Chapter 101: Senior Brother and Invisibility (Request Subscription)

The training hall, No. 1 small battlefield area.

Hearing the Jianchaling ’s voice, Senior Brother Wang Weisheng donned the dual-layer soft chain armor of the Dao Academy, his expression grim as he entered No. 1 small battlefield.

Xu Jin’s displayed strength had surprised him, and that bizarre movement technique had startled him—could Flying Star Step really be used like this?

Wang Weisheng decided to try it himself.

But all these displays had earned him sufficient attention.

Merely these displays alone were not enough to defeat him, Senior Brother Wang.

At that same instant, hearing someone challenge Senior Brother Wang Weisheng, all disciples rushed over, even halting other ongoing battles.

Xu Jin appeared, clasped fists, “Senior Brother!”

Wang Weisheng returned the gesture, “Aren’t you putting on armor?”

“Wearing it would hinder my movement technique.”

Xu Jin offered a reasonable explanation, but Wang Weisheng understood the hidden meaning: you, Wang Weisheng, cannot hurt me.

This angered Senior Brother Wang Weisheng.

Isn’t that a bit too arrogant?

His half-year reign atop the rankings, especially the top spot on the resource leaderboard, wasn’t earned by accident—he poured most of the resources he gained into his cultivation.

“Fine, then be careful.”

“Please.”

“Begin!”

At the Jianchaling ’s command, Xu Jin instantly became a blur and surged forward, taking the initiative.

But the moment Xu Jin lunged, Wang Weisheng’s three-meter-long Starlight Chain snapped into existence and coiled toward him like a venomous snake, instantly sealing off Xu Jin’s advance.

Xu Jin’s gaze sharpened; his Flying Star Step exploded beneath his feet, launching him straight upward, evading Wang Weisheng’s chain strike.

Starlight flashed underfoot; Xu Jin had already reappeared behind Wang Weisheng.

But the instant Xu Jin dove down, another Starlight Chain suddenly materialized in Wang Weisheng’s left hand.

Two Starlight Chains, one ahead and one behind, coiled like venomous snakes, instantly trapping Xu Jin from all directions—front, back, left, right, above, below.

Wang Weisheng’s combat experience was immense, his timing flawless; Xu Jin had no time to change direction and could only evade one chain.

The Starlight Chain flashed and wrapped around Xu Jin.

The next instant, a simple tightening of the chain would severely injure Xu Jin.

All spectators tensed instantly.

Some senior disciples exhaled in relief.

This newly arrived junior, whose momentum had been overwhelming, had finally been contained.

Others like Lu Xianbing, Qian Xiaohu, and Yu Guan felt tense yet hopeful.

Before this, they had been crushed by past seniors; many had lost their mid-court rankings, and a few had even lost their status as mid-court disciples.

To them, Xu Jin now represented all the new juniors—they naturally hoped he would win.

Yet Xu Jin, on the battlefield, remained calm.

From the start, he had activated his Starlight Barrier.

But now, he was not relying on the Starlight Barrier.

The instant the Starlight Chains wrapped him, a star ring instantly erupted outward.

Direct clash.

Xu Jin’s Starlight Ring clashed head-on with Senior Brother Wang Weisheng’s Starlight Chain.

For this, including Wang Weisheng himself, were utterly confident.

Perhaps Xu Jin had exceptional talent in Starlight Art, but its power depended primarily on the depth of star force.

Over the past half-year, Wang Weisheng had completed six rounds of marrow-cleansing and blood-purifying; his star force was immensely potent.

He had every reason to be confident.

But the next instant, Wang Weisheng’s expression froze.

The Starlight Ring and Starlight Chain collided—and both shattered simultaneously!

Both vanished at once?

Shouldn’t his Starlight Chain have obliterated Xu Jin’s Starlight Ring?

How could Xu Jin’s Starlight Art power rival his own?

Wang Weisheng had no time to ponder.

