Thank you to our new Patrons: Luke Matthews, allen pellissery, mark74497, Charlie Puente-Duany, Anime fan123456, DeathClan1980, Leroy, Drake Blazer, Mridk and Jose! Your support means the world to me <3 We are up to Chapter 285: The Dragon's Graveyard on Patreon!
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)
I've also recently started a new translation, please check it out and show your support! It's called Douluo: Martial Soul White Tiger, I Am the White Emperor of Heaven! As always, Patrons will have unrestricted access to all of my stories including futures ones!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The middle-aged woman glanced at Xu Yuan.
"Is the sect leader activating the Grand Moonlight Formation for him?" she wondered silently.
Who is he?
A pretty boy?
The middle-aged woman snorted coldly and left the Moon Goddess Hall.
"Find a spot and get comfortable. You can cultivate however you're used to," Yue Ruxue said. "Normally, when our Moonlight Sect activates the Grand Moonlight Formation, it causes the concentration of stellar energy in the sect to drop, which is why Meng Jue had that attitude."
"This time, I don't plan to let the sect's disciples come to the Moon Goddess Hall to cultivate together. The moonlight generated will be all yours to absorb."
Although she didn't think Xu Yuan alone could make full use of the moonlight energy gathered by a single activation of the Grand Moonlight Formation, Yue Ruxue still decided to follow the instructions in Zhang Tianxing's letter of recommendation.
This was also a way to repay the favor Zhang Tianxing had done for the Moonlight Sect by improving their star-attracting array.
Xu Yuan sat down cross-legged.
At this moment, his mind was calm.
Upon entering the Moon Goddess Hall, he felt an unprecedented sense of peace. His spiritual power naturally spread out without any intent to probe or scan.
The entire Moon Goddess Hall exuded an aura of moonlight. Even without residual moonlight energy, one could feel a gentle, yin-like presence.
This was a manifestation of the natural forces shaped by the environment over a long period—just as the energy near a volcano tended to be intensely fiery.
"Moonlight refines the spirit."
Even the lingering aura alone brought tranquility to the mind. Xu Yuan now anticipated the effects of the moonlight baptism even more.
Seeing that Xu Yuan was ready, Yue Ruxue didn't say much more.
She sat cross-legged at the center of the Moon Goddess Hall and released a streak of soul force resembling a ribbon of moonlight, connecting it to the top of the hall.
A column of moonlight enveloped her, linking her to the ceiling of the hall. At the same time, radiant streams of light began to spread downward from the top of the hall, illuminating intricate patterns etched into the structure.
The area enveloped by the column of moonlight emitted waves of soul force fluctuations, resonating with the entire hall and seemingly drawing responses from numerous stars in the night sky.
Xu Yuan looked up, observing the changes in the sky through the open lattice at the top of the Moon Goddess Hall.
At this moment, the sky darkened, transforming what had been daylight into something resembling night. Bright rays of starlight shone brilliantly.
Among them, several softer and smaller lights stood out. Xu Yuan focused on these stars, confirming that they were the 'moons' resonated by the Grand Moonlight Formation.
It was these 'moons' that imbued the moonlight with its unique properties.
The Grand Moonlight Formation wasn't resonating with fixed stars but rather reflecting stellar energy, reversing the yang nature of sunlight to create yin-aligned stellar energy from other celestial bodies.
The key to achieving resonance wasn't the formation itself but the secret techniques of the Moonlight Sect.
Inside the Moon Goddess Hall, the concentration of stellar energy began to intensify.
Streams of moonlight flowed down from the top of the hall.
A speck of luminous moonlight landed on Xu Yuan's head and merged into his body.
His spiritual sea churned violently as the moonlight seamlessly integrated into his spiritual power, blending like a droplet of water into an ocean, quickly intertwining and merging with the rest of his spiritual energy.
Threads of moonlight entered his spiritual sea, fusing with his spiritual power.
