Chapter 757: Stars Enter Destiny, Divine Mastery at Will (6000)

Inside the hall, the atmosphere suddenly froze.

The Westerner with the high nose bridge smiled slightly and said to the scarred man:

"If you cannot make up your mind, you may go and consult the person behind you; I can wait for you."

The scarred man's gaze turned dangerous, but in the end, he held back and turned to look at his companion.

The companion immediately stood up and went upstairs to make a phone call.

A few minutes later, the companion came back downstairs and used internal energy to transmit his voice to the scarred man.

The scarred man looked at the opposite side:

"We can give you ten more cultivation methods for high-grade Dao foundations, plus ten top-tier martial arts. We want double the amount of goods originally agreed upon."

The Westerner with the high nose bridge on the opposite side shook his head:

"No, we want cultivation methods for top-grade Dao foundations and peerless-tier martial arts."

The probability of successfully constructing an ordinary Dao foundation is very low, and a Martial Arts Master is the limit.

The probability of successfully constructing a high-grade Dao foundation is relatively high, and the limit can reach a Grandmaster.

The limit of a top-grade Dao foundation is a Martial Saint!

As for peerless-tier martial arts, they involve Dao energy, which even Grandmasters will use.

Therefore, whether it is a cultivation method for a top-grade Dao foundation or a peerless-tier martial art, both are the closely guarded secrets of many top powers and are worth a fortune!

Apart from the Buddhist and Daoist factions, the One Hall, One Pavilion, Three Mountains, Four Sects, and Seven Great Families—these twenty top sects—only a handful of other sects and the imperial court possess cultivation methods for top-grade Dao foundations.

Even a Marquis is not qualified to exchange for this level of cultivation method from the imperial court; one must hold the rank of Duke!

Or, one must receive it as a reward and exchange for it from the Imperial Library.

For someone like Li Fei to be able to obtain a top-grade Dao foundation inheritance in a small local martial arts hall is already the treatment of a Child of Destiny.

That he can stay in the Imperial Library for three months and browse any secret manual at will is also an unprecedented privilege, which is enough to show the Emperor's deep affection and regard for him.

However, he had also previously sworn an oath that any content he viewed within the Imperial Library must not be spread externally.

"This is impossible!"

The scarred man decisively refused, "You are daydreaming!"

Peerless-tier martial arts could barely be negotiated, but the inheritance of a top-grade Dao foundation involved too much, so he refused decisively.

The Westerner with the high nose bridge looked at him: "We can give you four times the goods, ensuring you are absolutely safe."

"That is also impossible!"

"Then the deal is off; we are not in a hurry anyway."

The scarred man stood up abruptly, and his companion stood up with him.

The hall was filled with murderous intent!

"If the deal is off, the two of you will leave your lives behind!"

The scarred man stared fixedly at the other party and said word by word.

"If we die, you can forget about ever trading with us again."

The Westerner with the high nose bridge was unperturbed.

The scarred man sneered: "Do you think we haven't figured out your identity? Your real name is Tuso Leonard. Would your country of Deni let someone with royal blood die here?"

The man named Tuso was startled. He also stood up, bowed slightly toward the scarred man, and performed a salute with great grace:

"Indeed, I am a member of the great Destiny Family. Since you know my true identity, why are you still so confident that you can kill me?"

As his voice fell, that aura resembling the stars once again bloomed within the hall.

This time, Tuso's entire body was glowing, and it was getting brighter and brighter!

The formation of this small pavilion was triggered, masking everything inside.

But as the aura Tuso emitted grew stronger, a beam of starlight actually fell from the night sky, shining upon the small pavilion.

The pavilion's formation immediately began to totter.

The scarred man's expression changed.

He was not the only expert lying in ambush in this pavilion, but they did not dare to cause a scene.

They had thought the pre-laid formation was enough to cover everything, but they had underestimated the Westerner's methods.

"Destiny has guided me; I will definitely be safe and sound tonight."

Tuso said confidently.

"Damn it!"

The scarred man cursed, but in the end, he did not give the signal to attack.

Once the matter was exposed, the consequences were not something he could bear.

He could only have his companion go and consult their superiors again.

More than two hours later, after some haggling, both sides finally reached an agreement:

One side would provide a complete cultivation method for a top-grade Dao foundation plus a matching peerless-tier martial art, and the other side would pay a large amount of Star Stones.

