All Yuan Qiong had wanted was an answer. “You didn’t lie, which is quite good.”
“When this disciple saw the Teleportation Formation, I was confident that I would be able to learn it, which was why I took it.”
Yuan Qiong dismissed the matter with a wave of a hand. “Don’t mention it again.”
“Then, can this disciple learn the Cosmic Art?” Lu Yin pressed.
“In order to learn the Cosmic Art, you must first be a disciple of my Cosmic Sect.” He then added, “Even if only as an exchanged disciple.”
Suddenly, the sect master’s body disappeared.
Lu Yin was startled, though also overjoyed, as he understood the sect master’s implications. He immediately called Highsage Wudi.
It did not take long for Lu Yin to hear Highsage Wudi’s voice. “Who is it?”
“Senior Brother, it’s me, Lu Yin.”
Highsage Wudi was surprised. “You? You’re alive?”
“Master didn’t tell you?”
“I’m not on Eversky Island. Where’ve you been?”
“The Perennial World.”
Highsage Wudi fell silent for a moment. “You went early?”
“Yep.”
“Success?”
“Lucky.”
“Nice.”
“Senior Brother, I’m in the Cosmic Sect right now, and they’re telling me that I need to be a disciple to learn more of the Cosmic Art. Could you ask Eversky Island to allow me to represent them as an exchange student again?”
“That’s not a big deal. After all, how many people from the Cosmic Sect visit my Eversky Island? And how many of us are there to act as exchange students?” Highsage Wudi said loudly.
“Thank you, Senior Brother.”
“You’re welcome. Go ahead and train in the Cosmic Sect however you want. If anyone tries to bully you, just send them to find your senior brother.”
Their conversation quickly wound down after that, and it did not take long for Lu Yin to become an honorary disciple of the Cosmic Sect once again.
Elder Yao Shan was infuriated the moment he learned of this matter. “What does Eversky Island take my Cosmic Sect for? Besides, Lu Yin isn’t even a disciple of Eversky Island! How can he be an exchange student representing them?”
Elder Yuan Shou replied, “This really doesn’t seem right. Is Lu Yin after something here?”
Elder Yao Shan snapped back, “The kid wants to learn the Cosmic Art! Just you watch.”
Elder Yuan Shou coughed, feeling rather embarrassed.
Yuan Qiong interjected, “Alright, since he has become a disciple of my Cosmic Sect, there is no reason to stop him from learning it if he wishes.”
“Sect Master, the Cosmic Art cannot be allowed to spread to outsiders! Our promise with Eversky Island to host exchange students also has its own limitations. Within their time studying here, they are only allowed to learn three levels of the Cosmic Art at most. No outsider has ever been allowed to learn the fourth level of the Cosmic Art,” Elder Yao Shan anxiously reminded the sect master.
At this time, Elder Yuan Shou no longer tried to help Lu Yin. The Cosmic Art was too important to the sect, as it was their very foundation. There was no room for any mistakes.
Yuan Qiong said, “I have already made up my mind. Do you want my Cosmic Sect to retract a promise? How will my Cosmic Sect’s disciples face Eversky Island in the future?”
“But-“
Elder Yao Shan wanted to protest further, but Yuan Qiong stopped him. “Update the conditions of our exchange program. Make it so that any disciple can only participate in the program once. That way, we’ll prevent such incidents from happening in the future. Yao Shan, you will negotiate the matter with Eversky Island.”
Elder Yao Shan felt trapped, but this was indeed the first time that they had encountered such a situation. However, it did not feel like a surprise that Lu Yin was the source of this trouble, but Yao Shan really could not accept Lu Yin being allowed to learn the fourth level of the Cosmic Art.
Yuan Qiong indifferently said, “How can the fourth level of the Cosmic Art be something that is easy to learn? Not to mention opening the thirty-six fatal energy centers of the human body, but even if he does start cultivating the fourth level, just how many stars will he be able to simulate from the Skystar Jade Wall? He will not remain in my Cosmic Sect for too long.”
Such reassurance greatly comforted Elder Yao Shan.
“Yuan Shou, you will personally open up Lu Yin’s thirty six fatal energy centers,” Yuan Qiong added on.
Elder Yao Shan glanced over at Elder Yuan Shou. “How long will it take you to open all of his fatal energy centers?”
Elder Yuan Shou replied, “One day will be enough. Lu Yin is already an Enlighter, and his foundation is stable.”
Elder Yao Shan gritted his teeth. “A day is not long enough. Even a month is too fast.”
Yuan Shou was taken aback; that was far too much time.
