CHAPTER 600: CHAPTER 469: TEST, STAR POWER

Before heading to Cloud City, Ye Lingyue also made a trip to the Black Valley.

She had Lan Cai’er wait outside the Black Valley while she entered to pick up Little Qiu Tian, the Cannibal Flower.

Months had passed since their last meeting, and Little Qiu Tian had grown much taller, reaching a height of around two meters.

After the black fog in the Black Valley dispersed, tranquility was restored, as it had been in the old days.

When Little Qiu Tian saw her long-missed owner, she waved her leaves joyously and let out chuckling laughs.

"Master, you’re so formidable, to have actually slain the Sky Demon Bei."

Little Qiu Tian had been staying in the Black Valley, and one day, when the black fog and the Eye of the Primordial Demon suddenly disappeared, she knew that Ye Lingyue had killed the Sky Demon Bei.

"Little one, don’t give me too much credit. While I did find the Yi God’s Void-breaking Bow, I didn’t have the chance to shoot and kill the Sky Demon Bei. It was someone else who killed it." Ye Lingyue didn’t dare take credit for it, as it was Wu Zhong who had killed the Sky Demon Bei.

"It wasn’t killed by Master?" Little Qiu Tian’s face was filled with amazement. Apart from the Yi God’s Void-breaking Bow, what else could shatter the Eye of the Primordial Demon?

Little Qiu Tian wondered.

Demons, unlike the Human Clan, had incredibly resilient life forces; even if only a wisp of a residual soul remained, they could recover completely with nourishment.

Back then, even the people from the Three Sects couldn’t completely annihilate the Sky Demon Bei, which is why they had sealed it in the Black Valley.

As the guardian of the Valley’s seal, Little Qiu Tian was certain that the Sky Demon Bei’s presence had completely vanished.

"Little Qiu Tian, the power of the Sky Demon Bei was astonishing. What exactly is his identity? Why did a demon of the Demon Clan appear on the mainland?" Ye Lingyue had never heard of a ’Sky Demon.’

"Master, I’m sorry, but I can’t say. There are things that will naturally become clear to you once your cultivation reaches a certain level. Also, the Sky Demon Bei is just the beginning. If you want to know more, Master, you must strengthen your cultivation." Little Qiu Tian was evasive, unwilling to directly answer Ye Lingyue’s inquiries.

Ye Lingyue couldn’t help but recall the last words that Yun Sheng had said to her when they had met earlier.

The Qing Province Continent was merely a tiny place. Beyond it lay a much vaster world, within which existed powerful heavens and earth, along with Heaven and Earth Restrictions that only after breaking through the Divine Power Realm could one glimpse into these matters.

Ordinary people could not access these Prohibitions, and rashly doing so could bring about a calamity that threatened life itself.

Thinking of this, Ye Lingyue understood Little Qiu Tian’s dilemma.

She no longer pressed for answers and transferred Little Qiu Tian into Hong Meng Heaven.

Upon entering Hong Meng Heaven, Little Qiu Tian immediately burst into exultant cheers.

Having been shrouded in Black Valley’s black fog for so many days, Little Qiu Tian had long missed Ye Lingyue’s Hong Meng Heaven.

Upon entering Hong Meng Heaven, she saw several fruit trees that were growing well; these trees were different from those Ye Lingyue had planted before, with lush foliage and branches bearing bright red fruits.

The Spiritual Energy in Hong Meng Heaven was abundant—slightly better than in Xingxiu Cave.

After moving one of the fruit trees, Ye Lingyue also planted several more using the fruit cores.

Over the months, these fruits had all matured, exuding an enticing aroma.

These fruit trees, needless to say, were the red fruit trees that Ye Lingyue had snatched from Xingxiu Cave.

Back when Ye Lingyue was in Xingxiu Cave, she relied on these fruits to stave off hunger. However, despite turning over every resource she could find, including the Hong Meng Notebook and Five Poison Treasure Record, she found no records of these fruits. Unexpectedly, Little Qiu Tian recognized them.

Unlike the naive Little Zhiyo, Little Qiu Tian was transformed from the Ancient Living Spirit, Lady Qiu Tian. With each bit of growth, she regained a part of Lady Qiu Tian’s memories.

This Chaos Red Fruit Tree, like Lady Qiu Tian, is a species from Ancient Times.

In the Ancient Times, it was known as a Divine Tree.

"The taste of this thing is pretty good. Little Zhiyo and I relied on it to fill our bellies when we were in Xingxiu Cave," Ye Lingyue said. She didn’t recognize the Chaos Red Fruit; she simply found it delicious and sweet.

"This, this, this... My master, you are truly squandering heaven’s gifts. Eating it raw can only absorb one percent of the essence of the Chaos Red Fruit. The best way to consume the Vermilion Fruit is to brew it into Vermilion Fruit Wine. For alchemists, it’s a great tonic that can significantly increase one’s Star Power," Little Qiu Tian was completely flustered as her master had wasted the Chaos Red Fruits so carelessly.

Upon hearing the words "Star Power," Ye Lingyue suddenly remembered something and took out a crystal ball.

This crystal ball was the very one that had fallen amidst the commotion when she had an altercation with Xue Pianran in the street.

Although she was unsure what Star Power was all about, since the crystal ball belonged to Xue Pianran, it must be something valuable. Thus, Ye Lingyue had kept it. It was only after Little Qiu Tian mentioned it that Ye Lingyue recalled having this item.

"Star Power is the higher-level energy that alchemists obtain after breaking through to the Nine Rank. Only by mastering Star Power can an alchemist transcend the Fang Venerate and take a step further, condensing it into a Solid Rank. Put simply, whether one can truly comprehend Star Power is the most critical step in becoming a Fang Venerate."

Little Qiu Tian, fearing that Ye Lingyue might not understand, used a simple and clear example.

Ye Lingyue suddenly felt a surge of spirit.

She was now an Eight Rank Alchemist and had long heard that the transition from the Nine Rank to the Fang Venerate was a life and death barrier for all alchemists on the mainland.

Countless alchemists spent their whole lives searching for ways to break through to become a Fang Venerate, but out of ten thousand people, perhaps only one might succeed.

Otherwise, the Daxia Alchemist World would not have had only Xiahou Venerable as the sole Fang Venerate for so many years. Individuals like Ye Lingyue’s master Long Yu, or Hong Mingyue’s grandfather Zhuge Yi, had all been stuck at the Nine Rank and were unable to break through in their entire lives.

Because most people spent their entire lives unable to sense the existence of Star Power.

One of the biggest reasons Xue Pianran was chosen as the Dan Palace Heavenly Maiden was that, from a young age, she was exceptional and could sense the presence of Star Power.

"Master, whether you can cultivate Star Power still depends on whether you can feel it. To find out, you only need to inject your spiritual power into this crystal ball. Star Power, like Elixir Pills, is divided into blue, yellow, and red grades, with red being the highest grade of Star Power," Little Qiu Tian reminded Ye Lingyue.

Ye Lingyue licked her lips nervously, stared at the crystal ball in her hands, and injected her spiritual power into it.

Inside the crystal ball, after a long while, there was no response; it remained clearly transparent.

Ye Lingyue distinctly remembered that the last time Xue Pianran used it, the color inside the crystal ball was yellow, proving that her Star Power was of intermediate grade.

Ye Lingyue couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed. Could it be that she was unable to grasp Star Power? If so, didn’t it mean that she would never become a Fang Venerate in her lifetime?

Without becoming a Fang Venerate, how could she contend with Chen Hongru and the Beiqing Pill Palace, avenging the Grand Ancestor Ye Wuming?