Chapter 139

“Brother, sit here; I’ll comb your hair.”

Xu Jin was chatting with Lao Qi via the Star-Picking Token when Jiang Er entered carrying a basin of water.

Xu Jin touched his tied-up long hair. “Jiang Er, has my hair-tying skill improved lately?”

“Yes, it’s improved! But it’s still lopsided—too many loose strands, left side high, right side low, left forehead tight, right forehead loose, the back hair on the left is as stiff as a rock, on the right as slack as a steamed bun.”

“Stop, stop, stop!”

Xu Jin quickly cut off Jiang Er’s complaints, obediently half-reclined on the chair, letting her do as she pleased with his long hair.

Once they left Jinshan County, Xu Jin planned to find time to cut his long hair, go for a short crop or tie a hairband—super simple.

But in Jinshan County, he dared not.

In his past life, cutting hair killed your maternal uncle; that legend spawned a whole generation of bold men who cut their hair in the first lunar month.

But in this world, cutting hair kills your father!

So Xu Jin didn’t dare cut it.

He didn’t know if cutting his hair would kill his father, but he knew he’d have no peace if he did.

Honestly, Jiang Er combing his hair was pure bliss.

The act itself was soothing, but there was also a rare spiritual comfort.

At this moment, Xu Jin felt a tranquility he’d never known before.

He was truly home.

Suddenly, Xu Jin no longer wanted to cut his hair.

If he cut it, what would Jiang Er comb? He couldn’t let her comb a bald head.

While enjoying it, Xu Jin continued chatting with Lao Qi via the Star-Picking Token; after a few exchanges, he began to ache in his wallet and started using long sentences to convey information efficiently.

Each starlight message consumed a strand of starlight.

At first, he’d been too concerned about Lao Qi—now it hurt his heart and liver!

“We have the Split Soul Technique! When you break through Fifth Stage Gathering Stars, or your Soul-Power reaches the Condensing Star Realm, you’ll see what I left you. Let me tell you this: in terms of Split Soul Techniques, our Lingji Star Hall ranks eleventh—but none of the top ten would dare claim superiority.”

“Once perfected, it’s like an external avatar—profoundly mysterious.”

“But it won’t solve my current predicament.”

“Oh, by the way, don’t you dare practice it recklessly!”

“The taboos of the Split Soul Technique are countless—don’t accidentally ruin yourself! Send me the technique; I’ll check it. If it’s safe to practice or even just reference, keep it; otherwise, toss it out immediately.” After Xu Jin mentioned the Split Soul Technique, Lao Qi sent back a long string.

Xu Jin thought it made sense: for star patterns related to Soul-Power, the specialized Lingji Star Hall surely had the Split Soul Technique. But Lao Qi’s advice was sound, so he immediately sent the entire technique to Lao Qi. At the end of the starlight message, Xu Jin added, “Master, have you heard of the Dream-Warming Star Pattern? I obtained it yesterday from Cheng Yuexiao, the Imperial Astrologer of Chen Guo. Headmaster Dong Zhao said it’s excellent.”

Deep down, Xu Jin’s most trusted people were: Xu Dajiang = Jiang Er > Ning Yuchan > Qi Shanye > Dong Zhao > Cheng Yuexiao, so regarding the Dream-Warming Star Pattern, he casually asked Qi Shanye.

“What? You learned the Dream-Warming Star Pattern?”

“Good kid, impressive!”

“Keep working hard—you might actually get the chance to absorb the strengths of many schools.”

“The Dream-Warming Star Pattern? That’s a unique star pattern.”

“Created centuries ago by a Sacrificial Official of the Chen Guo Dao Academy, it was passed down only within Chen Guo—we at Lingji Star Hall don’t have it.”

“After you inscribe it, study it carefully—it’s a powerful supportive star pattern.”

“Supposedly, it enhances many other Soul-Power star patterns.” Qi Shanye sent back a starlight message.

