[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-star-martial-era":3,"chapter-the-star-martial-era-the-star-martial-era-chapter-72":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},2274930,4448,"Chapter 72: Survival Divine Technique","the-star-martial-era-chapter-72",72,"\u003Cp>“Third-rank snake spirit? Offering?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The additional information on the Candou Platform’s jade tablet left Xu Jin deeply puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a thought to try it out, he focused his mind and immediately absorbed the freshly acquired, still-warm green snake star-core into the Candou Platform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint flash of light appeared, and the green snake star-core materialized above the Candou Platform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But its position was beneath the offering table—at the very front of the platform!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wasn’t this supposed to be an offering?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why did it end up under the table?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surprised, Xu Jin refocused his mind on the green snake star-core beneath the offering table; instantly, a flood of information surged into his mind, revealing its usage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Offering Spirit Item One: Third-rank Low-grade Snake Spirit. Consuming one strand of starlight grants protection or allows replacement of the spirit. When fully charged with star power, it unleashes the spirit’s peak attack, accompanied by a slight soul strike; after activation, the spirit vanishes.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Available Protections: Spirit-Scent Star Pattern, Concealment Star Pattern】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These lines of text brought a smile to Xu Jin’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This granted him an additional star pattern ability—by his understanding, something like a passive skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More than that, he gained another survival technique: unleashing a full star-power burst, a one-time use.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After use, the item vanishes, but at a critical moment, it’s a lifesaver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crucially, this third-rank snake spirit offered better value than the Star Seal; at least, the cost didn’t sting as much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ning Yuchan’s Spiral Blade Seal sold for four thousand taels on the market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kind of star-beast star-core typically ranged from one to two thousand taels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, its power should be weaker than the Spiral Blade Seal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not bad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Candou Platform’s functions kept surprising Xu Jin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wondered what other surprises it might bring in the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this was only Offering Spirit Item One.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A second-rank Candou Platform could offer two spirit items.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Offering one spirit grants one star pattern—so what if he upgraded the platform to third-rank or fourth-rank?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two star patterns he’d obtained so far were passive skills—would future ones be active?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Spirit-Scent Star Pattern: Enhances perception of surrounding environmental changes; extremely sensitive to scent and temperature shifts】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Concealment Star Pattern: Suppresses all life signatures; if motionless, nearly undetectable. Slower movement reduces effectiveness; rapid movement nullifies it entirely】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two star patterns granted by the third-rank snake spirit brought another wave of delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two star patterns were truly survival techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One detects hidden dangers; the other conceals one’s own aura—both extremely practical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But unfortunately, only one could be active at a time—or replaced by the other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s thought, Xu Jin unhesitatingly infused a strand of starlight and selected the “Spirit-Scent Star Pattern.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost the instant he chose the Spirit-Scent Star Pattern’s protection, an odd sensation spread through his body; after sneezing, Xu Jin realized his perception of the surroundings had changed completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, Xu Jin leapt backward a step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Above him, on the vines, a dark green spider was swinging toward him—he hadn’t noticed it before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thing could be crushed with one slap, but Xu Jin found it utterly repulsive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few breaths later, his expression turned grim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too sensitive a perception wasn’t good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, he’d thought this patch of grass was just plain grass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, he detected hundreds, even thousands of insects—and worse, rats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a lingering phobia from his past life; his mother had told a story she’d witnessed: a village woman working in the fields, her trousers loose at the ankles, suddenly screamed, clamped both hands over her inner thighs, and froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After great effort, they pried her hands open and found a crushed rat inside her loose pants, lodged at the base of her thigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After waking, the woman’s mind was never right again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From then on, she developed a deep aversion to rats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides detecting all kinds of small animals, Xu Jin also sensed dozens of distinct auras.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strangely, he could roughly identify the type of creature each aura belonged to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were snake auras, leopard auras, night owl auras—and more snake auras.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Human?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, one particular aura made Xu Jin frown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone had passed through here—more than one person?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had Dao Yuan classmates been here and missed the Star-Shattered Mushrooms?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Admittedly, this Spirit-Scent Star Pattern greatly enhanced Xu Jin’s ability to detect danger in the wild.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike before, when he relied entirely on sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Footprints can be hidden, but scent and body heat are nearly impossible to conceal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>True divine technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the third-rank green snake spirit beneath the Candou Platform’s offering table, Xu Jin suddenly chuckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s under the table, and you can summon or destroy it at will—how is this an offering?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The art of language!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin took some fresh snake meat for dinner, then before leaving, placed all the Star-Shattered Mushrooms beneath the Star Lamp to cultivate. The common Lichen Moss he’d placed inside earlier, after a full day and night of cultivation, had all turned into one-star; the two one-star specimens now glowed with thick, swirling starlight—they’d become two-star Lichen Moss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was entirely normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ordinary Lichen Moss was typically one or two years old; one-star was ten years old; two-star was twenty years old.