Bing Jian spoke with dripping jealousy, his resentment plain for all to see.
Once, he had been the number-one prodigy of the Black Demon Abyss. After Hei Jian arrived, he was relegated to second place. Hei Jian's talent was monstrous, and he had already stepped into the Yang God Heavenly Venerable realm. Bing Jian conceded that he was inferior to him.
But... what was with Blood Robe?
Popping out of nowhere was one thing, but the old ancestor of Ziyuan Heaven had directly gifted him... Black Demon Ancestral Blood.
How could Bing Jian take that lying down?
The surrounding prodigies wore complicated expressions as they heard Bing Jian's complaints.
"If Big Brother Hei Jian had received the Black Demon Ancestral Blood, every one of us would have accepted it without a word."
"A newcomer to the Black Demon Abyss for less than a year, yet somehow qualified to receive the Black Demon Ancestral Blood? It really makes one..."
The gathered prodigies buzzed with discussion.
Bing Jian's expression darkened, the chilly aura around him growing heavier.
He even felt the urge to question his own clan's ancestor about why he had never been granted Black Demon Ancestral Blood.
Of course, it remained merely a passing thought.
An ancestor was a supreme expert of the realm of Great Ultimate Reason. Merely meeting one was no easy task, so how could he dare make demands? After all, unlike Ziyuan Daxue, he was not of the direct bloodline of Ziyuan Heaven's ancestor.
Right then, Ziyuan Xiaolu and Qi Yuan landed amid the crowd.
In an instant, countless pairs of eyes turned toward them.
Confusion, envy, jealousy, lust... All manner of gazes converged upon them.
Seeing this, Qi Yuan sent a secret transmission to Ziyuan Xiaolu: *There are way too many creeps and weirdos in your Black Demon Abyss. Both of us are dressed so conservatively—not revealing in the slightest—and yet so many people are staring at us!*
Ziyuan Xiaolu clutched the hem of her clothes, her toes curling inside her shoes as her face flushed slightly.
She desperately wanted to tell Qi Yuan that all these people were staring at him, not her.
"Stop ogling the girl! Can't you see Ziyuan Xiaolu is so shy she's clutching her little hands?"
"And stop staring at me too! I have social anxiety—if you piss me off, I'll slap you across the face!"
"Keep this up, and I'll report you for voyeurism and sexual harassment!"
In the end, it was brave Qi Yuan who stepped forward. Overcoming his social anxiety, he leveled a cold, defiant glare at the sea of stares.
The surrounding prodigies looked on in utter bewilderment.
They could hardly understand a word Qi Yuan was saying.
Ziyuan Daxue burst into hearty laughter. "If you lot want to look, go look at An Xunlu! She's the one wearing so little!"
An Xunlu's expression remained completely unchanged. To her, the physical body was merely a mortal vessel—only the divine soul truly mattered.
"Horned Sis, freedom of dress! No matter how An Xunlu dresses, we can't just ogle her!" Qi Yuan said.
"Hmph, last time you were preaching about freedom of speech, so why are you trying to muzzle me now?" Ziyuan Daxue retorted smugly.
Her words caught Qi Yuan completely off guard, giving him the dizzying sensation of his worldview collapsing.
Whenever he spoke with Horned Sis, she always managed to poke holes in his arguments.
With Qi Yuan's intellect, refuting her wouldn't normally be difficult. But he had always been poor with words—as a socially anxious, introverted "I-person" who was terrified of speaking loudly, struggling in debates was perfectly normal, wasn't it?
Most importantly... he couldn't be bothered to use his brain.
Racking his brain to persuade someone wasn't nearly as efficient as beating them into submission with his fists.
And so Qi Yuan fell silent, left entirely speechless.
At the same time, he reflected on himself. He still had plenty of shortcomings; his words were frequently full of holes and self-contradictions. How should he solve this?
*No, I need to comprehend an ultimate principle to patch this flaw!*
*In the future, when facing Horned Sis... I want to win without needing to use my brain at all!*
Qi Yuan thought earnestly.
He would save his brainpower for the Ultimate Principle Dao Discussion Conference. Brains ought to be exercised where they were truly useful. Constantly using them was far too tiring; they had to be properly maintained.
