[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-star-martial-era":3,"chapter-the-star-martial-era-the-star-martial-era-chapter-222":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Star Martial Era",{"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},2275080,4448,"Chapter 222: Assisting Old Qi","the-star-martial-era-chapter-222",222,"\u003Cp>A mid-grade sixth-rank alien star core attracted few bidders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most lacked Xu Jin’s determination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At 3,300 strands of starlight, Xu Jin secured the mid-grade sixth-rank alien star core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In subsequent lots, two sets of fifth-rank star cores and one sixth-rank star core appeared; Xu Jin coveted them but restrained himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too bad bidders couldn’t touch the items—otherwise, Xu Jin could have examined each one to select the most suitable star core for devotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, it was all a matter of chance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Ling Mao had promised to cover Xu Jin’s costs, effectively granting him unlimited black-card access.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Xu Jin had to know his limits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So far, Ling Mao had lent him at least 7,600 strands of starlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was already a massive sum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Converted to Dao Merit, it was 76,000; converted to silver, it was 760,000 taels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin felt uneasy asking for more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But according to Ling Mao, the Changsheng Trading House held such auctions once a month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could save up starlight for next month—no need to rush now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the auction’s end, the final lot was a female slave—an alien female slave!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bidding was extremely heated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the price remained low: a fully controlled alien female slave cost only fifty strands of starlight, sold in lots of ten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, those with cultivation were priced differently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half an hour later, after Ling Mao paid the remaining 7,600-plus strands of starlight on his behalf, Xu Jin successfully claimed his three auction items and departed with Ling Mao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Big Brother Ling, let me write you an IOU,” Xu Jin suddenly said on the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling Mao laughed at Xu Jin’s serious expression. “Brother, you think I’m not worth your trust?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This little amount—why write an IOU? We’re brothers. If I weren’t afraid you’d be offended, I’d just give it to you outright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then thank you, Big Brother Ling—I’ll repay you as soon as possible. Also, I’ll repay you with a seal emblem—is that acceptable?” Xu Jin said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course. That saves on personal transaction taxes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fifteen minutes later, Ling Mao dropped Xu Jin off at the Dao Academy. As Xu Jin left, Ling Mao clapped his shoulder. “Brother, if you ever need help, just speak up! Remember—any problem solvable with starlight isn’t a real problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ve got plenty of starlight myself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few breaths later, Xu Jin watched Ling Mao depart, feeling a quiet sense of gratitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Xu Jin knew Ling Mao was cultivating this friendship for his future potential, the help was genuine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back at his small courtyard, Xu Jin reported his safety to Peng Lao, then eagerly examined his auction purchases.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, the fourth-rank star artifact, Gaiyue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smaller than a palm, three inches long, one inch wide, yet surprisingly heavy, its faint bluish-gold surface shimmered under moonlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When his spiritual sense sank in, he instantly understood its two innate star arts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was the common fourth-rank star art—Ruyi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The size-altering kind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Able to grow or shrink at will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other star art was named Gaiyue, a common technique for weapon-type star artifacts: when channeling star power, its sharpness and speed doubled, rendering it unstoppable, while its glow became dazzling—hence the name “Gaiyue.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Summary: a very ordinary, common fourth-rank star artifact with little uniqueness, but its material and forging technique were solid—its fourth-rank upper-grade rank guaranteed its power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was Xu Jin’s third fourth-rank star artifact, yet in terms of power and value, it ranked lowest among his three.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of his three fourth-rank star artifacts, Luanshengzhui held the highest value—worth more than a fifth-rank artifact; Tàoxīngxuē came second; Gaiyue ranked last, but was still serviceable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d collect more starlight over time and gradually replace them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next instant, Xu Jin sent all ten fifth-rank alien star cores and the single sixth-rank alien star core he’d just purchased into the Cāndǒu Platform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, starlight flared across the platform, and streams of information rapidly surfaced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few breaths later, Xu Jin’s expression confirmed his suspicions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, these were the leftovers from the Star River Battlefield—star cores that made it to the mortal realm were never top-tier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or perhaps Changsheng Auction House had deliberately curated them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of the ten fifth-rank alien star cores, only two were fifth-rank upper-grade; the rest were all fifth-rank mid-grade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Xu Jin’s luck wasn’t bad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One