Chapter 483 - 466: Sea of Stars

It waved its fins, circling in front of Gu Ming to show them off.

"Master, Master! I’m on the verge of mastering the Wave-Swallowing Technique! Is it time to go to the Sea of Stars and attempt Leaping the Dragon Gate?"

Ah Kun blew some bubbles, asking Gu Ming how to begin training the second step of the Wave-Swallowing Technique.

High-end Combat Techniques like the Wave-Swallowing Technique possessed inherent evolutionary potential.

The second step of the Wave-Swallowing Technique was Whale Soaring and Heaven-Devouring-star Transformation. For a Fish Pet to execute that ultimate Leap, it required a dual ascension of both body and spirit—something no ordinary physique could accomplish.

If Ah Kun could reach that point, it would truly break through its physical limits and might even undergo an evolution in its physical form.

However, it was highly unlikely that this would be enough for it to evolve into a Four-star Pet Beast.

After all, Ah Kun’s current Spiritual Power hadn’t yet reached the threshold of a Four-star Pet Beast, so evolving to that level wouldn’t be so easy.

"Let me see."

Gu Ming said, using his Divine Sense to probe Ah Kun’s body and sense the Life Power within.

Gu Ming held his breath and concentrated, focusing all his attention on Ah Kun’s fins, tail, and other parts of its body.

He could feel that the Power accumulated within Ah Kun’s body had reached a critical point.

It wasn’t just a saturation of energy, but a stirring, a tremor indicating a change in its very life form.

Ah Kun also felt this unprecedented change within itself.

It was a deep-seated desire to burst from the ocean’s surface and soar through the sky.

It no longer wanted this to be confined to the spiritual realm; it wanted to channel this erupting Power and make it manifest in its physical body!

This intense sensation was very similar to how it felt right before its previous Evolution.

This was especially true for the fins on its sides, which had primarily been for balance. Now, they sent waves of an irrepressible, bone-deep tingling and burning heat through its body!

Admittedly, the daily Whale Leap training for the Wave-Swallowing Technique in its dreams had overworked its fins, leaving them with torn muscles and a burning ache.

But it only had to recall the moment it had simulated countless times in its dreams: a Giant Whale leaping from the sea.

Its massive dorsal fin breaking through the waves, its side fins leaving the water for a split second.

They would instinctively stretch and expand, transforming into giant wings that could support its enormous body in a brief glide.

It became incredibly excited just thinking about it.

Gu Ming pondered for a few seconds.

"Well?"

Ah Kun blew some bubbles, asking its master.

Gu Ming nodded.

"It’s definitely showing signs of an impending Evolution," Gu Ming said honestly.

He glanced at his system, which indicated that the young Ah Kun did not yet have the ability to fly; its fins needed more training before it could take to the air.

Still, given the current state of Ah Kun’s body...

It was clear that the training for the second step of the Wave-Swallowing Technique was pushing its body to the absolute limit.

This kind of training could easily trigger a Super Evolution.

It might also be a Form Evolution that didn’t involve the Pet Beast Inner Core, only its physical shape.

In any case, Gu Ming took Ah Kun to visit Elder Huo and Teacher Tang.

After he returned from consulting with them, Lu You heard Gu Ming say, "I’m preparing to make a trip to the Sea of Stars."

Lu You looked up, a little surprised, but not entirely.

Every night in her dreams, she had seen Ah Kun’s hard work and the fantastical image of its soaring Whale Leap from the Wave-Swallowing Technique.

She knew that after months of diligent practice in the dream, it was only a matter of time before Ah Kun reached the Entry Level for the Whale Leap.

She cradled Mianmian, who was still in its chrysalis, and said, "I heard... there are a lot of baby Pet Beasts at the Sea of Stars."

"There are. Do you want to come? You can do some Dream Realm Cultivation while we’re there," Gu Ming said.

