Star Odyssey

Chapter 1583: No Choice

"There was no one in the right or wrong in this matter. He stole my Cosmic Sect's treasure for his grandson as he wanted to let his child to practice the Cosmic Art. However, the result of his actions most likely led to the child dying, and my Cosmic Sect's treasure was also lost." Elder Gong looked back at Lu Yin. "That treasure is actually the pattern on the bottom of your foot."

Lu Yin was puzzled. "How can a pattern be a treasure?"

Elder Jiu Shen solemnly explained, "It has been a very long time since anyone in my Cosmic Sect has been able to cultivate the Cosmic Art to its highest level. In fact, the Cosmic Art's highest level can only be reached with the assistance of this pattern. It is the realm that Progenitor Chen reached."

Lu Yin was shocked, and he looked down to stare at his foot; had he been stepping on the highest level of the Cosmic Art this entire time?

Elder Gong continued, "That pattern not only represents the highest level of the Cosmic Art, but it also conceals the secrets of Progenitor Chen. It was for this reason that the Semi-Progenitor was convinced that this pattern would allow his grandchild to cultivate the Cosmic Art."

Lu Yin suddenly understood why the appearance of this pattern had drawn out the sect's top elders and powerhouses. "Honestly, Elder, this disciple never knew about the importance of the pattern on my sole. Why don't you take the pattern away?"

Elder Jiu Shen angrily retorted, "Do you really believe that this treasure can be taken away so easily?"

Elder Gong felt exasperated. "We have no way of knowing how that old man took this pattern away from the Skystar Jade Wall back then, and in the same manner, we don't know how to take it back now. The pattern's been etched into the bottom of your foot, but it only appeared when your fatal energy center there was opened."

"Take off his leg," Elder Jiu Shen immediately suggested.

Lu Yin's mouth twitched.

Elder Gong shook his head. "There's no way it would be that easy to take back Progenitor Chen's secret."

Elder Jiu Shen stared at Lu Yin in a sullen manner. "Kid, I truly admire you a great deal. When you first visited Cosmo Hall, I even purposely appeared. Unfortunately, you are carrying my Cosmic Sect's treasure, so you can forget about ever leaving. You will stay here for the rest of your life."

Lu Yin blinked. "I don't have time for that. I'm busy."

Elder Jiu Shen sneered. "Do you think that you can escape?"

Lu Yin looked over at Elder Gong.

Elder Gong fell deep into thought.

Elder Yuan Shou could not resist speaking up. "Lu Yin, staying here will not be bad for you. You have that pattern, and if you stay here in my sect, you will eventually be able to cultivate the Cosmic Art to almost the same level as Progenitor Chen, and at that time, you'll be able to leave."

Elder Jiu Shen also spoke up, "That's true. No one has ever been able to cultivate the Cosmic Art to the highest level since Progenitor Chen. Even when the pattern was still in the Skystar Jade Wall, no one was able to use it to cultivate. You are different—the pattern is merged with your body. As long as you continue to cultivate the various levels of the Cosmic Art, the day will eventually come when you will be able to use that pattern."

"Lu Yin, this is an opportunity for you to change your fate! Once you master the highest level of our Cosmic Art, you will become comparable to Progenitor Chen! You will be the next Progenitor Chen," Elder Yuan Shou said temptingly.

"There's also the matter of Progenitor Chen's secrets, which are hidden within the pattern. You will eventually understand what they are, but they're Progenitor Chen's secrets. It's possible that the secrets might contain the Nine Clones Secret Technique, or possibly even what's behind Progenitor Chen's power," Elder Jiu Shen spoke up again. Every word he spoke carried a certain resonance, as this subject touched upon something irresistible to cultivators.

The two elders were blatantly cooperating with each other.

Lu Yin rolled his eyes. That old man from Driftcharge Planet had really put Lu Yin in a difficult position. At the same time, Lu Yin was relieved that he had gained this level of status. Given his present circumstances, even the Cosmic Sect would have a very difficult time forcing Lu Yin to stay within their sect. This was why the elders were trying to tempt Lu Yin, as they all understood that his current status made it very difficult for them to keep him incarcerated here.

The old man from Driftcharge Planet had not done anything to directly harm Lu Yin, but as far as Lu Yin was concerned, losing his freedom was the most terrifying thing in the world.

