When Lu Ye followed Hai Tang into Mount Fangcun, he distinctly felt as if he had collided into an undetectable film, but now, inside the spirit ark, there was no special feeling as they left Mount Fangcun.

In an instant, they exited the domain of Mount Fangcun and entered the deep stellar space. Looking back, they saw the inconspicuous small mountain drifting away in the opposite direction, growing ever more distant.

"This should be the starboat, right?" On the deck, Nian Yuexian asked softly.

Lu Ye nodded, "It certainly is."

The two of them had stayed a long time in Xiyuan Pavilion on Mount Fangcun, having read all the literature below the fourth level, so now they were not completely ignorant of common knowledge regarding stellar space.

They naturally knew that the flying artifacts used by cultivators from Constellation on their travels through stellar space are called starboats, though there are other types of flying artifacts, starboats are the most common.

Technically speaking, a starboat is essentially a spirit ark, but its major difference from a spirit ark is a specially forged Sharpness collision angle at the front of the spirit ark.

This piece is used to break through small obstacles, such as the meteorites commonly seen scattered throughout stellar space.

Due to the lack of resistance while flying through stellar space, theoretically, the speed can continually increase; Lu Ye personally tested this upon stepping into stellar space from the Nine Provinces.

But this remains theoretical; in practice, cultivators keep their flight speed within a reasonable range, which is the maximum limit for their sensory response to ensure they don't suddenly crash into anything. Therefore, the stronger a cultivator's Mental Consciousness, the quicker their reaction, and hence, the faster they can control their flight speed.

Flying with the aid of a starboat allows faster speeds, far beyond the limits of a cultivator's reaction time, making the collision angle on the starboat's front very necessary.

Thus, small obstacles can be broken through directly without hindrance.

If one encounters a large obstacle that cannot be broken through, the starboat is equipped with an alarm array inside to sense farther positions, promptly alerting the cultivator piloting the starboat, allowing them to take evasive action to ensure both their own safety and that of the starboat.

So, the main difference between standard spirit ark and a starboat is the presence of a collision angle. If there is a collision angle, it is mostly used for traveling in stellar space as a starboat.

Of course, the materials are different; most materials from within a domain cannot be used in stellar space because the omnipresent stellar space energy is corrosive by nature, easily damaging materials of insufficient quality.

Lu Ye estimated that even if the breadth of expertise and resources of the Nine Provinces were fully leveraged, suitable starboats might not be manufacturable, but as the Nine Provinces' background continues to grow, and the quality of heavenly materials and earthly treasures improves, this situation should slowly improve.

In summary, starboats are incredibly valuable flying artifacts, indispensable aids for cultivators exploring stellar space.

Although Lu Ye and Nian Yuexian had known of starboats from the information in Xiyuan Pavilion, this was their first time seeing one, and judging by Su Yuqing's starboat size, it was clearly extraordinary, naturally sparking their curiosity.

Standing on the deck and feeling it, this starboat's speed was indeed astonishing, which they could never reach flying alone.

Occasionally, some drifting meteorites were struck and pulverized, yet the starboat itself remained stable without feeling a tremor. Lu Ye even saw a meteorite as big as two houses split in half upon impact, secretly marveling.

If he were to crash into such a meteorite without controlling his speed, the outcome wouldn't be favorable, so it's clear this starboat's strength far surpasses his physical constitution.

After all, it belongs to the Sun Blaze Realm, truly extraordinary.

Once the novelty wore off, it lost its freshness.

The main point is that this starboat isn't their own, so watching from a distance was enough; they wouldn't act like country bumpkins having never seen the world.

The duo returned to their cabins, each finding a room.

Nian Yuexian meditated in cultivation, while Lu Ye continued cultivating while also perusing a thick compendium.

Time flew by.

About half a month later, the starboat that had been flying smoothly suddenly experienced a mild tremor, prompting Lu Ye, who was immersed in study, to slowly awaken and step out of his room to the deck.

Nian Yuexian also emerged, and they exchanged glances, surveying the surroundings, noticing that this region of stellar space seemed somewhat familiar.

After further looking around, they unexpectedly saw the familiar Sun and Taibai Star.

"Are we here already?" Nian Yuexian said, astonished.

This place was where she originally fell into Mount Fangcun.

Remember that she had been lost from Mount Fangcun for over eight months now, and Mount Fangcun has been in constant motion. Regardless of how slow its speed, during this time it must have flown quite a distance.

Yet Su Yuqing managed to bring them back within half a month, and it surely wasn't at her maximum speed.

From here to the Nine Provinces, with the speed both currently have, it should take less than six months!

Su Yuqing hadn't shown herself, perhaps thinking it unnecessary. She was merely fulfilling the prior promise made with Lu Ye.

"We should thank and bid goodbye to Senior Su," Nian Yuexian remarked.

Lu Ye nodded, "Indeed."

