Chapter 4: Awakening Starlight

Instructor Ning Yuchan showed Xu Jin slight favoritism; it was said her father, Xu Dajiang, knew her, and when Xu Jin first entered Jinshan Dao Academy, he paid the fees through her—but this favoritism extended only to occasional guidance during cultivation, never private meetings; why was she seeking him out at this late hour?

“Why aren’t you at evening practice? Where did you go?”

“Did your father just give you some silver today, and you went off to indulge yourself?”

As soon as he entered the room, Xu Jin froze.

Normally, Instructor Ning wore a veil outdoors, revealing only her long legs—too bad she had an iron crutch, so her face remained hidden.

But today, perhaps because she was meeting Xu Jin alone in her private courtyard, she wasn’t wearing the veil, allowing Xu Jin a clear view.

High nose bridge, slender willow-browed eyes hinting at the shape of a fine sword’s edge, red lips and white teeth—she would have been a standard beauty in his past life; yet now her almond eyes blazed, her body leaned forward, and her chest seemed ready to spill out, drawing Xu Jin’s gaze.

But knowing her temper, Xu Jin dared not look longer—he glanced once, then lowered his head obediently to take her scolding. After Xu Jin entered the academy, Ning Yuchan launched into a furious tirade, eyebrows raised, eyes glaring, even raising her iron crutch; the way she looked, Xu Jin feared she might actually break his legs.

The beauty of a Jade Rakshasa.

Xu Jin quickly denied it, saying he was merely unwell—but he wondered how Ning Yuchan knew Xu Dajiang had come today.

“Good.”

“If I find out you’ve spent your father’s and little sister’s hard-earned silver on drinking and debauchery, I’ll break your legs.” Ning Yuchan raised her iron crutch.

“Also, even if you’re unwell, you must still come out and cultivate.”

“What kind of man takes sick leave for cultivation?”

“On the path of cultivation, perseverance comes first.”

“Without perseverance, even a genius becomes a waste.”

“Never give up until the very last moment!”

Another round of scolding—Xu Jin nodded quickly. “Thank you, Instructor, I’ll remember.”

“Here, take this.”

After scolding her, Instructor Ning pulled out a vial of elixir and handed it to Xu Jin.

“Instructor, what’s this?”

“It’s a Wakeful Star Elixir, brewed by the Dao Academy’s Star Alchemist. Taken before practice, it sharpens the mind and enhances the effectiveness of morning and evening cultivation. There are ten pills inside—take one before each session; it increases your chance of successfully marking the star.”

Ning Yuchan explained clearly, but Xu Jin dared not accept it on the spot.

Nothing in this world comes without cause—he knew the Wakeful Star Elixir: five taels of silver per pill. Many wealthy disciples in this Star-Marking season used it.

Some succeeded after using it.

A few kept using it and still hadn’t succeeded.

The key was its value.

Ten pills meant fifty taels of silver—a fortune. How could he accept it without knowing why?

“Instructor, what’s this for?”

Seeing Xu Jin ask, Ning Yuchan’s eyes flickered with approval—this boy was actually quite good, just physically...

“Your father came to me this afternoon, gave me silver, and asked me to buy this elixir for you. Take one before each session for the remaining days—it will help your Star-Marking.”

Xu Jin’s heart trembled.

Fifty taels!

Where did his father, Xu Dajiang, get so much silver?

The family’s fields had long been sold.

The only three old rooms left weren’t worth this much.

And “asked”—“begged.”

“Why are you so kind to me?”

“Cultivate hard. Don’t waste your father’s efforts. Strive to succeed in Star-Marking.”

After thanking her, Xu Jin left with the Wakeful Star Elixir; his heart felt heavy, but more than that, it burned with determination.

I must succeed in Star-Marking.

I must live. I must earn silver.

Back in the dormitory, Xu Jin lay down, closed his eyes, and cautiously studied the Can Dou Platform.

The starlamp seemed strange, but its function was unclear.

The strand of starlight on the Can Dou Platform seemed responsive to his will—but now he dared not experiment recklessly.

As he pondered, Xu Jin fell into deep sleep; the day had been full of upheavals, and his spirit was exhausted.

The next day, the boys were awakened by urgent wooden clappers and rushed to the morning practice square.

Some boys were full of energy; others, feeling Star-Marking hopeless, slumped in despair.

“Big Brother Jin, we’ve only six days left—can we really succeed?” Qian Xiaohu, standing beside Xu Jin, had failed to mark the star for nearly three months and had lost hope.

“Aren’t there still six days?”

“Never give up on Star-Marking until the star pattern vanishes!”

“As long as you persist, you’ll gain something.”

Qian Xiaohu perked up, but Xu Jin himself felt uneasy—would the Wakeful Star Elixir even work?

