"Silly child."
Cang Xue's eyes always held a smile as she gently shook her head. She raised her hand, intending to ruffle Wu Wang's head, but paused, carefully straightening his collar instead.
She said softly, "Mother is but a speck of stardust in the starry sky; how could I possibly be the exalted Star God?
"In the prairies of the Northern Wilderness, within the same century, there might be dozens of participants in the Moon Ritual, or perhaps only a few, but the Sun Ritual will always maintain the number of seven. This is because the seven Sun Ritual Priests are the servants of the Star God. Each must reside in one of seven specific places of prayer, praying and imploring on behalf of the Star God every day. These are secrets known only to the chief priests of the Large Family Clans, so do not spread them recklessly."
Wu Wang truly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. He was not some divine child, with no extraordinary or bizarre settings unfolding. Being ordinary was fine, being common was fine; being the dull Young Master of a clan was quite good.
"Then Mother, how are the Sun Ritual Priests chosen?"
"The prerequisite is one's own strength, followed by whether the clan possesses a seat in the Sun Ritual," Cang Xue said with a smile. "Then, one must undergo a very cumbersome ceremony, decided collectively by at least sixteen clan chief priests."
Wu Wang frowned slightly—did all the clans' Priests in the Northern Wilderness have secret connections? He had been the Young Master in the Northern Wilderness for twelve years, and this was the first time he had come face to face with its theocratic system.
After a moment of silence, Wu Wang asked again, "Then why, when I was in that Temple, did I see Mother and not the other six Sun Ritual Priests?"
"That's because Mother is the strongest among the current generation of the seven Sun Ritual Priests," Cang Xue said, as if mentioning an insignificant trifle. Her eyes narrowed into crescents as she smiled, her voice still gentle. "In the land of the Northern Wilderness, the Praying Star Technique originated from the same source; everything began with the Star God's blessing."
"Mother?" Wu Wang suddenly looked up, gazing intently at the foremost of the current seven Sun Ritual Priests before him.
"What is it?"
"The Star Sky God truly exists, right?"
"Your Praying Star Technique has reached a good level of proficiency, and you have already witnessed the Starry Sky Temple with your own eyes," Cang Xue said with a hint of regret. "Unfortunately, you were born male, and the Sun Ritual must be inherited by a female."
Wu Wang wondered, "Why is that?"
"Because the Star God is a Goddess, and She does not allow men to approach."
Cang Xue's fingers glided lightly. A teacup and teapot flew over. Hot tea poured from the teacup by itself, and she held the cup out to her son.
This foremost Priest of the current generation of the Sun Ritual in the Northern Wilderness continued speaking in a tender tone, "You are to inherit the position of clan leader of our Bear Hug Clan in the future, so it's alright for you to know these things. All the leading clans in the Northern Wilderness must receive the Star God's blessing upon their leaders' succession. If clans go to war, they must also pray to the Star God through their clan's chief priest. In case of significant events, Mother can summon the other six Sun Ritual Priests to gather in the Temple to hold the Seven Sun Ritual Consultation, making decisions on behalf of the Star God. The decisions we make supersede those of the clans. During the years when the Star God sleeps, the seven Sun Ritual Priests are responsible for guarding the sky of the Northern Wilderness, watching over all the clans."
Seeing that Wu Wang looked a bit shocked, Cang Xue extended her finger, gently sliding the tip just outside the contour of Wu Wang's face, her eyes filled with warmth.
"Ba'er, you need not worry. With Mother here, if you merely wish to be a clan leader without a care, the clan will always be safe. But for your illness, Mother is powerless. This is where Mother feels most indebted to you."
Wu Wang was speechless... Why does it feel like there's a holy light shining around my dear mother, as if a Fairy Immortal from the Nine Heavens is opening her arms to me?
"I can ask for anything?" Wu Wang muttered softly.
Cang Xue replied with a light laugh, "Yes, as long as it's something Mother can give you."
Wu Wang pondered for a while. With a hint of uncertainty in his voice, he tentatively asked, "Could you... try to have another child, a brother or sister for me?"
PFFT!
Cang Xue, the head of the Sun Ritual, turned her head and spewed out a mouthful of hot tea, inexplicably blushing a little. "Why do you suddenly mention this?"
"Mother..." Wu Wang sighed lightly, as if speaking of an inconsequential matter. "I'm not sure if there's a cure for my strange illness, and I've prepared myself for a solitary life, but our clan can't afford that. The clan needs a successor. The transfer of power must be stable. I won't make an excellent leader, and not being able to produce an heir will become the clan's greatest hidden danger. With so many people in our clan, I don't want to cause unrest due to my own issues, leading to unnecessary sacrifices among our people. So, Mother, please consider having another child with Father!"
