Warbeast Index

Warbeast Index...

A day had slipped by since the attempt on Qin Wentian's life. While the Emperor Star Academy remained vigilant, they had eased the stringent restrictions and lifted the lockdown, allowing people to move freely once more.

Janus emerged from the academy, taking a leisurely stroll through the bustling streets. His reserved and calm demeanor hid any hint of emotion, leaving others to wonder what was on his mind.

The Emperor Star Academy's investigation into Qin Wentian's assassination was rigorous. Every Yuanfu Cultivator had to provide a detailed account of their activities on the day of the attempt, with at least three witnesses to corroborate their statements. This meticulous approach aimed to eliminate innocent individuals from suspicion, inching them closer to the truth.

However, Janus appeared troubled at this moment. His brows furrowed as he muttered to himself, clearly preoccupied with something unsettling.

Suddenly, he came to a standstill, and his aura surged as he unleashed his Astral Souls. In an instant, a sinister, snake-like spear lunged at him with lightning speed.

Janus roared in anger, unleashing a fierce hurricane to defend himself. His palms clashed with the attacker's, pushing back the venomous spear's assault.

Soon after, a group of cloaked Yuanfu Cultivators appeared, their faces concealed by masks. Their palpable killing intent marked them as assassins, and they advanced menacingly toward Janus.

Silence reigned, not a word spoken as if death itself had come for Janus.

This ominous turn of events darkened Janus's expression. He bellowed furiously, "What? Do you plan to silence me forever by killing me?"

As his words hung in the air, Janus realized his grave mistake. The black-robed assassins had halted their advance, leaving him pale and trembling. He had spoken a dangerous truth, one that he couldn't take back.

Indeed, the Yuanfu Cultivators swiftly removed their masks, revealing their true identities. Janus's face darkened at the sight of them.

"W-what are all of you doing?" Janus stammered, his confidence crumbling.

To his astonishment, the individuals who had surrounded him were none other than Yuanfu experts from the Emperor Star Academy. It was clear that Janus had walked right into a trap.

"Elder Janus, there's no need for pretense any longer," declared Elder Thousand-Hand as he stepped forward, his gaze icy. "Our investigations had already marked you as one of the prime suspects among the Yuanfu Cultivators. Your words earlier only confirmed our suspicions. Janus, who was pulling your strings?"

Janus's careless utterance of, "What? Do you all intend to silence me by killing?" had incriminated him and implicated that he was not acting alone. This meant there was someone behind him with a vested interest in Qin Wentian's demise.

Though Janus harbored a deep grudge against Qin Wentian, it wasn't enough for him to risk his life in such a reckless manner. Before embarking on the assassination attempt, he knew that success would provide him with a clean escape from the Emperor Star Academy and Chu.

Regrettably, his plot had failed.

Janus coldly smiled as he replied, "Who do you think could make me work for him?"

Thousand-Hand frowned, sensing that Janus might be insinuating Chu Tianjiao's involvement. However, he remained skeptical of the truth behind these words.

A glint of determination flickered in Thousand-Hand's eyes as he focused on Janus. He understood that extracting information from him would be a daunting task.

"Killing an academy genius despite your elder status is a crime punishable by death," Thousand-Hand declared coldly. "Execute him immediately."

At his command, the surrounding Yuanfu experts brimmed with lethal intent.

"Thousand-Hand, did you even consider my contributions to the academy?" Janus protested with a mix of desperation and anger. "I've served for years as an elder. You can't condemn me to death like this!"

Janus had never anticipated that Thousand-Hand would act with such ruthless determination.

However, Thousand-Hand had no intention of concerning himself further with Janus. He turned his back on the disgraced elder and strode away in the direction of the Emperor Star Academy. Behind him, the echoes of battle continued to reverberate.

After a brief span of time, Janus's lifeless body lay peacefully on the Royal Capital's pathways. A figure standing beside him ordered, "Provide him with a proper burial. Regardless of the circumstances, he remains an elder of our academy."

Janus's demise seemed like a minor event within the grand scheme of things, merely causing a ripple within the Emperor Star Academy. However, in reality, his death set numerous consequential events into motion. The academy's actions made their stance clear, and they relentlessly channeled their resources into uncovering the mastermind behind the assassination attempt.

News of Janus's death left Qin Wentian thunderstruck. The elder who had consistently made his life difficult had perished in such an inconspicuous manner. Even more surprising was the revelation that the assassin was Janus himself.

Qin Wentian had no intention of mourning Janus. In the assassination attempt, Janus had nearly killed him and inflicted grave injuries on Mo Qingcheng. The memory of that blood drop, followed by a radiant smile from the visage of unparalleled beauty, was etched indelibly in Qin Wentian's mind.

In the Emperor Star Academy at that very moment, Qin Wentian stood before the imposing Heavenly Star Pavilion, his gaze fixed upon its majestic structure.

