“Alas.” Emperor Xinghuo sighed as he sat in the courtyard. “If only I hadn’t given the Boundary Stone to Xun Yi back then, how much better things would be.”
His son was practically ruined.
He had tried countless methods, but none worked. The heartache had seeped into the very essence of his soul. Even sealing his memories didn’t help—his son, ‘Xinghuo Xun Yi,’ harbored a deep-seated aversion to cultivation, an unwillingness that stemmed from his soul. He had even sought the aid of Chaos Realm experts skilled in illusions, weaving dreamscapes in an attempt to guide him, but to no avail. The saying went, “A heart’s ailment requires a heart’s remedy,” but no outsider could perfectly replicate the original illusion of the Boundary Stone.
He had consulted several Cosmic Deities, but the answer was always the same: the wound ran too deep into the soul’s essence, and recovery would be exceedingly difficult.
Some transcendent beings, after suffering great setbacks, never recovered.
Xinghuo Xun Yi, however, was a genius of the Unity Realm. His immense strength and mastery of illusions made him resistant to ordinary emotional turmoil. But once his heart was truly wounded, healing became a challenge a billion times harder—if not outright impossible—without his own will.
There was only one way to save him: Xinghuo Xun Yi had to pull himself out of this abyss. But how daunting a task was that?
“Perhaps keeping him by my side was a mistake,” Emperor Xinghuo mused silently. “Let him venture out during the Star Conference. Maybe a miracle will happen.” Despite his overwhelming power, he was utterly powerless when it came to his son.
—
In the blink of an eye, the day of the Star Conference arrived.
Whoosh, whoosh.
Dongbo Xueying and the Hall Master of Inquiry soared through the skies of the city as streaks of light, surrounded by countless others flying toward the same destination. Within the confines of Blademaster City, flight was restricted to those of the Unity Realm due to the suppression of the city’s formations.
“The venue for the Star Conference is truly impressive,” Dongbo Xueying remarked as he glimpsed the colossal arena in the distance. Located near the Star Tower—an immovable structure—the venue had been constructed in a vast open area. Through spatial manipulation, what appeared to be a thousand-mile expanse from afar expanded into a sprawling million-mile arena upon approach.
“Hall Master of Inquiry, Elder Dongbo, this way, please.” A high-ranking expert personally guided them.
As they neared the venue, most attendees were forced to descend and enter through the main gates in an orderly procession.
Dongbo Xueying and the Hall Master of Inquiry, however, were escorted directly to a towering platform. At its center stood eleven seats, flanked by numerous others.
“Elder Dongbo, your seat is here.” Each position had been prearranged.
At the heart of the platform, the central seat was occupied by ‘Heartshadow Patriarch,’ one of only two Chaos Realm experts in Blademaster City who had reached the ninth level of the Star Tower. Ordinarily, someone of his stature would not deign to preside over a mere Star Conference, held once every trillion years.
But this time, among the mentors was ‘Axe Palace Master,’ another ninth-level Star Tower expert.
With Axe Palace Master in attendance, Blademaster City—as the host—could not afford to appear inferior. Thus, Heartshadow Patriarch took the helm.
To his left sat the five mentors: Axe Palace Master, Island Master of Purple Slaughter, Five Marsh Serpent Ancestor, General Sky Radiance, and Dongbo Xueying.
To his right were distinguished guests from the sacred lands, including the Hall Master of Inquiry and other elites from Star City.
Beyond the central eleven seats, additional seating was reserved for non-sacred-land Chaos Realm experts—over a dozen had come to observe. Even someone as mighty as ‘Emperor Xinghuo,’ not affiliated with any sacred land, was relegated to the side. This was tradition: only representatives of the six sacred lands could occupy the center.
“Axe, I never expected you to take on the role of mentor this time,” Heartshadow Patriarch remarked with a smile. His features were peculiar—elongated and somewhat unattractive—yet his aura was so serene that even the most critical observer would feel an inexplicable warmth in his presence.
