"Well then, see you next time."
"See you next time."
Shi Ming stood on the deck of the *Dayun* and waved back.
The Star Spirit was free once more. Now, it was her duty to remain here, guarding the last ancestral land for the departed souls of her people.
...
The *Dayun* initiated its Dark Cosmos warp.
The Heart of the Supreme Star Spirit shone with a brilliant light. The origins of the thirteen Star Spirit Race members were finally at peace. Along with the great ship, it left the now-tranquil ancestral land and warped back to the normal Star Sea.
...
...
...
The commission was complete. Now it was time to take stock of his rewards—Shi Ming’s favorite part. A mission was worth the effort if the return on investment was over 5:1. This time, the ratio was clearly far greater than 5!
There were two main gains.
First,
the treasure he hadn’t yet had a chance to inspect: the Wishing Star of All Worlds.
Second,
an alive-and-kicking Colorful Insect that he could thoroughly exploit.
Shi Ming first took out the [Wishing Star of All Worlds].
According to the lingering will of the Star Spirit ancestor, this was a treasure born alongside a god. It was also the very item that Lord Ron, Sovereign of the Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country, had coveted so much that he was willing to launch an invasion and wipe out the Star Spirit Race just to possess it!
It had to be extraordinary.
His "Infinite Brain" scanned for its basic information.
[Wishing Star of All Worlds]
[Level: 30]
[When the god ascended the long ladder, the star that watched over him transformed into a brilliant wishing star, becoming one of the symbols of his omnipotence.]
[Upgraded to maximum level. Cannot be upgraded further.]
[Infinite Upgrade Requirement: A certain amount of remains or blood containing a god’s power.]
’Initial level, 30?’
’Doesn’t this mean that the [Wishing Star of All Worlds] is a whole tier higher than supreme treasures like the Heart of the Star Spirit?’
And as for the materials for its Infinite Upgrade, they would be nearly impossible for others to obtain, but Shi Ming happened to have them! It was the five masses of Divine Spinal Marrow he’d acquired from the space known as the "Civilization’s Backbone" deep within the Star Grotto!
The Infinite Brain said the required amount of material was "a certain amount."
’I don’t know exactly how much "a certain amount" is,’
’but the five masses of Divine Spinal Marrow are the remnants from an entire spinal column. It should be more than enough!’
Shi Ming’s heart began to race. A Level 30 treasure, and it could undergo an Infinite Upgrade on top of that. Its power would be unimaginable. When Lord Ron fought him, he had never used a treasure of such a high tier. With this, Shi Ming would have more confidence in their next battle.
The Infinite Brain didn’t specify its function.
But he could still use his Eye of Destiny for a detailed inspection!
"Eye of Destiny, acquire information!"
BEEP BEEP!
[...]
[Wishing Star of All Worlds]
[One of 13 companion treasures. When the god ascended, the star watching over him became the secret treasure "Wishing Star of All Worlds." The "Wishing Star of All Worlds" retained a symbol of the god’s omnipotence. Carrying a brilliant glow, it fell into a strange space, which became the ancestral origin land of the Star Spirit Race, giving birth to a race that could fulfill the wishes of other living beings.]
[It has two skills:]
[Omnipotence:]
[Omnipotence is merely a symbol; no being can be truly omnipotent! The Wishing Star of All Worlds can silently accumulate Wish Power over time. You can use this Wish Power to help realize your wishes. Different wishes consume different amounts of Wish Power. Perhaps time is also a form of payment.]
[Brilliance:]
[Starlight that shatters the cosmos! You can merge the "Wishing Star of All Worlds" with yourself to become a Brilliant Light. The Brilliant Light can ignore all seals, prisons, and barriers of pseudo-god level and below... helping you break through obstacles and make a dazzling exit!]
[...]
[Note 1:]
[If the four types of Divine Remains represent the divine power the god possessed, then the 13 companion treasures represent the Second-level Authority the god delegated.]
