Chapter 0255: Stars in the Waves

Chapter 0255: Stars in the Waves

Afterward, Qin Yun helped Du Gui burn many things, all of which were stones. He finished in one night what would have taken Du Gui a month to complete.

Du Gui was astonished, as he believed Qin Yun's skill far exceeded that of a junior Runes Master.

Indeed, Qin Yun had now become a senior Runes Master.

Late at night, Qin Yun did not rest. Instead, he left Star Profound Martial Academy and flew above Wanxing Lake.

Normally, when Wanxing Lake was calm, it resembled a strange mirror. When the sky was full of stars, the lake would also sparkle with starlight, looking incredibly beautiful.

But now, Wanxing Lake had become restless, with large waves constantly crashing, never settling.

Qin Yun stepped on the Fire Cloud Step and looked at the entire Wanxing Lake from high above.

He had heard from Qi Meilian that even though the lake was wavy, it was very beautiful when viewed from high above on a starry night.

"I can't see the stars at all. The light points on the lake's surface are flickering everywhere," Qin Yun frowned, finding the scene not beautiful at all.

He trusted Qi Meilian and believed she wouldn't just make things up.

"Could it be that what Little Meilian saw is different from what I'm seeing?" Qin Yun hovered in the sky, continuing to observe.

He observed carefully for over an hour and suddenly noticed that no matter how the stars in the sky moved, the starlight on the lake seemed unchanged.

For example, the moon's reflection on the lake's surface moved about half an hour slower than it did in the sky. At this moment, with the lake's surface rough and the water constantly churning, it was already difficult for the light of the stars and moon to be reflected.

But somehow, Wanxing Lake could do it.

After realizing this, Qin Yun felt a very eerie sensation.

Wanxing Lake was far more mysterious than he had imagined.

"Little Meilian must have seen a very beautiful Wanxing Lake. Why is this?" While Qin Yun found the turbulent lake at night to be strange, he couldn't see the beauty Qi Meilian described.

Hovering in the air, he pondered.

"Could it be because of Little Meilian's state of mind? So she can see things that ordinary people can't?" Qin Yun suddenly thought of this. Qi Meilian's innocence and purity were unblemished. Although she had experienced many painful things, she always managed to stay optimistic and leave her troubles behind.

Qin Yun suddenly suspected that Qi Meilian's martial soul was a unique one that could make people lose their memories. Xie Wufeng and the others had seen that martial soul but couldn't recall it.

"Do I need to let go of distractions and maintain a tranquil heart to see the beauty that Little Meilian sees?" Qin Yun contemplated, then closed his eyes, entering a meditative state.

His mental energy was strong, allowing him to control his mind well.

After feeling that he had entered a peaceful state, he opened his eyes and saw the starlight of Wanxing Lake shining brilliantly, radiating a dazzling light, shimmering in multiple colors, incredibly beautiful.

Qin Yun was utterly captivated by the breathtaking beauty of Wanxing Lake and felt an urge to dive into this beautiful sea of stars and soar through it.

"This is an intricate pattern, though I can't yet determine its full nature. It forms an array, with many runes connecting it!" Qin Yun was very sensitive to these runes and immediately noticed them.

Under the dazzling light, Wanxing Lake revealed a huge array.

"One hundred and eight nodes, positioned very precisely, corresponding to multiple star positions in the sky! This structure is quite similar to the array on Star Soul Peak, except that array doesn't have latent runes."

This major discovery made Qin Yun take a deep breath. He began to wonder whether this star array was naturally formed or man-made.

He hurriedly pulled out paper to document the entire star array and its numerous runes.

He didn’t know the purpose of the star array, but he was deeply intrigued and wanted to explore it further.

The star array was so vast that he couldn’t record it all in one night, so he returned to rest at dawn, planning to come back after dark.

For the next month, he went to the top of Star Lake every night to document the massive star array. It took him a full month to completely capture its details.

"I currently have no ability to set up such a star array!"

Qin Yun looked at the large piece of beast skin, the intricate star patterns were extremely chaotic, densely packed and intersecting with multiple nodes, causing his head to throb as he stared at them.

For now, he could only draw them on the beast skin; it would probably take a long time before he could carve them.

In the middle of Star Lake, there was a small island, so this circular star array had an empty center.

"Although the center is empty, this star array is complete; it’s truly peculiar!" Qin Yun examined the beast skin carefully and discovered that the intricate star patterns cleverly avoided the island in the middle.

"Perhaps, this is not just a simple star array!" Qin Yun scrutinized the patterns on the star array again.

