Chapter 32: Canxia Second Layer

Clang!

The sound of a long blade being drawn erupted abruptly in Tian Zhang’s quiet chamber, then ceased.

“It’s the middle of the night—can you not scare people like that? I nearly drew my sword!” Tian Zhang was speechless.

“Then draw it. I’m not afraid of you.”

Tian Zhang was even more speechless. After a few breaths of silence, he asked, “What do you want now? Didn’t I arrange a cover identity for you to hide inside the Dao Academy?”

“Hide? Do I, Qi Shanye, need to hide?” Qi Shanye said proudly.

Tian Zhang said nothing, waiting silently for Qi Shanye to continue.

“Got any silver?” After a few breaths, Qi Shanye asked.

“No.”

“Lend me five thousand taels.”

“Go rob someone.”

“If I were willing to rob, I’d be the richest man in Jinshan County by tomorrow—your Tian Zhang, your front door would be trampled into dust,” Qi Shanye said.

In the next instant, a stack of silver notes flew out of Tian Zhang’s arms toward Qi Shanye.

“Two thousand taels? Not enough!” Qi Shanye counted them after catching them.

“I only have this much cash on hand.”

“Fine. Prepare some more—I might come back for it in a few days.”

With that, Qi Shanye vanished, leaving Tian Zhang staring blankly.

No choice—he owed him.

“Instructor, I’d like to ask: what methods exist in this world to enhance spiritual power?” Xu Jin’s unease over the green-robed man’s strange behavior drove him to seek Ning Yuchan’s advice the next morning after morning practice.

“Many. Ordinary Xingshen Pills, Tishen Pills infused with starlight, even better Huishen Pills—those are beyond the means of ordinary people,” Ning Yuchan said.

“Instructor, are there any secret arts to increase the upper limit of spiritual power?” Xu Jin asked.

“Daily cultivation, including engraving star patterns, can extremely slowly strengthen spiritual power—over years, through persistent effort.”

“But as for secret arts that raise the upper limit of spiritual power, I’ve never seen any. Neither the Provincial Dao Academy nor the National Dao Academy have them. But it’s said the Star Palace does—though the cultivation conditions are extremely harsh.”

“What, is your spiritual power insufficient?”

“Cultivation demands perseverance. Don’t rush,” Ning Yuchan said patiently.

Xu Jin nodded, then seized the chance to ask Ning Yuchan many other questions about cultivation or secret arts—many strange and odd, making Ning Yuchan frown in puzzlement.

“Instructor, are there any star arts that grant invisibility?”

“Invisibility star arts? Yes. Many star arts can hide within light, shadows, or conceal one’s aura so others overlook your presence—the Provincial Dao Academy has similar star arts,” Ning Yuchan said.

“For example, one that makes you completely invisible even when standing right before me—does such a thing exist?”

“I’ve heard of it, but it supposedly requires a combination of secret star patterns and star arts—extremely rare.”

“Instructor, are there any star arts for soul possession?”

“What do you mean? I don’t understand.” Ning Yuchan, unfamiliar with these terms Xu Jin had read in immortal novels, was confused.

“Like when a cultivator reaches the peak of their life, their body nears death, and they use a star art to inject their spiritual essence into a young body and take it over—does such an art exist?” These were the lingering effects after the green-robed man taught Xu Jin the Chengpo Star Pattern the previous night.

Xu Jin had pondered long: was some ancient monster planning to cultivate a furnace body for soul possession?

It wasn’t that Xu Jin had read too many immortal novels.

It was the fear: someone who showed up uninvited and immediately taught him a star pattern to strengthen spiritual power.

Wasn’t that like a cake falling from the sky?

“Your phrasing is truly novel!”

Ning Yuchan shook his head. “Legends say a former Star Palace Master once transformed into starlight to achieve eternal life—but soul possession star arts? I’ve never heard of them. Of course, that may be due to my limited knowledge.” Then she frowned again. “Why do you think about these things all day?”

“Have you broken through to Canxia Second Layer yet?”

“In fifty-five days, if you haven’t reached Canxia Fifth Layer, remember to repay me three thousand taels a year from now.”

“No no no—I was just chatting with fellow disciples! I remember!” Xu Jin fled in embarrassment.

Ning Yuchan’s answer eased Xu Jin slightly.

The worst possibility was being turned into a furnace body and possessed by that mysterious green-robed man.

Asking about it reduced that likelihood considerably.

But Xu Jin still felt uneasy—what did the green-robed man want?

New disciples have no duties within seven days and may focus entirely on cultivation.

For the past few days, Xu Jin trained diligently every morning and evening, exhausting all the starlight gathered on the Can Dou Platform.

The only difference was that most of his free time was spent engraving star patterns inside the Star Lamp; his martial practice inside it had decreased.

Nightfall.

Xu Jin trained the Wu Dou Killing Fist on a vacant patch of ground behind the dormitory.

When he finished the third round of Yin Hui Form, he repeatedly channeled the accumulated starlight from the Can Dou Platform into the star pattern.

Wu Dou Killing Fist again and again.

On the seventh round, as he executed the first form and Yin-Yang Fist, a star shield appeared on his forearm.

