Before Feng Zikang could speak, the youth who had spoken was already tapped sharply on the head by a senior disciple.

"Little Gu, your fortune-telling has always been inaccurate, fine! But spouting such nonsense now—be careful the disciples from Sunset Peak overhear you!"

The youth called Little Gu rubbed his head, his eyes wide with indignation.

"My Military School's Star Gazing technique is meant to divine the general trends of the world! You all constantly pester me to predict matters of romance and marriage—how can I possibly get those right! And the itineraries of Senior Sister Chen and Senior Sister Yang..."

"Hush! Hush!"

Several inner disciples rushed forward to clamp hands over the youth's mouth, terrified he might continue speaking carelessly and utter something disastrous.

"So, disciples from the Star Gazing Pavilion..."

Feng Zikang nodded, astonished that the boy's prophecy aligned almost exactly with his own plans, and scrutinized him with curiosity.

Little Gu was about the same age as him, with delicate features and bright, sharp eyes. He wore the common attire of a third-generation disciple: black robes bound with silk ribbons, but stuck comically out of the back of his neck was a grayish-white feather fan—just a common, ordinary fan one could buy in the mortal markets.

The lineage of the Star Gazing Pavilion was said to uphold the traditions of Guiguzi and Zhuge Wuhou. Among the Military School disciples on Dragon-Tiger Mountain, though their influence wasn't overt, they were still an indispensable component. After all, Military School disciples were known for their prowess in combat—in the cultivation world, they certainly ranked highly in fighting skill—but when it came to grasping heavenly secrets and aligning with fate, only the Star Gazing Pavilion possessed such divine abilities.

The current Master of the Star Gazing Pavilion was named Tianji Yushi (Feathered Daoist of Heavenly Secrets). He was on good terms with Feng Zikang's own master, Ye Tiansheng, but this man spent years in secluded meditation, intently observing the stars to deduce changes in heavenly destiny. Naturally, Feng Zikang had never met him.

Since this fellow surnamed Gu stood within the inner circle, he must be an inner disciple of the Star Gazing Pavilion. It was rumored they were extremely selective in choosing apprentices; their lineage was passed down singularly, accepting only youths whose destinies harmonized with the heavenly mechanisms. To become a direct disciple of Tianji Yushi required passing numerous trials, making the path exceptionally arduous.

Furthermore, the core ability of the Star Gazing Pavilion was merely divining heavenly secrets; they held no distinct advantage over other branches in other areas. In the pursuit of glimpsing the heavens, they occasionally coughed up several liters of blood. Thus, even though the position of a direct disciple remained vacant, few people competed for it, making it the second most neglected branch of the Military School, right after the Little Bamboo Grove.

Little Gu must be one of the key contenders for the position of a direct disciple within the Star Gazing Pavilion. For him to utter the highly probable outcome of today's competition in one breath showed considerable talent in perceiving heavenly mechanics! Unfortunately, the boy was young; recklessly speaking of heavenly secrets might not be a good thing.

Feng Zikang turned and offered a respectful bow toward the youth.

"Junior Brother, I am Feng Zikang, a disciple of Master Ye from the Little Bamboo Grove. May I ask your esteemed name?"

By rights, Feng Zikang was only thirteen and could hardly judge who was older, but having grown weary of calling everyone Senior Brother, he seized the rare opportunity to address someone as Junior Brother.

"Ah..."

Though the youth didn't recognize him, he knew Feng Zikang's status as a direct disciple and dared not be careless, quickly returning the salute.

"Senior Brother Feng, I am Gu Ya, a disciple of the Star Gazing Pavilion. Greetings, Senior Brother!"

His few fellow disciples recognized this simpleton from the Little Bamboo Grove. While they didn't tease or bully him as relentlessly as the Sunset Peak disciples, they had met him before. Now that Feng Zikang was a dignified direct disciple who had reached the Object Manipulation realm in cultivation, they naturally felt awkward addressing him casually.

