Chapter 241: Assisting Breakthrough

Xu Jin did not ask the Grand Master about the Nine Stars Tide.

Xu Jin believed that when the time came, the Grand Master would surely tell him.

All Xu Jin could do now was prepare for battle.

Xu Jin immediately went to the Foreign Affairs Hall to replenish a batch of elixirs; all recovery elixirs were given to his senior uncle, Mo Ji.

These elixirs all needed to be nurtured first.

He bought three vials each of Superior Spirit-Reviving Elixir, Three-Yin Clear-Soul Elixir, Four-Element Star-Recovery Elixir, and One-Qi Return-Star Elixir.

This alone cut his Dao Merit by over ten thousand points.

This was the first preparation.

The second preparation was emblems.

Xu Jin calculated that if the Nine Stars Tide arrived and he joined the battle, he would most likely be sent to the third-rank star domain.

In normal circumstances, enemies in the third-rank star domain would have a cultivation base of fourth-rank Condensing Star Ninth Layer; with his current strength, Xu Jin still had a chance to handle them one-on-one.

But the greatest difficulty in campaigning across star domains lay precisely here.

There would rarely be any chance for one-on-one combat.

Thus, stockpiling emblems became crucial.

Xu Jin did not know whether the high-rank emblems stored in his space ring could be carried across star gates, but those placed on the Battle Platform could definitely be taken in.

Therefore, he must stockpile many emblems.

Fifth-rank emblems were best—they could be nurtured to possess sixth-rank emblem power.

But he no longer felt comfortable asking for them.

He could only stockpile them himself.

In recent days, Xu Jin had been crafting fourth-rank emblems every day.

He planned to repay his debts first.

Now, his speed in crafting fourth-rank emblems had grown faster, and their quality had improved steadily.

Among every two fourth-rank emblems, one would be a fourth-rank upper-tier Spiral Flame Burst Emblem.

This was already a very high success rate.

While crafting fourth-rank emblems, Xu Jin discovered another thing.

If he used a mid-tier sixth-rank fire source directly while crafting fourth-rank emblems, the probability of producing a fourth-rank upper-tier emblem increased significantly.

If he used a mid-tier sixth-rank lower fire source, most of the resulting fourth-rank emblems were fourth-rank upper-tier.

But if he used a mid-tier sixth-rank or sixth-rank upper fire source star rune, explosions occurred frequently.

Xu Jin had also tried engraving seventh-rank lower or seventh-rank upper high-tier fire source star runes into jade tablets—but all of them exploded without exception.

On October 26, after class, Xu Jin brought his recent work and was given private tutoring by Grand Academician Kou.

After reviewing Xu Jin's submission, Grand Academician Kou was greatly surprised.

"Xu Jin, your progress is astonishing! Some of your fourth-rank upper-tier emblems are nearly at my level."

"As for the success rate of fourth-rank upper-tier emblems, a fifty percent rate is already very high.

Even I, your teacher, currently achieve only just over eighty percent success rate on fourth-rank upper-tier emblems. But you must understand—I've devoted three or five decades to emblem crafting, and I've made no fewer than eighty thousand fourth-rank emblems, if not a hundred thousand.

This craft relies entirely on manual mastery, beyond talent!

Any other person spending five years exclusively crafting one type of fourth-rank emblem might still not reach a fifty percent upper-tier rate." Grand Academician Kou answered each of Xu Jin's questions in turn.

Hearing this, Xu Jin's heart stirred.

He himself was also well-practiced.

He had crafted only a few hundred fourth-rank emblems, but the number of times he had practiced them inside the Star Lamp exceeded fifty thousand.

It seemed he still needed to grind harder when he returned.

"Among basic star runes, especially source-force star runes, their rank has a tremendous impact on emblem rank.

Using a sixth-rank lower fire source rune to craft a fourth-rank emblem is technically overstepping, which is why your upper-tier success rate increases so much.

Normally, sixth-rank fire source runes are only used when crafting fifth-rank emblems.

But when crafting fifth-rank emblems, we usually use fifth-rank star arts—comprising five star runes.

Sometimes, we use high-tier source-force star runes to forcibly elevate an emblem's rank.

For example, the fourth-rank upper-tier Spiral Flame Burst Emblem you're crafting now uses a fifth-rank upper fire source rune.

But if you replace it with a mid-tier sixth-rank or sixth-rank upper fire source rune, the resulting emblem will possess fifth-rank emblem power.

The reason you experience explosions when using mid-tier sixth-rank fire source runes is that your base emblem's rank is too low to contain the power of a mid-tier sixth-rank fire source rune.

If you used a fifth-rank jade tablet as the base and crafted the Spiral Flame Burst Emblem using a mid-tier sixth-rank fire source rune, theoretically it would possess fifth-rank emblem power.

But generally, the maximum rank achievable is limited to fifth-rank mid-tier."