“Dawn appears! The Meal-of-Dawn Posture—begin!”

Instructor Ning’s voice rang out; the boys stepped apart into the Meal-of-Dawn Posture. Xu Jin, however, swallowed a pill first.

Qian Xiaohu and the nearby boys saw this but weren’t surprised.

This sickly boy taking medicine was normal.

But today, Xu Jin took the Wakeful Star Elixir.

Not just that—he also swallowed a Heart-Saving Pill, his usual emergency remedy. Double the effect.

Instantly, a cool sensation surged to his skull, like eating mint—he felt clearer-headed than ever, his spirit invigorated beyond measure.

The Wakeful Star Elixir was powerful.

Xu Jin immediately entered cultivation, inhaling and exhaling, visualizing the star pattern, imagining morning auroras drawn into his nose and mouth, guided toward the star pattern on his chest.

After three or four breaths, the star pattern on his chest began to flicker.

Faster than before.

The Wakeful Star Elixir really worked.

Less than ten minutes, Xu Jin felt the star pattern on his chest grow warm, then shift from flickering to steady glow.

Xu Jin rejoiced.

This was the sign of imminent success.

When the star pattern grew hot, then searing, it slowly burned into the skin’s texture, even into the bone, becoming permanently lit.

Usually, if the star pattern remained steadily lit for over fifteen minutes, it would permanently fix itself to the chest—Star-Marking succeeded.

The star pattern on his chest grew hotter, and the steady glow lasted a hundred breaths, two hundred, three hundred.

Far away, Instructor Ning Yuchan’s iron crutch touched the ground silently as she slowly turned toward Xu Jin, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Four hundred breaths, five hundred, six hundred.

The star pattern grew hotter, yet more comfortable—almost soothing to the bone.

Xu Jin focused harder.

His chance of success today was very high.

Especially since, so far, he hadn’t had an attack.

This might be because he’d taken the Heart-Saving Pill beforehand.

But in that instant, Xu Jin suddenly felt the heat within his chest star pattern strangely flowing outward—toward his left chest, toward his heart.

Instantly, his left chest heart throbbed with pain.

Xu Jin’s heart tightened; the once-steadily glowing star pattern suddenly dimmed.

Especially as the heat continued flowing toward his heart, the steady glow grew dimmer—and began flickering again.

Instructor Ning, approaching closely, suddenly halted, her eyes filled with resignation.

Was it failing again?

“No!”

Panicked, Xu Jin strained to intensify the Meal-of-Dawn Posture, trying to draw in more starlight—but the more he panicked, the worse his absorption became.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Xu Jin’s heart suddenly pounded like a war drum.

“Again!”

Xu Jin sighed inwardly but didn’t panic—he subtly shifted his will, directly drawing the strand of starlight floating on the Can Dou Platform.

Last night, he’d already tested it—the strand of starlight responded to his will.

In his cultivation sensation, this strand resembled the starlight he’d absorbed, only purer and more abundant.

In the next instant, the strand of starlight on the Can Dou Platform was drawn directly into Xu Jin’s chest star pattern.

Almost simultaneously, the dimmed star pattern on his chest blazed back to blinding brilliance, his chest burning hot.

Even Instructor Ning, watching from afar, felt momentarily blinded by the starlight’s glare.

At the same moment, the star pattern, now overfilled, erupted like a dam breaking—a torrent of starlight surged toward Xu Jin’s left chest heart.

His heart first warmed, then seared, then exploded in agony; unable to suppress a pained groan, Xu Jin’s vision went black, his body slumped, and he collapsed unconscious.

But even as he lay unconscious, the star pattern on his chest remained steadily lit.

“Big Brother Jin!”

Qian Xiaohu stopped cultivating and rushed over to feed Xu Jin medicine—but Instructor Ning arrived instantly and stopped him.

“Don’t touch him; continue your cultivation.”

“Got it.”

The other youths, startled, now noticed something unusual: though unconscious, his star mark remained brightly lit.

Has he succeeded in Star Marking?

Many eyes filled with envy.

But as time passed, after several hundred breaths, the star mark on Xu Jin’s chest gradually dimmed, and the crowd’s expressions turned once more to confusion.

Did he succeed in Star Marking or not?

Ning Jiaotou leaned down, pressed two fingers to Xu Jin’s neck pulse, felt the growing strength of his heartbeat, and a look of joy surfaced on her brow.

She couldn’t tell from the pulse whether Star Marking had succeeded.

But she was certain: today’s morning session had cured Xu Jin’s congenital ailment.

She had taken his pulse many times before; though young, his pulse had always been weak and feeble—never before had it been this strong.

It seems the physician’s advice to Xu Dajiang was true.

Attempting Star Marking truly can cure congenital ailments!

(End of Chapter)