Chapter Forty-Four: Starlit Soul Stone

“Star Language Soul Stone?” Tang Tian and Amory’s eyes widened in curiosity. This Starwind Martial Gathering had opened their eyes to many things they’d never heard of before.

“Each planet nurtures a unique soul stone, its aura perfectly integrated with the planet itself. By mastering it, you can blend into that world faster. Some guess it is the embryonic form of the Celestial Treasure, but that remains unconfirmed. Once you possess the Star Language Soul Stone, you can build a base here. Within a radius of two hundred miles, a base with a Star Language Soul Stone won't be attacked by wild beasts.” Old Wei’s expression was solemn. “For any planetary exploration, a safe forward base is most important. If we find the Star Language Soul Stone, the number one spot is ours.”

“Ah, then let’s hurry and find the Star Language Soul Stone!” Tang Tian raised his arms high.

Amory echoed loudly, “Number one! Number one!”

Old Wei remained unmoved. “Do you realize? The Sky Crystal Northern Yan Beasts—they’re also searching for the Star Language Soul Stone. If we aim for the same goal, we’ll definitely encounter them. The nature of this Martial Gathering has completely changed. Now every opponent is fraught with danger, and if given the chance, they won’t hesitate to eliminate you! This isn’t a competition, it’s a battle of life and death!”

Tang Tian’s playful smile vanished as he nodded. “I know, but so what? Does that mean we should retreat? I refuse! I want to be number one!”

He clenched his fists and stared at Old Wei, uttering each word with resolve. “No matter how dangerous, I will be number one!”

“I support Base Tang!” Amory declared.

Old Wei watched the two for a long while, then suddenly burst into wild laughter, his exuberance spilling over. “Ha! I knew I wasn’t mistaken! What passionate youths! Even my heart, dormant for so many years, can’t help but be stirred! Then let’s fight! Let’s claim the first place!”

“Woohoo!”

“Hooray!”

Both raised their arms in a shout.

“Heh heh!” Old Wei’s lips curled into a mischievous smile. “Since we’ve decided to win, we must speed up. Allow me, as your senior, to teach you two rookies how to find the Star Language Soul Stone.”

He produced a black fan-shaped device. The outer arc was a sliding track, intricately carved with patterns, and a stiff rod like a pointer rested at its end.

Tang Tian felt Old Wei was truly mysterious, constantly bringing out strange and novel items. He pointed and asked, “What’s this? Another Celestial Treasure?”

“Exactly!” Old Wei’s eyes flashed coldly. “Sextant Constellation Celestial Treasure, Black Iron grade, called the ‘Wave Meter’. The Sextant Constellation lies between Gemini and Hydra, a dark constellation. Remember the ‘True Eye Tube’ from earlier? That’s from Microscope Constellation, south of Capricorn, between Crane and Sagittarius. Celestial Treasures from Sextant and Microscope constellations are mostly auxiliary, rarely for combat. Don’t underestimate auxiliary treasures—someday you’ll realize their uses often exceed those of combat treasures.”

Tang Tian and Amory listened intently, realizing the world was vaster, deeper, and more fascinating than they’d ever imagined.

“The Wave Meter can detect all sorts of fluctuations within a hundred miles—powerful true force waves, Celestial Treasure energy, soul general martial soul waves, and so on.” Old Wei explained while manipulating the Wave Meter and channeling true force.

The pointer slid abruptly, aiming in one direction and trembling slightly.

“Hmm?” Old Wei’s eyes flashed with surprise.

“What’s wrong?” Tang Tian asked quickly.

“There’s a fierce battle—very strong power fluctuations.” Old Wei’s expression was unusual. He suddenly stood, closed his eyes, and spread his arms in the night breeze. After a moment, he opened his eyes and shook his head. “Forget others.”

Old Wei recalibrated the Wave Meter, which pointed in a new direction.

“This way.”

The three packed their tents and gear, following Old Wei at full speed.

The night passed safely, their pace swift. Old Wei frequently used the Wave Meter to correct their course.

Morning arrived, the sky above them like a tapestry of colored piano keys. Despite their overnight journey, all three remained energetic.

Suddenly, Tang Tian’s eyes twitched and he pointed ahead, “There’s someone over there!”

Old Wei glanced, then withdrew his gaze. “Those Sky Crystal Academy folks, their Celestial Treasures are much better than mine. Finding them is no surprise.”

Tang Tian acknowledged.

“How do they have so many Celestial Treasures?” Amory asked, confused. “At Beast Academy, I never heard about the school having any.”