Yuan Qiong shook his head and ignored the matter. Lu Yin’s potential was the only reason why the sect master was even willing to allow the youth to learn more of the Cosmic Art. If the youth succeeded, then he might become a Progenitor in the future, but that was a matter for the future. For the moment, it would be all up to Lu Yin if he was able to learn the next level of the Cosmic Art or not.
Finally, Elder Yao Shan and Elder Yuan Shou agreed that Yuan Shou would take at least half a month to open Lu Yin’s fatal energy centers, and the elder would also attempt to delay the matter as much as possible in order to restrict Lu Yin’s time to train within the Cosmic Sect even further. His progress in learning more of the Cosmic Art would greatly slow after leaving the Cosmic Sect.
From what all of the elders believed, the fourth level of the Cosmic Art was something that Lu Yin would need to train in for a long time.
The Cosmic Art’s third level allowed a person to simulate 726 stars, but the fourth level allowed one to simulate 3,600. This was a truly significant increase.
In the Cosmic Sect’s great hall on Skystar, Elder Yuan Shou looked at Lu Yin. “You have always wanted to learn my Cosmic Sect’s Cosmic Art, and that is why you insist on referring to yourself as a disciple, no?”
Lu Yin answered somberly, “As a disciple of the Cosmic Sect, isn’t it only right for me to learn the sect’s cultivation art?”
Elder Yuan Shou wanted to argue, but upon seeing Lu Yin’s sincere expression, the elder suddenly remembered how this child’s last visit to Cosmo Hall had actually drawn the attention of Jiu Shen, which indicated that his intentions towards the sect should be true. The elder nodded. “True. You should have already heard about how the fourth level of the Cosmic Art requires one to open thirty six fatal energy centers. This process takes a bit of time, so prepare yourself.”
Lu Yin was caught off guard. “Mu Ziying mentioned that it should take no more than a few days.”
“That’s because his cultivation is weak. You are already an Enlighter, which makes your energy centers much tougher. It will not be easy to open your energy centers,” Elder Yuan Shou explained.
Lu Yin thought that this sounded perfectly reasonable, so he respectfully replied, “I’ve troubled Elder then. Please do as you must.”
Elder Yuan Shou reassured Lu Yin as he saw the youth close his eyes. The elder raised a hand and lifted Lu Yin’s body, causing him to be suspended in the air. A ray of stellular energy shot out of the elder’s palm, and Lu Yin felt a burst of pain as his thirty six fatal energy centers began to open.
Lu Yin had been waiting for this moment for a long time. The Cosmic Art was actually the first cultivation art that he had ever practiced, and he had always wanted to improve it.
He still remembered the excitement that he had felt when he had Pilfered the first level of the Cosmic Art during the start of his cultivation journey. At this moment, he was finally about to achieve a greater understanding of the art.
The thirty six fatal energy centers on his limbs began to open. It took nearly ten hours for the point on his right palm to open. Based on this speed, it would take exactly half a month for all of his fatal energy centers to open.
Elder Yuan Shou would be stuck in this place for half a month.
The elder lifted his hand again, but his stellular energy did not enter Lu Yin’s foot. Instead, Lu Yin’s shoe blew apart. As the stellular energy tried to enter into Lu Yin’s fatal energy center, a pattern appeared on the bottom of his foot.
The moment the pattern appeared, Cosmo Hall trembled a slight bit, and another person suddenly appeared. It was a stunned young man.
Elder Yuan Shou was similarly shocked, and he stared at the bottom of Lu Yin’s foot. The elder had completely forgotten about opening the fatal energy center. What the hell? It’s this pattern? How could this pattern be on the bottom of his foot?
“Get out of the way.” The young man shoved Elder Yuan Shou aside and took over opening Lu Yin fatal energy centers. In less than half an hour, all thirty six of Lu Yin’s fatal energy centers had been cleared.
He opened his eyes, and the only difference was that the star energy in his body was flowing a bit smoother. And when he cycled his star energy according to the method of the Cosmic Art, it felt as though his star energy flowed without any obstructions.
“Lu Yin,” the young man said as he stared at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin fell to the ground and then looked at the young man in a questioning manner; who was this boy? Confused, Lu Yin shot Elder Yuan Shou a questioning look.
There was an odd expression on Elder Yuan Shou’s face, and it looked as though the man was holding back a thousand words. “This is my Cosmic Sect’s Elder Jiu Shen.”
Lu Yin was shocked. Elder Jiu Shen? That man was an old monster who was only inferior to Semi-Progenitors. Surprised, Lu Yin hastened to bow to the young man. “Disciple Lu Yin greets Elder Jiu Shen.”
