Star General's Mansion
The Star Generals Residence is the military organization that governs Qiming City and its surrounding Star Domains. A Star General is a powerful figure in the Celestial Immortal Realm, and their authority is a full rank higher than that of the Star Mansion.
The surrounding cultivators gasped, realizing that Lang Xiaotian possessed such a powerful background.
The Steward was also sweating profusely: “Fellow Daoist, please release Lord Lang immediately! The wrath of the Star Generals Residence is not something we can withstand!”
White Night remained unmoved, pressing the blade slightly harder, cutting Lang Xiaotian's skin: “Answer my question.”
Feeling the threat of death, Lang Xiaotian finally broke down: “It... it's for refining the ‘Star Core Pill’! Combining the immortal souls of Rogue Cultivators with Star Power allows cultivators to quickly break through to the Celestial Immortal Realm...”
As soon as he said this, the Side Hall fell into a deadly silence. Using immortal souls to refine pills was the ultimate taboo in the Nine Heavens Realm!
“Where is the evidence?” the Steward asked, his voice trembling.
Trembling, Lang Xiaotian took a black Jade Slip from his Storage Bag: “This is... this is the refining record...”
White Night took the Jade Slip and probed it with his Divine Sense. Inside, it detailed the process by which the Star Devouring Pavilion captured Rogue Cultivators and extracted their immortal souls, even bearing the signed approval of Wolf Commander.
“Good, very good!” The Steward was shaking with rage. “How dare the Star Devouring Pavilion be so audacious? Do they truly think the Star Mansion is just a decoration?” He shouted outside the Side Hall, “Guards! Arrest these scoundrels from the Star Devouring Pavilion!”
The Golden-Armored Guards who had been waiting outside rushed in, pinning down Lang Xiaotian and the Black-Robed Cultivator.
Lang Xiaotian continued to roar hysterically: “My elder brother won't let you off! You will all die!”
White Night put away the Jade Slip and said to the Steward, “This Jade Slip might serve as court evidence.”
The Steward accepted the Jade Slip and cupped his hands toward White Night: “Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for exposing this atrocity. According to Star Mansion regulations, reporting major crimes can raise your Star Plate rank. I wonder if Fellow Daoist is willing to accept the Star Mansion's Assessment?”
“Assessment?”
“Yes,” the Steward explained. “You only need to complete one Silver-tier Mission to be promoted to Silver Star Cultivator and enjoy the resource allocation benefits of the Star Mansion.”
White Night thought for a moment, then nodded: “I can.”
The Steward took out a silver Jade Slip: “This is the ‘Clearing the Shattered Star Belt’ mission. You need to kill three Star-Splitting Asuras and retrieve their Inner Cores. The time limit is three days. Upon completion, you can go to the Main Hall to claim your Silver Star Plate.”
White Night accepted the Jade Slip and turned to leave the Side Hall. As he passed Lang Xiaotian, who was being escorted away, the man's venomous gaze looked ready to devour him alive, but White Night paid him no mind.
In the Nine Heavens Realm, kindness requires sharpness; forbearance only leads to being slaughtered.
After leaving the Star Mansion, the Wind Howling Silver Wolf suddenly let out a low growl toward the East of the City.
White Night followed its gaze and saw a figure clad in Golden Battle Armor standing on the top floor of a Floating Pavilion, coldly watching the direction of the Star Mansion.
It was Lang Xiaotian's elder brother, Wolf Commander.
The Pressure of the Celestial Immortal Realm was like an invisible boulder, causing the surrounding air to solidify.
Even separated by several miles, White Night could still feel that mountain-like sense of oppression, and his immortal soul trembled slightly.
“Celestial Immortal Realm...” White Night gripped the Iron Sword in his hand, a look of solemnity flashing in his eyes, yet without any trace of fear. “I will catch up, sooner or later.”
He mounted the wolf and flew toward the Shattered Star Belt.
The priority now was to complete the mission, raise his Star Plate rank. Only with sufficient strength and authority could he gain a foothold in the Nine Heavens Realm and investigate the whereabouts of Lord Feng.
The environment of the Shattered Star Belt was even more dangerous than before.
Within three days, White Night not only killed three Star-Splitting Asuras but also encountered a group of Test Subjects abandoned by the Star Devouring Pavilion.
