Stellar Transformations

by I Eat Tomatoes

  “At that time I was being hunted. When I was running for my life alone, when I was feeling lonely, when I was feeling weak … I could only recall the happy days in the past and the times when I was with you and brothers to give myself strength again to keep running for my life. I believed there’d eventually be a day when I could free myself.”

  Qin Yu clenches his fists, making their blue veins visible.

  “Yu’er …” Qin De grabs Qin Yu’s shoulders.

  “Do I let my actions control myself against my will? I don’t know … That day, after knowing that my master was dead and that your and Uncle Feng’s arms had been cut off, at first I only wanted to kill Dongfang Yu, but … Dongfang Nian refused to hand him over. If I had been soft-hearted, perhaps even more people would bully the Qin clan. So, I had to go against my true feelings. I had to be ruthless and massacre them.”

  Qin Yu’s eyes are fierce.

  “In my childhood, limit training made me suffer. I didn’t want to practice but I forced myself to practice … Every time I broke through a limit, I would feel comfortable. It was like seeing a rainbow after the rain. I knew that one day I’d eventually get your approval. Your smiles were the rainbow I looked forward to the most.”

  Qin Yu gives a smile which is like that of a child.

  “Father, the world of Xiuzhenists is very cruel.” He says with a sigh.

  Qin De only holds his hands without saying anything.

  “If not for Uncle Lan, I would’ve had to keep fighting and killing people. Otherwise … I wouldn’t be able to take revenge even if my relatives were insulted.” Qin Yu says in a low voice. He feels very grateful to Uncle Lan.

  Because of Uncle Lan, he has been able to relax a bit and act in accordance with his true feelings.

  This is a world of the strong. If Qin Yu is not the strongest, he can only act against his will.

  “I didn’t want to kill, to act cold, to be ruthless and to be bloodthirsty, but there was nothing I could do. Every time I was alone, I would feel a pain in my heart. But even though it was hard to bear, I had to play it cool on the outside or put on a smiling face because I’m the tower master. I can’t lose my nerve, be in fear or be weak. I’ve got to appear resolute, cold and merciless!”

  Qin Yu looks at his father and laughs in a low voice. But then he says as if sobbing: “Father, do you know how it feels?”

  “I know, Yu’er. I know.” Qin De’s heart is also in pain.

  In the past,

  Even when experts of the Azure Dragon Palace and the Blue Water Mansion, 2 powers which have been in existence for several thousand years, saw Qin Yu, they all could not help admitting that he was determined and cold and that he would even be able to face a collapsing huge mountain smilingly.

  The experts such as Azure Dragon, Old Freak Three-Eyed, Reverend Yan Xu and Yi Da have even been living in this kind of environment for several thousand to 10,000 years, starting from when they were little.

  It is normal for them to be tough and merciless.

  Qin Yu, however, is different from them. He stepped into the underwater Xiuyao world when he was already 20 years old. When he was little, he was in the company of his close relatives. At Misty Villa, he was taught by Grandpa Lian. He has a kind and passionate nature.

  However, he became the victim of circumstances.

  When he was a child, he pushed himself to the limit to improve his power and get his father’s approval. In the end he was successful and almost perished together with Wu Xing.

  Then he went into the underwater Xiuyao world and had to act against his will once more to adapt to this world of Xiuyaoists.

  “’The weak let their ideals control their actions, but the strong control their ideals with their actions.’ If not for this saying supporting my inner world like a column at the bottom of my heart, perhaps … I would have collapsed long ago due to being unable to stand acting against my will.”

  Qin Yu’s eyes glisten with tears. After releasing the repressed pain in his heart, he cannot control his emotions.

  “Yu’er.”

  Qin De looks at his son, his emotions running high in his heart: “Yu’er, you can’t keep everything at the bottom of your heart. Do you understand? You have to tell me your feelings at home, and your friends outside. Don’t suppress all of them in your heart.”

