Starry Sky Professional

“However, the Compendium of All Spirits is also quite dangerous. For the first visit, you must have a teacher to lead the way.”

Pan Xiong gleamed with a golden light as he escorted Fang Xing, Su Longyan, and Ouyang Qian like a radiant golden sun into the depths of Blue Star University.

“The Compendium is located in the 'special area' of Blue Star University, a place you can't usually access or even discover...”

Pan Xiong led the trio to touch down on the top floor of the grand library.

The university's library was built in a grand, square structure, appearing from above like a majestic jade seal.

But at the rooftop, there wasn't a soul in sight.

No, over by the stairwell door, there stood a sunshade with a beach chair set underneath.

A security guard who resembled a sleepy old man was leisurely lying on the chair, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan.

“Uncle Meng, how have you been holding up lately?”

Pan Xiong approached with a grin to greet him.

“Ah, it's Little Xiong…”

Uncle Meng opened his eyes and then glanced at Fang Xing and the others. “Bringing new folks, are we?”

“Yep, it's a school mission, no choice in the matter. Are there still slots available for the Compendium?”

Pan Xiong inquired.

“You're in luck, there are about ten more... though the freshmen will be arriving soon.”

Uncle Meng pointed with his fan.

A silver flash flickered in the air, and Fang Xing once again felt wrapped in a spatial bubble.

In an instant, the world transformed!

He found himself standing in a small, enclosed space. The skies were gray, the ground split and dark...

The whole place was silent and barren, with hardly anything in sight except a few teachers and students!

No!

At the end of Fang Xing's vision, a stone stele suddenly emerged!

A colossal stone stele towered to the skies, resembling a divine pillar propping up the heavens and earth of this realm.

Upon this stele were etched intricate patterns, akin to countless tadpoles swimming, or multi-headed serpents wildly dancing, embodying wind, fire, thunder, lightning, the waxing and waning of the moon... seemingly all contained within.

“Dragon... tiger... swords and blades... slaughter and death, life... all of it contained within?”

Fang Xing took only a cursory glance, his expression instantly betraying a hint of entrancement.

But the dreadful mental pollution that followed made his demeanor shift drastically: “This... this is... the Corruption of Evil Gods?! This is bad!”

His "Niwan Palace" suddenly radiated brilliance, subtle roars of dragon and tiger echoed around him, jolting him back to clarity.

Nearby, Ouyang Qian had blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, no longer daring to gaze at the obsidian stele.

Su Longyan, however, was mesmerized, struggling to avert her eyes: “Taiji, Yin and Yang...”

“How do you feel? Isn't it as if everything you've learned is contained within?”

Pan Xiong chuckled heartily: “In reality, that's precisely the case. As long as you keep comprehending, you can perfect your understanding, possibly even reach the pinnacle of mastery... but...”

“The comprehension process is accompanied by the Corruption of Evil Gods. What material is this stele made of?” Fang Xing inquired.

“You've figured it out? Indeed...”

Pan Xiong chuckled: “It's crafted from materials of an Evil God, not just any minion, but a particularly powerful Godson... you know, some mighty offspring of Evil Gods may even inherit their father's powers, similar to some of the weaker Low Order Dominators...”

“Only such a powerful Godson's body could hold myriad martial intents, even granting epiphanies... of course, the Corruption of Evil Gods has been tempered, not as potent as it originally was...”

“This particular Godson, forged into the stele, was immensely powerful. Later, he was slain by the combined might of numerous Martial Gods led by the first headmaster, using the ‘Martial Arts of Ten Thousand Spirits’, and their martial intent was firmly etched upon it... This is how the ‘Compendium of All Spirits’ came to be. To grasp the quintessence of martial arts within, one must endure the Corruption of Evil Gods. The closer you get, the stronger the corruption... Even at the fringes, only warriors of the Fourth Realm, with their courageous spirits, can withstand it. Those below, despite possessing A-Class martial skills or simulated intents, are largely helpless...”

