Chapter 320: The Secret of Doubling One

Xu Jin left Changsheng Auction House with three vials of Xuan Huang Ning Xing Dan; there were only three available, and he wanted to test a batch first.

He wanted to see what kind of toxicity these pills carried.

If they harmed the body or even damaged the foundation, he would absolutely avoid using them excessively.

He also bought one vial of Long Gui Duan Po Dan—this item was now hard currency, excellent for either his own use or future use by Ning Yuchan—and casually purchased four vials of Shangpin Tui Fan Dan.

Some were intended to counteract the pill toxicity; others were reserved for his sister Jiang Er.

The State Advisor said Jiang Er and his father had settled in the Fifth-Rank Hua Shi Star Region, and Xu Jin planned to visit them when he had time.

He needed to confirm their safety and provide them with greater security margins before he could feel at ease.

He did not want another incident like the one in Jinshan County to happen again.

He also bought hundreds of star region maps—all at once, just in case.

Along the way, he learned the whereabouts of the Tu Long Zhi needed to exchange for Chi Que Feathers, though the information was vague.

Tu Long Zhi was a celestial treasure used by Fifth-Rank Ju Dou experts to strengthen Earth-element star dous; typically, Fifth- or Sixth-Rank star regions with Earth-element celestial star wills possessed it, but it was exceedingly rare.

For all this, Xu Jin paid nearly forty thousand strands of starlight, sweeping it away with a single gesture.

The remaining sixty thousand strands of starlight, he transferred to Qi Tian Sheng's Zhai Xing Token.

Xu Jin's own Zhai Xing Token was not yet suitable to show such transactions; better to waste a little than risk exposure.

There was no help for it—Xu Jin was feeling flush with wealth.

After touring Dachen War City and enjoying a hearty meal, Xu Jin headed straight for the Dachen War City branch of the Zhai Xing Tower.

He spent six hundred strands of starlight to purchase six hours of Fourth-Rank Star Force Secret Realm training time, then stepped directly into the Dachen War City branch of the Zhai Xing Tower.

But he did not begin training immediately; he called out to the Star Spirit and entered the Star Dome Secret Realm.

Xu Jin immediately retrieved his Zhai Xing Token, registered under the identity of Qi Tian Da Sheng.

Then, using his authority, he blocked all friends except the State Advisor, Master Kou Jing, Meng Yanhui, Ji Bang, and Peng Lao.

These five knew about Xu Jin's related identity—the State Advisor had already informed him.

Next, Xu Jin directly transferred 13, 00 strands of starlight from Qi Tian Sheng's Zhai Xing Token to Qi Tian Da Sheng, paying the twenty percent tax—let it be paid!

Then came the most important matter.

Change name!

【Qi Tian Da Sheng, are you certain you wish to alter your Star Name? Altering your Star Name will deduct ten thousand strands of starlight at once, and can only be done once every ten years. Please proceed with caution.】

A starlight prompt appeared before him; Xu Jin selected Confirm.

【Qi Tian Da Sheng, please input your new Star Name. Upon change, your new Star Name will be activated, and all information tied to your Star Name will be retained.】

Another starlight prompt appeared; as Xu Jin contemplated his new Star Name, he suddenly felt a wave of emotion.

He could not describe the complexity of his feelings at this moment.

A touch of reluctance, but more so, a sense of humiliation!

This time, he was being forced by the powers of the present world to hide his identity and change his name.

Emotions surged like a tide!

Xu Jin himself had not expected his feelings to become so complicated—he had thought it was merely a name change.

Just changing a screen name.

In his past life, he changed his name three times a day.

Why had he suddenly become so sentimental?

Xu Jin's lips curled slightly bitter.

The difference between freedom and helplessness lay right here.

After long thought, Xu Jin suddenly made his decision.

【Your new Star Name is Hei Wu Kong. Please confirm! Once confirmed, you cannot change it again for ten years!】

【Confirm!】

【Your new Star Name, Hei Wu Kong, has been successfully changed.】

【Star Master Hei Wu Kong, welcome.】

With his new Star Name set, Xu Jin took a deep breath and suppressed the flood of emotions.

He had crossed star regions, slain alien races, survived assassinations, endured hardship in his past life from studies and the cruelty of society—but at this moment, what he most desired was to one day reclaim the name Qi Tian Da Sheng!

