"That makes sense. If there were a secret treasure of the Divine Treasure First Level here, Prince Qinghe would never have opened this place to the public."

"The True Inheritances of the six major sects came here for influence in the new alliance, not for the resources."

Shaking his head, Zhong Ming had originally intended to leave.

However, he recalled the time he had a long-distance exchange with an elder from the All Heaven Stars Sect. At the top of the Tower of the Morning Star, he once again released his Divine Monarch—the overclocked, Hundred-Meter Divine Monarch.

"HUMMM!"

This time, releasing the Divine Monarch... actually caused an anomaly in the Tower of the Morning Star.

As the Power of the Stars vibrated violently, a hidden, interlayer Star Secret Vault slowly emerged from the middle section of the Tower of the Morning Star!

’It’s really here?’ This scene made Zhong Ming’s eyes widen in surprise. In his mind, an incredible guess formed. ’Could it be that the Supreme Elder built this Star Secret Vault only after he learned of my existence?’

The thought that this might be a plan by the All Heaven Stars Sect spanning ten thousand years, and all for him alone, first sent a wave of shock and gratitude through Zhong Ming, immediately followed by worry and speculation.

’Tampering with time will inevitably incur a backlash from fate. Could the downfall of the All Heaven Stars Sect be related to this?’

’It shouldn’t be that serious—it was just building a Secret Vault, not truly defying heaven to change fate. The backlash wouldn’t be that severe... Besides, although it’s a bit selfish to think this way, even if there was a backlash, the All Heaven Stars Sect, which set this whole thing up, would have borne it. It has nothing to do with...’

Before the thought could finish, Zhong Ming’s expression suddenly froze.

He recalled something horrifying. This trip to the Star Secret Vault had been far too dangerous.

’If I hadn’t possessed the extraordinary Heaven Rewards Diligence ability, which let my strength leap forward several times in such a short period, I would have certainly died entering the Secret Vault at the Qi Refining Stage. I wouldn’t have even lasted until Divine Heir Wu Yu arrived; Cheng Lv and Yuan Rong would have killed me.’

’A treasure-hunting trip that ended up escalating into a major battle between me and a Divine Heir... With luck like this, are you sure it isn’t a backlash from fate?’

Because he had too little information, the current Zhong Ming was completely unable to grasp the full picture.

But after this incident, Zhong Ming decided that from now on, he would avoid using his Eternal Flame ability unless absolutely necessary.

’Time, fate, karma... These are things I simply can’t meddle with at my current stage. Even reaching the Golden Core or Nascent Soul realm won’t be enough.’

The hidden layer in the Tower of the Morning Star sparked countless speculations and sent shivers of dread through Zhong Ming.

However, he could also faintly sense that even though tampering with time had caused a backlash from fate, now that he had dueled the Divine Heir and survived, that backlash should be over.

This made Zhong Ming hesitate no longer. He reached out and took the core item from the interlayer Secret Vault—a Jade Scroll that recorded a Cultivation Technique.

And it was exactly what the current Zhong Ming desperately needed: a Qi Refining Stage cultivation method from the All Heaven Stars Sect.

...

After a few moments of silence, Zhong Ming picked up the Jade Scroll containing the Cultivation Technique, pressed it against his forehead, and began to read its contents.

’The Star Core Creation Secret Manual... Star Core, not Star River or Star Sea, huh?’

Reading the *Star Core Creation Secret Manual*, Zhong Ming learned that this Cultivation Technique’s method involved reflecting the All Heaven Stars to form a Xinghui Yun within his Dantian.

Then, the Xinghui Yun would condense and compress to form a Star Core, which could also be called a Void Star.

’The Xinghui Yun is a Qi Refining-level cloud of Magical Power. Condensing it into a Void Star marks the advancement to Foundation Establishment—though, of course, some prodigies can achieve this even during the Qi Refining Stage.’

’Then, at the Foundation Establishment realm, I’ll need to Refine False into True, gradually evolving the Void Star into a physical entity. When it becomes completely real and solid, that will be my Golden Core.’

’However, it would be difficult to turn the Star Core from illusory to real on my own. This requires borrowing the Power of Heaven and Earth, or in other words, infusing it with Celestial Spirits and Earth Demons.’

Zhong Ming quickly understood the fundamental cultivation method of this technique. As a Celestial Level, Mid-Grade Cultivation Technique, it naturally had its profound aspects.

’The *Star Core Creation Secret Manual* doesn’t limit me to a single Star Core. If I have the ability, I can condense three to five, or even more than a dozen Star Cores! At that point, my Magical Power will be three to five times, or even dozens of times greater than that of other prodigy Cultivators!’

Reflecting the stars to condense a Star Core was a high-level cultivation method. The Magical Power contained within a single such Star Core—in terms of both quality and quantity—was already among the absolute peak for its level.

If he condensed more than a dozen such Star Cores, his Magical Power would be completely overwhelming compared to that of an ordinary Cultivator.

’Besides being my source of Magical Power, these Star Cores can also become the core of my Star Heaven Divine Monarch.’

’Furthermore, depending on the star I reflect, the Star Core’s attribute will be different. By using it as the core for my Star Heaven-Divine Monarch, the Divine Monarch Dharma Aspect will also possess different attributes.’

’For example, if I use a Star Core reflected from the Ziwei Star as the core of my Divine Monarch Dharma Aspect, my Dharma Aspect will gain control over lightning...’

The prospect of having over a dozen Star Cores already made Zhong Ming’s eyes light up. And as a Celestial Level Cultivation Technique, the abilities of the *Star Core Creation Secret Manual* didn’t stop there.

Besides serving as cores for his Divine Monarch, these Star Cores could also be inscribed with Array Divine Techniques, or be used as the focal point to create Beasts of the Morning Star and Morning Star Artifacts.

’Once I reach Great Success with this Cultivation Technique, when my Divine Monarch Dharma Aspect goes into battle, not only will I be able to switch its attributes at will, but it will also be supported by over a dozen Beasts of the Morning Star or numerous Morning Star Artifacts... As expected of a Celestial Level Cultivation Technique. It’s truly powerful.’

After reading through it, Zhong Ming was very satisfied with this Cultivation Technique.

However, there was one aspect of the technique that gave him pause—its cultivation difficulty and resource requirements.