BOOM—

Suddenly, the sky exploded with the sound of thunder, and in an instant, the world turned pitch black. Wang Lan, startled, looked up, unaware of when a dark cloud had gathered overhead, with flashes of lightning moving within it.

Wild energy tides swept out, and all the Galaxy Stage experts in Modu City simultaneously paused, surprised, and looked up towards the sky.

"Five Emperors?"

"No, that star palace is even more profound... yet it lacks the trembling deterrence of the Five Emperors... It must be a powerhouse close to the level of the Five Emperors who has opened the star palace."

"Just the opening of a star palace has triggered such a celestial phenomenon... Who could it be?"

Compared to the guesses of the Galaxy Stage experts in Modu City, some top experts thousands of miles away immediately identified the one who had opened the star palace.

"Di? I didn't expect that among the five old immortals, it would be you who finally took that step!"

"Old fuzzy, you're a hundred years old, how did you do it?"

"Eld Di? At the age of a hundred, your vital energy is still flourishing, advancing even further! Congratulations are in order!"

While they were amazed that Eld Di had advanced, Wang Lan, who was right in front of Eld Di, was utterly shocked. Not by the terrifying aura emitted by Eld Di, but by the dazzling star palace.

The star palaces Wang Lan had seen, including his own, though they shone with stars and were mysterious and profound, seemed as if seen through a screen, like distant images. In Wang Lan's eyes, they were merely the world as seen, just a metaphorical representation of power.

But upon seeing Eld Di's star palace, Wang Lan felt as if he were right there in it, as if he were in the midst of the galactic universe, watching the movement of each and every star.

The star palace opened for a few seconds, then Eld Di closed it again. With a satisfied look, Eld Di watched Wang Lan's astonished expression. "What do you feel?"

"I feel... Your star palace seems alive, just like the universe we're in?"

"Hahaha..." Eld Di laughed. "Many people believe that the star palace is somehow connected to the universe around us. There are even theories about the origin of the universe that don't come from an explosion, but suggest that we're inside a particular star palace.

"Star Martial Warriors have their star palaces from the moment of awakening. Initially, there is only one star in the starry sky, bright yet dim.

"Then, the star evolves into Star Shine, emitting a radiance like that of a lamp or the bright moon. It illuminates the star palace, and one can feel the surging power within the Star Shine.

"As the Star Martial Warrior advances, the star palace will form a glowing Star Cloud, with countless stars nurtured within it. And when breaking through again, the nurtured stars converge into rivers that flow within the star palace. This is your current realm, Galaxy.

"In the Galaxy Stage, it's easy to feel the difference from the Starlight Stage. The Starlight Stage has one star, the Galaxy Stage has countless. Just like the power gap between the Galaxy Stage and the Starlight Stage.

"No matter how many Starlight Stage cultivators, they are powerless in front of someone at the Galaxy Stage.

"The galaxies will eventually converge into a sea. When the Galaxy becomes a Star Sea, all one sees within the star palace are stars. Every single one is a source of your Star Power. You think the star palace is just a representation of your power? In reality, the star palace is much more complex than you imagine.

"The star palace is always nurturing. What is it nurturing? To put it simply, it nurtures Star Power; more grandly, it nurtures the universe and even all things within heaven and earth.

"If you want to transcend, to constantly surpass, not just others but also yourself, then you must understand the star palace on a deeper level. The deeper your understanding, the further you'll go.

"No one knows what the star palace will ultimately nurture. The Star Sea realm merely lays out a canvas for you. What you paint on this canvas depends solely on yourself. Everyone is an artist, each with their own unique understanding.

"It's like what your mother says: the star palace is a universe formed by a convergence of stars, every shining star is a burning sun.

"Yu Qing says that the star palace follows laws, everything within it operates according to predefined rules. Wang Lan, who do you think is right?"

Wang Lan shook his head. "I don't know, maybe both are."

Eld Di chuckled. "Your mother doesn't think so. Phoenix once called the other four idiots, oblivious to the evident. Can't they just copy the universe? They can't even copy homework!

"Um... I just think, why should there be only one truth? Since the Qing Emperor became who he is and Mother became the Flame Emperor, it shows that their understanding is valid. What they believe in doesn't conflict at all."

"Hehe... That's a very simple truth!" Eld Di chuckled again. "Yes, what they believe is correct. But at the beginning, you can only choose one path to follow. So, what do you think the star palace is?

"Some questions are very simple for elementary students, difficult for university students, and even harder for graduate students. For example, could one plus one ever equal three?

"Elementary students will say, 'Certainly not, because one plus one equals two.' But what about university students? PhD candidates? The more knowledge one has, the easier it is to be shaken."

"I think the star palace is just a star palace!" Wang Lan said, guided by his inner thoughts. "Regardless of the direction or path, existence itself is reasonable. Just as the Headmaster said, the star palace is a canvas, free for us to paint upon. Is that acceptable?"

"Of course you can!" Eld Di affirmed. "Before the Galaxy Stage, the star palace transforms you. Through continuous breakthroughs and enhancements, you evolve from ordinary to extraordinary. After reaching the Galaxy Stage, it's your turn to change the star palace. How far you can grow ultimately depends on your choice.