For after Xu Jin’s Starlight Ring shattered his chains, Xu Jin instantly surged forward, closing the distance to within one meter of Wang Weisheng.

Instantly, another Starlight Ring erupted.

Offensive.

Wang Weisheng sneered.

Instant-cast Starlight Art? He could do that too.

Starlight Barrier and Star Shield simultaneously enveloped him.

The Starlight Ring struck, the Star Shield shattered; the Starlight Ring struck again, and the newly formed Star Shield shattered once more.

In an instant, it became a duel of Starlight Art exchanges.

In mere instants, they exchanged five blows; yet Xu Jin’s mind raced.

This couldn’t continue.

Through the Mingji Star Pattern, he had sensed clearly—Wang Weisheng’s star force was far greater than his own.

The reason Xu Jin’s Starlight Art power matched Wang Weisheng’s was due to his substantial increase in Divine Soul power.

In truth, Xu Jin could win this fight easily.

All he needed was to slightly activate his Divine Soul power, doubling the star force channeled into his Starlight Art—and he would crush Wang Weisheng effortlessly.

But this was merely a martial exchange among sect brothers.

Exposing that would be unnecessary.

As for the protection Star Pattern of the Can Dou Platform, it was even less necessary.

Therefore, Xu Jin had to change tactics.

If this exchange continued, Xu Jin, whose star force was inferior to Wang Weisheng’s, would inevitably lose.

The next instant, starlight exploded from Xu Jin’s waist and feet; his entire body shot upward like a kite, yet remained only two meters from Wang Weisheng.

As he rose, Xu Jin swung his hands rapidly—each swing launched a Starlight Arrow.

The firing rate was astonishingly fast.

As he fired Starlight Arrows, starlight exploded along his waist, and he began circling rapidly around Wang Weisheng.

It felt as if a rope were tied to Wang Weisheng’s waist, and Xu Jin was hurtling around him at high speed, all while relentlessly firing Starlight Arrows.

Everyone was stunned by Xu Jin’s bizarre movement technique.

Even the extreme lethality hidden within it went unnoticed.

Wang Weisheng could cast instant Starlight Art, but he couldn’t withstand this high-frequency circling barrage.

On the third Starlight Arrow, Wang Weisheng’s Star Shield faltered.

On the sixth Starlight Arrow, his Starlight Barrier shattered.

On the seventh Starlight Arrow, his newly formed Starlight Barrier shattered again.

The eighth and ninth Starlight Arrows struck in succession.

Three Starlight Arrows exploded in rapid succession against Wang Weisheng’s dual-layer soft chain armor; their power was immense, hurling Wang Weisheng to the ground—but less than a second later, he rose again, his Starlight Barrier reformed, blood visible at the corner of his mouth.

Xu Jin, however, had stopped, ceasing his Starlight Arrow attacks.

Had he not stopped, this would have been an assassination, not a sparring match.

Watching Xu Jin stand with arms crossed, Wang Weisheng, who had just reactivated his Starlight Barrier, intended to continue—but seeing Xu Jin’s posture, he realized he had already lost.

If he forced another round, he would lose not only his position as Senior Brother but also his dignity.

“Senior Brother Xu’s movement technique is exquisite—I am no match!”

For Wang Weisheng, who had dominated the rankings for half a year, uttering these words was extremely difficult.

Yet in the end, he said them.

No one was surprised.

Because they had all witnessed that battle.

With the astonishing movement technique Xu Jin had just displayed, no one believed Wang Weisheng had lost unfairly.

Not just Wang Weisheng—past senior disciples, before Xu Jin’s movement technique, would have lost with full acceptance.

In fact, it wasn’t only the disciples who were awed by Xu Jin’s movement technique.

Even Ning Yuchan, Deputy Mountain Head Feng Shu, and Supervising Instructor Cao Chun had unconsciously focused entirely on the battle.

They had seen countless variations of Flying Star Step, many flashy ones.

But never had they seen anyone use it so extravagantly.

