196: Starfall Cult

"Who exactly was it? Who gave the information to the Huaijiang Star God?!"

Zhang Sheng's brows were knitted into a tight knot, his knuckles unconsciously tapping on the tabletop.

His experiences during this period were like a tangled mess, filled with unsolvable riddles.

He looked up at the grey sky outside the window, as if seeing invisible giant nets descending from the heavens.

And he himself was the flying insect in the net, flapping its wings in vain, liable to be crushed at any moment.

"Something's wrong... something's very wrong!" he whispered to himself, his thoughts churning. "Thinking back, I only killed a fellow who didn't even count as a true disciple of the Eight Gods Sect, yet it provoked that woman Lian Qiu to personally intercept and kill me in secret?"

What's even stranger is that after I counter-killed her, she didn't use the Sect's power to retaliate. Instead, she waited until I 'happened' to kill Tiger's son, Tian Yang, before joining forces with Tiger?"

"Feng Shaoqin's death was nothing but a smokescreen! Lian Qiu's target has been me all along!" A cold light flashed in Zhang Sheng's eyes. "And that token... how precious is a teleportation pearl? With her mere ordinary Divine Power Realm strength, how could she possibly possess a space-teleportation treasure?"

That token definitely has a problem!"

Life at the Qinglan Academy was equally treacherous and unpredictable.

The vague warnings from Elder Ma Fen of the General Affairs Hall, Xiao Xuantian's inexplicable provocations, Li Meier's blatant hostility... scene after scene flashed through his mind like silhouettes shrouded in thick mist.

"Qian Che's reminder before I set out hinted that he already had a premonition of the storm in Tianxing City... and the warning from Su Tang of the Youyuan Chamber of Commerce seemed more like a carefully designed script!"

Zhang Sheng's knuckles turned white from his grip. "Among these people, there must be the shadow of the World Awakening Alliance!"

A strong sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart.

"My strength... is still too weak! If I had the great power of the Star God Realm, what would these monsters and demons matter?"

With a thought, the talent panel clearly surfaced in his Sea of Consciousness:

On the talent panel within his Sea of Consciousness,

Among the first-order Spells, Breath Concealment Art, Spiritual Eye Technique, Flight Technique, Object Manipulation Art, Electric Shock, and Spirit Shield had all reached the True Intent Realm.

Among the second-order Spells, only Moon Slash had reached the True Intent Realm.

"Qinglan Academy... should I go back or not?" Zhang Sheng suppressed his stray thoughts. He decided to wait two more days and watch from the sidelines for any signs of movement from the outside world, the Qinglan Academy, and even the Eight Gods Sect.

Cultivation was a matter of extreme urgency.

Two days passed quickly in his state of focus.

Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the Spell model for the Soul-Startling Thorn continuously condensed, collapsed, and reorganized, with each cycle drawing closer to the "True Intent" Realm.

On the surface of his body, the faint light of the Profound Light Shield flowed ceaselessly; the protective Spirit Shield existed like breathing, never once removed.

Besides that,

Zhang Sheng's Mental Energy still had a surplus, which he used to cast the two first-order Spells, Water Binding and Wood Prison Cage.

Two days later.

The "omniscient guide" Jade Slip was calm, only vaguely mentioning that "the Star God who caused the catastrophe in Tianxing City has been executed by the Star God of the Song Kingdom's imperial family," though its veracity was hard to distinguish.

Zhang Sheng took out Qian Che's communication jade slip and infused it with spiritual power:

"Brother Qian, how are the casualties among our brothers in Tianxing City?"

The reply came very quickly: "Don't even mention it! Not even one in ten survived! You can count the number of Qinglan Guards who made it back alive on one hand! I heard you slipped away right after checking in? Brother, your luck is simply Heaven-Defying!"

Zhang Sheng's fingertips brushed over the Jade Slip: "It's all thanks to Brother Qian's reminder; otherwise, I would have found it hard to escape this calamity."

"Don't say that," Qian Che replied. "Everyone knew the news, but how many had the courage to go out of the city alone to hunt in the wilderness? Ultimately, it's still because you, Brother Zhang, have solid skills!"