Wu Wang turned his head to look at his mother, but Cang Xue just gently furrowed her brows, sitting in silence.
It seemed there was some difficulty.
Wu Wang, looking at his mother's increasingly divine visage, suddenly thought of a possibility and asked in a soft voice, "Mother, have you and Father... stopped sharing a room?"
Cang Xue's face flushed briefly, but she calmly replied, "Although we spend more time apart than together, we are still a normal married couple. We manage to spend a few days together every three years."
Isn't that more tragic than the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl?
Wu Wang hurriedly asked, "Have your feelings for each other faded?"
"The two things I regret the least are giving birth to you and choosing your father."
"Then having another child shouldn't be difficult."
"This..." Cang Xue looked troubled.
Wu Wang looked at his mother, who appeared to be in the bloom of youth but was actually over two hundred years old, and asked earnestly, "Could it be that Father, with his constant travels, has reached middle age with more will than strength?"
"At your young age, how do you understand so much?" Cang Xue raised her hand as if to tap Wu Wang on the head but stopped herself in time, opting instead to gently glare at him. She sighed, "It's because, after succeeding the Sun Ritual, it becomes very difficult to have more children."
His mother sighed softly, voicing a sentence that Wu Wang would never forget.
"Ultimately, the price of all blessings has been calculated."
「Half a day later, the snow wolf sleigh left Big Snow Mountain.」
On the return journey, Wu Wang looked down at the bone fragment in his hand. Following the method his mother had just taught him, he read the messages stored within the bone piece. There wasn't much inside, just a few highly destructive Praying Star Techniques for self-defense.
Wu Wang glanced at Lin Suqing sitting opposite him. This Returning Origin Realm master Cultivator was sitting with her legs together and hands crossed over her knees. Her long hair was combed impeccably, and her pretty face was filled with an expression of obedience and cuteness, but her eyes held a slightly vacant look. Before leaving, Lin Suqing had been touched on the forehead by Wu Wang's mother, who said it was to help "open her mind."
But looking at her now, it most likely had the opposite effect, blocking up one or two of her already few wits... Silly, so silly. When the chance arises, I'll let her go free and find a sharper tutor.
Wu Wang sat slumped amidst the soft fur of a Spirit Beast, watching the giant wolf riders beside the carriage continually scanning the area, a complex and indescribable emotion in his heart. He had argued with his mother. This was the first time in his life that he had had a dispute with his parents, and the cause of the dispute was the topic of cultivation. In some sense, this could also be considered going along with local customs.
Wu Wang habitually reached into the small pouch at his waist for a stone tablet and carving knife, intending to record the information he had just received. But his motion halted, and he put the stone tablet back.
Forget it, who seriously records this kind of stuff?
"Lin Suqing?"
"I'm here!" Lin Suqing immediately came back to her senses. "Young Master, what's the matter?"
"I want to confirm something again." Wu Wang interlaced his fingers and held them in front of his mouth and nose, his clear eyes reflecting a touch of depth as he spoke slowly, "The Lifespan at each stage of the Human Domain's Cultivation methods."
"Huh?" Lin Suqing was stunned by the question; after all, it was common knowledge for Human Domain Cultivators.
She said, "At the Condensation Establishment Realm, the foundation is completed, vitality within the body is unceasing, and Lifespan is approximately a thousand years, though it varies from person to person due to different circumstances. After all, most who fail when assailing the Golden Core Realm will sustain some hidden injuries. Most can still live to be eight or nine hundred years old. After forming the Golden Core, Lifespan is about three thousand years. After developing the Primordial Spirit, Lifespan is said to be six thousand years, and some claim it can reach ten thousand years. There are altogether nine tiers in the cultivation ladder; the higher the realm and the more vitality within the body, the longer the natural Lifespan will be."
"After becoming an Immortal?"
"Throughout the ages, those who have become Immortals are few and far between, and no one knows the Lifespan of an Immortal," Lin Suqing said seriously. "One theory is that Immortals can live as long as heaven and earth, but this is likely exaggerated. Otherwise, how would we explain the passing of the Human Domain's past sages?"
"Hmm." Wu Wang responded, then asked, "What about the specific number of Human Domain Cultivators?"
