Chapter 126: Fire Glitter Star Domain (Request Subscription)

Inside the Star-Picking Tower, Xu Jin suddenly saw a speck of starlight fly toward him.

【Xu Jin, the second-rank star domain, Fire Glitter Star Domain, is about to open. Upon entry, please remain cautious. If your life is in danger, immediately shatter the Return Jade Tablet.】

The next instant, the star gate before Xu Jin began to spin, and the Return Jade Tablet in his hand flickered.

With one step forward, dazzling starlight flooded his vision, countless stars drifting through the heavens and earth; Xu Jin walked as if through a river of stars, and the next moment, his figure swiftly sank into a crimson star.

The chaotic starlight before his eyes suddenly became clear.

This was a plain—a crimson plain.

The temperature was surely high; the air he breathed carried a faint scorching heat, but after activating star force, Xu Jin quickly dispelled the discomfort.

The next instant, he felt an overwhelming concentration of star force.

Star force, everywhere, pressed against him like a tide, surging into his body; within a single breath, it restored the tiny amount he had expended.

Three times!

The star force density within this second-rank Fire Glitter Star Domain was indeed three times that of the mortal world.

According to Ning Yuchan, the star force density in a first-rank domain was twice the mortal world’s average, and in a second-rank domain, it was three times.

That’s why it was an ideal place for casting stars.

Of course, that didn’t mean the mortal world’s star force density was inadequate.

According to Ning Yuchan, many places in the mortal world had extraordinarily high star force density, but most were controlled territories, difficult for ordinary cultivators to enter.

Thus, for casting stars, the star domains were optimal.

As for the origin of the star domains, Ning Yuchan had told Xu Jin roughly part of it.

They were small star worlds conquered and refined under the control of Chen Guo, from the Star River Battlefield, collectively called star domains.

But refining and controlling such small star worlds was extremely difficult.

As far as Ning Yuchan knew, Chen Guo controlled very few star domains, and most were first-rank; second-rank domains were exceedingly rare.

As for third-rank domains, according to publicly available information, Chen Guo had not yet conquered or controlled any.

The difficulty in conquering and controlling star domains was tied to the restrictions on star gate passage and the current level of star gate construction in the mortal world.

First-rank star domains were the most numerous in terms of conquest and refinement—not just by Chen Guo, but by all nations and star temples—largely due to the lower difficulty of constructing their star gates.

Currently, only cultivators of first and second rank could enter and exit.

The higher the rank of the star domain, the greater the difficulty of constructing its star gate.

Between maintaining a stable star gate and ensuring its strength to withstand passage, you could only choose one!

The star gate of a second-rank domain could only allow passage for first- and second-rank cultivators.

Entering was restricted, and exiting was restricted too.

It was both an offensive and a protective measure.

“Here they come!”

In the distance, ten figures clad in crimson armor were sprinting toward Xu Jin’s position, shouting as they ran.

Each of these figures had crimson skin, their cheeks covered in crimson scales.

These were the Crimson Scale tribe of the Five Spirit races.

“Definitely celestial demons—kill!”

The moment the ten Crimson Scale warriors spotted Xu Jin, they encircled him.

Their leader was at Mealcloud Sixth Reversal; the other nine were all below Mealcloud Fifth Reversal.

Xu Jin did not rush to attack; he waited silently as the Crimson Scale warriors drew near.

He was new here—he needed to personally gauge their true combat strength to prepare for future battles and star casting.

At three meters, the Mealcloud Sixth Reversal leader punched forward, launching a fireball at Xu Jin.

Xu Jin remained still, raising a star shield and letting the fireball strike it directly.

The star shield trembled violently but did not break.

The next instant, Xu Jin stood in place, flicking his ten fingers in rapid succession; nine star arrows shot out, instantly slaying the other nine Crimson Scale warriors.

The lone surviving warrior froze in shock, then let out a mournful roar: “Demon! I’ll fight you to the death!”

Flames erupted along his longblade as he slashed wildly at Xu Jin.

Xu Jin didn’t dodge; he raised his star shield, blocking several fire-blade strikes before firing a single star arrow that obliterated him.

He now had a preliminary understanding.

The star techniques and star weapons of these Crimson Scale warriors were slightly stronger than those of cultivators of the same rank in the mortal world—but only marginally, likely due to their fire affinity.

Xu Jin could handle them easily.

