Chapter 376.1: Jin Lis Star

Chapter 376.1: Jin Li's Star

The air stirred as Qi Yuan threw a fast punch that somehow appeared slow.

The old man toppled straight to the ground. "Ow!"

Retracting his fist, Qi Yuan brushed off his sleeve and carried himself like a true grandmaster. He casually commented, "Not bad. You're just as strong as the opponents I faced when I was a Mortal Martial God. I defeated them all in a single move, every time. It seems some Titled Martial Lords really are no weaker than ordinary men."

To become a Spirit Martial God, he had battled nearly ten thousand Martial Lords alone. It always ended in one move. Even when facing the runner-up of the Martial Arts Tournament, the result was the same. To Qi Yuan, that made them equals.

The white-haired old fellow climbed back to his feet. "You little wretch, couldn't you go a bit easier on an old man?! Aren't you afraid I'll just lie down here and demand compensation from you?"

Over the years, the two had grown fairly familiar with each other. Although Qi Yuan had swallowed a sun more than a decade ago and the old man had spent a few years being so fearful about it, he'd adjusted his mindset. Well, if I die, I die.

Qi Yuan shrugged. "Not at all. We signed a contract before the match. Even if I owe you compensation, it is the Martial Arts Tournament that pays it, not me. Old man, see you around."

With that, he strolled back toward the spectator stands. Canary had been absent from the tournament for many years now. These days, the one cheering Qi Yuan on was Xie Xinsu the cat. Dressed in a little blue slip dress, she waved a tiny flag with her paws raised high. "Meow! Meow! Meow!"

Though she screamed as loud as she could, anyone could tell from her tone how unhappy and reluctant she was.

Qi Yuan reached over and scooped her up with one hand. His fingers instinctively slipped beneath the strap of her dress, stroking her. Xie Xinsu went quiet. She wore the look of someone who had given up all resistance.

Qi Yuan blinked. "Why does this feel a little spicy?"

Petting a cat without clothes on seemed perfectly normal, but slipping his hand under a dress to pet one was something else entirely.

Thus, he yanked off Xie Xinsu’s dress. "Yeah, better take it off first!"

***

In the Heavenly Origin Sect, Xiaomei stood with her head bowed. Fine rain fell like pearls.

The green-robed sect master's dark hair fell to her waist. She gazed into the curtain of rain, unease flickering in her eyes. "The crisis foretold by the Heavenly Origin Stone is drawing closer."

Xiaomei thought of Qi Yuan. "With him around, will there still be a crisis?"

The fact that he had swallowed the sun in a single bite shook the heavens and earth. Not even their sect’s patriarch would be able to do that.

The sect master replied, "The Heavenly Origin Stone is a supreme treasure. It cannot be wrong."

At that moment, a woman’s gentle voice sounded. "Indeed. It is impossible for the Heavenly Origin Stone to be wrong. It seems this world truly is destined for annihilation."

A woman in palace robes appeared. A veil covered the lower half of her face, leaving only her bright, lively eyes visible.

The sect master and Xiaomei hurriedly bowed. "We pay our respects to the patriarch!"

The woman in palace robes was none other than Yu Menxian, the founding ancestor of the Heavenly Origin Sect, who had descended from the upper world.

Yu Menxian tilted her head and stared oddly at the sky. "There are no stars reflecting across the heavens. This must be a strange land."

The upper world was the Nine Heavens, while the stars that filled its skies were Yang Spirits and the loved ones and subordinates they held dear. Every lower world and secret realm that fell under the Nine Heavens could see the stars. Yet there were rare, strange worlds that no such starlight could reach. Yu Menxian had only heard of such places before. This was the first time she had seen one.

Yu Menxian's voice was heavy with concern. "According to the Heavenly Origin Stone, the collapse of the Arch Star will even drag the Fire Spirit World down with it. The calamity cannot be stopped. You can only escape it by going to the upper world."

To her, it was only natural that strange worlds had such disasters.

The sect master asked, "Patriarch, does this mean not even you can solve it?"

In her heart, the patriarch was the mightiest being in the world.

Yu Menxian’s eyes were filled with respect. "Even the Heavenly Sovereign who rules over the sacred land where I dwell would likely be unable to resolve this, let alone me."

Thanks to the wondrous stone, she advanced to the Mythic realm in no time. Earning great merit within the sacred land gained her an audience with the Heavenly Sovereign, which granted her the ability to shine upon the myriad worlds. A Yin Spirit who could reflect across the heavens was in an entirely different class from an ordinary one. Naturally, her ranking within that sacred land was high.

The sect master was deflated. "Not even a Heavenly Sovereign of the upper world can resolve it?"

Yu Menxian's heart gave a sharp lurch. "Doesnt this world have its own Heavenly Sovereign? If the records you kept are true, then that Heavenly Sovereign is likely even more powerful than the one at my sacred land."

A Yang Spirit’s Dharma form was powerful, exceeding a whole world in size. Even so, it usually was roughly the size of a star. To have a Dharma form large enough to swallow a star whole was unimaginable.

Yu Menxian explained with certainty, "That said, a being like that would have nothing to fear from any Great Calamity. Even if this world were destroyed, he would survive."

Xiaomei slowly sighed in relief. A moment later, a trace of confusion crossed her face. "Patriarch, do you think he is still Qi Yuan?"

How could her brother, who had suffered from mental instability, become so overwhelmingly powerful in what seemed like an instant?

Yu Menxian murmured, "The Heavenly Origin Stone tells me he is the Qi Yuan of this world."

Xiaomei breathed in relief again. "That's a relief."

Then, Yu Menxian said with humility, "Could you arrange a meeting with this Heavenly Sovereign for me?"

Every Heavenly Sovereign was someone she looked up to. All the more so when this one appeared to surpass even the Heavenly Sovereign of her sacred land.

Xiaomei replied at once, "Of course!"

***

In the park, Qi Yuan held Xie Xinsu in his arms. He lowered his head, his eyes fixed on the running track, lost in thought. To become the Martial God of Ten Thousand Paths, I need to comprehend the myriad dao.. This running track... What kind of path is it?

Just then, a short-haired woman in light clothing wandered over, carrying a faint smell of sweat. "Hey, handsome. Your cat is really cute. I love cats too. Maybe we could exchange contact info?"

Qi Yuan didn't look up. "You also have a dao within you? Hm, I'm not interested in your dao."

He walked away with his cat.

The short-haired woman stood frozen, eyes wide. Then, something seemed to click, and she couldn’t help but say, "What a creep!"

Qi Yuan did not bother with her.

In these years, he had walked the world step by step, measuring it with his feet and contemplating the Great Dao. It bore a close resemblance to the comprehension part of the immortal dao. With his ability to perceive hidden information, grasping the Great Dao path came to him easily. Even the most difficult daos posed no great challenge.