Chapter 0920: Watching the Tribulation

Chapter 0920: Observing the Heavenly Tribulation

The violent fluctuations of the Purple Star Celestial Shield lasted for nearly half a shichen before finally subsiding.

Yu Shutian opened her eyes and beamed. "Senior, your Purple Star Celestial Shield has been repaired! The Purple Star Soul I found is of exceptional loyalty—I hope you can communicate with it often in the future!"

"Absolutely, absolutely!" Old Feitian replied with immense gratitude.

"Senior, you need to establish a bond with the tool spirit to fully wield its power," Qin Yun said with a smile.

"Thank you both!" Old Feitian was overjoyed. "I’ll give you your rewards now..."

He took out twenty high-grade Imperial Source Stones. "These are the only suitable items I have for now. Once I gather more and better ones, I’ll compensate you further!"

"This is already more than enough!" Yu Shutian said with a light laugh. "Senior, you should go into seclusion now and properly communicate with the new tool spirit!"

"Right, I’ll do that immediately!" Old Feitian excitedly entered a nearby dwelling.

Yu Shutian turned to Qin Yun and smiled. "I don’t need the Imperial Source Stones—you can have them all!"

Qin Yun scratched his head with a grin. "That’s too generous! You put in a lot of effort too!"

"Ah Yun, I’ve gained plenty of benefits myself!" Yu Shutian smiled sweetly, her beautiful eyes shining with delight, clearly in high spirits.

"What benefits? I didn’t notice any!" Qin Yun said.

Yu Shutian clasped her hands behind her back, drawing circles in the grass with her toes. Softly, she murmured, "The star runes you provided—I memorized them all! You won’t blame me for *stealing* them, will you?"

Qin Yun replied, "Those star runes are restricted to disciples of our sect! But since you helped me determine the optimal combinations to carve onto the ritual pillars, I’ll make an exception and allow you to keep them."

"Only for sect disciples? What sect do you belong to?" Yu Shutian asked curiously. "Does your sect have many star runes?"

"Heh, I’m from the Runes Master Order, and I’m its leader!" Qin Yun laughed. "Would you like to join my Runes Master Order?"

"You’re actually a sect leader?!" Yu Shutian looked doubtful.

"Well, the Runes Master Order was originally part of the Blue Spirit Star Palace..." Qin Yun then shared its origins to Yu Shutian, including how Lan Chen lost the Blue Spirit Star Palace to Zi Qingcheng.

Yu Shutian listened intently, fascinated by the stories.

"No wonder you didn’t feel any fear when your consciousness entered the boundless starry expanse!" she said, her doubts finally cleared.

"Xiao Tian, do you want to join my Runes Master Order?" Qin Yun said with a roguish grin. "Joining us doesn’t just mean gaining star runes—there are plenty of other benefits too!"

Though Yu Shutian wasn’t exactly a Runes Master, she was definitely worth recruiting.

"Alright, I’ll join your sect. Is there any formal induction?" she asked.

"None needed. Here, take this!" Qin Yun handed her a bracelet. "This is the sigil of our Runes Master Order. If you ever encounter fellow disciples in the future, this bracelet will react."

"Leader, how many members does our sect have? Is it very powerful?" Yu Shutian asked, blinking while fastening the bracelet.

"Well... for now, there are only a few of us, and most are still in the Mortal Domain," Qin Yun admitted with a laugh. "But don’t worry—we’ll definitely grow stronger in the future!"

Yu Shutian asked in a hushed tone, "Leader, can I ask you a very secret question? Do you possess the Star Monarch Rune Soul?"

Qin Yun nodded slightly and sent her a voice transmission: "Yes, Xiao Tian. Do you want one? I can forge one for you."

Yu Shutian was utterly shocked and hurriedly sent a mental message, asking, "You can refine the Star Monarch Rune Soul? How do you do it?"

"Well... I need the help of a junior sister of mine. She’s also a member of my Arcane Rune Sect, but she’s not here right now!" Qin Yun said, regretting not having brought Xiao Yuemei along.

"Then, when we meet her in the future, can you help me refine a Star Monarch Rune Soul?" Yu Shutian's beautiful eyes shimmered like starlight, looking very lovely.

"Of course! After all, you're one of us now!" Qin Yun laughed. "By the way, Xiao Tian, in the past, crafting rune souls required powerful soul energy. I could only use dragon souls to refine them successfully. Now, I want to try using star souls!"

"That’s no problem! In the starry sea, there are many powerful astral souls. As long as we can capture them, they’re just as powerful as dragon souls! Consider it done!" Yu Shutian was also a little excited.

This was precisely why Qin Yun had wanted to recruit Yu Shutian into the Arcane Rune Sect.

This way, he could produce rune souls in large quantities in the future.

"Xiao Tian, I also want to ask you a rather personal question!" Qin Yun chuckled. "Oh, and from now on, just call me Ah Yun. No need for formal titles!"

"What question?" Yu Shutian’s face suddenly turned red, though it wasn’t easy to see in the darkness.

