After a long while,
Old man Li and Lin Zuodao emerged from the house, having discussed something secretly without Ning Ming.
"Ning Ge'er, I can confirm now that your Fate Star should be the legendary Qiming Star," Lin Zuodao said, unable to conceal his envious tone. "It is one of the A-grade stars not recorded in the Myriad Star Catalogue."
Upon hearing this, Ning Ming was dumbfounded. What kind of situation was this?
Old man Li nodded in agreement. "During my travels in the East, I heard about this mysterious star. Some people have unintentionally encountered this... black thing while comprehending their Fate Star. In any case, you are very fortunate. It's an excellent cultivation Fate Star."
Suddenly, Ning Ming understood their meaning, and a strange expression crossed his face.
At that moment, he really wanted to say that everyone could simplify their way of speaking.
Lin Zuodao walked over and patted Ning Ming's shoulder with a big hand. "Good lad! To actually pick such a legendary cultivation Fate Star among the myriad stars."
"Cough! Cough!"
Beside them, Old man Li was smoking and suddenly started coughing violently.
"The Qiming Star... a legendary cultivation Fate Star..."
Ning Ming couldn't bear to listen anymore.
These adults really treated him like a child all the time.
"Yes, it is a legendary star," Lin Zuodao said with a serious expression. "Well, let's not mention anything about this star. Fate Stars are the foundation of cultivators, and I believe you have already..."
Before he could finish speaking,
Lin Zuodao's face stiffened, and he forced out, "Um... Ning Ming, can you... sense the power within that Fate Star?"
Ning Ming pondered for a moment and replied, "Yes, but only a little."
Hearing this, Lin Zuodao felt relieved in his heart and chuckled, "Even a little is fine. Now you can start harnessing the power of the stars and refine your body and mind."
But at that moment,
Old man Li suddenly gave Lin Zuodao a meaningful glance.
Lin Zuodao immediately walked over.
Old man Li pulled him to the side, ensuring that Ning Ming couldn't hear them, before speaking, "I'm telling you, Ning Ge'er's Fate Star is black! Are we still going to let him cultivate?"
"What should we do then?" Lin Zuodao also felt helpless. "Ning Ming has been thinking about cultivation and the outside world all these years. Do you really think he can stay in the village for a lifetime?"
Old man Li didn't know what to say. His mind was a mess for a moment.
Lin Zuodao sighed, "Although that star is a bit small and black, even if it's worse, with you and me here, what trouble can Ning Ming cause?"
Old man Li said, "I still feel it's not secure. A star that I don't even know about..."
"Don't say that to Ning Ming," Lin Zuodao quickly glanced at the youth in the courtyard and whispered, "Although Ning Ming is mature for his age, he is still a kid. At this age, the most important thing in cultivation is temperament. If he knows about his Fate Star..."
"Hiss—"
"The more I think about it, the more wrong it feels! Why would there be a black, thumb-sized star in this world?!"
In the courtyard,
Ning Ming sat alone. The sunlight was shining brightly, but it didn't bring any warmth to his body.
With his spiritual sense, he could see the black stone suspended in his sea of consciousness.
This is a stone that can cause distortions in cultivators... It is one's own destined star for cultivation in the future...
"You can't just pick up something that belonged to a dead person."
Ning Ming sighed and helplessly said, "Can you speak? What exactly are you? If you don't speak, then I'll truly call you the Qiming Star."
It's quite intriguing,
While other cultivators have a connection with the stars in the sky, this stone directly entered their own source of destiny.
"Why did it become my destiny star? Could it also be a star?"
Ning Ming had a guess, and his heart skipped a beat. "Could it be the Taboo God Demon Star that fell to the human world thirteen years ago?"
This speculation was extremely horrifying.
That night thirteen years ago would undoubtedly be recorded in the annals of this world, as it changed everything.
The falling of the stars symbolized a pollution that had reached an unparalleled level. And that fallen star was known to the world as the Taboo God Demon Star...
Whenever the adults in the village mentioned the Taboo God Demon Star, they couldn't help but sigh and feel helpless.
And Chen Jianjia and the others must have stayed with this stone for a long time, eventually resulting in their distortions.
"I will definitely be influenced by this stone in the future and become an abnormal cultivation monster."
Ning Ming felt a missing piece in his heart. "Ning Yao is still so young, how will she live after I'm gone?"
Just at that moment--
Lin Zuodao and Old man Li returned.
After discussing it again, they finally decided: at this point, they could only keep it a secret from Ning Ming!
Even if it was a severely polluted E-grade destiny star, with these two experts, they could try their best to prevent any mishaps.
At this moment,
Old man Li stopped smoking and became serious. "Ning, now that you have found your destiny star for cultivation, you can calm down and try to feel the Qiming Star."
Did they just completely refer to that little black stone as the Qiming Star? By the way, isn't the Qiming Star Venus?
