Chapter 344: Star Pattern Inheritance Blood

Looking at the starlight message from Hou Yunzhang, Xu Jin felt a strange sense of absurdity.

Is this some kind of death question?

His father and sister were trapped in the fifth-rank Huashih Star Region; although General Mao Yue of the Da Chen War Zone would send reinforcements to Huashih, the State Advisor believed it safer for Xu Jin to go himself.

And right now, Hou Yunzhang, captain of the Sword Hero Mercenary Team, sent a starlight message saying Ning Yuchan had just received military orders to fight in a fifth-rank star region, the mission was extremely dangerous, and asked if Xu Jin was willing to go.

This was somewhat like the classic "mother or wife drowning, who do you save?" death question from his past life.

But that question assumed neither could swim.

In this case, Ning Yuchan could swim.

In an instant, Xu Jin made his decision.

He would go to the fifth-rank Huashih Star Region first, settle his father and sister, resolve the crisis there as quickly as possible, then go to support Ning Yuchan.

【Brother Hou, I'll go. When do you depart? I may be two days late.】

【Two days late? That won't work! This mission is extremely dangerous. To ensure everyone's safety, Li Tian decided to buy a group-space-locking Jade Tablet. If we enter first and you enter later, you'll definitely be separated from us.】

Fifth-rank star regions are extremely dangerous—we earn our money with our lives, but we don't go to die.

Brother, maybe you shouldn't come after all.】

Hou Yunzhang's starlight message made Xu Jin smile—he was a good man, not trying to trick him into being cannon fodder.

On the Star River Battlefield, lone cultivators varied wildly; many gangs and mercenary teams lured other lone cultivators into battle to take the brunt of the fighting.

After thinking it over, Xu Jin didn't insist on joining them.

He could simply go alone after resolving the Huashih crisis.

But he needed to know which star region.

【Thank you, Brother Hou. May I ask which star region Deputy Director Ning is heading to?】 Xu Jin asked.

【Brother Qi, Deputy Director Ning is just unlucky—I even suspect he's being targeted. He keeps getting the hardest missions! The Xuanhu Army is supporting five star regions, but only one is fifth-rank—and that one fifth-rank mission fell squarely on Deputy Director Ning's unit.】

According to confirmed intelligence, the fifth-rank star region Deputy Director Ning is supporting is the most difficult among all fifth-rank regions Da Chen is reinforcing.

The domain lord on the other side has been severely wounded.

Among the Xuanhu Army's Fifth Division officers involved, a few with connections are already trying to withdraw, saying going there is suicide!】

Hou Yunzhang vented to Xu Jin, but still didn't give the key point.

Yet Hou Yunzhang's complaints stirred something in Xu Jin's mind.

Ning Yuchan's combat mission was indeed heavy.

Last time, he nearly died.

It's only been a month since his last serious injury—just healed, and now they're sending him on such a brutal mission?

Maybe there really is something wrong.

After this mission, Xu Jin would have to investigate thoroughly.

Serving the Da Chen military was fine, but being constantly targeted and schemed against? That was unacceptable!

With his recent power growth, Xu Jin's confidence had grown too.

He even felt that once his cultivation reached fifth rank, even if his identity were exposed, it wouldn't matter!

【Brother Hou, I need to know which star region we're going to fight in?】 Xu Jin asked again.

【It's the fifth-rank Huashih Star Region! The portal is in Da Chen War City. If you're willing to join, report there at the exact hour of Chen tomorrow.】

【Thank you.】

Seeing Hou Yunzhang's final starlight message, Xu Jin grinned.

It wasn't a hellish test.

They were going together.

All of them to the fifth-rank Huashih Star Region—this made things easy.

Going together solved everything.

"If we're going to fight, better get the Golden Star now—no point wasting time!"

With that thought, Xu Jin returned to the Star-Picking Secret Realm for another challenge.

He hadn't yet challenged the fourth-rank seventh-layer Star-Picking Secret Realm.

Better to get it done early and be at ease.

After all, Xu Jin wasn't short on power now.

But the fifth-rank seventh-layer heart demon and gatekeeper still gave him trouble.

Even though his star art power had greatly improved and the Heavenly Gang Thunder Chains proved endlessly useful, heart demons after fifth rank nearly doubled in strength with each layer.

Especially during the final challenge against Canxing—he could only pass by using his Divine Soul Star Art.

Without it, defeat was possible.

But that was normal—after all, the gatekeeper and heart demon were a full realm higher than him, and they fought together.

Xu Jin's Golden Star count rose from four to six, and his Canxing count also returned to four.

Another batch accumulated.

After next month's Star Dome Secret Realm enlightenment time refreshed, Xu Jin would have enough resources for high-rank Dao Expansion.