The next evening, the scarred man brought three people to a warehouse.

The Westerner named Tuso was waiting there with his entourage.

The transaction officially began.

After some verification, the scarred man and the others left the warehouse carrying a heavy black iron box.

The four of them quickly disappeared into the night.

More than an hour later, in a dense forest on the outskirts of Lanling City.

The scarred man and the others took fist-sized, azure-blue, faintly glowing stones out of the black box.

These stones were Star Stones, a specialty of the Western Continent!

Star Stones could serve as excellent materials for the Dao of arts; whether for casting spells or refining treasures, they had infinite wonderful uses.

Besides this, Star Stones had another special function.

In the legends of the Western Continent, these stones originated from meteorites in the sky and could establish a connection with the stars above; if used properly, they could change a person's destiny!

One of the seven countries of the Western Continent, the country of Deni, possessed the most Star Stones and was also the country in the whole world that knew best how to use them.

The full name of the country of Deni is 'Destiny', which in the language of the Western Continent means 'fate'.

Therefore, this country is also called the 'Country of Destiny'.

The royal Leonard family of the country of Deni calls themselves the Destiny Family and controls the country of destiny.

Before the Western Allied Forces invaded the Great Lan Dynasty, the two continents had already discovered each other and had engaged in decades of trade.

More than forty years ago, after obtaining Star Stones, a new spell-casting material, a sorcerer combined them with the spells inherited from his sect to create a new spell—the Art of Star-Destiny Entry.

Casting this art can, to a certain extent, disrupt another person's fate!

More than thirty years ago, Hao Yi went into seclusion with a cultivation base at the peak of the Dao Foundation stage, intending to break through to the realm of Martial Arts Master.

At the most critical moment, he was struck by the Art of Star-Destiny Entry and ultimately fell short, failing his breakthrough.

More than thirty years have passed, and the same method will be used on Hao Yi's disciple!

In the dense forest, a complex formation had already been laid out on the ground in advance.

A person in a black robe stood at the edge of the formation, directing the scarred man and the others to place the Star Stones at the key nodes of the formation according to his requirements.

After working for more than ten minutes, dozens of expensive Star Stones were arranged within the formation.

Under the night sky, these Star Stones emitted an azure-blue light, truly resembling stars.

"Mr. Qi, are there any other instructions?"

The scarred man came to the side of the black-robed person and asked very politely.

"Guard the surroundings; do not let anyone disturb me."

The black-robed person's voice was very weathered.

"Understood."

The scarred man nodded, and then he and the other three dispersed.

The black-robed person lowered his head again to look at the starlight filling his eyes, revealing a look of intoxication.

He was not sure exactly when Li Fei would break through, so he had to cast the spell first to establish a connection with Li Fei's fate.

Once the connection was established, when Li Fei broke through, his own fate would naturally change, and he would sense it, thereby casting the spell to disrupt Li Fei's fate.

"Marquis of Jing'an, first in the annals of history—what a grand reputation."

A flash of excitement appeared in the black-robed person's eyes.

His name was Qi Jin, and he was a disciple of the founder of the 'Art of Star-Destiny Entry'. More than thirty years ago, it was he who used this art to disrupt Hao Yi's fate, causing him to fail his breakthrough.

Whether it was the status of a Marquis or the reputation of being first in the annals of history, both would bring Li Fei great fortune.

Trying to disrupt the fate of such a person would be extremely difficult.

However, more than thirty years ago, Qi Jin had only just entered the Possession stage; now, he had already built his Fate Bridge and condensed his true power, only one step away from becoming a True Person!

Moreover, he had several times more Star Stones in his hands than he did back then.

Therefore, Qi Jin was confident that he could disrupt Li Fei's breakthrough.

After all, when breaking through, even the slightest disturbance could lead to failure, and a disturbance at the level of fate was not only impossible to guard against but was also the most severe kind!

Furthermore, this method had another advantage: it was difficult for people to detect.

When Hao Yi was breaking through back then, enemies were simultaneously attacking the place where he was in seclusion.

In the end, Hao Yi only thought he had been disturbed by the enemies outside, coupled with his own mistakes, which was why he failed his breakthrough.

He had no idea that his fate had actually been tampered with.

