Chapter 26: Blood Guide (Request Follow-Up Reading)

From Deng Hu’s silver note bundle, a single page detailed a cultivation method called “Blood Guide Star Casting Art.”

Xu Jin immediately recognized it as a dark art because the first step of the “Blood Guide Star Casting Art” felt deeply wrong.

Take a fine piece of jade, roughly carved to resemble your own form—just need to capture the likeness—then daily, morning and evening, apply a few drops of heart’s blood to nourish it for one hour, continuing for seven days. After seven days, immerse it in one liter of heart’s blood from a Star-Container, soak for one day, and the Blood Guide will be formed; the more Star-Container blood used, the better the effect.

Then attach it to your chest and continuously practice the Blood Guide Star Casting Art without pause; if fast, within a year, if slow, within three years, you may directly forge a star within your body.

This page meticulously recorded the cultivation method of the Blood Guide Star Casting Art.

The so-called Star-Container refers to someone who has cultivated Star Power.

Any heart’s blood from one who has successfully sparked a star will do—the higher their cultivation base, the better the effect.

Cold sweat beaded on Xu Jin’s forehead.

Judging by this dark art, Deng Hu wasn’t merely after his sister—he was using the pretense of aiding Yang to target Xu Jin’s heart’s blood.

Xu Jin carefully recalled: had Deng Hu worn a jade pendant on his chest?

It seemed Deng Hu did have a jade pendant, but whether it was the Blood Guide, Xu Jin hadn’t noticed—the lighting had been too dim.

Xu Jin suddenly remembered: when he first eavesdropped by the wall, Scar had said they had killed a disciple from the Tianyang Branch who had successfully sparked a star.

Deng Hu’s chest pendant was almost certainly used to cultivate the Blood Guide.

In an instant, Xu Jin clutched the paper as if holding a burning hot potato.

He hadn’t expected that killing a gang of thugs intent on destroying families would tie him to dark demons.

One critical question remained: was Deng Hu a dark demon?

Or was he an heir to some dark demon?

Or a member of a dark demon organization?

Core member, or peripheral?

If the latter, it might be manageable—but if the former, trouble would surely follow.

After careful thought and prolonged observation of the paper recording the dark art, Xu Jin’s mind gradually steadied.

The paper recording the dark art was ordinary, and printed—not handwritten.

True secret manuals were usually only hand-copied or passed down orally.

Printing implied many things.

Deng Hu had not yet completed this dark art—if he had, he would have killed Xu Jin already.

Star Forging comes after the seventh layer of Meal of Mist cultivation.

Combining these factors, Xu Jin judged Deng Hu was at most a peripheral member of the dark demons being hunted by Jinshan County.

He might not even be that.

Otherwise, how could this manual be printed?

Still, caution was necessary.

After thinking it over, Xu Jin shoved the paper recording the “Blood Guide Star Casting Art” into the stove and burned it.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Jin ran into his courtyard beneath the first rays of dawn.

Meal of Mist Form—begin!

Then came the Five Stars Killing Fist.

After three rounds of Five Stars Killing Fist, Xu Jin swallowed his last Blood-Replenishing Pill, then focused his mind to draw the starlight from Can Dou Platform into his body.

More than half the starlight drawn yesterday from Can Dou Platform remained; today’s morning session added another strand.

Here at home, Xu Jin held nothing back.

He practiced Five Stars Killing Fist again and again.

Numbness, itching, pain—all surged wildly up his right arm.

Under continuous Five Stars Killing Fist practice, his body tempering progress surged rapidly.

After sixteen full rounds of Five Stars Killing Fist, Xu Jin finally depleted most of the starlight from Can Dou Platform.

His body tempering progress surged.

The starlight had rapidly spread to the middle of his upper arm—now not far from his elbow.

The starlight hadn’t been fully consumed because Xu Jin deliberately retained one-fifth of a strand as an emergency reserve.

Yesterday’s battle taught Xu Jin that unexpected moments would come.

But when they came, they wouldn’t ask if you were ready.

So Xu Jin decided: from now on, he would leave more starlight on Can Dou Platform—this would be his life-saving trump card in critical moments.

Moreover, during cultivation, Xu Jin had already formulated a new plan for his future training.

Previously, his plan was to accumulate ten strands of starlight, then upgrade Can Dou Platform to see what changes and benefits it brought.

But yesterday’s battle revealed his most urgent need: survival capability.

He must break through to Meal of Mist Second Layer in the shortest possible time.

At least complete tempering his right arm.

Then, whether Starlight Flash, Star Arrow, Star Shield, or Star Ring, all could be unleashed through his right arm.

If he encountered a situation like yesterday’s again, it would be effortless.

Even crushing.

Yesterday, he could only use shoulder impact to unleash Starlight Flash—risking serious injury or death—but timing was too demanding, and the limitations were severe.

