[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-starlight-professional":3,"chapter-starlight-professional-starlight-professional-chapter-35":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Starlight Professional",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2308695,4512,"Chapter 35: Solution","starlight-professional-chapter-35",35,"\u003Cp>“Sigh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing opened the door and sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ghost God Blade is hard to master, meaning my combat power won’t surge anytime soon—I truly feel unsafe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, I still haven’t settled the grudges on my little notebook!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fang Brother…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Meng Yi from next door stepped out and greeted him: “Long time no see…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Earlier, seeing how fierce that demonic bird was, I chose to lock myself in seclusion—how did things turn out afterward?” Fang Xing asked without any embarrassment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That demonic bird was already captured by the Zheng family’s elder ancestor… A Foundation Establishment cultivator’s power is truly extraordinary; you missed the scene, Fang Brother—it’s a real pity,” Meng Yi replied with lingering excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I bet you’re not thrilled about seeing a Foundation Establishment cultivator in action—you’re thrilled about how much loot you got.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing couldn’t help muttering inwardly at the sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they encountered the demonic bird, Meng Yi made his wife hide in the marketplace and rushed out himself, beaming with excitement—he wasn’t going to help fight the bird, he was going to scavenge!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He chatted with Meng Yi for a few more moments, turning the conversation to martial arts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, this other world has many valuable aspects—combining the strengths of both worlds is the true use of my cheat!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? So Fang Brother is cultivating a demonic art but is troubled by distracting thoughts and evil intentions?” Meng Yi’s expression remained calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, he too was a martial artist who had once practiced some worldly so-called ‘demonic arts,’ and held no prejudice toward them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Meng Brother, do you have any advice?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Meng Yi’s expression, Fang Xing’s eyes lit up, and he added earnestly: “Please, I beg you to share your wisdom…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haha, know this: our martial arts, to cultivators, appear extremely crude… Even the most dominant demonic arts in the martial world are no exception.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Yi smiled: “Cultivators’ heart demons are far more terrifying than the distracting thoughts we encounter while practicing demonic arts. Rumors say that high-level cultivators, when breaking through major realms, face external demonic entities manifesting as physical beings to block their path… Thus, cultivators have far more experience dealing with such situations—whether through special techniques, secret arts, gathering relevant pills or artifacts—all prove somewhat effective. Fang Brother should search for them; you’ll likely find something useful. After all, we’re merely martial artists—pills and artifacts that work on Qi Condensation cultivators, or even those with only mild effects on them, are more than sufficient for us…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So cultivators are best at handling this kind of problem? Thank you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing bowed slightly and immediately headed toward the marketplace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t fully believe Meng Yi’s words—he still planned to ask others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Man Ding Bushan would be a good person to consult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several hours later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingdan Shop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing looked up at the signboard and the green leaf emblem, then strode inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had just visited Ding Bushan, pretending to buy spirit rice, and subtly inquired about a few things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to this Qi Condensation mid-stage cultivator, cultivators indeed have many methods to deal with heart demons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But most are beyond the reach of ordinary Qi Condensation cultivators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for martial artists?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s even less likely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, Fang Xing decided to give it a try.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Cultivator secret arts, special artifacts to protect the mind… Even if I got them, I couldn’t use them—damn it, I don’t even have a spiritual root… Besides, such items are hard to find and ridiculously expensive…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘As for talismans, there’s a “Calm Mind Talisman” perfectly suited for this—unfortunately, it requires at least Primordial True Qi to activate…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The only remaining option worth trying is pills…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he pondered, Fang Xing looked toward the girl approaching him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was lucky—this time he met the same woman he’d encountered during his first visit to Qinglin Marketplace; she had a pleasant personality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dear customer, what kind of pill are you seeking?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl smiled sweetly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One suitable for martial artists, to help deal with distracting thoughts during martial arts cultivation…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing stated his need clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl paused thoughtfully: “Our shop only has the ‘Ning Shen Pill’ that fits your situation—it slightly enhances the spiritual awareness of Qi Condensation cultivators and clears the mind… but…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As for price, anything’s fine—how many spirit stones?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing acted as if he had no shortage of spirit stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, he did—he had his drone harvesting herbs; even if he ran low on spirit stones, he could just sell more herbs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, due to the recent beast tide, the danger of gathering herbs outside had surged, and spirit herbs had risen sharply in price.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, Fang Xing could easily afford dozens of spirit stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If not for his need for Ning Shen Pills, he’d have bought a ‘Primordial Pill’ to stockpile already.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He just didn’t know if cultivator pills had expiration dates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Ning Shen Pill used to sell for thirty spirit stones per vial… but our shop is currently out of stock…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl apologized with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? Out of stock?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing was slightly startled: “Why is that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To brew Ning Shen Pills, we need a spirit herb called ‘Huan Xin Orchid.’ Our shop used to occasionally acquire a few stems, but now, with the beast tide raging, the Huan Xin Orchid requires very specific growing conditions and mostly grows deep in the Wildlands—no gatherers can reach them anymore, so stock has gradually dried up…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl explained seriously: “Perhaps after the beast tide ends, you can come back and check again…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you. May I ask your name?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing was disappointed and prepared to leave, but looking at the girl, he thought it wise to build a good relationship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, he was appearing with his true face now—he wanted to fully explore this world’s potential, and nurturing every connection mattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cultivation isn’t just about fighting and killing!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m Xiao Rui!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl beamed: “Next time you come, just ask for me…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood. I’ll remember.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing nodded solemnly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he knew this, Fang Xing still couldn’t let go of hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, even if Ning Shen Pills weren’t in the shop, some might still be in stock sold earlier and available at stalls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after scanning the entire marketplace, he lost heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given the nature of free cultivators, once they obtained pills beneficial to their cultivation, they usually swallowed them immediately to boost power—hardly any kept leftovers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, even if a stall had one or two pills, Fang Xing wouldn’t dare use them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d need to buy enough for a full course of treatment, test them on a guinea pig first, then try them himself?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, if the original vial was still sealed, that’d be better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pills sold at free cultivator stalls, if unverified and loose, were always much cheaper than sealed, authentic ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Qinglin Marketplace, stalls selling pills were extremely rare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The four arts of cultivation—array, pill, artifact, talisman—pill-making ranked second, not only because its transmission was scarce, but because its consumption was terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Generally, no free cultivator would bother learning pill-making—it was too hard and yielded too little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if a few ‘pill masters’ existed, they specialized in just one or two obscure pills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their competitiveness often couldn’t match large pill shops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why stalls selling pills were exceedingly rare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing searched half the marketplace before finding a few stalls, and even those had barely any pills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Excuse me, do you sell Ning Shen Pills?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He approached a stall run by an old man with his hair tied in a black wood bun, wearing a robe shimmering with spiritual energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Fang Xing’s question, the old man’s eyes lit up: “Friend, you’ve asked the right person—in this marketplace, few have access to Ning Shen Pills, but I’m one of them…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? You have Ning Shen Pills? What’s the price?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing perked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still in the furnace…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man stroked his beard, adopting the demeanor of a transcendent master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing turned and walked away immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, wait—wait a moment, young brother!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old Daoist jumped up: “Let me finish! I am indeed a pill master—I once obtained the Ning Shen Pill formula and have a sixty to seventy percent success rate in refining them. Ask around—you’ll hear of Old Man Wan Fenglin’s name!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing paused slightly: “So… do you have any pills?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well…” Master Wan chuckled: “I’ve teamed up with several other friends—we’ve gathered materials for several batches of Ning Shen Pills, but we’re still missing one ingredient: Huan Xin Orchid…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You might as well have said nothing…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing turned away again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why the haste, young brother? I’ve located a Huan Xin Orchid growth site—but it’s a bit dangerous, occupied by a group of Purple-Winged Scorpions. I’m planning to gather allies to eliminate this threat—once we secure enough Huan Xin Orchid, Ning Shen Pills will be easy to make!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I’ll come buy them once you’ve brewed them—price is no issue.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing nodded, giving the old man a long, thoughtful look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well… young brother, would you be willing to lend a hand? If we succeed, I’ll waive many of the costs…” Master Wan probed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m just a post-heaven martial artist—what help could I possibly offer?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing scoffed and walked away without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「……」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man stared at Fang Xing’s back, intending to detain him, yet could not bring himself to speak, only letting out a faint sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He continued setting up his stall, selling low-grade pills such as ‘Avoiding Grain Pills,’ and only slowly packed up at dusk, returning to his hut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Dan had not noticed that, in the corner of the hut, a beetle no larger than a fingernail had appeared, silently resting there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to its tiny size and resemblance to an inanimate object, it emitted not a trace of spiritual energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Fang Xing, this beetle-shaped listening device was nothing short of a divine artifact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man’s behavior today was suspicious; after all, if he were merely peddling pills, he should have returned in a few days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of nonsense was it to court a Post-Heaven martial artist?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless the man knew Fang Xing was no ordinary person!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, immediately after leaving, Fang Xing dispatched the beetle listener.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man returned to his hut, first sat in meditation to rest, then swallowed a single Avoiding Grain Pill, before proceeding to the adjacent workroom to process some herbs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything appeared perfectly ordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only deep into the night did a knock sound at the door—three long, two short.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man rose at once and went to open the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wooden door creaked open, revealing a figure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon seeing the visitor, the old man’s face immediately twisted with displeasure.\u003C\u002Fp>",1802,"2026-06-20T11:03:20.053Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","56d1fbaa4eefc240c2d062cb551173b8fc2434afa99f1b84046c90d9913f15f3","starlight-professional-chapter-36","starlight-professional-chapter-34",726,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstarlight-professional-cover.jpg"]