---
Spiritual Sea
Xu Yuan's spiritual power was nourished by the moonlight, taking on a unique radiance.
Within the ocean of his spiritual power, threads of starlight sparkled.
Above the spiritual sea, the starry map within also absorbed the moonlight, gaining a distinctive glow.
Xu Yuan's consciousness was drawn by an unseen force, and in the depths of his mind, he seemed to sense something.
It was a hazy light, shimmering faintly with a cool, ethereal quality. Within the light, there seemed to be countless sources of illumination, indistinct yet serene.
He suddenly snapped back to awareness.
"That… was the 'moon' just now?"
Xu Yuan continued to sense but couldn't return to the previous state.
"What a pity."
Still, if he could enter that state once, he could do so again.
The more times he entered, the more familiar it would become. Eventually, he'd be able to move freely within it.
The operational structure of the starry map would also gradually transform into a shape more attuned to the moon.
Xu Yuan cleared his mind and continued to quietly experience the baptism of moonlight on his being.
He didn't actively absorb or guide the moonlight but instead allowed himself to experience its most natural form nurturing his spiritual power.
Yue Ruxue continued to channel her secret techniques, resonating with the forty-nine known 'moons' she could sense, imbuing the stellar energy with moonlight properties. At the same time, she kept an eye on Xu Yuan's changes.
Her eyes flickered.
"Absorbing moonlight naturally? And he's still absorbing it even now?" She was already astonished.
Earlier, she had sensed that Xu Yuan's martial soul had no connection to the moon or even to the stars. At best, it merely possessed some stellar attributes.
Suddenly, a flash of insight struck her.
In her perception, a blurry region of light appeared.
Her eyes widened.
This was… a new 'moon'!
Then, she turned to look at Xu Yuan.
The first time, and he had already sensed a 'moon'!
Did he have such monstrous talent in cultivating moonlight energy?
Recalling her own first experience, even someone like Yue Ruxue, whose martial soul was moonlight itself, had only sensed the existence of a few 'moons.'
However, she had only sensed two 'moons,' not an entire region containing at least ten 'moons' like Xu Yuan had.
Moreover, the two 'moons' she had sensed were ones her teacher had already detected, whereas Xu Yuan had naturally sensed other regions calling out to him.
The activation of the Grand Moonlight Formation was an opportunity for the disciples of the Moonlight Sect. Each time it was activated, it became a chance for them to progress. Through the baptism of moonlight, they could enhance their soul power and spiritual strength while also receiving the sect's inheritance and sensing the presence of 'moons.'
As long as they could sense a 'moon,' they could cultivate the sect's secret techniques. While it didn't guarantee reaching the Title Douluo level, with the help of moonlight cultivation, reaching the Soul Emperor stage wasn't difficult. With some external training and opportunities, even the Soul Sage stage was within reach.
If they sensed more 'moons,' the higher the level of secret techniques they could cultivate, the more efficient their moonlight-based cultivation would be, and their potential would subtly improve.
This was the unique inheritance of the Moonlight Sect.
Similarly, as the core of the formation, the sect leader or elders could also gain feedback from the disciples' perceptions, making their own understanding of the 'moons' clearer and even allowing them to sense new 'moons.'
Yue Ruxue had received feedback from disciples before, but never to this extent.
Especially in the ten years since her soul power had broken through to rank ninety-eight, she had personally presided over the Grand Moonlight Formation every year. Many disciples had sensed 'moons,' but none had provided her with substantial feedback.
Not even feedback that made her understanding of already-sensed 'moons' clearer.
This Xu Yuan…
Yue Ruxue took a deep breath to calm her mind.
This was an opportunity.
Her opportunity.
"If I can clearly perceive the 'moons' in this region and refine my soul power further, perhaps I'll be able to break through naturally with the help of these 'moons.'"
------------------------------------------------------
Support my writing journey: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
40+ Chapters Ahead Guaranteed.