They were about to head to the second floor, but suddenly, Nian Yuexian paused.

Lu Ye was puzzled and turned to look at her.

Nian Yuexian said, "Senior Su wants you to go alone."

Lu Ye was indifferent: "I'll be right back."

He flickered and leaped to the second floor, standing in front of the cabin door, just about to raise his hand to knock when the door opened on its own.

Lu Ye straightened his expression, stepped inside, and the door closed behind him. He looked up to see a woman sitting cross-legged on a soft couch, her expression indifferent.

Her figure was the size of an average person, not the petite appearance of the Dwarf Race. Lu Ye knew that this was a secret technique of the Dwarf Race; they could transform into the size of average people, though it would consume spirit force. Usually, when they acted outside, the Dwarf Race used this appearance to look indistinguishable from the human race, making it easier to hide their identities.

This was the first time since that day that the two were alone together. But facing a cultivator of the Sun Blaze Realm, Lu Ye dared not be disrespectful. He approached honestly: "Peak Master!"

Su Yuqing didn't even lift an eyelid, her voice faint, cold as water, without any fluctuation: "You placed first in the Martial Arts Meet. Everyone else has rewards. After discussing with your two Master Uncles, even though you're not of the Dwarf Race, you were the greatest contributor this time, so you shouldn't be treated differently because of your identity. The contents here are a reward; consider it a gift from my Eastern side."

Saying this, she flicked her fingers, and a storage ring flew towards Lu Ye.

Lu Ye reached out to catch it, not in a hurry to inspect it.

Just as he was about to express his thanks, Su Yuqing flicked out another storage ring: "And this one is for you too."

Though Lu Ye didn't understand why there were two rewards, he still accepted both.

Su Yuqing said no more. After waiting a moment, confirming she had no other instructions, Lu Ye finally spoke: "Thank you, Peak Master, for escorting us all the way. My Senior Sister and I have reached our destination. Farewell!"

Su Yuqing kept her eyes down, with no reaction.

Seeing this, Lu Ye slightly clasped his fists and was about to turn and leave.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Su Yuqing's voice suddenly rang out.

Lu Ye was momentarily stunned but quickly reacted, hastily taking out the heavy tome: "I truly forgot about this!"

Though time was short and he hadn't fully comprehended it, Lu Ye had browsed through most of it, so returning it wasn't much of a problem.

This tome was ultimately a heritage item of the Immortal Spirit Peak. It might not have much practical value to the Immortal Spirit Peak, but it certainly held significant symbolic importance.

Su Yuqing's request to reclaim it was only natural.

She showed no intention of taking it, so Lu Ye could only place it in front of her.

"Take care, Peak Master!" Lu Ye finished speaking, turned around to leave. As he reached the doorway, a gust of wind brushed past his ear, crashing into the door with a loud thud, flipping open the jade pages, and the heavy tome just landed at Lu Ye's feet.

"If you like it, take it and leave!" a cold voice came from behind.

Lu Ye looked down at the tome by his feet, bent over to pick it up, and carefully stowed it.

Turning around, he strode towards Su Yuqing as if about to face a formidable enemy, his entire aura suddenly becoming fiercely aggressive.

Su Yuqing, who had kept her gaze lowered, finally raised her head, looking at Lu Ye in astonishment, her expression showing a hint of panic: "What are you doing?"

"Don't speak!"

On the deck, Nian Yuexian looked at the deep stellar space, her brows furrowing.

Lu Ye had been summoned by Su Yuqing for an entire day and still hadn't come out. She didn't know what was happening inside. Several times she wanted to charge in but held back, considering the vast difference in strength between them.

Perhaps that Senior Su was instructing Lu Ye on something important?

Two more days passed like this. Nian Yuexian finally couldn't stand it, and just as she decided to investigate, the second-floor door suddenly opened, and Lu Ye's figure emerged, calling to her: "Senior Sister, let's go home!"

Nian Yuexian inexplicably sensed a cheerful tone in Lu Ye's words, not knowing what good thing had happened.

She gave a slight bow towards the second floor before catching up with Lu Ye.

In the stellar space, Lu Ye and Nian Yuexian walked side by side, flying towards the Nine Provinces.

Lu Ye's expression remained solemn, his gaze deep.

Nian Yuexian occasionally turned her head to glance at him.

At first, Lu Ye didn't mind, but gradually, he noticed Nian Yuexian's expression turning peculiar and odd, prompting him to ask: "Senior Sister, is there something on my face?"

Nian Yuexian let out a cold laugh: "Not on your face, but on your neck!"

Lu Ye was taken aback and quickly rummaged through his storage space, finally finding a mirror-like artifact. He opened it and looked at himself.

He immediately saw a conspicuous mark on his neck!

Oh no...!

Even though Lu Ye was quite experienced, he couldn't help but blush deeply at this moment.