Ning Ming internally mocked, but he didn't let the two elders worry and closed his eyes in cooperation.
Unlike other cultivators, he directly saw his cultivation destiny star in his sea of consciousness, which was the black stone.
He could clearly perceive the chilling power contained within the stone, as if it had been immersed in the Yellow Spring River for tens of thousands of years, emitting an extremely ominous aura.
At the same time, the voice of the old man resounded, "Can you sense its power?"
Before Ning Ming could respond--
The old man continued, "Guide the power within the stars, let it flow into your body along that thread, and then circulate through your meridians for a full cycle."
In this world, cultivators didn't absorb spiritual energy from the heavens and the earth, but directly absorbed the power within the stars?
Ning Ming was astonished and felt as if he was stealing the power of deities.
No wonder cultivators would become distorted. The stars had also been polluted, yet they still had to absorb their power.
And at this moment, sensing the chilling aura of his own black stone,
Ning Ming's heart raced. "No matter how severe the pollution of other stars is, I'm afraid it can't compare to this stone, right?"
It felt like drinking water contaminated with nuclear waste.
In the afternoon, while practicing, Ning Ming felt an unusual transformation awaiting him when he returned home in the evening. The villagers would be in for a surprise the next day!
Meanwhile, Lin Zuodao observed Ning Ming, who seemed unchanged. He furrowed his brows and said, "Let's see how Ning Ming's Fate Star cultivation progresses. When I was cultivating, I could quickly absorb the stellar energy of the Heaven Pivot Star."
Suddenly, Old man Li extended his right hand and placed it on Ning Ming's back.
A surge of pure true essence instantly flowed into his body...
Ning Ming felt every pore in his body relax, and his spirit became incredibly active, as if he could perceive everything in the outside world.
"Focus your attention and absorb the power of the Qiming Star," Old man Li spoke, "Don't overthink it. The more special the star, the more difficult the cultivation becomes. However, once you overcome it, you'll tread upon a wide and smooth path."
Even the village chief had reached this level...
Ning Ming clenched his teeth.
He had initially desired to cultivate, and now that the Fate Star had already merged with his body, there was no way to switch it out.
Was this a deadly curse or a golden opportunity? He would find out by staking his life!
Ning Ming took a deep breath, concentrated his mind, and slowly tapped into the power within the black stone.
Suddenly, a surge of stellar energy poured out from the black stone, flowing into Ning Ming's body like a stream, circulating through his limbs and bones.
Almost instantly, Ning Ming's entire body trembled.
Every cell in his body became active, and his blood seemed to boil, burning away impurities deep within his flesh.
"Hmm?"
At that moment, Lin Zuodao was stunned. "What's going on? Such a powerful change!"
Old man Li's expression also changed slightly. "Strange. How is it possible for Ning Ming's Fate Star to guide such a massive amount of stellar energy?"
But in the next moment...
Ning Ming suddenly experienced a strange phenomenon. His body temperature plummeted, and he began to shiver.
The stellar energy felt like icy water. It was fine at first, but as time passed, it almost froze his flesh and blood.
Even more bizarrely, he started having hallucinations. Faint whispers echoed in his ears, resembling demons, or perhaps... deities!
"Not good!"
At this point, Old man Li shouted, his voice containing a hint of a dragon's roar. The booming sound reverberated through the surrounding trees, startling several birds.
Swish!
Ning Ming finally snapped his eyes open. Frost had formed on his skin, an exaggerated sight.
At that moment, Old man Li clapped his hand, sending a surge of pure true essence like a scorching wave to help alleviate Ning Ming's negative state.
"Patience is crucial in cultivation!" he reminded.
Simultaneously, Lin Zuodao chimed in, "Especially now that the stars have been polluted, the stellar energy is equally contaminated. In the future, you must remember this point and never immerse yourself in the pleasure of becoming stronger while ignoring potential dangers!"
"It's my fault for not reminding you," Old man Li said, "I never expected Ning Ming's Qiming Star to be so..."
He trailed off, realizing that with such a Fate Star, Ning Ming's first step in cultivation would take at least half an incense stick's time to harness the stellar energy.
But little did anyone know, Ning Ming not only quickly tapped into the power of the stars, but it was an abundant flow, like a streaming river.
"Perhaps I should venture outside and ask around, see if Heavenly Pivot Academy has recently recorded any new stars," pondered Old man Li as he looked at the young boy. "Also, it's about time to prepare the cultivation resources needed for Ning's future."
Living alone in the village, with no children of his own, the old man had watched Ning Ming grow up over the past thirteen years. He had already come to consider him as his own descendant and took care of him.
...
And at this moment,
Apart from being surprised by the changes in his physical body, Ning Ming's gaze was filled with an incredulous expression.
That black stone in his sea of consciousness...
Just moments ago...
He had sensed a cultivation technique from it.
The forbidden divine ability of Heaven Lonely Star: [Twins].