The sky was filled with stars that emitted infinite light and contained infinite energy. They also gave off an infinite number of thin and faintly discernible waves.
Was that the so-called fate?
Chen Changsheng's spiritual sense flew even higher, flitting past countless stars. Compared to the vast and empty space around it and the boundless energy contained within those stars, his spiritual sense was all the more tiny and insignificant, like a feather in a hurricane, a drop of water on the verge of drying up in the middle of a desert. At any moment, it could be torn apart or evaporate into nothingness, but miraculously, neither the stars nor their boundless energy brought any harm to his spiritual sense.
In front and to the left of his spiritual sense was a red star, its surface fiercely burning and spewing terrifying flames in every direction. He didn't know how far away this star was, but from the almost frozen form of those flames, he could conclude that it was extremely far away. But this star seemed so close to his spiritual sense, which could only mean that the star was so incomparably massive that it almost filled up his spiritual sense's sensory capacity.
The blazing red star spewed boundless energy into the void, giving off a very terrifying sensation. It seemed that if one got just a little closer, one would be burned into the purest energy. Yet it had an allure that made people want to melt away within it.
Chen Changsheng felt somewhat uneasy, but not out of fear. He was sure that nothing in this sea of stars would do any harm to the spiritual sense of humans. The reason for his unease came from his feelings about the shape of this star and the conflict of their personalities. In other words, he didn't like the star.
Thus, his spiritual sense floated off even higher. After passing through a clump of wispy substance that seemed to be made of stardust, what reflected in his eyes was a blue star. This star was icily arrogant, particularly cold, and its surface even seemed to be covered in a thin layer of frost. It gave off a feeling of intensity, forbidding anyone from approaching. His spiritual sense floated there for a few moments before continuing its journey.
When the spiritual sense of a cultivator left their body, there was naturally a limit as to how far it could go. As one's cultivation gradually increased, this limit would also gradually increase. However, only when one was lighting up one's Fated Star, the spiritual sense was not restricted in any way when traveling in the space above. This was similarly an unsolved mystery.
Chen Changsheng's spiritual sense continued to float farther and farther upwards, seeing all sort of stars and sights. He had also passed by several stars that were particularly quiet. When his spiritual sense tried to approach them, it was pushed away by an invisible force, making him realize that these stars were the Fated Stars of other people.
The deeper he traveled into the starry sky, the greater the number of stars. Gradually, there also began to appear many strange stars unlike anything humans thought of as stars. Quietly suspended in the void, those stars incessantly discharged radiance. Some of them seemed to sprout countless spiral arms, looking just like a child's plaything. Some condensed their star radiance into a bright pair of wings, seeming just like some mystical bird. There were also some stars that gave off the majesty of some ferocious beast.
For an entire night, his spiritual sense drifted about the sea of stars, slowly feeling and being stirred by many nigh indescribable emotions. Those emotions were related to the stars, but even more came from himself. This sense of freedom that came from breaking away from the shackles of the fleshly body had always been one of the prime motives of cultivation.
The spiritual sense of a cultivator passing through the night sky and drifting into the depths of the sea of stars was a very common situation in the human world, especially in the capital which was filled with crouching tigers and hidden dragons. Every night, many people would attempt to light up their Fated Stars, so no one noticed Chen Changsheng's spiritual sense.
Suddenly, his spiritual sense saw an extremely bright ray of light. Different from the rays of light emitted by the stars, this light burned more fiercely, was more simple and honest. He was taken with the impulse to get a closer look, but he also faintly sensed that it was time to return.
He opened his eyes and awoke, realizing that he was still sitting cross-legged in the library of the Orthodox Academy. His spiritual sense had traveled far before finally reaching the depths of the sea of stars, but returning required only an instant. He shifted his gaze and saw the sky outside the window gradually brightening. It turned out that it was dawn.
...
...
For the first time in fourteen years, Chen Changsheng's daily routine was disrupted. He slept during the day to make up for it, then returned in the evening to the library to continue his roaming about the sea of stars. This time, when sending off his spiritual sense from his body, he was more experienced, more familiar with that sea of stars in the night sky. He did not spend any time carefully viewing the sights in the very first part of the sea of stars, instead directly floating into its depths, wanting to see just where he could go.
When dawn was about to break, that flaring ray of light once more awakened him.
On the third day, he once more repeated this procedure, and on the fourth, and the fifth. Every day, his spiritual sense would travel a little farther and would be able to see more stars, but he still had no intentions of stopping.
The path of cultivating the Dao was long and distant, and he always felt it best to strive one's hardest to go as far as one could.
On the sixth night, his spiritual sense arrived at a place he had never come to before. He did not know that very few people's spiritual sense could reach such a faraway place. One reason was perhaps related to the strength of one's spiritual sense, but the other reason was that the previously passed section of the sea of stars was already great enough of an allure for cultivators. Very few people could suppress their desire to light up their Fated Star and begin Purification. From a certain perspective, his ability to resist temptation was truly quite strong.