“They can buy them, as long as they have enough money. Black Iron and Bronze grade Celestial Treasures are available on the market. I’ve heard Silver ones can be bought too, though I’ve never seen one. If you didn’t know, that’s normal—even Black Iron grade treasures are expensive. The key is, places like Wu’an Star simply don’t sell them.”

Tang Tian and Amory finally understood.

“Let’s go. In the end, it all comes down to strength,” Old Wei said confidently.

As they pressed forward, the number of people increased rapidly. On the vast purple grasslands, martial artists darted like agile antelopes, running and leaping at high speed.

Suddenly, a towering red mountain appeared in their sight, lifting everyone’s spirits and quickening their pace toward it.

Tang Tian’s group sped up.

Two hours later, they reached the foot of the snowy mountain. Old Wei looked up at the peak piercing the clouds, capped with eternal snow. Its crimson slopes were striking. He broke off a piece of red rock and placed it under the True Eye Tube.

“Rock: unknown type, unknown use.”

Old Wei was momentarily stunned.

Amory suddenly pointed nearby, “Look, there’s a valley!”

Many had already noticed it, rushing toward the valley. The three hurried there too; the entrance was only seven or eight yards wide, surrounded by red rock.

“Stay alert, don’t let anyone get the drop on us from behind,” Old Wei whispered.

Tang Tian and Amory became instantly vigilant.

The valley was deeper than expected; after a quarter hour’s rush, they reached its end.

Tang Tian and Amory gaped, dumbfounded at the incredible scene before them.

A red cliff rose before them, very high and smooth, as if artificially polished. Most astonishing to Tang Tian and Amory, the cliff was riddled with countless caves, densely packed, each covered by a faintly glowing shield. These shields came in all colors, looking like colored bubbles hanging from the cliff.

Tang Tian glanced at the sky; as the sunlight grew stronger, the colored piano key patterns vanished.

“It’s the Maze of Souls!” Old Wei’s face darkened.

“Maze of Souls?” Tang Tian and Amory exchanged bewildered looks, hearing the name for the first time.

“Celestial Treasures, Star Language Soul Stones, and such often generate unique force fields around them. After thousands of years, these fields blend with the environment—forming the Maze of Souls.” Old Wei’s gaze was deep. “Looks like the Star Language Soul Stone is indeed inside.”

“Which one do we enter?” Tang Tian stared at the wall of colored shields, dizzy. “There are so many!”

“We can only rely on luck.” Old Wei spread his hands.

“Who will choose?” Amory looked skyward.

“Rock-paper-scissors!” Tang Tian suggested.

“Hey, hey, hey, I, a wise elder, absolutely won’t play such childish games with you brats,” Old Wei said disdainfully.

“Childish? It’s clearly a test of hand speed! If you’re afraid of losing, just admit it. It’s fine, I understand—age slows your reflexes, I get it…” Tang Tian retorted.

Old Wei’s eyes glared. “Slower reflexes with age? Nonsense! Come on! Let me show you what it means to be seasoned! Thirty years of rock-paper-scissors experience…”

After a fierce battle, to their disbelief, Amory stepped up to the cliff.

“Why did he win?” Tang Tian asked, stunned.

“Yes, why?” Old Wei was equally dumbfounded.

Amory casually pointed to a lemon yellow shield. “This one—I like this color.”

“Who knew you liked such fresh colors…” Old Wei quickly recovered, feigning indifference to his earlier shock.

“Exactly.” Amory clenched his fist, earnestly declaring, “Bright and violent—I love violence! Wow wow wow, give me violence, absolute violence, absolute yellow! Woo! Let’s be bright and violent together!”

Old Wei’s mouth twitched, Tang Tian covered his face.

All eyes around turned toward them; the girls’ gazes were filled with disdain and contempt.

Tang Tian and Old Wei dragged Amory quickly into the yellow shield.

Whoosh—

As soon as they entered, a powerful suction pulled them in; before they could react, they were drawn deep into the cave.

“Wow wow wow…”

Their screams echoed through the cavern.

Disoriented, after sliding for an unknown stretch, Tang Tian landed hard on the rocky ground.

He grimaced with pain, groggy as he opened his eyes and staggered to his feet. The ordeal had been terrifying; his legs felt weak, his mind dizzy.

Hmm?

Tang Tian regained composure and looked around. Where was Old Wei? Where was Amory?

He was in a cave about the size of a martial arena, with four tunnels, each shrouded in a shield—red, white, black, and blue. In the vast cave, he was alone.

Just then, footsteps sounded. Tang Tian called out, “Hey, old man, Fly Ox!”

A figure emerged from the tunnel with the white shield.

“Tang Tian, I didn’t expect it to be you.”