Chapter 2026: The Moving Asteroid Sea

Aboard the Spirit Ark that was secretly heading toward the edge of the Chaotic Sea of Stars, besides Shang Xia and the Giant Ape King, there were also Chu Jia and Yuan Qiuyuan, the other hall masters of the institution. Naturally, several longtime assistants accompanied them as well.

In addition to those people, more than 20 elite cultivators in the Martial Dipper Realm from the institution had joined the expedition. They were led by Tian Mengzi, who had reached the Martial Void Realm.

Their main task was to undergo training in the starry skies beyond the Heavenly Field, and at present, they were the ones controlling the Spirit Ark.

In terms of years of cultivation and seniority, Tian Mengzi was even above Shang Xia, belonging to the same generation as Sun Haiwei. Even Shang Xia would address him respectfully as his Senior Brother.

Tian Mengzi had originally been second only to Sun Haiwei among the prodigies of the Tongyou Institution. However, because he was modest and steady by nature, his brilliance never shone as dazzlingly as Shang Xia’s or Sun Haiwei’s. Compared to Dou Zhong and others of that time, he seemed even less prominent.

In truth, though, Tian Mengzi’s cultivation had been steadily improving over the years. Each of his breakthroughs might have been slow, but every step was solid. Through steady improvement, he was close to breaking through to the third tier of the Martial Void Realm.

After Sun Haiwei’s sudden departure to establish the Invincible Pirates and roam the Chaotic Sea of Stars, Tian Mengzi had taken over her former duties, focusing on training new talents for the institution.

The elite cultivators on board the Spirit Ark were no longer students of the institution, although they looked young. For years, they had been carrying out missions within the Heavenly Field, growing rapidly. However, none of them had ever experienced training beyond the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field.

This time, they had been deliberately gathered and entrusted to Tian Mengzi. The institution clearly intended to cultivate them into capable individuals who could stand on their own in the future.

After the Spirit Ark departed from the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field, it followed a completely new route charted by their Stargazers. At first, the journey was calm and smooth. There were no incidents.

However, not long after they crossed the void near the 6th Starsea Market, they encountered a drifting Asteroid Sea.

During the entire episode, neither Shang Xia, the Giant Ape King, nor Chu Jia and Yuan Qiuyuan intervened. The task of withstanding the sudden change was left entirely to the cultivators of the institution.

Even Tian Mengzi merely stood on the deck as a final precaution. At times, he offered a word or two of guidance, but he never once lent his strength.

Meanwhile, on the main bridge, Shang Xia, Chu Jia, Yuan Qiuyuan, and the Giant Ape King clearly paid little attention to the storm. They laughed and talked casually among themselves, and only occasionally used their divine souls to probe the situation outside the ark.

"Hey, Little Yuan..." Chu Jia teased, "Your techniques don't seem all that reliable. How can you fail to detect such a massive Asteroid Sea in advance?"

As the [1] master of the Formation Hall, Chu Jia was the most senior among them. Back when Shang Xia was still just a student in the institution, she had already been teaching. There was nothing further to be said of Yuan Qiuyuan, who was of an even more junior generation.

Although Yuan Qiuyuan was now the Stargazing Hall Master, equal in status to Chu Jia within the institution, and highly esteemed throughout the Essence Luxuriant World and the Heavenly Field, her teasing still left the naturally reserved Yuan Qiuyuan embarrassed. He stammered with his face flushed, "Th-this... They were moving! It was an accident!"

Chu Jia seemed to take great delight in his awkwardness. Seeing him stumble over his words, she laughed loudly, her hearty laughter strikingly at odds with her elegant and refined appearance.

Yet her laughter did not ease Yuan Qiuyuan’s discomfort. It only made him feel more embarrassed.

Shang Xia, watching from the side, found the scene both amusing and frustrating. Smacking her head, he quickly stepped in to defend Yuan Qiuyuan. "Alright, alright, you know very well Little Yuan is like this. Stop teasing him. This Asteroid Sea wasn’t present when he first charted the route. It clearly drifted here only recently."

Yuan Qiuyuan, after composing himself, said softly, "Actually, it was also my fault. I haven’t been conducting regular observations these past days. Otherwise, such a massive Asteroid Sea drifting through the void should have been noticed ahead of time."

Shang Xia waved it off. "If you had to do everything yourself, what meaning would there be in this trial for those outside? Besides, even if you don’t observe the void constantly, you still have other Stargazers and Astrologers under you. They can’t rely on you alone forever."

Yuan Qiuyuan first nodded, but then added, "Still, this Asteroid Sea seems unusual. It doesn’t look like it drifted naturally through the void. It feels more like it was suddenly pushed here by some external force."

"Oh?" Chu Jia and the Giant Ape King were both startled. Quickly, they realized what Yuan Qiuyuan was implying, and their casual demeanor grew more serious.

But they soon noticed that Shang Xia’s expression remained unchanged, as though Yuan Qiuyuan’s deduction had not surprised him in the least.

"You already knew?" Chu Jia asked immediately, well aware of how sharp Shang Xia was.

When Shang Xia nodded, she pressed further, "Then who’s behind this?"

The Giant Ape King, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke in a deep voice. "This Asteroid Sea may have come from near the spatial vortex..."

Chu Jia and Yuan Qiuyuan were both stunned. They turned toward Shang Xia for confirmation.

"It is indeed from the spatial vortex of the Distant Star Region," Shang Xia affirmed, then added with a smile, "But this drifting Asteroid Sea truly was just an accident. The clash between two Sages from that region sent shockwaves through the void, and those shockwaves happened to push this Asteroid Sea sideways, bringing it across our route."

Neither Chu Jia, nor Yuan Qiuyuan, nor the Giant Ape King questioned how Shang Xia knew two Sages had been fighting there.

Some things could only be understood once one had reached that level of cultivation.

"The Distant Star Region?" Chu Jia frowned. "I wonder how things are over there now." She turned to Shang Xia to ask again, "Do you know something about it?"

Shang Xia shook his head. "My information is already outdated. But based on the most recent reports, the infiltration by other Star Fields reached a very serious stage. The spatial gate that was previously destroyed seems to be rebuilding itself. All signs point to the Distant Star Region likely becoming the first target of invasion by those in foreign Star Fields."

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