  Qin Yu takes a deep breath then gives a smile.

  “Father, I’ve been lucky to be helped by Uncle Lan. If he didn’t help me, that would mean fate is fair to me. But … my life is mine so I must be my own master.”

  Qin Yu stands up and opens the room’s door.

  “Likewise, I must continue to act against my will because I want to become the strong!” Qin Yu’s voice is very unyielding.

  He walks out of the room and raises his head to look at the bright stars in the sky. He talks to himself inwardly: “I can’t stand seeing my relatives insulted and suffering so I must become the strong, strong enough to protect them!”

  “Smiling, collected, tough and bloodthirsty, this is how I should be! Weakness and soft-heartedness can only be buried in my heart! Definitely!!!” Qin Yu’s expression becomes even more resolute.

  Chapter 9: Location of the Tribulation

  The weak let their ideals control their actions, but the strong control their ideals with their actions.

  Acting against the will!

  Qin Yu must go on this way until the day when he stands at the top of the world and nobody can threaten him. Only then will he be able to do whatever he wishes freely.

  From the door of the room, Qin De calmly looks at Qin Yu, who is looking up at the starry sky in the courtyard.

  Qin Yu is watching the stars in the sky but the look in his eyes is extremely resolute.

  Suddenly he gives a faint smile.

  “Has the Meteoric Tear also felt the change in me? In the future, no matter what happens, I’ll still deal with it calmly, even if the sky collapses and the ground shatters.” He feels that the energy of the Meteoric Tear has changed and that the connection between him and the Meteoric Tear seems to have deepened by one level.

  In an instant, Qin Yu’s mental state also transforms.

  “Mental state of the middle Kongming stage? 6-in-9 Heavenly Tribulation in 5 months?” A faint smile appears on the corners of Qin Yu’s mouth.

  When his mental state has suddenly reached the middle Kongming stage from the early Kongming stage, he has also suddenly sensed the long-awaited 6-in-9 Heavenly Tribulation. It is going to come exactly 5 months later. However, at the moment Qin Yu is not ecstatic at all.

  The road he still has to walk in the future is very long. This tribulation is just a small episode.

  And the Nine Demons Hall’s Di Nai, who is bothering him now, is merely a little fork on the road of his life.

  If Qin Yu did not want to keep doing what he is doing, if he was the weak, he would only need to practice quietly in a certain corner of scenic beauty to be able to enjoy life and not worry about things. However, if he really did so, perhaps he would have no choice but to watch his relatives getting harmed when a strong individual threatens their lives.

  Therefore … Qin Yu has chosen to become one that is strong enough to protect his relatives and brothers. When he made this decision, his path was also decided at the same time.

  Fighting, bloodthirstiness, coldness, madness, acting against the will, killing, dangers … they are the things on Qin Yu’s path. This is his own choice so naturally he has to be responsible for them himself.

  Hu!

  Qin Yu expands his holy sense to the utmost. Having reached the middle Kongming stage, it has an extremely wide range which can cover the entire capital. Now he can see clearly that … in the Imperial Palace, the princes are sleeping peacefully and his brother Qin Zheng is seriously correcting memorials to the throne.

  His big brother Qin Feng is practicing quietly.

  Peacefulness and happiness,

  Only when he sees his relatives living
happily does Qin Yu feels satisfied with his choice.

  It is like … how he did external practice for 10 something years to obtain his father’s approval and smiles when he was a kid.

  Now he is walking the path of the strong for an indeterminable amount of time to see the smiles of his relatives and brothers.

  ……

  Time goes by. A month after Qin Yu sensed his 6-in-9 Heavenly Tribulation, in Prince Yu’s Mansion,

  Xu Yuan and Li’er are playing Go.

  Compared to Qin Yu’s standard, Xu Yuan’s Go skill is obviously much stronger. Now he is even more quick-minded than in the past because he has already started to practice after absorbing a Base Building Pill so naturally his Go skill has improved too.