His mental energy was cultivated through the Nine Sun Spirit Soul, giving him a high aptitude for understanding intricate patterns, allowing him to discern some special aspects.

"There are eight identical mysterious patterns, extending from eight directions through nine nodes, leading to the empty center. Only these eight patterns lack a final node, all pointing to the center."

Looking at these eight patterns, Qin Yun had a vague feeling that they were routes guiding someone to the middle of Star Lake.

"Could this be a map?" He was confused at the moment and didn’t know if it was related to his speculation.

According to the legends of Star Lake, there was a dragon-ox at the bottom of the lake, carrying the entire island on its back.

"Do I really have to go and see for myself?" Qin Yun's heart started pounding as he gazed at the star map on the table, thinking of the dark and bottomless giant lake, filling him with fear.

Even facing powerful demon beasts or formidable foes, he had never felt such fear!

He swallowed, stared at the several routes on the star map, and steeled his resolve. "I’ll go! It might be related to Lan Xiao Wu Wang, and if I really discover any secrets, it could help me understand the Blue Spirit Star Palace better."

The Star Sun Heart Sutra that Qin Yun cultivated was from Lan Xiao Wu Wang. It was this cultivation that allowed his mental energy to advance rapidly, giving him a deeper understanding of various intricate patterns.

After making his decision, Qin Yun immediately took action.

As a warrior at the ninth level of the Martial Body stage, he possessed great strength and believed that even if he encountered a giant beast at the bottom of Star Lake, he could handle it.

Many people had explored the bottom of Star Lake and hadn’t encountered any terrifying giant beasts, which reassured Qin Yun even more.

After preparing, Qin Yun left the Star Profound Martial Academy, flew to the lake shore, and waited until nightfall. Once it was dark, he scanned the area from above, locating the nearest route before diving into the water.

The first node of that route was quite close to the shore. He needed to find the first node to see if there were any corresponding anomalies at the bottom of the lake along this route.

As a warrior of his level, he could absorb spiritual energy from the water through his skin to obtain air, allowing him to go without breathing for extended periods.

At night, the lake’s depths were pitch black, an impenetrable darkness where nothing could be seen.

Relying on his memory, Qin Yun continuously dived and swam around in this area, searching for anything special.

He didn’t know how much time had passed, but he had descended to a very deep place where the pressure was immense. If he weren’t strong enough, he wouldn’t have been able to dive so deep.

"Could Star Lake be bottomless?" Qin Yun wondered, having dived for several periods of time, still finding the depths pitch black even after daybreak.

After continuously diving for over ten hours, he suddenly noticed something strange.

While the surface of Star Lake was often turbulent, the depths remained eerily still.

Now, beneath the icy depths of the lake, Qin Yun sensed a warm current and quickly swam toward the warmth.

"It's a hidden warm current, mysteriously appearing deep in the lake!" Qin Yun felt a surge of excitement, believing he had found the starting point of the route.

Following the warm current, he swam forward.

The depths of Wanxing Lake were extremely cold, like icy water. Without his Thunderfire Inner Dan, Qin Yun couldn't have withstood the cold.

Now, within that warm current, it felt like soaking in a warm, comforting bath, and there was no strong pressure, allowing him to relax.

"There’s definitely something hidden beneath Wanxing Lake, but it’s not easy to find!" Qin Yun felt that the thermal current was narrow, barely wide enough for one person. In such a huge lake, hidden so deep, it was extremely difficult to discover.

Had he not seen the eight routes on the star chart, he would have struggled to find this thermal current.

Qin Yun swam along the hidden current, silently estimating the distance.

"There's a node ahead!" His estimate was quite accurate, and he soon swam out of the first segment of the hidden current, re-entering the cold lake water. Without knowing the route, he would never have known how to find the next segment of the hidden current.

Fortunately, he remembered the route very clearly and soon found the second segment of the warm current, then continued forward.

Even if someone accidentally encountered a segment of the hidden current, without the route map, they would never be able to find the next segment.

After swimming through the thermal current for hours, Qin Yun finally reached the final node, where many huge stones lay ahead. There was a massive stone pillar supporting the small island where Star Profound Martial Academy was located.

Many had explored the pillar, but none had discovered anything. According to legend, deep within the pillar, a strange force prevented people from diving deeper.

As he approached the final node, Qin Yun felt a gentle pull, guiding him downward. This was also a hidden current, flowing directly below.

Following the downward thermal current, Qin Yun descended effortlessly.