And for Qi Jin, after successfully disrupting another person's fate through the 'Art of Star-Destiny Entry', he could receive feedback, thereby changing his own fate and improving his own cultivation!

The stronger a person's fate, the greater the feedback received after successfully disrupting it.

Qi Jin's aptitude is not particularly outstanding; cultivating to the Possession Realm was already his limit, and it is very difficult to continue moving upward.

But more than thirty years ago, he disrupted the fate of Hao Yi.

A peerless prodigy like Hao Yi possesses inherent destiny, so after succeeding, Qi Jin was able to cultivate to the peak of the Possession Realm and complete the "Fate-Bridging" and "True Power Condensation," leaving him only one step away from breaking through his realm.

It is just a pity that the key to performing the "Star Entry Fate Technique" is Star Stone, and Star Stone is only found in the Western Continent, and even then, it is a treasure of the Deni Kingdom's royal family.

Relying on himself, Qi Jin could not afford it at all.

Back then, it was a group of powerful nobles who paid a high price to buy a batch of Star Stone in order to deal with Hao Yi.

In the thirty-plus years since, Qi Jin has never performed the "Star Entry Fate Technique" again.

Now, in order to stop that Marquis of Jing'an from breaking through his realm, Qi Jin has many times more Star Stone than he did back then.

Li Fei's destiny is far greater than Hao Yi's was back then, so as long as he can succeed this time, Qi Jin is confident that he can use the feedback from this to break through to the True Spirit Realm in one go and become a True Person!

If not for such benefits, he would not dare to take the huge risk of making a move against a Marquis.

He began to perform the technique, and true power, as if it were substantial, was continuously injected into the great array on the ground.

In the woods, a strong wind suddenly blew, and the temperature plummeted.

The Star Stone on the ground shone brightly and connected together, forming a profound star map.

In the night sky, soft starlight fell, as if a galaxy were descending from the heavens into the mortal world, pouring into the great array!

Fortunately, the perimeter of the dense forest had long been set up with an array to conceal aura, and since this place was some distance from Lanling City, it did not alert the experts within the city.

A moment later, the great array was fully activated, and Qi Jin used the power of the Star Stone to establish a mysterious connection with the distant stars.

After more than thirty years, experiencing this feeling akin to ascending to the Immortal Realm again, Qi Jin felt his soul trembling to its core!

The quantity of Star Stone this time was greater, making him feel as if he had transformed into an immortal in the heavens, looking down upon the mortal world.

He quickly locked onto Li Fei's location using the information he had previously obtained about Li Fei.

"This is... True Power Condensation?"

Qi Jin's perception at this moment was extremely profound, and he saw at a glance that Li Fei's cultivation had reached a very critical point:

Li Fei was condensing true power!

"You motherfucker, you only completed the Fate-Bridging yesterday, and you can already condense true power tonight?!"

Qi Jin only felt his state of mind become unstable, and he almost exited his current state.

It took him over thirty years to reach this step, and after completing "Fate-Bridging," it took him more than three years to successfully condense true power.

And Li Fei, only took one day???

A fire of jealousy burned fiercely in Qi Jin's heart, and he wished he could perform the "Star Entry Fate Technique" right now to interrupt Li Fei's breakthrough!

But in the end, reason prevailed, and he did not do so.

Li Fei's destiny is already very strong; if he did not strike at the most critical moment, the "Star Entry Fate Technique" would be difficult to take effect.

He must wait until Li Fei is breaking through his realm to strike!

Qi Jin calmed his state of mind and began to cast the technique.

An intangible and formless starlight fell from the night sky, shining upon the Marquis of Jing'an's Mansion, silently penetrating the outer array, passing through the walls of the secret chamber, and landing on Li Fei.

Li Fei, who was cultivating at a critical point, was completely unaware of this.

A moment later, Qi Jin's consciousness withdrew from the great array, and a smile appeared on his face.

He opened his eyes, and the dozens of Star Stone on the ground had all become much dimmer.

These Star Stone could still be used one more time, and there were more Star Stone in the box, enough for him to set up an even more powerful array to activate when Li Fei breaks through his realm.

He successfully established a connection with Li Fei's fate tonight, and next, he could hide further away to set up the great array and wait for Li Fei's breakthrough.

Marquis of Jing'an's Mansion, inside the secret chamber.

Li Fei sat cross-legged, his entire skin appearing golden and radiating a metallic luster.

