Swallowing the Stars: Heart of the Martial God

Chapter 1 Coming of Age Ceremony

Deep within the Candle Dragon Starfield of the Qianwu Universe Kingdom, a mysterious planet floats—the Savage Dragon Star.

The people here maintain a primitive way of life, wearing animal skins and living in wooden houses.

In the void, a burly man draped in animal skins stood suspended in mid-air.

His hair flew wildly, and his body was surrounded by faint fluctuations of primal energy.

A powerful voice, imbued with primal energy, clearly reached the ears of the solemnly standing youths below: "Little ones! Today is your coming-of-age day. According to the customs of my ancient tribe, a coming-of-age ceremony will be held. Are you all ready?"

"Ready!" Hundreds of young people shouted in unison, their voices deafening.

The burly man scanned the crowd and said in a deep voice, "I presume your elders have already told you about the coming-of-age ceremony, so I won't elaborate. Go now, and remember—come back alive!"

After saying that, he waved his hand, and a spaceship that was completely opposite to the landscape of the entire planet suddenly appeared.

The hatch opened, and a group of young people from the Savage Dragon Star immediately filed in.

Some people might mistake Manlongxing for an indigenous planet because of its primitive way of life.

But in reality, the people here have quite a background.

The Manlong Star People are a branch of the royal family of the Zhulong Empire, and the history of the Zhulong Empire is longer than that of the Qianwu Universe Kingdom, which ruled its own advanced universe kingdom.

Long before the ruler of the Qianwu Kingdom was forbidden from venturing into the universe after three consecutive deaths, the Zhulong Empire had already existed for countless years.

Today, the Zhulong lineage has a profound foundation, not only possessing the immortal Zhulong Ancestor who rose to power during the arduous journey of humanity's early rise, but also several other immortal elders who were granted the title of Marquis, making it arguably the strongest medium-sized universe nation in the Qianwu Universe.

As direct descendants of clan elders with the power to be granted the title of Marquis, the Barbarian Dragon Star People are born with the sixth-class bloodline in the universe, and can reach the planetary level strength upon adulthood.

Their coming-of-age ceremony originates from an ancient tradition from the early days of humankind.

Legend has it that the Candle Dragon Ancestor came from that era, and his descendants have continued this ancient tradition to this day.

According to the rules, every newly adult Manlong Starman must kill a monster two levels higher than himself in the Trial Realm.

In other words, a first-tier planetary-level Savage Dragon Starman must defeat a third-tier planetary-level monster to complete the trial.

The entire process is conducted under strict monitoring in the virtual universe to ensure absolute fairness and eliminate any possibility of cheating.

Inside the spaceship, the metal walls gleamed with a cold, sharp light.

The young men of the Mangu tribe, dressed in simple animal skin outfits, sat casually on ordinary chairs.

Some had their hands behind their heads, imagining the trial; others huddled together, whispering their strategies, their voices a cacophony of conversation.

In a corner of the cabin, Ling Xuan sat quietly, curled up.

He was dressed in brand-new animal skin short clothes. Compared with the robust young men around him, his youthful face still showed signs of immaturity. Only his amber eyes occasionally flashed with a trace of melancholy.

Ling Xuan was filled with helplessness and apprehension.

As a transmigrator, he originally thought that with his understanding of the future, he could steadily advance on the path of cultivation, slowly accumulate strength, and even if his talent was average and he didn't have any cheat codes, he could still become an immortal and later rely on Lord Luo's coattails.

However, fate played a cruel joke on him.

The coming-of-age ceremony trials on Manlong Star have a strict time cycle and are held once a year.

Unfortunately, not long after he "accidentally" broke through to the planetary level, the trial period for this session came to an end.

The ancient tribes have always revered bloody battles and regarded cowardice as the greatest shame.

An ancient admonition has been passed down in the clan: "Those who fear battle are not worthy of possessing the bloodline of the Candle Dragon." Under such tradition, even though Ling Xuan felt that he was not well prepared and had not even mastered the planetary-level secret techniques, there was no option to "postpone due to fear of battle."

If you choose to back down, you will not only be despised by your clansmen, but also bring shame upon your family.

