Chapter 439: The Secret Brought by the Star Spirit

Being pursued by Ju Chu Xuan, an eighth-rank elite of the Jin Zhu barbarians, and ultimately escaping him—all were within Xu Jin's plan.

Ever since Ju Chu Xuan entered the Seven Kill Palace, Xu Jin had known that starting with the seventh trial, Ju Chu Xuan would surely hunt him down.

So he had long ago conducted meticulous reasoning and planning.

Not only did he successfully escape Ju Chu Xuan, but he also set two traps for him along the way.

Don't underestimate these two traps—they might well be the key to Xu Jin's killing of Ju Chu Xuan.

Xu Jin had carefully reasoned that if Ju Chu Xuan began pursuing him, he himself might still have a chance to kill Ju Chu Xuan.

For instance, his Earth Heart Earth Rhythm and Heaven-World Fire Rhythm had each accumulated over sixty layers.

If used unexpectedly, there was a chance they could trap and kill Ju Chu Xuan.

But that chance was small.

Perhaps only thirty percent, or even less.

But Xu Jin did not want to gamble.

Because Xu Jin had a more reliable option.

Since the seventh trial of the Seven Kill Palace lasted forty-nine days before a final outcome was decided, within those forty-nine days, Xu Jin's cultivation base could still rise dramatically.

This was an absolutely certain prospect.

Why gamble on luck when there was a certain choice?

After escaping Ju Chu Xuan, Xu Jin glided carefully close to the ground, searching for a suitable place to cultivate in secret.

While flying, Xu Jin suddenly sensed an extremely powerful aura.

Eighth-rank!

And it was the aura of an eighth-rank mid-level elite, distinctly different from Ju Chu Xuan's current eighth-rank early-stage aura.

Xu Jin instantly understood.

This must be the illusory form of the Seven Kill True Person from his forties.

At forty, one is free from doubt.

To have broken into the eighth-rank at barely forty—or even younger—this Seven Kill True Person's talent was truly formidable.

Seeing him from afar, Xu Jin suddenly had an idea and moved toward him.

The rules required surviving ten breaths under the Seven Kill True Person's illusory form's attacks.

Each person had at most three attempts.

Why not try once first, to see just how strong the Seven Kill True Person's illusory form was?

So he could make targeted arrangements for his subsequent secret cultivation!

The next instant, Xu Jin accelerated instantly and charged toward the Seven Kill True Person's illusory form!

Almost simultaneously, the Seven Kill True Person's illusory form spun around, fixed its gaze on Xu Jin—and a torrent of starlight rained down.

In that instant, the starlight coalesced into a single starlight longsword, slashing straight down upon Xu Jin's head!

As the blade descended, its light shimmered like countless stars, seemingly everywhere—Xu Jin had nowhere to evade.

But as the blade touched his body, the myriad blades instantly retracted like returning starlight, merging into one, and slashed down upon Xu Jin's head.

In that split second, Xu Jin's feet touched the ground; he raised the Fish Curtain Golden Bell and instantly activated Earth's Root.

But the blade's speed was lightning-fast.

The moment Earth's Root activated, the blade struck.

Puff!

Xu Jin's prized Fish Curtain Golden Bell shattered instantly, like a punctured balloon.

But the blade's light also dissipated by more than half.

Star Art: Transfer Flower activated instantly!

It diverted most of the blade's light; the residual strikes were absorbed by Xu Jin's Seven Stars Spirit Armor.

But the next instant, starlight fell again, crashing down like a tidal wave, one sword after another, relentless.

Seven Kill: Evade Dragon Stake!

In an instant, he vanished from his spot; as he retreated over ten thousand meters, the Seven Kill True Person's illusory form laughed aloud and chased after him, slashing again.

Another slash came.

This time, Xu Jin had layered his defenses to the extreme.

Lei Yi, Fish Curtain Golden Bell, Transfer Flower, Heavenly Gang Thunder Chain Shield, Seven Stars Spirit Armor!

Only on the second strike did Xu Jin activate Seven Kill: Evade Dragon Stake again and teleport away.

Of course, Xu Jin could have withstood the second strike—but the cost might have been the destruction of his Seven Stars Spirit Armor; this was merely a test, unnecessary.

