interesting little fellow," Jin Kui muttered to himself. "His spiritual sense is as sharp as that of a pseudo-core cultivator. It seems his cultivation technique is extraordinary."

Behind him, Chu Yuqing stood respectfully: "Master, it seems that Mo Juren has made another breakthrough. Should we summon him to pay his respects?"

Jin Kui nodded slightly: "Continue to observe. If he can bring back the demon core of the Azure Flame Black Tortoise this time, bring him to see me."

"Yes, Master."

……

In a dangerous place in the alien sea, Su Ning stood on the Azure Profound Sword, flying a hundred feet above the sea.

This sea area is called "Xuan Gui Bay" because it is rich in various turtle-like monsters.

Suddenly, a giant wave burst open on the sea.

A giant tortoise the size of a house burst out of the water, its shell a vibrant green color and covered with flame-like patterns.

It is the sixth-level demonic beast, the Azure Flame Tortoise!

The Xuan Turtle opened its mouth and spewed out a pillar of emerald green fire, the temperature of which was so high that it distorted the surrounding air.

Su Ning remained calm and unhurried, summoning the Great Wilderness Seal, which created an invisible barrier in front of him.

The emerald fire struck the barrier and bounced back, burning the black tortoise and causing it to cry out in pain.

"Great Wilderness Seal, suppress!"

The golden seal swelled in the wind, growing to a size of ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) and pressing down from the sky.

The black tortoise tried to dive into the water to hide, but was horrified to find that the surrounding seawater had become as hard as an iron plate—this was the binding power of the Great Wilderness Seal!
"boom!"

The giant seal slammed into the tortoise shell, causing the Azure Fire Tortoise to bleed from its seven orifices.

But it was, after all, a level six demon beast with extremely tenacious vitality, and it withstood the pressure to spew out emerald fire again.

Su Ning snorted coldly, and the Azure Profound Sword transformed into a streak of azure light, heading straight for the Black Tortoise's eyes.

The black tortoise hurriedly closed its eyes, and the sword blade left a bloody mark on its eyelid, but failed to cause a fatal injury.

"The defense is indeed astonishing." Su Ning smiled instead of getting angry. "Perfect timing to test out my newly learned moves."

He made a hand seal, and the Great Wilderness Seal suddenly flew back and hovered above his head.

At the same time, the Azure Sword drew a perfect arc in the air, and ripples spread through the space where the sword tip pointed.

"Void Sword Seal!"

This is a move that Suning created by combining the "Detailed Explanation of Void Restriction" with the characteristics of the Great Wilderness Seal.

The moment the Azure Profound Sword pierced the ripples in the void, it actually emerged directly from the space above the Profound Sword, stabbing into its most vulnerable neck like a venomous snake.

"Aow—" The black tortoise let out a shrill scream, and its emerald green blood gushed out like a spring.

It struggled frantically, but could not escape the suppression of the Great Wilderness Seal no matter what it did.

Suning gave it no chance to breathe, and the Azure Profound Sword pierced through the void three times in succession before finally stabbing the Xuan Turtle's brain with a single strike.

At the same time, the Purple Heaven Divine Lightning entered the Xuan Turtle's brain along the sword.

This level-six monster, which had dominated the seas for hundreds of years, collapsed with a crash.

After taking the demon core and tortoise shell, among other valuable materials, Su Ning did not linger and continued hunting other high-level demon beasts in the outer space.

Since we're going to get the zodiac's attention, let's do it thoroughly.

Three months later, when Su Ning returned to Tianxing City to hand in the mission, the steward in charge of the inspection stared wide-eyed...

Besides the Azure Flame Black Tortoise, he also brought back materials for six level-six demonic beasts!
"Senior Mo... do we have to hand all of these over?" The steward's voice trembled.

Even a late-stage Core Formation cultivator might not be able to hunt down so many level-six demonic beasts in one go.

