Chapter 59: Harvesting Starlight

Xiao Fan experienced another stroke of fortune, while Zhang Yunlu was far from idle.

At 11:15 p. m., the Foundation Establishment Comprehensive Service Center, lobby.

Zhang Yunlu sat upright, before her eyes were several lines of golden text visible only to her.

【Name: Zhang Yunlu】

【Realm: Qi Condensation Ninth Layer】

【Current Rank: Ninth】

【Can Enter Trial Space】

After passing the first round of trials, she could enter the Trial Space at any time, no longer forced to wait passively during sleep as before.

Zhang Yunlu was not particularly satisfied with the ninth rank.

She had entered this space before anyone else, giving her an advantage over all others.

But as soon as she engaged in combat, she discovered her weakness—lack of familiarity with other types of cultivators.

Facing a body cultivator she had never fought before, a style utterly unlike sword cultivators, she suffered from inexperience and failed to adjust her own style.

As a result, she spent too much time, dropping to ninth place.

So after defeating her opponent, she remained inside the Trial Space, attempting to fight various types of cultivators.

But what haunted her most was that Qi Condensation Eighth Layer sword cultivator who had comprehended the Dao.

Though her realm was one level lower, Zhang Yunlu had no power to resist her at all.

【Creation Dao Foundation…】

"Look, Xiao Lu—someone's finished the first step of the Talent Extraction Method!" Zhang Xiu's tone held awe. "And he walked out standing!"

The golden text before Zhang Yunlu vanished; she followed her brother's gaze.

A pale young man, staggering as he walked, was being supported by others—clearly in a miserable state—but everyone waiting in the lobby looked at him with respect.

To walk out standing after completing the Talent Extraction Method? This guy was a real badass!

Facing the crowd's gaze, the man tried to stand more proudly—but as soon as he straightened slightly, he let out a shriek and nearly collapsed, barely saved by those beside him.

"..."

Why are you even pretending like this?

The young man was carried away by his companions.

"Zhang Yunlu, Trial Room Nine for Talent Extraction Method." A cold, crisp mechanical voice rang out.

"Good luck, Xiao Lu," Zhang Xiu encouraged.

"Mm."

With a slight nod, Zhang Yunlu rose and walked inside.

At the metal door around the corner, she pulled out her card, inserted it into a slot, then infused a trace of Qi into a device beside it.

"Authentication confirmed. Zhang Yunlu. Wishing you smooth Talent Extraction Method cultivation." The mechanical voice offered a lifeless blessing.

Hss~ The metal door slowly opened; inside waited a staff member in uniform.

"Please follow me. You purchased the third-tier care service—I will monitor your condition throughout." She smiled.

"Thank you for your trouble."

The staff member's duty was to monitor the cultivator's condition in real time and intervene immediately if anything went wrong.

For cultivators like Zhang Yunlu who purchased care services, if they vomited blood, lost bladder or bowel control, staff would instantly heal them and clean up the mess.

In ancient times, this process was called "Guarding the Dao," typically occurring between master and disciple, cultivation partners, or blood relatives—and it included defending against external threats.

Today, the last item is no longer a concern; the Sword Sect's Miscellaneous Affairs Hall may not be absolutely safe, but it far surpasses ordinary places.

For cultivators who did not purchase care services, staff would carry them to a stretcher once their life was no longer in danger and transport them through the back door to a rest room, where family or companions would receive them.

Following the staff member, Zhang Yunlu finally entered a circular, enclosed room.

The walls were silver-gray; at the far end stood a control panel.

In the center rested a meditation cushion; on the floor around it flowed luminous, winding patterns—the array's runes. The room was cold.

Zhang Yunlu walked to the center and sat cross-legged on the cushion.

Whirrrr! The ceiling above opened, revealing a starry sky like a black velvet cloth studded with diamonds—deep, mysterious.

The staff member stood before the control panel: "You may begin."

Hearing this, Zhang Yunlu closed her eyes, summoned three-tenths of her Qi, and formed the "Fishing Star" seal with flawless familiarity.

The array activated instantly; thin, pale silver, ethereal threads appeared—Starlight! This step was easy for anyone to succeed at; the difficulty lay in what came next.

She extended a tendril of her soul force, like tiny tentacles, gently wrapping around the descending Starlight threads.

But the moment her soul force touched the Starlight threads, a tidal wave of agony surged through her body—her brain felt as if a saw had been plunged in, slicing back and forth.

Qi Condensation cultivators could summon only limited soul force, so they had only one chance.

Zhang Yunlu slightly furrowed her brow; for her, this pain was still within tolerable limits.

Suppressing the agony, she retracted her soul force—and simultaneously "harvested" the Starlight into her body.

The silver threads around her, as if pulled by an invisible force, slowly drifted toward her Chengjiang acupoint and merged into it.

By this point, the "Harvest" was mostly complete.

The Starlight that had entered her body began descending from the Chengjiang acupoint, traveling along the Conception Vessel, passing through Xuanji, Zigong, Zhongtan, and other acupoints until reaching the Qihai acupoint.

This process was excruciating—like countless tiny knives slicing back and forth through her meridians, as if her entire body would split in two.

Even though Zhang Yunlu died many times every night and possessed exceptional pain tolerance, she clenched her teeth, her lips turning white.

After a long half-minute, the Starlight finally flowed through the Qihai acupoint into her Spirit Sea, merging into the six-sided crystal within.

Huh~ She exhaled softly.

"Guiding" and "Harvesting" were now complete.

Next comes the "Refinement"! This is the most agonizing step; nine out of ten cultivators cannot endure it—some vomit blood, others lose control of their bowels and bladder.

With one decisive push! Zhang Yunlu did not pause long; her hand seals shifted, drawing a thin thread of starlight from the spirit seal, which sank into her spirit sea and swiftly merged with her spiritual power.

It itched—all over, everywhere itched, and the itch grew worse!

But soon, this itching turned to stabbing pain—every part of her body ached; after a long while, the stabbing pain slowly faded.

Not too painful.

According to the *Basic Harvesting and Cai Lian Fa*, the next step is to gradually increase the amount drawn, and the pain will intensify accordingly, until she can no longer bear it—or until the starlight is fully refined. But…

That's too slow! Zhang Yunlu shifted her hand seals again.

Crack!

The six-faceted crystal storing the starlight shattered; streams of starlight spilled forth, and nine vortices appeared above her spirit sea, sucking the starlight into themselves.

The *Nine Qi Harvesting and Cai Lian Fa*! Instantly, an indescribable agony spread through every corner of her body—every inch of flesh and muscle felt sliced open. Zhang Yunlu clenched her teeth, her face turning deathly pale.

The excruciating pain nearly knocked her unconscious, but Zhang Yunlu clung fiercely to the last shred of clarity in her spirit platform.

Fainting would mean all her efforts were wasted! The staff member observing beside her was slightly startled.

The harvesting method she used was one of the most violent types—this was extremely dangerous.

And violence meant speed.

After dozens of seconds, Zhang Yunlu suddenly opened her eyes, but her body, drained of strength, toppled sideways.

The staff member rushed forward, sending a thread of magic power gently into her to check her condition.

Soon, she smiled and said: "Congratulations! You've succeeded!"

It's incredible—she endured such a violent harvesting method without a single cry.

Please collect, please follow!! Let me explain: Foundation Establishment relates to later plot developments, therefore emphasized.

However, the next two stages will be briefly mentioned.

(End of Chapter)