402: Chapter 402 Divine Fire

"Are you very happy?" The old man narrowed his eyes.

Xiao Weiqing restrained his expression.

"No, this Junior is very sad. I finally understand your concern, fearing that Senior's martial arts would be lost."

"It's good that you know."

Xiao Weiqing's eyes darted around as he added, "Senior, actually, I feel like I've already learned that single manifestation of the saber technique."

"Hmph, I know."

The old man wore an expression that said he had seen through him long ago.

"Hehe, look, to avoid this Starry Sky Martial Arts becoming incomplete, why don't you give me all the imprints of the Wanxiang Saber Technique? In the future, once I've succeeded in my studies, I'll carve another copy and return it."

??"

The old man's eyes widened as he looked at Xiao Weiqing in disbelief.

He truly had seen it all now.

How could there be such a shameless person!!!

"Hu~~"

"Don't get angry, don't get angry. Anger harms the body."

"Senior, do you still have a Physical Body?" Xiao Weiqing asked curiously.

"..."

A few seconds of silence.

Followed by a deafening roar.

"You, get the hell! Out!!!"

"Don't, Senior, don't be angry, don't be angry. Anger harms the body."

"Get lost, I don't have a Physical Body."

Xiao Weiqing repeatedly offered apologetic smiles. "It's this Junior's fault. Please don't be angry, Senior."

After a long while.

His anger seemed to have dissipated.

The old man said, "To ensure they circulate for a long time, the Divine Soul power within the imprints of Starry Sky Martial Artss is extremely strong. Only then can Geniuses of every generation contemplate and comprehend them."

"Although I don't know what method you used to seize the imprint, I advise you not to do such dangerous things in the future."

"The Wanxiang Saber Technique is clearly just a Star-Rank Martial Art, yet it was left behind by a Powerhouse of the Dominator realm."

"If not for your special Divine Soul, forget the imprint of the second saber—you wouldn't even have been able to withstand the imprint of the first."

Xiao Weiqing was startled. He knew the old man wasn't lying to him. From his tone, it seemed he had already given up on demanding that imprint back.

"Senior, I'm sorry. I truly don't know how to explain this matter."

The old man said, "There's no need to explain."

"If it's taken, then it's taken. Perhaps this is your destiny."

"Defeat the Yellow Sand Warrior as quickly as possible. The person next door is about to succeed."

"If possible, I hope you can seize the Divine Fire."

"Junior will certainly do his utmost."

Xiao Weiqing nodded and spoke seriously, as if giving a guarantee.

...

Then.

Xiao Weiqing walked to the side and began to recover his Mental Energy.

Along the way, he checked the imprint within his Sea of Consciousness.

When his Mental Energy touched the imprint.

A familiar feeling spontaneously arose—the feeling of Cultivating an Innate Skill.

Half an hour later.

Xiao Wei opened his eyes, the smile on his face uncontrollable.

With a flip of his palm, the thousand flame blade appeared in his hand, and he gave it a casual swing.

Boom~

A dull sound rang out, like heavenly thunder.

This wasn't a sonic boom caused by the saber being too fast, but rather because the power of the strike was so great that the air couldn't withstand it.

"The heaviness of a mountain... I've already reached the entry level for this manifestation?"

His consciousness sank into his Sea of Consciousness. That golden Divine Soul still sat within the lotus flower, completely tranquil.

"As expected of my Divine Soul."

Xiao Weiqing silently praised.

Withdrawing his thoughts.

Xiao Weiqing looked toward the Yellow Sand Warrior.

"Let's fight!"

The Yellow Sand Warrior was expressionless, holding its long saber as it faced Xiao Weiqing, waiting in combat readiness.

Xiao Weiqing lightly tapped the ground; the speed he displayed wasn't particularly fast.

However.

The moment Xiao Weiqing raised his saber, the wind and clouds changed color.

"Slash!"

The saber struck out.

Like a landslide, like a tsunami.

Facing such a terrifying offensive, the Yellow Sand Warrior raised its saber with both hands to block.

