Chapter 322: Primordial Spirit

Twelve.

Sixteen.

Eighteen.

Twenty.

Because of the vast amount of soul-force, the faster Xu Jin engraved the Chengpo Star Pattern, the faster he forged his Soul Stars.

In the blink of an eye, the number of Xu Jin's Soul Stars reached twenty, effortlessly.

Moreover, the newly forged Soul Stars, under the control of the powerful Soul Source Consciousness, immediately moved to their designated positions and merged into Xu Jin's nascent Primordial Spirit form.

Each additional Soul Star strengthened Xu Jin's Soul Source Consciousness a little, an effect that, while not as potent as the Nine-Leaf Golden Lotus Seed, was still formidable.

When the number of Soul Stars within Xu Jin's Upper Star Palace reached twenty-four, his Soul Source Consciousness had grown to more than five times its original strength.

Xu Jin felt he could still forge more Soul Stars, but he deliberately stopped.

Because he was no longer sure.

If he continued forging like this, not even twenty-four, but thirty-four could be forged easily.

But what consequences would follow?

Would it bring any side effects? Xu Jin had no idea.

At first, Xu Jin had merely assumed his Soul Source Consciousness had quadrupled, and the Nine Spirits Supreme Primordial Spirit Scripture also claimed that more stars meant greater strength.

He thought forging more Soul Stars would surely make his future soul-force stronger than others'.

This was definitely an advantage.

But continuing to forge like this, Xu Jin began to feel uncertain.

He couldn't keep charging ahead recklessly.

How much was enough if he kept charging ahead like this?

He needed to consult the State Tutor more carefully.

With this thought, Xu Jin temporarily halted forging Soul Stars, directing his Soul Source Consciousness to slowly rotate the twenty-four Soul Stars until they merged into one.

His mind sank directly into the Star-Picking Token and sent another starlight message to the State Tutor.

{State Tutor, I have a question: The Nine Spirits Supreme Primordial Spirit Scripture says that the more stars, the stronger the Soul Source Consciousness?

Is my understanding correct?

If correct, wouldn't it be better to forge more Soul Stars and integrate them into the Primordial Spirit, making it far stronger than others'? Then, the power of soul techniques would surpass others'?

Would the speed of enhancing Star Patterns also be stronger?

In such a case, wouldn't forging more Soul Stars during Primordial Spirit formation be better?

Also, after the Primordial Spirit is formed, can more Soul Stars still be forged and integrated into it?

Please enlighten me, State Tutor?

Since Xu Jin was still in cultivation, he sent this starlight message with urgent urgency.

In just three breaths, the State Tutor replied with a starlight message.

{The more Soul Stars, the stronger the Soul Source Consciousness, the greater the power of soul techniques, and the faster the enhancement of Star Patterns—this is correct!

But most cultivators do not choose to forge extra Soul Stars during Primordial Spirit formation, for two major reasons.

First, the upper limit of Soul Stars is determined by the strength of the Soul Source Consciousness.

Most people's Soul Source Consciousness can barely control ten Soul Stars—that's their limit.

Many fail to successfully forge a Primordial Spirit because their Soul Source Consciousness is too weak.

For these people, even forging Soul Stars is difficult!

However, cultivation records from various sects show many geniuses have attempted to forge extra Soul Stars during Primordial Spirit formation, just as you have.

Especially within the Lingji Star Hall, many such geniuses have done so.

I know that forging one or two extra Soul Stars is common in the Lingji Star Hall, because the Lingji Star Hall's Chengpo Star Pattern can later compensate for the slowed progress in soul cultivation caused by more Soul Stars.

I know that the former Lingji Star Lord forged seven extra Soul Stars, granting him extraordinary combat power—but his cultivation resources were unparalleled.

Besides the Lingji Star Lord, most in the Lingji Star Hall who forged one or two extra Soul Stars benefited, but those who engraved more than two, except the Lingji Star Lord, mostly saw their cultivation progress slow.

Outside the Lingji Star Hall, those who forged one extra Soul Star still did well; those who forged two or more mostly saw slow cultivation progress, and some geniuses, by forging three or four extra Soul Stars at once, later became utterly ordinary!

This is the fundamental reason why many, including myself, are unwilling to forge extra Soul Stars—and it is the second reason.

