"This is Aiden Starr, the Sage who preceded the Imperial Preceptor."
Quinn Shepherd gave the group a brief introduction to Starr. Everyone around the bonfire looked tense, especially the girls—Serena Yunxiang, Lina the Spirit Fox, and Lynn Ling—all of whom had met Starr before and knew just how powerful and terrifying he was.
Back at the Heavenly Saint Academy and Granny Sue's mountain villa, the battle at the Academy had left half the realm's top experts wounded by Starr—including Emperor Evan!
That fight had convinced all those experts of Starr’s dominance. Even with so many masters present, none could do anything to him. In the end, it was only Quinn’s improvised supplement pill that forced Starr to retreat.
Now, that same terrifying figure was sitting right beside them. It was impossible not to be nervous—even though the Grand Academy now gathered the strongest figures of the Everpeace court, with several top officials and even gods among them, including the emperor himself. Yet Starr remained the most powerful being in the world!
If Starr wanted to kill them, not even the gods among the Academy’s elites could stop him!
Quinn smiled and said, “As a once-in-five-hundred-years Sage, Starr is our senior. It’s a good thing he’s interested in our Heaven Alliance. No need to be nervous, everyone.”
Despite his words, Quinn’s face was pale—he was clearly just as nervous as the rest.
Starr’s target was obviously Quinn. As the strongest figure of the previous era, Starr had his own code—he never attacked juniors until they matured, only harvesting their organs once they reached godhood in some aspect.
But Quinn was the exception.
Quinn had offended Starr far too deeply.
His gaze was piercing, but his expression remained serene. He looked Quinn straight in the eye and said with admiration, "Everyone present is a hero. The divine arts you have all created in these few days surpass the progress I’ve seen in centuries. I cherish your talent—by letting you live, the future will surely be fascinating. I look forward to hunting you all when you’ve grown stronger; it’ll be far more interesting then."
Victor Bloom, Warren Moran, and the others showed mixed expressions—some uneasy, some indignant.
Then came the battle at Little Thunderclap Temple, where Quinn actually stole Starr’s chest and cleaned out his lifetime stash!
Not only did he steal the chest, Quinn dragged Starr into the Nether City, and in the Dead-Alive Realm there, Starr lost all face—he barely escaped back to the living world. That debt was also on Quinn’s account!
The fact that Starr hadn’t killed Quinn outright was already shocking.
That Starr could still maintain his composure after seeing Quinn was a testament to his cultivation. Of course, his trip to Nether City had shattered his Dao-heart, leaving him fragile—but even so, his mental strength still surpassed everyone else present.
Quinn, Warren Moran, Victor Bloom, and Dao Heir Lucas Lin chatted about their calculations of the sky’s height and thickness. The bonfire fell into silence—even Starr sat quietly, staring into the flames.
The Crimson Dragon Carp sizzled over the fire, dripping oil that hissed and popped, filling the air with mouthwatering aroma.
“Minister Quinn, weren’t you here to punish them? Why are you eating instead? You’ve committed lèse-majesté, and I should have you executed…”
Emperor Evan staggered over, wine jar in hand and voice slurred with drink. But when he saw Starr sitting opposite Quinn, he sobered instantly and tried to leave!
Starr said coolly, “Your Majesty, you’d best sit down. Otherwise, your Grand Rector and princess will both lose their lives.”
Emperor Evan, gripping the wine jar, forced himself to turn back and sit by the fire. He managed a stiff smile and said, “Senior Starr, after our last encounter, I was bedridden for nearly twenty days.”
Starr replied calmly, “I was laid up for more than four months.”
Emperor Evan offered him the wine jar, eyes flickering. “But in the time since, I’ve crossed the Divine Bridge and become a god. I suppose you haven’t reached that step yet, Senior Starr?”
Starr accepted the jar and said, “These past few days I’ve been lurking in the Grand Academy’s Heavenly Records Tower, poring over ancient texts and repeatedly studying Divine Physician Quinn’s Divine Bridge spatial systems model. Achieving godhood wouldn’t be hard for me, but it’d still take about a year.”
He tipped back the wine, and Emperor Evan stared at his throat, itching to attack but never finding an opening.
Quinn and the others were stunned—Starr had been hiding in the Heavenly Records Tower for days and no one had noticed. Cold sweat broke out on their foreheads.
Starr set down the wine jar and said, “But whether Your Majesty has reached godhood or not makes no difference to me. Even as a god, you’re no match for me—just a pseudo-god, really. Your cultivation may be deeper, but your arts and techniques haven’t improved much. If you summon your top ministers—State Duke Wei, the Heavenly Tactics Grand General, both gods—and add yourself, you might barely be able to fight me. But the Grand Academy and your capital would be utterly destroyed.”
Veins bulged on Emperor Evan’s forehead, then he suddenly relaxed and asked with a smile, “So, what were you all talking about just now?”
"The Heaven Alliance."
Starr explained, "They discovered the sky is ten thousand li high and three hundred zhang thick, so they formed the Heaven Alliance to probe its secrets and break through this false firmament."
Emperor Evan laughed and scolded, “Nonsense, just a bunch of kids causing trouble. Commandant Huo reported this to me. When I first heard the words 'Heaven Alliance,' I nearly jumped out of my skin—thought you were plotting to overthrow me!” He burst out laughing.
