Within the Star Pool, spheres of starlight, following peculiar trajectories, were in perpetual celestial "motion." As milky-white droplets, originating from the heavens, fell upon the centers of these starlight orbs, each orb would expand slightly, and the starlight emanating from it would grow more brilliant.

Submerged in the Star Pool, Shi Yan felt the water was profoundly cold. Every pore of his body seemed to be permeated by the pool's essence—a comfortable sensation that sharpened his mind, causing his spirit and consciousness to jolt awake.

He had no idea how to activate the Star Martial Soul. After immersing himself, he looked up at Tang Yuannan, his expression clouded with confusion.

Tang Yuannan smiled enigmatically, offering no explanation, seemingly assuming that as the inheritor of the Star God, Shi Yan should quickly grasp the mysteries of his own body.

Disciples of the Three Gods Sect gathered from all directions, quietly encircling the Star Pool. They watched Shi Yan with intense curiosity, eager to see how he would awaken the Star Martial Soul, which had not manifested for a thousand years, and what marvels it would reveal upon activation.

While these individuals were core disciples of the Three Gods Sect, most knew little about the three most esoteric Martial Souls. They only understood that the Martial Souls inherited from the Sun, Moon, and Star Gods were fundamentally different from their own, possessing a unique and potent strength, though they were unsure exactly where that power lay.

When Shi Yan entered the Star Pool, the previous murmurings ceased. Like Tang Yuannan, everyone watched him with fervent expectation, anticipating the scenes about to unfold.

Shi Yan glanced around, his brow knitting slightly in a sign of unease. After a moment of contemplation, he addressed Tang Yuannan: "Is there nothing else I need to be aware of? I feel absolutely nothing."

Tang Yuannan gave a faint smile, standing above the light shield and looking down at him. "You have cultivated the Profound Yin Art, haven't you?" Shi Yan started, then nodded.

"Circulate the Profound Yin Art; I believe you will gain immediate insight," Tang Yuannan replied easily.

Asking no further questions, under the gaze of the assembled crowd, Shi Yan slowly closed his eyes, subtly releasing his divine sense to monitor the surroundings, wary that the Three Gods Sect disciples might employ some stratagem while he performed the Profound Yin Art.

As the Profound Yin Art moved, the trajectory of every sphere of starlight floating upon the pool’s surface suddenly shifted.

Shi Yan's body violently trembled, and his expression changed slightly, filled with astonishment.

Within the Star Pool, countless pinpricks of starlight erupted from the larger starlight orbs and surged toward his body.

These individual points of light resembled a glittering swarm of locusts. As the light points moved, the entire Star Pool seemed to come alive; innumerable shimmering motes drifted and floated, making the water sparkle brilliantly, as if countless shards of broken glass were illuminating the depths. Countless points of starlight were drawn in by the Yin Vortex outside the Tianque, Shenque, and Yindu acupoints in his chest via the Profound Yin Art. Instead of sinking as Yin Power into the cavities, however, they traveled along meridians directly into his heart.

As the first point of starlight permeated his heart, it began to beat wildly. A marvelous force spread from the Star Martial Soul nested within the starlight, further amplifying its power of cohesion.

Peering inward with his divine sense, he saw countless points of light igniting on his heart, resembling a vast, dazzling canopy of stars.

These embedded starlight motes, like the larger orbs in the pool, moved rapidly, adhering to a specific, cyclical pattern of celestial rotation.

Suddenly, a peculiar force that seemed to pull at his soul emanated from the concentration.

Shi Yan’s mind roared. He felt his main soul, anchored in his Sea of Consciousness, suddenly lift away, or perhaps being dragged by an irresistible suction toward his heart.

He experienced a sudden loss of agency, a feeling of being utterly beyond his own control. His consciousness began to blur; it felt as though his primary soul was about to be pulled into some extraordinary domain...

Not good!

Shi Yan’s spirit jolted. He tried to resist the sucking force emanating from the Star Martial Soul, gathering his focus to forcefully break free from its influence. Yet, as he attempted this, he found the Martial Soul acted like a colossal magnet, having seemingly already adhered to his core consciousness.

No matter how hard he struggled, he could not escape the Martial Soul's pull. His awareness dimmed further, and his control over his physical body gradually slipped away...

Subconsciously, he realized that in this state, resisting external pressure would be nearly impossible. If the Three Gods Sect disciples harbored ill intentions, they could strike him at this moment when his main soul was submerged, and he would have no chance to fight back.

Damn it, I must have fallen into Tang Yuannan's trap...

Just before his consciousness completely faded, this thought flashed through his mind. He felt utterly finished, betrayed by Tang Yuannan.

Then, he lost consciousness entirely, his main soul entering a void where sensation failed, continuing its descent.

Around the Star Pool, the Three Gods Sect disciples watched Shi Yan with solemn expressions.

Several elders of the sect observed Shi Yan’s sudden tremor, followed by the sudden weakening of his soul’s aura to a mere thread. Their expressions shifted, and they all looked toward Tang Yuannan, who hovered in the sky.

The elder who had previously been encased in ice by Shi Yan showed a flicker of delight and suddenly announced to the others, "The Sect Master does indeed have a way."

"Huh?" The timid disciple in the group looked skeptically at the elder, not understanding.