He stepped back, delivered the second form—pulling his fist back to guard his elbow—and another star shield formed at the elbow tip.

One technique, three forms—each form produced a basic star shield.

Xu Jin was overjoyed.

Perfected.

This was the sign that the first technique of Wu Dou Killing Fist had reached perfection.

As Instructor Ning had said, when Wu Dou Killing Fist reaches perfection, combat effectiveness multiplies.

Even perfected Wu Dou Killing Fist still requires momentum to unleash basic star arts—but it is several times stronger than the accomplished stage.

At the accomplished stage, one must complete all three forms of the technique to unleash a single basic star art.

In combat, who has time to set up each posture?

But with perfection, it’s different. And if perfected to completion, it’s even more different.

Star arts can be unleashed with the slightest motion.

On the rooftop, the green-robed man watching Xu Jin frowned.

“This kid’s Wu Dou Killing Fist isn’t perfected yet?”

“Only the first technique reached perfection?”

“Could it be that only from the second technique onward did he reach completion?”

“That’s possible.”

“Still, reaching perfection in one technique and completion in another after only twelve days of star-pointing? Remarkably prodigious.”

Then, as Qi Shanye watched Xu Jin continue training, he suddenly froze again.

“Has this kid already punched Wu Dou Killing Fist ten times straight?”

“Is his star power this abundant?”

“I recall that Canxia First Layer cultivators can usually punch three rounds; each breakthrough adds one more round.”

“Ten rounds?”

“Could their Dao Academy’s Xiao Ju Star Pattern have succeeded?”

The next instant, Xu Jin began the eleventh round. On the rooftop, Qi Shanye stood with arms crossed, curious.

Twelfth. Thirteenth. Fourteenth. Fifteenth.

As Xu Jin executed the fourth form, North Shooting Wolf, he suddenly punched out.

Shhh!

A sharp whistling sound pierced the air.

A beam of starlight shot from his fist like an arrow, flying two meters before vanishing.

At that same moment, an indescribable sense of smoothness surged through Xu Jin’s entire right arm.

With a mere thought, his entire arm—including his fist—was covered in faint starlight.

Xu Jin’s face lit up with delight.

He merely flicked his fist—and a burst of starlight erupted.

Success. He had broken through to Canxia Second Layer.

He now had basic self-defense capability.

If he faced Deng Hu and his five thugs again now, he wouldn’t be as helpless as before.

If he had replaced the solidified star art in his Star Lamp with Basic Star Arrow earlier, it would’ve been even easier.

After the instant release, this star arrow was like a pistol with a two-meter range.

Against ordinary people without star power, striking any part could break bones or cause serious injury; strike a vital point, and it was one word—death!

“Eleven days to break through to Canxia Second Layer—this cultivation speed is extremely rare even in the Star Palace, let alone a branch academy,” Qi Shanye on the rooftop grew increasingly satisfied.

As for the abundance of star power, Qi Shanye had already mentally explained it away: perhaps he was just naturally gifted.

Like himself—he was naturally gifted in spiritual power.

After completing three rounds of Yin Hui Form to draw starlight and finishing Wu Dou Killing Fist, Xu Jin did not take Xingshen Pills to restore his spiritual power.

Xu Jin planned to save the Xingshen Pills for the star pattern.

After two days of countless repetitions, he could now perfectly engrave the Xiao Ju Star Pattern inside the Star Lamp using star power.

In short, the hardest part had already been completed inside the Star Lamp.

Next, he needed to control the star force to engrave it on his chest.

To put it more vividly, if the Small Star Gathering Pattern was like tracing, after completing the engraving inside the Star Lamp, Xu Jin had progressed from tracing to copying.

The difficulty dropped significantly.

Xu Jin felt his Small Star Gathering Pattern was about to succeed.

But when Xu Jin returned to his dormitory, he didn’t immediately swallow the Soul-awakening Pill—he was afraid.

Would that mysterious, dying man in blue come tonight?

Better not.

Just as Xu Jin was pondering, the mysterious voice sounded right beside his ear: “You’ve learned your lesson today, waiting for me?”

Xu Jin was speechless.

He really came again.

In the next instant, the locked door bolt flew up on its own, the door opened, and Xu Jin sensed someone entering.

In that moment, Xu Jin truly wanted to throw a handful of lime from his pocket to force the demon to reveal itself.

Before Xu Jin could react, a large hand once again covered his forehead.

Xu Jin stared blankly, frowning.

“Can you stop playing creepy games and act normally? Don’t scare me.”

“You were ready to throw lime at me—you’ve got guts. Still scared?” Qi Shanye chuckled, materializing, though Xu Jin still couldn’t see his full form.

“Same as yesterday—carry on.”

A warm, slow stream of spiritual soul force flowed into Xu Jin’s head; under these conditions, Xu Jin could only cooperate.

But half an hour later, Xu Jin opened his eyes abruptly: “My head’s starting to ache—I’ve nearly exhausted my spiritual soul force.”

“No problem. I’ve prepared this for you.”

A pill appeared before Xu Jin.

“Focus Pill—it directly restores spiritual soul force, three times the effect of the Soul-awakening Pill,” said Qi Shanye.

Xu Jin was speechless.

Could you possibly be any more thoughtful?

(End of Chapter)