fifth-rank mid-grade and one fifth-rank upper-grade star core were fire-type; the fifth-rank upper-grade core made Xu Jin’s eyes widen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Fifth-rank mid-grade Fire Spirit: grants protection, mid-grade fire source, fire meteor】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Fifth-rank upper-grade Fire Spirit: grants protection, initial-grade fire image, mid-grade fire source, fire spirit】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fire Image Star Seal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin had seen the legendary Fire Image Star Seal for the first time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too bad he couldn’t reverse-engineer it—at least not yet. Otherwise, inscribing this Fire Image Star Seal would greatly boost his combat power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But today’s haul was still excellent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sixth-rank mid-grade star core was a wind-type spirit core, offering a protection star seal useless to Xu Jin for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it still had great utility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin bought it not only to gamble for a thunder- or fire-type core, but also as a safety net.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if the sixth-rank mid-grade core was useless, he could detonate it all at once—effectively carrying a sixth-rank mid-grade standard seal capable of unleashing a full-power strike from a sixth-rank Cloud Tower mid-stage cultivator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was another layer of his survival backup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sixth-rank seals were hard to find, but sixth-rank star cores could be bought with money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other eight fifth-rank cores were much the same—currently useless protection star seals, usable only as fifth-rank seals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though perhaps one day they’d come in handy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Additionally, one other fifth-rank upper-grade core brought Xu Jin pleasant surprise: a rare wood spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Fifth-rank upper-grade Wood Spirit: grants protection, mid-grade wood source, mid-grade healing】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next instant, Xu Jin gripped the Zhaixing Token and entered the God-Slaying Battlefield, Level 128, swapped in his new star cores, and began testing variations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mid-grade healing had little effect in the God-Slaying Battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the two fifth-rank fire spirits genuinely enhanced the power of Xu Jin’s fire star arts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin spent some starlight to swap protections, testing the changes in star art power under two mid-grade fire sources, and under one mid-grade fire source plus an initial-grade fire image.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tested until Level 137 before stopping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Conclusion: the power boost in the God-Slaying Battlefield was roughly the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt the star art power was nearly identical under initial-grade fire image and mid-grade fire source.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the initial-grade fire image felt constricted when used in the God-Slaying Battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, Xu Jin chose the protection of mid-grade fire source and initial-grade fire image.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Overall, the power of his fire star arts increased by about one and a half tenths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His other two devotion slots were filled with fourth-rank thunder spirits, granting protection of mid-grade thunder source and Lei Yi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In future needs, he could replace them all with fire spirits to stack fire star art power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Xu Jin’s future goal was to keep collecting fire- and thunder-type star cores—so that at critical moments, he could switch all devotion cores to one type for a maximum power burst.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the “Fire Meteor” star art—sounds impressive—he hadn’t tested it in the God-Slaying Battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d keep it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d test it in the mortal world when he had time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This new Fire Meteor might one day serve as a killing move against Gold Star or Can Star challenges.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he doubted he’d use it anytime soon—his evolved combination star art, Jing Meng, was undoubtedly superior for a long while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reviewing today’s gains, Xu Jin had planned to inscribe star seals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ninth star seal slot in the Zhong Xing Palace remained empty, and he had no suitable star seal to inscribe—he intended to consult his Master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his cultivation had already reached the peak of Refining Star Eighth Layer; he hadn’t done tonight’s evening practice yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t waste evening practice time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After thinking, Xu Jin gripped the Zhaixing Token and entered the Zhaixing Secret Realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today’s entry into the Zhaixing Secret Realm was the most confident Xu Jin had ever felt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why? His spiritual soul cultivation had surged—from mid-stage fourth-rank Condensing Star One to early-stage fourth-rank Condensing Star Three, nearly doubling his spiritual soul power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Additionally, his evolved combination star art, Jing Meng, was his greatest confidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In contrast, the fire power boost from today’s two new fifth-rank fire spirits was negligible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Xu Jin believed he could still conquer Can Star even without Jing Meng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to his current strength, this challenge was the easiest he’d ever faced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was also why his power had risen so rapidly. After this, if his cultivation advanced at a normal pace, the Gold Star and Can Star challenges ahead would become hellish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Challenge began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bronze Star and Silver Star posed no difficulty—cleared instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Gold Star-level heart demon and Gold Star-level guardian were the easiest he’d ever slain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even then, he hadn’t used Jing Meng—only Po Sha combined with Wen Meng, and Po Sha combined with Jing Ju.