Su Ning nodded calmly: "Convert all of them into merit points."

"Yes, senior. Please wait a moment."

The news quickly reached Jin Kui's ears.

The Grand Elder of the Star Palace looked at the seven Level 6 demon cores before him, a hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes: "Have him come to the Star Observatory to see me tomorrow."

The following morning, Su Ning, led by Chu Yuqing, ascended the most mysterious star-gazing platform of the Star Palace for the first time.

The dome on the stage is a transparent light screen, through which you can see the blue sky directly, and even though it is daytime, you can see countless stars twinkling.

"Mo Juren greets the Grand Elder." Su Ning bowed respectfully, while remaining secretly vigilant.

Facing a Nascent Soul level monster, the Thousand Illusion Mask might not be able to completely conceal its secrets.

Jin Kui turned around, his eyes flashing like lightning as he stared directly at Su Ning: "Little fellow, do you know why I've come to see you?"

"This junior suspects it may be related to recent missions," Su Ning said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Jin Kui suddenly raised his hand, and a beam of starlight descended from the sky, enveloping Su Ning.

This is the Star Palace Secret Technique, "Star Illumination Technique," which can reveal the depth of a cultivator's foundation.

Suning suppressed the urge to resist, letting the starlight sweep over his entire body.

To his surprise, the starlight resonated with the Great Wilderness Seal, emitting a melodious chime.

"Just as I suspected!" Jin Kui's eyes flashed with a sharp light. "You cultivate the Great Wilderness Technique, don't you?"

Su Ning was shocked. This was the first time his cultivation technique had been exposed in the Chaotic Star Sea.

Just as he was hesitating whether to deny it, Jin Kui's next words stunned him.

"Don't be nervous. The Great Wilderness Technique has a connection with my Star Palace Ancestor. It is fate that you were able to obtain this technique."

Jin Kui waved away the starlight, his tone softening: "I have observed you for ten years. Your cultivation is solid, your temperament is calm, and what is even more commendable is your extremely high combat talent. Today I ask you, are you willing to become my disciple?"

This sudden acceptance of a disciple left Suning unsure how to respond.

Becoming a disciple of a peak mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator means gaining a powerful backer and cultivation resources; however, it also means becoming more deeply involved in the conflict between the Star Palace and the Extreme Yin Island.

After weighing the pros and cons, Su Ning solemnly knelt down: "Disciple Mo Juren pays respects to Master!"

"Haha, good!" Jin Kui laughed, and a golden token flew out from his sleeve. "From this day forward, you will be my last disciple, the thirty-seventh true disciple of the Star Palace!"

Chu Yuqing watched in stunned silence.

The Star Palace True Disciples hold a prestigious position, receiving direct instruction from Nascent Soul Elders and enjoying resources far exceeding those of ordinary guest retainers.

Why does Master value this "Mo Juren" so much?
The apprenticeship ceremony was very simple; Jin Kui was not one to make a big fuss.

After the ceremony, he kept Su Ning behind and asked her a crucial question: "What is your real name?"

After a moment of silence, Su Ning decided to partially confess: "My real name is Su Ning. Because I have a grudge against Jiyin Island, I use the alias Mo Juren."

“Su Ning…” Jin Kui pondered, “Could it be Lei Mo, one of the two who were hunted down by Ji Yin Island more than twenty years ago?”

"Yes, Master!"

Seeing Su Ning nod, Jin Kui not only did not blame him, but laughed and said, "Well done! I've long disliked those bastards from Jiyin Island."

He changed the subject: "But where is your body cultivator companion now? To escape from three Core Formation cultivators, he must be no ordinary person."

"Reporting to Master, Zhang Tie has perished." Su Ning uttered the prepared lie without changing his expression. "Back then, we fled in different directions, and he was caught by the people of Jiyin Island..."