Meanwhile, Bing Jian's tangible gaze bore into Qi Yuan, as if trying to see through him to discover what qualifications he possessed to earn the ancestor's favor and be granted Black Demon Ancestral Blood.
Just then, a vast voice echoed from the heavens.
"Silence!"
"Listen!"
Within Black Demon Heaven, the sky abruptly dimmed, plunging into pitch darkness.
At the peak of the mountain, a white-robed man appeared, his robes billowing, his face handsome as carved jade, carrying an easy and unrestrained demeanor.
In stark contrast to the dreary gray tone of Black Demon Heaven, he was clad entirely in pristine white, resembling a ray of warm light.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Hei Jian!"
All the prodigies, including Bing Jian, lowered their heads, gazing from afar at the gentle, jade-like man atop the mountain peak.
Accustomed to playing his part, Qi Yuan also bowed slightly.
"Today, I shall instruct you all in the Dao."
Hei Jian sat at the mountain summit, his aura extraordinary, appearing like an immortal who had transcended the mortal dust.
An Xunlu looked toward Hei Jian, her eyes brimming with admiration and reverence.
No matter how wild or intractable the other prodigies were, they all showed awe in Hei Jian's presence.
Part of that awe stemmed from his immense strength as a Yang God Heavenly Venerable.
The other part came from his supreme talent, which even the Nine Elders of the Black Demon Abyss admitted was superior to their own.
"Thank you, Senior Brother!"
Nearly a thousand prodigies shouted in unison, sitting down together. The previous disputes and petty calculations vanished the moment Hei Jian arrived.
"Today's lecture concerns the Yang God," Hei Jian said, his voice refined and gentle, like a spring breeze.
Sitting beside Ziyuan Xiaolu, Qi Yuan looked rather indifferent. He sent a secret transmission to her.
*This is a bit beyond my syllabus. I'd rather hear about the Yin God.*
Qi Yuan was merely at the Purple Mansion realm. Converted to Blue Star terms, he was still a middle schooler; listening to advanced college mathematics was certainly over his head.
Ziyuan Xiaolu secretly replied, *Senior Brother's talent is peerless. You don't need to listen to his Dao.*
She looked toward Qi Yuan, her eyes filled with admiration.
"I am not one to rest on my laurels. I should listen to other voices to broaden my mind," Qi Yuan replied.
"Xiaolu also has doubts on her cultivation path. I wonder if Senior Brother might guide me when you have free time?" Ziyuan Xiaolu blinked, asking with anticipation.
"Mm... no problem," Qi Yuan agreed without hesitation.
Teaching someone cultivation? Who couldn't do that? Besides, he had plenty of clever, creative ideas.
"Thank you, Senior Brother," Ziyuan Xiaolu said, offering an adorable smile.
At that moment, Hei Jian began his lecture.
"The Astral Realm has no stars; heaven and earth are dark, belonging to Yin.
"Ancient luminaries witnessed light in wondrous domains and across the universe, roaming between Yin and Yang. Emulating the stars, they raised divine thrones, refining stellar phantoms that illuminated the myriad heavens, allowing the world to behold Yang...
"The path of the Yang God requires capturing the supreme Yang qi of heaven and earth, merging it into oneself to forge an immortal, imperishable, indestructible soul."
Hei Jian was expounding the purest path of the Yang God known to the Sixth Heaven.
To become a Yang God, one had to forge a stellar projection that illuminated the myriad heavens. For these prodigies, the most difficult part was precisely refining that stellar projection.
A stellar projection required capturing and tempering supreme Yang light from beyond the heavens.
In the Sixth Heaven, supreme Yang light was nearly exhausted; only a few colossal factions still preserved reserves of it. Alternatively, one might occasionally encounter light from beyond the heavens within certain wondrous domains.
Hei Jian went on to explain how to capture light from beyond the heavens, where it was most easily discovered, and how to capture it more effectively.
The prodigies listened with rapt attention, utterly entranced.
Listening to this, Qi Yuan's expression grew suspicious.
"Today's lecture concludes here. If any among you harbor doubts, you may ask."
