[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-star-martial-era":3,"chapter-the-star-martial-era-the-star-martial-era-chapter-35":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Star Martial Era",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2274893,4448,"Chapter 35: Star Force Doubled","the-star-martial-era-chapter-35",35,"\u003Cp>At night, after finishing his daily evening cultivation, Xu Jin lay down on his bed and sighed helplessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The door opened again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man in blue robes had come once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Late at night, he never missed a visit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But today, the man in blue robes—Qi Shanye—had learned his lesson: before placing his hand on Xu Jin’s head, he first revealed his form, and simultaneously offered another Soul-Reviving Pill to Xu Jin’s lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you hear about today’s group training at the Dao Academy?” Xu Jin swallowed the Soul-Reviving Pill and tried to start a conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin: “...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Quiet your mind, guard your spirit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait, I have something to ask.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Qi Shanye respond, Xu Jin knew he was right—his observations over the past few days must have been correct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This mysterious man in blue robes wasn’t as hard to deal with as he seemed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can we practice for only half an hour today?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why? One Soul-Reviving Pill should sustain your spirit for an hour and a half,” Qi Shanye said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I feel something’s off at the Dao Academy. I want to finish the Minor Star Cluster Pattern these few days—once it’s engraved, my star force cap will double, and my strength will rise dramatically.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Shanye fell silent abruptly, then paused before asking, “You’re confident you can engrave the Minor Star Cluster Pattern?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In the next two or three days, I think I can.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Shanye outwardly agreed without expression, but inside, his mind churned like a storm-tossed sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He even felt like cursing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yesterday, seeing his star force so vast, he’d assumed the boy had extraordinary talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But today, he’s confident he can engrave the Minor Star Cluster Pattern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he remembered clearly—the boy had only learned the Minor Star Cluster Pattern three days ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he succeeds in engraving it in another two or three days, that’s five to six days total.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his twelve years as head of the Star Hall’s branch, the fastest he’d ever seen engrave the Minor Star Cluster Pattern was his former senior disciple, Shen Shu, who took eight days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But how much help Shen Shu received from the Shen family’s experts? That’s hard to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this boy—Qi Shanye knew him well—had zero outside help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, if you absolutely counted, he himself was one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he’d done absolutely nothing to help with the Minor Star Cluster Pattern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Qi Shanye inwardly cried out that he’d found a treasure, Xu Jin felt a slight easing in his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This mysterious man in blue robes seemed reasonable—so there’d be far more room to maneuver in the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Focus your intent on the Upper Star Palace.” In the next instant, Qi Shanye’s gentle, soothing spirit force flooded in again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Shanye was extremely punctual: half an hour meant exactly half an hour—he took not a single extra moment from Xu Jin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After precisely half an hour, he left without hesitation, but left behind one final remark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you successfully engrave the Clear Soul Star Pattern, it will benefit you only—no harm. In terms of survival, its effect is more than ten times that of the Minor Star Cluster Pattern. You’d best pay attention and study it carefully.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After several days of interaction, Qi Shanye had begun to understand Xu Jin’s nature—hence he left that remark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words struck a chord with Xu Jin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the man in blue robes was right—and if he couldn’t refuse—then perhaps studying it a little wasn’t a bad idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a few breaths of thought, Xu Jin first sank his spirit into the Can Dou Platform’s Star Lamp, perfectly engraving the Minor Star Cluster Pattern within it, before beginning the actual engraving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the actual engraving, Xu Jin swallowed a Soul-Waking Pill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He needed his spirit force restored to peak condition to have any chance of succeeding in one go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half a quarter-hour later, thanks to hundreds—perhaps thousands—of prior practice strokes, Xu Jin smoothly used his star force to fully outline the Minor Star Cluster Pattern on his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next came the continuous circulation of star force to solidify it, until the engraving was complete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The effect of the past few nights’ practice with Qi Shanye on the Upper Star Palace’s Clear Soul Star Pattern became evident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Upper Star Palace required star force to be slow and steady but unbroken; under Qi Shanye’s hands-on guidance, Xu Jin’s control over star force had improved dramatically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, the solid foundation built by Xu Jin’s thousands of practice engravings within the Star Lamp was indispensable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no sudden flash of inspiration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only natural progression, inevitable success.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After more than half an hour, Xu Jin stared at the fully solidified, glowing star pattern on his chest, filled with joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Simplified Star Cluster Pattern was flat, like a drawing; the Minor Star Cluster Pattern was a three-dimensional half-lotus shape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first glance, the Minor Star Cluster Pattern looked as if it had grown from within his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As star force flowed through it, the half-lotus seemed to come alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the next instant, Xu Jin’s mind stirred—he didn’t assume the Drinking Radiance Posture, but simply visualized the Minor Star Cluster Pattern on his chest and began drawing in star force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the instructor had said, the Meal of Mist and Drinking Radiance Postures were primarily designed for youths with Pointed Stars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, star force was everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a star pattern, as long as you visualized it, you could draw in star force anywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, performing the Drinking Radiance or Meal of Mist Postures under outdoor starlight would slightly increase the speed of drawing in star force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But only slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under visualization, vast amounts of star force surged into Xu Jin’s chest—he quickly felt the difference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After engraving the Minor Star Cluster Pattern, the speed of drawing in star force had indeed increased dramatically, and crucially, his upper limit had risen too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After twenty minutes, a fullness spread across his chest—his star force was saturated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Excited, Xu Jin got up, stepped outside, and went to a quiet spot behind his quarters to begin practicing the Five Stars Killing Fist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten minutes later, Xu Jin ended his stance, face alight with delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, his star force had doubled—even more than doubled. Before engraving the Minor Star Cluster Pattern, in full-star-force state without drawing in Can Dou Platform starlight, Xu Jin could perform the Five Stars Killing Fist four times in a row.