"However..."

Gu Ya suddenly cocked his head in thought. "This Senior Brother Feng... how old are you this year?" He intentionally mumbled the character for 'brother' in Senior Brother, clearly spurred by competition upon seeing Feng Zikang's boyish face, which mirrored his own.

"Junior Brother, what is your honorable age?" Feng Zikang countered with a gentle smile.

Gu Ya drew the feather fan from behind his back, waved it a couple of times, cleared his throat, and stated gravely, "Having cultivated for a long time, the years pass unnoticed in the mountains... I only recall that since I was in swaddling clothes, Master carried me back to the mountain. The sweet, fresh peaches in the East Mountain have ripened and faded twelve times since then."

He adopted a commanding posture and spoke with great authority, immediately claiming long cultivation, yet his conclusion amounted to only twelve years.

Feng Zikang smiled faintly. "Then calling you Junior Brother is correct. Your elder brother here is thirteen, a year older than you..."

"Ah!"

Gu Ya’s face twisted in pain, but the rules of the Military School were strict, and he dared not lie. He dutifully called out, "Senior Brother."

The other disciples found this amusing and chuckled amongst themselves, but Feng Zikang ignored them, engaging Gu Ya in conversation.

It turned out Gu Ya possessed a unique destiny: a lone star residing in his fate, causing misfortune to those close to him. Less than a month after his birth, his village was struck by plague, and both his parents died. Starving without sustenance, he cried lustily in the house. Coincidentally, it was the day of the Lunar Eclipse in Lingnan. Tianji Yushi, intending to observe the celestial phenomenon, passed by, saved his life, recognized his extraordinary bone structure and unimpeded meridians, and took him as a disciple of the Star Gazing Pavilion, bringing him back to Dragon-Tiger Mountain.

"Master possesses great divine powers, so naturally, he isn't afraid of my ill fate..."

Feng Zikang nodded. For a cultivator, destiny should transcend mundane physiognomy, and the risk of affliction should be nonexistent. However, upon closer inspection, one could perceive a potent, baleful aura hidden between the brow of this cheerful youth. Even if Tianji Yushi had already achieved the Golden Core Dao, he might not be immune to calamity.

"You said that while observing the stars last night, Senior Brother Liang would lose today? He has already reached the Foundation Establishment stage; he should be the foremost among us third-generation disciples. Surely not?"

Whether Gu Ya would bring misfortune to Tianji Yushi was beside the point; Feng Zikang’s roundabout questioning aimed solely at probing his methods of star gazing.

Gu Ya grinned cunningly and whispered conspiratorially into Feng Zikang's ear, "Actually, I wasn't entirely certain... When observing the stars last night, things were hazy, vastly different from usual. In the subtle flow, I only saw two general stars. Though I didn't recognize them, for some reason, I clearly knew one was Senior Brother Liang and the other was Senior Brother Huo."

"Senior Brother Liang's general star flickered erratically, showing signs of falling; Senior Brother Huo's general star, while not very bright, was firmly supported by a strand of dark energy and remained steady... So, following the method of star gazing, I spoke those words..."

"I actually wanted to look for Master's general star, but the mere thought brought me back to consciousness. I don't know if it was real or an illusion; my mind is still somewhat muddled now... Those things my senior brothers were saying earlier were boring, so I just said it to frighten them!"

So that was it. Feng Zikang let out a breath of relief. If even a young disciple from the Star Gazing Pavilion could possess such clear knowledge of heavenly mechanics, it would have been a truly troublesome complication. Hearing his description now, it seemed to be merely an accidental entry into a state of cosmic resonance, granting him only a vague premonition. Such opportunities were rare and chance occurrences; for the time being, there was no need to worry.

As they were chatting congenially, a bell tolled, echoing across the mountain, startling the birds into flight.

The Grand Competition of Sunset Peak had begun!