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"Boy, talk!" Elder Jiu Shen lost his patience. He was a powerhouse who was second only to Elder Gong within the Cosmic Sect; when had he ever been this patient with a youth and tried to tempt him? Jiu Shen was feeling stifled in such a way that he had not for a very long time.

Lu Yin respectfully answered, "I'm sorry, Senior, but this disciple has no desire to stay in the Cosmic Sect."

"Do you really think that you have a choice?" Elder Jiu Shen sneered.

Elder Yuan Shou quickly and quietly spoke to Jiu Shen. The more the elder said, the more shocked Jiu Shen became. He had been in seclusion for many years, and he was completely ignorant of what had occurred in the outside world. After being quickly updated, the man stared at Lu Yin in surprise. "Your status may not be low, but it's still useless. Even if you are a part of the Hall of Honor, you will still be forced to stay here with me."

Elder Gong suddenly spoke up, "Alright, there's no need to be so forceful."

Elder Jiu Shen had not expected Elder Gong to say such a thing. Elder Yuan Shou was only aware of a portion of the truth regarding Lu Yin, and he was still ignorant of many of Lu Yin's feats, not to mention his Origin Matter. On the other hand, Elder Gong was aware of almost everything. He knew that Lu Yin had received a great deal of attention from Arch-Elder Zen and Highsage Grandmaster, and neither would allow anything to happen to Lu Yin. If the Cosmic Sect tried to force Lu Yin to stay within the sect, it would lead to countless problems.

"You can officially join the Cosmic Sect, and you don't need to accept a master. Instead, you can oversee the outer disciples," Elder Gong suggested as he looked at Lu Yin.

Before Lu Yin could answer, Elder Jiu Shen immediately butted in, "Senior Brother, that can't happen. Outer disciples are not qualified to learn the higher levels of the Cosmic Art."

Elder Gong indifferently replied, "He's the same as us."

Elder Jiu Shen grew curious. "The same how?"

He quickly and drastically reacted, and he stared at Lu Yin in utter shock. "Have you been to that place?"

Lu Yin nodded. "I was there, and I succeeded."

Elder Jiu Shen was stunned. He was unable to see anything about this child, which meant that an absolute powerhouse was supporting Lu Yin and had hidden his cultivation. With the Hall of Honor and how readily Eversky Island had allowed Lu Yin to be an exchange disciple for a second time, it suggested that either Arch-Elder Zen or Highsage Grandmaster was backing behind this child. It was no wonder why Elder Gong did not want to force Lu Yin to stay in the Cosmic Sect.

"Elder, this disciple is willing to become a disciple of the Cosmic Sect," Lu Yin said respectfully.

Elder Gong said, "Given the fact that you refused to accept Highsage Grandmaster as your master, you clearly already have a master supporting you. It's understandable that you would not want to accept a master, even if it is only in name. However, there is one thing that is not up for discussion: on the day that you are accepted as a disciple of my Cosmic Sect, you will need to swear to never betray my Cosmic Sect and to always protect my Cosmic Sect."

Lu Yin's eyes flashed and his mind raced. Finally, he solemnly bowed. "This disciple understands."

"You all can leave. I will personally guide him in learning the fourth level of the Cosmic Art," Elder Gong stated, though he was actually asking Elder Jiu Shen and Elder Yuan Shou to leave.

Lu Yin grew excited. Having Elder Gong's personal instruction was a thousand times better than what even the sect's true disciples received.

After Elder Jiu Shen and the others left, Elder Gong grew more serious as he looked at Lu Yin. "That pattern on the sole of your foot can truly change your destiny. When you achieve great success in the future, you will become comparable to even Progenitor Chen. On that day, will you be willing to return to my Cosmic Sect and return this inheritance?"

Comparable to Progenitor Chen? It was impossible to know when that day might come, so Lu Yin said, "This disciple is willing."

Elder Gong lowered his head and stared intensely at the sole of Lu Yin's foot. The man's eyes belied his torn emotions.

Lu Yin asked out of curiosity, "Elder, what secrets do this pattern hide? Can this disciple know them?"

Elder Gong considered the request, and he eventually raised his hand. Stars revolved around the man's palm in a manner that was very familiar to Lu Yin, the Cosmic Art. "How can you be certain that the planet you are standing on did not come from the Cosmic Art?"

Lu Yin was momentarily stunned, and his scalp soon went numb as his mouth fell open wide. "You- are you saying-?"