Lu You’s recent win rate was decent. In the past month, she had fought nearly a hundred matches, winning fifty and losing fifty-two, for a win rate just under fifty percent.

However, with her two Pet Beasts, one was in the middle of a Form Evolution and couldn’t fight at full strength.

Given the circumstances, that win rate was actually very good.

Gu Ming, on the other hand, maintained a recent win rate of around ninety percent, losing only ten out of a hundred matches.

Lu You was planning to form a contract with a third Pet Beast.

She had looked at many options in the school’s adoption groups but still hadn’t made a decision.

As she put it, she just hadn’t gotten that special ’sparkly’ feeling yet.

This trip to the Sea of Stars was likely just an excuse to tag along for Gu Ming’s Dream Realm Cultivation.

Otherwise, missing even one day of Dream Realm Cultivation could be equivalent to missing a week, or even several months, of training. And who knew if Gu Ming might decide to stretch out the Cultivation Time in a single night?

"Okay," Lu You mumbled, nodding.

...

The Sea of Stars was located in the southernmost region of the Great Zhou’s territory.

Legend had it that this was the place in the world closest to the heavens. The boundary between sky and earth blurred here, and standing amidst it felt as if you could reach out and touch the flowing motes of starlight.

The true Sea of Stars was concealed at the highest point of the Heaven-Reaching Peak mountain range.

It wasn’t an ocean in the traditional sense, but a magnificent spectacle formed by a confluence of cascading Starlight.

Innumerable shimmering streams of starlight poured down from the night sky like a luminous waterfall, flowing into the encircling valley and weaving a glittering sea that resembled a liquid galaxy.

The air here was thin and bone-chillingly cold, yet it also possessed an ultimate, ethereal serenity, far removed from the mortal world. This attracted many Pet Beasts that practiced the Void Clarity Daoist Skill or pursued the Power of the sky to come here for their Cultivation.

The Sea of Stars was also famous for being a place where one could find rare Pet Beasts related to starlight, prophecy, and divination.

The birth of these Star Spirit Pet Beasts was exceptionally unique. They did not rely on ordinary reproduction; their lives were often first condensed in the instant a Star twinkled, gestating directly from the Starlight itself.

These younglings, condensed from starlight, had extremely short lifespans.

If they failed to form a contract with a suitable Beastmaster within their limited time after birth...

...they would dissolve like morning dew, returning to the embrace of the Sea of Stars.

For this reason, an ancient rumor claimed that this brilliant sea was actually the final resting place of countless stars—a vast "graveyard of the stars."

After taking a giant Flying Pet from the Capital, Gu Ming finally arrived at the station at the foot of Heaven-Reaching Peak.

The moment he landed, he was greeted by the sight of endless, snow-white peaks, like a pure white staircase built between heaven and earth.

Looking up, because the altitude was already over ten thousand meters, all the clouds lay below his feet.

Above him was a nearly pure, ink-black sky where countless Stars were clearly visible, like diamonds embedded in black velvet, shining with a cold and dazzling light.

Glancing back, he saw a vast, boundless sea of clouds rolling out beneath him. He was, in effect, standing above the sky.

A small, winding path led toward a valley at the edge of his vision, shrouded in a dreamlike curtain of starlight—the location of the Sea of Stars.

Despite the harsh environment, the place was not deserted. Several powerful auras drifted through the air, all belonging to High Tier Beastmasters and their partners.

In comparison, Gu Ming, who was still in his growth phase, could only be considered an ordinary visitor here.

His purpose for this trip was clear and resolute:

To use the legendary Water Dragon Gate of the Sea of Stars to help Ah Kun break through the final threshold of the Wave-Swallowing Technique’s second step.

It was said that if any fish-type Pet Beast could swim upstream and successfully leap through that miraculous gate, which was formed from condensed Starlight and water, it would receive the blessing of the Stars and begin a fundamental transformation of its life level.

And this was precisely the key opportunity Gu Ming had chosen for Ah Kun to master the Whale Leap.