Circling an opponent at high speed like a kite tied to his waist, all while unleashing relentless instant-cast Starlight Arrows—who could withstand that?

Not even Wang Weisheng—this tactic, even against a Star Refining cultivator of the first or second level, would likely break them quickly.

Too flashy.

Ning Yuchan slowly sat back down; when Xu Jin had first unleashed this strange technique, she had stood up to watch intently.

She hadn’t expected Xu Jin to surprise her so greatly.

In an instant, she was given a new path.

Knowing that Ning Yuchan had one crippled leg, she devoted herself deeply to footwork to avoid compromising her combat effectiveness.

In battle, though crippled in one leg, Ning Yuchan was more agile and more ferocious in offense than fully limbed cultivators—all thanks to the effort she poured into her footwork.

But now, Xu Jin’s footwork offered her fresh inspiration.

What if she wielded her blade wheels like this?

Wouldn’t her opponents be driven to despair?

“Brother, you’ve won.”

Xu Jin bowed, watching Wang Weisheng turn and leave the small arena.

With that “you’ve won,” the era of Senior Brother Wang Weisheng at Jinshan Dao Academy ended.

The era of Senior Brother Xu Jin had already begun.

In truth, Wang Weisheng had no reason to feel wronged by his loss.

Had this been a life-or-death battle, Wang Weisheng would have been obliterated long ago.

Unable to reveal any other powers, Xu Jin could only deploy his newly developed kite-ring tactic.

Among all spectators, only Lu Xianbing felt no great surprise.

For the past two days, he had trained with Xu Jin in the Training Mirage, and Xu Jin had done nothing but practice this tactic.

Yet when Xu Jin trained it, Lu Xianbing hadn’t paid attention—he thought it was too flashy and impractical, and even gave Xu Jin advice.

But today’s monthly exam directly slapped his face.

This tactic that looked so flashy turned out to be terrifyingly effective!

In real combat, he’d likely have been riddled with holes already!

An extraordinary footwork technique allowing the weak to overcome the strong.

Remember, Wang Weisheng had already reached the peak of Meal-Cloud Seventh Layer—and a true peak.

“True peak” meant he had undergone six rounds of purification and marrow-replacement.

That was also Lu Xianbing’s goal.

Yet Xu Jin had only just broken through to Meal-Cloud Sixth Layer.

Lu Xianbing had already decided: he would imitate this footwork; he would learn it.

In a white cloud high above, Headmaster Dong Zhao sat cross-legged atop a cluster of starlight, quietly observing the battle.

Xu Jin’s performance completely surpassed his expectations.

He and Ning Yuchan had previously predicted Xu Jin’s results: top ten in the academy was certain; top three was possible.

But defeating Wang Weisheng? The chance was vanishingly small. They knew Wang Weisheng’s growth too well—he had already perfected the Pure Body and fully mastered all star arts.

He was the top seed of this autumn examination at Jinshan Dao Academy.

Yet he was defeated by Xu Jin’s dazzling footwork.

“Thankfully, we’ve already reached an agreement with Tianyang Branch Temple; otherwise…”

Thinking of this, Dong Zhao couldn’t help but smile bitterly, recalling the talented disciples previously snatched away—he felt inexplicable pain.

Even worse, many of those snatched disciples, once taken, were poorly nurtured and nearly ruined.

That was the true source of Dong Zhao’s anguish.

The court was too weak!

To the left of the Training Hall’s entrance stood a large willow tree, about a hundred meters from the training platform, where Qi Shanye had hidden himself among its branches.

When he saw Xu Jin unveil that stunning kite-ring footwork, Qi Shanye nearly revealed his presence in shock.

He had never seen this footwork demonstrated before!

Combined with star arrows, this footwork was devastating in real combat.

Astonished, Qi Shanye could barely contain his delight.

This proved he had good judgment.

To have such a disciple—he had no regrets!