An extremely sharp and peerless aura bloomed from within his body, making him look like a peerless sword.

He was currently in the "Sword State," achieving a deep-level resonance with his own Flying Sword Body, thereby refining his own virtual intent.

The connection with his life-bound object was very tight, and coupled with his sufficiently powerful mental strength and the advantage of combining Dharma and martial arts, Li Fei found the step of "True Power Condensation" very easy.

In just one day, he was already close to success!

At a certain moment, a powerful sword Qi bloomed from within his body.

*Swish, swish, swish, swish*—

The floor of the secret chamber and the surrounding metal walls were slashed by the sword Qi, leaving behind dense sword marks!

Li Fei opened his eyes abruptly, his face showing joy.

He had successfully condensed true power!

Unlike other sorcerers, when others condense virtual intent into true power, this force is more like a form of psychokinesis, far less intense than a martial artist's strength, and the effect is very poor when used directly for attacks.

But Li Fei turned the virtual into reality; after condensing true power, this force was like sword Qi, sharp and peerless!

He withdrew his released true power and felt his spirit lift; the mental strength belonging to a martial artist was undergoing a transformation!

The mental strength was constantly condensing and concentrating, becoming purer and purer.

A moment later, Li Fei's mental strength seemed to have turned into a piece of flawless glaze!

His mind was clear, and the flesh, meridians, bones, and all branches of his implants within his body... every detail was reflected in his heart.

At this moment, Li Fei's mastery of himself reached an unprecedented height.

"Cleansing the Intent to Connect with the Divine."

He opened his eyes again, and a brilliant smile appeared on his face.

Back then at the Great Luo Sect's Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony, the Imperial Preceptor Xiang Yunshu had specifically fought for him to have an opportunity to comprehend the "Supreme Response Scripture" under the blessing of the Hear-the-Dao Bell.

Originally, he was the first person in the entire venue to reach the "Thirty-Three Heavens Immortal Realm" and could have taken the opportunity to complete "Cleansing the Intent to Connect with the Divine," with his mental strength advancing to the "Divine Connection Realm," equivalent to a Martial Arts Master.

As a result, because of his dual cultivation of Dharma and martial arts, there were "impurities" in Li Fei's mind that could not be cleansed, and he was ultimately stuck outside the door of the "Divine Connection Realm."

Now, he had truly achieved the integration of Dharma and martial arts; after the virtual intent condensed into true power, his dual-natured mental strength also took the opportunity to complete its breakthrough, logically reaching the "Divine Connection Realm"!

"Hmm?"

Li Fei's mind stirred, and he suddenly felt a trace of abnormality.

At this moment, he had just broken through to the "Divine Connection Realm," which was when his self-perception was at its most sensitive and clear.

He circulated his mental strength to carefully check himself, but he did not find any abnormalities.

"Could it be an illusion?"

Li Fei frowned slightly.

He trusted his own perception, but he simply could not find any problems.

After thinking for a while, he injected a strand of true power into the Dream-Like Order in his bosom and made contact with True Person Qingding.

As the saying goes, having an elder in the house is like having a treasure.

Not to mention an existence like True Person Qingding?

Carrying a "Grandpa" with him, he should naturally make reasonable use of him.

Li Fei informed True Person Qingding of the situation just now.

True Person Qingding pondered for a moment: "I don't understand martial arts cultivation, but a martial artist's sixth sense has always been keen, and you just broke through to the 'Divine Connection Realm,' making your perception even sharper, so it shouldn't be an illusion."

"Yes, I thought so too, but I can't find any problems right now."

Li Fei said.

"You can enter the 'Dream Realm' to take a look."

True Person Qingding suddenly said.

He did not understand martial arts, so his approach to solving problems was always from the perspective of sorcery.

"Dream Realm?"

Li Fei was startled.

He had not entered the "Dream Realm" for a long time, especially after knowing that the Supreme Elder of the Nightmare Sect had come to Lanling City, he had not used the Dream-Like Order even once.

"The Dream Realm can intuitively reflect your subconscious projection; many times your self-consciousness cannot detect any problems, but the subconscious can reflect some details."

True Person Qingding said, "You can enter the 'Dream Realm' to check your subconscious; you might discover something. This technique of the Nightmare Sect has many wonderful uses; don't just treat it as a technique for prying into others' secrets."

