Three years had passed since the Dao Sect's fall, a wound that still stung Lin Feng's heart. Now sixteen, he stood at the Form Creation Realm, Peak Stage, his Star Sovereign System 2.0 a silent force driving his ascent. The **Starforge Spear** and **Starforge Armor**, purchased from the system's shop, gleamed with starlit power, while his mastery of **Celestial Crescent Slash**—a high-tier martial art from Lin Dong's relic—marked him as a prodigy among the scattered Dao Sect survivors. His Breakthrough Points (BP) stood at 130, debt-free, earned through slaying demonic beasts and neutralizing minor villains in the Great Yan Empire. The system's instant mastery and disturbance detection remained his secret, hidden even from allies like Xiao Liyao and Mu Lingshan, whose ties to Xiao Yan and Mu Chen he still didn't know.
Lin Feng's only idol was Lin Dong, the Martial Ancestor, whose legend as a Dao Sect disciple inspired his every step. Ignorant of the Great Thousand World's heroes—Xiao Yan, Zhou Yuan, or Mu Chen—he was unaware that his path would soon intersect with Zhou Qingyue, Zhou Yuan's granddaughter and his destined first wife. The system's latest mission pulsed: **[Mission: Reach the Blackwater Forest and Secure a Yuan Crystal Cache. Reward: 200 BP, High-Tier Defensive Art—Stellar Aegis.]** The Blackwater Forest, a perilous region teeming with demonic beasts and ancient secrets, was also where Qingyue sought the Love Crystal, its love-inducing power unknown to her.
The Great Yan Empire, bound by Lin Dong's altered laws, capped upper-realm visitors like Qingyue at the Nirvana Realm, and its people remained blind to the Great Thousand World. The Abyssal Monarch's servant, Xue Wuya, hunted the Love Crystal, his schemes tied to the Dao Sect's ruin by the Nine Heavens Palace and Iron Cloud Sect. Lin Feng, now a wanderer with the surviving Dao Sect disciples, was determined to rebuild his ancestor's legacy, starting with the forest's treasures.
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### Shadows in the Forest
Lin Feng trekked through the Great Yan Empire's wilds, his **Starforge Armor** shimmering faintly under his cloak. Xiao Liyao and Mu Lingshan had parted ways to pursue their own paths, though Lin Feng sensed they'd meet again. The Blackwater Forest loomed, its dark canopy swallowing the sun. As he entered, the system's **Starlight Sense** heightened his perception, revealing tracks of a Tier 3 Shadow Panther. The Yuan Crystal Cache, hidden in a ruined temple, was his goal, but danger lurked.
A petty villain emerged—Gao Jin, a rogue cultivator at the Yuan Power Realm, Peak Stage, leading a band of mercenaries. Marked by the system as a disturbance target for robbing travelers, Gao Jin sneered at Lin Feng. "A lone brat in Blackwater? Hand over your treasures!" His mercenaries, three at the Yuan Power Realm, Middle Stage, brandished spiked clubs.
The system pinged: **[Disturbance Target: Gao Jin and Mercenaries. Reward: 30 BP.]** Lin Feng gripped his spear, activating **Starshatter Step**. **[Purchased Shadow Star Thrust (Offensive Skill, 50 BP). Instant Mastery Applied. Debt: 50 BP.]** His spear flashed, a starlit arc piercing Gao Jin's shoulder. The mercenaries lunged, but **Starlight Mirage** created illusions of Lin Feng, confusing them. A sweeping **Celestial Crescent Slash** knocked them out, their clubs clattering. Gao Jin fled, cursing. **[Disturbance Neutralized: 30 BP. Current BP: 110 (Debt: 50).]**
Deeper in the forest, Lin Feng reached the ruined temple, its moss-covered stones pulsing with Yuan Power. He unearthed the Yuan Crystal Cache, a chest of glowing gems. **[Mission Progress: Cache Secured. Continue to Temple Core for Full Reward.]** As he ventured inside, a chilling aura froze the air. Xue Wuya appeared, his black mist coiling. "The Love Crystal is near, boy," he snarled, his Nirvana Realm power overwhelming despite the world's laws. "You'll die before you reach it."
Lin Feng's heart raced. The Love Crystal was unknown to him, but its importance was clear. He used **Starlight Veil**, deflecting Xue Wuya's black spear, and **Starshatter Step** to retreat. Before Xue Wuya could pursue, a golden light erupted nearby—a dragon phantom roaring with power. A figure emerged: Zhou Qingyue, her silver hair shimmering, her Nirvana Realm aura radiant yet capped. Unaware of her tie to Zhou Yuan, Lin Feng saw only a celestial beauty, her presence stirring his Earth-born heart.
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### A Fateful Clash
Qingyue's eyes locked on Xue Wuya. "Servant of the Abyssal Monarch, you'll not claim the crystal," she declared, her dragon phantom striking. Xue Wuya countered, black mist clashing with gold, the temple trembling. Lin Feng, seizing the chaos, slipped into the temple's core, finding a pedestal where the Love Crystal glowed—a ruby-like gem pulsing with strange energy. The system warned: **[Anomaly Detected: Love Crystal. Absorption may trigger unforeseen effects.]**
Before he could act, Qingyue appeared, her dragon phantom forcing Xue Wuya to retreat. Her gaze fell on the crystal, then Lin Feng. "You're no ordinary wanderer," she said, her voice cold yet curious. "Step aside." Driven by her mission to forge new techniques, she reached for the crystal, unaware of its love-inducing power. As her hand touched it, the gem shattered, its energy surging into her. Qingyue gasped, her eyes glazing with emotion, her heart inexplicably drawn to Lin Feng.
The system blared: **[Hidden Mission Triggered: Survive the Love Crystal's Effect. Reward: 50 BP.]** Qingyue's aura flared, her dragon phantom enveloping Lin Feng. In a trance, their Yuan Power merged, sparking a dual cultivation—a surge of energy binding their spirits. Lin Feng's cultivation leaped to Form Creation Realm, Late Stage, but Qingyue's eyes cleared, her face twisting with fury. "You—what have you done?" she hissed, her sword at his throat.
"I didn't choose this," Lin Feng said, his voice steady despite the blade. "The crystal—it's more than you thought." Qingyue's hand trembled, her heart warring with the love she couldn't control. She lowered her sword, tears in her eyes. "I'll kill you if you speak of this," she whispered, fleeing into the forest.
Lin Feng, shaken, vowed under the stars: "I'll find you in the Great Thousand World, Zhou Qingyue. I'll marry you as my first wife." The system chimed: **[Hidden Mission Complete: 50 BP. Main Mission Updated: Reach the Great Thousand World. Reward: 500 BP, Saint-Tier Art. Current BP: 160 (Debt: 50).]**
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### A New Horizon
Lin Feng claimed the Yuan Crystal Cache, completing his mission. **[Reward: 200 BP, Stellar Aegis. Current BP: 360 (Debt: 50).]** The defensive art formed a starry barrier, bolstering his strength. Qingyue's face lingered in his mind—his first wife, bound by fate yet lost to him for now. His second and third wives, upper-realm prodigies tied to Xiao Yan and Mu Chen, awaited beyond, but the Great Thousand World was distant.
The Abyssal Monarch's shadow grew, Xue Wuya's failure a temporary reprieve. The Dao Sect's fall had scattered its disciples, but Lin Feng carried Lin Dong's legacy in the **Celestial Crescent Tablet**. With the system's power hidden and his vow to Qingyue burning, he set his sights on the empire's borders, where a path to the Great Thousand World awaited. Like Lin Dong, he would rise from ruin, his saga a star ascending.