Chapter 51

After Ning Xu heard the sixteen-character mantra for “Star Reversal” from the Melon-Eating System, the tremors that shook the earth and mountains suddenly vanished.

After this commotion, the Tianya Secret Realm was no longer as calm as it had been. The sky, once a clear blue, was now stained red with blood, and the temperature in the secret realm inexplicably dropped a few degrees. The once bright atmosphere had darkened, and the surroundings were now shrouded in a dim gloom.

Qi Er muttered, “What happened?”

It seemed that even the air itself had become restless.

No one responded to him. Even those who would answer didn’t know the cause.

Ning Xu spoke up, “I have a secret technique mantra here, it should come in handy in the secret realm.”

Everyone understood what she meant by “secret technique mantra” and responded in unison, “Thank you, Captain.”

Qi Er flattered, “Thank you, fellow cultivator.”

After teaching the mantra to the others, Ning Xu gave an order, “Let’s rest here for now and assess the situation in the secret realm tomorrow.”

No one disagreed.

The secret realm was no longer safe, and everyone had their own matters to attend to.

Qin Riluo busied herself with learning artifact forging, putting her studies to practical use.

Qingjiu Xian focused on alchemy, ensuring they wouldn’t run out of pills when needed.

Qi Er took out a defensive formation plate and protected everyone.

Wu Luchen studied the “Bronze Wall, Iron curtain.”

In the end, only Ning Xu and Innocent Cultivator were left to learn “Star Reversal.”

Ning Xu closed her eyes and meditated.

At this moment, in her mind, there was a person dressed in black, with a blurry figure, swinging a sword and performing “Star Reversal.”

His movements were slowed down countless times, from the first strike to each change in sword trajectory, everything was clearly displayed before her.

She could see the star power attracted by the sword strikes. These silver forces moved along a fixed trajectory around him.

She could see that under the might of the sword, at one particular moment, these mysterious silver star rivers reversed in an instant. In that moment, the explosive sword energy surged forward, unstoppable, slicing through anyone in its path.

It turned out that “Star Reversal” was such a magnificent technique.

Magnificent, yet undeniably powerful.

After replaying the movements in her mind several times, Ning Xu opened her eyes, ready to try the technique herself.

Then, for the first time in reality, she witnessed “Star Reversal.”

The splendid silver threads slowly flowed before her, with ancient symbols representing mystery and power interwoven within. The person surrounded by the silver energy wore the disciple’s robe of Wan Geng Peak from the Wenxin Sect. He moved with fluid grace and swung his sword. At that moment, the star river instantly reversed, and sword energy exploded, annihilating countless spirit beasts in front of him.

In the blink of an eye, everything within fifty meters ahead was cleared by the sword energy.

It seemed like the area ahead had been entirely wiped clean.

Ning Xu was momentarily stunned, then, not surprised at all, she clapped and praised, “Impressive.”

Hearing this voice, Innocent Cultivator turned around, a sincere smile blooming on his handsome face. “Thank you for the compliment, Captain.”

The others, hearing the commotion, put down their tasks and commented, “Si Yan, you picked it up fast.”

“Yeah, this technique sounded difficult, but you got the hang of it right away.”

Si Yan pressed his lips together, not responding.

Rather than saying he learned quickly, it was more accurate to say that certain instincts were slowly awakening within him.

He lowered his gaze, staring at the hand that held the sword.

Who… exactly was he?

Why did using “Star Reversal” feel so familiar, and why was his sword technique so natural and skilled?

While he pondered this, the familiar voices of Ning Xu and the Melon-Eating System echoed in his ears.

Ning Xu: “This technique is perfect for Innocent Cultivator.”

Melon-Eating System echoed, 【Right? I think so too.】

Upon hearing these voices, Si Yan gave a carefree smile.

No matter who he was, he was Innocent Cultivator in Ning Xu and the Melon-Eating System’s words, and that was enough.

—

On the first day after the transformation of the Tianya Secret Realm, Ning Xu spent most of the day practicing “Star Reversal.”

The Melon-Eating System adjusted her form and movements in real-time, guiding her when necessary.

She could also replay the perfect, textbook-like movements of the black figure in her mind as many times as she wanted. Though there wasn’t much difference between the sword moves of the black figure and Innocent Cultivator’s, watching the replay was more convenient.

After countless adjustments and practice, Ning Xu finally executed “Star Reversal” for the first time.

The star power flowed through the Mingyue Sword, and she could sense another type of energy in the world besides spiritual energy.

It was an ethereal sensation.

Countless stars spun and moved around her, and then the star power was released with the swing of her sword.

With a loud explosion, countless towering trees fell before her sword energy.

In that moment, as Ning Xu executed “Star Reversal,” she also advanced from the Qi Refining Stage 4 to Qi Refining Stage 6.

Melon-Eating System: 【Congratulations!】

Then, the Melon-Eating System changed the subject, 【The three-day death order is almost halfway through, and we’re still safe. Should we celebrate?】

Ning Xu glanced at the sky. The night, tinged with a faint blood-red hue, silently enveloped the secret realm.

It was nearly midnight.

She quickly understood the Melon-Eating System’s hidden meaning. Rather than celebrating, it was more about showing off.

She nodded, “Indeed, we should celebrate.”

After a pause, she added, “But before we celebrate, tell me more about the Flower Pavilion Sect Leader.”

The Melon-Eating System chuckled and responded, 【Sure!】

—

On the first day of the three-day death order, countless melon-eating cultivators had completely lost interest in cultivating. From time to time, they would glance at the “Three Thousand Realms Cultivator Exchange Area” to see if Melon Mover had posted anything new.

Unfortunately, they waited until near midnight and still hadn’t seen any new posts from Melon Mover.

However, many cultivators posted threads analyzing who Melon Mover might be and what cultivation level they could have.

The most popular post was by a fellow cultivator named “Melon Mover Is Awesome,” who posted an article titled “A Brief Discussion on Melon Mover.”

The post was quite long, but to summarize: Melon Mover was strong, top-tier, and definitely a cultivator at least at the Nascent Soul Stage. It was most likely a rogue cultivator.

Generally, cultivators from sects wouldn’t dare to act as recklessly as Melon Mover.

After all, a sect’s honor and reputation were paramount, and acting like that would easily attract the ire of others.

At the same time, members of the Wenxin Sect, who were constantly monitoring the “Melon Mover” posts, responded:…

A rogue cultivator? That’s not it.

From the name “Melon Mover Is Awesome,” it’s clear the poster was a supporter of Melon Mover.

Of course, there were many fans of Melon Mover, “Melon Mover Is Awesome” was just one of them.

After all, Melon Mover was the first person to dare confront one of the top three sects, not to mention offending several Nascent Soul and higher cultivators in such a short time, embodying the perfect example of acting on impulse without a care for the consequences.

Just when the cultivators thought there was nothing interesting left to watch, Melon Mover, as expected, posted a new update.

This new post had a simple and clear title, oozing arrogance:

“Day 1 of the Three-Day Death Order, All Good.”

While the post was meant to reassure those concerned about Melon Mover’s safety, everyone also noticed another layer of meaning.

That was: “The first day has passed, I am safe, what can you do about it?”

Members of the Flower Pavilion saw the post and responded:…

Alright, you have guts.

The Flower Pavilion had thought that Melon Mover had already been arrogant enough, but they never expected him to be even more so.

Because, in this post, Melon Mover didn’t even mention anything related to the title.

Instead, the entire post was about exposing the secrets of the Flower Pavilion Sect Leader!