To return under the name Qi Tian Da Sheng!

To turn heaven and earth upside down!

Even to return home!

The higher his cultivation, the more he understood, the more he believed such a possibility existed!

In the next instant, Xu Jin exhaled all his emotions, sank his mind into the Zhai Xing Token, entered the Zhai Xing Secret Realm, and Zhai Xing!

Bronze and Silver Stars presented no challenge.

【Challenge Gold Star-level Heart Demon】

In the next instant, starlight shifted, and a Heart Demon with a blurred face resembling Xu Jin appeared before him.

Under the operation of the Four Ming Ji Star Patterns, Xu Jin clearly sensed the Heart Demon's aura.

Fifth-Rank Ju Dou Third Reaching Peak, Divine Soul cultivation Fourth-Rank Ninth Reaching.

The Divine Soul cultivation level was copied directly from Xu Jin's own, but the Divine Soul Star Arts could not be replicated.

The screen vanished; the Gold Star-level Heart Demon instantly lunged at Xu Jin.

As before, Xu Jin raised the Fish Curtain Golden Bell, but did not rush to kill the Heart Demon; instead, as in prior challenges, he used this Gold Star-level Heart Demon to hone his combat skills.

At Fourth-Rank First and Second Reaching, Fifth-Rank Gold Star-level Heart Demons posed no threat to Xu Jin, yet were powerful enough to serve as excellent sparring partners.

Today was no different.

But after only a dozen breaths of combat, Xu Jin's expression changed.

After taking two direct strikes from the Fifth-Rank Third Reaching Gold Star-level Heart Demon, the Fish Curtain Golden Bell cracked with fine fissures.

Startled, Xu Jin immediately used the Yi Hua Star Art to restore the Fish Curtain Golden Bell.

In the remainder of the battle, Xu Jin became even more cautious.

After fifteen minutes, combining Divine Soul Star Art with Earth Magnetic Force, Xu Jin obliterated the Gold Star-level Heart Demon with a Great Sun Star Art.

He earned a Gold Star.

Then he fell into deep thought.

This challenge revealed two discoveries to Xu Jin.

First, the combat power of the Fifth-Rank Third Reaching Gold Star-level Heart Demon had increased by at least double compared to Fifth-Rank Second Reaching—its Star Art power had at least doubled!

Second, the Sixth-Rank Star Art he used—the Great Sun Star Art—was not nearly as strong as he had imagined.

It did not even match the explosive power of Master Kou Jing's Sixth-Rank Upper Great Sun Seal.

Theoretically, it should have.

Because Xu Jin's foundation was the Eighth-Rank Fire Source Star Pattern.

The Great Sun Star Pattern was also Sixth-Rank Upper.

Theoretically, it should have unleashed a full-power strike equivalent to a Seventh-Rank Mid-Level expert.

But in reality, it was barely equal to the full-power strike of a Sixth-Rank Early-Level expert.

Only slightly stronger than the Spiral Flame Explosion.

This reminded Xu Jin of the Fifth-Rank Ninth Reaching expert Zheng Guan he had previously encountered—Zheng Guan's Star Art power also felt exceptionally strong.

Stronger than that of Sixth-Rank aliens.

Xu Jin felt something was off.

Had the Fifth-Rank experts and Fifth-Rank aliens he'd previously encountered not been this strong?

But upon reflection, the Fifth-Rank experts he'd faced rarely had the chance to unleash their full power.

Xu Jin usually controlled and disrupted them with Divine Soul attacks, then killed them.

Fifth-Rank Ninth Reaching and Sixth-Rank opponents were directly obliterated by their Seals, with occasional finishing blows.

Direct, head-on clashes like this one were rare. With doubts lingering, Xu Jin challenged the Gold Star-level Guardian again.

After fifteen minutes, Xu Jin emerged victorious, earning another Gold Star.

But he again observed that the Fifth-Rank Third Reaching Gold Star-level Guardian's combat power was double that of the Fifth-Rank Second Reaching Guardian.

Xu Jin could now easily defeat them by leveraging the diversity of his Star Arts.

But if this trend continued, gaining Gold Stars and Can Stars would become increasingly difficult for him in the future.