  “Ha-ha, I’ve lost, Miss Li’er. Your Go skill is really excellent.” Xu Yuan gives up laughingly and admits defeat.

  “Your skill has clearly improved, Uncle Xu. I think you’re just a bit weaker than the capital’s God of Go.” Li’er collects the Go pieces smilingly.

  After the game is finished, Qin Yu, Li’er and Xu Yuan chat with each other.

  “What? You’re going to undergo the 6-in-9 Heavenly Tribulation 4 months later?” Xu Yuan is shocked and loses his usual calmness and easiness.

  Qin Yu says smilingly with a nod: “What’s the matter, Uncle Xu? Isn’t it just the 6-in-9 Heavenly Tribulation? It’s not worth making such a fuss of.”

  Li’er also looks at Qin Yu and says in a slightly annoyed manner: “Qin Yu, you didn’t even tell me that you’re going to undergo the tribulation.”

  Qin Yu is startled. When she calls him Qin Yu instead of big brother Qin Yu, she has obviously become angry.

  “Given my current power, it should be very easy to overcome that 6-in-9 Heavenly Tribulation, unless some strange change will take place like what happened to Xiao Hei that day. Even so, I’ll still be able to withstand it by going all out.” Qin Yu is totally confident.

  Li’er looks at him for a long time then says with a sigh: “Be careful, big brother Qin Yu. Your heavenly tribulation definitely won’t be so simple as you think.”

  Xu Yuan, however, says: “Xiao Yu, I’ve just come up with a plan which can easily lure Di Nai out and even kill him.”

  “Oh?” His eyes brightening, Qin Yu says: “Quickly tell me, Uncle Xu. Don’t beat around the bush. What’s actually your good plan? As long as this Di Nai fella isn’t terminated, I always feel a little anxious.”

  Xu Yuan waves his feather fan and says confidently: “Xiao Yu, according to what you said, you and Hou Fei are the ones that Di Nai fellow wants to kill the most because you two killed his brothers. But his power is weaker than yours so he basically has no chance at all.”

  “Therefore … you’ll only need to leak the info that you’re going to go through the tribulation to him.” Xu Yuan looks at Qin Yu with sureness.

  Qin Yu’s eyes brighten.

  “Ha-ha, that’s right. Di Nai hates me and Fei Fei the most, but he’s got no chance so he’s hiding like a turtle at some place in the underwater Xiuyao world. If he knows the time and location of my tribulation … he’ll definitely come.”

  Qin Yu has already thought carefully about Di Nai.

  Life and death? For the sake of revenge, Di Nai absolutely will not care about them.

  He wants to kill the Qin clan’s members only to make Qin Yu grieve. How can that possibly compare with hurting Qin Yu physically to vent his hatred in person?

  “That won’t do!” However, Li’er says coldly.

  Qin Yu is startled.

  “Qin Yu, you can’t be careless about taking on this tribulation. As I already told you long ago, this 6-in-9 Heavenly Tribulation definitely won’t be so simple as you think. Didn’t you see Xiao Hei’s 6-in-9 Heavenly Tribulation? If you lure Di Nai to you, and if he takes advantage of you going through the tribulation to attack you, you’ll be in real mess.” Her eyes are filled with urgency.

  Qin Yu’s heart warms up.

  “Don’t worry, Miss Li’er. I devised this plan so naturally I won’t let Xiao Yu face danger. When the times come, I’ll let Hou Fei, the most powerful among us, hide on one side. If Di Nai appears, Hou Fei will smash him dead immediately.” Xu Yuan says indifferently.

  But Li’er says: “Smash him dead? That Di Nai isn’t as powerful as Fei Fei, but he’s eager to get revenge. He’ll definitely resort to every means. If he explodes himself, maybe he’ll be able to affect Qin Yu. Besides, going through that tribulation will be extremely dangerous. So, if something unexpected happens, that’ll be terrible.”