But Qin Yun could see it and thought it was odd.

Ling Yuner giggled. "Xiao Yun, she must be getting the wrong idea—thinking you’re going to ask her to be your concubine!"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Qin Yun said irritably to Ling Yuner.

Yu Shutian lowered her head and asked, "Ah Yun, what did you want to ask?"

"Are you a star elf?" Qin Yun inquired.

"Ah..." Yu Shutian was surprised, then nodded. "Did that little demon elf tell you?"

"Mm!" Qin Yun smiled. "I didn’t expect you to be an elf too—and so tall at that!"

"Ah Yun, can you let that demon elf come out? I’d like to talk to her!" Yu Shutian requested.

"Of course!" Qin Yun called Mo Mo out.

As soon as Mo Mo appeared and saw Yu Shutian, she was delighted—after all, they were kindred spirits.

Soon, Yu Shutian and Mo Mo were chatting about many things.

Yu Shutian mainly wanted to ask Mo Mo if it was possible to evolve the Star Totem into a celestial-grade totem!

Mo Mo said it was possible, but she needed to improve her own abilities first, which would take some time.

Hearing this, Yu Shutian was greatly relieved.

"Xiao Tian, Mo Mo is also a member of my Arcane Rune Sect now. We can help each other!" Qin Yun said with a smile.

"Brother Yun, Sweetie is actually the princess of the star elf race!" Mo Mo said. "You must protect her well!"

"The princess of the star elf race?" Qin Yun looked at Yu Shutian in astonishment.

Yu Shutian gently patted Mo Mo’s cheek and laughed. "Little Mo Mo, don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself. You take care of yourself too!"

"Got it!" Mo Mo nodded. "As long as I'm with Brother Yun, I’ll never go hungry again!"

Yu Shutian said with a sweet laugh, "Go back now and rest well!"

Mo Mo returned to the Nine Sun Divine Soul.

"Hello, Princess!" Qin Yun smiled.

"Ah Yun, I'm preparing to take our exams with Meng Shu. We’ll definitely enter the Ancient Star Pagoda! I will find a way into the Ancient Domain!" Yu Shutian said. "I’m tired now, so I’ll go rest first and look for Meng Shu. She must be bored after not seeing us for days!"

Qin Yun nodded.

Clearly, Yu Shutian didn’t want to elaborate on her matters.

Ling Yuner remarked, "Xiao Yun, this elf princess must be longing for home. Her home lies within the Starry Sea Ancient Domain! She collects those star fragments - probably because she misses home!"

"With her strength, entering space shouldn’t be difficult, right?" Qin Yun said.

"It’s not hard! But entering space is useless for her!" Ling Yuner sighed. "Xiao Yun, don’t think that just because you see countless stars in the sky, they’re close. The distance between stars is incredibly vast! Once you truly enter the cosmos, not only will it take forever to reach another star system, but you’ll also easily lose your way!"

"When your mind drifts through the starry sea through magic arrays, movement feels swift. But once you’re physically out there, you’ll realize how dark and desolate it truly is!"

Qin Yun had read similar accounts in books.

Ling Yuner added, "Xiao Tian’s homeland must be in a region full of active stars, deep within the cosmos. She can’t reach it on her own! That’s why she must go through the Ancient Domain!"

"She must be unable to return for some reason," Qin Yun mused.

"Mm. Poor girl," Ling Yuner sighed.

Qin Yun also returned to rest.

The next morning, Hong Mengshu and Yu Shutian left the Tian Family Villa to take their assessment.

Over the past few days, Mr. Chu You’s grandfather had sent people to retrieve him, but they failed and had to give up.

Old Feitian was very satisfied with the restored Purple Star Celestial Shield.

Qin Yun stayed in his room, sipping tea, planning to remain there while Hong Mengshu and Yu Shutian underwent their assessment, which would take over half a month.

At noon, Old Feitian rushed over excitedly and said, "Grand Master, I’m preparing to face my heavenly tribulation! Would you like to watch?"

Qin Yun thought for a moment and replied, "Alright, I’ll come observe."

He had witnessed tribulations before—Lan Suyao had even endured the Half-Immortal’s Seventh Tribulation right before his eyes.

"With the Grand Master watching, I’ll surely pass smoothly!" Old Feitian laughed. "We’ll leave Skypride City secretly tonight!"

That night, Old Feitian led Qin Yun out of the city in complete secrecy.

Old Feitian picked a spot in the middle of nowhere for his tribulation to avoid interference.

He trusted Qin Yun deeply, which was why he invited him to witness the event.

For those who had never faced tribulation, observing another’s trial could offer valuable insights.

Old Feitian and Qin Yun flew swiftly through the sky for days before arriving at a desolate desert.

Qin Yun floated high above, about six miles away, using a distance-viewing artifact to observe Old Feitian standing on the sands below.

"Bring it on, damn tribulation! I’m not afraid of you!" Old Feitian brandished his Purple Star Celestial Shield, yelling at the sky like a lunatic.