Zhang Sheng's eyes narrowed as he tested the waters: "Brother Qian, not long after I left the city, I was intercepted and attacked by a mysterious person. Even showing my qinglan token was useless."

If I hadn't escaped quickly, I'm afraid I would have been done for. I've only just arrived; who could I have offended?"

The other side of the Jade Slip was silent for a few breaths: "Brother Zhang, who else could it be? Those lunatics from the World Awakening Alliance specifically target the geniuses of Qinglan Prefecture! You must be careful!"

"What if it's not the World Awakening Alliance?" Zhang Sheng pressed further. "Are there any other powers that might move against me?"

Qian Che's reply carried a hint of hesitation: "Brother Zhang... there have been many hostile forces in the history of the Song Kingdom, but they were either destroyed or fled."

You are now a person of the Imperial Dynasty. Besides the World Awakening Alliance... there is probably only the deeper-lurking and more sinister one—the Starfall Sect!"

He changed the subject: "Brother Zhang, it's turbulent outside; why not return to the Qinglan Academy early? You have enough merit points now, perfect for going into secluded cultivation."

"Sigh," Zhang Sheng feigned helplessness. "I was chased so frantically that I lost my way and fled millions of miles. I'm on my way back now."

...Cutting the connection, Zhang Sheng immediately searched for 'Starfall Sect'.

Information was sparse, but the Song Kingdom's official classification of it was strikingly: evil to the core, a cult!

He did not set off immediately.

After another day of quiet cultivation and confirming that all was calm, he quietly headed to the nearby Heavenly Injury City.

Cultivators in the city were as numerous as threads, and the clamor remained as before.

Zhang Sheng looked straight ahead and walked directly into the Guard City branch of the Youyuan Chamber of Commerce. The buyback prices here were ten percent higher than at the Huafu branch.

When that belt, woven entirely from tough beast tendons and densely packed storage rings, was piled onto the counter with a "clatter," the manager's eyes nearly popped out.

Common materials and storage rings were all cleared out, exchanged for a mountain-like pile of spirit crystals.

While clearing out Tiger's storage ring, he discovered an unexpected surprise: inside an exquisite jade box lay an unnamed pill that the shop assistant exclaimed was a true intent pill!

Zhang Sheng put it away without showing any emotion.

The manager was quite honest and didn't try to cheat him for "not knowing the goods," leaving Zhang Sheng with a decent impression.

A few high-grade items specifically requested for buyback by the Qinglan Academy's Mission Hall were picked out separately.

"My Lord," the manager bowed, his voice carrying a trace of imperceptible awe. "The total value of the items you are selling exceeds 1.5 billion spirit crystals. Our shop is willing to take them all for 1.6 billion spirit crystals. What do you think?"

Far exceeding his expectations, Zhang Sheng nodded.

With the transaction complete, the total amount of spirit crystals in his storage ring instantly surpassed the 5-billion mark!

There were also mountain-like piles of wild beast carcasses and over twenty thousand True Fetus Realm beast cores! His wealth was now beyond what ordinary Cultivators could compare to.

Arriving at the outskirts of the Qinglan Prefecture via the teleportation array, Zhang Sheng restored his original appearance and turned into a streak of light, shooting straight towards the Azure Mist Inner City.

—The Qinglan Academy's internal teleportation array only allowed exits, so the return journey still required a long-distance flight.

Inside the academy, everything seemed normal, but the figures of one and two-star Qinglan Guards were noticeably sparser.

Zhang Sheng had a clear goal and went straight to the Mission Hall. He handed over all the second-order supreme-grade Talismans, Spiritual Artifacts, and Medicinal Pills obtained from hunting the bandits and Tiger, along with some of the beast cores.

His merit points ticked up rapidly, finally settling at exactly one hundred thousand! He had crossed the threshold for a Three-Star Qinglan Guard in one step!

Four-star? A million merit points plus a special assessment was currently out of reach.

Three-star was enough!

A Three-Star Qinglan Guard possessed many privileges: they could use merit points to purchase any Heaven-Grade resources or god-connecting treasure medicines, and they could even receive one portion of god-connecting treasure medicine for free every year!

Furthermore, it granted the qualification to access confidential internal channels of the Azure Mist!