Chapter 397 – Cuckoo, the Extraterrestrial Trial Begins

“With such a powerful ultimate skill amplifying my abilities, I still have four more to be unlocked…”

Lu Yuan’s eyes sparkled mysteriously, and his face naturally radiated an indescribable brilliance.

“When the time comes for The Convergence of Five Qi to the Origin, just how much will my combat power soar?”

Previously, Lu Yuan could not confidently say that a Grandmaster pure martial artist was on par with the martial arts of the Starry Sky.

Now, however, he had that confidence.

Compared to the martial arts of the Starry Sky, the path of a Grandmaster pure martial artist also holds infinite potential.

“The core of Starry Sky martial arts involves activating Star Acupoints within the body, continuously expanding the physical body to accommodate more cosmic energy.

It’s a path of grand, macro-level upgrades…”

Yuwen Tong is the best example of this.

Her natal star diagram contains over five hundred personal Star Acupoints, accumulating an immeasurable amount of cosmic energy.

Even a simple basic attack can produce an effect like a cascade of stars, overwhelming and crushing.

But the path of a pure martial Grandmaster is different.

Pure martial Grandmasters focus more on technique, on the microscopic aspects.

Their goal is to thoroughly excavate the internal treasures of the human body to achieve a deep harmony with the natural world.

At this point, Lu Yuan couldn’t judge which path was superior.

He could only continue on the path of a pure martial Grandmaster and reach a certain height before he could possibly know the answer.

“If only it were possible to cultivate both paths…”

Lu Yuan couldn’t help but sigh.

If he could possess the massive energy accumulation like Yuwen Tong, combined with the enhanced effects of a pure martial Grandmaster’s technique, his strength would definitely reach an ultimate, terrifying level.

“Unfortunately, these two paths are diametrically opposed; it’s simply impossible to cultivate both…”

“To cultivate one path, one must abandon the other.”

Lu Yuan sighed softly.

Switching to Starry Sky martial arts wasn’t out of the question.

As long as he firmly followed the teachings of the Origin Heart Sutra to activate the Star Acupoints, he could naturally succeed in switching paths.

Because of the Phoenix Essence within his body, the “certain death upon switching” issue had already been resolved.

This was also the true meaning of “rebirth through facing death” that he had learned through chaos divination.

Lu Yuan shook his head, casting aside these muddled thoughts.

He then switched his professional panel again, this time to the [Death Messenger (Extraordinary)] panel.

“[Death message on the way to the underworld], Dark River!”

A surge of death energy erupted from Lu Yuan, coalescing into the form of the dark river.

As his thoughts pushed forward.

Lu Yuan watched as the river of roiling death energy beneath his feet surged forward, his mind constantly revisiting the last Crow Dreamscape-where the crow deity Lamashtu had shown him the sweeping Styx enveloping the cosmic starry sky.

He repeatedly executed the only super killer move on the [Death Messenger (Extraordinary)] panel-the [Death message on the way to the underworld] skill.

Intertwining it with the underworld crow style martial arts, he continually refined his technique.

After numerous attempts, Lu Yuan’s mental power subtly fluctuated, clearly sensing that he had inadvertently touched the threshold of a “Miracle Domain.”

“Boom!”

At the moment he touched this “Miracle Domain,” the dark river beneath him suddenly swelled immensely.

And it emitted wisps of a terrifying aura of decay, withering, and extinction.

The surging dark river spread through the void, solidly washing over Yuwen Tong, who was acting as a “wooden dummy.”

With a thought, Lu Yuan’s consciousness instantly entered Yuwen Tong’s body.

From the perspective of being the target of the [Death message on the way to the underworld] attack, Lu Yuan felt the mighty river of death energy just as it washed over Yuwen Tong, only to be immediately countered by the vast cosmic energy automatically triggered within her.

However, another mysterious force infiltrated her body, starting to erode and consume her mental will.

Yuwen Tong’s strength at the tenth stage, with her mental will as powerful as a blazing star hanging in the cosmic starry sky, was far stronger than Lu Yuan’s mental power by countless magnitudes.

Typically, attacks on the mental level would likely melt away before even nearing her.

But this mysterious force emanating from the [Death message on the way to the underworld] managed to inflict a small, irreversible damage on Yuwen Tong’s mental power.

“This is… an attack on the soul.”

Lu Yuan felt the chilling pain originating from his soul as he silently withdrew from Yuwen Tong’s body.

“This must be the effect of the death energy… the essence of death.”

“It can directly harm the soul.”

Just like the crow deity Lamashtu showed him, where the Styx flows, the land becomes the realm of the dead, forcibly stripping life from all beings, causing even planets to completely collapse and perish.

“Unfortunately, I am still far from fully grasping the essence of death… Out of ten attempts, perhaps only once might I incidentally touch the fringe of this essence, managing to exhibit just a hint of its capabilities…”

Lu Yuan had a premonition.