Originally, he wanted to break through as soon as possible to show his talent and receive better training from the tribe. He had been burying himself in hard work, preparing to suddenly break through to the planetary level and casually "luckily" break through in front of his two older sisters' surprised eyes. Unexpectedly, he "luckily" ran into the coming-of-age ceremony trial.

However, the trial itself was not very dangerous and there was no danger to his life, so he had no choice but to accept it and take it one step at a time.

But if I don't pass, it might really be a bit embarrassing.

On either side of Ling Xuan, the twin sisters Ling Yue and Ling Xue were arguing heatedly.

Second Sister Ling Xue's animal hide armor rose and fell slightly with her rapid breathing, and the bone ornaments in her hair jingled with her movements. Her phoenix eyes widened: "Xiao Xuan, you and the eldest brother stick close to me in a bit. With the tacit understanding between the three of us siblings, the trial will be a piece of cake!"

"Second brother, what nonsense are you talking about!" The eldest sister, Ling Yue, slapped away her younger sister's hand from Ling Xuan's shoulder, her tone filled with pride. "It's clearly because you two stick close to me. With your older sister here, I guarantee you'll complete the trial in style!"

Ling Xuan poked his head out with a wry smile, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of the seat: "Sisters, I just broke through to the planetary level, and I haven't even mastered the secret techniques yet. This trial..."

He was interrupted before he could finish speaking.

"What are you saying, you little brat!" Ling Xue reached out and pinched her younger brother's cheek, her hair brushing against Ling Xuan's nose. "So what if you just broke through? With your older sister here, we'll take care of you, and you'll be fine!"

Ling Yue shook her fist, her knuckles making a crisp sound, her eyes full of doting: "Third brother, don't be afraid, how difficult can this lousy trial be? Even if we really run into trouble, the two of us sisters will each protect you on one side!"

A warm feeling welled up in Ling Xuan's heart.

Unfortunately, the trial requires the virtual network to be synchronized throughout. This allows the elders responsible for looking after them to provide timely support to the little ones, but it also completely eliminates the possibility of help from others.

The spaceship is extremely fast, reaching four times the speed of light.

The moment the speed reached the speed of light, the spaceship seemed to be instantly pulled into another completely different dimension by a mysterious and powerful force.

Ling Xuan felt that the scene before him had undergone an extremely strange change. The stars that were originally like gems embedded in the night sky were suddenly stretched into thin and twisted bands of light. These bands of light were colorful, but they gave people a sense of illusion and unreality.

The spaceship, like an incredibly sharp blade, effortlessly tore through the seemingly indestructible barrier of space and plunged into the mysterious and unpredictable dark universe.

A few days later, the sound of the spaceship's engines gradually weakened, and they finally arrived at their destination.

As the gaze pierced through the vast starry mist, an unimaginable secret realm suddenly came into view—the Candle Dragon Secret Realm, suspended in the void, resembled a colossal beast slumbering in the depths of the universe.

The azure energy halo, like a liquid galaxy, flowed slowly around the secret realm, sometimes condensing into vortexes, and sometimes dispersing into thousands of tiny specks of light. Each fluctuation caused ripples to spread through the space.

Under the halo, the outline of the secret realm continent was faintly visible, with floating islands, upside-down mountains, and rivers flowing with golden light, each of which subverted his understanding of geography.

Ling Xuan's Adam's apple bobbed, his heart pounded violently in his chest, and he unconsciously held his breath.

"It's truly breathtaking." Ling Xuan murmured to himself, his voice trembling without him even realizing it.

Although I have seen these scenes countless times in the virtual universe.

But now, with the real Candle Dragon Secret Realm standing before us, its tangible existence imbued with ancient pressure, every energy fluctuation and every detail of its landscape is so vividly real that it is breathtaking.

A sudden surge of energy erupted from a distant floating island, illuminating the entire sky. Energy particles drifting through the secret realm brushed against the spaceship's protective shield, producing a faint hum—real traces that are difficult to capture in the virtual universe.

"This is one of the charms of Swallowing the Stars," Ling Xuan's pupils reflected the changing light and shadow of the secret realm, but his thoughts drifted to a more distant time and space, "Exploring the unknown universe, observing the entire vast and boundless cosmos..."

Devouring seedlings, seeking support.

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(End of this chapter)