[Note 2:]
[Possessing more Authority does not necessarily make one stronger. Following in the footsteps of a deceased god, one can never forge their own path. When all other options are exhausted, possessing your own world-shattering ability is the key to surpassing the limits of the old gods. You should already be well aware of this.]
[...]
External power was only an aid; one’s own abilities were the true key.
Shi Ming deeply agreed with this. The Eye of Destiny’s ability was undeniably powerful and an excellent tool that helped him uncover crucial information. However, over-reliance would be foolish. If he were to completely abandon his own judgment and depend on the Eye of Destiny for everything, he would become a machine devoid of initiative in desperate situations when the skill was on cooldown. This would be a fatal flaw.
The same was true for the Arm of Power.
Not putting all one’s eggs in one basket, not relying on any single skill or treasure—that was the way of the wise and the strong.
As for the [Wishing Star of All Worlds], it was even more mysterious than Shi Ming had imagined. Simply put, it was one of the 13 companion treasures from the god’s ascension up the Ascension Ladder. As long as one had Wish Power, it could be used repeatedly an infinite number of times. No wonder the Colorful Insect had been about to make its 718th wish in its dream world. An ordinary member of the Star Spirit Race could never have fulfilled so many wishes!
Furthermore, this secret treasure could help him achieve "Breaking the Boundary."
With it, no strange seal could stop him. Prisons and seals would be completely ineffective against him. Shi Ming had truly reached a state where, ’If I want to leave, no one can stop me!’
It was perfect for making a stylish exit!
And it could even be infinitely upgraded once!
...
「A moment later...」
"Not enough?"
"The Divine Spinal Marrow from an entire spinal column isn’t enough to satisfy your greed?"
Although the spine was dried up and had lost most of its divinity, the marrow within still contained enough divinity for a Pillar Stone to break through to the pseudo-god realm!
And now it couldn’t even satisfy the boundary-breaking needs of a single secret treasure?
’This is such a rip-off...’
Shi Ming vaguely sensed that the [Wishing Star of All Worlds] craved his blood as well. Perhaps his blood could be used as a substitute.
But the five floating masses of spinal marrow were already a "massive" amount. Even if he offered up all the blood in his body, it might not be enough to satisfy the star’s needs. Shi Ming was only at the King-Level Nirvana stage; there was no need to make such a sacrifice.
"However, if that’s the case..."
"...does that mean I can also be used as a material for those Pillar Stones, who have been unable to advance, to ascend to the pseudo-god realm?"
"Damn it!"
If those old-timers who had been stuck at the Pillar Stone stage for countless years found out about this, they would probably all come after Shi Ming like a pack of rabid hounds... Lord Ron was an exception. Although he yearned for the pseudo-god realm, the Divine Rune was what he desired more. That was the truly unique, great opportunity!
"This Star Sea is truly a place where the strong devour the weak!"
Shi Ming sighed.
He planned to rest for a bit before checking on his second reward: interrogating the Colorful Insect sealed in his Sea of Spirit.
Ah Jian sent him a message.
"Master, a message has arrived from Earth via the Starlink."
"They’ve found a way to curb the growth of the Unceasing Water. However, due to technological limitations, they can’t confirm if this method can be applied to the Source Water of the Unceasing Water. They hope to obtain technical intelligence or support in the following fields from other advanced civilizations."
’This is great news!’
After obtaining the [Wishing Star of All Worlds], he had already been planning to make a trip back to deal with the Unceasing Water problem.
Only when the Unceasing Water issue was resolved could the [Purification] within the Creation Star Core be released. He would then be able to obtain the final Holy Hall Origin needed to form [Zero]. In the process of fusion, he would be able to truly experience the process of reorganizing his Nirvana Origin. This would help him improve the method Bai Yimo had provided and acquire more Nirvana skills!
"Good!"
"Ah Jian, inform Bai Yimo. Have her gather the corresponding knowledge and technology on Treasure Star within one day... Make this the highest priority."
For a Nirvana-level expert who was skilled at "socializing," this wouldn’t be difficult.
"It’s time for me to go back, too!"