If they were assembling in Da Chen War City, Xu Jin wasn't in a hurry.

Because he could teleport directly to Da Chen War City.

So Xu Jin simply continued his secluded cultivation in the Dahan War City Star-Picking Tower branch.

When tired of cultivation, he entered the Star Dome Secret Realm alone for meditation.

The Star Dome Secret Realm was truly a good place—safe, undisturbed, and free of cost.

More importantly, even if other authority holders entered, they were naturally separated.

It seemed the Star-Picking Tower's mastery of spatial star patterns was formidable.

In his spare time, Xu Jin began studying another discovery from the Spring Thunder Star Region: alien star-pattern inheritance blood.

Inspired by the blood bead, Xu Jin suspected that comprehending alien star patterns required alien blood and star cores as intermediaries.

In the Spring Thunder Star Region, he had prepared extensively.

He had gathered alien blood and star cores.

Xu Jin first took out a star-pattern inheritance blood containing Lei Xiangxing patterns.

He also had several different samples of alien blood and star cores.

The blood came from Lei Lingwang and other sixth-rank Lei Ling clan experts, as well as the Lei Ying clan.

The star cores were the same.

Xu Jin first activated the power within the alien star core, then sent his Divine Soul mental force into the star-pattern inheritance blood.

Instantly, the chaotic, scribble-like blood markings within the inheritance blood suddenly became orderly—but as Xu Jin tried to explore further, his Divine Soul mental force was abruptly blocked.

As if separated by a membrane—he could still see it, but couldn't touch it.

The next instant, Xu Jin intensified his Divine Soul mental force.

Boom!

The star-pattern inheritance blood exploded.

Xu Jin fell into thought.

A few breaths later, he activated a strand of Lei Lingwang's blood while simultaneously drawing power from the Lei Ling clan's star core, carefully controlling the energy with his powerful Divine Soul mental force, and probing the star-pattern inheritance blood again.

This time, the membrane blocking his mental force vanished the moment it touched Lei Lingwang's essence—for the first time, Xu Jin saw the full form of the Lei Xiangxing pattern!

Xu Jin was overjoyed.

But before he could observe for more than a few minutes, Lei Lingwang's essence fluctuated—he lost control.

That drop of star-pattern inheritance blood exploded again.

Xu Jin fell into thought.

Dozens of breaths later, Xu Jin crafted another drop of Lei Lingwang's blood into a Blood-Blocking Blood Bead.

The Blood-Blocking Blood Bead could continuously and stably emit alien blood essence—originally used to mask aura, it could serve here too.

Now, Xu Jin only needed to control the star core's output, no longer having to divide his attention among three things.

He no longer had to manage two essences while also comprehending.

The difficulty dropped sharply.

Dozens of breaths later, Xu Jin's face lit up.

【Success!】

He could now begin comprehending the star patterns within the inheritance blood, as an alien would.

But progress was slow.

There was no way around it—the species barrier stood firm.

When aliens used this star-pattern inheritance blood, they directly drew it into their bodies and activated their own bloodline, essentially copying it outright.

But Xu Jin's method was different.

It was like observing, memorizing, understanding, then slowly reconstructing it later.

Two hours later, the star-pattern inheritance blood slowly disintegrated—its energy fully consumed.

This was a fifth-rank Lei Xiangxing pattern.

In those two hours, Xu Jin had only memorized one branch and a tiny portion of the main trunk.

At this rate, he'd need at least forty to fifty such star-pattern inheritance bloods to fully record the Lei Xiangxing pattern.

Then engrave it.

Xu Jin didn't care—he had enough patience to acquire such a powerful star pattern, but Lei Lingwang would probably be crying.

This was only possible because Xu Jin's divine soul focus was extraordinarily strong and his experience in star pattern deduction was unparalleled; anyone else would have consumed more than double the energy!

Just as he was about to take another drop of Lei Xiangxing's star pattern inheritance blood to continue his research and recording, Xu Jin suddenly remembered the Can Dou Terrace.

The star lamps on the Can Dou Terrace could hold physical objects.

In theory, Lei Xiangxing's star pattern inheritance blood, the Blood-Obfuscation Blood Pearl, and the alien star cores could all be placed inside the star lamps.

If placed inside the star lamps, would this accelerate the process?

In the next instant, Xu Jin shifted his intent, clearing out the Dragon-Turtle Soul-Forging Elixir from one of the star lamps, then sequentially placed inside it: the Lei Xiangxing star pattern inheritance blood, the Blood Pearl forged from Lei Lingwang's blood, and the star core of the Lei Ling tribe.

Then, Xu Jin sank his intent inward and began activating the Blood Pearl and the Lei Ling tribe's star core as before.

But from the very start, he felt it was far easier—especially guiding the blood within the Blood Pearl and the star force within the star core, which was now more than ten times easier than before.