With Xu Jin’s stunning victory over Wang Weisheng fresh in everyone’s mind, the remaining matches seemed dull.

Moreover, most matches held no real suspense.

Yet two upsets still occurred.

One was Lu Xianbing; the other was Yue Daqi.

Lu Xianbing, at Meal-Cloud Sixth Layer, consecutively challenged two Meal-Cloud Seventh Layer full-circle senior brothers, then faced three more such challengers, ultimately securing ninth place in the academy.

He retained his status as an Inner Court disciple.

This was due to both his own diligence and the generous cultivation resources provided by his family.

Yue Daqi, this year’s Star-Pointing Champion, fared slightly worse: he fought six matches, all against Meal-Cloud Seventh Layer senior brothers, winning three and losing three.

He ended up ranked first in the Middle Court and eleventh overall in the academy, failing to retain his Inner Court status.

His disadvantage lay in insufficient cultivation base and limited combat experience.

Under Xu Jin’s Mingji Star Pattern perception, Yue Daqi had likely undergone two to three rounds of purification and marrow-replacement, but his Great Gathering Star Pattern was still incomplete, leaving his star power somewhat weak.

Yet it was foreseeable that by next month’s exam, once Yue Daqi completed the Great Gathering Star Pattern and underwent one or two more rounds of purification and marrow-replacement, he would return to the Inner Court with force.

He could even break into the academy’s top ten, possibly even the top five.

After all, certain talents cannot be compensated for by mere time.

Former Inner Court disciple Ren Xiaoxiang fell to seventeenth in the academy and seventh in the Middle Court.

Yu Guan ranked twenty-eighth in the academy and eighteenth in the Middle Court; Luo Geng ranked fifty-second in the academy and forty-second in the Middle Court.

Luo Geng’s personal combat strength remained strong, but his cultivation base was a severe weakness—he was still at Meal-Cloud Fifth Layer, not yet Sixth.

As for others, Qiao Ruonan, due to her special status, retained Middle Court privileges; seven former Middle Court disciples were demoted to the Outer Court.

Such as Qian Xiaohu, Hong Gang, and Fang Zixing—they remained in the Outer Court, but their diligent cultivation, aided by Xu Jin’s momentum, had earned them abundant resources over the past month, allowing them all to break through to Meal-Cloud Third or even Fourth Layer.

In another one or two months, once the senior brothers move on, breaking into the Middle Court won’t be difficult.

One hour later, the monthly examination ended.

As the top scorer, Xu Jin received a vial of Qi-Reviving Pills and five strands of starlight—a welcome bonus.

On his way back, congratulations poured in; every academy disciple he passed called him “Senior Brother,” which made Xu Jin feel uneasy.

Even after returning to his courtyard, a steady stream of junior disciples came to visit, some even seeking advice on footwork.

It left Xu Jin utterly exasperated.

Fundamentally, Xu Jin still desired quiet cultivation.

This made him consider returning home to live.

At night, Xu Jin began his usual cultivation.

Before cultivating, he took out two Tui-Fan Pills already nurtured to First Nurturing.

Additionally, in Star Lamp One, he nurtured three ordinary Tui-Fan Pills; in Star Lamp Two, he nurtured three superior Tui-Fan Pills.

Theoretically, ordinary Tui-Fan Pills, after nurturing, should match the potency of superior ones; but what potency would superior Tui-Fan Pills reach after nurturing?

Xu Jin was deeply eager to find out.

Would six rounds of purification and marrow-replacement be his limit?

As cultivation began, Xu Jin swallowed one First Nurturing Tui-Fan Pill and immediately activated the Alchemy Chapter. After nearly half an hour, his entire body prickled with unbearable itching—just like yesterday—and he still felt something was missing.

Without hesitation, he swallowed a second First Nurturing Tui-Fan Pill. As for wasting pill potency, he no longer cared—he could always buy another vial of ordinary Tui-Fan Pills and nurture them again.

