Swallowing the Stars: Starting with Optimizing the Five Hearts Towards the Sky

Chapter 269 Becoming an Apprentice of the Mountain-Sitting Guest!

Chapter 269 Becoming an Apprentice of the Mountain-Sitting Guest!

After regaining his physical freedom, Chen Yuan did not impulsively detonate his weapon.

From the old man's words, he had already discerned the other party's identity.

The Mountain Dweller, or rather, the God-King of Pu!

There's no point in running away from such a being. Besides, the invitation from the Mountain Hermit to take on disciples is a rare opportunity in itself.

In particular, this God-King not only possesses numerous treasures, but he himself is also a master treasure refiner.

Therefore, Chen Yuan was happy to see the idea of ​​the hermit taking him as his disciple.

Of course, he couldn't agree immediately on the surface; being too quick would make him seem insincere.

"Since you are able to seal space and time, you must be at least a powerhouse above the level of a universe lord."

Chen Yuan spoke respectfully, but his words carried a hint of refusal: "However, judging from what you just said, you must already know my background. So you must know that I have a master, the Lord of Youhou."

"Of course I know that."

The mountain dweller gently shook his head. "But which true strong person hasn't had multiple teachers on their path to becoming a master?"

"As you become stronger, your original teacher will be of less and less help. If you want to continue to improve, you will naturally need a stronger teacher to guide you."

"For example, your current teacher, although he is the Lord of the Universe, can only provide very limited help after you become a Venerable of the Universe," the Mountain Guest glanced at Chen Yuan and said calmly, "But I can guarantee that even if you become the Lord of the Universe in the future, you can still get help from me."

"Oh?"

Chen Yuan was well aware of the background of the Mountain Guest, but on the surface he was still surprised: "To be able to teach the Lord of the Universe, could you be the strongest in the universe?"

"Not bad." The Mountain-Sitting Guest smiled slightly. "So, little fellow, what do you think?"

"As the strongest being in the universe, it is my honor to be accepted as your disciple."

"But there's still one thing I don't understand."

Chen Yuan took a deep breath, his tone remaining calm: "Although I consider myself quite talented, I may not be able to catch the eye of the strongest. May I ask why you accepted me as your disciple, senior?"

This almost blunt question seemed to cause the mountain dweller's expression to change slightly, and even his tone became indifferent: "Little fellow, I have sincerely invited you time and time again, yet you have made excuses. Do you really think my patience is endless?"

"Aren't you afraid that if you anger me, you'll lose your life?"

The Mountain-Sitting Guest said calmly, "Or do you think you can save your life against me with your clone technique?"

"If you wish to destroy this body of mine, senior, it will be a piece of cake," Chen Yuan said with a slight smile, his tone calm. "But if you are confident that you can annihilate my soul, you are welcome to try."

Because Chen Yuan's equipment is bound to his soul, both the Origin Palace and the Heavenly Light Battle Armor have the ability to protect his soul. Just as the Mountain Guest made a threat, Chen Yuan's soul core, wearing the Heavenly Light Battle Armor, entered the Origin Palace. Under the protection of these two supreme treasures, even the strongest being in the universe could not threaten his soul.

Upon hearing Chen Yuan's words, the Mountain Guest narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Chen Yuan's figure with piercing eyes, while Chen Yuan met his gaze without changing his expression.

A moment later, a relieved laugh broke the silence.

"Haha, it's really good."

The man sitting on the mountain was all smiles now, his previous seriousness completely gone. He looked at Chen Yuan with admiration in his eyes: "You can still remain so calm under the pressure of my aura."

"Although your soul has not been modified by Earth, your will is unparalleled even among the leaders of Earth throughout history."

As he spoke, he shook his head slightly, his tone tinged with regret: "It's a pity that if your soul hadn't already reached the level of immortality, I really would have liked to let you try to recognize that supreme treasure as your master."

Chen Yuan blinked, his face showing a confused expression, but in reality, his mind was as clear as ice.

After all, based on his understanding of the Mountain-Sitting Guest, the other party shouldn't have gotten angry so easily; it seemed that he was indeed testing him.

So he feigned ignorance and asked, "Senior, what's this?"

"Little guy, I was just testing your courage, seeing if your will was truly as good as it sounds."

The mountain hermit smiled and said, "Now that I see you've performed exceptionally well, I'm even more eager to take you on as my apprentice."

Seeing that Chen Yuan was still somewhat hesitant, he laughed loudly and said, "Didn't you just want to ask me why I'm taking on disciples? It's actually very simple: I want to cultivate a true powerhouse."

"Of course, I'm not talking about the level of a cosmic sovereign or cosmic master, but rather an existence that truly stands at the pinnacle of the universe."

The man sitting on the mountain stared at Chen Yuan, his tone resolute: "And you—possess that potential."

"Me?" Chen Yuan pointed to himself, his tone puzzled.

"That's right." The Mountain Guest nodded. "Through my observations over this period of time, I've discovered that you possess a very powerful talent."

"With this talent, you can analyze the essence of all things in the world and make them your own."

"So you can quickly master any secret techniques or various rare treasures and artifacts."

The man sitting on the mountain smiled at Chen Yuan: "Am I right?"

