「That night.」

The bright moon hung high, perfectly round.

Fang Yang stood within a remote palace.

He sat cross-legged on a mat, holding the [Meteorite] Spiritual Object and absorbing the light of the moon and stars into his body.

The Meteorite was something he had obtained on his trip to the Wuxi Ferry Crossing.

Its main function was to allow his spirit to roam the cosmos on the night of every full moon, letting him sense and communicate with that desolate star.

Just then, the Meteorite began to glow with a faint, orange-yellow light, and his body resonated in response.

Specks of starlight spilled from his body in turn.

Meanwhile, within his body’s Void Acupoint True Essence Sea, the sea’s surface was lowering bit by bit.

In response, he followed a mysterious, profound pull. In a state between waking and dreaming, his spirit once again roamed beyond the sky.

At this moment, he seemed to have once again transformed into the Wild Beast Carp Eagle.

In the form of a Fire Eagle, he traversed the cosmos and descended upon the same desolate star as before.

The desolate star was dim and lightless. Compared to the brilliant, massive stars surrounding it, it looked utterly forlorn.

Gazing at it, Fang Yang followed his heart and began to inscribe the Dao charm contained within the [Fierce Flame Pill Cauldron] onto the star’s surface, bit by bit.

RUMBLE...

At the same moment, the [Fierce Flame Pill Cauldron] within Fang Yang’s Void Acupoint True Essence Sea began to roar, gradually transforming into a ball of light.

It cast the reflection of a fiercely burning, fiery star, like the ancient planet Mars, and began to undergo an exceedingly profound transformation.

Under these conditions, the Carp Eagle’s phantom, in its Fire Eagle form, evolved at an incredible speed. The eagle part of its body was tempered bit by bit, rapidly approaching 17% completion.

Such progress was astonishingly fast.

However, given that Sen Hui had been constantly preparing all sorts of medicinal meals for him and giving him extra help on the side, this speed was to be expected.

「Outside the remote palace.」

A willow tree stood proudly in the snow.

Beneath it, Sen Hui was stroking the Yimu Guqin, silently sensing the aura Fang Yang had left upon it.

Suddenly, she seemed to feel something and looked up.

She saw moonlight and starlight pouring down from the heavens like a river, flowing directly into the palace.

"The power of the stars?" Sen Hui murmured, glancing to the side.

A smile then touched her lips. "Coincidentally, my brother gave me a related Spiritual Object that I have no use for. I’ll give it to Ah Yang."

「A quarter of an hour later.」

Fang Yang strode out of the remote palace, looking utterly pleased with himself.

It was clear that after tempering the eagle part of his form to 17%, he was in an excellent mood.

Snow drifted down, and willow branches swayed.

’I wonder... what benefits I’ll receive if I can manage to reawaken that desolate star?’

Fang Yang lowered his gaze, lost in thought.

But before he could ponder it further, Sen Hui appeared before him, a radiant smile on her face.

Fang Yang was taken aback, unsure of her intentions.

But in the next moment, Sen Hui gently closed her hand, and a ball of brilliant moonlight materialized in the air.

The brilliant light gradually faded, revealing what was inside.

It was a piece of white, divine iron. It wasn’t large, but it bore a strange marking on its surface.

The mark was incredibly mystical. Though composed of only a few simple strokes, it looked as if the moon itself had been engraved upon the metal.

[Moon Core Iron]

A flash of insight struck Fang Yang, and he instantly understood this was the Tier Five opportunity.

"Ah Yang, this treasure should be very useful to you. Here, take it."

As soon as she finished speaking, Sen Hui handed the Moon Core Iron to Fang Yang.

"This is... alright. Thank you." Fang Yang hesitated for a moment before accepting it.

BUZZ...

BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ...

At that very moment, the Meteorite began to make a strange noise. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

When Fang Yang took it out, the Meteorite and the Moon Core Iron began to resonate with one another.

One pulsed with starlight, the other with moonlight, the two lights drawing toward each other.

The light they emitted was so brilliant and dazzling that the area transformed into what looked like a moon palace on Earth.

