Morning Light of Star-Song

“Was that... just a dream? Noah! Noah, are you there?”

Coming to his senses, Starlight urgently called out Noah’s name in his mind, but there was no immediate response.

Just as he was about to give his cheek a hard pinch to confirm whether he was still dreaming, Noah’s lazy voice finally echoed in his mind. “Ugh... Little Star, what are you doing? Aren’t you tired? You should know that translating those texts is exhausting...”

Before he could finish his complaints, Starlight recounted his dream in full detail and waited for an answer with expectant eyes.

Noah fell silent for a moment, then let out a helpless sigh. “Are you sleep-deprived? I only mentioned the prophecy to you, and now you’re even dreaming about it. As for that girl who looks like Moen... I’d say you’re just dreaming about what’s on your mind during the day. Don’t overthink it. Get up already; we have business to attend to today.”

“No, that was definitely not an ordinary dream!” Starlight’s face flushed at the teasing, and he immediately retorted.

At the same time, he looked down at his hand, as if he could still feel the rough texture of the vine he had held in the dream. That dream had been too real—so real that he couldn't easily let it go.

“What, are you going to tell me that was your conscious space? You haven’t even touched the threshold of the Saint Rank yet, how could you... yeah, it definitely wasn't! I suggest you sleep a bit longer. I’m going back to rest anyway... Goodnight...”

Noah mumbled a few more words before falling silent again, as if he had drifted back into a deep sleep.

Starlight called out to him a few more times, refusing to give up, but he received no further response.

He felt as though Noah was hiding something, but from the looks of it, the other clearly didn't intend to offer any more explanations on the matter.

After all that commotion, the last of Starlight’s sleepiness had vanished. He glanced at Po Kong, who was still snoring away, then lightly got up from the leaf bed, carefully closed the door, and headed down the stairs.

The living room on the first floor was quiet, remaining exactly as it had been when they left it the night before. Starlight pushed open the door of the small hut and stepped into the morning air.

Morning in the Star-Song Forest was a beautiful, vibrant scene.

The eastern horizon was just beginning to pale, and faint morning light filtered through the layers of leaves like golden threads scattered across the ground.

The air was thick with a refreshing scent mixed with the fragrance of flowers, feeling as though it could cleanse the soul. It was incredibly comfortable.

Starlight took a deep breath, savoring the peace and beauty. However, just then, a soft rustling sound came from the direction of the hut behind him.

He turned his head and saw a light-brown little figure floating from behind the hut, holding a clump of fresh soil in its hands.

“Oh? Is it our human guest? If I recall correctly, you only went to sleep a short while ago. Or is it that the short-lived ones do not require much sleep?” Wuka appeared somewhat surprised to see Starlight, but it did not stop what it was doing.

It carefully placed the soil into a flowerpot in the corner, used a long finger to poke a small hole in the center, and then gently buried several green seeds inside.

“Oh, it’s you, Wuka. I just wanted to come out for some fresh air. The morning air is quite refreshing, isn't it? You're up early too,” Starlight responded with a smile.

“I am different from you; I do not need rest. As long as I can replenish enough elements, I can maintain my activities. As a steward, I have many tasks,” Wuka said in its high-pitched voice as it floated over to Starlight after finishing with the flowerpot.

“I see. I have to say, elemental bodies are quite convenient,” Starlight remarked, then asked, “I wanted to ask, is there anywhere nearby suitable for meditation?”

“Hmm... Master Moen usually likes to meditate on that branch over there. You might want to go take a look.” Wuka pointed a long, thin finger toward a thick branch not far away.

Following Wuka’s guidance, Starlight climbed several meters up the trunk until he reached a particularly large branch.

This massive limb extending from the sub-tree was like a giant horizontal hand. After walking a dozen steps along it, he reached the edge of the canopy.

From here, he could see the distant World Tree in its entirety, as well as the faint lights coming from other tree houses, looking like stars that had fallen onto the treetops.

Taking in the beautiful surroundings, Starlight let out a soft sigh of admiration before finding a comfortable spot to sit, preparing to begin his meditation.

However, as he pulled back the hand he had used to steady himself on the branch, he suddenly noticed that the black elemental mark on his wrist seemed different than before.

He lifted his hand to carefully examine the tattoo-like mark.

It wasn't an illusion—the black spark at the center of the mark seemed to have faded slightly, while the deep blue lines surrounding it had become more vivid, and there was even a faint golden tint added to them.

Noah had once told him that when Starlight could fully comprehend and absorb everything Taros had left behind, this elemental mark would disappear on its own.

Yet after this period of comprehension, although Starlight felt his control over dark elements had strengthened considerably, the mark hadn't changed in the slightest.

“Could it be because of the elemental mark? Is that why I had that strange dream?”

Recalling the strange light emitted by the mark in his dream, Starlight couldn't help but feel a sense of doubt.

“My control over dark elements... has indeed grown stronger again, but why did the blue part become more prominent instead?”

He carefully felt the flow and changes of elements within his body, eventually only being able to attribute the dream to the mark's mutation. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and began his meditation for the day.

He only slowly opened his eyes when the sun had fully risen above the horizon, its warm light casting a faint golden glow over his figure.

The natural elements contained within the Star-Song Forest were extremely dense, and the activity level of other elements was not lacking either. The effect of meditating here was no less than what he felt back at the Central Spiritual Arts Academy.

Satisfied, Starlight stood up from the branch and turned to head back to the small hut on the tree trunk.

By now, a faint aroma was already wafting from the half-open window of the hut. It seemed that Wuka, as the steward, had already prepared breakfast for them.

Sure enough, when he pushed the door open, his three companions were already seated at the dining table on the first floor. However, no one was touching the breakfast on the table, and the atmosphere in the room felt somewhat strange.

Seeing Starlight enter, Po Kong quickly turned his head and gave him a meaningful look.

Following Po Kong’s gaze, Starlight finally noticed Xia Duo sitting across the table. She had her arms crossed and her brow slightly furrowed, her gaze filled with a scrutinizing look.