In a civilian house in Hengsha County, eastern Chu Guo, Qi Shanye—with his weathered, full beard—stared blankly at Xu Jin’s starlight message.

His empty left sleeve fluttered slightly.

After a long while, after meticulously reading through the Split Soul Technique Xu Jin sent, Qi Shanye suddenly wanted to laugh.

To burst out laughing!

The suppressed, desperate emotions shattered in an instant under this sudden joy.

Heaven truly hadn’t sealed his path!

Or rather, Xu Jin was his lucky star!

The Split Soul Technique Xu Jin sent was crude beyond measure—formerly, even glancing at it was too much; he’d have thrown it on the ground, stomped on it twice, and called it garbage!

Purely a drain on Soul-Power, consuming a strand of Soul-Power essence, yet offering almost no benefit—a worthless thing.

But now—

In the next instant, Qi Shanye leapt onto the rooftop and vanished into the void.

Far away, thousands of Hengsha County guards were driving every resident out of the city, district by district; in the sky, Hu Xuechuan hovered, his star artifact, the Fixed-Star Disc, emitting a faint glow, continuously sensing every person driven from the city.

Around Hengsha County, not only were city guards surrounding all sides, but over forty fourth-stage and seven fifth-stage experts had encircled the area—any disturbance would trigger immediate encirclement.

Not to mention, behind Hu Xuechuan stood two fifth-stage Gathering Stars experts.

One of them was even an acquaintance: Lin Lie, the Chief Instructor of the Tianyang Star Hall’s Yanzhou Branch, who had once fought Qi Shanye.

Half a month ago, Qi Shanye severely wounded Hu Xuechuan, who protected the Fixed-Star Disc, buying himself at least three days to recover and escape.

Unexpectedly, Hu Xuechuan caught up in just one and a half days.

He caught Qi Shanye off guard; in that battle, Qi Shanye was gravely wounded again, losing his left arm.

To gain recovery time, Qi Shanye fled for ten straight days, hiding within Hengsha County of Chu Guo.

Chu Guo venerated the Cangming Star Hall—this should be beyond Tianyang Star Hall’s reach.

Even if they could interfere, their influence would be extremely limited.

Hengsha County was a major city with over three hundred thousand residents; Qi Shanye hid among the densest urban crowds. Even if Hu Xuechuan knew he was here, what could he do?

Would he dare slaughter the entire city?

If he did, Hu Xuechuan would never leave Hengsha alive.

As for sealing the city and screening residents? Impossible.

Normally, if a major city with over three hundred thousand people was sealed for more than two days, chaos would erupt.

Beyond five days, people would starve to death!

After careful planning, Qi Shanye chose this place, intending to infiltrate the city, recover his injuries, then escape when the chance arose.

But he hadn’t expected Hu Xuechuan to be that resourceful!

No matter what cost he paid, he’d persuaded the Cangming Star Hall’s Hengsha Branch and the Hengsha County government to pull off this massive “empty-cage-switch-bird” maneuver.

Screening every resident of the city would inevitably reveal Qi Shanye.

What was once impossible became possible with official intervention.

This directly trapped Lao Qi in utter despair.

Not a single thread of hope remained.

If facing Hu Xuechuan alone, even without his star artifact, the Shattered-Star Hammer, Lao Qi could still escape.

But now, Hu Xuechuan brought two fifth-stage Gathering Stars experts, plus seven fifth-stage experts from Hengsha County—this situation was utterly inescapable!

Lao Qi had already made peace with death.

He was just waiting for the final moment to send Xu Jin a farewell letter, leaving final instructions.

Since he knew Xu Jin was entering the secret realm to forge a star, he hadn’t told him, fearing it would disrupt Xu Jin’s forging.

But now, he’d found life again from the brink of death!

