Chapter 445 - 429: The 14 Skills of the Heart of the Star Spirit
The ship entered the Dark Cosmos, heading for the Star Cave Star Realm, an Advanced Civilization Star Realm adjacent to the Ten Thousand Vaults Star Realm.
His target: an advanced civilization!
He had just given the Tower King of the Ten Thousand Vaults Star Realm a nasty surprise, so it wasn’t a good time to venture into his territory.
The neighboring Star Cave Star Realm was a much better destination.
The Star Cave Star Realm was also an Advanced Civilization Star Realm, but it was far more distinctive. Most of its life-bearing planets were concentrated on the outskirts, while its core region, spanning three thousand light-years, was scattered with all sorts of "star caves."
Some concealed lethal dangers,
while others nurtured priceless treasures.
This was also the origin of the name "Star Cave."
Rumor had it that their Star Domain’s guardian treasure was found in one of these star caves.
...
BEEP.
According to Earth time, a day had passed, and the opportunity for Shi Ming’s Eye of Destiny to gather intelligence had refreshed.
He planned to use this chance on the "Heart of the Star Spirit" to obtain all available information on the supreme treasure. It was his first of its kind, and it was also connected to a major, unknown opportunity his Eye of Destiny had glimpsed.
’If I can figure out how to trigger this opportunity, I’ll have hit the jackpot.’
"Eye of Destiny, gather intelligence!"
[BEEP BEEP]
[Organizing intelligence... Intelligence gathered.]
[Supreme Treasure - Heart of the Star Spirit]
[A supreme treasure crafted by the Sovereign of the Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country. He used the remains and skill origins of fourteen powerful members of the Star Spirit Race, combining them with his own mastery of destiny and forging.]
[Once activated, the Heart of the Star Spirit will, during your next battle, provide three instances of aid at opportune moments, each guaranteed to yield a positive outcome.]
[This aid includes:]
[Three Nirvana Skills: Reversal, Calamity, and Ice and Snow Sea]
[Eleven Holy Hall Skills: Withered Sanctuary, Destruction Sanctuary, Desire Sanctuary, Starlight Sanctuary...]
[...]
Shi Ming read through the intelligence report, which detailed the fourteen skills stored within the Heart of the Star Spirit.
’It seems that during my battle with the Tower King, the first time this supreme treasure repaired his shield, it used the skill Starlight Sanctuary.’
’The second time, it was used alongside the Tower King’s own Spiritual Power attack, forcefully putting all the skills I had already cast on a 24-hour cooldown. That was the Nirvana skill, Calamity.’
’And the third instance of aid—the one that was so powerful it instantly healed all of the Tower King’s injuries and unleashed the terrifying Attack Power of a supernova—was the skill Reversal!’
There was currently no known solution to the exclusivity of Nirvana skill origins. Even a "demigod" could only possess two Nirvana skills at a time.
With the Heart of the Star Spirit, Shi Ming now had what was essentially a powerful, and remarkably intelligent, ally.
But the intelligence report wasn’t finished.
Unlike the passively triggered alerts, actively using the Eye of Destiny provided a much more complete report. Next were six important notes and remarks.
[Notes:]
[1. Be warned! The Heart of the Star Spirit contains Destiny Power from the Sovereign of the Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country. This power originates from one of his Nirvana Skills, "Destiny." Avoid using the Heart of the Star Spirit within the Sovereign’s home Star Domain. If you do, he will use the power of Destiny to establish an anchor point and descend upon your location within five seconds. This is also why he never minds when the treasures he bestows are taken. In fact, he quite enjoys such games.]
[2. As is tradition, the first three uses of the Heart of the Star Spirit are free of charge, requiring no price. This is a testament to the generosity of the Star Spirit Race.]
[3. After the first three uses, each subsequent activation will require an additional price. Initially, this price is trivial, but it will grow with each use. That’s fair, isn’t it?]
[4. Once fully upgraded, the Heart of the Star Spirit can guide you to the true ancestral home of the Star Spirit Race. This was the original objective of the Sovereign of the Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country. He failed to find it even after scouring the entire Star Spirit Race, which made him furious and caused him to vent his rage on the neighboring Star Domains. The supreme treasure he so casually bestowed upon the Tower King was nothing more than a by-product of that campaign.]
[5. The Star Spirit Race is a people of clear-cut debts and grudges who believe in equivalent exchange. To receive their ultimate opportunity, you must help them achieve their revenge by upgrading the Heart of the Star Spirit with three sets of Nirvana Remains. However, you need not worry. These specific remains, known as the Ancient Rival’s Remains, do not include those of the "Sovereign." After all, the Sovereign was the mastermind behind the scenes. The Star Spirit Race never even saw his face, so how could they harbor a bone-deep hatred for him?]
[6. Even the Sovereign’s "Destiny" cannot truly control fate. With the slightest slip, a suppressed destiny can escape his grasp and find a moment’s respite.]
Shi Ming blinked.
The words before him faded and vanished, as if they had never been there at all.
’This information is incredibly valuable!’
’If I had to put a price on it, it would be worth at least a thousand Cosmic Crystals!’
Not only had it detailed all fourteen skills of the Heart of the Star Spirit, but it had also recounted the history of the Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country’s hunt for the Star Spirit Race, revealed crucial warnings for its use (like avoiding the Sovereign’s home Star Domain), and even exposed the name of one of the "Sovereign’s"—that Pillar Stone-level expert’s—Nirvana skills!
Destiny!
’Sounds powerful!’
’But at least it’s not a uniquely identified skill!’
More importantly, the report had also unlocked a hidden quest: avenge the Star Spirit Race and travel to their ancestral home.
The ancestral home of the Star Spirit Race had been the "Sovereign’s" objective when he hunted them, but he had failed to find it. This failure led him to vent his rage on the neighboring Star Domains. It must contain something that even a Pillar Stone-level expert would covet. And if Shi Ming could help the Star Spirit Race get their revenge, he could travel to the ancestral home that even the Sovereign couldn’t find and claim that great opportunity for himself!
He added this to his future plans.
The Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country was vast and boundless, ruling over four Advanced Civilization Star Realms.
The distance from Azure Star to the Star Cave Star Realm was several million light-years. If he had to rely on a conventional ship to traverse the Star Sea, he probably couldn’t cover even one percent of the distance in a single lifetime.
Fortunately, travel through the Dark Cosmos made the long stellar journey much shorter.
Without an anchor point, the voyage would take 43 days.
Methods like the one used by the Cosmic Sovereign, which allowed for arrival in mere seconds, relied on either treasures or skills. But without exception, all of them required a single prerequisite: an "anchor point."
"Hooo..."
The voyage was dull.
As he piloted the ship, contending with the instabilities of the Dark Cosmos, Shi Ming split off a portion of his consciousness out of sheer boredom to explore the so-called "Hub."
The Hub had different branches, such as [Hub - Azure], [Hub - Ten Thousand Vaults], and so on. These different branches were not interconnected; each one had to be unlocked independently by accumulating points.
The first time he entered the Hub, a welcome page popped up on his screen.
Next came the prompts to set up a virtual avatar and username.
Shi Ming randomly generated an avatar. When it came to choosing a name, he thought for a moment before picking the ID "Stellar Beast." A name was just a moniker, and he wasn’t particularly good at coming up with them, so he didn’t waste much time on it.
After entering the Hub, the most prominent feature was the [Daily Bulletin].