[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-starlight-professional":3,"chapter-starlight-professional-starlight-professional-chapter-693":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},2309353,4512,"Chapter 693: Sixth Rank (Bonus Chapter — Request Subscription)","starlight-professional-chapter-693",693,"\u003Cp>South City Gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A figure was leaving the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Hei Hu is here… It’s a trap!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xun Lao Liu wore a bamboo hat, preparing to leave the place as soon as possible: ‘For three years, to secure Hei Hu’s supplies and for my own breakthrough to sixth rank… I’ve been careless.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt a flicker of regret: ‘No matter what, I cannot drag Hei Hu down with me!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since failing to break through to internal strength a year ago, Xun Lao Liu knew he lacked the destiny for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To climb the martial path, he must rely on his own son!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before today’s transaction, he had sensed something was off—and then he spotted his son in this small town.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Out of caution, he did not approach to identify himself, but continued observing—and immediately spotted the trap!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he tricked a grave robber into taking his place as bait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If all went well, after today, the identity of Xiao Tian Quan Gou San could die…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After stepping beyond the city gate, for some reason, Xun Lao Liu’s heart grew heavier, not lighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Gou San?!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a sharp feminine cry rang out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xun Lao Liu’s body trembled, then he cursed inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Ha… found you.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the city gate tower, Jade Instructor leapt down like a giant bird, hurtling straight toward Xun Lao Liu!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She could not recognize the real Xiao Tian Quan, but she had stationed herself at the South City Gate, closest to the crime scene, observing every martial artist who passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If someone seemed suspicious, she would shout to startle them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Martial artists and commoners differed in every aspect—easily distinguishable at a glance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unluckily, among those leaving through the South Gate during this period, only one seventh-rank martial artist existed: Xun Lao Liu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Damn!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xun Lao Liu rolled onto the ground—clearly using the Lazy Donkey Roll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though ungainly, it was like a rabbit dodging a hawk, evading Jade Instructor’s empty-handed strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Huh?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jade Instructor was already a sixth-rank internal strength expert.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After landing, she twisted her foot, accelerating instantly, blocking Xun Lao Liu’s path, and delivered a light, floating palm strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The strike looked ordinary—but to Xun Lao Liu, it felt utterly unavoidable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He roared, both arms exploding with golden light as he blocked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment contact was made, Xun Lao Liu felt thousands of steel needles piercing both arms; his body was violently thrown backward, blood trickling from his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Internal strength!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt bitter inside—if not for his peak hardening cultivation, one strike alone would have ruined both his arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Xiao Tian Quan Gou San, meeting me is simply your bad luck.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jade Instructor spoke flatly, as if stating the most ordinary fact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xun Lao Liu’s heart sank; he reached into his robe and gripped a dagger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He prepared for a final desperate fight—and, if necessary, to slash his own face to prevent implicating his wife and son.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Hmph!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jade Instructor sneered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sixth-rank internal strength and seventh-rank golden silk may seem only one rank apart—but the gap is greater than between seventh and eighth rank!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once internal strength is achieved, even a novice stepping into the martial world counts as a formidable force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If one’s background is clean and age is young, one can even be directly admitted into the Five Animals Gate!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This gap cannot be bridged even with a weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, after just three more exchanges, Gou San was utterly overwhelmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Puff!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His dagger flew high into the air; another palm struck his chest, sending him collapsing to the ground, despair flooding his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Let’s see what secrets this thief and scoundrel is hiding.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jade Instructor stepped forward, reaching to lift Xun Lao Liu’s bamboo hat…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moments earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the inn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Brother, are you feeling better?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Fengchun helped Xun Heihu onto the bed, concerned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I’m fine. Just need a good rest—don’t call me for dinner.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xun Heihu said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Ye Fengchun left, he shut the door and stared out the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘That strike really hurt…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xun Heihu winced as he tore open his clothes, then suddenly shuddered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His chest wound was healing rapidly…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From excruciating pain, to mild injury, then completely gone—no hindrance to movement…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was one of the Twelve Extraordinary Forms of Ancient Martial Arts: the ‘Water Bear Body’!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It restored injuries with astonishing speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘From indirect hints from Xiong Instructor, my time is running out…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Then… break through!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xun Heihu sat cross-legged, his bones trembling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His entire skin turned bronze, merging into a single surface—like a bronze statue!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bronze deepened, eventually forming a golden glow!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside him, his blood and qi boiled, propelled by the immense power of the Qilin blood, surging through every inch of his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The temperature around Xun Heihu rose slightly, as if he sat beside a furnace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Blood and Qi Like a Furnace!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Wei Chi Gang or Si Tu Yanyan saw this, they would be stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both were noble heirs, raised on countless tonics, yet far from reaching this level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Xun Heihu, a commoner’s son, achieved it so simply?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His cultivation had long surpassed the threshold for internal strength breakthrough—but he had held back, to forge the most solid foundation possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, he refused to wait any longer!