Chapter 2018: Can’t Even Compare To A Beast Pt.3

On the floating Star Observatory outside the Essence Luxuriant World,

Yuan Qiuyuan was working together with several Stargazers from the Institution’s Stargazing Hall, as well as two Stargazers from the Heavenly Star Palace, to strengthen the newly built observatory with various methods that enhanced their stargazing techniques.

Although the Star Observatory had long since been completed, and not long ago Yuan Qiuyuan and the others had even cooperated with Shang Xia in staging a performance there that successfully deceived a Sage, the structure was not merely a building. From bottom to top, it took the shape of a pyramid, with specific nodes and restrictions on nearly every level. Its many layered surfaces were inscribed with countless stellar runes and pathways.

Those nodes, restrictions, and runes required constant maintenance and occasional activation by disciples, Astrologers, and even Stargazers. The entire observatory was a vast, precise system, where every detail had to be maintained without error so that the Stargazers could maximize their arts of stargazing when using the observatory.

Under Yuan Qiuyuan’s supervision, the combined efforts of the Stargazing Hall and Heavenly Star Palace had reached the final stage, where they were perfecting the Star Observatory.

When finished, the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field would possess a powerful observatory, one superior in every way to the one that once stood in the Star Origin Dao Field.

Yuan Qiuyuan had even told Kou Chongxue and Shang Xia that once the Star Observatory was in full use, he had absolute confidence it could suppress the Stargazers of the Five Essence Heavenly Field if Xing Xingtian was taking charge of things on the other side.

At that point, having passed the most difficult stages of construction, those in the observatory were much more relaxed. They were chatting with each other idly.

And what they discussed was not the arts of stargazing or the observatory, but rather the Big Dipper Star Shift Steps that had recently become a hot topic among high-ranking cultivators of the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field.

"I just got word," said a Stargazer from the Heavenly Star Palace with interest, "That the beasts of the Spirit Frost World seem to have an exceptionally high compatibility with Sage Shang’s movement inheritance. Out of 12 rank five beasts, four succeeded in grasping part of its essence."

"That’s strange..." A Martial Dipper Realm cultivator of the Institution who was also an Astrologer muttered, "I didn’t expect those beasts could comprehend Sage Shang’s inheritance!"

"Though four out of twelve succeeded, it could still be a coincidence." Another high-level cultivator added, though his point seemed unlikely.

"Proving whether it's a coincidence is simple." Another suggested, "Bring over a dozen more rank five beasts from the Spirit Frost World. After all, among the four Spirit Worlds, the Spirit Frost World is the strongest. Even Patriarch Kou once admitted its strength surpassed that of the Spirit Abundance World and the Spirit Mammoth World. Bringing a dozen or so more beasts shouldn’t be hard!"

Another Martial Dipper Realm Astrologer added, "The Spirit Ruling World also has many beast clans. Bringing some of their high-level beasts to test out the theory will make everything clear.”

Many present nodded in agreement.

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"It’s already impossible!" A voice from nearby suddenly rejected the idea.

Recognizing him, someone called out, "Stargazer Zhang, why is that so?"

Zhang Yusheng answered with a smile. "The reason is simple. Sage Shang’s void imprints are nearly gone. They cannot withstand dozens more trials."

"Ah?!"

Everyone sighed with regret.

Zhang Yusheng laughed, "Why are you so surprised? Remember, it was our guys who first discovered the inheritance. Those of us on the observatory were the first to benefit before the news spread widely. Most of us had already made our attempts long ago."

Laughter rose quietly among those in the observatory.

But someone suddenly said, "Wait. Since we began perfecting the observatory after testing the imprints, we haven’t paid attention to others’ success rates. From the latest news, very few cultivators managed to resonate with it and comprehend the movement inheritance. Yet I remember when we tried, many of us did. The first two who discovered the imprints comprehended a part of it immediately, which drew everyone in. Stargazer Zhang, do you know how many from the Stargazing Hall and Heavenly Star Palace inherited the movement art?"

"Well..." Zhang Yusheng hesitated, glancing at Yuan Qiuyuan and a True Immortal of the Heavenly Star Palace.

Yuan Qiuyuan said calmly, "It wasn’t only the beasts of the Spirit Frost World who had a special advantage. We were the same."

His words drew everyone’s full attention.

"This is where we differ from the beasts... For us, resonance with Sage Shang’s void imprints is not tied to our cultivation realm but to our mastery of the arts of stargazing."

The revelation shocked the audience, even those who had personally touched the imprints.

Yuan Qiuyuan remained expressionless as he spoke again. "You don’t believe me? That’s because you don’t know the true figures. In fact, every Stargazer or higher from the Stargazing Hall or the Heavenly Star Palace who touched the imprints inherited a portion of it. Some more obviously, some less."

Gasps rang out again as Yuan Qiuyuan continued, "Even for those who hadn’t reached the level of a Stargazer, they still had a very high probability of receiving the inheritance. It is close to that of the Spirit Frost World’s rank five beasts."

Some immediately asked the Stargazers present for confirmation, and all received affirmative answers.

After all... There weren’t too many of them anyway.

"But why?" A senior cultivator from the Heavenly Star Palace wondered our loud. "Sage Shang isn’t even a Stargazer, and has no real knowledge in the arts of Stargazing. How can he create an inheritance that resonates so closely with us?"

This time Yuan Qiuyuan did not answer. Instead, Xin Lu, the other Grand Stargazer of the Stargazing Hall spoke. "What else can it be? Of course it’s because Sage Shang’s cultivation is related to the stars!”