The reason was simple: within the star lamp's world, Xu Jin was the sovereign, and everything could continuously operate according to his will.

The blood within the Blood Pearl and the star force within the star core—once he merely willed it, they flowed out automatically, requiring almost no mental exertion from Xu Jin.

He had barely begun his research when he felt a surge of joy.

It worked!

The star lamp was useful for studying star pattern inheritance blood.

It was extremely useful!

Four hours later, the Lei Xiangxing inheritance blood inside the star lamp, having exhausted its energy, exploded—but Xu Jin let out a long breath of relief.

Outside, one drop of star pattern inheritance blood had allowed him to record only a single branch and a tiny portion of the main trunk.

But inside the star lamp, efficiency had multiplied.

In four hours, Xu Jin had recorded over six branches of the star pattern.

Roughly a threefold improvement.

Xu Jin pondered and understood: studying the star pattern inheritance blood inside the star lamp wasn't cheating.

Two advantages created this effect: first, the star lamp's enhancement allowed a single drop of star pattern inheritance blood to last longer.

Second, while studying inside the star lamp, Xu Jin devoted most of his mental energy entirely to comprehension.

Outside, more than half of Xu Jin's attention had to be devoted to activating and drawing out the star core and the blood's aura.

The star lamp was far better suited for study and research.

Xu Jin suddenly wondered: what about deducing star patterns themselves?

Since it involved no external forces, would deducing and simulating star patterns inside the star lamp yield even better results?

Unfortunately, the high-level Great Expansion Dao techniques of the Golden Star and Brilliant Star could not be performed inside the star lamp—if they could, the efficiency would have skyrocketed!

"With another seven or eight drops of Lei Xiangxing star pattern inheritance blood, I should be able to fully record the fifth-rank Lei Xiangxing star pattern," Xu Jin thought.

In the next instant, Xu Jin stretched out with a long yawn.

Time was up.

Time to head to Da Chen War City!

Xu Jin sent a Starlight Message to Ji Hongli, instructing her to leave the fourth-rank star force secret realm and meet up; then, the two of them directly teleported from the Da Hong War City branch tower to the main tower of the Zhaixing Tower in Xinghe City.

After arriving in Xinghe City, the two immediately teleported again toward Da Chen War City.

On the way, Xu Jin had already told Ji Hongli about the mission to support the fifth-rank Hua Shi Star Domain.

As expected, Ji Hongli was determined to go.

Not just to accompany Xu Jin.

More importantly, the Outpost Lord of the Hua Shi Star Domain was Ji Hongli's father, Ji Cheng.

This was also why Ji Hongli was doted on by the Ji Clan's patriarch, Ji Bang.

When Ji Cheng reached the peak of fifth-rank ninth layer, he led a group of elites into the fifth-rank Hua Shi Star Domain and broke through directly to sixth rank within the domain.

Even so, he was brutally hunted by the alien races of the Hua Shi Star Domain, fleeing desperately for survival; it took him three full years to stabilize his position, and another nine years of painstaking cultivation and support from Da Chen to finally establish a foothold, build a branch of the Zhaixing Tower, and become the Domain Lord of Hua Shi.

Since then, he had continuously supplied Da Chen with resources from the fifth-rank Hua Shi Star Domain.

Meanwhile, the once-devastating fifth-rank Hua Shi Star Domain had rarely caused trouble again.

When Ji Cheng left, Ji Hongli had just been born.

Yet this father sent her exotic gifts every year and met with her annually through the Zhaixing Token's projection.

Now, upon hearing of trouble in the Hua Shi Star Domain, Ji Hongli grew frantic.

Xu Jin secretly felt relieved.

At least it was only the Hua Shi Star Domain.

If it had been three different star domains—requiring rescue for his father, his sister, Ning Yuchan, and Ji Hongli—it would have been an absolute human tragedy for Xu Jin!

"Then let's go together. Before we leave, we'll sell off some of the resources we acquired from the Chunlei Star Domain, clear out our Numinous Space, and stock up on elixirs, star pattern emblems—your father and his people probably need these resources most right now," Xu Jin said.

"Alright!"

As Ji Hongli agreed instantly, Xu Jin sent a Starlight Message to Liu the Shopkeeper, with whom he had prior dealings.

Having a familiar contact would make things easier and save time.

But as Xu Jin sent the Starlight Message, he furrowed his brow.

The Starlight Message failed to send!

A shopkeeper like Liu would never store his Zhaixing Token inside his Numinous Space, and besides, Liu hadn't even activated his Numinous Space.

A bad premonition rose in Xu Jin's mind.

Fifteen minutes later, upon arriving at Changsheng Auction House, the news he received darkened his expression!

(End of Chapter)