This startling change immediately drew the gaze of Sen Wei from afar.

"Such a rich stellar power..."

Sen Wei arched a delicate brow. ’Fang Yang actually has this kind of potential?!’

In Sen Wei’s mind, Fang Yang was certainly worthy of the title of young prodigy.

This new development, however, indicated that Fang Yang’s growth was exceeding her expectations.

As for Fang Yang, he stared at the gradually merging Meteorite and Moon Core Iron, a look of delight in his eyes.

Because from now on, as long as he held this item, he could let his spirit roam the cosmos every single night to sense and communicate with the desolate star.

This meant his breakthrough speed could increase even more!

...

The opening of the Xuan Yu Blessed Land had been set for seven days from now.

Before then, Sen Yue planned to convene the Monarch’s Camp once more to finalize the remaining details.

Instantly, the announcement sent ripples through the factions.

This was because those qualified to attend the Monarch’s Camp were, for the most part, Dao Seed Level prodigies.

Even a Great Cultivator like Ji Juyun wasn’t qualified for a seat.

And yet, among this host of Dao Seed Level prodigies, the appearance of Fang Yang’s name was particularly eye-catching.

"No way, Fang Yang actually gets to attend this meeting too?!"

"Son of a bitch, that guy really took a shortcut in life. It pisses me off."

"AAAAAH, why am I not Fang Yang..."

The release of the Monarch’s Camp attendee list instantly sparked a wave of discussion.

They were filled with envy, jealousy, and hate for Fang Yang—incredibly red-eyed with resentment.

But Fang Yang had already become a powerful figure in his own right, and all they could do was gaze up at him from a distance.

"Fang Yang..." Qing Mang gripped the trident in his hand, his breathing growing ragged.

Having been so thoroughly overshadowed by a peer, Qing Mang felt he had brought shame upon his ancestors.

’If I had been the one to become the champion of the First Realm, then I should be the one basking in all this glory now!’

The day was pleasant, the sun brilliant.

Before long, the highly anticipated Monarch’s Camp was convened once again.

Fang Yang bade farewell to Sen Hui and descended the mountain with Sen Wei to attend the meeting at the Monarch’s Camp.

Within the Monarch’s Camp, Fang Yang saw Qingkong, Chen Kui, Sen You, Dongfang Mobai, Minghai Waves, and a host of other Dao Seeds.

Sen You even took the initiative to greet him with a nod!

The friendly attitude of these Dao Seeds made Fang Yang feel a bit giddy.

He was well aware, however, that their friendliness was entirely due to Sen Hui, so he quickly suppressed the feeling.

He stood in a corner, silently listening to the Dao Seeds’ discussions.

"First on the agenda: the division of combat zones..."

"Second on the agenda: the confirmation of slots for the Xuan Yu Blessed Land..."

Under the guidance of the four Pavilion Elders—Flower, Bird, Fish, and Insect—the meeting proceeded smoothly.

In contrast to Sen Wei, who repeatedly offered suggestions, Fang Yang remained a silent observer for the entire duration.

When Sen Yue conferred several titles upon Sen Wei, Fang Yang had a realization.

’He suddenly understood. This session of the Monarch’s Camp had a deeper purpose: to build up Sen Wei’s prestige!’

’From this day forward, he, Fang Yang, would no longer be the champion of his generation.’

’The new champion of their generation was named Sen Wei!’

The Monarch’s Camp meeting concluded.

Just as Fang Yang had predicted, Sen Wei’s fame spread in all directions, and her influence quickly grew.

’Fame... Could it be that it comes with concrete benefits I’m not aware of?’

Inside a carriage, Fang Yang sat.

He tapped his fingers on a small table, deep in thought.

He was now returning to the encampment of the White Feathered Eagle’s Bronze Tribe to prepare for the trip to the Xuan Yu Blessed Land.

But the moment he returned to the encampment of the White Feathered Eagle’s Bronze Tribe, he immediately found Fang Min, Fang Hao, and other disciples of the Fang clan waiting there.

All of them were waiting for his return.

’After just one trip, had he somehow become their backbone?!’