Swallowing the Stars: Start with an Enlightenment System

Just as everyone was staring intently at the Force weapon, their eyes practically spitting fire, Baiyuan made a decision that no one had expected.

"Thank you for your kindness, Lord Luoyan, but... please take back this sword."

The moment the words left his mouth, the entire room fell silent.

Immediately, a startling discussion erupted.

"He refused! How could he refuse? That's a fifth-tier Force weapon!"

"Has Baiyuan lost his mind? He actually gave up such a good opportunity!"

"It's like a pie fell from the sky, but he didn't reach out to take it. I don't understand his thinking."

Bai Luoyan was also somewhat surprised, and then asked, "What? You don't like this weapon?"

Upon hearing this, Baiyuan quickly explained, "Of course not, it's just that I am too inexperienced to accept such a great gift."

"Haha, no need to be so reserved. Your talent is quite good. Consider this sword my investment in you," Bai Luoyan laughed.

Bai Yuan's mind raced, and then he straightened his back, saying with high spirits, "Then I'll trouble you to keep this for me for now, senior. When I break through to the Realm Lord level in the future, I will definitely visit you personally to retrieve this sword!"

Upon hearing this, Bai Luoyan could no longer insist, but simply gave him a deep look.

"Alright, then I'll wait for you to come and get the knife."

After saying that, he turned and left with Bai Luoyan and Bai Xingyun, their figures disappearing into the horizon.

Bai Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, while the others couldn't understand his thoughts. Some thought he was too confident in his talent, while others thought he was simply a bit dim-witted.

Even Bai Guanren couldn't understand what Bai Yuan was thinking at this moment.

Whoosh!

Just after Bai Luoyan left, the cosmic-level powerhouse who was originally in charge of the clan's grand competition appeared, announced the end of the competition, and posted the final rankings on the sky screen.

As expected, Baiyuan's name was prominently listed first.

[Congratulations, host, on completing the mission. Mission reward: 5 Enlightenment Points]

Upon hearing the system's voice, Bai Yuan was overjoyed. What fifth-tier primal force weapon could compare to a genuine enlightenment incense stick?

Subsequently, several more cosmic-level powerhouses appeared, some taking on disciples, others recruiting...

The square became lively again.

A cold-faced cosmic-level being approached Bai Guanren: "Your talent is mediocre, but your willpower is strong and you have some merits. I can accept you as a disciple under my name. If you can pass the test I set, you can be promoted to an inner disciple, or even a personal disciple."

"Disciple greets Master!" Bai Guanren bowed excitedly.

Even as a nominal disciple, he has already met his expectations. Many people with greater talent than him have yet to gain the favor of a cosmic-level powerhouse.

As for Baiyuan, he was directly taken away from the square by his second uncle, Baitianning.

Back in the palace, Bai Tianning, with a solemn expression, asked in a deep voice:

Why did you refuse Lord Falling Rock's offer?

Bai Yuan shook his head with a wry smile: "Of course I'd be very envious of a fifth-tier Force weapon delivered right to my door. But the question is, why would he offer it to me in public?"

"It won't be long before I break through to the planetary level and then head to the universe for 'adventure and training.' If I carry a fifth-tier Force weapon with me, wouldn't I be walking around the universe waving a sign that says 'Come and rob me!'"

"If it were just a top-tier third-tier Force weapon or Force armor, that would be fine, but this is fifth-tier! Even universe-level powerhouses would covet such a treasure. Who can guarantee that no one will take the risk and ambush us halfway?"

After a pause, Baiyuan sighed and continued:

"If I die, would the Blade Clan really go to such lengths, spending so much time and effort to track down the killer? Even if they really wanted to, where would they even begin in this vast universe?"

"A powerful realm lord, an old monster who has lived for countless epochs, wouldn't know this?"

After listening to Bai Yuan's story, Bai Tianning was not surprised at all; instead, she smiled with satisfaction.

"I'm glad you think that way. Your reaction today was also very quick-witted, which really put my mind at ease."

"If you had agreed immediately, you might have really encountered the danger you described. Even I might not have been able to protect you at all times."

"But if you keep refusing, it's like slapping Lord Falling Rock in the face. Lord Falling Rock will also have a reason to take action against you. The clan will never punish Lord Falling Rock for your sake."

Clearly, Bai Tianning also saw the problem, even more clearly than Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan looked bewildered and quickly asked, "Second Uncle, do you mean... Lord Luoyan might personally kill me? What grudge do I have against him?!"

Bai Tianning looked solemn.

"Of course it's because of your talent. Your performance today was too dazzling and has already posed a threat to Bai Luoyan. I guess his original plan was to take you as his disciple first, so that how he would deal with you in the future would be entirely up to him."

"But he also understands that your performance is so amazing that it will definitely attract the attention of Lord Bai Kuangren. Once Lord Bai Kuangren steps in, even if you pay homage to Lord Luoyan first, Lord Bai Kuangren will definitely not care."

"As long as Lord Bai Kuangren notices you, Lord Luoyan will no longer dare to make a move easily."

The two completely different names immediately piqued Baiyuan's curiosity.

"Second Uncle, judging from your tone, you seem to have some reservations about Lord Luoyan. I know Lord Madman very well; he's the second strongest member of the Blade Clan," Baiyuan said slowly.

Bai Tianning smiled and corrected, "It's not the second strongest, it's the fifth strongest. Please don't get it wrong. Lord Bai Kuangren cares a lot about this matter."

"Well... alright, he is indeed the fifth strongest."

The Madman Realm Lord is the fifth strongest member of the Blade Clan, but most people refer to him as the second strongest.

The reason is simple: the second to fourth strongest individuals were not members of the Blade Clan at all.

Those three were all former followers of that immortal god of the Blade Clan.

Back then, there were countless powerful figures who followed the gods to conquer the starry sky. Although time has passed and many followers have long since perished, thirteen followers are still alive, and they are now all world lord-level powerhouses.

The fact that Bai Kuangren was able to rise to the top and surpass one veteran realm lord after another to become the fifth strongest is already quite extraordinary, and the immortal gods also value him highly.

For this reason, for the Blade Clan, who worship the strong, the Hundred Madmen's status is even higher than that of the clan leader.

Getting back to the main point, Bai Tianning's expression turned solemn, and he lowered his voice to say:

"Just listen to what I'm about to say, and remember it."

"Back then, the Madman refused to take on the position of clan leader, so the Ancestor had to choose between the Lord of Falling Rock Realm and the current clan leader."

"During that period, it was said that the two of them would compete with each other openly and secretly in everything."

In the end, the current clan leader was slightly better and accepted the position.

"But that's not why I hate Lord Falling Rock. The real reason is that he can't accept defeat! Back then, he caused a huge uproar on Blade's Edge Star over this, and even wanted to fight the clan leader to the death. In the end, it was only after the ancestor personally intervened that the matter was calmed down."

"That was forty epochs ago, before I was even born. I learned these secrets by chance from the general."

Bai Yuan suddenly understood. Clearly, Lord Luo Yan still harbored resentment over his defeat in the position of clan leader back then.

Now, the desire to eliminate him is most likely a ploy to clear obstacles in Bai Luoyan's path.