Boom~

The terrifying force between the two erupted like the earth splitting and mountains collapsing, the power exploding to the extreme.

"Bang~"

The Yellow Sand Warrior was sent flying, crashing into the wall behind it, its entire body shattering into pieces.

Strong.

Too strong.

Is this a Starry Sky Martial Arts?

The Yellow Sand Warrior, which had previously forced Xiao Weiqing to use all his strength to no avail, was defeated in a single strike.

And this was only the second manifestation of the Wanxiang Saber Technique. What if it were the third?

Xiao Weiqing didn't dare imagine it.

"You won."

The old man's voice sounded from behind.

"Senior."

"Go in."

The old man didn't say much more, simply waving his hand.

A door appeared.

Xiao Weiqing nodded and walked toward the door.

Stepping through the door, he arrived in another stone chamber.

"Hmm?"

"Senior?"

Xiao Weiqing was stunned. He hadn't expected the old man to be here, seemingly waiting for him.

The old man nodded and smiled. "Don't leave after you seize the Divine Fire."

Xiao Weiqing raised an eyebrow. "How do you know for sure that I'll be able to seize the Divine Fire, Senior?"

"Did Aonaya Fang fail the trial?"

"No, he also succeeded, just a moment ago."

"Then..."

The old man said, "He is no match for you. I still have that much discernment."

As the guardian of this ruin, he had seen countless Geniuses come here after the destruction of the Kuhn Civilization. Based on the strength Xiao Weiqing currently displayed, he could definitely be ranked in the top three.

Although Aonaya Fang wasn't bad and could be considered first-tier, he was still a bit lacking compared to a top-tier Genius like Xiao Weiqing.

Don't underestimate that 'bit.' Sometimes, a tiny bit is a world of difference, an unbridgeable gap.

"I understand, Senior."

"May I ask what the trial for this stage is?"

The old man shook his head. "For this stage, there is no trial."

"No trial?"

Xiao Weiqing was puzzled.

The old man explained patiently, "Back when the Kuhn Civilization still existed, this stage was originally a free-for-all battle among those who passed the second trial. The winner would obtain the slot to enter the inner area."

"A free-for-all?"

Xiao Weiqing was startled; that was quite ruthless.

"Yes."

The old man seemed to know what Xiao Weiqing was thinking and added, "In the Universe, low-level civilizations are equivalent to the ordinary people at the bottom of your transcendent world, facing life-threatening danger at any moment."

"If one's own strength is insufficient, or if there is no powerful force to provide protection, destruction can happen overnight."

"Therefore, we must use every means possible to increase the civilization's high-end combat power."

"This is a microcosm of all civilizations in the entire Universe. It's the same logic as the Fifth Universe Civilization using human intervention to accelerate the nurturing of civilizations."

Hearing this.

Xiao Weiqing felt an inexplicable sense of dread. Was the entire Universe's civilization like this?

"Let's not talk about that anymore. Go in."

A teleportation gate appeared out of thin air following the old man's words.

Xiao Weiqing nodded, walked forward, and stepped through the gate.

...

A golden underground world.

A shocking sight appeared before his eyes.

Unknown patterns flickered on the surrounding rock walls, each one emitting an ancient aura, violent and scorching.

Streams of scalding magma did not flow wildly; instead, they turned into slowly moving crimson rivers suspended in mid-air, like fire dragons that had been sleeping for ten thousand years.

The fire dragons had various forms, but they all shared a single source.

That was the flame suspended in the very center, a flame that did not belong to the mortal world.

The flame was eerily still, yet actually restless and chaotic.

The core of the flame was an extreme white, the next layer was a golden halo, and the outermost layer had a faint purple tint.

A flame barely two feet in diameter simply floated there quietly, yet it weighed down this space so much it was hard to breathe, and even the flow of air had to be cautious.

"Is this the Divine Fire?"

"Extreme Yang Fire. It's beautiful, isn't it?"

The abrupt voice made the hairs on Xiao Weiqing's neck stand up.