Chapter 310: A Big Problem

Xingyang War City is said to have once been the capital of a fourth-rank star domain that was breached.

"Breaching" means, first, shattering the star domain's boundary wall, then relentlessly destroying and expanding the breach.

This requires immense manpower and time, especially from strong cultivators, at a tremendous cost.

After the target star domain is breached, its celestial will merges with—or is consumed by—the celestial will of the current world.

Then, all restrictions imposed by the target star domain's celestial will vanish.

For example, limits such as only allowing fourth-rank cultivators to enter, or capping cultivation base at fifth-rank ninth-layer peak, all disappear.

Then, large forces storm in, clear the area, complete total occupation, and finally link the domain to the Star River Battlefield's continent.

All of this is recorded in the library of the Chen Guo Dao Academy.

Thus, many buildings in Xingyang War City exhibit strong foreign architectural features, while newly constructed ones display distinct Chen Guo styles.

These two radically different styles standing side by side in the same city convey an eerie beauty.

Xu Jin strolled through the streets of Xingyang War City, but his mood was not good.

Xingyang War City is the garrison of the Fifth Guard of the Chen Guo Xuanhu Army.

The commander of the Chen Guo Xuanhu Army is none other than Yangdu Marquis Chai Ce, one of the Three Princes and Seven Marquises.

Yangdu Marquis Chai Ce commands the Chen Guo Xuanhu Army, which has thirty-six thousand tiger warriors, all with a cultivation base no lower than Star Refining, stationed in two cities within the Chen Guo War Zone: Xingyang War City and Yangdu War City.

Yangdu War City is also Yangdu Marquis Chai Ce's main garrison and frontline post.

According to Chen Guo War Zone military law, all army commanders must personally garrison the frontline.

As far as Xu Jin understood, Ning Yuchan's assignment to the Chen Guo War Zone's Xuanhu Army was standard.

The Chen Guo War Zone's assignment rule is territorial allocation.

Since Yangdu Marquis's fief in the current world is in Yanzhou, cultivators from Yanzhou are mostly assigned under his command—this was what Xu Jin learned in the library.

One major reason is dialect.

The Star River Battlefield is far removed from the current world; the military must accommodate warriors' regional origins to ease their homesickness.

But Xu Jin was concerned whether Yangdu Marquis might target Ning Yuchan.

After all, when they stormed Yangdu Marquis's territory to rescue Jiang Er, Ning Yuchan charged forward most fiercely.

Although Dong Zhao led from the front, it's hard to say.

Yet in Ning Yuchan's previous peace-confirming starlight messages, everything was normal—she had directly been appointed Deputy Director of the Second Battalion of the Xuanhu Army's Fifth Guard.

In Chen Guo military structure, a Guard Commander is typically sixth-rank, while frontline Directors are usually fifth-rank.

With Ning Yuchan just having broken through to fifth-rank, her appointment as Deputy Director was perfectly normal.

After walking around, Xu Jin found the Xuanhu Army's Fifth Guard camp, located in the southern part of Xingyang War City.

How to meet Ning Yuchan, and under what identity, was a problem.

In the short term, Xu Jin could not yet reveal the truth to Ning Yuchan.

Before the State Advisor left, he had specifically instructed him.

Xu Jin's close relationship with Ning Yuchan was no secret; someone might be secretly observing.

It was advised to wait until this matter had cooled and no one paid attention, then Xu Jin could decide on his own whether to tell Ning Yuchan.

After just one circuit, Xu Jin passed the front gate of the Fifth Guard camp and turned onto another street.

He needed to settle in first.

After all, Ning Yuchan was in Xingyang War City; Xu Jin's current plan was to cultivate for a while—cultivation could happen anywhere.

He didn't need to buy a house; he only wanted to rent a courtyard here to cultivate.

Xingyang War City was vast and sparsely populated, with many private courtyards built specifically for cultivators, available for rent or purchase.

Now, Xu Jin had long passed the stage of splitting a single coin into two.

He rented a moderately sized courtyard for one third-rank star jade gui per month.

It was so expensive because the courtyard came with a second-rank alert array plate; when activated, it could barely serve as a warning system.

It could alert if someone entered the courtyard, but offered no defensive capability.

After taking out fresh bedding from his pocket dimension and laying it down, the first thing Xu Jin did was sleep.

Since the Nine-Star Tide began, Xu Jin had not rested properly.

After discovering Grand Steward Chu's blood sacrifice, he activated the Golden Cicada Shedding Plan and hadn't closed his eyes for over two days on the starship.

The benefit of Wen Meng's ability became clear now.

Instant sleep!

Xu Jin fell asleep at noon but was jolted awake in the evening.