Because each additional Soul Star means your soul cultivation progress will be one and a half percent slower than others'; to reach the same realm as others, you must expend more time and resources.

Especially for cultivators outside the Lingji Star Hall.

My advice: if you feel your Soul Source Consciousness still has capacity, forge one or two extra Soul Stars—after all, you have the Chengpo Star Pattern; do not exceed three.

Lastly, after the Primordial Spirit is fully forged, you cannot forge any more Soul Stars. As for why, you will understand once you fully complete your Primordial Spirit.

The State Tutor Cheng Yuexiao's answer came promptly, resolving Xu Jin's doubts almost instantly.

But the State Tutor's answer was just an answer—Xu Jin had his own insights!

Most cultivators avoid forging extra Soul Stars for two reasons: one, their Soul Source Consciousness is too weak to control them; two, too many Soul Stars severely slow down later soul cultivation progress.

The first reason is not an issue for Xu Jin at all.

Xu Jin's current Soul Source Consciousness is incredibly strong.

Not only could he control twenty-four, he felt he could handle over thirty.

The second reason, Xu Jin felt, might not be an issue for him either.

For others, especially cultivators outside the Lingji Star Hall, more Soul Stars indeed slow soul cultivation progress.

This was confirmed by the fact that Lingji Star Hall disciples often forge one or two extra Soul Stars during Primordial Spirit formation.

Why could the Lingji Star Lord forge seven Soul Stars without slowing his cultivation?

The reason is simple: he had the latest version of the Chengpo Star Pattern, and his high rank guaranteed him vast resources to boost soul cultivation.

Both were indispensable.

So, does Xu Jin have them?

Xu Jin believed he did.

The latest version of the Chengpo Star Pattern in the Lingji Star Hall was sixth-rank upper.

Xu Jin now also had sixth-rank upper.

In the future, Xu Jin could even deduce a seventh-rank Chengpo Star Pattern.

In this aspect, he was even stronger than the Lingji Star Lord.

Cultivation resources to boost Soul Stars?

Xu Jin could not match the Lingji Star Lord here.

But Xu Jin had the Can Dou Platform.

Whether it was the Dragon Turtle Soul-Forging Elixir or heavenly treasures to enhance soul cultivation, the Can Dou Platform could amplify their potency immensely.

Not a problem.

Xu Jin even thought of a method similar to exploiting a glitch.

Engraving the Chengpo Star Pattern passively increases soul cultivation.

So, if Xu Jin engraved the Chengpo Star Pattern on several of his Soul Stars,

wouldn't that be equivalent to having dozens or even hundreds of passive sources boosting his soul cultivation?

Xu Jin believed he could forge more Soul Stars.

Because opportunity does not come twice!

The Grand State Tutor himself said that once the Primordial Spirit is fully forged, no more Soul Stars can be forged.

That means, in the future, even if Xu Jin gained extra capacity, he could no longer forge more Soul Stars!

Then, let him continue forging Soul Stars.

Twenty-seven.

Thirty-two.

Thirty-four.

When Xu Jin forged his thirty-fifth Soul Star, his Soul Source Consciousness, nourished by the Soul Stars, had grown to over six times its original strength—but Xu Jin faintly sensed a limit approaching.

The upper limit of Soul Source Consciousness controlling Soul Stars.

It was no longer as effortless and fluid as when it first began to strengthen.

Of course, it was still vastly superior to the unstable, barely controllable state before his Soul Source Consciousness strengthened.

Twenty breaths later, the thirty-sixth Soul Star was forged, and Xu Jin felt he was closer to his control limit.

Xu Jin estimated his current upper limit for controlling Soul Stars was around forty.

He wouldn't push to the absolute limit.

Thirty-six Soul Stars—that number was good enough.

In the next instant, Xu Jin activated his Soul Source Consciousness, using a vast amount of soul-force as a medium to merge the thirty-six Soul Stars into one. Under his control, the thirty-six Soul Stars coalesced into a small figure seated in meditation.

Using the thirty-six Soul Stars as a skeleton and the vast soul-force as flesh and blood, Xu Jin's Soul Source Consciousness surged instantly—the thirty-six Soul Stars rotated and resonated together, aiming to break through his soul cultivation to fifth-rank in one go and fully forge the Primordial Spirit.