Jin Kui gave Su Ning a deep look but did not press further: "From today onwards, you will cultivate in the side hall of the Star Gazing Platform. On the first day of each month, I will personally instruct you on your cultivation techniques. If you have any questions at other times, you may come and ask at any time."

As he spoke, he took out a jade slip: "This is the first four levels of the core cultivation technique of my Star Palace, the Star Origin Scripture, which is enough for you to cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage."

You don't need to change your main focus from the "Great Wilderness Technique," but the several secret techniques in the "Star Origin Scripture" should be helpful to you.

Su Ning accepted it with both hands, and a quick scan with his divine sense revealed that it was a priceless treasure.

As the Star Palace's most treasured cultivation technique, the Star Origin Scripture is so difficult for ordinary disciples to even access the first level, yet Jin Kui directly gave him the first four levels!
"Thank you, Master!" This time, the gratitude was heartfelt.

Jin Kui waved his hand: "Go! Come with me to 'Starfall Valley' in three days. There I have prepared a gift for you to become an apprentice."

"Yes, Master."

After leaving the observatory, Su Ning returned to his cave to pack his belongings.

After becoming a true disciple, he will move to the True Inheritance Hall near the Star Gazing Platform, where the concentration of spiritual energy is more than five times that of the outside world.

Halfway through tidying up, Chu Yuqing suddenly arrived.

She looked at Su Ning with a complicated expression: "Senior Brother Mo, I never expected that Master would accept you as his true disciple."

Su Ning smiled and said, "I was surprised too."

“No, you’re not surprised.” Chu Yuqing shook her head. “You planned this all along, didn’t you? From the first time we met at Tingtao Pavilion, you were paving the way for today.”

Su Ning remained noncommittal, only asking, "Senior Sister came to see me, surely it wasn't just to talk about these things?"

Chu Yuqing took a deep breath: "Be careful on our trip to Starfall Valley in three days. There's something special about that place."

After uttering this meaningful warning, she turned and left, leaving Su Ning alone in thought. Outside the window, the towers of Tianxing City shone eternally.

Becoming a true disciple of the Star Palace means that Su Ning has officially entered the circle of top cultivators in the Chaotic Star Sea.

But every blessing has its curse, and perhaps the greatest challenges are just beginning...

……

At the entrance to Starfall Valley, Jin Kui, his sleeves fluttering, pointed to the canyon shrouded in starlight: "This place was formed by the fall of extraterrestrial iron three thousand years ago. The stellar power within the valley is disordered, giving birth to all sorts of strange star beasts. The apprenticeship gift I'm going to give you today is located in the deepest part of the valley."

As Su Ning gazed at the twinkling starlight in the canyon, his divine sense probe was repelled by an invisible force, causing him to become secretly wary.

In the three days since becoming a true disciple of the Star Palace, he has learned about the dangers of Starfall Valley from Chu Yuqing...

This is the training ground for the core disciples of the Star Palace, where Core Formation stage cultivators perish every year.

"Master, what do I need to do?" Su Ning asked directly.

A hint of appreciation flashed in Jin Kui's eyes: "It's very simple. Go to the bottom of the valley and retrieve a piece of 'Star Marrow Jade'."

He tossed a jade slip to Su Ning, saying, "The details of the valley are all contained within. Remember, the Star Marrow Jade only appears at midnight, and you only have six hours."

Upon receiving the jade slip, Su Ning scanned it with his divine sense, and his expression changed slightly.

The jade slip records that the deeper you go into Starfall Valley, the stronger the star beasts become. In the deepest part, there are even seventh-order star beasts, which are comparable to the late stage of Core Formation!

"A seventh-tier demonic beast?"

"What? Scared?" Jin Kui asked with a half-smile.

Su Ning put away the jade slip, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Master's generous gift, how could this disciple dare to refuse?"

Jin Kui laughed heartily: "Good! If you can bring back the Star Essence Jade, I will teach you the fifth level of the Star Origin Scripture, plus a bottle of 'Star Radiance Dew,' which will be very effective for your next bottleneck breakthrough."