  Xu Yuan is startled then looks at Qin Yu: “Xiao Yu, this plan of mine is a bit too audacious. Let’s not use it for the time being.”

  At first he thought that Qin Yu would overcome the tribulation very easily but now, according to what Li’er said, that tribulation seems so exceptionally dangerous that if Qin Yu is a little careless, he will probably fail with his soul destroyed.

  Li’er also stares at Qin Yu.

  “All right, all right, I won’t use this plan, okay?” Qin Yu says smilingly to her.

  ……

  In that nameless mountain range at the bottom of the ocean,

  “Qin Yu’s going to undergo a tribulation?”

  Di Nai is shocked. Then he suddenly grabs Yan Xin’s arms and says with goggling eyes: “That Qin Yu fella is going to undergo a tribulation. Could it be the 6-in-9 Heavenly Tribulation? Yan Xin, you can’t joke about this matter. Tell me the truth!” His eyes are blazing as if he wants to devour people.

  Seeing Di Nai like this, Yan Xin hurriedly says: “Valley master, according to the news I received, that Qin Yu fella said 3 and a half months later that he’ll leave the Qian Long continent for that Stone Crane Island, which is relatively near the continent, to undergo the tribulation. It seems he deliberately spread this news.”

  “Three and a half months later on the Stone Crane Island?”

  Di Nai mumbles in a low voice then raises his head, his eyes flashing with coldness. “Deliberately spread the news? Of course I know Qin Yu deliberately did this. If he hadn’t spread this news about the tribulation, given our intelligence network, how could we possibly have known about it?”

  “Valley master, that Qin Yu fella definitely wants to lure you into coming to him.” Yan Mou says firmly.

  Di Nai says with a cold laugh: “Of course I know he wants to lure me out.”

  “Valley master …” Yan Xin and Yan Mou are astonished.

  Di Nai’s eyes narrow: “According to the info my 3 elder brothers sent me at that time, Qin Yu is a son of the Qin dynasty. He’s been practicing for less than 100 years but he’s reached such a power level in such a short time … If this continues, the gap in power between me and him will only grow larger and larger and my hope of getting revenge will only become increasingly smaller!”

  Yan Xin and Yan Mou fall silent.

  They indeed know Qin Yu’s information. He is already at such a high power level having been practicing for such a short time. If he keeps progressing at this speed, the gap between Di Nai and him will only become larger and larger.

  “As for that Hou Fei fella, he’s an extraordinary divine beast. At that time, my brothers and I were joining forces but we were still no match for him. According to my big brother, he passed the 6-in-9 Heavenly Tribulation several years ago. Now he must be even stronger than he was in the past so I’m all the more not a match for him!”

  “Valley master, seeking revenge shouldn’t be rushed.” Yan Xin and Yan Mou have become worried.

  Di Nai, however, says with a cold humph: “It shouldn’t be rushed, but I’m different. If I keep not getting into action, later I’ll stand absolutely no chance.”

  “Yan Xin, Yan Mou, at the moment I can only plan to take the lives of Qin Yu’s relatives. Why? It’s because I stand no chance against Qin Yu and Hou Fei. But I simply can’t kill Qin Yu’s relatives in person. Perhaps Qin Yu and Hou Fei are laughing about me in the capital.”


  Di Nai bursts out laughing like crazy: “Ha-ha, I want to kill Qin Yu’s relatives, but I don’t dare to personally get into action. I can only stay here. What’s the use of me staying here? I’m totally useless! So, I better go and seize that only glimmer of hope!”

  “Yan Xin, Yan Mou.”

  Di Nai suddenly stares at the 2 Yan brothers.

  “Yes, valley master.” They look at him.

  “The 2 of you listen up. Even if I stay in the valley, I won’t have any hope of killing Qin Yu’s relatives … Therefore, later you’ll take charge of the matters in the valley and manage the matters of the Specter. Remember … kill Qin Yu’s relatives.”