He was awakened simultaneously by the Mingji Star Pattern and the courtyard's alert array.

Someone intruded?

Two people!

Both were fourth-rank ninth-layer!

As Xu Jin frowned, he stepped out cautiously and saw two middle-aged men chatting at his courtyard gate. "Look, our new neighbor's out," one said, waving at Xu Jin.

Xu Jin was stunned.

Fifteen minutes later, Xu Jin fully understood.

It was like hometown kin.

These two were cultivators from Yanzhou, settled here.

Seeing the alert glow rise from this courtyard, they brought wine and meat to introduce themselves to the new neighbor.

Men are strange creatures: hundreds of encounters may not make friends, but after one drinking session, they become friends—basic-level friends, at least.

One was Zhong Wei, the other He Gongyou.

Zhong Wei was thirty-seven, He Gongyou forty-four; both had been on the Star River Battlefield for years, drifting among mercenary squads, and had just returned from battle.

From their idle chatter, Xu Jin learned they had both been hired by officers of the Fifth Guard to fight alongside the army.

"Brothers, how come us ordinary cultivators get to fight alongside regular troops?" Xu Jin asked, curious and playing his sweet-talker role.

"Brother, you're new to the Star River Battlefield—you don't know. The battlefield yields rich spoils, but every battle is fought with your head on the line; regular army casualty rates are still high, even among officers.

In the past, we mercenaries wanted to get rich, but a squad of just ten or so meant higher odds of total annihilation if we encountered a large enemy force.

Later, someone started cooperating with army officers.

Before executing missions, these officers recruited a few mercenary squads to fight alongside them.

Our mercenary squads are usually fourth-rank or higher, while the Xuanhu Army's main combat force is third-rank.

Take one battalion of the Xuanhu Army as an example: each has about twelve hundred to fifteen hundred troops. The commanding officer and deputy commander are fifth-rank; the personal guard is fourth-rank; below them, squad leaders and team leaders are also fourth-rank; the rest are mostly third-rank. So in such a unit, having a hundred fourth-ranks is already good—most have only seventy or eighty.

And most of these fourth-ranks are early or mid-stage; those of us in late-stage are even fewer.

My own mercenary squad has twelve members: five fourth-rank ninth-layer, six fourth-rank late-stage, one fourth-rank mid-stage. In a battalion like this, we'd be elite among elites.

We late-stage fourth-ranks, working in pairs or trios, can hold off fifth-rank enemies and even have a chance to kill them.

So when officers execute missions, they always hire one or two mercenary squads as flank support.

The cost? They give us a share of the spoils, and in return, they drastically reduce their own casualties."

Here, flushed from wine, He Gongyou slapped Xu Jin's shoulder. "Brother, train hard for half a year. Once you break through to fourth-rank fourth-layer, if you want, I'll introduce you to our squad leader."

"Then I thank you, elder brother!"

This kindness must be acknowledged.

"Brother Qi, if you're willing, you can join my squad now. But since you're only fourth-rank second-layer, your pay might be a bit lower." Zhong Wei also extended an invitation.

Xu Jin thanked him again.

The three resumed chatting, and under Xu Jin's subtle guidance, the topic turned to Ning Yuchan.

Ning Yuchan was Deputy Director of the Second Battalion of the Chen Guo Xuanhu Army's Fifth Guard. In the entire Fifth Guard, there was one Guard Commander, two Deputy Commanders, five Directors, and ten Deputy Directors—Ning Yuchan was a mid-to-high-ranking officer.

Before mentioning her, nothing; once mentioned, He Gongyou lit up.

"That Ning Yuchan? Incredibly fierce! Charges ahead in battle against enemies, always wins against stronger foes.

Last time she faced a fifth-rank ninth-layer enemy, she not only survived but killed him.

She'd have been promoted to Director already if there had been an opening.

Now, she's one of the hottest figures in the Xuanhu Army!" He Gongyou said.

"What do you mean, 'hottest'?"

"She's beautiful, high-cultivation, wealthy, and comes from a good background. All the mercenary cultivators are drooling over her—some would even pay to be near her. Whoever wins her heart will have a worry-free life.

Many mercenary squads lower their pay or even work for free just to fight alongside Ning Yuchan, and they fight over it.

Unfortunately, Ning Yuchan prefers to use people she knows." He Gongyou said.

"If she weren't limping, those mercenaries wouldn't even have a chance—she'd have been taken by senior army officers long ago," Zhong Wei sneered.

"You think no army officers wanted her? Last time, a Guard Commander from the Purple Panther Army reportedly offered to heal her limp—but she refused. That woman's got guts!" He Gongyou whispered.

Xu Jin listened quietly, absorbing everything about the Xuanhu Army.