"But remember, change is irreversible. Once you make a mistake, you can only continue on the wrong path, either waiting for an opportunity or facing complete destruction."

"Why?" Wang Lan was startled by this law Eld Di explained. He had initially thought of stimulating his creativity with boundless ideas. Yet, with those words, all his imaginative thoughts were shattered into oblivion.

"Because survival of the fittest is the primary law," Eld Di stated. "As I said, before the Galaxy Stage, the star palace shapes the Star Martial Warriors. From awakening to breaking through to the Galaxy Stage, Star Martial Warriors are constantly adapting to the rules of the star palace. How can you talk of change when the star palace has not even fully developed?

"After the Galaxy Stage, once the star palace has fully developed, it's like being in the primitive state at the dawn of the universe when species first emerged. From then on, every change to the star palace will directly reflect on your body along with the influence of that change.

"That step is crucial for almost everyone. In the language of ancient cultivation civilizations, it's called Foundation Establishment. It is the base of all further cultivation. Without subsequent cultivation techniques, after establishing a successful foundation, how one proceeds is left to one's own exploration, and it might not be possible to advance even in one's lifetime.

"Your mother succeeded in taking that step because of her phoenix form. When she established the eternal flame foundation, her phoenix form immediately evolved to the third stage, and thus, she ascended that stairway."

Hearing this, Wang Lan immediately understood. "Is Foundation Establishment akin to someone choosing their profession after completing nine years of compulsory education? Some people choose the right profession and have smooth sailing, while others who choose incorrectly achieve nothing?"

"This analogy... is quite illustrative," Eld Di responded. "But there is one prerequisite: Our world is still in a savage state without established paths, so every profession has to be explored and developed by Star Martial Warriors themselves. Pioneers encounter great difficulties, but if they successfully blaze a trail, those who follow can proceed along that path.

"The phoenix form is a path blazed by ancient practitioners, but it's a short one. After your mother completed the cultivation of her phoenix form, that path reached its end, and where to go from there... where she is now, even I do not know."

"Does Eld Di mean that I can follow the path my mother took?"

"You certainly can, but you still need to carve your own path afterward. Unless... you also go there."

"Where?"

"I cannot tell you now; wait until you've reached the Galaxy Stage."

"Alright. Thank you, Headmaster, for clearing my confusion."

"It's not a secret. When the time comes, you'll naturally come to know."

After parting with Eld Di, Wang Lan walked back to his dormitory. Essentially, Eld Di's points were no different from the novels he had read in his previous life. The realms beyond the Galaxy Stage are hard to reach because the cultivation techniques in the degenerate era are incomplete.

It required Star Martial Warriors with talent to pave their own way. And the key to paving that way lies in the star palace, which is akin to the dantian in martial arts novels, the inner mansion in cultivation novels, and the sea of wheels in fantasy novels.

Reaching the Galaxy Stage is akin to establishing the inner mansion, marking the start of a brand new journey.

Because of the phoenix form, Mother swiftly passed a significant milestone after reaching the Galaxy Stage and completing her foundation. The phoenix form could only bring her so far; she had nowhere to go for further cultivation.

Furthermore, Eld Di knows of a place that possesses subsequent cultivation techniques. But that place might be perilous, so he insists on waiting until Wang Lan reaches the Galaxy Stage to tell him. Perhaps fearing Wang Lan might sneak off there prematurely?

Thinking this, Wang Lan curled the corner of his lips.

Eld Di, you're giving me too much credit. Am I the impulsive type? I've always been about steady development, avoiding risks when possible, right?

Moreover, from what Eld Di implied, the place Mother ended up could very well be the one he mentioned.

However, what puzzled Wang Lan was, weren't there recent acquisitions of advanced cultivation techniques from the Fairy Cloud Sect for the country? With those six techniques, each more powerful than the phoenix form, shouldn't these methods carry one further than the phoenix form?

Wang Lan thought this way only because he didn't understand the hardship of cultivating without cheats. Not everyone has cheats like Wang Lan, for whom learning a Star Martial Skill is as simple as eating and drinking.

Once the nation got its hands on those Star Martial Skills, they were treated like treasures and immediately analyzed and studied. However, once the study began, it was headache-inducing. After all, these were cultivation techniques from Ancient Times, and their language and expressions had long since become obsolete.

And with such profound content, cultivating is no trifling matter; a slight mistake could result in death. To fully comprehend the methods of these Star Martial Skills would require at least a decade, if not longer.

Does obtaining a cultivation technique guarantee mastery of a peerless martial skill? What's the purpose of having a master, then? Masters could just write books for printing. If it were that easy, they'd give a stack of books to their disciples and let them read and practice on their own. If they fail, it's on them.

Additionally, the Soul Bead Imprinting of today is different from Ancient Times. Now, the imprinting of Star Martial Skills not only includes the cultivation method but also all the insights and techniques used in practice.

But the Star Martial Skills of Ancient Times were truly just pure content. That's why, after Wang Lan absorbed the Infinite Fire Skill, it turned into a skill manual. It was literally a book!

In this moment, Wang Lan couldn't help sinking into his Spiritual Sea of Consciousness and glanced at the system.

Having you is truly wonderful.

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