Chapter 427: Star-Invoking Legacy

When the Seven Kill Token touched the gate of the Seven Kill Palace, it dissolved into a streak of starlight that enveloped Xu Jin's entire body, allowing him to pass directly into the palace interior.

In the instant he entered, before Xu Jin could react, starlight continuously materialized before him.

【Congratulations. You have obtained the Seven Kill Token and entered the Seven Kill Palace, successfully passing the fifth trial. From this moment, you are qualified to become my registered disciple.】

【Proceed to my Star Seat, perform the Three Bows and Nine Kowtows, and you shall become my registered disciple, receiving the Dao Enlightenment legacy of my youth.】

The starlight faded, and before Xu Jin appeared a path of starlight, leading straight to a grand hall within the Seven Kill Palace.

Xu Jin landed and looked around; neither his vision nor his Mingji Star Pattern sensed the presence of the previous nine entrants.

Surprised, Xu Jin stepped onto the starlit path.

At the end of the path stood an ancient-style hall, inscribed with three characters: Seven Kill Hall.

From outside, the hall appeared ordinary, but the moment Xu Jin stepped inside, starlight instantly shifted, as if he had entered another realm—above him, countless stars emerged, forming a starry sky like an ocean.

In that ocean-like starry sky, a towering figure stood upon the stars, radiating an ethereal aura.

Xu Jin found the figure vaguely familiar, then remembered.

It bore resemblance to the youthful illusionary form of the Seven Kill True Person he had defeated earlier in the Seven Kill Secret Realm.

This must be the Seven Kill True Person's Star Seat.

There were no cushions; Xu Jin chose a spot, knelt, and performed three full kowtows with utmost reverence.

As he finished the ritual, a beam of starlight shot down from the figure of the Seven Kill True Person in the starry sky and sank into Xu Jin's mind.

Instantly, countless pieces of information flooded into Xu Jin's mind, eventually coalescing into a single legacy.

The Star-Invoking Five-Element Ritual Scripture

Xu Jin read through it meticulously, yet his face showed little sign of delight.

The Star-Invoking Five-Element Ritual Scripture taught how a sixth-rank Cloud Tower cultivator could invoke stars and celestial bodies to construct a Star Tower upon the heavens.

Once constructed, one could borrow the power of heaven and earth's stars.

This power could be used for both cultivation and combat.

It was a complete legacy.

Yet Xu Jin felt no great joy because this legacy differed little from what he already knew—it was merely slightly more refined and complete.

Because it concerned his growth and future cultivation path, Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao had long ago explained it to him.

Especially the crucial seventh rank.

Xu Jin himself had been deeply curious, so the Grand Master had elaborated.

The method for breaking through the seventh rank within the Chen Guo Dao Academy originated from the Lingji Star Palace, and the Lingji Star Palace's method was called the Lingji Star-Invoking Scripture.

It was very similar to this legacy.

Only many parts had been simplified for easier mastery.

Hence, no surprise.

Moreover, this legacy was purely theoretical; actually practicing it would be extremely difficult.

According to Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao, once Xu Jin reached the late stage of the sixth rank, the Dao Academy possessed the Lingji Star-Invoking Pearl granted by the Lingji Star Palace, which could directly manifest the Dao for him to observe and learn.

But learning it did not mean he could break through.

Learning meant only that he could comprehend and apply this abstract Lingji Star-Invoking Scripture.

Yet this also stirred anticipation in Xu Jin.

Merely becoming a registered disciple of the Seven Kill True Person had granted him a legacy nearly identical to that of the Lingji Star Palace.

Then, if he progressed further, might he receive an even higher-level legacy?

It was entirely possible.

The next instant, the starlight above shifted again—the starry sky vanished, and his vision opened wide.

At the center of his vision stood a shimmering starlit stele.

Xu Jin's sharp eyes caught the large characters at the very top of the stele.

【Star-Invoking Five-Element Ritual Stele】

At the same moment, Xu Jin noticed the other passers among the stele's surroundings.

At this moment, the other passers sat in meditation around the stele, already beginning to contemplate.

Ju Xuan was here too!

Seeing Xu Jin appear, Ju Xuan, blood still on his lips, grinned at him with cruel ferocity.

In that same instant, the other eight elite human cultivators who had stormed in reacted differently.