Hei Jian appeared refined and poised in his white robes, entirely detached from worldly vanity.
Immediately, numerous prodigies stepped forward with earnest questions.
Hei Jian answered each one with meticulous care, devoid of any haughtiness typical of a Yang God.
At that moment, Qi Yuan suddenly stood up and asked, "Must the path of the Yang God be walked in this manner?"
Every gaze fell upon Qi Yuan, filled with surprise and curiosity.
After all, even if Bing Jian refused to accept Blood Robe, the deep favor shown to him by the old ancestor of Ziyuan Heaven demonstrated that his talent might only be secondary to Hei Jian's. His question might very well carry unique insights.
They listened attentively, curious to see whether a discourse between these two prodigies would grant them any inspiration.
"I have a bold idea," Qi Yuan voiced his doubt. "Capturing supreme Yang light is far too slow. Why not tackle it at the source? Go straight to another universe, seize a real star, and refine it! Wouldn't a Yang God formed that way be far more powerful?!"
The expressions of the surrounding prodigies immediately threatened to crack.
They had assumed this prodigy Blood Robe would deliver some profound, sweeping discourse. Who would have guessed... his words were utterly absurd?
Did something like that even need to be asked?
Setting aside where to find a real star in another universe, who among them had the ability to refine an actual star? A Yang God was indeed formidable, capable of destroying a star with a single strike. But they were merely Yin Gods, on the level of destroying ordinary mortal realms. The gap was far too vast.
Blood Robe's logic carried a bizarre sort of humor: *Want to earn a million a year? First, deposit sixty million in the bank.*
"The path of the Yang God stems from ancient luminaries, and there may indeed be other methods," Hei Jian explained patiently, refusing to dismiss Qi Yuan simply because the question sounded preposterous. "However, one must proceed with extreme caution. The power of a star is not something a Yin God can refine. The slightest misstep would cause one's divine soul to be utterly extinguished."
Hei Jian's response was simple: such a possibility might exist, but it was far too dangerous and strongly discouraged.
Hearing this, Qi Yuan felt that it made reasonable sense.
A Yin God was so weak it couldn't even swallow a star. Refining a star was pure wishful thinking! Thus, the path of the Yang God had to be taken step by step, capturing light from beyond the heavens and refining it into a stellar projection.
Yet right at that moment, a sudden spark flashed through his brilliant brain, and Qi Yuan's face went completely pale.
Ziyuan Xiaolu instantly grew anxious. "Senior Brother, what's wrong?"
"I think I'm about to die."
Qi Yuan felt immensely troubled.
He had refined a real sun into a Golden Core. According to normal logic, shouldn't he already be dead? After all, a Yin God refining an actual star would perish, and the only path of the Yang God was to capture supreme Yang light from beyond the heavens. His path had gone wrong.
Could it be that he was already dead, and everything happening now was merely a hallucination before his demise?
"Senior Brother, what's the matter?" Ziyuan Xiaolu asked with deep concern.
"Lean your cheek over here and let Senior Brother pinch it," Qi Yuan said with a gray, lifeless expression.
"Huh?" Ziyuan Xiaolu was puzzled, but she obediently leaned her face closer.
Qi Yuan gave it a pinch and asked earnestly, "Does it hurt?"
"N-no, it doesn't hurt," Ziyuan Xiaolu said bashfully. Even if it hurt, she couldn't say so, lest Senior Brother blame himself.
"It doesn't even hurt? Could everything really be fake—just a dying hallucination?!" Qi Yuan's composure collapsed.
He had never dared to pinch himself hard because he was terrified of pain.
Seeing his distressed state, Ziyuan Xiaolu panicked, completely unsure of what was happening. "It hurts! It hurts just a tiny bit!"
She didn't dare hide it anymore. She felt that when dealing with Senior Brother Blood Robe, it was better not to hold anything back and just be completely direct.
"It hurts?" Qi Yuan's eyes lit up. "So it's not my hallucination! But..."
He grew confused again.
Why hadn't he died, then? Didn't every Yin God die from swallowing a star?
Suddenly, an epiphany struck him, and everything became crystal clear.