Half an hour later, seeing a thick layer of black grime seeping from his skin, Xu Jin headed straight for the academy’s bathhouse.

Fifteen minutes later, he returned, clean.

On the way back, he felt the surging star power within him and rejoiced.

Second round of purification and marrow-replacement complete: his star power increased by ten percent, his star power’s circulation speed quickened by five percent, and his body grew noticeably lighter.

It felt wonderful.

But it was hard on clothes.

He’d thrown out another set today.

Including yesterday’s, he’d already discarded two of the four sets of regular robes issued by the academy.

“Hmm, second round of purification and marrow-replacement?” As he returned, Qi Shanye’s figure appeared in Xu Jin’s courtyard.

“Yes, Master. I just completed the second.”

“Good. Keep going. You’ll likely complete the third tomorrow or the day after.” Qi Shanye spoke calmly, but inside, his heart surged with shock.

Though Xu Jin had already stunned him many times, he was stunned again.

Two days for two rounds of purification and marrow-replacement? Even direct consumption of superior Tui-Fan Pills wouldn’t achieve this speed!

Normal geniuses took two to three days for the first, about seven days for the second, and half a month for the third.

Xu Jin did two in two days—Qi Shanye had no words left.

Back in his own day, hadn’t he only completed his second round on the fifth day?

“Here,” Qi Shanye handed Xu Jin a pill vial. “I found six superior Tui-Fan Pills for you. Keep them. After your third round, you can take them directly.”

“Master, where did you get these? I haven’t even told you yet—last night, Instructor Ning Yuchan gave me six superior Tui-Fan Pills. That should be enough.”

Xu Jin asked this because he had already sent a Starlight Message to his senior brother Wu Dong at Guodao Academy.

Superior Tui-Fan Pills, like Dingshen Golden Pills, do not circulate on the market—they are always in demand but never available. They can only be exchanged for Dao Merits.

The exchange rate for superior Tui-Fan Pills is eight hundred Dao Merits, though discounts vary by rank within the academy.

As for Dingshen Golden Pills, they are even rarer: the academy’s exchange rate is two thousand Dao Merits, yet they remain unobtainable regardless of price.

It doesn’t seem like a top-grade Tui Fan Elixir—you can exchange for it as long as you have Dao Merit.

Then, if the Lingji Star Hall has locked its doors and Qi Shanye is trapped in Yanzhou, and he has no Dao Merit from the Chen Guo Dao Academy, where did he get this top-grade Tui Fan Elixir?

Xu Jin didn’t know the source.

But in Xu Jin’s view, Old Qi must have paid a heavy price to obtain this top-grade Tui Fan Elixir for him, which was why he asked this question.

“How could you possibly use this? The more, the better—if you’re lucky, you might even undergo seven rounds of Bone and Marrow Purification. Take it quickly.” Qi Shanye said.

“Thank you, Master.”

Xu Jin no longer refused and accepted it.

Alas, Old Qi truly cared for him, but whenever he thought of the Lingji Star Hall that Old Qi carried on his back, Xu Jin still felt pressure.

Fortunately, Old Qi didn’t demand much from Xu Jin—only that he pass on this legacy; otherwise, this top-grade Tui Fan Elixir from Old Qi would be far too burdensome.

“You’ve heard about your national Dao Academy’s autumn examination, right?” Qi Shanye suddenly asked.

“Yes, Teacher Ning told me.”

“Good. This is your Chen Guo tradition, but it’s also your only chance to rapidly forge a Star. Remember: during the autumn examination, not only must you enter the exam hall, you must fight your way into the top tier—the higher your rank, the better for you.”

“If your rank is high enough, you might even forge two Stars at once,” Qi Shanye said.

“Forge two Stars at once?”

“Yes.”

“Given your current state and the immense influence of your Soul Star, you’re certain to forge a Star—but what rank it will be is uncertain.

The rank of the Star Core you forge depends not only on yourself, but also critically on the density and sustained supply of Star Force in your environment during the forging.