Pan Xiong smiled: “I can even assure you that our advancements in virtual reality's martial intent simulation owe much to insights gained from the Compendium of All Spirits... With me here, you don’t need to worry about the corruption, explore to your heart's content, and discover your limits! So next time you enter, you'll be well-prepared.”

Hearing his words, Ouyang Qian said nothing, but like a spear, dashed directly ahead.

Su Longyan followed closely.

Fang Xing glanced around, finding it all intriguing, then calmly began to step forward.

Boom!

With just one step, he felt some unexplainable intent seep into his mind.

It was the dragon and tiger, dragon and elephant, or even... an ethereal step!

“The intent of ‘Dancing in the Sky’! It might even have been manifested by a Martial Saint or even a Martial God...”

Fang Xing found himself utterly entranced,

unknowingly moving forward.

Gradually, he noted that his skills in his attributes pane had improved once more.

And at the very bottom of the panel, a new subcategory materialized out of thin air:

【Dancing Air Steps: 1/100】

......

“Did I just inadvertently master the basics? No, I actually walked ten paces unconsciously!”

Fang Xing shivered, coming back to his senses instantly.

Looking around, he noticed Su Longyan had fainted at some point and was casually dragged back by Pan Xiong.

Ouyang Qian stood tall like a spear, yet he struggled to continue, his lips bitten to the point of bleeding, but he still pressed forward!

“Such insight isn’t about actively comprehending; rather, the essence or domain chases after you... Knowledge pursuing humans? Compared to the corruption of an evil god, it's another level of danger... The first principal was truly remarkable, coming up with this method to imbue martial will with qualities akin to evil god contamination...”

With firm steps, he overtook Ouyang Qian.

The young man watched Fang Xing's back with a tinge of unwillingness in his eyes, slipping into unconsciousness and being taken back by Pan Xiong.

Fang Xing ignored Ouyang Qian, feeling as if this place was a perfect spiritual haven for him!

‘If I continue here... not only can I perfect the Dragon's Intent, but even the Tiger Subduing Intent can swiftly reach completion, transforming into the Tiger Subduing Domain!’

‘The Dao pursues me, yet I pursue the Dao...’

His eyes held a trace of struggle as he passed by an older student.

This senior, whether a sophomore or junior, was only at the Gallbladder Courage Realm, watching in disbelief and resentment as Fang Xing overtook him.

“I’m nearing my limit.”

Gritting his teeth, Fang Xing could see the base of a jet-black stone stele from his vantage point, appearing as a shadow or perhaps like a monstrous creature baring its fangs and claws...

“Still... this is only my usual limit.”

A thought emerged in his heart as he meditated on the Great Sun Tathagata Mantra, his consciousness akin to a scarlet sun rising.

Whoosh!

The martial arts intents that actively infused themselves into him were immediately consumed by the Great Sun Furnace, causing this extraordinary martial art to begin its slow rise once more.

“I knew it, anything that voluntarily enters my sea of consciousness is just a gift…”

Fang Xing thought to himself, feeling the pressure on his shoulders dissipate completely.

However, seeing the slow progress of the Great Sun Tathagata Mantra, he knew he couldn’t afford to waste any more time and took a few more steps forward.

Finally…

He saw it, the creature carrying a stone tablet!

No! It wasn’t a monster; it was a dragon turtle!

With a dragon’s head, a turtle’s shell, limbs like phoenix claws, and a tail like a serpent!

“A Bixi from the Nine Offspring of the Dragon? Or perhaps…Baxia?! Is this thing the offspring of an evil god? That’s quite the joke…”

“But the offspring of an evil god shouldn’t be directly visible… This is the image after being distorted by the martial will of a Martial God, ‘weakened’ and ‘corrected’. Otherwise, wouldn’t letting a bunch of new students directly observe the offspring of an evil god risk driving a few insane?”

Fang Xing made a mental guess.

At this moment, he noticed beneath the stone tablet, on the jet-black turtle shell, a few distinct marks!

