Chapter Seven: The Starry Sky Technique

The three of them sat together, analyzing for quite some time the things Mad Eater had described. Seeing the two so interested, Mad Eater did his best to recall every detail about the Violet Cloud Sword, recounting everything clearly and sharing his impressions. By the end, their conversation had almost become a research symposium, though mainly it was the middle-aged man and the Mahakaya master engaged in deep discussion; Mad Eater himself was at best a competent listener.

In the end, the middle-aged man sighed and said, “A divine weapon truly lives up to its name—how mysterious. I once lived on the Ancestral Star for over twenty years. Given its geological conditions and available metals, it should be impossible to forge such a wondrous weapon there.”

The Mahakaya master also let out a long sigh. “If only I could witness the legendary divine weapon of your people with my own eyes,” he said.

Mad Eater smiled, half in jest. “The Sea of Death is far too distant from our Caro Empire. It’s hardly possible that the owner of that divine weapon would come to these parts. If you were in our Caro Empire, I could ask its owner to let you see it—that wouldn’t be a problem.”

The two men were visibly tempted, but after exchanging a glance, they both shook their heads. The middle-aged man smiled. “I’m old now and have no desire to travel so far afield. Had I been a few decades younger, I would most certainly have made the journey to see the divine weapon’s glory for myself.”

After some further idle conversation, Mad Eater checked the time. He’d already been there for nearly half a day, and Shadow Thief would surely be looking for him soon. He hadn’t bought anything yet, so he quickly said, “Gentlemen, I still have matters to attend to. I won’t trouble you further—please excuse me.”

The two men were clearly reluctant to part, but neither tried to detain him. The middle-aged man even smiled, saying, “Young man, you’ve spent so much time with us—how can we possibly thank you?”

Mad Eater was about to politely decline—he hadn’t paid much attention to their earlier offer of thanks, and the so-called advanced light-energy weapons or metal arms they had were not of much interest to him. The two seemed to realize this as well: anyone whose fiancée possessed a divine weapon was certainly of high status, and such weapons would hardly impress him.

The middle-aged man fell silent for a moment, then smiled, gripping Mad Eater’s right hand. At that instant, Mad Eater felt a strange energy surge into his meridians. As soon as this foreign energy entered, his own Wild Dragon True Qi began to circulate automatically, fiercely resisting the intruding force.

The foreign energy was clearly the man’s true qi. At the moment of contact, the man uttered a low exclamation and withdrew his hand, a look of surprise on his face. “Young man, are you a member of the Kuang family from the Caro Empire?” he asked.

Mad Eater nodded, somewhat puzzled. For the man to recognize his cultivation technique upon contact with his true qi, he must have encountered the Wild Dragon True Qi before.

The middle-aged man suddenly laughed. “Wild Overlord—how does that old ghost address himself these days?”

Wasn’t Wild Overlord the name of his great-grandfather? The man sounded familiar with him. Mad Eater hurriedly replied, “Sir, that was my great-grandfather.”

The middle-aged man sighed wistfully. “Time truly flies—it’s been over a hundred years in the blink of an eye. I envy that old ghost, with his many descendants. How is your great-grandfather doing these days?”

Hearing the question, Mad Eater couldn’t help feeling a pang of sorrow. “My great-grandfather passed away ten years ago,” he replied sadly.

The middle-aged man seemed likewise moved, falling silent for a moment before sighing deeply. “No matter how profound one’s cultivation, time spares no one. Old friend, you’re gone too. I wonder how many of our old companions are left.”

He seemed to realize his lapse and cleared his throat before turning back to Mad Eater. “Kid, who would have thought we’d meet here? It must be fate. Here, I have a cultivation manual—let me give it to you as a gift.”

He reached into his waistband and produced a small paper booklet, clearly of great value given how closely he’d kept it. Mad Eater quickly demurred, “Sir, I really can’t accept this.”

The man smiled sadly. “Take it. The Stellar Art is perhaps most suited to you. The Wild Dragon Art of your family has a critical flaw: the higher your true qi cultivation, the more its baleful energy will affect your temperament. Moreover, it does little to enhance your spiritual cultivation, making you vulnerable to those skilled in spiritual power.”

Mad Eater gasped in astonishment—this was a tightly held family secret, which he had only learned himself before leaving for the imperial capital, when his grandfather taught him the sixth layer of the Wild Dragon Art.

The middle-aged man smiled, handing him the booklet. “Memorize it and destroy it afterward. When your great-grandfather first became your family head, he tried to exchange the first seven layers of your Wild Dragon Art for the first three forms of my Stellar Art.”

Hearing this, Mad Eater hardly dared hold the booklet, but the man pressed it into his hands. “Enough, I said it’s yours, and I’m giving it to you. Don’t be so polite. I’m old now and will probably never leave Aqua Star again. The Stellar Art must not end with me. I was reluctant to give it to your family back then, but now I’m old and I’ve come to terms with it. Consider this repayment for your great-grandfather’s three times saving my life.”

Seeing Mad Eater still hesitating, the man raised his voice. “Enough—this is for your family. No more protests.”

Mad Eater, seeing the senior assert himself, could only smile wryly. “On behalf of the Kuang family, I thank you.”

The man merely nodded, as if such thanks were only natural.

The Mahakaya master, who had been silent, now spoke. “Young man, thank you for telling me about your people’s divine weapon. Here’s a token of my gratitude.” He took out a flat, purple-gold flask and tossed it to Mad Eater.

Seeing the flask, the middle-aged man exclaimed in shock, then turned to the Mahakaya master. “Moroko, isn’t this far too precious? This is your people’s most treasured defensive artifact, and I thought it was forbidden to give such things away.”

Moroko chuckled. “Old ghost, he’s a descendant of your old friend, and he’s shared such priceless information with me. My golden shark beast just laid an egg a few days ago, and I haven’t reported it to my clan elders yet. I’m only giving him the egg, so I haven’t violated any rules.”

“You sly old fox!” the middle-aged man laughed.

The Mahakaya master did not linger, but rose and took his leave.

After he had gone, the middle-aged man shook his head, laughing. “Kid, you truly have good fortune.”

Mad Eater, however, regarded the flask with some confusion. “Sir, what exactly is this golden shark beast?”

The man seemed disinclined to elaborate. “Just a rare cosmic beast, like our human divine beasts. The golden shark is the Mahakaya’s equivalent. You need only keep the beast flask on you and, when you have time, infuse it with your true qi.”

He patted Mad Eater on the shoulder and, without another word, turned and headed for the entrance to the underground chamber.

Watching him disappear, Mad Eater sighed, bowed in the direction of the chamber, and tucked the two gifts safely away. He then wandered among the stalls, selecting a few unusual items as gifts.

About two hours later, Shadow Thief finally found him. Glancing at the objects in Mad Eater’s hands, Shadow Thief merely smiled and said, “Kid, are you done? If so, let’s head back to the hotel.”