The essence of death was undoubtedly much more powerful than the Ultimate Skill Strength and Ultimate Skill Fire he currently understood.

But undoubtedly, it was also much harder to comprehend.

If it weren’t for the crow deity Lamashtu’s personal “dream demonstration,” he doubted he could have even grasped this slight hint.

“No rush, take it slowly, bit by bit. I will eventually master it completely…”

Lu Yuan had a good mindset.

He had “skipped classes” before to master the crane style super killer moves, and he had succeeded by doing just that.

He was very confident.

After finishing his daily Grandmaster Meditation Battle cultivation, Lu Yuan exited the Consciousness Space.

At this moment, he was dressed in a loose, snow-white martial arts uniform, sitting cross-legged at the center of a dedicated training room in Linghexuan.

To one side was a window, and directly opposite him on the wall hung a large “Calm” character written personally by Liu Daoyuan.

Lu Yuan breathed rhythmically, the circulating blood and qi in his body ebbing and flowing with the rhythm of his breaths, continuously washing over a glowing cluster of Phoenix Essence in his chest.

It had been a month and a half since Chen Wu Hao left.

It had been almost two months since Lu Yuan returned from the Mosa Archipelago.

During this time, Lu Yuan had been diligently practicing in Linghexuan.

Scraping over the cluster of Phoenix Essence inside him for over a month, he finally began to see some results.

Lu Yuan’s blood pill grew larger, reflecting an increase in his strength attribute by one point.

During this time, he practiced daily with cold weapons, simultaneously increasing his master of arms level by 1-without a suitable sparring partner, his experience points were accumulating far too slowly.

Having earned 1 skill point and 1 attribute point, with 2 unused points remaining, he had a total of 3 points, which Lu Yuan used to enhance his intelligence points.

Thus, his current personal attribute panel displayed:

[Name: Lu Yuan]

[Age: 17]

[Strength Points: 36 (limit break 2)]

[Agility Points: 35 (limit break 2)]

[Constitution Points: 38 (limit break 2)]

[Intelligence Points: 38 (limit break 2)]

The mental power in his mind had grown to the size of a date pit, nearing the seventh stage.

“Neither Yellow Bear nor Mosa have sent any news…”

Lu Yuan stood up from the floor and walked barefoot to the window.

Two months had passed, winter was over, and the bamboo outside the house had begun to sprout emerald green leaves, bringing a hint of spring’s joy.

“Perhaps my information network is too limited.”

Lu Yuan had slaughtered most of the upper echelons of Mosa, and the entire Mosa archipelago had been sacrificed by Liao of the First Throne.

Such a major disturbance, he couldn’t believe there had been no response.

It might be that they hadn’t traced it back to him, or perhaps they had, but Yuwen Tong had suppressed it.

Lu Yuan mused casually.

Suddenly, a streak of green darted out from the bamboo grove and quickly approached him.

Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered.

It was a tiny emerald green bird, half the size of his palm.

With a short beak and lively eyes, its round shape was quite endearing.

Lu Yuan extended his hand, and the bird, seemingly understanding human nature, hopped onto his palm and gently pecked at his fingers.

Feeling relaxed, Lu Yuan casually played with the emerald green bird for a while.

Seeing it pecking continuously, he guessed it was probably hungry and thought about getting some food to feed it.

Just as Lu Yuan was about to turn around, the little green bird in his hand let out a crisp and familiar sound-

“Cuckoo!”

“Uh…”

Lu Yuan’s figure froze instantly.

His expression, one of utter astonishment, stared at the emerald green bird in his hand for several seconds.

Suddenly…

“Bang!”

Lu Yuan’s fingers clenched suddenly, crushing a large clump of air, causing an explosive sound to resonate throughout the room.

However, when he opened his hand, there was nothing in his palm.

In the next breath, the emerald green bird that should have been crushed to dust was flapping its wings again and delicately landed back in his hand.

“Hissss-huh-“

Lu Yuan took a deep breath in and then exhaled slowly.

The turbulent emotions inside him gradually settled.

Then, with an unexpectedly complex look, he gazed at the emerald green bird in his hand, both annoyed and somewhat helplessly saying, “Why… is it you again?!”

“Cuckoo!”

The emerald green bird tilted its head to look at Lu Yuan, seemingly oblivious to the disdain in his expression, and chirped rather cheerfully.

Lu Yuan pursed his lips, about to inquire how this “reincarnated” cuckoo bird had emerged from the Phoenix Egg.

And how it had found him again.

But before he could speak…

Suddenly…

“Beep beep beep-“

The mobile phone in the pocket of his martial arts uniform emitted a notification tone.

Lu Yuan’s expression shifted as he pulled out his phone to check.

Displayed on the screen was a message.

It was from “Lord Tong,” and it was very brief, just a few words-

[The extraterrestrial trial has begun. Get ready, I’m coming to pick you up now.]

Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered, no longer intent on questioning the cuckoo bird, he read the message and gently set down his phone.

“The extraterrestrial trial… it’s finally begun…”

…

The shuttle hovered silently over the desolate, abandoned parking lot, its streamlined body reflecting a dreamy, hazy brilliance in the sunlight, like a silver fish swimming out from the Milky Way.

The hatch opened, and Lu Yuan, now dressed in a combat suit, walked slowly into the shuttle.

Upon entering, he saw Yuwen Tong sitting by the window, holding a handheld game console, wearing headphones, and deeply engrossed in her game.

Clearly, Lord Tong herself had come this time.

“Good afternoon, Lord Tong!”

Lu Yuan greeted Yuwen Tong and naturally took a seat across from her.

As soon as he boarded the shuttle, it immediately started up and took off.

“You seem to be in good shape.”

Yuwen Tong looked up from her Game Machine, gave Lu Yuan a glance, and shared a smile with him.

Her gaze lingered on the area around Lu Yuan’s chest for a moment, but she said nothing.

This left Lu Yuan feeling a mix of helplessness and frustration.

What he held in his arms was, of course, the cuckoo bird that insisted on accompanying him.

Before coming, Lu Yuan was prepared to be completely honest with Yuwen Tong.

He was ready to tell her everything about the cuckoo bird’s origins if she asked.

However, Yuwen Tong neither spoke nor asked; instead, it made him feel oddly guilty, as if he were a thief.

“Yes.”

Lu Yuan could only respond offhandedly.

What followed was a long silence, filled only by the sounds of Yuwen Tong tapping the buttons on her Game Machine.

Lu Yuan finally took out the cuckoo bird from his embrace, letting it wander around in front of Yuwen Tong, hoping this would prompt her to ask him something.

But after Yuwen Tong finished her game and looked up again, she merely glanced at the cuckoo bird briefly before shifting the conversation to Lu Yuan.

“Mosa’s situation has become quite a spectacle; how did they get involved with you?”

Yuwen Tong’s first question caught Lu Yuan off guard, and he quickly retorted, “You knew?”

“I guessed it was you,” Yuwen Tong said casually as she removed her pink rabbit-eared headphones. “But Mosa has many enemies, and many people don’t know who exactly was responsible.

Distant Star might have a slight clue, but their attention is currently on me, so they probably won’t bother you for now. However…”

Yuwen Tong paused, her tone suddenly turning serious, “Once this extraterrestrial trial is over, the pressure on you might become quite significant… I hope you can withstand it.”

Lu Yuan was stunned, not fully grasping the meaning behind Yuwen Tong’s words.

Yuwen Tong’s scallion-like fingers tapped gently on the desk as she turned to look out the window and softly said, “After this extraterrestrial trial… I might have to leave.”

“Leave…”

Lu Yuan lingered on the two words that came out of Yuwen Tong’s mouth, thought for a moment, and asked, “To outer space?”

“Yes.”

Yuwen Tong nodded, “I’m almost at the end of the tenth stage. To go further, I must leave the planet to seek a breakthrough. Honestly, I’ve delayed this for too long already. It’s really time to go…”

Lu Yuan roughly understood what Yuwen Tong meant; a realm beyond the tenth stage could only be achieved in the cosmos.

And what Yuwen Tong meant by the pressure he might face after her departure was likely the pressure from the Distant Star Federation and Javier.

After all, with Yuwen Tong present, bearing the brunt of all pressures as the planet’s top combat power, everything was manageable.

Once she left, those pressures would fall on those just below her, the next level of top combatants.

Being one of the few ninth stage combatants from Xia State, this responsibility was inescapable.

“I understand.”

Lu Yuan nodded, his expression quite calm.

Having mastered the ultimate skill, he now had the qualifications to challenge super divine level mechas.

While he might not be able to infiltrate the Distant Star Federation forces as boldly and unimpeded as Yuwen Tong, coordinating with Yellow Bear to protect Xia State should be manageable.

“Right.”

Yuwen Tong looked at Lu Yuan with an encouraging and relieved gaze and continued, “Don’t be too anxious. Before I leave, I’ll resolve all the troubles that can be resolved at once, so it won’t be too difficult for you all.

Moreover, my departure should bring quite a few benefits to Xia State. The days ahead might even be quite prosperous for you all…”

Hearing this, Lu Yuan finally couldn’t hold back a question that had been buried in his heart for a long time.

“Lord Tong, has there always been… support from a starry sky advanced civilization for our native civilization on this planet?”

Yuwen Tong listened to Lu Yuan’s question, thought for a moment, and replied, “To say support isn’t quite accurate. More precisely, it should be seen as a selection… and, an exchange.”

“Exchange?”

Lu Yuan blinked, not quite understanding the meaning of the word at first.

“It’s like…”

Yuwen Tong pointed her finger upwards, explaining, “There are things they can’t achieve, things that they need us to do for them.”