"Well, there are quite a lot," Lin Suqing was a bit puzzled by the specifics of Wu Wang's question. "The Human Domain is said to have three thousand Immortal Sects, and the Demon Path probably has a similar number of Sects. It's impossible to count the number of solitary cultivators. Many complete Cultivation Techniques can be obtained with just diligence. However, the vast majority of our Human race do not possess the talent for cultivation. In the end, only a small portion of our people can embark on the path of cultivation. Many central areas of the Human Domain have already formed tribes and settlements of mortals."
"What is the specific ratio of the Human race that can cultivate?"
"One in a hundred has the talent for cultivation," Lin Suqing said this with certainty, then added, "My master, Perfected Zuo Dong, has spoken of this."
Only one percent of the Human race can cultivate? Could it be that my constitution is also unsuitable for cultivation? This will have to be verified to know.
Wu Wang sat there, frowning in thought, silent for a long time.
Previously, when he was with his mother, Wu Wang had tried several times to persuade her to have another child, but she had repeatedly avoided the topic. His mother was also reluctant to let Wu Wang learn the essence of the Praying Star Technique and did not answer any questions related to the Star God, only saying that she would find a way to allow him to practice the Human Domain's Cultivation methods.
The Praying Star Technique does not increase one's Lifespan. The higher the cultivation, the more constraints from the Star God's rules one faces. Even someone like Mother, who stands at the pinnacle of the Praying Star Technique, can only be trapped by it. Strong power, short Lifespan—is that reasonable? This Northern Wilderness's sky is not as vast and lofty as it appears.
Inside the carriage, Wu Wang's gaze flickered lightly, his expression becoming more determined.
"I've made up my mind." He suddenly spoke, a faint starlight twinkling in his eyes, causing Lin Suqing to unconsciously hold her breath and watch him intently.
"Decided... what?"
"To overcome all difficulties and definitely pursue Cultivation," Wu Wang declared firmly. "If a hundred years are not enough to find a cure for my strange illness, then a thousand years, ten thousand years! I don't believe I'll be a bachelor until I enter my grave and remain a pure-yang man for my entire life!"
PAH! Lin Suqing choked on a breath and almost spat out blood, coughing violently while clutching her chest. But seeing Wu Wang's serious expression, she knew he wasn't joking and couldn't help but start worrying about which Sect in the Human Domain would be unfortunate enough to be afflicted by this Young Master of a Northern Wilderness Large Family Clan.
Lin Suqing, a bit slow on the uptake, blinked and asked, "Young Master, has the problem with the Praying Star Technique been solved?"
"Not yet, but it should be soon." Wu Wang revealed a small, confident smile.
Given his dear mother's usual efficiency, he estimated the solution would be delivered before they even reached the Royal Court.
WHOOSH—
A sudden sound of rending air exploded beside his ear!
Wu Wang reacted instantaneously. Starlight burst out around him, and a thick layer of Ice Armor formed out of thin air, almost instantly creating a solid ice sphere with a diameter of about five feet! However, this life-saving Praying Star Technique, which Wu Wang had practiced for so long that it had become muscle memory, today defended against nothing but air.
Outside the ice sphere, the giant wolf riders called out loudly, their figures dashing back and forth, yet none dared to approach the ice sphere. Lin Suqing, who was closest to the ice sphere, had already stood up with a Short Sword in hand, yet she had no idea where to begin with the Ice Crystal sphere before her.
Inside the ice sphere, a necklace adorned with a green glowing gemstone hovered quietly in front of Wu Wang. The necklace was beautifully designed, and the green gemstone in its center was clearly valuable. If Wu Wang remembered correctly, this was a personal treasure of his dear mother.
Cang Xue's voice resonated in Wu Wang's heart: "Wear it on your body. It can shield you from the Starry Sky Temple's detection of your Praying Star Technique, which should allow you to practice the Human Domain's Cultivation methods. If you forget to wear it, Mother will pretend not to have noticed you practicing Human Domain Cultivation methods. As long as you complete your foundation building, the Starry Sky Temple will no longer be able to stop you. But remember, Human Domain Cultivation methods must not be revealed in the Northern Wilderness, or there will be some trouble. Lifespan is the inherent destiny of a living being. Rashly breaking one's own destiny is an insult and disrespect to the Star Sky God."
Before Wu Wang could even respond, the light of the necklace faded, and it slid down on its own, caught by his subconscious hand.
If this is the case, does that mean my strange illness is unrelated to the Starry Sky Temple?
THUMP!
His heart suddenly tightened.
Wu Wang felt the mysterious rhythm emanating from the necklace and sensed his own 'God' trembling. His eyes gradually filled with light, his smile becoming increasingly unbridled...
Regarding the Little Matter of My Dear Mother Being a Dao Rules Administrator
Dual cultivation systems, achieved!