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Xu Jin challenged Can Star.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing Can Star, Xu Jin remained extremely cautious—because one misstep could mean death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The attack power of a Gold-Star-level heart demon and Gold-Star-level guardian is still extremely strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Xu Jin takes just two hits in a row, he’ll be instantly killed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with the Fish-Star Pattern, he’d still be instantly killed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But today’s challenge was surprisingly easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right at the start of battle, Xu Jin charged straight at the Gold-Star-level guardian and unleashed a swift Instant Dream Shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hit!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It directly stunned the Gold-Star-level guardian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the very same moment, the Gold-Star-level heart demon also rushed in—again with Instant Dream Shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin wanted to test how the Instant Dream Star Art would affect a Gold-Star-level heart demon!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, the struck Gold-Star-level heart demon fell into brief paralysis!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin, who had already prepared his tactic, finished off the Gold-Star-level heart demon with Flame Burst, Soul-Shaking Golden Lotus, and another Flame Burst.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One Flame Burst blasted the heart demon awake from its nightmare; as its eyes filled with terror, the Soul-Shaking Golden Lotus exploded, inflicting heavy damage—and its soul-core was shattered in turn—then another Flame Burst finished it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He eliminated the Gold-Star-level heart demon without taking a single hit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at the very moment Xu Jin eliminated the Gold-Star-level heart demon without damage, a terrifying blade of light slammed into his back, sending him flying backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the Gold-Star-level guardian, having broken free from the Dream Shock, now attacking Xu Jin!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin estimated that Dream Shock had only stunned the Gold-Star-level guardian for one second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that was still powerful enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason was simple: the Gold-Star-level guardian, at Fourth Stage, Condensing Star Eighth Layer, radiated a soul-core aura already at Fourth Stage Condensing Star level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gap between his own soul-core cultivation and the guardian’s wasn’t that large.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stunned for one second? That was more than enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In actual combat, if you can stun an opponent for half a second—or even a single instant—it’s a massive advantage!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Xu Jin, congratulations on successfully completing the challenge. You’ve earned one Brilliant Star.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This message filled Xu Jin with great excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He now held three Brilliant Stars and nine Gold Stars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his current combat power, breaking through to Refining Star Ninth Layer and harvesting Gold and Brilliant Stars wouldn’t be difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But once his cultivation broke through to the Condensing Star Realm, harvesting Gold and Brilliant Stars would no longer be this easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without other enhancements, he’d likely fail to obtain a Brilliant Star.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, Xu Jin wasn’t in a hurry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He still needed to reach Fourth Stage Condensing Star—there was still time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After exiting the Star Harvesting Secret Realm, Xu Jin prepared to continue his evening practice; his cultivation would then smoothly break through to Refining Star Ninth Layer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before attempting the breakthrough, Xu Jin sent a message to Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Grand Master, I’ve just completed the Star Harvesting Secret Realm challenge and earned another Brilliant Star.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Danxia Academy, Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao, bent over his paperwork, froze for an instant upon seeing this star-message, then his eyes lit up with wild joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He jumped up like a child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rubbed his hands in excitement!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Peng Lao, emerging from the shadows, watched the ecstatic and delighted Palace Master Cheng Yuexiao with confusion—and also a touch of happiness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For twenty years, he’d never seen the Palace Master this happy!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Keep cultivating, push harder. These days, consider using another Gold Star to refine your Dao. Once you’ve obtained Gold and Brilliant Stars, convert them into real power as soon as possible.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Understood. I’ll come find you someday for your guidance.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After replying, Xu Jin settled down to cultivate, avoiding the risk of being startled awake again by Cheng Yuexiao’s sudden arrival right after his breakthrough—that would be terrible!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His cultivation naturally and smoothly broke through to Refining Star Ninth Layer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After evening practice, Xu Jin intended to enter the Star Harvesting Tower to challenge the Third Stage Combat Secret Realm—his ranking had already climbed into the top ten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wondered if he could reach the top three.