I Can Fix My Talent in Hundred Lives-Chapter 412 - 339: Star Tower

The main hall of Yunlu Daoist Palace, "Star Hub Hall," floats in the core space of Dubhe Star, and the hall is forged from countless star fragments, its surface shimmering with the brilliance of a galaxy.

When Chen Sheng entered the hall following Dharma Master Hong Jue, he felt his entire body enveloped by a gentle Star Power. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The hall was not lavishly decorated; only a Star Platform stood in the center, upon which floated seven miniature stars, a miniature version of the Daoist Palace’s foundation, the "Seven-Star Shaking Light Immortal Slaying Array."

Dharma Master Hong Jue stood beside the Star Platform, the starlight in the hall merging into one. Without turning around, his gaze rested on the miniature stars, and he instructed:

"Since you have entered under my tutelage, you must abide by the palace rules. Quickly challenge the Star Tower, for the levels within concern the grade of your cultivation resources; do not neglect this."

"Disciple understands."

Chen Sheng bowed and answered. Just as he was about to inquire about the details of the Star Tower, Dharma Master Hong Jue raised a hand to summon an attendant.

The attendant was dressed in silver-white martial attire, with a token engraved with the word "Yunlu" hanging from his waist. With light yet steady steps, he walked into the hall and knelt on one knee in a standard, swift motion:

"Salutations, Palace Master. What are your orders for me?"

"This is my newly accepted Inner Sect Disciple. Take him to the Purple Smoke Secret Realm for accommodation and explain the Daoist Palace’s affairs to him."

Dharma Master Hong Jue waved his hand and then refocused his gaze on the Star Platform, evidently engrossed in the array’s deductions.

Seeing this, Chen Sheng said no more and turned to follow the attendant out of Star Hub Hall.

Just as they stepped out of the hall, the attendant respectfully spoke: "Your Highness, follow me!"

"Your Highness?"

Chen Sheng paused slightly in his steps, a trace of surprise in his eyes. Though he knew he was an Inner Sect Disciple, he did not expect to be addressed in such a manner.

However, he did not question it much—there are many rules in the Daoist Palace, and it was not appropriate to question them hastily. So, he nodded and followed.

The attendant led him to a corner of the hall’s outer plaza, where an ancient stone array stood. The Array Hub was embedded with seven differently colored crystal stones, emitting waves of Space Dao Principles.

"This is the Seven-Star Transmission Array, allowing direct access to any of the stars of the Seven-Star Pearl Formation."

"Your Highness, step into the array with me, and we shall go to the Purple Smoke Secret Realm on Phecda Star."

Following instructions, Chen Sheng stepped into the array. As soon as he steadied his stance, he felt the space around him twist, and the scenery before his eyes changed like a revolving lantern, with the faint sound of spatial tearing by his ears.

Within a breath, the sensation of weightlessness disappeared, and a refreshing aroma lingered around his nose.

Opening his eyes, he found himself in a mist-covered Secret Realm.

Beneath his feet lay Spirit Fields blanketed in purple smoke, where Purple Rhyme Grass over ten thousand years old grew, with their leaves bearing crystal clear Spirit Dew.

In the distance, the mountain peaks were a pale yellow, with waterfalls cascading down, and the water was actually condensed from pure Spiritual Qi, creating ripples of Spirit Light as it flowed into the deep pool below.

Above the Secret Realm was no firmament; instead, a resplendent starry sky took its place. Seven giant stars were suspended in the sky, among which the yellow star was particularly bright; it was Phecda Star, where they resided.

"This is the Purple Smoke Secret Realm, covering an area of a million miles. The Purple Smoke Spring at its center is extremely mysterious, a cultivation ground specially arranged by the Palace Master for Your Highness."

The attendant pointed to a Jade Palace floating beside the waterfall not far away:

"That Purple Smoke Palace is Your Highness’s residence, equipped with numerous grand arrays, enlightenment rooms, and treasure refining rooms, all necessary items have been prepared."

