TIC Chapter 40: Calculating Ziwei and Gazing at the Constellations

Three days later, the results of the Golden Osmanthus Challenge were announced.

This year’s Golden Osmanthus Challenge could be said to be rare in history. Headmaster Yan of Shisong Academy once said that he was in awe of this century. There are many geniuses and prodigies, just like countless stars competing to shine.

All of this was perfectly reflected in this Golden Osmanthus Challenge. With countless geniuses gathered, it was destined to be a blood-boiling event that would shock the immortal world.

However–

The fact was that Snow Phoenix Mu Qingxue gave up the competition halfway, the two brothers from the Fang family gave up the competition halfway, Furong Pavilion’s Xia Yixian gave up the competition halfway, Xuyun’s Lin Fuqing… gave up the competition halfway.

As a result, if one were to count on one hand, only a few geniuses were left.

But it was Xuyun, who had always been a recluse, who stole the limelight this time.

Shen Xiaojiang, who had broken through to his foundation on the spot and was at the bottom of the cultivation level, unexpectedly squeezed into a lower-middle position in the final ranking.

The fifth disciple Song Youdu was a genius tool cultivator. Those with higher cultivation than him dared not fight him, for fear that they would be “relieved” of their magical tools. In the end, he made 22nd on the list, ranking first among tool cultivators.

The third disciple, Xun Mingsi, was once defeated by the little demon boy, but his attainments in the art of music were unquestionable, and he eventually ranked tenth.

The fourth true disciple, Ye Huaguo, practiced both medicine and swordsmanship. Her swordsmanship was even comparable to that of Sword Valley’s shixiong Xuanyuan Yi, only that her cultivation was slightly inferior. She finally ranked fifth.

However, these bright scenes that seemed extremely dazzling to others were not as good as another name.

Fang Zhiyuan.

In the end, he ranked first and won the golden laurel crown.

The crowning would be held a month later. Who could have expected that the calamity star of the Fang family would soar to the top of the Golden Osmanthus Challenge and be cloaked with supreme glory?

“—Absolutely disgraceful!!”

At the Vermillion Qilin Fang family residence, Fang Tinghai, the family head, had a ferocious look on his face. He flicked his sleeves and knocked over the tea set on the table in front of him. The celadon tea set worth tens of thousands of spirit stones, smashed to pieces on the ground.

“That evil beast…that evil beast!!”

Fang Tinghai’s eyes were red, and he muttered to himself. “Is this really the fate of the Fang family? If I had known this would happen, I would have been more ruthless and killed him directly!”

There was a commotion at the door, causing the servants to exclaim in surprise.

“Oh, young master…

“My Lord, you are not allowed to come in…”

Young Master Fang Chiqi stumbled in, looking like a madman. He’d changed significantly, his former handsomeness long disappeared, leaving only an emaciated body and sunken pale cheeks, like a consumptive patient.

“Father, father…father!”

Fang Chiqi’s eyes bulged out, and he trembled as he held his chest. He was now completely useless, and he would wheeze with his mouth wide open after speaking a few words.

“Fang, Fang Zhiyuan, that little calamity… deserves to die! Damn it!! You must… you must avenge your son… avenge your son!!”

A look of annoyance flashed across Fang Tinghai’s eyes.

He waved his hand and asked someone to help Fang Chiqi down.

The night of the incident, he’d thought about Fang Zhiyuan’s half inner core, so he’d personally and humbly invited Xia Tinglan to come over, all for the purpose of preserving his eldest son’s reputation as a genius.

Unexpectedly, just as Xia Tinglan arrived, the attendant he sent to retrieve the inner core told him in a panic that the secret passage had been opened and the inner core had vanished without a trace…

Fang Tinghai was so angry that he almost vomited blood.

It was over, it was over, it was over…

His great cause, his plot, everything was over…

—Comparing oneself with others could really make one angry to death. Fang Zhiyuan worked all night to refine the inner core back into his body. The pain he felt was no less than that of Fang Chiqi, but he was fine the next day.