*A Yin God dies from swallowing a star, but what does that have to do with me, a Foundation Establishment cultivator?!*
Right! He had refined the sun into a Golden Core and swallowed a star while at Foundation Establishment! Therefore, there was no problem whatsoever. It had all been him scaring himself.
Having figured it out, Qi Yuan felt a lingering dread, realizing how close he had come to terrifying himself to death. This also reminded him of his earlier conversation with Ziyuan Daxue. His Dao had flaws, and not minor ones at that! He absolutely had to comprehend an ultimate principle to patch this hole.
At this point, Hei Jian looked at Qi Yuan with a puzzled expression. "Blood Robe, with your mannerisms just now, do you have something you wish to say?"
After asking his question, Qi Yuan had acted utterly unhinged, drawing quite a few eyes.
Hearing this, Qi Yuan felt rather embarrassed. He couldn't very well admit that he had nearly thought himself to death, could he?
In a flash of inspiration, he blurted out, "Senior Brother Hei Jian, I want to report someone!"
Although Qi Yuan despised snitches, he fully supported reporting people openly and aboveboard. Thinking about this made him feel quite weary.
His proclamation left every prodigy present looking perplexed.
This Blood Robe... was truly more unhinged than the people of Ziyuan Heaven themselves!
"Report what?" Hei Jian asked.
"I want to report An Xunlu. She tried to sow discord between you and me, insisting that I could never surpass you, and claimed that I view you as my goal," Qi Yuan said solemnly.
The moment those words were spoken, silence fell over the entire gathering.
Immediately after, Ziyuan Daxue let out a laugh like a honking goose.
"Hahaha..."
Not far away, An Xunlu's eyes widened in utter disbelief.
The other prodigies struggled to hold back their amusement as well. Those words did sound exactly like something An Xunlu would say.
Sitting to the side, Bing Jian recalled how An Xunlu had once said similar things to him. Back then, he had been furious yet completely powerless. Now, seeing Blood Robe drag it out into the open, he felt a strange sense of vindication for some reason.
At the same time, his wariness toward Qi Yuan deepened significantly.
Originally, he had intended to challenge Blood Robe to prove he was still the first under Hei Jian. But now... with Blood Robe being this utterly shameless, how could he dare issue a challenge? If he uttered a single inappropriate word during the duel, wouldn't this fellow blow it out of proportion and broadcast it to everyone he met? How could Bing Jian ever show his face again?
*Do not go near Blood Robe. It will only bring misfortune.*
Such a thought took root in Bing Jian's heart.
He had to stay as far away from Blood Robe as possible in the future!
The other prodigies also looked at Blood Robe with expressions of distaste.
This guy... truly said whatever came to his mind!
At first, rumors had circulated that Blood Robe went around telling everyone he suspected the ancestor was his grandson, which they hadn't believed. Now... they believed it entirely.
"Blood Robe... cease your nonsense!" An Xunlu was on the verge of exploding with fury, her chest heaving violently.
"I'm not talking nonsense. I even recorded audio and preserved the evidence." As Qi Yuan spoke, he pulled out a shadow-recording stone. "Hei Jian, this An Xunlu is clearly a manipulative schemer trying to drive a wedge between us. You need to stay away from her. Don't let her swindle you out of your wealth and your body. A boy out in the world needs to protect himself."
Driven by a righteous sense of morality, Qi Yuan directly laid bare the truth.
"Big Brother Hei Jian, I didn't!" Mist welled up in An Xunlu's eyes.
Hei Jian stood atop the mountain peak, his expression calm.
Qi Yuan continued, "You rumormonger, now that your smear campaign has been exposed, you're playing the victim? Let me make this clear: I have never treated Hei Jian as a benchmark for comparison, nor is he someone I intend to surpass."
An Xunlu's gaze turned sharp as swords, her teeth gritted. "I suppose you simply don't dare compare yourself to Big Brother Hei Jian!"
"With so many people watching, you're still spreading rumors?" Qi Yuan remarked lazily. "When Hei Jian becomes a Great Ultimate Principle, then he can talk about being surpassed by me. Right now... he's not qualified!"
Qi Yuan's voice was placid, yet in that instant, it whipped up tempestuous waves in the hearts of everyone present.
Chapter 431