Chapter 319 – Hidden Star, [Scholar of the Mysterious Department (Extraordinary)], [Chaos Divination]

[Legend has it that the third generation Xia King obtained a piece of meteoric iron that fell from the sky. He then gathered the best blacksmiths from all over the Xia State to forge this meteoric iron into a powerful weapon – the Sovereign Sword that symbolizes the Legacy of royal authority, thus establishing the foundation for a millennium-long reign of the Xia State.]

Lu Yuan sat by the window seat in the Library, reviewing the information he had just found.

The story about the Sovereign Sword of the Xia State cannot be wholly attributed to legend, as the data indicates that the so-called Sovereign Sword is currently housed in the Ancient Artifacts Museum of Xiabang.

For a mere one hundred and twenty, one can purchase a ticket to witness its true form.

The data included a photo of the Sovereign Sword, an ancient sword with a dark hue, covered in intricate patterns over its length.

Of course, Lu Yuan wasn’t really interested in the heavy artifact, the Sovereign Sword.

What intrigued him were the derivative materials mentioned in the introduction of the Sovereign Sword-

[It is said that after forging the Sovereign Sword, the third generation Xia King used the leftover meteoric iron to cast a short dagger, two feet in length.

This short dagger inherently possessed extraordinary characteristics. Each time the sun set, the dagger would autonomously fly out of its sheath into the vast night.

It would slay malevolent beings, feed on the foul blood overnight, and return before the first light of dawn touches the earth.

From then on, not only did Xia State have the Sovereign Sword to shine brightly, but also the demon blade to cleanse evil, making the nation’s destiny even more secure.]

“So this is the origin of the demon blade,” Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered as he scrolled down through the data, noticing there were no images of the demon blade.

Whether the legend was true or not remained uncertain, probably just a borrowed name.

Lu Yuan recalled the conversation he had with Han Xun-

“You should be aware of the existence of the Evil Martial Alliance within the ancient martial arts world.

In fact, Yellow Bear’s research into the power of the evil deity predates the Evil Martial Alliance by far.

That was during the height of the Evil Deity Sect’s rampage when the official forces initiated a sweeping operation, capturing many people. ‘Demon Blade Plan’ began at that time as well.

Those eligible to participate in the plan had the perfect ability to integrate multiple, at least one, power of the evil deities.

The official forces then screened out those not contaminated by the power of the Ancient Evil Deity, retaining complete independent wills and strong enough to command the power of the evil deity.

These individuals were referred to as the demon blades.

Each demon blade’s prowess escalated rapidly, astonishing many people as they emerged, much like you now. You are very likely one of the contemporary demon blades, perhaps even the most successful product of the ‘Demon Blade Plan’ in recent years, only you are unaware of it.”

“Many national organizations have similar individuals, just with different names.

Within our Yellow Bear, they are referred to as ‘demon blades.’ In the Distant Star Federation, they are called ‘Arbiters.’

However, they all share a general term-Hidden Star.”

“Demon blade, Hidden Star.”

Lu Yuan murmured these two terms, his eyes flickering slightly as he whispered to himself.

“So would a supernova be equivalent to the Sovereign Sword?”

Supernovas shine brilliantly; each one is a nationally recognized prodigy, considered the backbone of the future.

In contrast, Hidden Stars operate in the shadows. Hidden Stars’ strength lies in the power of the evil deity, which is not something to be openly acknowledged.

One represents light, the other darkness, each symbolizing the pinnacle of talent in their respective domains.

According to Han Xun, one of the top ten in the current global combat power ranking is actually a Hidden Star.

“No wonder, the first time we met, Yuwen Tong mentioned that my innate evil martial arts constitution would be valuable to her.

She probably intended that if I couldn’t practice the Starry Sky martial arts, she would guide me towards the path of a Hidden Star.”

With this thought, Lu Yuan felt much relieved about being unable to activate his Star Acupoint and shifting to the Starry Sky martial arts.

As long as his strength could steadily increase, regardless of the means or path, it would not disappoint Yuwen Tong’s efforts in cultivating him.

“Even if I, as a Hidden Star, crush a supernova, I would still be considered a genius, and Lord Tong would still smile and clear my shopping cart.”

Feeling a bit more relaxed, Lu Yuan closed the information file and randomly picked up a book about mythical legends from the side to read.

Although his eyes were on the pages, his consciousness was actually focused on his professional panel.

[Student] and [Ancient Language Expert] successfully merged, but Lu Yuan hadn’t yet taken the time to thoroughly study it.

The new profession created by merging these two auxiliary professions also seemed to lean towards being supportive.

Its name was – [Scholar of the Mysterious Department (Extraordinary)].

Lu Yuan quite liked this profession’s name.

He turned his head slightly, observing his reflection in the window glass.

Black hair like silk, fair skin, refined features, tall and well-proportioned build. He wore a light gray turtleneck sweater on top and black casual pants on the bottom, holding a book in his hands.

Handsome yet scholarly, with a hint of mystery glimmering in his deep-set eyes.

Both in appearance and temperament, whether “Mysterious Department” or “Scholar,” fit him perfectly.

“This is my true calling; I was born to be a learned and wise scholar, and I’m so interested in mysticism,” Lu Yuan reflected.

After his brief reverie, Lu Yuan glanced at the dark and bare professional panel.

The panel also showed three yet-to-be-unlocked skills, making him hesitate.

Just moments ago, he was convinced this was his true calling, but now that it required real investment, he felt a bit reluctant.