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shhh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On his bones, layers of golden and silver light emerged, intertwining into golden threads and silver networks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This ‘golden-silver’ network extended, wrapping his entire body, gradually forming the concept of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and Twelve Regular Meridians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘When full, it overflows; when qi is full, it manifests!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that instant, Xun Heihu, pushing his hardening to its peak, sensed something inexplicable in the void.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His pores opened greedily, absorbing heavenly qi through his skin, transforming it into internal strength!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The newly formed internal force surged wildly through the Eight Extraordinary and Twelve Regular Meridians, converging behind the Bronze Gate into his dantian!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drip. Drip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xun Heihu seemed to hear the sound of flowing water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt his dantian’s internal strength growing thicker,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More violent…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Is this… sixth-rank internal strength?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He reached out and touched the redwood furniture before him—feeling that with a single thought, the ‘internal strength’ in his dantian would explode like gunpowder meeting a bullet, shattering the table into splinters!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘My internal strength… its destructive power is immense!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xun Heihu murmured to himself: ‘Where does my current cultivation stand among sixth-rank martial artists?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Top-tier sixth rank.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing replied: ‘With Ancient Martial Arts aiding you, the instructors shouldn’t be your match… but if Taiyi Hand is nearby, it’s uncertain.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Even so, I must act.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xun Heihu roared inwardly, channeling internal strength into his legs, his body light as a swallow, soaring out the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Internal strength has many uses—especially when channeled into the legs, it enhances lightness techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had already changed clothes in the room; now he fastened a face mask over his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘South City Gate!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xun Heihu burst through the city gate and saw Jade Instructor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The opponent’s palm technique was exquisitely refined, having knocked down a man wearing a bamboo hat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes turned blood-red; his skin tone and physique underwent subtle changes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twelve Bodies’ Difference — Bamboo Skin!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Yu was about to remove the hood from Xiaotianquan when the hairs on her back suddenly bristled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, she spun around and flung her hand out, unleashing a torrent of internal energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their palms collided; the touch was wrinkled and hard — the opponent had cultivated some esoteric martial art!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worse still!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A terrifyingly fierce internal energy, burning with fiery force, surged toward her!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Yu retreated several steps, staring at the newly arrived masked figure: “Who are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This newly appeared sixth-rank expert’s martial skill was undoubtedly superior to hers!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only was the nature of his internal energy brutally fierce, but what impressed Master Yu most were his blood-red pupils!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>— Qilin Blood!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Qilin Blood activated, it not only made Xun Heihu’s internal energy rage uncontrollably and his muscles swell, but also turned his pupils blood-red!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said nothing, merely lunged forward, radiating a savage intent\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>that filled the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Yu suddenly felt suffocated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing this expert, she felt as if she had been cast into the wilderness, alone against a ferocious beast!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slap!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, they exchanged three blows; Xun Heihu dropped his elbow and swung it horizontally through the air!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Yu retreated several steps, her face flushed crimson; suddenly, she opened her mouth and spat out a jet of essence-blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xun Heihu’s crimson eyes flicked toward Master Xiong as he arrived, then seized Xiaotianquan Gou San and turned to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swish!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Xiong arrived beside Master Yu: “Are you alright?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where did this expert come from? On our side, only Director Zhang could possibly match him…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Yu spat another mouthful of blood and glared fiercely at Master Xiong: “You were here all along — why didn’t you intervene?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was just guarding your back, ‘Jade Asura’,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Xiong said innocently: “Besides… even if I joined, we still wouldn’t be his match — we’d only lose more disgracefully.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s still holding back?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Yu was startled, then puzzled: “His martial style is brutally savage, full of wildness, yet the techniques seem\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>crude… This is… an Ancient Martial Stream expert! Investigate! Find out! There are few Ancient Martial experts in Chuzhou, even fewer among the middle ranks — such an expert must leave traces!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After dumping his father in a deserted place, Xun Heihu did not reveal his identity but raced back to the inn at full speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when he slipped through the window and saw the bolt undisturbed did he finally exhale in relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After shedding the Bamboo Skin and Qilin Blood states, he instantly transformed from a monstrous brute into a slender, refined youth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I never thought… I actually hit a teaching master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Muttering to himself, Xun Heihu immediately lay back on the bed and feigned sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you’re going to act, act fully!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he pretended to sleep, he mentally reviewed the fight: “Hmm… Just as the elder said — as soon as I broke through, I became a strong sixth-rank. If I combine it with the boost from the Ancient Martial Stream’s Twelve Bodies’ Difference, perhaps I can fight a fifth-rank?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xun Heihu rose and went to the dining hall for breakfast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Fengchun approached mysteriously, lowering his voice: “Did you hear? Master Yu and Master Xiong went to ambush Xiaotianquan yesterday — they got beaten to their knees, spitting blood and begging for mercy…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xun Heihu: “???”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xun Heihu: \"???\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1759,"2026-06-20T11:03:23.251Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","5bdfb85cf49f16025555b83149f9e4d69b3c873776213d8ab6c48c7fd1ed3d34","starlight-professional-chapter-694","starlight-professional-chapter-692",726,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstarlight-professional-cover.jpg"]