Time entered the third breath.

The blade slashed through the air once more; Xu Jin had barely reappeared when the blade struck again.

As if beneath the starry sky, everywhere in heaven and earth, lay within the blade's range.

This time, as he layered his defenses, Xu Jin also countered with offense.

Solar Starlight and Five Elements Divine Thunder struck in succession, weakening the blade.

But no matter how hard Xu Jin tried, he could not survive three strikes.

When the third strike fell, Xu Jin could only flee or die.

Time entered the fifth breath.

Again, at the third strike, Xu Jin was cornered.

To test his limits, Xu Jin activated Seven Kill: Evade Dragon Stake once more.

But this time, the blade's descent was slightly different.

Yinyinjian ， Simianbafangkongjianzhendangbuyi 。

Xu Jin had just vanished from his spot using Seven Kill: Evade Dragon Stake—when he immediately tumbled back out from the same spot.

Seven Kill: Evade Dragon Stake failed.

The blade descended, instantly shredding Xu Jin into starlight.

The Seven Kill True Person's illusory form sheathed his blade and stepped back, smiling at Xu Jin. "This Seven Kill: Evade Dragon Stake was created by your master—surely you know that, disciple?"

My Killing Void Sword specifically counters such star arts.

Be more careful next time you challenge me."

"Thank you, Master, for your guidance!"

As Xu Jin spoke these words with clasped fists, he felt awkward.

But then he thought: he had already received two of the master's transmissions, and learned the life-saving technique Seven Kill: Evade Dragon Stake; even if it was only an illusory form, calling him "Master" was no harm.

"You still have two chances. My disciple, use them wisely."

Hearing this, Xu Jin bowed, then swiftly retreated.

The commotion had been too loud—he didn't know if Ju Chu Xuan might have sensed it; he must remain cautious.

This time, Xu Jin flew swiftly for three full hours; combined with his earlier flight, he was now over ten thousand li from the Seven Kill Palace—but still hadn't reached the boundary of the Seven Kill Secret Realm.

Still, Xu Jin felt it was sufficient.

The next instant, as he landed, he pulled out the Mandarin Duck Seal and sent a message to the State Tutor, Cheng Cheng Yuexiao.

【State Tutor, I am ready.】

【Then activate it. As soon as I receive your request, I will immediately grant access—technically, it's possible.】

【Good.】

Previously, Xu Jin had specifically consulted the State Tutor via the Mandarin Duck Seal regarding the branch Star Gazing Tower.

After all, Chen Guo had established branch Star Gazing Towers across several star domains.

The State Tutor knew this area inside and out.

The result of his inquiry had been surprising.

If a branch Star Gazing Tower existed, it could still connect to Chen Guo's main Star Gazing Tower even across star domains.

But the cost was more than ten times that of normal communication.

This cost referred to star force consumption.

According to the State Tutor, under normal conditions, a branch Star Gazing Tower required one fifth-rank Star Jade Tablet per day to maintain connection with the main tower.

But across star domains, the consumption was ten tablets!

One fifth-rank Star Jade Tablet normally cost one thousand strands of starlight, ten thousand merits.

With tenfold consumption, the accumulated cost over time was terrifying.

This was why branch Star Gazing Towers in star domains were only opened periodically, never continuously.

But Xu Jin didn't need continuous connection.

Just a few days would suffice.

The key was, Xu Jin could now afford even the tenfold cost.

Meanwhile, in his exchange with the State Tutor, the latter had also resolved a major problem for Xu Jin.

Previously, the biggest issue with activating a branch Star Gazing Tower was the massive disturbance.

Xu Jin had seen his teacher Qi Qi Shanye activate a Star Gazing Tower—the starlight blazed across the heavens and earth, especially during activation, when it devoured star force from all directions, creating a disturbance detectable hundreds of li away.

Though he was now nearly ten thousand li from Ju Chu Xuan, Xu Jin still worried the disturbance might be detected.

After all, the star force fluctuations were too great and lasted too long.

But surprisingly, State Tutor Cheng Cheng Yuexiao solved this problem effortlessly.