But only thirty breaths after the thirty-six Soul Stars began resonating and merging, the immense soul-force from the Nine-Leaf Golden Lotus Seed was completely consumed.

Xu Jin was stunned.

If the soul-force ran out now, the breakthrough would fail.

In the next instant, Xu Jin immediately pulled out the Star Jade Tablet sealed with one and a half tenths of soul-force and began absorbing it directly.

Vast soul-force surged once more into Xu Jin's Upper Star Palace, and the breakthrough continued.

Soon, Xu Jin discovered the reason.

The consumption of soul-force increased dramatically—not only because the number of soul-stars had risen to thirty-six, but because twenty-six of those soul-stars had only just been forged, barely reaching the first halo stage.

Now, as he activated them, each one became a bottomless pit, frantically devouring soul-force from the Upper Star Palace to strengthen itself.

This realization made Xu Jin break into a cold sweat.

Fortunately, he hadn't pushed to the extreme just now.

Otherwise, he'd be in deep trouble now.

Once pushed to the limit, the soul-source consciousness could barely maintain control over these soul-stars—how could it spare any extra control?

But now, it was convenient.

Under the powerful control of Xu Jin's soul-source consciousness, the twenty-six soul-stars instantly shifted into a semi-closed state: they could still integrate, but could no longer devour soul-force to strengthen themselves.

Yet even with Xu Jin's powerful soul-source consciousness, he still couldn't achieve one hundred percent control.

They were still absorbing a small amount of soul-force to strengthen themselves.

In the blink of an eye, an hour passed—the soul-force sealed within this Star Jade Tablet was entirely depleted, yet he still lacked one final step to fully forge his Primordial Soul, still needing a little more soul-force.

Without hesitation, Xu Jin swallowed two Three-Variant Dragon-Turtle Soul-Forging Pills—now, he no longer feared waste.

If he failed to break through, where would he ever find such a vast amount of soul-force again?

At this moment, Xu Jin finally understood why Lord Lingji had only inscribed seven additional soul-stars.

Another critical reason: the more soul-stars inscribed, the more the soul-force required to forge the Primordial Soul and break through the fifth realm multiplied exponentially.

When the Imperial Tutor, Peng Lao, and others broke through, they used less than one-third of what Xu Jin consumed.

After several dozen breaths, sweat broke out on Xu Jin's forehead—the power of the two Dragon-Turtle Pills was nearly spent, yet he still hadn't broken through.

The next instant, Xu Jin pulled out his last remaining Star Jade Tablet, which had sealed one-tenth of the star-constellation image's soul-force—this one had originally been reserved for Ning Yuchan's breakthrough.

But now, he didn't care—he used it himself.

The next moment, as Xu Jin absorbed it, a torrent of soul-force surged into his body, containing the equivalent of nine full Three-Variant Dragon-Turtle Soul-Forging Pills.

The torrent of soul-force continuously filled and perfected Xu Jin's Primordial Soul.

Half a minute later, when two-tenths of the soul-force remained in this Star Jade Tablet, Xu Jin's Primordial Soul achieved perfect resonance and form, his soul-source consciousness fully merged with it, and the Primordial Soul's Radiance instantly spread outward.

Inside the Upper Star Palace, a tiny figure sat cross-legged, thirty-six stars adorning its form, soul-force as flesh and blood, fused into one—its appearance was remarkably solid.

Far stronger than any Primordial Soul Xu Jin had ever seen, including Hu Zhen's eighth-rank Primordial Soul.

Probably several times stronger.

Hu Zhen's Primordial Soul resembled an infant—delicately frail, as if a single breath could scatter it; of course, that was partly because it was still in its embryonic form.

But Xu Jin's Primordial Soul looked like forged steel and iron—remarkably solid.

Xu Jin even speculated: if his Primordial Soul used thirty-six stars as its bones, would it be more durable in future battles?

Would its defensive power be naturally greater?

The next instant, Xu Jin directly activated his Primordial Soul—a circle of invisible force instantly radiated outward in all directions.

This was the Primordial Soul's Radiance.

It was also soul-force perception!

The range of the Primordial Soul's Radiance determined the strength of soul-force perception.