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Theoretically, one day and night of cultivation would raise ordinary moss to one-star, and one-star to two-star.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to elevate two-star to three-star would likely take four or five days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because three-star Lichen Moss was fifty years old.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The night passed without incident; deep in the ancient forest, with the Star-Picking Order outside service range, there was nothing but cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hard cultivation! Hard cultivation!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Early the next morning, after cultivation, Xu Jin slung the heavy snake hide over his back and headed for the nearest supply point on the map.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After days of relentless practice within the Star Lamp, Xu Jin had fully mastered the Flying Star Step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without relying on physical strength, he could launch the Flying Star Step from a standstill, leaping ten meters upward and twenty meters forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With physical strength added, he could leap thirteen to fourteen meters upward and nearly thirty meters forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This multiplied his efficiency crossing mountains and traversing terrain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What had previously taken two hours now took him only one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the outermost supply point of the Jinshan Dao Yuan, deep within the Great Green Mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guarding it was Instructor Zheng, a member of the Forging Hall—his body bulging with muscle, dark and sturdy as a water buffalo, standing out unmistakably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From afar, Instructor Zheng spotted Xu Jin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he saw the enormous pile of scaled snake hide on Xu Jin’s back, he was startled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, he shot forward like lightning, snatched the scaled hide from Xu Jin’s back, and exclaimed, “Kid, did you encounter a star-beast? A low-tier green snake at the Star Refining stage—why didn’t you call for help? Are you hurt?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he pressed with further questions, Instructor Zheng circled Xu Jin, then placed a hand on his shoulder and probed with star power. “Huh? Only minor injuries—and they’re nearly healed? Did you kill it alone?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Impressive. Even if you used some treasure, you’ve got guts—and taking down a beast this big is worth it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instructor Zheng nodded approvingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin could tell Instructor Zheng assumed he’d used a protective seal—he didn’t correct him, letting the assumption stand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Instructor Zheng pulled out his Star-Picking Order and swiftly logged Xu Jin’s harvest, which surprised Xu Jin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, Instructor, your Star-Picking Order works here?” Xu Jin asked, then realized he’d spoken carelessly—his ability to use the Star-Picking Order at Qi-Exhalation Fifth Layer hadn’t been revealed yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Instructor Zheng, busy tallying Xu Jin’s harvest, didn’t notice; perhaps to them, using a Star-Picking Order was perfectly normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can’t use it here—mine’s a two-star Star-Picking Order. Here, you need at least a three-star to activate. But it still works for logging and recording harvest values—most convenient, and fair, eliminating all cheating.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he counted, Instructor Zheng continued, “Kid, you’ve hit the jackpot! Holy hell, so much one-star Lichen Moss—did you find the motherlode?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And two-star too? You’re impressive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These Stone Spikes have one-star ones too—good job.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But when storing these, you should stack them—less risk of damaging the edges.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your snake gallbladder isn’t preserved well—next time, wrap gallbladders and fangs separately.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin realized Instructor Zheng was a chatterbox.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Xu Jin arrived, the man hadn’t stopped talking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Black Ox, the chatterbox.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luckily, Xu Jin only had to nod—he’d have been parched otherwise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about the snake blood? You didn’t bring back any snake blood?” Instructor Zheng’s voice suddenly rose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t have a suitable container,” Xu Jin said, embarrassed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Next time, bring more water skins—half a catty of snake blood is worth at least twenty taels.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your harvest of pine moss, stone spines, and snake gallbladders and fangs totals 1,600 taels of silver; this scaled snake skin, over a meter wide and ten meters long, is intact and valued at 2,100 taels. In just a day and a half, you’ve gathered 3,700 taels—you’re not bad, kid.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, Instructor Zheng froze. \"Something feels missing?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Right—the star core! Where’s the star beast’s star core? That’s a valuable item! It’s your first kill; you didn’t forget to extract the star core, did you?\" Instructor Zheng exclaimed urgently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin was just struggling to answer when Instructor Zheng had already found the answer for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You fool! That third-rank low-grade star core is worth at least 1,500 taels. Go, go find it in the snake’s corpse!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin spread his hands helplessly. \"I killed it last night. I came over this morning—the snake’s corpse was gone. Probably eaten by wild beasts.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah, you fool, you’ve got no experience!\" Instructor Zheng sighed, returning the empty backpack to Xu Jin after tallying the harvest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Be careful. Stay alert. Blood God Cult heretics have appeared—two disciples have already been killed.\" As he left, Instructor Zheng suddenly gave a solemn warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"By the way, I think your harvest volume could push you into the top twenty of the Harvest Rankings. The rewards for the top twenty aren’t bad.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Xu Jin was about to leave, he turned back. \"Instructor Zheng, what’s my current ranking?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"According to the message I received on the Star-Picking Token when I took over this morning, the top spot is Wang Weisheng with 4,600 taels; the twentieth place has 3,100 taels. But that’s the morning’s count—it’s certainly higher now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you push yourself, you can make it,\" Instructor Zheng said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Understood. I’ll work hard. Thank you, Instructor!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Xu Jin rapidly disappear into the distance, Instructor Zheng suddenly shouted loudly, \"Remember—safety first! Safety first!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1780,"2026-06-19T23:56:29.689Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e44a48544909edcc384c31f4ea8f5f45cff9e5fa7f2cbacccbb387a85ffe7f59","the-star-martial-era-chapter-73","the-star-martial-era-chapter-71",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-star-martial-era-cover.jpg"]