These cultivators had been injected with Star Beast Bloodlines, turning them into half-human, half-beast Monsters, mentally unstable and knowing only slaughter.
“Chaos: Purification!” White Night struck out a Chaos Qi Stream toward a Lion-headed, Human-bodied Monster. As the stream entered the monster's body, the violent Star Beast Bloodline was slowly stripped away, revealing the cultivator's original face.
A flicker of clarity appeared in the monster's eyes. It weakly cupped its hands toward White Night before dissolving into specks of Starlight.
[Purified Test Subjects x10, Gained Merit Value x500]
[Unlocked Hidden Attribute: Merit (Can offset Karma and increase Heavenly Dao Affinity)]
The System Notification made White Night slightly stunned; he hadn't expected the concept of Merit to exist in the Nine Heavens Realm.
Looking at the Merit Value in his possession, he vaguely understood that this might be the key to breaking through to higher Realms.
Most cultivators in the Nine Heavens Realm only knew how to plunder Star Power, ignoring the Balance of the Heavenly Dao. Merit, perhaps, was the embodiment of the Way of Balance.
Three days later, White Night returned to the Star Mansion's Main Hall with the three Star-Splitting Asura Inner Cores.
The Main Hall was a hundred times grander than the Side Hall. Nine Star Jade Pillars were carved with the Star Map of the Nine Heavens Realm, and on the Star Plate in the center of the hall, an old man in Purple Robes sat cross-legged, his body enveloped by the Pressure of the Celestial Immortal Realm.
It was the Mansion Lord of the Qiming City Star Mansion, Ziwei Star Lord.
“You are White Night?” Ziwei Star Lord opened his eyes, and a River of Stars seemed to revolve within them. “Wolf Commander broke into the Star Mansion last night, trying to retrieve the Jade Slip, but I stopped him.”
White Night's heart stirred slightly: “Thank you, Mansion Lord.”
“You don't need to thank me,” Ziwei Star Lord said lightly. “The actions of the Star Devouring Pavilion have already angered the Heavenly Dao. I merely went with the flow.”
He accepted the Inner Cores and the Jade Slip, then waved his hand, sending out a Golden Light that landed on White Night's Black Iron Plate.
The Black Iron Plate melted and was recast in the Golden Light, finally transforming into a Silver Star Plate. The surface was no longer engraved with simple patterns but with a blooming Star Flower.
This was the symbol of a Silver Star Cultivator, representing a cultivator who had contributed to the Nine Heavens Realm.
“Starting today, you are a Silver Star Cultivator of Qiming City.” Ziwei Star Lord handed White Night a Token. “With this Token, you can enter the Star Mansion Library Pavilion, borrow Cultivation Methods below the Celestial Immortal Realm, and receive one hundred High-grade Star Stones monthly.”
White Night took the Token, becoming even more wary of Ziwei Star Lord's strength.
The other party had raised his Star Plate rank with a flick of a finger, clearly having touched the Threshold of the Golden Immortal Realm.
“There is one more thing,” Ziwei Star Lord suddenly said. “Although Wolf Commander was repelled by me, he vowed to take your life at the 'Star Combat Assembly.' That is a grand event held every century in Qiming City, hosted by the Star Generals Residence. The winner gains qualification to enter the 'Star Secret Realm,' where there is an Opportunity to break through to the Celestial Immortal Realm.”
A glint flashed in White Night's eyes: “When will the Star Combat Assembly be held?”
“Three months from now.”
“I will participate.”
Ziwei Star Lord looked at his determined gaze and nodded slightly: “Good. I shall wait and see.”
When leaving the Star Mansion, White Night's Silver Star Plate shone brightly under the sunlight, and passing cultivators cast gazes of awe toward him.
He did not return to his previous Inn but rented a Floating Pavilion near the Star Mansion and began Secluded Cultivation.
The pavilion's window faced the River of Light from the Star Gathering Stone. He operated the Star Transformation Cultivation Method to its limit, guiding the Star Power within the River of Light to wash over his immortal soul.
Chaos Law and Star Power continuously merged, and faint Golden Patterns gradually appeared on his immortal soul.
This was the Heavenly Dao Mark brought by the Merit Value, allowing him to more easily invoke the Laws of the Nine Heavens Realm.
The Wind Howling Silver Wolf lay on the pavilion's Terrace, absorbing the energy scattered by the River of Light. The Starlight on its fur grew increasingly dense, showing faint signs of condensing into Star Patterns.