“Currently, I have three skill points, and two of them definitely need to go towards improving [Three Flowers].”

“So, let’s spend one skill point and see what I get.”

It took Lu Yuan quite a while to make up his mind.

Mainly because the general extraordinary professions didn’t significantly enhance his abilities anymore, while the main professional panel was in dire need of skill points. If only he could split one skill point into two.

With that in mind, Lu Yuan chose to unlock and light up one of the basic skills on the [Scholar of the Mysterious Department (Extraordinary)] panel.

[Congratulations, you’ve acquired a new profession skill-Level 1 Chaos Divination]!

A notification popped up quickly.

[Chaos Divination]?!

Lu Yuan blinked, completely unexpecting such a skill to appear.

Divination?

Was this leading him down the path of becoming a fortune teller?

Lu Yuan tried to activate the skill and the feedback he received was that divination requires a tool, the results are not entirely accurate, there is a possibility of failure, and the more specific the target and the more clues provided, the higher the success rate and accuracy of the divination.

“So complicated?”

Lu Yuan frowned slightly.

After some thought, he decided to use the mythical legend book in his hands as a divination tool.

As for the divination target…

“Let’s ask how I can resolve the current conflict between the Pure Martial Artist Grandmaster and Starry Sky martial arts?”

“Is this question too difficult for a Level 1 professional basic skill?

Is there a penalty for failed divination?”

Pushing aside these doubts, Lu Yuan chose to activate the skill directly.

Level 1 [Chaos Divination] activated!

On the professional panel, the skill lit up.

At the same time, a swirl of gray mist quickly rose in Lu Yuan’s once-clear eyes.

The mist churned, and Lu Yuan’s hands began moving on their own, rapidly flipping through the pages of the book he was holding.

Soon, he had flipped through the entire thick book.

The gray mist in his eyes quickly dissipated, his vision returning to normal clarity.

“Uh…”

Lu Yuan blinked, bewildered.

“Is that it?”

His mind was blank, he didn’t receive any feedback regarding the divination result.

“Did it fail?”

Not willing to give up, Lu Yuan continued to activate [Chaos Divination].

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Quickly, he went through over ten attempts.

The repetitive sound of flipping pages even drew puzzled looks from people reading at nearby tables, but Lu Yuan still didn’t get any results.

Well, not completely.

At least he learned that there was no cost or penalty for failed divination.

“More than ten tries without a single success, this failure rate is ridiculously high.”

Lu Yuan exhaled lightly, looking at the book in front of him, almost worn out by his attempts.

“One more try, just one last attempt.

If it fails again, I’ll give up for now.”

With that determination, Lu Yuan activated Level 1 [Chaos Divination] one final time!

The moment the skill activated, gray mist filled his eyes, and the pages of the book in his hands began to turn.

But unlike the previous ten attempts, Lu Yuan realized that this time, the pages were turning exceptionally slowly.

The gray mist in his eyes gradually twisted into a vortex as it churned.

Suddenly, the book in his hands felt incredibly heavy, so heavy that he couldn’t turn the pages at all.

The liquid mental power in his mind flowed like floodwaters towards his hands and the pages of the book.

With this surge of strength, Lu Yuan managed to turn a page with great difficulty.

The page was densely covered with text, but only one word stood out clearly to Lu Yuan – [through]!

Then came the second page.

The third page.

The fourth page.

“Whew, whew-“

The gray mist in Lu Yuan’s eyes dissipated, and he collapsed onto the book, panting heavily.

His head throbbed painfully, a sign of severe mental power depletion.

His heavy breathing drew more disapproving glances from others, with one girl wearing pink down jacket and glasses even gesturing “shush” at him.

Lu Yuan forced a strained smile and nodded apologetically.

Unexpectedly, the girl blushed instantly and quickly buried her head in her book, avoiding his gaze.

Ignoring her, Lu Yuan began channeling his blood sphere to help restore his mental power. With a complex expression, he extended his fingers and traced out – Rebirth through Facing Death – on the book’s title page.

This.

This was the solution he divined through [Chaos Divination] for resolving the conflict between the pure martial artist and Starry Sky martial arts paths!

“Rebirth through facing death… Does this mean I’m supposed to not fear death and just keep training blindly?”

Lu Yuan rubbed his temples, frowning deeply.

He had tried this countless times in the Consciousness Space; every attempt led to certain death with no exceptions!

Of course, in the Consciousness Space, he would simply return to reality upon dying, so he had no idea what would happen after death.

“Could it mean that I might have a chance to live again after I die?”

“Where lies this opportunity for rebirth?”

“Is it the Golden Finger professional panel that binds my soul?”

“Or perhaps one of the three deities-crow deity, elephant deity, and Deity of Hunting-will save me, resurrecting me and bringing me back to life?”

“Come to think of it, there’s a possibility. The crow deity Lamashtu, who governs the River Styx and controls life and death-I do have a bit of a rapport with her, having bathed together. Maybe she’ll guide my soul posthumously, transforming me into a warrior of the underworld, returning as a champion! Then, I’ll be unbeatable!”

A wry and self-mocking smile appeared on Lu Yuan’s face.

It was too far-fetched.

So far, the outcomes deduced within the Consciousness Space had never been wrong.

He could attempt endlessly in the Consciousness Space, but in reality, he had only one life; death would be final.

There was no way he would gamble his only life on a few almost non-existent possibilities.

“Rebirth through facing death, rebirth through facing death…”

Shaking his head, Lu Yuan decided to erase the invisible words he had written on the title page.