The young man stared at Lu Yin with wide open eyes. “How did you get that pattern on the bottom of your foot?”
Lu Yin was completely lost. “What pattern on the bottom of my foot?”
Elder Jiu Shen’s gaze grew sharp as he stared at Lu Yin.
Elder Yuan Shou explained, “On the bottom of your foot, you have-”
Elder Jiu Shen stopped Yuan Shou before he could finish his sentence. Then, Elder Gong emerged from the void in another direction. The Semi-Progenitor no longer looked to be on the verge of death. He still looked ancient, but also full of energy.
Lu Yin felt that something was off; all of these elders appeared to be terribly concerned. Was there a pattern on the bottom of his foot? But then, why did he not know about it? That did not make any sense. Cultivators knew their bodies down to the molecule, so how could there possibly be a pattern on the bottom of his foot that he had not noticed?
Elder Gong remained completely silent, but he drew a picture of a person in the air.
The moment Lu Yin saw the picture, his pupils instantly shrank; why was it him yet again?
“It looks like you know him.” Elder Jiu Shen observed Lu Yin’s reaction.
Lu Yin’s mouth had already gone dry. “This disciple met him on Driftcharge Planet in the Outerverse. That old senior saved this disciple. Without him, this disciple would have died.”
“Where is he? Where is he?” Elder Jiu Shen shouted.
“Dead.”
“Impossible.” Elder Jiu Shen did not believe Lu Yin for a moment. “How could that old guy die?”
Elder Gong gently prodded, “What did he say to you?”
Lu Yin carefully recalled that time, “At first, the senior sent a terrible energy into this junior’s body. He then asked this junior to visit the Neoverse and find someone, but he later changed his mind for some unknown reason, and he caused the energy to disappear.”
“What about the pattern on your foot?” Elder Jiu Shen eagerly pressed.
Lu Yin shook his head. “This junior never knew anything at all about a pattern on my foot. If not for Elder Yuan Shou trying to open my fatal energy centers, this junior would have never even known that there was anything on the bottom of my foot at all.”
Elder Jiu Shen looked over at Elder Gong. “How should we choose?”
Elder Gong stared at Lu Yin. “The old man asked you to come to the Neoverse to find someone. Did he say anything else?”
“He asked me to take some things to the person that I should look for, but he never mentioned the matter later on.” Lu Yin tried to remember more. He increasingly felt that the old man from Driftcharge Planet had not been a simple person. The Perennial World’s Semi-Progenitor Kui Luo was looking for that grandpa, and now, the Fifth Mainland’s Cosmic Sect was looking for him as well. Just who had that grandpa really been?
Elder Gong clasped his hands behind his back and started speaking slowly. He shared a story with Lu Yin that only a select few people knew about.
“Many years ago, a very ordinary Enlighter brought a child to our Cosmic Sect, seeking refuge. That Enlighter eventually became a deacon of the outer sect. While he was quite old, he was also a kind person. Despite not having a very high status within the sect, he was happy. The child that the Enlighter brought here eventually became old enough to cultivate, but due to his poor talent, he was unable to cultivate the Cosmic Art no matter what.
“The child was stubborn and wanted to practice the Cosmic Art. He did not care about any other cultivation arts or battle techniques. The sect’s disciples mocked him, and at that point, the Enlighter who came with the child sneaked into where the Skystar Jade Wall was and stole my Cosmic Sect’s treasure. However, I discovered the crime. At that same time, I learned the truth. That Enlighter was actually a Semi-Progenitor who had been badly injured and was unable to fully recover.”
Lu Yin’s expression grew solemn; where could an unknown Semi-Progenitor have come from? They were in the Fifth Mainland, not the Perennial World. There were very few powerhouses at that level.
“How could I allow a Semi-Progenitor who had been hiding in my Cosmic Sect to escape after stealing our treasure? However, he was very powerful, even when badly wounded. In the end, I was unable to stop him, and he eventually fled the Neoverse. However, his injury was aggravated due to the battle, and I was certain that he would not live for much longer. However, the most tragic bit was that, at the beginning of our batting, our fighting most likely affected his child.”
Lu Yin remembered seeing the old man weeping at a grave on Driftcharge Planet, and he had later told Lu Yin that it was the grave of his grandson. So the old man’s grandson was actually the child who had been injured during the Semi-Progenitors’ fight!
OMA’s Thoughts
Translated By: OMA
Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox
TLC’ed By: OMA