Within this range, every rustle and breeze escaped Xu Jin's notice.

Within this range, any ambush would be exposed.

Anyone—even a powerful adept skilled in Lord Lingji's Star Palace invisibility technique—would be detected the moment they entered the range of the Primordial Soul's Radiance.

Simultaneously, within this range, soul-magic reached its maximum potency.

One meter!

Two meters!

Four meters!

Six meters!

Six and a half meters!

Ultimately, Xu Jin's Primordial Soul's Radiance extended to six and a half meters—meaning his soul-force perception strength was six and a half meters.

According to the Nine Spirit Supreme Primordial Soul Scripture, most cultivators' Primordial Soul Radiance extended only one meter—meaning most cultivators' soul-force perception strength was one meter.

Xu Jin's was over six times that.

Xu Jin instinctively found this hard to believe—he should ask the Imperial Tutor for confirmation, to get a proper judgment.

【Imperial Tutor, I've broken through and forged my Primordial Soul, but I don't know how strong it is. Could you tell me how far your Primordial Soul Radiance extended when you first forged yours?】

Xu Jin sent another Starlight Message to the Grand Tutor.

This time, the Grand Tutor replied instantly.

At this moment, in Chen Guo, it was deep night.

【You broke through? That's wonderful! My Primordial Soul Radiance strength isn't a secret. When I first forged mine, it extended one and a half meters. After two months of intense cultivation, I've barely reached two meters.

Also, when Peng Lao first forged his Primordial Soul, his Radiance extended one and three-tenths meters; Meng Yanhui's was one and one-tenth; Kou Jing's was one and two-tenths; Ji Bang's was one and two-tenths.

What about yours? How far does yours extend?

How many extra soul-stars did you ultimately inscribe?】

Cheng Yuexiao answered Xu Jin's question and casually asked this too—having spent so long with Xu Jin, Cheng Yuexiao knew well that Xu Jin was a man of strong will.

He usually took advice as reference only, and made his own decisions.

When Xu Jin read the Grand Tutor Cheng Yuexiao's reply, his inner joy was indescribable.

Though the breakthrough had been fraught with setbacks and nearly failed, his decision had been correct.

Grand Tutor Cheng Yuexiao was among the top cultivators in this world—though his Primordial Soul was newly formed, his starting range was only one and a half meters, and after two months of hard cultivation, he still hadn't reached two meters!

But Xu Jin? He started at six and a half meters!

Four times the Grand Tutor's, over five times that of the others!

And Xu Jin had a feeling: once his other twenty-six soul-stars reached full cultivation, his Primordial Soul Radiance range would surge again—seven meters, even eight meters, were possible!

And the Primordial Soul Radiance determined the speed of star-tattoo enhancement, which would profoundly affect his star-force cultivation speed.

Didn't that mean his cultivation speed in every aspect could be four to five times—or even six to seven times—his previous rate?

If so, even if inscribing so many soul-stars came at a cost,

those costs were worth it.

After thinking it over, Xu Jin sent a Starlight Message back to Grand Tutor Cheng Yuexiao.

【Imperial Tutor, I inscribed eight extra soul-stars. My Primordial Soul Radiance currently extends two and one-tenth meters.】

Xu Jin did not answer honestly—he concealed the truth.

First, thirty-six soul-stars were too shocking.

Second, telling the truth might be discouraging.

To have a Primordial Soul Radiance range of six and a half meters right after forging it—

what would the Grand Tutor think?

After sending the message, Xu Jin suddenly thought of another question: if soul-stars can be forged in greater numbers, what about star-force star-nuclei?

Could those be forged in greater numbers too?

At the same moment, in the Danxia Palace of the Chen Guo Dao Academy, upon seeing Xu Jin's Starlight Message, Grand Tutor Cheng Yuexiao leapt to his feet, rubbing his hands in excitement!

Two and one-tenth meters!

Right after forging his Primordial Soul, his Radiance already extended two and one-tenth meters—stronger than Cheng Yuexiao's after two months of hard cultivation!

How fast would Xu Jin's star-tattoo enhancement become?

Definitely faster than he'd anticipated!

Perhaps Xu Jin's growth rate—or return time—would be even faster than he'd expected!

(End of Chapter)