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as he prepared to enter the Third Stage Combat Secret Realm, Xu Jin suddenly thought of Old Qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The last time he contacted Old Qi, upon hearing Xu Jin had harvested a Gold Star, Old Qi had urgently wanted to retrieve the research scrolls sealed in the Spirit Record Star Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin told him to notify him before acting, but Old Qi had sent no word since.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin wasn’t worried Old Qi wouldn’t act—he was terrified Old Qi would act without telling him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Qi was the third person in this world, after Xu Jin’s father Xu Dajiang and Ning Yuchan, who truly cared for him with all his heart. Last time, Old Qi nearly died—Xu Jin couldn’t let him risk his life again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why, last time, Xu Jin insisted Old Qi notify him before acting—he wanted to give him some life-saving treasures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fifth-stage star emblem, cultivated by Xu Jin, possessed the power to obliterate fifth-stage experts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Hu Xuechuan truly came after him, Old Qi could use it—perhaps even kill Hu Xuechuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Old Qi hadn’t contacted him in so long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin feared Old Qi wouldn’t dare use Xu Jin’s emblem and would sneak off on his own—that would truly be Xu Jin’s nightmare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Xu Jin had just a little time, if he could inscribe fourth-stage emblems, cultivate them, and make a few hundred,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>even without fifth-stage emblems, using cultivated fourth-stage emblems, he could overwhelm Hu Xuechuan with sheer volume.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Xu Jin truly didn’t want Old Qi to risk his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Master, what have you been up to lately? You’re not secretly acting behind my back, are you?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin sent a star-message to Qi Shanye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【How could I? You’re my only disciple, my precious treasure—I’d never act behind your back.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Shanye quickly replied with a star-message.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin glanced at it and knew something was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Qi was dodging the question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A normal reply would start with his own status, then add a few words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this one was overly sentimental—Xu Jin was certain Old Qi had already acted behind his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【That’s gross! Fine—swear an oath: if you act behind my back, my disciple Xu Jin will die tomorrow on the street, his body reduced to dust!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin pulled out his ultimate weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Kid, are you that cruel? Who curses themselves like that? Don’t you know what “a word brings fate” means?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Alright then, since you won’t swear and won’t take emblems from me, I’ll go find Hu Xuechuan tomorrow, leak the news of the Pure Soul Star Pattern, then vanish using the Hidden Star Art to ease your burden.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin said no more—just those words, as if he meant every one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>True to form, Qi Shanye surrendered within seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What could he do? Qi Shanye cared too deeply for Xu Jin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew Xu Jin was exploiting his weakness—but he dared not gamble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What could he say? Xu Jin had leverage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who are cared for are fearless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Fine, I won’t swear. I’ve indeed started acting—I plan to retrieve the scrolls in a few days. Since you said so, I’ll take one emblem as backup. Don’t you dare do anything stupid.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Shanye knew Xu Jin well—this boy had once led a raid straight into the Bai Dou Divine Sect’s branch temple to save his sister. He simply couldn’t risk it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he surrendered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the surrendered Old Qi was both furious and happy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Furious because the kid blackmailed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Happy because being cared for, being remembered—it felt wonderful!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his old age, in his ruin, someone still cared for him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His life wasn’t wasted!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This disciple? Worth every moment!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Good. Since you’ve agreed, where should we meet—or where should I deliver the emblems to you?】 Xu Jin asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【I can’t enter the capital of Chen Guo, Wan Yi—the Tianyang and Cangming Star Halls have never stopped searching for survivors of the Spirit Record Star Hall. Go to Songzhouzhoucheng in Chen Guo. If you can make it, we’ll meet there in four days!】 Qi Shanye said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Or, you can send someone to deliver it to me.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Alright. Four days from now, Songzhouzhoucheng. Don’t you dare miss it!】 Xu Jin immediately decided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Good. See you in four days.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After ending the chat with Old Qi, Xu Jin fell into deep thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He absolutely had to go meet his master—these emblems must be delivered by his own hand!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The preparations ahead were now crucial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And how to leave the Guodao Academy!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of this needed preparation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2961,"2026-06-19T23:56:34.019Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","cd5ffd2bd574e9b6c2a7dd9e6eb97a28e18412c9d167177b73b4236153369bc8","the-star-martial-era-chapter-223","the-star-martial-era-chapter-221",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-star-martial-era-cover.jpg"]