Chancellor Dong Zhao was naturally the happiest.

He had previously worried Xu Jin wouldn't make it, filled with guilt.

After all, Xu Jin had initiated the ambush against Ju Xuan and provided all eight Seven Kill Tokens.

Without Xu Jin, those present might have turned on each other.

How many would have even entered then, was uncertain.

Fortunately, Xu Jin had entered after all.

Hou Ziang, Du Wei, Abatai, Yu Xi, Zhang Lin, and Ye Feng all stared at Xu Jin with astonishment, their eyes filled with curiosity.

It was too incredible.

It was certain that after they entered, the two seventh-rank cultivators from Xumi Palace would have launched a full-scale assault on Qi Tian Sheng to kill him and seize the Seven Kill Token.

They had assumed the last to enter would be one of the Xumi Palace seventh-ranks.

But instead, it was Qi Tian Sheng.

Marquis Song Shoujie of Luoshui was also deeply surprised and immediately sent a mental message to Xu Jin: "Huh? Not bad—I didn't think you'd make it! How did you deal with those two Xumi Palace disciples?"

This was precisely what Song Shoujie found astonishing.

Impossible!

"What else? I killed them."

Xu Jin replied curtly to Marquis Song Shoujie, then sat down near the stele.

Marquis Song Shoujie was stunned. "How? How did you manage that?"

"Secret."

Xu Jin gave only two words in reply and refused further conversation.

To be honest, when Xu Jin first partnered with Song Shoujie, he had held a favorable impression of him.

He knew when to advance and retreat, cooperated well with the bigger picture, communicated normally, and lacked the arrogance typical of ordinary geniuses and seventh-ranks.

But when this man discarded him as expendable, Xu Jin permanently placed him in the category of utterly untrustworthy.

Although, from the perspective of the situation at the time, Song Shoujie's decision to bring Dong Zhao in and abandon Xu Jin seemed the most rational choice for advantage.

That's how higher-level strategy works!

But Xu Jin, as the discarded pawn, was furious beyond measure—it was simply a case of deeming him worthless and disposable.

The bastard's Seven Kill Token was given to him by Xu Jin.

While Xu Jin had no intention of killing him for revenge, he saw no reason to treat him kindly.

Now, Xu Jin had every right to refuse him courtesy.

Seeing Xu Jin's disrespect, Song Shoujie's expression turned icy.

Even if the situation repeated a hundred times, he would still act the same.

As a military commander of the Star River Battlefield, years of combat had honed his instincts: in that moment, the choice maximizing advantage was the only viable one.

This matter had no right or wrong—only the Empire's interest.

Yet Song Shoujie's inner attitude toward Xu Jin had subtly shifted.

Previously, obtaining eight Seven Kill Tokens alongside Dong Zhao already marked him as exceptional.

Now, having broken through the assault of two seventh-ranks to enter the Seven Kill Palace, he was even more remarkable.

The other elite seventh-ranks from various factions also harbored their own thoughts.

But one thing was uniform: all regarded this fifth-rank, third-layer Qi Tian Sheng from Chen Guo with caution, even wariness.

The reason was simple: if he could kill his way into the Seven Kill Palace under the combined assault of two Xumi Palace seventh-ranks, then he could do the same against any two seventh-ranks among them.

That ability was extraordinary.

Worthy of serious attention.

【The Star-Invoking Five-Element Ritual Stele will remain for one day for your contemplation! After one day, the sixth trial of the Seven Kill Secret Realm will open.】

【Weapons are forbidden within the Seven Kill Palace. Outside, all is permitted.】

As the two beams of starlight appeared one after another, Xu Jin understood why the others coexisted peacefully.

Otherwise, Ju Xuan would have slaughtered them all.

But Xu Jin strongly doubted how much strength Ju Xuan still possessed.

Soon, Xu Jin noticed Ju Xuan was not contemplating the stele—he was continuously swallowing pills to heal.

A pity.

Within a day, Ju Xuan's injuries would recover by at least half.

But damage to his Dao Star Tower and Yuan Spirit would not mend so quickly.

His strength should drop by several tenths.

Yet, would the elite human cultivators present still cooperate fully to ambush Ju Xuan again after one day?

Xu Jin highly doubted it.

Especially after one day, the Divine Dao Intent would appear.