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, he did eight times straight!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Remember, even Yue Daqi, already at Meal of Mist Fifth Layer and Pointed Star First Level, could currently only do seven in a row.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His star force had doubled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More importantly, the speed of drawing in star force had increased too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant, with his spirit force unchanged, his cultivation frequency had doubled compared to his fellow disciples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It also meant the cost-effectiveness of Soul-Waking Pills and Soul-Reviving Pills had doubled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And there was a reward!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of the reward, Xu Jin’s eyes suddenly brightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tomorrow morning, he could go to Ning Yuchan and claim the reward for being the first to engrave the Minor Star Cluster Pattern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over a hundred taels of silver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The effect of engraving the Minor Star Cluster Pattern became fully apparent the next morning during cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recently, Xu Jin had done only three rounds of Meal of Mist or Drinking Radiance each morning and night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yesterday morning, after each of his three Meal of Mist rounds, he could perform four consecutive rounds of Five Stars Killing Fist for body tempering—twelve total.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But today, after just one Meal of Mist round, he could do eight rounds of Five Stars Killing Fist—twenty-four total.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body tempering speed had doubled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, Xu Jin took two Soul-Waking Pills daily—morning and night—and drew in a sliver of Can Dou Platform starlight, allowing him to do at most forty-two Five Stars Killing Fist rounds per day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, with only six rounds of morning and night cultivation, he could do forty-eight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And because each round was eight consecutive strikes, the tempering effect was even better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he drew in Can Dou Platform starlight, he could now perform the Five Stars Killing Fist eighteen times straight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, it had taken Xu Jin five and a half days to break from Meal of Mist First Layer to Second Layer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, he felt he could do it in just three days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In another two days, he should reach Meal of Mist Third Layer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, Xu Jin felt that reaching Meal of Mist Fifth Layer within two months might not be so difficult after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After completing his morning cultivation, Xu Jin had planned to find Ning Yuchan to report his success in engraving the Minor Star Cluster Pattern and secure the first-place reward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But unexpectedly, just after breakfast, the urgent assembly drum sounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gathered again at the training hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some youths groaned aloud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yesterday’s training had left their legs numb—they’d thought they’d get a rest this morning, only to be summoned again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But military discipline was no joke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone had been beaten with the military cudgel yesterday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Big Brother Jin, you don’t think they’re sending us to the battlefield, do you?” Qian Xiaohu, who ate with Xu Jin, looked worried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Train hard, study hard, practice hard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t you realize? The personal guards are teaching you survival skills—survive first, then kill.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After speaking, Xu Jin returned to his dormitory, put on the leather armor, picked up the ironwood blade, and headed straight for the training hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, Xu Jin’s opponent was changed to Yu Guan, the second-ranked student from the Middle Courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Guan had reached the fourth level of Canxia cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His legs and right arm had both been fully refined; his speed, strength, and overall agility far surpassed Xu Jin’s, giving him an overwhelming advantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This advantage initially crushed Xu Jin completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every now and then, a slash would send Xu Jin’s ironwood blade flying, and when the blade struck his body, the pain was excruciating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But yesterday’s grueling training had already borne fruit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin had learned to channel star energy to enhance his defense and to boost his explosive power, each movement infused with deadly intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, it was still a complete domination, but as he adapted to Yu Guan’s offensive rhythm, by lunchtime, their victories were evenly matched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Training would continue in the afternoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the boys groaned in agony and injuries were everywhere,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>their star energy now flowed more smoothly, greatly enhancing their recovery—so afternoon training could not be skipped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To quickly secure the reward for being the first to engrave the Small Star Cluster Pattern, Xu Jin went straight to Ning Yuchan after lunch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xu Jin?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Xu Jin, bruised and swollen, standing outside the small courtyard, Ning Yuchan was taken aback.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She even felt a quiet pang of concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could this kid be coming to borrow money from me again?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is it?” Ning Yuchan asked after he entered the courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Instructor, I’ve come to report that I’ve successfully engraved the Small Star Cluster Pattern,” Xu Jin said directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?” Ning Yuchan froze, as if she hadn’t heard clearly, “Say that again?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Instructor, I’ve successfully engraved the Small Star Cluster Pattern.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ning Yuchan leapt to her feet, instantly appearing before Xu Jin without even using her iron cane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when her hand touched his shoulder did she realize it was inappropriate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin was also stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had just felt like Ning Yuchan was about to rip off his clothes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt a bit intense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Show me,” Ning Yuchan stepped back and said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the next instant, Xu Jin pulled open his tunic, focused his mind, and the half-lotus-shaped Small Star Cluster Pattern on his chest shimmered with radiant starlight, lifelike and vivid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ning Yuchan’s eyes widened in disbelief as she murmured dazedly, “That can’t be right—it’s only been four days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1992,"2026-06-19T23:56:29.689Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","35ccb5863b6b56df6e10614ceddbab35dca7b8e19594af27c9fe016dde1a78c1","the-star-martial-era-chapter-36","the-star-martial-era-chapter-34",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-star-martial-era-cover.jpg"]