Because every time he broke through a rank, the combat power of the Gold Star-level Guardian and Heart Demon doubled.

But when Xu Jin broke through a rank, his own combat power could never double.

With the current baseline, if their power doubled again, Xu Jin would need to exert considerable effort to win; if it doubled twice more, he would need to deploy all his techniques; if it tripled, victory would be uncertain.

If it quadrupled, and Xu Jin did not achieve a major breakthrough, victory would be virtually impossible.

In other words, if this trend continued, when Xu Jin's cultivation reached Fourth-Rank Ning Xing Seventh Reaching, he would no longer be able to defeat the Heart Demon—and thus could no longer challenge for Gold Stars or Can Stars!

This realization shocked Xu Jin profoundly.

If that happened, he would only ever gain six more Gold Stars and three Can Stars—something he absolutely did not want.

Why was this happening?

With these doubts, Xu Jin began challenging the Can Stars.

Under the doubled combat power of both Guardian and Heart Demon, victory was no longer easy.

What if their power doubled again—or tripled?

Half a quarter-hour later, Xu Jin slew the inner demon and the gatekeeper, earning another Brilliant Star.

At this point, Xu Jin held four Silver Stars, five Golden Stars, and four Brilliant Stars.

With the challenge over, Xu Jin remained inside the Star Dome Secret Realm.

Originally, Xu Jin had planned to spend the one-hour Dao comprehension time within the Star Dome Secret Realm, consuming one or two Golden Stars to comprehend a certain star pattern.

But now, Xu Jin could no longer stay calm—he swiftly sent a starlight message to the Grand Master, voicing his doubts.

It was already deep night; Xu Jin assumed the Grand Master might have slept, yet only five breaths later, Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao replied!

【This is precisely what I told you before: the fundamental reason it is nearly impossible to obtain Golden Stars after reaching the late fourth stage or beyond the fifth stage.】

【Grand Master, then what is the actual reason? Why do the inner demon and gatekeeper's strength multiply? And the fifth-stage ninth-realm cultivator I faced—his combat power felt exceptionally strong.】

【This is tied to the core cultivation of the fifth-stage Polaris Gathering Realm! The fifth-stage Polaris Gathering Realm is also called Strong Star Polaris Gathering. After forming a Star Polaris, one can use its power to continuously reinforce the Star Core.】

At this point, the critical influence of a star pattern's rank once again becomes evident.

Let me give you an example: after reaching the fifth-stage Polaris Gathering Realm, if your Fire Source Star Pattern is eighth-stage middle rank, you may reinforce it eight times; each reinforcement multiplies its power exponentially.

If your Fire Source Star Pattern is sixth-stage upper rank, you may reinforce it only six times.

That two-level gap represents a massive disparity in power!

Fifth-stage early cultivators, just beginning Polaris Gathering, have not yet started reinforcing their Star Cores, so their changes are minor. But fifth-stage middle and late cultivators have begun reinforcing their Star Cores; some veteran fifth-stage experts can even reinforce a single Star Core to five or even six layers, naturally granting them tremendous combat power.

The reason your inner demon's combat power doubled is exactly this.

Normal cultivators cannot raise their cultivation by one stage and simultaneously reinforce every star pattern on their Star Cores by one layer.

But inner demons and gatekeepers can.

This is why the strength of the inner demons and gatekeepers you face multiplies, and why the difficulty increases so sharply.

This is also why it becomes so hard to obtain Golden Stars once one reaches late fourth stage or beyond the fifth stage.

Take me as an example: after reaching fifth-realm fourth stage, I have not obtained a single Golden Star since.】

After reading Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao's reply, Xu Jin's doubts largely vanished—but this sparked new questions about his cultivation.

【Grand Master, then how many layers can most cultivators reinforce their star patterns to?】

【Among fifth-stage cultivators, being able to reinforce even a single star pattern to two or three layers is already very impressive. But sixth-stage experts commonly reinforce their star patterns to four layers or higher; seventh-stage experts typically reinforce their main star pattern to five layers or higher.】

This is primarily because reinforcing star patterns is extremely difficult.

Even I, at present, have only one star pattern reinforced to eight layers. This is precisely why Tianyang True Lord and Cangming True Lord surpass me in combat power—they, as veteran eighth-stage experts, have had ample time. They have multiple star patterns reinforced to eight layers, at least three or four.