“It was time to step out. Secluded cultivation wasn’t bringing me any closer to a breakthrough,” Axe Palace Master replied.
“That final step is indeed elusive,” Heartshadow Patriarch sighed. Once, he too had been a dazzling genius, one of only two in history to conquer the seventh level of the Star Tower among the six sacred lands. His rise through the Chaos Realm had been meteoric, and in his confidence, he had even founded a sect, spreading his teachings far and wide.
Countless cultivators had flocked to him, obeying his every decree.
Yet, upon reaching the pinnacle of the Chaos Realm—the ninth level of the Star Tower—he had stagnated. Though he believed his mastery in certain areas rivaled that of a Cosmic Deity, without taking that final step, the qualitative difference remained.
—
On the Star Conference platform, the Chaos Realm experts chatted in small groups, most already acquainted.
Dongbo Xueying sat silently at the far end of the central seats. Beside him was ‘General Sky Radiance,’ whose body faintly pulsed with golden light, exuding a domineering pressure that weighed heavily on Dongbo Xueying. His expression darkened. “Not even bothering to restrain his aura? Is he deliberately trying to suppress me?”
General Sky Radiance, an eighth-level Star Tower expert, was notorious for his arrogance. Dongbo Xueying countered by manipulating his own rule domain to block the oppressive force.
One pressed, the other resisted.
The tension between them thickened.
“A mere Unity Realm brat, daring to sit among us?” General Sky Radiance scoffed inwardly, sparing Dongbo Xueying only a disdainful glance before ignoring him entirely. Known for his tyranny even among Chaos Realm experts, he routinely bullied weaker peers—let alone someone of a lower realm.
To him, Unity Realm cultivators were ants. Even Blademaster City’s own disciples trembled in his presence.
The thought of sharing the platform with one was an insult. But with the arrangement decreed by Cosmic Deities, he had no choice. Expecting him to greet Dongbo Xueying with a smile? Impossible.
—
“Esteemed guests.” A gentle voice resonated through the venue, echoing in every mind.
Heartshadow Patriarch began recounting the origins and rules of the Star Conference.
The event followed a simple structure.
First, the preliminary selection.
Over sixteen thousand genius cultivators would attempt the Star Tower. Based on their performance, the tower’s artifact spirit—impartial and precise—would rank them, selecting the top one hundred.
The mentors would then spend a thousand years observing these geniuses, who could seek their guidance. After this period, each mentor would handpick twenty promising candidates, regardless of current strength, adding another hundred to the pool.
Thus, two hundred would advance—half by merit, half by potential.
These two hundred would gain entry to the sacred lands as ordinary disciples.
After the preliminaries, they would receive resources, secret manuals, and guidance from the six sacred lands, cultivating for ten thousand years (or a million, accounting for time acceleration). For those previously lacking resources or instruction, this period often yielded breakthroughs.
Their progress would reveal their true potential.
—
Following the preliminaries and the cultivation period, the two hundred would compete in battles to determine the top five.
They would then reattempt the Star Tower. Based on their tower performance and combat displays, the mentors—after ten thousand years of close observation and personal guidance—would select another five.
In total, ten would emerge as the conference’s finest, receiving lavish resources and the freedom to join any sacred land.
Finally, the five mentors would deliver public lectures, sharing their wisdom with the countless spectators—a boon to the wandering cultivators in attendance.
With that, the grand event would conclude.
—
Below the Star Conference platform stood the sixteen thousand geniuses, gathered from across the sacred realms and the chaotic void.
Beyond them, an ocean of spectators filled ninety percent of the venue—residents of Blademaster City and travelers alike, all eager to witness the spectacle.
“Look, there’s actually a Unity Realm cultivator up there.”
“How strange.”
“Shouldn’t it be all Chaos Realm experts? Why is there a Unity Realm?” Murmurs spread among the crowd as they noticed Dongbo Xueying’s conspicuous presence on the platform.
“I heard one of this year’s mentors is a Unity Realm,” someone well-informed chimed in.
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