“Old Hu, old Hu, I wonder what price you’ll pay next time! Maybe soon, it’ll be my turn to strike back!” Looking at Hu Xuechuan, suspended in the void, using brute force to search through three hundred thousand civilians for him, Qi Shanye shook his head and instantly returned to the civilian house to begin cultivating the Split Soul Technique.

He felt Hu Xuechuan had gone completely mad—obsessed with capturing him to obtain Lingji Star Hall’s unique secret star pattern, Chengpo, and other legacies.

The cost was too great.

Previously, to secure Xu Jin nine rounds of Bone-Scouring and Marrow-Washing techniques, Qi Shanye knew he’d be exposed, so he enlisted Mo Ji, one of the few surviving experts of Lingji Star Hall. He thought attacking the Tianyang Star Hall’s Yanzhou Branch headquarters would make Hu Xuechuan give up.

But Hu Xuechuan refused to relent.

Under duress, Lao Mo slaughtered half the elite of the Tianyang Star Hall’s Yanzhou Branch and destroyed their treasury, causing catastrophic losses.

Qi Shanye thought, under these circumstances, Hu Xuechuan would return to deal with the aftermath, right?

But Hu Xuechuan still didn’t return!

The direct consequence: Tianyang Star Hall immediately removed Hu Xuechuan as Branch Director, and even his two fifth-stage companions lost their positions.

Rumors said there were further punishments!

But this old villain, Hu Xuechuan, was utterly fixated on Qi Shanye.

This filled Qi Shanye with fury—and helplessness.

This was why Qi Shanye had been driven into a corner.

Hu Xuechuan simply didn’t play by the rules.

Had Hu Xuechuan played by the rules, Qi Shanye’s situation wouldn’t be this desperate.

If Xu Jin knew the full story, he’d summarize it in four words: sunk cost.

Hu Xuechuan had invested too much sunk cost into Qi Shanye—so much that he couldn’t stop; stopping meant catastrophic loss.

That’s why Hu Xuechuan was willing to risk everything, pay any price, and cling to Qi Shanye.

Only then did he have any chance of recouping his losses.

“Brother, done. From now on, give me a little time every morning—I’ll come comb your hair, and I’ll make sure it’s neat and tidy, just look.” Jiang Er said after finishing.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Why not? If you keep being so sloppy, how will you ever find a wife? Even Father’s getting worried!” Jiang Er said.

Xu Jin froze.

He was sloppy?

He's messy?

Even a biological sister would’ve already snapped at her by now.

Your whole family is messy!

Then came a wave of nostalgia—unnoticed, the sister who used to braid his hair had become the sister who pressured him to marry.

Suddenly, the Star-Picking Order retracted, and Xu Jin received another starlight message from Qi Shanye.

“Good disciple, you’re truly my great lucky star! The secret technique you obtained is utterly ordinary—almost trash. Don’t practice it unless absolutely necessary.”

In short, it’s nothing but a one-time consumable.

It consumes precious Divine Soul energy and Divine Soul essence, but very little of it—and it works instantly!

Right now, it could save my life!

Hurry and cultivate. Once I’m free, I’ll contact you again.”

Upon receiving this starlight message, Xu Jin smiled, finally letting out a breath of relief.

Helping Old Qi was the greatest joy he could have right now.

It seems even trash has its great uses—what matters is when and where you use it!

In the back courtyard, Xu Jin practiced the Five Dipper Killing Fist, his whole body feeling refreshed.

He then replaced the star core enshrined on the Star-Dipper Altar with two Fire Spirit Star Cores, intending to test the specific effects of the protective star patterns they provided.

The two third-rank Fire Spirit Star Cores together granted four protective star patterns: Initial Fire Source, Fire Transformation Star Pattern, Explosive Flame Star Pattern, and Flame Bloom Star Pattern.

In the star cores of Chi You and Chi Meng, the first two patterns were identical, but the last one varied between them.

Xu Jin switched them one by one, activating star power to test, and quickly got results.

The Explosive Flame Star Pattern was a brand-new star art—similar to a fireball, but it exploded.