Three days later, White Night awoke from his seclusion. His Cultivation at the Initial Stage of the True Immortal Realm was completely stabilized.
He walked onto the Terrace, looked at the Myriad Lights of Qiming City, and his heart was filled with anticipation.
The Star Combat Assembly, Wolf Commander, the Star Secret Realm... challenges in the Nine Heavens Realm followed one after another, but he knew this was the best Opportunity to raise his Cultivation and seek the truth.
His gaze turned toward the distant Starry Sky, where there was a vaster world, stronger opponents, and perhaps clues left by Lord Feng.
The True Immortal Realm was merely the starting point. The Celestial Immortal Realm, the Golden Immortal Realm... and even higher Realms awaited his ascent.
And the sword in his hand would cut through all obstacles, carving White Night's name into the Nine Heavens Realm!
...During the three-month Preparation Period for the Star Combat Assembly, White Night spent almost all his time immersed in the Star Mansion Library Pavilion.
This pavilion, floating beside the River of Light from the Star Gathering Stone, held the Crystallized Wisdom of countless cultivators in the Nine Heavens Realm.
The lowest floor mostly contained True Immortal Realm Cultivation Methods, the middle floor recorded Insights into the Celestial Immortal Realm, and the top floor was shrouded by a Golden Light Barrier, said to be accessible only to Golden Immortal Realm cultivators.
White Night's Silver Star Token could only open the middle floor, but he found an Unexpected Delight there.
A Remnant Scroll of the Chaos Star Art. This Cultivation Method shared a similar brilliance with his Chaos Law, both using Star Power to temper the origin, though the Chaos Star Art focused more on drawing upon the Power of the Myriad Stars to form a unique “Star Core.”
“So that's it.” White Night sat cross-legged beside the River of Light, his fingers tracing the Runes on the Jade Slip. “The key to the True Immortal Realm is condensing the immortal soul, while the Celestial Immortal Realm requires forging the Star Core, solidifying Star Power within the body.”
Following the method described in the Cultivation Technique, he guided the power of the River of Light from the Star Gathering Stone into his Dantian.
Under the guidance of the Chaos Law, the golden Star Power gradually condensed into a speck of light the size of a grain of rice. The trajectory of the light speck's rotation perfectly matched the Nine Heavens Star Map. This was the Nascent Form of the Star Core.
[Comprehended Chaos Star Art. Fusion Degree between Chaos Law and Star Law +15%]
[Nascent Star Core condensed. Cultivation at the Middle Stage of the True Immortal Realm stabilized]
When the System Notification sounded, a commotion suddenly erupted outside the Library Pavilion.
White Night put away the Jade Slip and saw a group of Silver Star Cultivators arguing around a Bulletin Board, where the Grouping List for the Star Combat Assembly was posted.
“Look! White Night was placed in the Death Group!”
“The Death Group? Shouldn't the group with Lord Wolf Commander be the Death Group?”
“Look at his opponents. Meng Ya of the Iron-Backed Tribe, Blood Crow, the Remnant of the Star Devouring Pavilion, and Zhao Lie, the Personal Guard Captain of the Star Generals Residence! Which one of them isn't at the Peak of the True Immortal Realm?”
White Night's name was prominently displayed in Group Three, and the opponents listed beside him were indeed all formidable.
The Iron-Backed Tribe is famous for its powerful Physique, and Meng Ya can even withstand attacks from the initial stage of the Celestial Immortal Realm. Blood Crow is Lang Xiaotian's Junior Brother, rumored to have cultivated a Forbidden Technique of the Star Devouring Pavilion that allows him to devour the immortal souls of others. Zhao Lie is Wolf Commander's Confidant, wielding the star-splitting spear with exceptional skill.
“It seems Wolf Commander is determined to make me die in the Group Stage.” A cold smile curled White Night's lips as he turned and left the Library Pavilion. This level of scheming could not shake his Dao Heart.
Returning to the Floating Pavilion, the Wind Howling Silver Wolf was lying on the Terrace, baring its teeth at a Black Ore.
The ore had a Dark Purple sheen and was covered in tiny pores. It was the “Void Mother Stone” that White Night had found in the Star-Splitting Asura's lair—it was even more suitable than star marrow iron for refining Space Magic Treasures...