"You've arrived?" Dongfang Lin's voice was unexpectedly gentle. "Sit."
The stone bench was warmer than he had imagined. As soon as Han Feng sat down, he felt a gentle energy flow into his body from the point of contact, and his fatigue was immediately relieved by more than half.
"A stool crafted from Starry Jade is beneficial for cultivation." Dongfang Lin pushed over a cup of tea; tiny specks of silver light floated in the amber-colored tea. "Try it, Star Mist Tea."
Han Feng cautiously took a sip, and the tea instantly transformed into a cool current that rushed straight to his dantian. The stellar power within him seemed to be nourished by sweet rain, and it cheered with joy.
"Excellent tea." He exclaimed sincerely, then looked directly at the old man, "Senior Dongfang invited me here not just for tea, was he?"
Dongfang Lin waved for Dongfang Xun to leave, leaving only the two of them in the courtyard. The old man's seemingly cloudy eyes were now as sharp as a hawk's, scanning Han Feng's face inch by inch, as if confirming some long-lost inscription.
"Young friend Han," Dongfang Lin's voice trembled slightly, "you probably already know why I summoned you."
Han Feng was taken aback: "Please enlighten me, Patriarch Dongfang."
"The Star Mirror." The old man's gaunt figure turned around, his eyes filled with fervor. "Because of the Star Mirror's unusual activity, there are some things I must confirm personally."
Seeing Han Feng still looking bewildered, Dongfang Lin took a deep breath: "Could you please activate your source power so that this old man can take a look?"
Despite his doubts, Han Feng nodded. He raised his right hand, palm up, and closed his eyes to concentrate. The power of the stars within his body surged like a river, converging in his palm along his meridians. A point of silver light flashed, then spread out into a cluster, eventually transforming into a miniature nebula that danced in his palm, with countless points of light moving along mysterious trajectories.
"Indeed...indeed..." Dongfang Lin suddenly stood up, oblivious to the fact that his sleeve had flipped over and knocked over the teacup. The old man's eyes widened, his cloudy pupils now reflecting the starry sky, his withered fingers hovering in mid-air, wanting to touch the nebula yet not daring to actually get close.
Han Feng withdrew his Star Power and looked at the old man's heaving chest with some concern: "Patriarch Dongfang, are you alright?"
Dongfang Lin slumped back onto the stone bench, tears suddenly streaming down his face: "Eight hundred years... The Dongfang family has guarded this secret for eight hundred years..." He trembled as he pulled an ancient jade slip from his robes. "Take a look at this."
At this moment, Han Feng was also shocked by Dongfang Lin's words and did not notice the change in his tone.
The jade slip was engraved with an intricate star map, with a human figure in the center, its meridian points connected to the stars. Han Feng gasped—it was clearly a miniature version of a star meridian map!
\"This is......\"
Before Han Feng could finish speaking, there was a thud, and Dongfang Lin knelt down in front of Han Feng, saying, "This old servant Dongfang Lin greets the Star Lord!"
This sudden turn of events startled Han Feng: "Patriarch Dongfang, what are you doing!" He quickly went to help Dongfang Lin up.
"Your Excellency Star Lord is unaware!" Dongfang Lin, still trembling slightly as he was helped to his feet, gripped the jade slip tightly in his withered fingers. "The first head of my Dongfang family, along with the Shangguan and Zhang families, was once a servant of the previous Star Lord!"
Han Feng's pupils contracted sharply. Zero had told him that the Star Vein Map was a product stripped away after the deaths of Chosen Ones from other planes, but what about the "previous generation Star Lord" that Dongfang Lin mentioned? The two versions collided fiercely in his mind, and his temples throbbed.
"Patriarch Dongfang, please calm down." Han Feng helped the old man sit down again. "I know nothing about the Star Lord theory; this power was obtained by chance."
"It can't be a coincidence!" Dongfang Lin excitedly slammed his hand on the stone table, the teaware clattering. "The power of the stars only recognizes the bloodline of the Star Lord! Look at this jade slip—"
He pushed the jade slip in front of Han Feng. Upon closer inspection, Han Feng discovered that the humanoid outline on the star map was exactly the same as the energy flow within his body, and even several extremely hidden secondary veins were clearly marked.
"Eight hundred years ago, before the Star Lord left this realm, he bestowed three jade slips upon the three patriarchs of our three families," Dongfang Lin's voice deepened, "commanding us to guard them generation after generation, awaiting the emergence of the next Star Lord."
Han Feng stroked the ancient patterns on the edge of the jade slip, its surface feeling icy cold. Suddenly, the star map on the jade slip glowed faintly, resonating with the stellar power within him. A surge of unfamiliar fragments of memory flooded his mind—
In the endless sea of stars, a blurry figure annihilated stars with a wave of his hand; three martial artists knelt on the ground, receiving the glowing jade slip; the final scene was a streak of light tearing through the sky and disappearing into the depths of the universe...
"Ah!" Han Feng suddenly released the jade slip, cold sweat beading on his forehead. The scenes were too real, as if he had experienced them firsthand.
Dongfang Lin was overjoyed: "The jade slip has recognized its master! This old servant was right to recognize it!" He then tried to kneel down again.
Han Feng quickly stopped him: "Wait! Even if what you say is true, I'm not some star lord." He pointed to himself, "My name is Han Feng, my parents are ordinary people, and my family genealogy can be traced back three generations."
"How could a reincarnated star lord leave behind any traces of mortal life?" Dongfang Lin laughed.
Seeing Han Feng's confusion, Dongfang Lin continued, "After the previous Star Lord left, he left a message: if he does not return from this journey, a chosen one will surely walk the path he came from. At that time, the three of you must spare no effort to assist him in achieving the Great Dao. This will be your opportunity."
Han Feng asked, "Did that star lord never return after that?"
Dongfang Lin shook his head and said, "No, my Dongfang family patriarch waited until his death, but he never saw that Star Lord again. The words left by that Star Lord have been passed down as the ancestral precept of our three families to this day."
"According to your logic, you can't be completely certain that I am the Star Lord you're talking about." Han Feng didn't understand why this so-called Star Lord had left behind such a nonsensical statement, which had led these families to worship him like a god and remain devoted to him until now.
Dongfang Lin seemed to sense Han Feng's doubt, so he asked, "Do you know what the 'Star Mirror' is?"
Han Feng shook his head.
The old man took out a palm-sized bronze disc from his robes, its surface covered with star patterns: "This is a sensor left behind by the Star Lord, which has been kept in rotation by three families for eight hundred years. Three months ago, the Star Mirror suddenly activated on its own, pointing towards the capital..."
Han Feng stared at the bronze disc and suddenly discovered that the arrangement of several stars on it was exactly the same as the energy nodes in his body when he cultivated "Star Orbit"!
"So you found me through this?" A chill ran down Han Feng's spine. If this Star Mirror fell into enemy hands...
"Following the guidance of the Star Compass, this old servant searched the capital for two whole months." Dongfang Lin lovingly stroked the Star Compass, "until a few days ago, I received news that the eldest daughter of the Liu family, after losing her cultivation stone, has actually been able to rejoin the ranks of cultivators..."
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