169: Upon first entering Falling Star Lake, one experiences "resonance with the stars".

The Outer Sect tournament had settled, and the rewards had been distributed.

Although Wen Youyi "only" came in second, both he and Zhao Iron Pillar (who ranked eighth) successfully obtained the qualification to enter Falling Star Lake.

This result brought the reputation of the Ding Zi Courtyard and the Mutual Aid Society to an unprecedented height.

Three days later, the top ten Disciples, including Wen Youyi, Zhao Iron Pillar, and Lei Hao, led by a Discipline Hall deacon and two Elders from the non-Black Fiend faction, arrived at the edge of Falling Star Lake, which was located deep within the Qingxuan Sect and designated as a Forbidden Ground.

Before they even got close, a thick, humid air and a unique, faintly sharp energy fluctuation rushed toward them.

Passing through an invisible barrier, the scene before their eyes suddenly opened up.

It was an immensely vast lake.

The lake water was not crystal clear but presented a deep, dark blue color that seemed to contain countless starlight.

The surface of the lake was calm and waveless, reflecting the sky, but if one looked closely, one would find that there seemed to be tiny, shimmering glimmers flowing within the water, as if an entire starry sky had been sealed within it.

The lake was surrounded by craggy rocks and ancient trees, creating a quiet and mysterious environment.

"This is Falling Star Lake," the leading Elder said solemnly.

"According to the Sect's ancient records, in ancient times, a star core fragment from the heavens fell here."

"The lake water contains a trace of thin Star Power and the aura of strange metals."

"Cultivating here is highly beneficial for tempering spiritual energy and condensing Divine Sense, especially for those with Metal or Water attribute Cultivation Technique."

"You have three days. You may choose a place by the lakeshore to comprehend the Dao, or you may attempt to dive into the lake, but you must act according to your ability."

"The pressure at the bottom of the lake is immense, and the deeper you go, the more chaotic and violent the Star Power becomes."

"Do not stay for too long, or it will do more harm than good."

"Additionally," the Elder's gaze swept over the crowd, lingering slightly on Wen Youyi and Zhao Iron Pillar, "the lake occasionally produces a mineral called 'Star Sinking Sand,' which is a top-tier auxiliary material for Artifact Refining."

"If you are fortunate enough to obtain it, consider it your own Opportunity."

"But remember, you must not fight privately to seize resources; violators will be severely punished!"

After explaining the rules, the Elder and the deacon sat down cross-legged to the side, closing eyes to guard the area.

The other Disciples, including Lei Hao, couldn't wait to disperse, looking for suitable places to Cultivate or attempting to dive into the lake to search for the legendary "Star Sinking Sand."

Only Wen Youyi stood by the lakeshore, feeling the fluctuations coming from the lake water that resonated faintly with the star core fragment in his bosom, his heart filled with excitement.

"That's right! This is the feeling! Although it's very faint, there must be a star core fragment at the bottom of the lake, or something else of the same origin as the star core!"

He said to Zhao Iron Pillar beside him through the "Mind Net."

Zhao Iron Pillar scratched his head: "Boss, what do we do now? Jump in and fish for it?"

"No rush." Wen Youyi shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the Black Fiend Disciples who were pretending to meditate by the lake but were actually glancing their way from time to time (they had entered based on other rankings).

"Someone is watching. Let's 'honestly' Cultivate first and figure out the situation."

The two of them also found a place a little further from the lakeshore but with a wide view, sat down cross-legged, and began to "comprehend" in a make-believe manner.

Wen Youyi extended a thread of Mental Energy into the lake water to carefully perceive it.

Sure enough, the lake water was filled with an extremely thin but high-essence energy, which was of the same origin as the Star Core Power he possessed, only more scattered and dormant.

At the same time, he keenly noticed that the energy field of this lake seemed to be guided and bound by some kind of Formation, with most of the energy flowing towards a certain direction in the center of the lake.

"There's a Formation... It seems the Black Fiend Elder not only occupied this place but is also secretly collecting this Star Power?"

Wen Youyi sneered in his heart, "They really 'mine' wherever they go."

He tried to run his Cultivation Technique and absorbed a trace of the stray Star Power in the lake water.

