...
In the True King Hall, a web of the River of Destiny’s tributaries was interwoven.
Sovereign Ron and "the Angler" sat cross-legged where the river circulated, acting as the two central anchor points. Twelve collected curios and supreme treasures of the Destiny attribute, combined with Ron’s skill [Destiny], began a divination of fate!
SPLASH~
The sound of the waves was incessant.
In the divination of [Destiny], the fates of all living beings manifested as threads or tributaries of various forms. Some were trapped in a corner, flowing in endless loops. Some surged forward with unstoppable momentum. Some lost their drive and ran dry midway. And some lay as silent undercurrents, biding their time...
But no matter what, none could escape the Sovereign’s eyes.
Among all Nirvana-rank skills, those of the Destiny attribute were exceedingly rare. [Destiny] was the cream of the crop, its quality second only to numbered skills. Combined with the twelve other major Destiny-attribute treasures Ron possessed, it cemented his unshakable status as a "Pillar Stone of the Cosmic Country."
The Angler had once thought the gap between him and his nephew was merely one of foundation.
Only now did he truly understand the difference between them.
It made sense. With such power, Ron naturally wouldn’t deign to plot against his uncle. Otherwise, given his decisive and ruthless nature, he could have used a much more direct approach.
’The Endless Star Sea will belong to the younger generation from now on.’
’I’m getting old. Too old.’
The Angler sighed from the bottom of his heart. Closing his eyes amidst the circulating current formed by the twelve Destiny-attribute curios and supreme treasures, he relaxed his body and mind. Just as they had agreed, he unreservedly allowed Ron to probe his experiences and fate over the past three months.
A silver river extended from his body.
Countless ripples adorned the river’s surface.
For the most part, it was calm, but occasional turbulence marked points of "destiny dissonance." These were the factors that Sovereign Ron cared about most, and they were the most critical nodes for the divination.
’Four places?’
’And the dissonance is stronger each time?’
Ron sensed the Angler’s destiny.
He peered into the Angler’s experiences from the past three months.
The first of the four points of dissonance was in a collapsing world of reeds, tinged with a sickly yellow and the stench of blood. It signified that someone had beaten the Angler to his first opportunity. The second point was in an abyss, where he could faintly sense the finality of many creatures’ destinies; a great battle must have occurred there. The third point of dissonance was a subtle aura from the bottom of the Unmoored Boat as it left the abyss. A fish had slipped through the net, using the boat to escape the star grotto and then stealing it.
The final point of dissonance stirred up a raging torrent.
’Divine Bone Marrow?!!’
’It really is him!’
Within the Angler’s destiny, Ron clearly perceived the source of that dissonance! The aura was extremely familiar; it belonged to the same member of the Dark Star Race he had sensed months ago near the Tower King and in the Unfastened Boat Star Realm!
Destiny was above the Ten Thousand Forms Sanctuary.
A sharp glint flashed in Ron’s eyes.
Destiny had formed a closed loop!
He reached his right hand into the River of Destiny and located a reflection. It was the phantom of Shi Ming in the midst of battle. The youth was full of vigor, fighting evenly against his own useless uncle. Faintly, Ron could even glimpse traces of the lost "Heart of the Star Spirit" being used!
Analyze!
Deduce!
Using the twelve major treasures as the foundation for his divination with [Destiny], Sovereign Ron analyzed the information he could glean from this single reflection:
[Race: Unknown Indigenous Race]
[Age: 23]
[Rank: Nirvana]
[Homeland: ???]
[Skills: ???, ???, ???]
[Treasures: ???, ???, ???]
A pile of question marks!
Ron frowned.
The divination with [Destiny] had consumed a great deal of his energy, yet it had only deduced an age and a rank. Beyond that, there was no other information.
And this kid... was he really only 23 years old?
By the standards of the Six-Armed Race, a 23-year-old was just an ordinary cub, not yet old enough to develop the wisdom to venture into the cosmos. Yet this person before him had already reached the Nirvana realm and could even block a divination from [Destiny]?
’A new god?’
’No, absolutely impossible!’
’To block a divination from [Destiny], he must possess something of a higher order!’
And the identity of this item was practically screaming at him. It had to be the [Divine Rune] from the "First Civilization Cosmic Country"! This was the item he coveted most! In comparison, while the Divine Spinal Marrow was also alluring, it was hardly worth mentioning at this moment!
Ron retracted his Nirvana power.
This divination wasn’t entirely without reward.
At the very least, he had confirmed the target’s true appearance, aura, and age, as well as the manifestations of some of his skills. Next, he just needed to unravel the threads one by one, find a way to circumvent the suppression of a higher order, and deduce from the periphery. He would surely be able to trace him back to the source and find his true location and more intelligence!
WHOOSH~
The power that had filled the entire True King Hall receded.
Within the grand hall where the river had flowed, the auras of the 12 major treasures were faint. They had been overdrawn, used as fuel, and would require maintenance and recovery before the next divination could be performed.
Hearing the shift, the Angler opened his eyes.
Before the massive throne, Ron stood with his back to him, silent. A fruit exuding a pure life aura materialized beside Ron and then slowly floated toward him.
This was the promised Fruit of Life.
Absorbing it would increase one’s lifespan by 3,000 years.
Seeing such a treasure, the Angler naturally wasn’t going to be polite.
He had obtained it through a trade fraught with great danger. Besides, judging by the 12 Destiny-attribute major treasures nearby, his nephew’s collection and foundation were far greater than he had originally thought. The entire Cosmic Country belonged to him; a single Fruit of Life was nothing!
"Is it over?"
Despite his thoughts, the Angler still asked.
Since it was a transaction, he had to be diligent and see it through. He wanted to avoid endless trouble later, like being constantly summoned to cooperate. That would be a huge hassle.
"It is."
Hearing this, the Angler prepared to leave.
Suddenly, a thought struck him.
He asked another question, "Did you find any clues about the person who stole my opportunities and the Unmoored Boat?"
Ron kept his back to him.
He nodded.
"The one who took the opportunities from the three star grottos before you was a young whelp who has only been alive for 23 years. The method he used at the end was indeed travel through the Dark Cosmos, but as for how he did it, I cannot be certain."
"The one who stole your supreme treasure, the Unmoored Boat, was the leader of the Desire Demon Race."
"As for the Divine Spinal Marrow, it is no longer yours."
The Angler choked on his words.
He instinctively wanted to ask for more details, but he caught himself, realizing that his last question was already an overstep. He put away the Fruit of Life, faced Ron, took a step back, and vanished from the Royal Hall in an instant.
’23 years old?’
’Travel through the Dark Cosmos?’
The Angler felt he had truly gotten old...
So old!
’Still, being old is better than being dead.’
’Perhaps enjoying his last 3,000 years in the Cosmic Country was his best fate? If he could find a young genius from the Six-Armed Race and pass on his skills, could that be considered another form of continuation?’
Sigh!
’A young genius?’
’Where would I find so many young geniuses?’
After witnessing a true genius, his very definition of the word had changed...