"Alright."

Li Fei quickly made a decision.

In any case, it was just to check his own subconscious projection; he didn't need to walk around in the "Dream Realm," and since he had already condensed true power, he could enter the "Dream Realm" without the help of the Dream-Like Order.

Theoretically speaking, even if that Supreme Elder of the Nightmare Sect were really monitoring him, he shouldn't be able to see any clues.

Thus, Li Fei used his own power to perform the "Gate of the Dream Realm" for the first time and entered the "Dream Realm."

He appeared in the secret chamber again, only this time as a subconscious projection.

He did not go to investigate the surroundings to avoid giving himself away; he just carefully checked his own subconscious.

And then he really discovered an abnormality.

A faint starlight was connected to his subconscious projection, and the other end stretched into the distance.

"Someone is really messing with me?"

Killing intent rose in Li Fei's heart.

He thought about it; as soon as he came out of seclusion, he defeated a Martial Arts Master and slapped the face of the Prince Cheng Mansion.

And he caused such a big commotion yesterday.

It was simply telling everyone: Laozi is awesome again, and will become even more awesome!

Under these circumstances, it would be strange if his enemies could remain indifferent.

After carefully observing the direction where the starlight originated and using the techniques of the Nightmare Sect to make a rough calculation, Li Fei reached a conclusion:

The subconscious projection at the other end of the starlight was not too far from him; it was just outside Lanling City.

He decisively exited the "Dream Realm" and stood up to walk out of the secret chamber.

Calling out to Lu Wenxing, Li Fei left the Marquis's Mansion without a sound.

Under the cover of night, he was like a block of iron devoid of any life force, not even making a sound as he moved.

Not only that, but the pedestrians on the street did not see Li Fei at all, as if he were transparent.

This was—Sword State: Shadowless and Formless!

The flying sword Li Fei refined already possessed the extraordinary ability to conceal aura and fly silently; combined with the Vajra Seal: Treasure Vase and the Nightmare Sect's "Leaf Obscuring the Eye" technique, the fusion of magic and martial arts formed a unique sword state.

Let alone Foundation Establishment martial artists and Possession-stage archmages, even Martial Dao Masters and True Persons would find it difficult to discover Li Fei in this state without special means of perception!

The only drawback was that his movement speed in this state could not be very fast.

It took Li Fei over an hour to exit Lanling City.

He stopped from time to time to enter the "Dream Realm" to check the subconscious projection at the other end of the starlight, ensuring his direction was correct, and then continued forward.

After another two-plus hours, Li Fei arrived in a valley.

On the outskirts of the valley, he sensed magic arrays used for surveillance, as well as hidden sentries.

He stepped into the range of the surveillance magic array quite casually, yet did not trigger it.

Sword State: Shadowless and Formless was not something that could be detected by surveillance magic arrays of this level.

As for those hidden sentries lurking in the dark, they were even less capable of discovering Li Fei.

Li Fei even walked directly past one of the sentries and headed into the valley.

Passing through three layers of surveillance magic arrays and seven or eight sentries along the way, Li Fei finally arrived at the depths of the valley.

Such tight security made him all the more curious about what kind of place this was.

Beneath the mountain ahead appeared a cave that was clearly excavated by human hands.

Outside the cave, two Strength-Refining martial masters stood guard.

This was not an obstacle, but there was a sturdy iron gate at the entrance of the cave.

He could not pass directly through that.

The simplest and most brutal measures are often the most effective.

Li Fei stood before the iron gate and entered the "Dream Realm" once more to confirm that the person at the other end of the starlight was indeed inside the cave.

He then exited the "Dream Realm" and revealed his figure.

The two guards stationed at the entrance were given a huge fright; a person had suddenly appeared before their eyes, as if they had seen a ghost!

Before the two could react, Li Fei raised his right hand, and rays of golden light bloomed from his palm.

Dao Strength—【Infinite Bright Fire】!

Thousands of golden rays pierced the darkness of the valley, illuminating the entire valley as if it were broad daylight.

These rays struck every single person in the valley with precision!

In the past, Li Fei would not have been able to accomplish such a feat.

As the dazzling light dissipated, dozens of martial artists scattered throughout the valley fell to the ground one after another.

This was—As-You-Will Realm!

(End of chapter)