Both of these are treasures of the Star Palace, which ordinary true disciples can only obtain by making great contributions.

Saying goodbye to Jin Kui, Suning stepped into Xingyun Valley.

As soon as I entered, I felt a weight pressing down on my body, as if an invisible force was pressing on my shoulders.

Even more strangely, the speed at which spiritual energy circulated within the body slowed down by about 30%.

"With the anti-air restriction and spiritual power suppression..." Su Ning tried to summon the Azure Profound Sword.

Discovering that the flying sword was about to fall off the ground after only three feet, they had no choice but to abandon their plan to fly on the sword.

The valley was dimly lit, with only the stars floating in the air providing some illumination.

These stars may seem beautiful, but they are actually dangerous...

Suning witnessed a bird that had strayed into the star point's range instantly turn to ashes.

Following the guidance of the jade slip, Suning proceeded cautiously.

He encountered several low-level star beasts along the way, but he easily dealt with them all.

However, as they delved deeper, the star beasts grew stronger and stronger, eventually even reaching the fifth tier, equivalent to the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage for humans.

"hiss--"

A silver-white star-patterned leopard leaped down from the rock wall, its sharp claws leaving three streaks of silver light.

Su Ning dodged to the side, unleashed the Great Wilderness Seal, and directly suppressed the Star-Patterned Leopard to the ground. Then, with a flash of the Azure Profound Sword, he severed its head.

"A fifth-tier peak star beast has appeared; it seems we're nearing the bottom of the valley." Su Ning put away the star beast's inner core and the star-patterned leopard's body, and continued forward.

After passing through a narrow crevice in the rocks, the view suddenly opened up before us.

This is a bowl-shaped valley with a Starlight Pool in the center, which is more than ten feet in diameter. The pool water is sparkling and beautiful.

But Suning's attention was immediately drawn to something by the pool...

It was a fist-sized, crystal-clear jade stone with what appeared to be a flowing galaxy inside—it was Star Marrow Jade!

Just as Su Ning was about to step forward, a sudden sense of alarm arose in his heart.

Without hesitation, he retreated several feet. Almost simultaneously, a bolt of silver lightning struck the spot where he had been standing, blasting a deep crater into the ground.

"Roar--"

With a deafening roar, the water in the Starlight Pool churned violently, and a colossal creature burst forth from the water.

It was a giant dragon over thirty feet long, its entire body covered in silver scales with blue star patterns, and a single spiral horn on its head, surrounded by terrifying lightning.

"A seventh-order star-patterned thunder dragon!" Su Ning gasped.

The valley guardians mentioned in the jade slip actually exist!
However, Su Ning immediately became excited, after all, his main cultivation method was lightning-based techniques.

The thunder dragon's lantern-sized eyes locked onto Su Ning, and it spoke in human language: "Human, get out of my territory!"

The sound was like a thunderclap, making Suning's eardrums ache.

If it were an ordinary person in the mid-stage of Core Formation, they would probably already be considering giving up by now.

But Suning has survived life and death, and his will remains as firm as a rock.

He took a deep breath, the Great Wilderness Seal hovered above his head, and the Azure Profound Sword was in his hand: "This junior only needs to take a piece of Star Marrow Jade, and then I will leave."

"You don't know what's good for you! You're asking for death!" Thunder Dragon roared, and a bolt of lightning as thick as a bucket shot out from its single horn.

"Great Wilderness Seal, suppress!"

The golden seal swelled in the wind, growing to a size of ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) and blocking his way.

The lightning struck the Great Wilderness Seal, but was bounced back, causing the Thunder Dragon's scales to fly off.

This is a new application that Suning has developed over the past ten years—using the spatial characteristics of the Great Wilderness Seal to deflect attacks.

"Human, you have successfully angered me!" Thunder Dragon roared, leaping its entire body out of the pool.