The Heavenly Star Pavilion comprised nine levels, with each higher level providing increasingly confined space. Only a minuscule number of individuals had ever ascended to the seventh level of the Heavenly Star Pavilion. Even academy elders lacked the authority to do so. To raise the level of one's Jade Medallion with Yuan Meteor Stones was a nearly insurmountable financial hurdle, rendering such an aspiration unattainable.

The entrance to the 7th level of the Heavenly Star Pavilion seemed to be reserved exclusively for the Jun Lin Banquet's champion. With determination in his eyes, Qin Wentian took a step forward and entered the pavilion.

Following his triumph in the banquet, his Emperor Jade Medallion had been upgraded to the 7th grade. However, before ascending to the 7th level, he chose to pause on the 6th level. On this tier, the most exceptional Yuanfu-level cultivation arts and top-tier earth-ranked innate techniques were housed.

Qin Wentian's sole objective was clear: he sought the Garuda Movement Technique's Yuanfu-level Index. Once he located it, he carefully borrowed it and stowed it inside his interspatial ring. As for the other innate techniques on the level, he didn't spare them a second glance. He reasoned that delving into other innate techniques was pointless since he hadn't yet perfected his mastery of those he already possessed. Acquiring more techniques was meaningless unless he could effectively wield their power.

He knew that the grade of an innate technique correlated with its strength, but without the ability to control that strength, it could easily backfire. A prime example was his Great Dream Halberd Art, which, despite its lower grade, packed formidable power due to his personal mastery.

Ascending the staircase to the 6th level, Qin Wentian's gaze fell upon an elderly man seated at the top. The man was veiled in dust, and his once-black hair had turned silvery-gray from the passage of years. He appeared to have been in this spot for an indeterminable length of time.

"Senior," Qin Wentian respectfully greeted.

"You may proceed," the old man replied in a low voice, seemingly recognizing Qin Wentian.

With a nod and a bow to the old man, Qin Wentian acknowledged the unspoken rules surrounding the 7th level. Its forbidden status made it a target of desire for many among the younger generation, and it undoubtedly had a guardian of supreme expertise.

Upon arriving at the 7th level of the Heavenly Star Pavilion, Qin Wentian was greeted by a bookshelf laden with Indexes of cultivation arts and innate techniques.

Facing the bookshelf, he noticed three entrances on the opposite side. Above each entrance, the numbers 7th, 8th, and 9th were engraved from left to right. It appeared that these entrances represented the respective levels of the Heavenly Star Pavilion. This level seemed to mark the pinnacle, with no further way to ascend.

For Qin Wentian, the mysterious 7th level had been the subject of much speculation and conjecture. Yet, it now appeared surprisingly simple, featuring only three entrances and a single bookshelf.

Approaching the bookshelf, Qin Wentian felt a rush of emotions as he scanned the contents. Each item was a Heavenly Dipper level Cultivation Art, any one of which could send ripples through the entire Chu Country.

As he examined the bookshelf more closely, he noticed a slot beside the cultivation arts. Large-font words were inscribed on the cover of the slot.

"Warbeast Index."

With curiosity piqued, Qin Wentian opened the index, immediately becoming engrossed in its contents.

"In the Nine Heavenly Layers, a multitude of Martial Constellations existed, each possessing unique strengths. Stronger individuals typically wielded more powerful constellations, while those of lesser strength resorted to inferior ones. However, a clear division separated these Martial Constellations. The Venerate Heaven Sect, in the past, gathered numerous extraordinary beings from the Grand Xia Empire, all of whom had condensed Beast-type Astral Souls. From this group, they selected the most formidable 360 types of Beast-type Astral Souls to record in the Warbeast Index, ranking them accordingly."

This paragraph served as the foundation for the creation of the Warbeast Index.

"Venerate Heaven Sect, Grand Xia Empire," Qin Wentian whispered. The Venerate Heaven Sect was undoubtedly a formidable sect, and the Grand Xia Empire must have been a place of immense power.

He recalled his years of training under Uncle Black, who had guided him in analyzing constellations from the 5th Heavenly Layer and below. However, Uncle Black had never instructed him to categorize Astral Souls by their types or study their rankings.

Curiosity piqued, Qin Wentian opened the Warbeast Index, revealing pages filled with images and descriptions.

"Double Winged Horned Python, ranked 360th. Martial Constellation located in the 4th Heavenly Layer. Condensing an Astral Soul from it enhances agility, defense, and attack equally, without any noticeable weaknesses."

"Skyember Demonic Lion Astral Soul, also ranked 360th. This constellation resides in the 4th Heavenly Layer. Stellar Martial Cultivators with this Astral Soul experience a slight reduction in speed, but their attacks become incredibly potent, and their defense is significantly improved."

Qin Wentian marveled at the detailed descriptions. While he possessed substantial knowledge about Astral Souls, creating an Index like this required more than just knowledge; it needed constant updates to incorporate newly discovered constellations.

Perplexed, Qin Wentian wondered why such an index existed on the 7th level of the Heavenly Star Pavilion.