Only within the Dao Academy’s secret realm can you obtain a dense Star Force environment to forge a high-rank Star Core.

You might even forge two high-rank Star Cores at once.

If you miss this chance, forging a high-rank Star Core later will demand a tremendous cost,” Qi Shanye said.

“Master, rest assured—I will work hard.”

“Good. Your combat ability and Star Arts are truly excellent, but your total Star Force remains a weakness. You must train intensely in the coming days—ideally completing four, even five rounds of Bone and Marrow Purification before the autumn examination. That will eliminate your weakness.” Qi Shanye said.

After Qi Shanye left, Xu Jin practiced the Jin Zhang for another half-hour, then switched to practicing the basic Star Art, Star Rope.

During his battle with Wang Weisheng today, this basic Star Art, Star Rope, demonstrated formidable offensive power.

If Xu Jin refined it to the point of instant activation, his combat tactics would become far more unpredictable.

In fact, Xu Jin had already stabilized Star Rope and Star Mist onto his Star Lamp and could already activate them instantly.

But Xu Jin sought to activate them instantly without the aid of the Star Lamp.

Only then would it be his true, genuine strength.

Of course, he still practiced half an hour daily of the Concealment Star Pattern.

But today, after only fifteen minutes, Xu Jin withdrew from the Star Lamp.

He had successfully inscribed the Concealment Star Pattern twenty times consecutively within the Star Lamp.

Xu Jin now intended to inscribe the Concealment Star Pattern onto the second halo of his Soul Star.

Focusing his mind and calming his breath, after a moment of inner observation, Xu Jin sank his intent into the second halo of his Soul Star and began inscribing.

With his prior experience inscribing the Gui Cang Star Pattern on the first halo, this inscription of the Concealment Star Pattern went flawlessly.

After fifteen minutes, it was completed.

As the final stroke was drawn, Soul Force instantly surged in, flowing through the now-integrated Concealment Star Pattern.

Instantly, a strange sensation rose in Xu Jin’s heart.

It felt as if his presence had diminished.

He opened his eyes—and startled himself.

There, seated cross-legged on the mat, he seemed fused with the ambient light and shadow, faintly visible, yet if one looked closely, his outline was still discernible.

Then Xu Jin tested it: when he stood in a darker corner, he could no longer see his own form.

As if merged with the darkness.

This Star Pattern’s concealment effect was slightly weaker than the third-rank lower-grade Snake Spirit’s Concealment Star Pattern he’d used before.

But the Concealment Star Pattern broke the moment you moved, whereas this Concealment Star Pattern could still conceal you even while walking—its effect improved the darker the environment.

Suddenly, Xu Jin recalled what Qi Shanye had said earlier.

Old Qi had said his invisibility was a combination of three Star Patterns and one basic Star Art.

Using Cheng Po as the core, activating Gui Cang and the Concealment Star Pattern, then triggering the basic Star Art, Star Mist, would achieve invisibility.

In the next instant, Xu Jin focused his intent, using Cheng Po as the core, activating Gui Cang and the Concealment Star Pattern simultaneously, then triggering the basic Star Art, Star Mist.

The process was slightly slow—he took a full five seconds to complete it.

The moment the process finished, Xu Jin vanished into thin air.

Just like Old Qi—he disappeared from the room.

Xu Jin gasped in astonishment.

That was incredibly amazing.

Invisibility—achieved.

Overcome with excitement, the Star Mist trembled—and the invisibility broke.

Xu Jin then began again, synchronizing the three Star Patterns and triggering Star Mist, preparing to achieve invisibility and test it on someone.

Even if he didn’t play a prank, he had to test it, right?

Should he go check on Ning Yuchan at night?

But as Xu Jin was pondering this, suddenly, the starlight on the Can Dou Platform flickered faintly—there was an anomaly.

Xu Jin was stunned.

Why was the Can Dou Platform’s starlight reacting now? Had something new occurred?

(End of Chapter)