Yet, when it came to Fang Chiqi, he was like a prince used to a life of luxury since childhood. He’d never suffered such a severe physical and mental injury, and even though Xia Tinglan had saved his life, he was bedridden for days like a cripple.

His temperament changed drastically. He cried and screamed all day long, which had already made Fang Tinghai extremely impatient.

How could Fang Tinghai not want revenge? He wanted to tear Fang Zhiyuan into pieces. After all, if those dirty secrets of the past were revealed, the Fang family would be doomed.

But the Golden Osmanthus Palace was determined to protect this evil star. How capable would Fang Tinghai have to be to even dare touch the person that Immortal Sovereign Lu was protecting?

At this point, almost half of the Immortal Realm was already secretly saying that the Fang family would never recover for the next few hundred years.

In contrast, Fang Zhiyuan was quite calm.

He was the champion in the previous life, and once again in this life. It was just one more time, not worth getting excited about.

He didn’t have time to be happy. Instead, he personally saw Lin Fuqing off.

Standing in front of Ziwei Pavillion’s large and noble millet boat, Lin Fuqing was dressed in white as usual, with his long hair tied up in a simple manner, his demeanor pure and beautiful. Ji Na stood a few steps behind him, waiting quietly for the two martial brothers to say their goodbyes.

Lin Fuqing was clear-eyed. He only said one sentence to Fang Zhiyuan, “Wait for me to come back.”

Fang Zhiyuan moved his thin lips, as if he had thousands of words to say, but in the end he didn’t say a single word.

He thought to himself with mixed feelings: It was three days earlier than in the previous life. In the previous life, when he’d won first place, his shige was ecstatic and focused only on celebrating with him, even drinking a little wine with him.

Lin Fuqing turned and left.

Fang Zhiyuan remained silent, watching him board the millet boat.

He watched as the millet boat rose into the air, carried by a strong wind, and sailed away.

Lin Fuqing stood at the stern and looked in the direction of Liuhua Continent.

He stood there for about half an hour, the wind blowing at his clothes. Then he sighed lightly and returned to the cabin.

……

Ziwei Pavilion wasn’t far from Liuhua Continent. By evening, they’d arrived.

Ziwei Pavilion didn’t belong to any landmass, but was suspended on the top of a mountain, as if reaching out to pick the stars.

The millet boat sailed in from above and was greeted by two ancient and solemn doors. When the doors slowly opened, it was as if a giant beast had opened its eyes.

After they’d left the boat, Ji Na dismissed everyone and said to Lin Fuqing, “Please follow me.”

Lin Fuqing followed Ji Na inside.

Along the way, they came across many disciples, all wearing long robes and walking slowly with indifferent expressions. Upon seeing the Holy Son, they bowed deeply, seeming to have the temperament of immortals not tainted by worldly affairs.

Ji Na treated Lin Fuqing with solemn courtesy. They first met with several elders, all of whom were powerful people with cultivation above Nascent Soul.

They discussed Wang Zhe, who was originally a star guardian without much presence yet had profound cultivation and a steady character. He’d broken through Nascent Soul about a month ago and was thus promoted to an elder.

The elders of Ziwei Pavillion were also puzzled and said with sad faces, “This person has always been well-behaved. How could he suddenly…Could it be that he was possessed by demonic powers?”

“Yes, the stars gave no indications at all. What is going on?”

Since Lin Fuqing already knew that Wang Zhe was the incarnation of a true god, he had some guesses after hearing this. However, he couldn’t say it out loud in front of this group of old-fashioned elders.

He was absent-minded. After confirming that the remaining elders were fine, he just asked them to be more careful and cautious, and then left with Ji Na.

Before coming here, Ji Na said he had something to ask of him.

Lin Fuqing knew what would happen next.

Sure enough, just like in his previous life, Ji Na invited him to enter the forbidden area and climb the Mountain, Sea and Star Terrace.

“The Mountain, Sea, and Star Terrace is the place closest to the stars.”