After a pause, Kou Jing continued, "If you've learned the mid-tier sixth-rank fire source rune and wish to try, you may, but you must be extremely, extremely cautious! The explosion of a fifth-rank jade tablet carries immense power—equivalent at minimum to a full-force strike from a fifth-rank early-stage cultivator.

Moreover, mid-tier sixth-rank fire source runes are extremely complex; many require half a year just to learn, and mastering their engraving may take much, much longer.

Personally, I advise you to become thoroughly proficient first, then proceed slowly—don't rush."

As Grand Academician Kou answered each question, all of Xu Jin's accumulated doubts vanished, leaving him enlightened.

"Teacher, I have a question: from everything I've heard and seen so far, I've only encountered sixth-rank emblems—I've never heard of or seen a seventh-rank emblem. Is it because I lack exposure, or because seventh-rank emblems are extremely rare?" Xu Jin asked.

This was Xu Jin's final question.

After all, he currently possessed a seventh-rank upper high-tier fire source star rune; if he could engrave it into an emblem, its power could increase dramatically.

"That's a good question, but to answer it, I must explain the difference between seventh-rank and sixth-rank cultivators.

Sixth-rank cultivators can draw upon part of the celestial star force, but fundamentally, they still use their own power to trigger changes in star force.

Seventh-rank cultivators, however, can comprehend existing seventh-rank star runes, then attain their own corresponding seventh-rank star runes, thereby establishing a thread of connection with the myriad stars.

Sixth-rank is called Cloud Tower.

It prepares one to attract the myriad stars for the breakthrough to seventh-rank.

Thus, the essence of seventh-rank star runes is to harness the power of the myriad stars for oneself.

As cultivators, to draw upon the power of the myriad stars—like me now, studying the Grand Master's newly acquired seventh-rank upper fire source star rune—I must use my spiritual intent to sense the stars from afar, lock onto a specific star, and through this seventh-rank upper fire source star rune, discern a seventh-rank star rune that resonates with me and that star, then…"

Here, Kou Jing suddenly froze.

The next instant, a vast aura surged from Kou Jing's body.

Even in broad daylight, a star in the heavens suddenly brightened, its light poised between emergence and non-emergence, while Kou Jing's aura continued to climb, as if striving desperately to draw down that sliver of starlight.

But the sliver of starlight refused to descend.

It felt as if something was still missing.

Kou Jing's aura had been pushed to its absolute limit.

Both star force and spiritual soul had been driven to their utmost.

Xu Jin instantly realized: Grand Academician Kou, who had long been stuck at sixth-rank peak, was attempting a breakthrough.

But this breakthrough felt unusually difficult.

At the same moment, the seventh-rank upper high-tier fire source star rune engraved within Xu Jin's central star palace flickered faintly, and his Mingji star rune lit up simultaneously.

The next instant, Xu Jin sensed something strange.

He seemed to perceive another fire source star rune within Grand Academician Kou's body.

But this rune differed greatly from Xu Jin's own seventh-rank upper high-tier fire source star rune, which he had derived.

As the one who had personally derived this seventh-rank upper high-tier fire source star rune, Xu Jin immediately recognized the problem: under these conditions, Kou Jing's breakthrough would inevitably fail.

He could not articulate this feeling.

He simply sensed that Grand Academician Kou had not grasped the key point of the star he was calling upon.

But how could he help?

It seemed impossible.

Yet the next instant, Xu Jin noticed that the fire source star rune within Grand Academician Kou's body resonated slightly with his own seventh-rank upper high-tier fire source star rune.

"Could I influence it?"

With a thought, Xu Jin actively activated his seventh-rank upper high-tier fire source star rune; instantly, the star in the heavens blazed intensely, as if starlight were about to project downward.

But beside him, Grand Academician Kou's face suddenly turned pale.

In that instant, he felt his connection to the resonating star weaken.

Was this spontaneous breakthrough about to fail again?

Xu Jin also realized something.

His activation of the seventh-rank upper high-tier fire source star rune had disturbed Grand Academician Kou.

Had he done more harm than good?

But Xu Jin refused to give up.

The next instant, his spiritual soul surged outward, enveloping Grand Academician Kou, determined to try one last time.

Grand Academician Kou trusted his student completely.

He had no suspicion whatsoever.

Xu Jin's spiritual soul enveloped Kou Jing instantly, and in that moment, Xu Jin's seventh-rank upper high-tier fire source star rune felt aligned with the rune within Kou Jing's body.

The two star runes, sharing the same origin, vibrated rapidly in near-perfect unison.

The star in the sky, once drawn, flickered and pulsed in rhythm—but still no starlight descended.

Outside Grand Academician Kou's lecture hall, students stirred by the surge of star force had been dispersed by the Grand Master, who had sensed the anomaly!

