Bai Sha hesitated briefly, then said, “I don’t want to study array formations anymore.”
This answer made Gong Yuxiang fall silent as well. The Heavenly Cycle Array Sect was, naturally, a sect related to arrays. Declining to study them here seemed inappropriate no matter how one looked at it.
But Gong Yuxiang didn’t get angry. Over the past days, she also understood what kind of array talent Bai Sha had. Making Bai Sha continue would only yield half the results with twice the effort, or even worse.
After some internal deliberation, Gong Yuxiang rose and walked outside, saying, “Follow me.”
Bai Sha didn’t know what Gong Yuxiang intended, but she followed. It was actually the first time she had seen Gong Yuxiang leave this hall; previously, she had always stayed inside.
Outside, it was just after sunrise. Bright rays of light spilled over the Heavenly Cycle Array Sect, making the flowers, grass, and trees appear especially tender and vibrant—truly a scene brimming with life.
Gong Yuxiang walked unhurriedly along the sect’s path, her long hair lifting, her skirt fluttering, every movement exuding an alluring grace. Bai Sha followed until they reached the back mountain and stopped before a valley entrance.
As Gong Yuxiang halted, Bai Sha looked up at the valley. The entrance was covered by a curtain of light that obscured the view beyond.
This light curtain resembled a starry sky. Most of it was pitch black, with specks of light scattered throughout, giving it a deep, mysterious air.
Gong Yuxiang turned and said, “Bai Sha, gaze at this Chaotic Star Screen for a quarter of an hour.”
Though unsure of the purpose, Bai Sha fixed her eyes on it. A quarter of an hour—fifteen minutes—passed in a blink.
When the time was up, the Chaotic Star Screen appeared transformed in Bai Sha’s eyes. She felt as if she had stepped into a starry expanse, an infinite cosmos where countless stars floated, moving along peculiar, mysterious trajectories and combining into all manner of profound changes.
“It seems you can gain some insight from it,” came Gong Yuxiang’s voice. “In that case, remember the mnemonic for the Chaotic Star Hand I shall now impart. Once memorized, use the Chaotic Star Hand to shift the star rivers and command the starry sky!”
As she finished, an exceedingly esoteric chant entered Bai Sha’s ears. Bai Sha naturally memorized it and began practicing the contents of that chant.
‘Is this a spell?’ A thought flashed through Bai Sha’s mind, but soon all her thoughts were occupied by the cultivation content. Distractions were discarded, and she entered a state of selflessness.
Chaotic Star Hand, Chaotic Star Hand… shifting star rivers, commanding the starry sky…
Watching Bai Sha practice and become immersed, Gong Yuxiang let out a breath of relief. “Although your talent for arrays is not great, at least you have other aptitudes. That is sufficient.”
She whispered to herself, then left behind a recorded message via a spell before departing.
Time passed quickly as Bai Sha cultivated. Before she knew it, the sky darkened again, and the wind blew a bit colder.
Bai Sha’s body swayed gently as she finally emerged from her absorption with the Chaotic Star Screen.
The moment she awoke, the message Gong Yuxiang had prepared floated up beside her: “Bai Sha, the Chaotic Star Screen hides astonishing secrets related to arrays. These secrets are deeply intertwined with arrays, yet ironically, those with array talent cannot comprehend them; only those who struggle to grasp arrays have a chance to do so. I brought you here to try, and seeing you immerse yourself fills me with relief. Although you lack array talent, you can blaze another path and still achieve great things in the future. From now on, come here every day to fathom these secrets until you truly master the Chaotic Star Hand.”
Hearing the message, Bai Sha was a bit surprised. The Chaotic Star Hand? Closely related to arrays, yet incomprehensible to those with array talent? What sort of strange spell was this? Or did it transcend being a mere spell?
Bai Sha was inwardly amazed, but since she could indeed gain insight from the Chaotic Star Screen, could this be her true opportunity? With that thought, she resolved to cherish the chance.
…
Over the next month, Bai Sha spent half of each day cultivating outside and the other half gaining insight before the Chaotic Star Screen. Under this regimen, her cultivation finally reached the peak of Late Qi Condensation—the next step was Foundation Establishment.
However, lacking a suitable Dao Foundation, she had to temporarily halt her advancement. Her biggest gains came from the Chaotic Star Screen.
On an afternoon within the Dream of the Heavenly Cycle Array Sect, the sunlight was especially scorching—a sensation hard to experience in the sea.
“So this is the Chaotic Star Hand?” Bai Sha pulled herself out of her immersion and examined her pectoral fins. For a great white shark, pectoral fins were rather like human hands.
She quietly summoned her Simulator Panel to take a look.
Name: Bai Sha
Cultivation: Late Qi Condensation
Simulation Count: 6
Simulation Saves: 1
Technique: Raging Waves Art
Spells: Chaotic Star Hand, Water Dragon Burst, Wave Riding, Stone-Splitting Strike, Water Vortex, Vine Manipulation Art, Hardening Art, Water Repelling.
Items: Gray-White Stone Slab.
A new spell, Chaotic Star Hand, had appeared in the spell list. “On my panel, the spells seem to be sorted by quality. Water Repelling is the lowest, only pushing water aside, so it’s at the bottom. And the Chaotic Star Hand… is at the top.”
Bai Sha wasn’t particularly surprised. The Chaotic Star Hand was what Gong Yuxiang—the Sect Master of the Heavenly Cycle Array Sect—had guided her to comprehend, so its value naturally couldn’t be compared to Qi Condensation-level spells.
But normally, a demon cultivator or cultivator at the Qi Condensation stage could only master spells of that tier. If the Chaotic Star Hand wasn’t merely a Qi Condensation spell, then why could she wield it?
Regardless, now that she had grasped the Chaotic Star Hand, there was no need to stay any longer.
She turned and left, and before long entered the hall to find Gong Yuxiang reading.
“You’ve come,” Gong Yuxiang placed her book down and looked over. “Have you mastered the Chaotic Star Hand?”
Bai Sha nodded.
“Good. Follow me.”
Gong Yuxiang rose and walked out. Bai Sha followed again, quickly heading down the mountain to the edge of the Gloomy Forest.
The present-day Gloomy Forest was different from the one Bai Sha would later see on Lost Island. Here, arrays of various sizes were everywhere, in countless varieties and densely packed.
For some reason, after mastering the Chaotic Star Hand, Bai Sha could now spot the presence of arrays at a single glance.
