Star Constellation

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At the palace in Hua Hai Blessed Land.

Fang Yuan's thoughts were a storm of emotions as he absorbed the implications of his recent discovery. From the start, his goal was to take control of the Imperial Court Blessed Land and the Eighty-Eight True Yang Building, silently growing stronger while leveraging his knowledge of the future.

He had already crafted plans for countless characters, setting the stage for his eventual rise to power.

But now, the plan had to change.

Fang Yuan inspected his first aperture. "... My aptitude has increased from 97% to 98%. That can only mean one thing: I'm awakening one of the Ten Extreme Physiques."

A gloom settled over his face. Though this should have been a positive development, the implications worried him. When he used the Blood Skull Gu to raise his aptitude to 97%, he checked for any signs of an Extreme Physique awakening. There had been none—back then.

But now, Things were suddenly different?!

"It must be Heaven's Will," Fang Yuan analyzed. "It's my fault. I was wrong from the beginning. I only used my brother's blood, yet both apertures' aptitudes increased from 90% all the way to 97%." He paused, reflecting. "I should've realized something was amiss."

The pieces began falling into place. "Heaven's Will had prepared this trap while I was still mortal, just after killing Fang Zheng. This move was meant for just the mortal me."

A sly smile crept across his face as he unraveled the truth, but then his brow furrowed once again. "No, I must remain cautious. Star Constellation's Will is the real mastermind behind this. There could be a bigger trap waiting for me."

Fang Yuan's thoughts sharpened as he analyzed further. "Star Constellation's Will isn't foolish. Even though the A.I. Chip is shielding my memories and concealing any changes, Star Constellation's Will must sense something is wrong."

"To Star Constellation, I'm just a tool—to be used and then discarded. But by killing Fang Zheng and becoming immortal, I've already forced its hand. Making a move against me."

His gaze darkened. "If I were still mortal, I might've asked Lang Ya to help seal my first aperture. But in the end, that wouldn't make any difference. What are her real intentions?"

Fang Yuan felt a flicker of panic creeping in. Fear momentarily clouded his thoughts, but after a while, he calmed down.

"I need to focus more on wisdom attainment. Just this one situation rattled me too much."

Taking a deep breath, he issued a command: "A.I. Chip, analyze the situation. Tell me Star Constellation's Will and Heaven's Will's intentions."

The mechanical voice responded.

[Beep! Analyzing… Simulating various scenarios…]

The familiar sound brought Fang Yuan a small measure of reassurance. As the A.I. Chip processed the data, Fang Yuan reflected on his luck—no one, not even the venerables, could have predicted the existence of such a tool.

---

After some time, the A.I. Chip's voice returned.

[Based on the analysis of all possibilities, there is a 98% likelihood that the purpose of this move was to push the host into becoming immortal with the second aperture, and not to enter the Eighty-Eight True Yang Building.]

Fang Yuan's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Huh?"

But as he reviewed the results and thought deeply, the realization struck him. "I see it now. No wonder…"

A grim smile formed on Fang Yuan's lips. "The question was never really about me... it was about what the original Fang Yuan would have done."

He paused, his eyes narrowing as the pieces began to fall into place.

"Of course, he would ascend as an immortal with his second aperture. That was always part of the scheme. An Extreme Physique is no trivial matter, and without a backer, he had no choice but to become immortal as soon as possible."

His smile deepened, becoming more cold and calculating.

"So, the real question is: What path would he choose to ascend as an immortal?"

The answer was now clear to Fang Yuan. "Of course… it would be___ Blood Path."

By killing his brother and stepping off the grand chessboard, Fang Yuan had forced Star Constellation's hand.

Star Constellation wanted to manipulate him into becoming a Blood Path Gu Immortal so that the Heavenly Court could deal with him easily later, using him to crush other venerables' plans. This scheme also aimed to prevent him from entering the Eighty-Eight True Yang Building and obtaining the Wisdom Gu, thus eliminating any hope of destroying Fate Gu.

Fang Yuan felt a chill run down his spine. "So terrifying… Such a simple move clears the path entirely for Star Constellation. Truly worthy of the only woman venerable and the founder of Wisdom Path."

"No wonder variant humans regard her as their worst nightmare."

Despite the danger she posed, Fang Yuan couldn't help but admire Star Constellation. "She's really doing her utmost for the human race. But if only she realized that times have changed…"

His thoughts became sharper as he reflected. "Humans don't need Fate to be on their side anymore. What they need is for Fate Gu to be destroyed."

Without Fate Gu, all beings could seek their true potential. But under the control of Fate Gu, humanity's growth had been limited—just as variant humans had been shackled for so long.

"There will never be a variant human like Limitless, the Dao-Seeking Crazed Demon, or other great figures of their time," Fang Yuan realized.

"Humans are the spirit of all living beings. Gu are the essence of Heaven and Earth."

In that moment, Fang Yuan felt a profound sense of enlightenment.

"But this situation works perfectly in my favor. I'll position myself as the ultimate winner, taking all the variant humans under my rule—becoming their only way out. And to think, Star Constellation will unknowingly help me in the future. Hahaha!"

"Now I need to rethink my plans," Fang Yuan muttered, his thoughts turning toward the future.

---

Fang Yuan began reflecting, carefully considering how he could bypass Heaven's Will.

"The real issue lies with the Spring Autumn Cicada Immortal Gu," Fang Yuan thought, his gaze falling upon the ancient Gu in his possession.

The Spring Autumn Cicada allowed a Gu Master's will and memories to flow backward along the River of Time, merging with the mind of their former self. In other words, it granted them the power to be 'reborn' with the knowledge of the future—a true time traveler's cheat.

But therein lay the problem: this Gu was heavily entangled with Heaven's Will. Heaven had been manipulating him from the start, guiding his every move to ensure the defeat of Spectral Soul's revival during the battle at Yi Tian Mountain.

"All this time, Heaven's Will has been watching my every step."

Fang Yuan frowned, a wave of frustration passing over him. "I can't even speak my plans aloud. Anything I say may be overheard by Heaven's Will."

He pondered the situation carefully. "I can't think of a solution for now... unless I destroy the Immortal Gu itself. But that would be foolish. For now, I'll leave things as they are."

"Still, I already have an idea that will grant me my freedom in the future." A faint smile crept onto his face.

"To think, I once considered taking Spectral Soul's path, ruling the world from the shadows and even refining Destiny Gu."

But as he thought of this, Fang Yuan realized that the venerables must have already anticipated his possible actions. After all, at this point, he would be complete otherworldly demon, no longer bound by Fate. They would have undoubtedly set their own schemes in motion, aiming to control his every move.

"Now, I need to revise and adapt my plans for the Imperial Court. The previous approach is no longer suitable."

With that thought, Fang Yuan began his final preparations for the Imperial Court contest, his mind racing with strategies and countermeasures to secure his benefits. Every step, every detail had to be meticulously considered—he knew the stakes were higher than ever.

.

.

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(Maybe it's time for the Imperial Court arc to begin.)