"Issue orders: within two quarters of an hour, no one in the Dao Academy shall use star force!"

Those who defy orders shall be executed!

Star Patrol Guards, enforce martial law!

"Yes, your servant accepts the order!" Chief Instructor Yu Da swiftly took the command and departed.

After Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao issued this strict order, he suppressed his own aura as much as possible, fearing he might disturb Kou Jing's breakthrough.

Kou Jing had been stuck at the peak of the sixth realm for over a decade, unable to break through.

Not long ago, Cheng Yuexiao had given Kou Jing the high-grade Fire Source Star Pattern Xu Jin had deduced, for him to contemplate.

During that time, Kou Jing had shown signs of breakthrough twice, but both attempts failed.

Today was the third attempt.

This weighed heavily on Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao's heart.

Breaking into the seventh realm is extremely difficult!

The fact that Chen Guo has fewer than two handfuls of seventh-realm experts is clear proof.

Moreover, the more times one fails during a seventh-realm breakthrough, the lower the chance of success becomes.

Generally, the first time one senses the breakthrough, it is easiest; the second time, harder; the third time, success probability does not exceed thirty percent; the fourth time, not more than ten percent; as for the fifth...

Most people, after four failures, can no longer sense that celestial star.

Unless they try a different seventh-realm star pattern.

Ten years ago, Kou Jing attempted four times to break through using a seventh-realm Wind Star Pattern—all failed.

This time, he switched to a seventh-realm Fire Star Pattern, and had already failed twice.

If this third attempt fails, the likelihood of a fourth failure increases even further.

In other words, Kou Jing's chance at breaking into the seventh realm has vanished again.

He can only wait for the State Dao Academy to acquire the next seventh-realm star pattern.

But acquiring a seventh-realm star pattern is incredibly difficult!

If this attempt fails, for Kou Jing, it may mean permanent failure.

Therefore, Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao placed great importance on this breakthrough attempt.

Yet, a look of anguish had already surfaced in his eyes.

Because he had sensed that the connection between Kou Jing and the star he was resonating with in the sky was growing weaker and weaker.

Failure was drawing near.

Would Kou Jing fail again?

The next instant, Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao's expression suddenly changed.

It seemed to have strengthened!

Then, Cheng Yuexiao looked at Xu Jin with a strange expression.

Just now, he had felt a faint resonance between Xu Jin's aura and Kou Jing's.

Closing his eyes, in Cheng Yuexiao's perception, Xu Jin's current star pattern resembled a blazing sun, completely covering Kou Jing's Fire Source Star Pattern.

Under the influence of Xu Jin's sun-like star pattern, Kou Jing's Fire Source Star Pattern had become like a newborn sunrise, striving to break free from the last threads of darkness binding it.

This pulled Kou Jing, who was on the verge of failure, back onto the path of breakthrough.

Does Xu Jin possess such ability?

Cheng Yuexiao was deeply astonished.

But soon, Cheng Yuexiao found an explanation!

The Creator!

Xu Jin is the Dao-derivative, the creator, of the Fire Source Star Pattern that Kou Jing contemplated—somewhat like the original star pattern.

Perhaps this is the reason.

But there had never been any record of such a phenomenon before!

It could only be studied later; for now, Cheng Yuexiao anxiously awaited the outcome.

If Kou Jing could break into the seventh realm, it would be wonderful!

The State Dao Academy's dire shortage of personnel could finally be alleviated!

Yet Xu Jin, who was actively activating the high-grade Fire Source Star Pattern of the seventh realm, frowned.

It felt like he was still missing something.

In his perception of the Mingji Star Pattern, although the frequency was nearly identical, he was still just short.

Did the frequencies—or the star patterns—of the two still differ slightly?

The next instant, Xu Jin's intuition struck—he gently reached out and placed his right hand on Kou Jing's shoulder.

Instantly, Xu Jin's seventh-realm Fire Source Star Pattern and Kou Jing's Fire Source Star Pattern aligned in frequency, merging perfectly.

Under the influence and guidance of Xu Jin's high-grade seventh-realm Fire Source Star Pattern, Kou Jing's own contemplated seventh-realm Fire Source Star Pattern reached a new height.

In an instant, he understood and completed the most critical line of the pattern.

The next instant, the starlight in the heavens, drawn forth by the pattern, was fully formed and plunged from the sky.

At the same moment, Xu Jin, sensing it, decisively withdrew.

The next instant, a streak of fiery starlight descended upon Kou Jing's head.

Instantly, Kou Jing's aura surged violently—as if shattering a bound, breaking a chain—star power from all directions and starlight falling from heaven surged into his body like a vortex.

Kou Jing's aura had broken through into the seventh realm!

Seeing this, Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao's face broke into a smile.

He wanted to laugh aloud—but dared not.

He could only quietly lead Xu Jin away.

(End of Chapter)