Chen Yuan was indeed shocked at this moment. He did not expect that the Mountain Guest knew him so well. He thought he had been hiding his abilities very well.

Unexpectedly, after seeing his expression, the mountain dweller laughed again: "Haha, it seems I guessed right!"

It was just a guess? Chen Yuan immediately realized that the other party had drawn the conclusion from his expression just now.

He could only smile helplessly at this. As expected of an old monster who had lived for countless years, his mind was indeed meticulous.

"You guessed correctly, senior."

Now that things had come to this, Chen Yuan no longer concealed anything and nodded in admission: "My talent is indeed similar to what the senior described."

"But based on just one talent, are you really so sure that I can reach the pinnacle of the universe?"

"I can't guarantee that," the Mountain-Sitting Guest shook his head repeatedly. "After all, if you lack the right character and don't strive for improvement, then no matter how strong your talent is, you'll only ever reach the level of a Venerable in this lifetime."

Chen Yuan suddenly realized, "So that's why you were testing me earlier, senior?"

"That's right." The Mountain Guest readily admitted, a slight smile appearing on his face. "Only after confirming your character did I have the confidence to train you into a true powerhouse."

"After all, your talent for analyzing all things is truly powerful. The key is that you were able to bypass the rules of the original universe and become the second person to cultivate the Nine Tribulations Secret Scripture."

"The Nine Tribulations Secret Manual?" Chen Yuan's heart stirred, and he said thoughtfully, "So, senior was able to find me because of that black metal plate?"

"Of course, I can easily locate each Heavenly Soul Crystal—that is, the black metal plate you mentioned."

The Mountain Guest smiled and said, "You little guy are quite cautious. It seems you've already learned the first tribulation of the Nine Tribulations Secret Manual. You even knew to put the Heavenly Soul Crystal back in its original place, managing to fool even me."

"If the second Heavenly Soul Crystal hadn't suddenly changed its position, I wouldn't have noticed anything amiss."

Chen Yuan suddenly realized, "So, Senior, you came to Ice Prison Star early to wait for me?"

Seeing that the Mountain Guest nodded, he asked in confusion, "But how did you know I would come to Ice Prison Star? If I hadn't come, wouldn't you have waited in vain?"

"Of course I don't know." The Mountain Guest shook his head slightly. "But since you were able to find the second Heavenly Soul Crystal with such precision, I suspect you might have some kind of detection method, which is why you came to Ice Prison Star in advance to try it out."

"Even if we fail, it doesn't matter. All we'll waste is the time of a divine avatar."

"I see." Hearing this, Chen Yuan finally understood why he had been discovered. It was indeed because of the unexpected discovery of the Shi Clan's territory.

"Little one, I've answered all your questions," the Mountain Dweller said with a kind smile. "What's your decision?"

At this point, Chen Yuan no longer needed to pretend to be reserved and gladly bowed, saying, "Disciple greets Master."

"Okay, okay."

The three consecutive "good"s were enough to prove the mountain hermit's mood at that moment. He smiled and helped Chen Yuan up, saying, "Disciple, there's no need for such formalities."

"Teacher." After becoming his disciple, Chen Yuan naturally changed his form of address. Then, he asked curiously, "This disciple has not yet inquired about your identity. May I ask who the strongest among you is?"

"Your teacher is nameless and faceless, a solitary wanderer roaming the universe. Because of my fondness for sitting alone on mountain peaks, I am known as the 'Mountain-Sitting Guest' by various races throughout the universe."

The Mountain-Sitting Guest smiled slightly: "Of course, I also have another identity—the creator of Earth."

"Earth?!" Chen Yuan feigned shock. "Teacher is actually the ancestor of Earth!"

"Haha, you could say that." The Mountain Guest chuckled and told Chen Yuan the whole story of how he guided and nurtured the Earth lineage, including his cultivation of the Flame God Clan.

After listening, Chen Yuan nodded in understanding: "So, now the teacher has three disciples: the eldest brother Puti, the second brother Yandi, and me."

"That's how it is for now." The Mountain Guest nodded, then frowned slightly. "Your second senior brother—never mind, let's not talk about him. Just pretend he doesn't exist."

Shaking his head, the Mountain Hermit did not continue speaking, but said, "Since you have already become my disciple, then I will naturally fulfill my duties as a teacher."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "However, there are some things I need to clarify beforehand. My teaching style may be different from many others."

Chen Yuan listened attentively.

"First, I will provide you with the best resources; second, I will not teach you daily cultivation; third, I will not care whether you live or die in the future, and even if you perish along the way, I will not reverse time to revive you."

After explaining the rules, the mountain dweller looked at Chen Yuan and found that the disciple's expression was not disappointed, but rather slightly pleased.

After a moment's thought, he immediately understood: "That's right. My disciple's talent allows him to analyze all things and make them his own. He doesn't need the guidance of a strong person. Moreover, he has the secret technique of creating clones and a supreme treasure to protect him, so it's very difficult for him to perish."

"On the contrary, various secret techniques and rare items are exactly what Chen Yuan needs most, and they are also what I have the least to lack."

Having thought this through, the Mountain Dweller already had a clear idea of ​​Chen Yuan's next arrangements.