This was because he knew more than anyone else what the true allure of living on this world was.
However, he very quickly confirmed that this place was rarely visited by spiritual senses, because even though his spiritual sense roamed around for a very long time, there was no occasional encounter of a star that had been lit up by another person's spiritual sense, as there had been during the past five nights.
Everything around him was new. The space was new, and the stars were also new, all of them waiting for him to casually pick one.
Chen Changsheng's spiritual sense still did not stop because he felt that he could still go farther, see more.
On the seventh night, his spiritual sense finally encountered an obstruction, that is to say, he encountered a wall. It was an invisible and transparent wall, a wall that might not even exist. Yet he knew that this wall was here, and for the first time, he hesitated.
What was on the other side of this invisible wall?
He did not know that this invisible wall was the crystal wall that divided space. He naturally also did not know that only a supremely powerful being like the Golden Dragon could pass freely through this wall. However, he could guess that this invisible wall should be very difficult to pass through.
But he still wanted to try.
If this was the southern wall, he would have already reached the foot of the wall. He would at least have to run his head up against it before resigning himself.
(TN: In ancient China, the main gate of a building would open southward, and to prevent people from being able to directly look in, a wall was set up in front of this gate, referred to as a 'screen wall'. This wall meant that if one wanted to leave, they had to walk right or left when reaching this wall. This resulted in the saying, "Don't run into the southern wall, don't look back", usually referring to a stubborn person that doesn't listen to the opinions of others. As a result, they might end up running into the southern wall.)
He wanted to try, so he tried. He didn't have the slightest hope, and yet…surprisingly, his spiritual sense passed through without any difficulty whatsoever.
Then this was still a part of the sea of stars.
But compared to the other parts of the sea of stars that he had seen, his spiritual sense actually found the sea of stars on this side to be more familiar, like he had returned to his hometown.
His spiritual sense continued to float upwards, increasingly tiny and weak, so much so that even in his drifting and vacant-minded state, he could sense that the connection between his body and his spiritual sense was getting weaker and weaker, possibly snapping in the very next moment.
The rays of light gradually dimmed and the number of stars gradually decreased.
Chen Changsheng sensed that this was the farthest he could go.
Even farther away, he could faintly make out another part of the sea of stars, like the myriad twinkling lights of a city.
He gazed at that place, feeling rather regretful. However, he knew that the time had come for him to choose.
His spiritual sense searched all around, wanting to find the star that belonged to him.
Choosing a Fated Star was a difficult question for every cultivator. There were far too many selections to choose from and no set rule. One could choose a star because one liked the color, and one could also close one's eyes and pick randomly.
Chen Changsheng did not encounter this sort of problem, because just when he wanted to choose a star, the star appeared before him. With a glance, he liked this star, and consequently decided to make it his Fated Star.
This was a small, red star. Compared to the star he saw at the very beginning, it was clearly much smaller. No terrifying flames of radiance erupted from its surface. All its light and energy seemed to be restrained in its very depths.
This red star was very round, its surface extremely smooth. It was very much like a small apple.
It was very cute, very beautiful, possessing a tendency to make people draw close, to make people want to take a bite out of it.
As Chen Changsheng thought of this, his spiritual sense floated over.
...
...
The night breeze gently caressed the library of the Orthodox Academy. The croaks of frogs from outside the window had long since ceased. All was still and quiet.
Chen Changsheng sat cross-legged on the clean floor, his eyes closed and his expression calm.
Suddenly, he opened his mouth and then closed it, like he was taking a bite out of something.
The faint movement of his throat could be heard, as if he was swallowing something.
Suddenly, sweat poured out of him like syrup, instantly soaking the floor beneath him.
In the distant starry sky, a red star brightly flashed.
He opened his eyes and gazed into the depths of the starry sky.
He could not see that star, but he could feel it.
Because that was his star.
...
...
Just as the Demon Grand Scholar Tungus had said, no person could see that line.
So when Chen Changsheng successfully lit up his Fated Star, no phenomena occurred in the Orthodox Academy, no divine beam of light descended into the capital from the night sky. This part of the continent was just as usual, calm and peaceful.
Moreover, this star of his was too distant from the ground. Although it brightened for an instant, no one could see it. Yes, the star was too far, and even the priests in the observatory far in the western outskirts of the capital did not notice it.
In the end, however, someone saw it.
Because the Divine Empress was viewing the stars tonight.
This was quite the coincidence.
As long as the weather was appropriate, the Divine Empress would ascend the Dew Platform every night to view the stars.
There had been a small drizzle tonight, so she had come out a little later.
She just so happened to see that star light up.
But even she did not know who the person that lit up this star was.
Was that person in the capital, or in the south?
Could they be in Xuelao City?
The Divine Empress gazed into the depths of the night sky, her inky black brows slowly rising up, her voice emotionless.
"Rather interesting."