Even from a great distance, they remained sharp and vivid!

Through the distant sensation, he discerned a sword scar, two fist marks, a claw scratch, a palm print… and several indistinct traces.

The sword scar, extending to the heavens, carried a destructive aura, seeming to follow the connection of his gaze, it slashed straight into Fang Xing’s sea of consciousness!

“Great Sun Tathagata!”

He snorted coldly in his heart; the Great Sun Furnace emerged, devouring the sword light, and turning it into nothingness.

Simultaneously, fragmented memories of swordsmanship flowed through his mind like a small stream.

“Star Annihilation Sword?”

“Isn’t this the ultimate skill of Sword Autumn Martial God, the head of the Nine Swords Academy? Did she also come here to comprehend it?”

Before Fang Xing had time to think further, he felt a tremendous force surge towards him, sweeping him back.

“I never imagined you, kid, could reach the point of witnessing the true form of the Baxia…”

Pan Xiong looked at Fang Xing, full of admiration: “To achieve this in the Courageous Spirit stage, it seems I’m teaching an extraordinary student.”

"I don't know why, I just walked over... What's the story behind the fist marks and sword scars on that turtle shell?"

Fang Xing asked curiously.

"Those are the gifts left by the first headmaster for all martial artists. If one can delve deep enough into the 'Universal Spirit Record,' they can elevate their martial arts, uncovering new skills and techniques, possibly even surpassing S-rank ultimate martial arts... Sadly, only a handful of warriors have achieved this, each a peerless genius who dominated an era,"

Pan Xiong sighed.

"Beyond S-rank?"

Su Longyan's eyes widened. "The Federation's martial arts is vast and deep, easy to learn but hard to master... Even a martial art like the Great Dragon Stance can be cultivated to the Golden Core realm, but those surpassing S-rank, are they the legendary 'Exotic Martial Arts'? But aren't they supposed to be utilized with special abilities?"

"Martial arts beyond S-rank can indeed be Exotic Martial Arts, or they could be Star Martial Arts... or perhaps even just a singular sword move!"

Pan Xiong lamented, "The Federation's pinnacle martial arts have left their marks upon the Baxia turtle shell, such as the Star Martial Art—the Star Annihilation Sword!"

"Star Annihilation Sword? It's said that even among the best graduates of the Nine Swords Academy, few can grasp its basics..."

Su Longyan's eyes glimmered.

"And there's the Exotic Martial Art—the Space Severing Blade, which requires a spatial ability user to even begin practicing..."

"As well as the Mecha-complemented martial art—Armor Martial Art: Nuclear Flattening Palm! It's renowned at Sacred Armor University, and we have the lineage too, yet no one has comprehended it..."

Pan Xiong remarked with some regret.

"The Nine Swords Academy boasts the Star Annihilation Sword, Sacred Armor University is famed for the Nuclear Flattening Palm, so is our school most renowned for the Universal Spirit Martial Path?"

Fang Xing questioned.

"The Universal Spirit Martial Path merges with all spirits... Aside from the first headmaster, no one has reached that realm. Today, our university's martial department is best known for the 'Tathagata Divine Palm Sutra.' If you can one day condense the 'Tathagata Aspect' and combine it with the 'Tathagata Divine Palm Sutra,' you would be formidable even among Martial Saints and Martial Gods..."

Pan Xiong seemed to have high hopes for Fang Xing.

'Another Buddhist martial art, and it's the Tathagata!?'

Fang Xing glanced at his attribute panel:

【Great Sun Tathagata Mantra: 20/200】

His heart couldn't help but feel a bit bitter: 'This is indeed a great place to practice martial arts, especially for the Great Sun Tathagata Mantra. If I completely open myself and accept all comers, its progress might be astonishingly rapid... But in the end, will this turtle stele and Universal Spirit Record be entirely consumed... creating my ultimate martial path? But when that happens, will I still be myself?'

(End of Chapter)