Its speed was slightly slower than Star Arrow, its range roughly the same, but its power far exceeded Star Arrow; after exploding, it inflicted area damage—adding another area-effect star art.

The Flame Bloom Star Pattern was also a brand-new star art—the very one Chi Meng had used to attack him. When activated, flame blossoms could bloom on the ground or in the air, capable of injuring and trapping targets—quite practical.

The Fire Transformation Star Pattern was simple.

When activated, it could imbue star weapons with flame, or directly condense them into various flame weapons: flame blades, flame swords, flame spears—but Xu Jin felt this star art was best suited for archers.

After mastering it, he could directly condense flame arrows, eliminating the need to carry bulky quivers, while greatly increasing their power.

Its practicality was also excellent.

The only one he hadn’t yet figured out was the Initial Fire Source.

Because the Initial Fire Source was a passive star pattern—one that altered all of Xu Jin’s star arts.

After gaining the protection of the Initial Fire Source, Xu Jin’s starlight beams became fiery starlight beams, his star arrows became fiery star arrows, and flame spread densely along his star cords—all significantly increasing their lethality.

The first time he used Flying Star Step, he didn’t know how to control it—fire erupted beneath his feet, nearly burning his clothes.

Xu Jin didn’t yet understand star arts beyond third rank.

If this were true, then perhaps learning similar star patterns would grant access to their corresponding basic star arts.

For example, learning Water Source Star Pattern would turn all his star arts into water-based star arts?

Learning Thunder Source Star Pattern would turn all his star arts into thunder-based star arts?

These were all Xu Jin’s speculations—everything would become clear once he reached the National Dao Academy.

The National Dao Academy didn’t just have teachers—it also housed a vast library, allowing Xu Jin to rapidly learn many foundational truths of the current world.

Besides that, Xu Jin had made an unexpected discovery.

Stacking!

If two third-rank Fire Spirit Star Cores were enshrined simultaneously and their Initial Fire Source protections were both activated, the effects of the two Initial Fire Source protections would stack.

Xu Jin stumbled upon this by accident.

He noticed that when he activated both Initial Fire Source protections at once, the power of his fire-based star arts surged dramatically.

Even the explosion radius of his fiery starlight beams increased substantially.

This sparked Xu Jin’s thoughts.

Could he, in the future, enshrine multiple Fire Spirit Star Cores simultaneously to stack their power?

In such a case, wouldn’t the power of his fire-based—or even other-element star arts—become unimaginably immense?

If calculated this way, the most practically valuable gain from his journey through the Fire Radiance Star Region was undoubtedly these two third-rank Fire Spirit Star Cores.

After testing, Xu Jin began cultivating star patterns inside the Star Lamp.

He had long mastered the Rain Curtain Star Pattern and Whale Devour Star Pattern he’d previously obtained, but hadn’t yet refined them or engraved them due to lack of slots.

But the three Divine Soul star patterns he currently held—whether the fourth-rank-below Dream Soothing, the sixth-rank-below Soul-Shattering, or the sixth-rank-mid Mind-Stillness—once mastered, could be immediately engraved onto his Divine Soul Star, which still had ample empty slots.

In the afternoon, Xu Jin arrived punctually at Jinshan Dao Academy.

The academy immediately erupted in noise, cheers for the senior brother ringing out everywhere.

Wang Weisheng, Zhang Han, Zhang Ming, Lu Xianbing, Yue Daqi, and others had already reported to the National Dao Academy seven or eight days ago, but Xu Jin had yet to see them.

Now seeing Xu Jin, the junior disciples were extraordinarily delighted.

Qian Xiaohu, Yu Guan, Fang Zixing, Qiao Ruonan, and others excitedly surrounded him, huddling close for a long while before finally dispersing, allowing Xu Jin to proceed to Headmaster Dong Zhao.

What urgent matter could Headmaster have for him?

(End of Chapter)