It hovered in the air, its body radiating hundreds of lightning balls that rained down on Suning.

Faced with this overwhelming attack, Suning dared not confront it head-on.

He used the "Shadow Step" from the Great Wilderness Technique, his figure moving like a ghost through the gaps between the lightning balls.

If you can't avoid it occasionally, use the Great Wilderness Seal to block it.

However, Lei Jiao was a seventh-tier demon beast, equivalent to the late stage of Core Formation, and its strength far exceeded Su Ning's expectations.

Just as he was fully focused on dealing with the lightning ball, the Thunder Dragon suddenly opened its mouth and spat out a beam of silver-blue light...

This is its innate divine power, "Starfall Lightning"!
The beam of light was too fast; Su Ning only had time to dodge to the side to avoid a vital spot, but his left shoulder was still grazed.

Even the Thousand Illusion Mask's defenses were somewhat threatened by this attack. His left shoulder instantly became unbearably painful, and he coughed up blood with a "pfft".

"Cough!" Su Ning coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face as pale as paper.

This blow made him realize that conventional methods offered no chance of victory.

The Thunder Dragon pressed its advantage relentlessly, its massive body pressing down like a mountain range, its sharp claws aimed straight for Su Ning's head.

In the critical moment, a resolute glint flashed in Su Ning's eyes. He bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood essence onto the Great Wilderness Seal.

"Huangtian points his finger!"

This is a forbidden technique recorded in the "Great Wilderness Manual," which requires 30% of one's essence and blood to perform.

With a roar from Su Ning, the Great Wilderness Seal blazed with golden light, transforming into a ten-zhang-long golden giant finger that pointed at the Thunder Dragon with a world-destroying aura.

For the first time, Lei Jiao's eyes showed fear, and he hurriedly spat out Starfall Lightning to defend himself.

But the giant golden finger was unstoppable, shattering the lightning and striking the thunder dragon's chest with its strongest blow.

"boom!"

Amidst the earth-shattering explosion, the thunder dragon's body, tens of feet long, was sent flying like a tattered rag, crashing into the rock wall before bouncing back to the ground.

A horrifying bloody hole appeared in its chest, and silvery-blue blood gushed out like a waterfall.

Suning is also in a difficult situation.

Using the forbidden technique severely damaged his vital energy, and he now has difficulty even standing.

But he knew this was his only chance, so he mustered his last bit of spiritual power and used the Azure Sword to transform into a stream of light and strike the Thunder Dragon's eyes.

"puff!"

With the longsword piercing its brain, the Thunder Dragon let out a final wail, its massive body twitching a few times before finally going still.

Su Ning collapsed to the ground and took several pills to stabilize his injuries.

After resting for a while, he first took the Star Marrow Jade, then the pills and collected the demon corpses, and finally checked the Thunder Dragon's nest.

Besides reaping a large number of rare and precious materials, at the bottom of the Starlight Pool, he also discovered a jet-black spear with blood-red patterns wrapped around its body, which stung the skin just by being near it.

"This is..." Su Ning gripped the gun barrel and immediately felt a fierce aura surge into his body through his arm.

To his surprise, the spiritual power of the Great Wilderness Technique perfectly merged with this fierce aura, as if the spear was originally prepared for cultivators of the Great Wilderness Technique.

There are two simple, ancient characters on the gun handle: "Slay the God".

"Godslayer Spear? What an imposing name." Su Ning tried to swing it, and where the spear tip passed, tiny cracks appeared in the space!
This is clearly a top-tier magic weapon containing the Law of Shattering, specifically designed to break through all kinds of defenses.

After storing the God-Slaying Spear in his own spatial world, Su Ning dragged his injured body away from Starfall Valley.

As he staggered out of the valley, a look of shock flashed in Jin Kui's eyes, who had been waiting for a long time.

"You killed that thunder dragon?" Jin Kui scanned the valley with his divine sense and knew the situation.