Break through to Meal of Mist Second Layer as quickly as possible, then accumulate ten strands of starlight, gather upgrade materials, and upgrade Can Dou Platform to Second Rank to see what new changes it offered.

This was Xu Jin’s short-term goal.

Suddenly, a thunderous rumble echoed in his abdomen.

He was hungry.

Starving.

Xu Jin wiped his sweat and was about to seek food when he turned to see his father, Xu Dajiang, staring at him with shining eyes and a broad smile. “Morning, Father.”

“Finished training? Come eat breakfast—I’ve already prepared it.”

Breakfast was millet porridge with pickled vegetables and soft-baked flatbread.

Xu Jin was truly famished.

He drank two large bowls of millet porridge, devoured six large flatbreads, and finished every last peanut left over from last night.

Xu Dajiang beamed with delight.

“I made too little! I made too little! I’ll make more from now on—as long as you eat, I’m happy.”

As he spoke, Xu Dajiang recalled, “Back then, I feared you couldn’t eat. When you couldn’t eat, I feared you wouldn’t survive.”

“Father, I’m doing much better now.”

Xu Jin knew this was another massive hunger reaction.

Though he had taken a Blood-Replenishing Pill before training today, he had practiced Five Stars Killing Fist an unprecedented sixteen times in a row.

He had trained as many times in one go as others did in an entire day.

A massive hunger reaction was normal.

After breakfast, Xu Jin calculated his silver.

Yesterday, he repaid over twenty taels to relatives and neighbors, recovered the silver he’d paid Deng Hu, and even gained a surplus.

He now had four hundred and seventeen taels of silver.

Without cultivation, this would count as minor wealth.

“Father, about Jiang Er—shouldn’t we break the engagement? If we really have to pay five hundred taels, we’ll find a way—but we can’t let Jiang Er suffer.” Xu Jin thought that with his current silver, saving for four or five months would suffice.

“What nonsense are you talking!”

Xu Dajiang slammed the table. “Five hundred taels? Our farming family could never save five hundred taels in a lifetime—how can you speak of paying it so lightly?” His tone softened slightly. “That Zhao the Kind, the Zhao Estate Master, has a good reputation with his workers. Besides, Jiang Er is grown—whether she works there or not, she must find some work.

Our farming family’s children can’t just idle.”

“What if we wait a month until Jiang Er returns, ask her how things are, hear her opinion, then decide?” Xu Jin said.

The real issue was insufficient silver.

And insufficient strength.

If Xu Jin had six or seven hundred taels now, he’d ignore his father’s opinion and go straight to Zhao the Estate Master to break the engagement.

If his strength were sufficient, it would be a simple matter of words.

“Hmm, that’s fine.”

As they spoke, Xu Jin handed his father one hundred and seventeen taels. “Father, keep this—pay off debts, spend the rest as you wish.”

Xu Jin kept three hundred taels for himself.

Mostly for cultivation.

Ning Yuchan demanded he break through to Meal of Mist Fifth Layer within two months—she’d require elixirs to assist.

Otherwise, a tenfold repayment in a year? That’s no joke.

Xu Dajiang kept only seven taels and pushed all the rest back to Xu Jin.

“What are you saying? I paid off my debts—I’m debt-free. We have food and drink; we’ll only save silver, not spend it.

Keep this—use it for cultivation.

I know cultivation costs silver.

I’m counting on you to bring glory to our ancestors and give me grandchildren.” Xu Dajiang laughed.

They pushed and pulled back and forth several times; finally, Xu Jin reluctantly pushed ten taels toward his father. “Father, take these—buy meat, nourish your body. Now that I’m in the Middle Courtyard, my monthly stipend is ten taels—and it’ll only grow from here.

Eat well—I want you to live a hundred years.”

Hearing this, Xu Dajiang’s eyes suddenly reddened; he quickly turned his head, wiping away tears as he laughed, “My boy’s grown up, my boy’s grown up.”

Fine, I’ll eat meat.

I’ve got to live to a hundred and hold my grandson.”

On the way back to the Dao Academy from home, Xu Jin felt that, at this moment, he had finally fully embraced this identity and fully integrated into this family!

Before entering the county seat, they would pass by the West City Wharf.

Along the road to the wharf, people came and went, seemingly nothing unusual.

Xu Jin did not approach to inspect closely; he merely glanced a few extra times as he passed by.

There appeared to be no major commotion.

It seemed Deng Hu and his gang of ruffians had not yet been discovered.

The later they were discovered, the safer Xu Jin and his father would be.

But as they neared the West Gate of the county seat, Xu Jin’s expression subtly changed.

The city guards had increased.

Not only had the number of guards at the gate doubled, but they had begun checking identities, questioning each person about their origin and destination; anyone with the slightest inconsistency was pulled aside for further inquiry.

Xu Jin’s expression grew grave.

Had the matter been exposed?

(End of Chapter)