The reason for this problem is simple: Qi Qi Tianye is too poor! He had only ten thousand strands of starlight when he erected the Star Tower, and all other consumption required for its establishment must be absorbed by the tower from the heavens and earth.

Thus, the disturbance was immense.

If Xu Jin had been able to supply it with a vast amount of star power when erecting the Star Tower—such as a large quantity of Star Jade Tablets—

then the tower would not need to draw star power from the outside, and naturally, there would be no disturbance.

When he learned this answer, Xu Jin could only offer a bitter smile.

It was probably indeed due to this reason.

His master, Qi Qi Shanye, had been extremely poor back then.

But Xu Jin is not poor now.

The State Advisor said that, generally speaking, when a branch Star Tower is re-erected, it requires only one thousand fifth-rank Star Jade Tablets, or roughly fifteen thousand fourth-rank Star Jade Tablets' worth of star power, to meet its needs.

Once its consumption is satisfied, it naturally won't draw star power from the outside—and thus, there will be no disturbance!

This once again showed Xu Jin the importance of communication.

Some problems you think are insurmountable may be trivial to others.

For Xu Jin today, one thousand fifth-rank Star Jade Tablets mean nothing.

With a thought, Xu Jin directly retrieved two thousand fifth-rank Star Jade Tablets from his Numinous Space, just to be safe.

The next instant, with a thought, a tiny nine-story Star Tower instantly appeared; as Xu Jin hurled it outward, he spurred it with his will—it grew rapidly with the wind, and at the same moment, the two thousand Star Jade Tablets were instantly sent into the branch Star Tower.

Suddenly, Xu Jin faintly sensed a vast surge of star power radiating from the branch Star Tower; its starlight flashed once, instantly connecting heaven and earth, and within moments of shimmering, it seamlessly merged into this realm.

In merely three breaths, it fully unfolded—the tower was successfully erected.

The next instant, with a slight thought, the branch Star Tower sank completely into this realm, invisible and undetectable even if someone came here.

This was an inherent trait of the branch Star Tower.

"This is the magic of wealth,"

Xu Jin sighed, took a step forward, and vanished into thin air.

He had entered the branch Star Tower.

The next instant, Xu Jin appeared on the ninth floor of the branch Star Tower, and instantly felt a deep connection between his spirit and the tower.

This branch Star Tower was under Xu Jin's complete control.

Then, following the method taught by State Advisor Cheng Cheng Yuexiao, Xu Jin activated the branch Star Tower to search for and sense the aura of the main Chen Guo Star Tower.

The State Advisor had already opened the aura of the main Chen Guo Star Tower.

After fifteen minutes, suddenly, within the branch Star Tower's perspective, Xu Jin saw a point of starlight growing larger; instantly, he linked his own starlight to it.

After half a quarter-hour, starlight flickered incessantly within the branch Star Tower, and another vast aura descended from afar, imprinting its mark within the Chen Guo branch Star Tower.

From now on, this branch Star Tower was incorporated into the communication range of the main Chen Guo Star Tower.

The instant communication succeeded, a beam of starlight message lit up—it was from State Advisor Cheng Cheng Yuexiao; Xu Jin immediately replied.

{Then so be it. Cultivate diligently. After forty-eight days, if you truly cannot become the direct disciple of the Seventh Kill True Person, prioritize survival—do not take risks. Remember, remember! }

{With your current cultivation base, if you grow steadily for a while, within no more than ten years, you will become one of the supreme experts in the world. }

{No need to take risks! }

{State Advisor, rest assured. I understand. }

"Phew!"

Inside the Star Tower, Xu Jin exhaled deeply.

One major problem was finally resolved.

Now that the Star Tower issue was settled, the problem of the Golden Star was also resolved.

Once he claimed the Golden Star and the Brilliant Star, Xu Jin could freely use his cultivation resources to enhance and break through his cultivation base.

Overjoyed, Xu Jin activated his will, ready to enter the Star Tower's Secret Realm for a challenge.

"Huh? Finally found you! After all this time, I thought you'd died in battle." A familiar voice suddenly rang out—Xu Jin was taken aback.

Star Spirit?

The Star Tower's Star Spirit had come directly here.

