Chapter 31: Whispers at My Ear (Request Follows and Monthly Votes)

"Who?"

Xu Jin demanded aloud, but there was no response.

After triple-checking that he hadn’t imagined it, Xu Jin stepped outside and carefully searched the area.

No one.

No one was anywhere near the dormitory.

After thinking it over, Xu Jin returned inside, retrieved a bundle, and, under the pretense of inspecting it, quietly sprinkled lime powder beneath the door and windows.

Since that day he killed Deng Hu and his gang, Xu Jin had suddenly realized lime was a useful thing.

A divine tool to turn the tide in a critical moment.

So he bought several more packs and kept them on hand.

Now, whenever Xu Jin left the Dao Academy, he always carried a pack as backup.

"Huh, you’ve become addicted to lime. But against enemies who haven’t forged their Stars, lime still works wonders—I used it myself back in the day."

The whisper sounded again beside his ear, making Xu Jin’s hair stand on end—he leapt from bed and dashed outside.

Outside, no one was there.

On the roof, no one was there either.

"Xu Jin, what’s going on?" Qiao Ruonan, from the neighboring dorm, heard the commotion and came out to investigate.

"Sister Qiao, I heard someone knocking outside, so I came out to check." Xu Jin hurriedly said.

"Knocking?"

Qiao Ruonan, wrapped in her outer robe, her figure curvaceous, said, "I didn’t hear a sound at all." Then she returned inside, secured the door latch, and tightened the windows.

Though it was a single room, as one of the few women in the Dao Academy, Qiao Ruonan was very careful about safety.

Xu Jin carefully examined the lime he had just sprinkled—no footprints.

He glanced a few more times, then returned inside, uneasy.

He had barely sat down when the voice spoke again beside his ear.

"If you want to find me, cultivate for a hundred years first!"

Xu Jin instantly stood up, but after a few breaths of thought, he slowly sat back down.

If he couldn’t find the person, going out again would be useless.

So far, this person knew about his killing of Deng Hu and his gang—even the details about his use of lime—but hadn’t shown any intent to harm him yet.

If he had, the County Guards would have come knocking by now.

"You’re bluffing."

Xu Jin couldn’t figure out how he’d been exposed that night; now, panicking wouldn’t help—he had to stall for time.

"You can lower your voice. Just move your lips—I’ll understand. Otherwise, your neighbor over there might think you’re insane and get scared out of her wits." The mysterious voice said.

"As for whether I’m bluffing, you’ll find out later."

"Who are you?"

"Knowing won’t help you."

Xu Jin fell silent. "Then what do you want?"

"What do I want? When I saw you kill for the first time—four at once—I thought it was interesting."

Xu Jin’s heart jolted.

This mysterious person knew too much: among the five, one had been killed by his father Xu Dajiang with a club.

How could he know so precisely?

Had he witnessed it?

"What exactly do you want?" Xu Jin asked, voice low.

"Nothing much. I just thought it fascinating that a boy who’d only just forged his Star ten days ago could master the Five-Dou Killing Fist to perfection and instantly emit Starlight. Your talent is exceptional—I’ve taken a liking to you and want to teach you a skill. Will you learn?"

Teach him a skill?

Xu Jin’s mind raced.

Where in this world did such a gift come from, handed out so freely?

"No."

On the roof, Qishanye, seated in his blue robe, was suddenly amused by Xu Jin’s blunt refusal.

"You’ve got quite a bit of nerve."

"You refuse me so outright—aren’t you afraid I’ll expose you?" Qishanye said.

"Not afraid. I feel you’re not that kind of person."

On the roof, Qishanye suddenly felt manipulated. Was he that kind of person?

Actually… he wasn’t.

But today, he couldn’t let this boy get the upper hand.

In just one day, having infiltrated the Dao Academy, he’d learned everything about Xu Jin.

Mastering the Five-Dou Killing Fist to perfection in seven or eight days? That showed absurdly high talent.

Diligent, brave, strategic, patient, ruthless, yet loyal and righteous—such people were rare, but not impossible to find.

Tian Zhang, twenty years ago, was one.

But add the first trait—exceptional talent—and they became exceedingly rare.

The rarest he’d seen in nearly twenty years.

Even among the Five Great Star Palaces, no one had ever mastered the Five-Dou Killing Fist to perfection in just eight days.

So could he be manipulated?

Absolutely not.

"Funny—I really am that kind of person."

"Since you’re not afraid, I’ll go to the Tianhe Gang right now and claim the bounty. That Deng, the guild leader, offered a hundred taels of silver for your head." Qishanye said.

"Master, how about I give you the bounty myself?" Xu Jin said after some thought.

On the roof, Qishanye nearly laughed out loud. "Do you think I’m short on a hundred taels of silver?"

"Then why would you go to the Tianhe Gang to betray me?"

Qishanye fell silent, then suddenly smiled. Of course—he’d never been good at verbal sparring.

"Just tell me—will you learn this skill or not?"

"If I say no, what will you do?" Xu Jin asked.

"Oh, if you refuse, your father will be captured by the Tianhe Gang in about half an hour, and before dawn, your sister Xu Jiang will be kidnapped by them too." Qishanye said.

Xu Jin: "."

Xu Jin gritted his teeth in rage, but couldn’t react.

"I think you wouldn’t do something like that. You’re a person with principles, with conscience, right?"

"Conscience?"

"You’re talking about principles and conscience to a dying man?" On the roof, Qishanye sneered. The words felt hypocritical, but what could he do? The goal justified the means.