The next instant, Xu Jin spotted a distant mountain and swiftly flew toward it.

Along the way, Xu Jin encountered several Crimson Scale warrior squads, their combat strength slowly increasing.

Their leaders progressed from Mealcloud Sixth Reversal to Mealcloud Seventh Reversal, then to Mealcloud Seventh Reversal peak.

But no Cast-Star Crimson Scale warriors had appeared yet.

According to Ning Yuchan, once one or two Cast-Star Crimson Scale warriors appeared and were slain, he could choose a location to cast his star.

This was precisely why only elite geniuses were permitted to enter first- or second-rank star domains for star casting.

Even though first- and second-rank star domains were conquered and refined by Chen Guo, Chen Guo could only guarantee that the strongest domain lord within would not intervene.

Even so, the strongest domain lords were still very limited in power.

Because the rank of the star domain naturally restricted the strength of its native species.

For example, in a first-rank domain, the mainstream warrior strength was below Mealcloud Fifth Reversal, with the strongest being Cast-Star cultivators.

But Cast-Star was the absolute upper limit for any native species in a first-rank domain.

No matter how long they trained or how long they lived, they could never break through to Cast-Star peak!

It was a limitation imposed by their very world.

Like ants—no matter how strong an ant might be, it could never escape its species’ constraints.

In second-rank domains, the mainstream warriors were Mealcloud cultivators and a limited number of Cast-Star cultivators, but the strongest among them could break through to Refine-Star.

The strongest domain lords could reach Refine-Star Ninth Reversal peak.

Yet even in second-rank domains, native species reaching Refine-Star were exceedingly rare.

In third-rank domains, native species could reach as high as Fourth-Rank Condense-Star Ninth Reversal peak.

According to Ning Yuchan, this was the fundamental reason Chen Guo could not conquer and refine third-rank star domains.

Because the highest cultivation level allowed to enter a third-rank domain was Refine-Star Ninth Reversal peak.

Even Chen Guo’s supreme geniuses, at Refine-Star Ninth Reversal peak, could at best defeat mid- or early-stage Fourth-Rank Condense-Star cultivators.

As for late-stage or peak Condense-Star cultivators, they were utterly impossible to confront—hence, impossible to conquer.

But rumors claimed that several major star temples had conquered third-rank domains.

After a star domain was conquered and refined, its danger decreased significantly, yet the vast numbers of native warriors still posed a grave threat to ordinary cultivators.

That’s why only elite geniuses were selected to enter first- and second-rank domains for star casting—those entering second-rank domains had to be top-tier geniuses.

Because if one’s strength was insufficient, sending them into a first-rank domain for star casting would merely be delivering them as prey to the native species.

Xu Jin flew swiftly; half an hour later, as he reached the foot of the target mountain, a ten-man Crimson Scale assault squad had caught up from the left.

Their leader was a Cast-Star cultivator.

Cast-Star Early Stage!

The other nine members were mostly Mealcloud Sixth and Seventh Reversal.

Such a force could only be handled by Chen Guo’s top-tier geniuses.

People like Meng Qingqiu or Yan Chen could manage it, but it would take time.

But for Xu Jin, it was still effortless.

Even three days ago, Xu Jin could have handled this force easily.

Especially now, after taking the Three-Refined Spirit-Stabilizing Golden Elixir and undergoing nine rounds of marrow-cleansing and sinew-renewing, his strength had surged again.

Cast-Star Early Stage? Two star arrows—instantly obliterated.

After slaying him, Xu Jin stepped forward and precisely pierced the Crimson Scale warrior’s chest with his first-rank star weapon; out came a blood-dripping star core.

At first, he felt a flicker of reluctance as he dug it out.

But recalling Ning Yuchan’s account of history, his heart hardened instantly. Whether first- or second-rank domains, every single one had inflicted irrevocable damage upon Chen Guo before being conquered and refined.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians dead or wounded in the least; millions slain in the worst.

Both sides were stained with blood.

These alien races were even more brutal than the barbarians of the mortal world.

Even star domains conquered and controlled by Chen Guo were not absolutely submissive.

Chen Guo sending its top-tier disciples into these domains each year for star casting was, in another sense, a form of culling.

As Ning Yuchan said, Chen Guo had only conquered and controlled this second-rank Fire Glitter Star Domain sixty-three years ago—but before that, Crimson Scale warriors had invaded multiple times, abducting over three million civilians.