Some star patterns have even been reinforced to their maximum limit.

This is the key impact of star pattern rank.

If a star pattern is only sixth-stage, you can reinforce it at most to six layers.】 Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao replied.

【Thank you, Grand Master, for clarifying this. Grand Master, it seems that once a cultivator breaks through to the fifth stage, their power generally increases dramatically.】

【Not entirely. Most cultivators are fortunate if they can reinforce even one main combat star pattern to two or three layers. Only the most elite geniuses can reinforce their main combat star pattern to four layers—that is already extraordinarily rare.】

This relates to the method of reinforcing star patterns.

There are two ways to reinforce a star pattern: first, after Polaris Gathering, use the Polaris's power to continuously channel and strengthen it, achieving reinforcement. The efficiency depends on the strength of the Polaris.

The stronger the Polaris, the faster the reinforcement.

Hence, late fifth-stage and sixth-stage experts can achieve higher reinforcement layers.

Because newly formed Polaris are shockingly inefficient at reinforcing star patterns.

The second method is to use Spiritual Soul force.

When a cultivator's Spiritual Soul cultivation reaches the peak of fourth-stage ninth realm, they can form a nascent Spiritual Entity and generate mental force. This mental force can move objects without physical contact—a profoundly mysterious power that transforms formless energy into tangible force. Yet most still refer to it as Spiritual Soul force or Spiritual Soul mental force.

But after the Spiritual Entity forms, this Spiritual Soul force becomes entirely different.

Previously, it was merely formless energy; now, it is a special power capable of generating tangible force from formless energy.

Then, one can use Spiritual Soul mental force to reinforce star patterns.

Reinforcing star patterns with Spiritual Soul mental force is significantly faster than using fifth-stage Polaris power.

Moreover, the stronger the Spiritual Entity, the stronger the Spiritual Soul mental force.

Hence, many seventh-stage and even eighth-stage experts possess extraordinary combat power.

To be honest, I owe you my assistance—after my Spiritual Soul cultivation broke through to the fifth stage, my Spiritual Soul mental force surged dramatically. After two months of relentless day-and-night cultivation, I finally reinforced one star pattern to eight layers.

Even Peng Lao, though his cultivation has not yet broken into the eighth stage, has seen his combat power nearly doubled thanks to your aid.

By the way, your Spiritual Soul cultivation is not far from forming a nascent Spiritual Entity, is it?】 Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao asked.

Xu Jin had sent them jade tablets brimming with Spiritual Soul energy; naturally, he himself must possess vast reserves—that was why Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao asked this.

【Grand Master, my Spiritual Soul cultivation has just reached the peak of fourth-stage ninth realm, but I have not yet formed a Spiritual Entity.】

As Xu Jin sent this starlight message, a sudden insight struck him—he now understood why the Grand Master had asked: 【Grand Master, are you suggesting that if I form a nascent Spiritual Entity, I will generate Spiritual Soul mental force and thus be able to reinforce my star patterns ahead of schedule?】

【Exactly so!

This was one of the methods once used within the Lingji Star Palace to cultivate top-tier geniuses.

This is also one reason why the Lingji Star Palace's top geniuses crushed their peers in combat power.

But even within the Lingji Star Palace, no one had ever formed a Spiritual Entity before the sixth stage.

The fastest recorded case took thirty-six years to form a Spiritual Entity!

You? You are an exception among exceptions—nineteen years old. I'd forgotten this entirely until now!

Very well—I will immediately transmit to you the method and precautions for forging a Spiritual Entity, along with the technique for reinforcing star patterns using Spiritual Soul mental force.

Then you may begin reinforcing your star patterns early.

Perhaps, in the future, you truly will create a miracle!】

Xu Jin had just finished reading this starlight message when Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao immediately sent several more.

These starlight messages contained the method for forging a Spiritual Entity and the technique for reinforcing star patterns with Spiritual Soul mental force.

Xu Jin was overjoyed.

He realized he must seek guidance more often!

His understanding of cultivation secrets was still far too limited!

After thanking Grand Master, Xu Jin eagerly began studying the method for forging a Spiritual Entity!

His cultivation had already reached the threshold—why not forge the Spiritual Entity while the momentum was upon him?

(End of Chapter)