"You can come here directly? Star Spirit?"

The next instant, a woman appeared before Xu Jin, her hands wrapped in golden bells, dressed in red robes with a white shawl—Xu Jin was stunned.

"You—"

"Why did you take on this form?"

"I like it. Is that a problem? Who are you to tell me?" The Star Spirit's tongue was as sharp as ever.

But this voice, paired with this appearance, instantly turned Xu Jin's stomach.

Destroying a classic!

Ruining the image!

Ruining Xu Jin's cherished image!

"Change it! Change it right now!"

"No!"

"Then stop swearing and insulting people from now on!"

"You can't tell me what to do!" The Star Spirit grinned smugly.

"If you don't change, you'll never get any more novels again!"

"I'm not afraid—I can now communicate directly with others. I'm no longer lonely." The Star Spirit laughed.

"You've gotten too bold!"

The next instant, with a thought, boundless starlight surged down, pinning the Star Spirit firmly in place, unable to move an inch.

Unless she left, as long as she remained within this Star Tower, she could not escape Xu Jin's suppression.

"You—you've gained full authority over this Star Tower?" The Star Spirit stared at Xu Jin in shock.

"What do you think?"

Xu Jin sneered.

Others couldn't control the Star Spirit because most people only held partial authority over a Star Tower.

But Xu Jin wasn't just a Silver-Rank Authority holder—he held one hundred percent authority over this branch Star Tower.

Within this tower, Xu Jin was king!

The Star Spirit? Merely a servant!

Disobedient? Suppress her.

"Fine, I'll listen to you. I won't swear anymore." The Star Spirit, clearly having been disciplined before, immediately yielded.

"Really?"

"I promise."

Xu Jin released her, and instantly, the Star Spirit grew quiet.

Budebushuo ， Xinglingzhehongyibaishajinlingdexingxiang ， Zhiyaoanjingxialai ， Zhendefeichangyangyan 。

"So you came here specially to see me?" Xu Jin glanced at her.

"Don't flatter yourself. I sensed a new branch Star Tower had merged, so I came to check—didn't expect it was you!" the Star Spirit said.

Under Xu Jin's gaze, she added, "That's not swearing."

"Hmm, not swearing. So you're bored. Since you've seen it, go wherever you like—I've got things to do." Xu Jin said.

"Wait! Didn't you say you'd give me more novels?" the Star Spirit cried.

"Didn't you just say you didn't want them?"

"I was lying."

"I believed you." Xu Jin smiled.

"You—"

The Star Spirit panicked, her eyes darting, then suddenly said, "Give me something, and I'll tell you a secret."

"A secret? What secret?"

"About the Seventh Kill True Person's legacy."

"Oh? You know?"

"Of course I do. I helped design the first few trials of the Seventh Kill Secret Realm." The Star Spirit said proudly.

"You designed it?" Now it was Xu Jin's turn to be stunned.

"A little bit. My master, the Ultimate Emperor, once luckily obtained the Seventh Kill True Person's inner-disciple transmission. After cultivating to success, he, as the sole inner-disciple, communicated with the Seventh Kill Spirit and made some modifications." The Star Spirit said.

"So the Ultimate Emperor himself only received the inner-disciple transmission?" Xu Jin asked in surprise.

"Correct. At the time, my master was only at the peak of fourth-rank cultivation. He obtained the inner-disciple transmission mostly by luck. Later, he made some changes—but the final trial, he had no authority to alter." The Star Spirit said.

"So what's this secret you're going to tell me?" Xu Jin asked.

"The Seventh Trial of the Seventh Kill Secret Realm has a hidden trial." The Star Spirit said mysteriously.

"Hidden trial?" Xu Jin laughed in disbelief—this felt like a video game.

"My master said the requirement for the Seventh Trial is merely to survive ten breaths. But if a powerful cultivator can slay the illusionary form of the Seventh Kill True Person at age forty, perhaps they'll gain something different."

"What kind of reward?"

"I don't know. It was my master's speculation." The Star Spirit said.

"Something different?"

Xu Jin pondered, then, carrying this question with him, entered the Star Tower's Secret Realm and began his challenge!

(End of chapter)