And to conquer this second-rank Fire Glitter Star Domain, Chen Guo had lost over ten thousand Cast-Star elite disciples in the thirty years preceding the conquest!

Xu Jin placed the Crimson Scale leader’s star core into his pouch; he left the other star weapons untouched.

The star weapons in this Fire Glitter Star Domain could channel flame—they were unique to this domain and turned to useless iron if taken outside.

Only rare heavenly treasures and earthly essences retained their value outside.

After slaying this squad, Xu Jin did not rush up the mountain to cast his star; instead, he swiftly searched the surrounding area.

As Ning Yuchan had instructed, when outsiders entered a star domain, the native species sensed them strongly, and nearby experts would rush to hunt them down.

To these natives, intruding outsiders were no different from moving treasuries.

However, within the Second-Rank Star Region, there are few experts of the Star-Casting Realm, and even fewer of the Star-Refining Realm, and the territory is vast.

Generally speaking, within a radius of three to five hundred li, having two or three Star-Casting Realm experts is already the maximum.

Therefore, Ning Yuchan advised Xu Jin: after entering the Fire Radiance Star Region, spend the first hour patrolling and hunting alien races, after which you should gain a relatively long period of safety to calmly forge your star core.

The real danger only emerges half a day after entering the Fire Radiance Star Region.

The experts of the Fire Radiance Star Region hunt in groups, searching for invaders and killing them.

To the native species, the aura and location of an invader are as obvious as stars in the night sky.

Thus, these hunts come in waves, each stronger than the last.

Eventually, even experts of the late or middle Star-Refining Realm may come to hunt.

Some unlucky ones encounter a Third-Rank Star-Refining Realm expert merely half a day after entering.

The importance of the Return Jade Tablet is highlighted here.

Only star regions that have been conquered and controlled can produce a Return Jade Tablet for that region.

One hour later, Xu Jin’s pouch held four Second-Rank star cores, the strongest of which was from a mid-stage Star-Casting Realm expert.

Half an hour later, Xu Jin climbed to the highest point of this region.

It was a crimson hill about a thousand meters high.

The reason for seeking high ground to cultivate is that, in any world, higher elevations have denser star energy.

In this Fire Radiance Star Region, the star energy atop this mountain is roughly ten percent denser than on flat ground.

After sitting cross-legged, less than a dozen breaths passed before Xu Jin’s star energy returned to peak condition.

This was the effect of the Flawless Primordial Star Body, but today, during battle, Xu Jin discovered another advantage of the Flawless Primordial Star Body.

A key feature of the Flawless Primordial Star Body is that the body flows as naturally as primordial energy; with every inhalation and exhalation, it absorbs star energy to replenish itself, meaning it automatically recovers star energy with every instant.

But the amount of automatic recovery is quite limited.

Yet within the dense star energy of this Second-Rank Fire Radiance Star Region, Xu Jin found that as long as he wasn’t engaged in continuous high-intensity combat, the passive absorption of his Flawless Primordial Star Body could nearly compensate for his combat consumption.

In this hour, he slew over sixty Red-Scale Warriors, yet his star energy remained virtually undiminished.

The next instant, Xu Jin shot skyward, his Star-Flight Step exploding—suddenly leaping nearly forty meters off the ground, while starlight exploded beneath his feet to extend his aerial time, allowing him to swiftly survey all directions.

Within his field of view, he detected no trace of the Red-Scale tribe.

At Xu Jin’s current elevation and visibility, if no enemies were spotted, then at least the next hour would be safe.

Time to forge the star core!

The next moment, Xu Jin calmed his mind and spirit, first taking out two First-Variant ordinary Star-Forging Pills, holding them in both hands.

These Star-Forging Pills, said to be refined from star cores, need not be swallowed—simply hold them in your hands and absorb their energy.

His mind sank into the Great Star Gathering Pattern in his Central Star Palace, and his soul force began forcibly activating the pattern’s rotation.

According to Ning Yuchan, the first step—using soul force to initiate the Great Star Gathering Pattern’s rotation—is the hardest; ordinary disciples require half an hour, even talented ones need about fifteen minutes, and those who climbed over one hundred and eighty steps on the Ascension Stone can begin rotation in about ten minutes.