Saint Ziwei raised his sleeve and pointed. “My late master…in those days he performed divinations here, predicting the fate of the three realms. The same has been true for Ji Na.”

They were standing in the forbidden area, with star guardians guarding all sides. When they saw the Holy Son, they saluted and retreated.

Lin Fuqing looked in the direction Ji Na was pointing and saw long circular steps going straight into the sky. He could vaguely see a high platform suspended in the air under the starry sky.

The Mountain, Sea, and Star Terrace.

Lin Fuqing gazed at the long staircase, his mind in turmoil.

He’d returned to this place.

The young man back then was no longer young now.

He turned sideways to look at Ji Na. “Why did the Holy Son lead me here?”

Ji Na calmly said, “I have something to ask of you.”

Lin Fuqing smiled and said, “We have only met once and have only known each other for a few days. Why did the Holy Son want to ask something of me? And why do you think… I would definitely agree to your request?”

Ji Na looked back in surprise, as if he had not expected that Lin Fuqing would accompany him here so happily and would ask such a difficult question at the last minute.

“This is because you are…”

Ji Na paused, his expression still indifferent, but his eyes lit up slightly, very pure.

“You are the one chosen by Daoist Xuyun as destined to be a kind immortal who saves the world. You are also a little immortal praised by the immortal world, a person with great righteousness willing to take in those with yin bodies. You’re also the revelation given to me by the Purple Star Astrolabe.”

Ji Na took a step back and bowed. “Before I met you, I was respectful to you. After I met you, I felt sorry for meeting you too late.”

Lin Fuqing smiled. “I am very happy with your praise. Let’s go.”

He thought to himself, what a silly child.

Lin Fuqing followed Ji Na and went up the stairs.

When Ji Na invited him to the Mountain, Sea, and Star Terrace, he’d said to him with great anticipation, “There are seven thousand stars in the world, all arranged on the Mountain, Sea, and Star Terrace…I want to show it to you.”

In this life, he and Ji Na had not befriended one another. The Holy Son only regarded him as a benefactor who deserved gratitude and a destined person indicated by the stars. The phrase, “Pity we met too late” was also a light one, without much sincerity.

 

The Mountain, Sea, and Star Terrace was a forbidden area, guarded at the bottom by star guardians. Yet, once one walked up, it was spacious and quiet, as if one had stepped into a different world.

This was because astrology required absolute concentration, and disturbance by outsiders must be avoided.

As Lin Fuqing walked up, the long steps on his side gradually rose higher and higher, until they ended in mid-air.

He asked knowingly. “Hey, why is there no path?”

Ji Na looked up at the starry sky and began to hum softly.

The starlight above their heads seemed to be awakened from a deep sleep, gathering here, twinkling and flickering, and gradually condensing in front of them.

Eventually it turned into a complex galaxy that could be stepped on.

The steps of light suddenly appeared, and the stars paved the way.

Even though it wasn’t the first time he’d seen it, Lin Fuqing still could not help but exclaim in admiration, “The stars leading to the sky is indeed a magnificent sight.”

Ji Na raised his hand in invitation. “Please.”

Lin Fuqing was not polite either. He put his snow-white sleeves behind his back and took the lead to step onto the path of galaxy. The starlight under his feet rippled like water, sending him and Ji Na straight to the high platform.

The Mountain, Sea, and Star Terrace was surrounded by a sky adorned with starlight. Looking up, one could see that vast sky and the circling of stars seemed to be within sight. They were like countless silver lamps floating on the surface of the abyss, utterly enchanting.

Ji Na stood in the middle, light gathering between his hands.

The copper-colored Purple Star Astrolabe slowly appeared with a heavy aura, looking even more sacred and noble under the starlight.

“This is Ziwei Pavillion’s artifact, named the Purple Star Astrolabe.” Ji Na held the plate with both hands. “Ji Na made a divination, and I would like to ask Little Immortal Lord Lin to take a look.”

Lin Fuqing’s eyes dimmed, and he waved his sleeves, extending his hand. “Please.”