Chen Sheng looked up at the Jade Palace, built entirely of Warm Jade, its roof covered with purple-glazed tiles, adorned with star runes, which in the starlight emitted a soft radiance.

He nodded gently, and the attendant continued:

"The various Secret Realms on Phecda Star are the cultivation grounds for the Inner Sect’s various Highnesses. In your leisure time, Your Highness may visit them to exchange insights on Dao Principles."

After the attendant led him into the Purple Smoke Palace and settled his belongings, Chen Sheng finally asked the question on his mind:

"You call me ’Your Highness’; is this how every disciple of my master is addressed?"

The attendant, in the midst of brewing Spirit Tea for him, paused at the question, then replied respectfully:

"Not so. The palace master’s disciples are classified into three tiers: direct, inner, and named disciples, and only the direct and inner disciples are referred to as ’Your Highness.’

Chen Sheng nodded, this aligned with his earlier understanding of the Dharma Master’s disciple acceptance practices. With a vast number of named disciples, they are indeed not considered precious under the Integration Dharma Master.

He took a sip of Spirit Tea, the Star Spiritual Qi within the tea instantly nourishing his meridians. He then asked:

"How many disciples does the Master currently have?"

The attendant hesitated for a moment, carefully choosing his words, then slowly answered:

"The Palace Master currently has three direct disciples."

"Including Your Highness, there are now one hundred seventy-seven Inner Sect Disciples. Named Disciples number five thousand eight hundred eighty-one."

"Isn’t that rather few?"

The tea cup in Chen Sheng’s hand trembled slightly, his heart filled with shock.

He had heard from Venerable Wuyue that their master’s disciples numbered in the hundreds for direct, thousands of Inner Sect Disciples, and so many named disciples it was hard to count.

It sounded like a lot, but this was accumulated over hundreds of thousands of years, a vast number.

Among those still alive, most had become Refining Void Great Powers, and if the deceased were counted, the number would increase tenfold.

In comparison, Dharma Master Hong Jue’s number of disciples seemed too refined.

He quickly inquired about the assessment standards for named disciples and the promotion criteria for Inner Sect Disciples, and the attendant patiently answered each one.

The more he listened, the clearer Chen Sheng’s understanding became:

"Unlike the Yun State Daoist Academy, the Three Great Daoist Palaces pursue an elite route, adopting a ’meticulous cultivation’ approach."

"My master’s elite among the elite practice, setting very high standards, is the reason for the small number."

Realizing this, he finally understood why on the return journey, the Master brought only him:

"The senior brothers and sisters of the Inner Sect must all be outstanding talents ranked in the top hundred of the province, long since having gone to the Cangyuan Dao Realm with other Dharma Masters, naturally not needing to return to Yunlu."

He calmed his mind and turned the topic to the core matter: "Please do share more about the Star Tower, fellow Taoist."

Mentioning the Star Tower, a trace of awe appeared in the attendant’s expression:

"The Star Tower is the Top Grade Ancient Treasure refined by the Palace Master over a span of ten thousand years, with a total of seventeen layers, located on Shimmering Star."

"Conquering each layer not only earns corresponding rewards—low levels offer Heavenly and Earthly Treasures and Cultivation Technique Jade Scrolls, while higher levels yield Magical Artifacts personally refined by the Palace Master and even opportunities for Small Thousand World enlightenment."

"More importantly, the disciple’s daily cultivation resource grade is linked to the layers conquered in the tower. The higher the layer, the better the annual Dao Crystal, Elixir Pill, and cultivation technique access."

"There are protective arrays within the tower. If faced with life-threatening danger, one will be teleported out, though this is marked as a failure, requiring three days before challenging again."

Chen Sheng nodded and then carefully inquired about the Daoist Palace’s schedule, rules for disciples sparring, and resource collection locations, gaining a thorough understanding.

After sending the attendant off, he nodded lightly: "All cultivation resources are linked to the Star Tower. No wonder Master advised me to challenge it soon."

With this realization, Chen Sheng resolutely headed in the direction of the Star Tower.