Only then can they absorb the star energy from the Star-Forging Pills to expand the Star Palace, and further absorb the dense star energy of the heavens to strengthen the star core.

Xu Jin had previously considered this point.

Other talents take about ten minutes to begin the first step; with his Star-Refining Sixth Layer soul force, shouldn’t he cut that time in half?

The first step should take about half a minute.

But Xu Jin was surprised: three seconds.

Under full exertion of his soul force, on the third second, Xu Jin’s Central Star Palace erupted in searing pain—the Great Star Gathering Pattern, previously motionless, suddenly began to rotate.

In a single second, it shifted from excruciatingly slow to blindingly fast, twisting Xu Jin’s expression in agony.

The next instant, the two First-Variant Star-Forging Pills in his hands, as if caught by a pump, released torrents of star energy that surged through his arms into his chest’s Central Star Palace.

Under inner observation, Xu Jin saw vast star energy swirling around the rotating Great Star Gathering Pattern like a vortex blade, spinning furiously.

The star blade for expansion formed.

Each rotation carved out another ring of space in Xu Jin’s stagnant Central Star Palace.

Each expansion consumed massive amounts of star energy surrounding the Great Star Gathering Pattern, but the energy was swiftly replenished by the First-Variant Star-Forging Pills in his hands.

Xu Jin continued accelerating the Great Star Gathering Pattern’s rotation with his soul force.

Until the Great Star Gathering Pattern, surrounded by the star blades, spun into a swirling blade of light.

Because Ning Yuchan had explained: the faster the Great Star Gathering Pattern rotates, the easier and quicker the expansion of the Star Palace.

This is also why stronger soul force makes forging a star core easier and enables higher-quality star cores.

It is also why, during the Autumn Exams of the Great Chen State Academy, the ranking on the Ascension Stone’s one hundred and eighty steps is used as the basis for admission ranking.

The stronger the soul, the higher the probability of successful star forging, and the higher the quality of the star core forged.

Meanwhile, during the high-speed self-rotation of the Great Star Gathering Pattern, vast quantities of star energy from the Second-Rank Fire Radiance Star Region rapidly seeped through Xu Jin’s countless pores, converging into the Great Star Gathering Pattern, instantly condensing into a pinpoint of light.

The star core formed, its size like a needle tip.

This newly forged star core rapidly grew.

Vast star energy surged in like a tide.

In barely half a minute, it filled the previously engraved Great Star Gathering Pattern and the space newly carved out in the Central Star Palace.

At this point, the star core was complete—forged to one inch, a low-grade star core.

If he stopped now, Xu Jin would have forged the lowest-grade low-grade star core.

But that was clearly impossible.

The Star-Forging Pills Xu Jin had nurtured to First-Variant were exceptionally potent, still continuously outputting star energy.

After another hundred breaths, the two First-Variant Star-Forging Pills in his hands crumbled to ash; Xu Jin immediately took two more First-Variant ordinary Star-Forging Pills, holding them in his hands, absorbing star energy, and continuing to expand and forge.

One and a half minutes later, after consuming four First-Variant Star-Forging Pills, Xu Jin forged his star core to one and a half inches—a mid-grade star core.

Even now, forging the mid-grade star core remained effortless for Xu Jin.

Continue!

After consuming three more First-Variant Star-Forging Pills, Xu Jin’s star core reached two inches—he successfully forged a high-grade star core.

According to Ning Yuchan, forging a high-grade star core with the pills Xu Jin possessed was not difficult; the difficulty lay in forging two high-grade star cores simultaneously, and in continuing to expand after forging a high-grade star core.

After forging a high-grade star core, the difficulty of expanding the Star Palace doubled; each increment of growth in the star core strengthened the foundation for the future.

Therefore, when forging a star core, one must push to one’s absolute limit.

At the same moment, Xu Jin, still forging, truly felt the difficulty.

After reaching two inches, the star energy provided by ordinary First-Variant Star-Forging Pills was no longer sufficient to expand the Central Star Palace.

It became extremely, extremely weak!

The next instant, Xu Jin took out two First-Variant high-grade Star-Forging Pills, holding them in his hands.

Instantly, the star blade surrounding his core, which previously took several breaths to carve out space as thin as a hair, suddenly surged like a beast unleashed, violently cutting and expanding the Central Star Palace.

In an instant, Xu Jin’s two-inch high-grade star core began growing again!

(End of Chapter)