After the wine and food were gone, the two left. Xu Jin suddenly thought of a way to meet Ning Yuchan.

He could send Zhong Wei.

How? Simple: Wen Meng could hypnotize him into accepting a friend's request.

But not yet for a few days.

Because during their idle chat, Xu Jin learned that during the Nine-Star Tide, Ning Yuchan's Second Battalion was assigned to guard the Star River Passage and had not yet returned.

She'd likely return in several more days.

Xu Jin decided to cultivate for a few days first.

He casually activated a fifth-rank Star Gathering Array, placed a fifth-rank Star Jade Tablet, and prepared to cultivate when his Upper Star Palace suddenly trembled.

The instant his mind sank inward, he grinned.

The effects of all those Chengpo Star Patterns he had engraved had finally manifested!

After slaying the Star Official of the Worship the Dipper Cult in the fourth-rank Fire Cloud Star Region last time, he gained a massive amount of Divine Soul energy, instantly elevating his Divine Soul cultivation to the early stage of fourth-rank Condensing Star Seventh Level, during which he engraved eighteen Chengpo Star Patterns.

Now, the Divine Soul cultivation in his Upper Star Palace was overflowing.

He had reached the peak of fourth-rank Condensing Star Seventh Level.

With just a little more accumulation, he could forge a new Divine Soul star and break through to fourth-rank Condensing Star Eighth Level.

In just twenty days, the passive effects of those eighteen Chengpo Star Patterns had propelled his Divine Soul cultivation from the early stage of fourth-rank Condensing Star Seventh Level to its peak.

Xu Jin estimated that in less than a month—certainly no more than a month—these eighteen Chengpo Star Patterns would push his Divine Soul cultivation from fourth-rank Eighth Level to its peak.

Two months from now, even if Xu Jin slept all day, he would reach the peak of fourth-rank Ninth Level.

The astonishing effects of the Chengpo Star Patterns were already manifesting on Xu Jin.

Yet Xu Jin didn't want to wait.

Two months might seem fast to others, but Xu Jin felt it was still too slow.

Right now, he held over sixty Dragon Turtle Soul-Forging Elixirs.

These cultivation resources must be converted into cultivation as quickly as possible.

Otherwise, they had no value whatsoever!

The next instant, he directly took out a Three-Variant Dragon Turtle Soul-Forging Elixir and swallowed it.

The moment it entered his mouth, a vast, cool surge of Divine Soul energy shot straight to his skull; the many Divine Soul stars in his Upper Star Palace spun violently, like a dragon whale drinking water, sucking in a torrent of Divine Soul energy.

In an instant, his mind coalesced into a Chengpo Star Pattern, which then began to rotate under his mental command.

A few breaths later, a new Divine Soul star formed.

Xu Jin's Divine Soul cultivation broke through to fourth-rank Eighth Level.

The Three-Variant Dragon Turtle Soul-Forging Elixir's potency equaled that of six ordinary Dragon Turtle Soul-Forging Elixirs; after aiding his breakthrough, abundant residual power remained, which Xu Jin swiftly absorbed and refined.

Not long after, his Divine Soul cultivation advanced another small step.

He was now closer to the mid-stage of fourth-rank Eighth Level.

Based on his past experience, ten to twelve Three-Variant Dragon Turtle Soul-Forging Elixirs would elevate his Divine Soul cultivation by one level.

If he didn't take any, he estimated he could attempt forming a Yuan Spirit in no more than two months.

But if he took one Dragon Turtle Soul-Forging Elixir every morning and night, he might be ready to attempt forming a Yuan Spirit in just over half a month—breaking through to fifth-rank Divine Soul cultivation!

Although aided by the Dragon Turtle Soul-Forging Elixir, Xu Jin still engraved another Chengpo Star Pattern on his eighth Divine Soul star.

The more Chengpo Star Patterns, the greater their efficacy!

Currently, the number of Chengpo Star Patterns engraved in his Upper Star Palace had reached twenty!

If the opportunity arose, Xu Jin planned to further refine the Chengpo Star Pattern one or two more times.

This was a foundational Star Pattern—so much so it could be called the Source of the Divine Soul—and it demanded vigorous refinement.

Thinking of refining Star Patterns, Xu Jin immediately recalled another critical issue.

The identity issue of the Star-Picking Tower.

His Bronze-Rank authority in the Star-Picking Tower was tied to that Star-Picking Token!

Now that his identity had changed to Qi Tian Sheng's Star-Picking Token, had his Bronze-Rank authority vanished?

What about his titles?

Especially the remaining Gold Stars and Brilliant Stars!

At this thought, Xu Jin's brow furrowed tightly—this was a major problem.

How to resolve it?

(End of Chapter)