But his laughter didn’t carry—it just bounced around in the air, shaking everyone by the bonfire until their blood churned.
Evan’s heart skipped a beat and he quickly stopped laughing. He’d meant to use his laughter to summon the Heavenly Tactics Grand General and the others, but even as a god, Starr’s magic was far superior. Starr trapped his laughter in a tiny bubble of space, blocking any sound from escaping.
His cultivation was so overwhelming that even a laugh nearly made Quinn, Lynn Ling, and the others cough up blood, so he had to stop.
Starr glanced at Lynn Ling and said, "Your Majesty, don’t get too comfortable. Sometimes the greatest dangers are right beside you. Your princess has befriended all the future leaders here—the Cult Master, the Dao Heir, High Heaven, Little Jade Capital Sect, Buddhist sects—they’re all close to her. When her influence grows, you may not be able to keep your throne. You’re so busy watching the empire, you can’t see what’s happening at your side."
Evan waved it off. "Don’t try to sow discord between me and my daughter, Senior Starr. Or do you actually care about the Heaven Alliance?"
Starr shook his head. "I’m interested in the sky’s thickness, not the Heaven Alliance itself."
"So, Senior Starr, did you come here to kill me?" Quinn asked.
Starr shook his head again. "I did intend to kill Divine Physician Quinn. I’ve suffered loss after loss at your hands—my chest stolen, my treasures looted. I hated you to the bone. But after reading your Divine Bridge spatial systems model in the Heavenly Records Tower, hearing your lectures at the Imperial Academy, watching you spread your sword arts, and seeing you invent the Tri-Source Spirit Conference Art in just a few days, my killing intent vanished. Instead, I’ve grown to respect you."
His gaze was sharp but his expression calm. He looked Quinn in the eye and said, "Everyone here is a hero. The new divine arts you’ve created in just a few days surpass anything I’ve seen in centuries. I cherish such talent—I want to let you all live. The future will be fascinating. I look forward to hunting you once you’ve grown stronger—it’ll be much more interesting then."
Victor Bloom, Warren Moran, and their peers looked uneasy.
Warren Moran said coldly, "Senior Starr, you think too highly of yourself, treating our lives like toys. But if we fought you on equal footing, you’d be the one at a disadvantage! Do you dare face us at the same realm?"
Starr’s eyes flashed strangely. He shook his head, "No need. Even at the same realm, most of you still wouldn’t be my match. Maybe only Divine Physician Quinn and Victor Bloom of High Heaven could challenge me. Besides those two, only the Imperial Preceptor of the Everpeace Empire could fight me on equal ground."
Warren Moran’s face turned ashen.
The Imperial Preceptor was the rival Warren Moran had spent his life trying to defeat, to avenge his master. Hearing Starr say only three people could match him—and Warren wasn’t one of them—made Warren feel a surge of despair.
Quinn, on the other hand, felt relieved. Starr was eccentric and unpredictable, but he kept his word and was worthy of respect. As long as you didn’t provoke him, he wouldn’t attack. Quinn’s life was safe—for now.
"So, Senior Starr, are you planning to go up to the heavens?"
Quinn blinked and suggested, "My Grandpa Butcher once went up there, but he was in a rush and only saw a bunch of arrays and gods. Senior, your body parts are lost in Nether City—there’s nothing left in your chest. But there are plenty of gods up in the heavens; you could collect some limbs from them instead."
Starr remained unmoved. "I’ll go to the heavens eventually, but tonight I’m here to find someone. The Cult of the Heavenly Demon, Dao Gate, Buddhist sects, Little Jade Capital Sect, High Heaven, and the Everpeace Empire—your reach is vast. You’re the perfect people to help me track down this person."
He gave them no chance to object. "The person I’m searching for was born seventeen years ago, on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, at the zi hour, in a jiazi year and chou month. With your capabilities—especially the emperor’s—it shouldn’t be difficult to investigate everyone in the Everpeace Empire and the Western Lands, and pick out those born at that precise time. If you agree to this, then no one in the Grand Academy needs to die."
He smiled faintly, tore off a piece of fish, dipped it in wine, and ate. His tone remained calm: "Otherwise, who knows how many in the capital will survive? I won’t kill you, but the scholars of the Grand Academy and the common folk in the city—whether they live or die depends on your sincerity."
Cold sweat broke out on Emperor Evan’s forehead. He suddenly said, "All right! I’ll help you find everyone in the nation born at that time! Once it’s done, I hope Senior Starr will behave himself for a while."
Starr glanced around, smiling. "Is the emperor the only one willing to make an effort?"
Quinn exhaled a long breath and said solemnly, "The Cult of the Heavenly Saint will assist Senior Starr with the census."
Dao Heir Lucas Lin nodded and said, "Dao Gate will handle the search within our own territories."
The Demon Ape Battle-Void, representing the Buddhist sects, intoned, "Good!"
Victor Bloom of High Heaven hesitated and said, "The Western Lands have already merged with Everpeace. As for High Heaven, I'll check once I return; whether it succeeds is uncertain."
Starr clapped his hands and smiled, "That makes things much easier. Divine Physician Quinn, if you have nothing better to do, why not stay by my side and help me regulate my body?"
Cold sweat broke out on Quinn's forehead as he hurriedly refused, "I have business! I still have a big deal to make!"
Starr was unfazed and smiled, "Then I'll just follow you instead. Your Majesty, you may withdraw."