The thing those men had chased him across ten thousand miles to steal—he couldn’t deliver it.

Qishanye felt like he was about to go mad.

Inside, Xu Jin had been stalling for a long time, and finally gained some insight.

This mysterious man had once had some principles—but as he himself said, how could you talk about principles or conscience to a dying man?

So, he mustn’t provoke him.

He had to play along for now.

"Will you learn or not? If not, I’m off to the Tianhe Gang right now." The words made Xu Jin grind his molars—he’d been pinned by his weakest point.

"I’ll learn!"

On the roof, Qishanye felt like laughing out loud.

Finally, he’d gotten one.

Of course, it wasn’t that Qishanye’s teachings had no takers—it was that the skills he offered demanded extremely high talent, and Qishanye himself was very picky about other qualities.

So when he finally found someone suitable, they refused to learn.

And those who were willing to learn, he despised.

"Boy, you agreed so quickly—do you even know what I’m going to teach you?"

"Does it matter?" Xu Jin spread his hands. "I have no choice."

Qishanye thought that was true, but he still needed to clarify something.

"Let me ask you this: since you began cultivating, what do you feel you lack the most?"

"What I lack the most?"

"Silver."

Qishanye: "."

"Besides silver?" Qishanye had to grit his teeth and ask again. If this had been his student twenty years ago, he’d have already smacked him across the head.

"Elixirs."

Qishanye: "."

Wasn’t that still about lacking silver?

Inside, Xu Jin’s face was perfectly calm—he answered entirely from the heart.

“Think again—what’s still missing?”

“Time? I need a few more days to cultivate; then I wouldn’t have looked so desperate killing that man.”

Qi Shanye: “.”

“What else?”

“Then it must be star force.”

At this, Qi Shanye could no longer hold back—he had intended to be a patient, guiding master, but this damn fool gave him no opening.

“Don’t you lack spiritual soul force?”

“Of course I do. Everyone lacks it—it’s hard to recover unless you’re sleeping,” Xu Jin said.

On the roof, Qi Shanye fell silent.

You lack it—then why didn’t you say so just now?

“Have you ever heard of a method to strengthen spiritual soul force?”

“No!”

Qi Shanye: “.”

He might as well stop trying to coax.

There was no way to guide him gently anymore.

“I have a star pattern called the Pure Soul Star Pattern. Once mastered, it daily purifies and refines your spiritual soul force, raising its upper limit and accelerating its recovery—it’s a cultivation essential and a vital tool for casting star arts.”

After forging your star, a star art that normally delivers ten units of power will let you unleash twelve.”

“Do you want to learn it?” Qi Shanye asked.

“I do.”

On the roof, Qi Shanye, observing Xu Jin’s blank expression through his potent spiritual soul force, nearly went mad.

That expression made it clear—he didn’t believe a single word.

Not a shred.

“Forget it. I’m not taking on a normal disciple anyway. Teach him first—once he masters it, he’s on my boat,” Qi Shanye thought to himself, then immediately instructed Xu Jin.

“This Pure Soul Star Pattern resides at your Upper Star Palace, a critical point—too special to imprint directly. Soon, my spiritual soul force will enter your body and trace the pattern. Use the Drink Radiance Form to draw in star force, and visualize your forehead as the Upper Star Palace.”

“Understood.”

Xu Jin naturally wanted to refuse—being branded on the head—but his vital point was held, leaving him no choice.

In the next instant, Xu Jin’s eyes flew wide open—the door opened, a breeze entered, and he sensed someone coming in, yet saw nothing.

Then, he shuddered violently—a large hand pressed onto his forehead, warm to the touch.

At least it was warm; otherwise, he’d have thought some supernatural entity had appeared.

Xu Jin instinctively resisted, but the hand released only a faint force, pinning him utterly still.

“Do you want to become an idiot?”

“Imprinting the star pattern at the Upper Star Palace is extremely dangerous. Don’t resist—just use the Drink Radiance Form, draw in star force, visualize your forehead, and memorize the pattern,” Qi Shanye said.

Xu Jin wanted to curse.

This scene was straight out of a horror film—voice present, person invisible.

A hand felt, but no one seen.

How could he possibly relax?

“Could you at least show yourself? This is making me nervous,” Xu Jin whispered.

Qi Shanye paused—he was right. He immediately revealed his green-robed figure.

Xu Jin was stunned—this was a magic trick? A man just appeared out of thin air?

“How did you do that?”

“Learn this star pattern, then a few more—you might do it too,” Qi Shanye said.

“Focus your mind, guard your spirit, draw in star force.”

Whether Xu Jin liked it or not, he had to begin learning.

But after only half an hour, he cried out: “No more—I can’t take it! My head’s throbbing—my spiritual soul force is drained!”

“Hmm?”

Qi Shanye blinked—he could believe it. The kid had been cultivating nonstop.

“We’ll stop for today.”

In an instant, the green-robed figure vanished.

But Xu Jin kept pondering one question: What did this terrifying figure want by forcing him to learn the Pure Soul Star Pattern?

What was his scheme?

He thought long and hard, considering many possibilities—but none could be confirmed.

He could only gather his mind, sinking his thoughts back into the Star Lamp of the Can Dou Platform, beginning to inscribe the Small Gathering Star Pattern within it.

Earlier, when Xu Jin claimed his head ached, he was lying to the green-robed man.

At that very moment, inside a quiet chamber at Jinshan Dao Academy, Tian Zhang, the Patrol Star Guard Supervisor, suddenly opened his eyes, glanced out the window, and gripped his saber’s hilt.

(End of Chapter)