Ji Na sat on the ground, chanting and quickly making hand gestures with his white fingers.

The astrolabe began to slowly rotate.

Lin Fuqing sat opposite Ji Na. The Holy Son continued to chant, his hand gestures growing faster and faster. Yet, his brows were furrowed in increasing pain, and his face became more and more pale.

The formation on the Mountain, Sea and Star Terrace was awakened, and the starlight swirled to form a mysterious silver-purple rune. A faint light encircled Ji Na’s body, as if he was a True Immortal or a Buddha.

Above the Purple Star Astrolabe, the light was glaringly bright.

Ji Na finally pointed his finger, and the astrolabe spun rapidly, stirring up the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, creating projected waves that enveloped them both.

Lin Fuqing’s pupils shrank slightly.

Just like in his previous life, the astrolabe cast a revelation in his soul.

A prediction of the future.

The first thing he saw was a vast expanse of white.

In this white color, the three realms appeared, displaying all kinds of living beings.

Suddenly a drop of black fell.

Like a drop of ink falling on rice paper painted with various mountains and rivers.

Click.

The darkness began to spread wildly!!

It was a dark tide formed by yin energy, pouring from the sky.

It was the Immortal Calamity.

All the darkness and coldness seemed to be drawn by some unknown force and flowed down from the clouds.

Mountains and rivers became polluted, killing the grass and trees, and demons and humans became corrupted into mentally confused monsters.

At the end of the darkness and coldness was the source of everything.

A handsome youth looked up at the sky.

Fang Zhiyuan had a calm expression, his black clothes fluttering in the wind.

The Purple Star Astrolabe divined that the Immortal Calamity would descend on the three realms, and this was the cause of it.

Fang Zhiyuan stood in the void, looking small and vulnerable as the huge downpour of yin energy approached from overhead.

There seemed to be infinite emotions in those eyes, relief and unwillingness were wrestling with each other, grief and joy in deadly collision, perseverance and weakness frantically entangled.

It was like a dying spark trying to squeeze out the last bit of light, beating and splashing.

The dark tide of yin energy was like a black dragon with sharp claws and fangs opened, swooping down wildly.

In an instant, it pierced through the youth’s chest!!

Fang Zhiyuan closed his eyes and fell, and the yin energy swallowed him completely into its stomach.

He fell through the air as if he were falling into the deep sea.

It was the most tragic and desperate scene.

The Purple Star Astrolabe predicted it.

And told the stargazers on the Mountain, Sea, and Star Terrace.

………

A cold sigh echoed from the endless darkness.

“I’ve known about this hexagram.”

…….

Ji Na’s eyes suddenly widened.

It was as if fine electric sparks had exploded on his back, and a fatal omen tightly gripped his heart.

He felt like he was falling into an icy cave and subconsciously took a step back!

Water.

He’d stepped into shallow water.

He looked around and saw the dark cliffs on both sides, extending upward like two black fangs pointing to the sky.

It seemed to be a valley in a rift with water at the bottom. He stood alone in the abyss, with a strange and empty wind blowing across his wide sleeves.

–Where was this?

He turned his head and became even more astonished.

“Red lotuses?”

He had no idea where he was.

He clearly should be on the Mountain, Sea, and Star Terrace.

But, there were indeed red lotuses here.

Below the black cliffs on both sides, in the distance, there were large patches of blooming red lotus floating on the deep water, covering it with dots of red light, as if it was burning with a dazzling karmic fire.

Behind the magnificent red lotuses, at the end of the submerged cliff, stood a tall, white city that seemed to be sculpted from ice and snow.

Ji Na had never encountered such a strange sight before. He became panicked and doubtful, but in the end, he had no choice but to step into the deep water, part the dense red lotuses, and make way toward that white city.

At this moment, a shocking thought came to his mind.

He suddenly remembered that when the spiritual soul of a powerful being had achieved Tribulation Crossing, their sea of consciousness could form a small world of its own.

Could it be, could it be that his spirit…

Was drawn in the sea of consciousness of a great being at Tribulation Crossing?

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