As soon as this power entered his body, it resonated strongly with the star core fragment in his Dantian, as if a wanderer had returned home, and it was quickly assimilated and absorbed, making his spirit slightly refreshed, and even the Mental Energy he had consumed during his "performance" was restored a little.

"Good stuff!" Wen Youyi praised inwardly.

But he didn't dare to absorb too much, lest he attract attention.

Time passed slowly, and the other Disciples were focusing on Cultivating or trying to find treasure.

Wen Youyi, while pretending to Cultivate, contacted Senior Brother Zhang, who was far away at the "ark," through the "Mind Net."

[Arrived at Falling Star Lake, confirmed the existence of star core resonance, energy flow towards the center of the lake, suspected to be gathered by a Formation. Requesting deep energy scan to map the structure of the lake bottom.]

[Main node received, starting 'star chain' deep perception mode. It will take time, maintain connection.]

With the help of the "Star Network" and the power of the main node star core, Wen Youyi began to silently "scan" Falling Star Lake.

This process was very slow and had to be extremely careful to avoid being detected by the Formation at the bottom of the lake or the Elders on the shore.

The first day passed in this seemingly calm Cultivation.

Wen Youyi and Zhao Iron Pillar performed standardly, occasionally "curiously" going to the lakeshore to pick up a piece or two of ordinary Ore, appearing completely like bumpkins who had never seen the world, which made those few monitoring Black Fiend Disciples secretly disdain them.

On the second day, Wen Youyi finally figured out the situation at the bottom of the lake through the "star chain."

The bottom of the lake was deeper than he had imagined, with a huge depression in the center, as if it had been hit by something.

At that depression, the energy was the most concentrated, and it was also the core of the Formation.

And at a certain place on the edge of that depression, he sensed the strongest star core resonance!

The fragment should be right there!

But at the same time, he also discovered that there was a rather exquisite concealment and spirit-gathering Formation arranged at the bottom of the lake, which not only gathered Star Power but also seemed to have a warning function.

Moreover, near the center of the lake, there were several not-so-weak auras lurking, which should be Disciples arranged by the Black Fiend Elder to guard this place, or... something else.

"This is a bit troublesome." Wen Youyi frowned, "Breaking in by force is definitely not an option. How can I get the fragment and set up the node without anyone knowing?"

He looked at the deep lake water, his mind racing.

In the evening, an accident occurred.

A Disciple who was trying to dive into a deeper area to search for "Star Sinking Sand" suddenly screamed, scrambled out of the water in a sorry state, face pale.

Wrapped around the calf was a silver thread that looked like water grass but shimmered with a metallic luster.

The thread was tightening, digging into flesh, and even emitting a sizzling corrosive sound!

"It's 'Spirit-Devouring Star Thread'! Help!" An Elder immediately took action, striking the silver thread with a beam of spiritual light, shattering it.

The Disciple's calf was already bloody, and spiritual energy was severely depleted.

"The bottom of the lake is not only full of Opportunity, but also danger."

The Elder warned, "This 'Spirit-Devouring Star Thread' is a strange creature unique to this place. It can devour spiritual energy and entangle flesh and blood. The more concentrated the energy, the more there are. You must be careful!"

Everyone felt a chill in their hearts, only then realizing that Falling Star Lake was not a kind place.

Wen Youyi, however, looked at the "Spirit-Devouring Star Thread" that dissipated quickly after being shattered, eyes lighting up slightly.

This thing... seems to be particularly sensitive to spiritual energy and life energy?

A bold plan began to take shape in his mind.

That night, when the moon was high in the sky, the starlight on the lake seemed even brighter.

Wen Youyi quietly took out a small pinch of carefully prepared "star moss" spores.

These spores had been specially treated by Senior Brother Zhang, and the vitality and starlight fluctuations they contained had been amplified several times, but they were also extremely restrained.

He pretended to get up to move around, walked to the lakeshore, and when no one was paying attention, flicked fingers lightly to silently cast the pinch of spores into the lake, at a location that was just on the path to the energy gathering point at the center of the lake.

"You like eating spiritual energy, right?" Wen Youyi thought to himself, "Let me add some 'seasoning' for you. I hope you like this 'takeout'."

After doing all this, he sat back in his original place, closed eyes, and a slight, imperceptible arc curled at the corner of the mouth.

He knew that tomorrow, this seemingly calm Falling Star Lake would probably become lively.

(End of chapter)