"To awaken the Star Martial Soul, one must undergo the trial of the soul entering the Star Sea. In this state, his soul temporarily leaves the physical body, sinking into the Nine Heavens Star Sea, completely defenseless," the elder said, his eyes sharp, followed by a cold chuckle. "Killing him now is as easy as lifting a finger; even a Nirvana Realm martial artist could erase him effortlessly."

At these words, many disciples’ eyes lit up. They believed they had grasped Tang Yuannan’s true intention, nodding in agreement and praising the Sect Master’s profound wisdom.

The elder who had suffered humiliation at Shi Yan’s hands sneered, convinced he had correctly fathomed Tang Yuannan’s plan. He bowed toward the Sect Master: "Sect Master, this brat’s spirit is temporarily wandering beyond the realm. May I now act to strike him down? Then, the Sect Master can personally seize his Star Martial Soul and select a new Star God successor?"

As he spoke, he instinctively moved toward the Star Pool, certain that Tang Yuannan would applaud his sharp insight.

Near the pool, many surrounding disciples nodded silently, their gazes toward Shi Yan turning decidedly hostile.

Shi Yan’s power and arrogance had irked many disciples; in their view, he was too unrestrained and too young for such a heavy responsibility. It would be better to eliminate him sooner. The sooner Shi Yan was gone, the more beneficial it would be for the sect in forging a new Star God.

"Insolent!"

Tang Yuannan let out a cold snort. Ten thousand feet of solar divine light spread from behind him, making him appear like a deity descended from the sun. With a mere glance at the elder, countless beams of sunlight instantly enveloped him, rendering him immobile.

This elder’s Martial Soul was also the Blazing Sun Martial Soul, but its grade was far inferior to Tang Yuannan’s. The disparity in Martial Soul grade, coupled with Tang Yuannan’s Divine Realm cultivation, meant the elder had absolutely no power to resist once the Sect Master moved; his strength seemed utterly shackled.

"Sect Master..."

The man looked terrified and bewildered at Tang Yuannan, feeling deeply wronged.

"When did I say I wanted him dead?" Tang Yuannan’s expression turned icy. With a thought, shafts of solar divine light poured directly into the elder’s body. The elder’s robes instantly dissolved into ash, his hair and beard burned away, and his body trembled violently.

"Sect Master, spare my life!"

Fear finally gripped him, and he hurriedly knelt down at the center of the light shield, bowing to Tang Yuannan and repeatedly begging for mercy with his head lowered.

"Self-important," Tang Yuannan scoffed, intensifying the force slightly, inflicting another layer of physical injury, before coldly stating, "Shortsighted!"

"Sect Master, mercy, Sect Master, mercy..."

The man nodded rapidly, pleading, daring not to utter another word.

The surrounding elders of the Three Gods Sect, seeing Tang Yuannan’s sudden fury, were struck dumb with fear, and not a single person dared to intercede for their comrade. Although Tang Yuannan often appeared amiable within the sect, every elder knew the sheer number of rivals he had slain to ascend to the position of Sun God. In recent years, to foster the growth of the sect, Tang Yuannan had endured humiliation, tempering his ferocity, which had led many to forget his past brutality. Now, with his sudden coldness and harsh action, many long-time members were instantly reminded of his ruthless, unforgiving nature that once led him to wipe out entire families. They dared not speak again.

"I did not grant permission, yet you dared to move to strike—this is treating me as nothing, disrespecting the Sect Master. Your Elder status is revoked; for the next hundred years, you shall not interfere in any sect affairs," Tang Yuannan declared coldly, calmly pronouncing the sentence before he withdrew his power with a cold smile. "Shi Yan might become the strongest Star God in the history of our Divine Sect. His future achievements will surpass all previous predecessors! For the future of the Three Gods Sect, I, the current God, am willing to kneel as a subordinate. Yet you elders, for mere selfish gain, seek to eliminate the very seed that will unify the Boundless Sea and even the Divine Grace Continent—you have disappointed me profoundly!"

At these words, all the disciples, including the elders, turned pale with shock before suddenly grasping Tang Yuannan’s deep intention. To secure the sect's future, Tang Yuannan, the current true authority, was willing to submit to another. Even a man of his immense talent and strategy was willing to sacrifice himself for the sect’s grand blueprint. This profound consideration and sacrifice shamed the elders.

"This is the greatest era for our Divine Sect. We have the new generation Moon God, who has accumulated the essence of the moon for centuries; once she reaches the Divine Realm, she will surely be a figure comparable to Cao Qiudao or Yang Qingdi. Coupled with a prodigious talent like Shi Yan, whose future achievements will surpass any ancestor—this is an unprecedented occurrence in our sect's history! The existence of these two individuals will make the future of the Three Gods Sect limitless! One day, the Boundless Sea and the Divine Grace Continent itself will bask in the holy light of our sect!"

Tang Yuannan looked up at the luminous screen where the sun, moon, and stars converged, his eyes filled with aspiration. "We live in an age where we can witness the sect’s rise step by step. We should all feel fortunate. For this great design, we must cast aside our personal selfishness and strive tirelessly toward this objective."

Everyone was completely convinced, kneeling down sincerely, their eyes fixed on Tang Yuannan, brimming with respect.