Su Ning nodded weakly and took out the Star Marrow Jade: "I have not failed in my mission."

Jin Kui took the Star Marrow Jade and suddenly burst into laughter: "Good! Good! Good!"

He said "good" three times in a row, which showed his joy. "That thunder dragon had been entrenched in Starfall Valley for hundreds of years and could not even do anything to ordinary late-stage Core Formation cultivators. Today, it died at your hands!"

He took out a bottle of pills and handed it to Su Ning: "Take this. This is the 'Mysterious Origin Pill,' which can help you recover quickly."

"Thank you, Master."

After taking the pill, Su Ning immediately felt a cool sensation flow through his entire body, and his injuries improved at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Even more miraculously, the depleted essence and blood were rapidly replenished, proving that the "Mysterious Essence Pill" truly lived up to its name.

Back at the Star Palace, Jin Kui personally treated Su Ning's injuries.

Three days later, Su Ning, who had recovered from his injuries, was summoned to the Observatory.

"From this day forward, you will be my personal disciple, Jin Kui." Jin Kui said solemnly, taking out a golden jade slip. "This is the complete 'Star Origin Scripture,' which can be cultivated up to the Nascent Soul stage. I am making an exception and passing it on to you ahead of time. I hope you will study it diligently."

Su Ning accepted it with both hands, his heart pounding.

The complete "Star Origin Scripture" is a closely guarded secret of the Star Palace, which can only be cultivated by Nascent Soul Elders. Jin Kui's actions show him the utmost favor.

"In addition, these are also bestowed upon you." Jin Kui took out several more jade boxes, "a bottle of 'Starlight Dew,' three 'Star Escape Talismans,' and... this."

The last jade box was opened, revealing a dazzling crystal.

"A fragment of a star core?!" Su Ning was genuinely surprised this time.

Star core fragments are materials used to refine Heavenly Treasures, and their value is immeasurable.

Jin Kui looked at his disciple's reaction with satisfaction: "Now that you have obtained the God-Slaying Spear, this fragment of the star core is just right to improve its quality. However, you should wait until the late stage of Core Formation before you can try it, otherwise you may suffer a backlash."

"Thank you for your generous gift, Master."

In the days that followed, Suning devoted himself to training at the observatory.

With Jin Kui's personal guidance, his "Great Wilderness Technique" and "Star Origin Scripture" corroborated each other, and his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds.

The God-Slaying Spear has been initially refined. Although it cannot yet unleash its full power, it has become his strongest attack method.

Moreover, it has already been absorbed into Su Ning's dantian, echoing his natal magic weapon, the Great Wilderness Seal.

On this day, Jin Kui summoned Su Ning to his side: "Disciple, do you know about the Void Heaven Palace?"

Su Ning's heart skipped a beat: "I have heard of it. It is said to be an ancient site containing countless treasures."

Jin Kui nodded: "That's right! According to the Star Palace's astrological calculations, the Void Heaven Palace will open in sixty years. At that time, all the forces in the Chaotic Star Sea will send people in, and I plan to have you represent the Star Palace there."

"This disciple will certainly do his best," Su Ning solemnly replied.

Jin Kui looked at him meaningfully: "The Void Heaven Palace is fraught with danger. Even Nascent Soul cultivators can perish, let alone Core Formation cultivators. With your current strength, you might have a fighting chance against a late-stage Core Formation cultivator, but if you encounter a Great Perfection Core Formation cultivator..."

"Disciple understands," Su Ning said in a deep voice. "I will do my best to improve my strength over the next fifty years."

Leaving the observatory, Su Ning gazed into the distance.

The Void Heaven Palace, this ancient ruin I've been eagerly anticipating, is finally about to open.

This time, however, he will no longer be adventuring as a rogue cultivator, but as a true disciple of the Star Palace!

The God-Slaying Spear trembled slightly in Su Ning's dantian, as if it too was anticipating that day.

...(End of chapter)