In the next instant, Xu Jin discarded all distractions, sinking his mind into the Star Stele of the Five-Element Star Invocation Device, and in an instant, his mind was pulled into another realm of light and shadow.

This realm, like a teacher, directly guided Xu Jin's mind through the Five-Element Star Invocation Device Scripture: beginning with forging the Star Scripture within the body, then attuning to the celestial stars, and finally using the invocation techniques recorded within to establish a connection with a target star, drawing down its primordial essence to form a fixed bond.

This process was the very method of breaking through to the Seventh Rank.

In addition, there was the method of selecting a star.

When breaking through to the Seventh Rank, the choice of one's destiny star was critically important, directly determining the upper limit of one's ultimate power.

Of course, the difficulty varied.

On the first pass, Xu Jin was still somewhat confused; by the third, he began to grasp it; by the seventh, he was already somewhat familiar.

After the fifteenth pass, Xu Jin had essentially mastered the Five-Element Star Invocation Device Scripture.

He also understood its profound mysteries.

After breaking through to the Seventh Rank and establishing a bond with one's destiny star, one could summon at most thirty percent of the destiny star's power to augment oneself.

This insight had come to him during the process of contemplation.

Thirty percent didn't seem like much.

Xu Jin had wanted to compare it with the Spirit Record Star Invocation Scripture taught by the State Preceptor, but he couldn't.

The State Preceptor had only given a general description—he hadn't specified the exact effects.

Xu Jin scanned the room and found that, aside from Ju Xuan, everyone else was absorbed in contemplating the Star Stele, each utterly engrossed, lost in rapture.

Xu Jin immediately frowned.

Everyone present here, except Dong Zhao, was Seventh Rank.

Logically, these Seventh Ranks had already broken through to the Seventh Rank and long possessed their own Star Invocation Scriptures.

Why were they so obsessed?

Normally, once one had cultivated a technique, re-cultivating it was troublesome.

There was only one explanation: the method recorded on this Star Stele was superior.

"Headmaster, what is the maximum percentage of destiny star power our National Dao Academy's Mingji Star Invocation Scripture can channel to augment oneself? Is this Five-Element Star Invocation Device Scripture superior?" Xu Jin asked silently.

Though Song Shoujie would have been the most appropriate person to ask, Xu Jin had grown to dislike him and instead directly contacted the Headmaster.

Dong Zhao had reached the Sixth Rank and should have long begun preparing for his breakthrough to the Seventh Rank.

Indeed, it is superior! The inheritance of this Star Stele allows up to thirty percent of the destiny star's power to be channeled, whereas our National Dao Academy's Mingji Star Invocation Scripture begins at twenty percent and never exceeds twenty-five percent.

More crucially, the success rate of establishing a connection with one's destiny star and breaking through to the Seventh Rank using the Mingji Star Invocation Scripture is only twenty percent."

But this Five-Element Star Invocation Device Scripture has a success rate of thirty percent!"

Moreover, I feel these two methods seem to share the same origin."

The Mingji Star Invocation Scripture we received resembles it, but it is incomplete." Dong Zhao replied silently.

Xu Jin nodded.

No wonder!

These Seventh Ranks here are all top geniuses from various factions—they must have received true transmissions. No wonder they're so utterly absorbed; they must be gaining tremendous insights!

Immediately, Xu Jin sank his mind once more into the Star Stele, striving to master it completely.

Once his cultivation reached the peak of Sixth Rank Ninth Layer, and after making all necessary preparations, he could break through to the Seventh Rank in one decisive push!

Time passed swiftly during deep contemplation.

After completing the thirtieth contemplation of the Five-Element Star Invocation Device Stele, Xu Jin's mind suddenly spilled out from the stele.

The moment he opened his eyes, he saw that everyone else had already opened theirs.

The time had run out.

Not far away, Ju Xuan slowly opened his eyes, his aura still fluctuating violently.

His injuries had improved somewhat, but he was far from fully recovered.

In the next instant, the Star Stele before them vanished, and each person's vision was filled with shimmering starlight.

【Contemplation Ended. After One Hundred Beats, Enter the Sixth Trial of the Seven Killings】

【Seven Killings Sixth Trial: Seize!】

All instantly went on alert, poised and ready, for the most crucial Divine Dao Essence was about to appear.

(End of Chapter)