"Don't say, don't say it. This is my Cosmic Sect's greatest secret." With that, Elder Gong led Lu Yin away from Cosmo Hall and traveled straight to the Skystar Jade Wall.

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A disciple was just about to enter, but he was pushed back by the elder, and the Skystar Jade Wall was then sealed. In private, Elder Gong proceeded to explain the fourth level of the Cosmic Art to Lu Yin.

The fourth level of the cultivation art required one to undergo the unique practice of opening the body's thirty-six fatal energy centers. Only after this was done could the fourth level be cultivated with the help of the Skystar Jade Wall.

Elsewhere, Elder Yuan Shou reported what had happened to Sect Master Yuan Qiong, and as he was speaking, Elder Yao Shan saw Elder Yuan Shou, and Yao Shan's eyes went red. "Yuan Shou, didn't I tell you to stall him for at least half a month? Why did you finish in just a day? No, it hasn't even been a full day!"

Elder Yuan Shou did not know how to respond, so he turned to look at Yuan Qiong.

Yuan Qiong informed Elder Yao Shan, "You can no longer make things difficult for Lu Yin. He will take the position of leader of my Cosmic Sect's outer disciples, and his status will be equal to your own."

Elder Yao Shan was stunned and confused by what he heard. "What does Sect Master mean?"

Yuan Qiong gave Elder Yao Shan an intent stare. "Elder Gong is currently instructing Lu Yin on the Cosmic Art."

Elder Yao Shan was truly startled by this revelation, and he grew pale. Elder Gong was one of the most powerful individuals in the entire Human Domain, and Yao Shan instantly understood what it meant for someone to receive the personal instruction of such a powerhouse.

Elder Gong shared the essentials of practicing the fourth level of the Cosmic Art with Lu Yin, and after the elder left, Lu Yin approached the Skystar Jade Wall and started studying the stars.

The fourth level of the Cosmic Art allowed the user to simulate 3,600 stars, which was almost five times more than the third level. Lu Yin's excitement mounted as he stared at the stars on the wall. 3,600 stars was only the fourth level, and the fifth level would allow the user to simulate 99,000 stars! The number of stars only continued to increase more and more until one matched the number of stars that Progenitor Chen himself had once simulated.

Lu Yin considered Elder Gong's question. Could the pattern that held the secrets of Progenitor Chen really allow a person to gain control of the stars that Progenitor Chen had simulated? If those places were now occupied, then would a person gain control of all those residing on those celestial bodies?

This was what the elders had been referring to when they had mentioned Lu Yin changing his fate!

That life-or-death catastrophe on Driftcharge Planet had truly changed Lu Yin's fate.

***

There were many hidden worlds in the Honor Zone that took all forms and shapes. Some had the appearance of flowing water, cards, light, or leaves. Among them, the hidden world that was Shamrock Enterprise's headquarters had the form of a clover. It looked like a perfectly ordinary plant that no one would pay any attention to, and no one would believe that this little plant was responsible for supplying over half of the Fifth Mainland's medicines.

Inside Shamrock Enterprise's hidden world, Yan stood in a respectful manner beneath a tree. He was clearly waiting for something.

This tree was truly beautiful, and it was covered with pink flowers. When the breeze blew by, flowers fell onto Yan's head and shoulders, but he did not dare to move a single muscle.

A day passed. Two. Three. A month went by, but Yan still did not dare move even though his head and shoulders were completely covered with pink flowers by this point.

"Lu Yin?" A pleasant voice spoke up from behind Yan.

The man's expression changed and he spun around to bow. "President."

A cheerful looking woman with a refined demeanor had appeared right behind Yan. She was wearing plain clothes and no makeup, but there was no hiding her beauty. When she raised a hand, the pink flowers fell to her palm. The color perfectly complemented her snow-white skin.

She was the Innerverse president of Shamrock Enterprise: Balsam.

Nobody would ever think that the person in charge of Shamrock Enterprise was actually a beautiful woman. For a long time, Yan had acted in Balsam's place, handling Shamrock Enterprise's affairs throughout the Human Domain. In fact, it was hard for even the company's top executives to see Balsam, and some people had never even heard of her. She was just as mysterious as Leaf King.

Yan treated Balsam with the utmost of respect, and he did not dare to raise his head. It was as though he was utterly terrified of the beautiful woman before him.

"This child caused you to fail?" Balsam asked softly. Her eyes were as tranquil as water, and her body gave off the fragrance of an orchid, which was exceedingly pleasant.