Chapter 94: Returning Hidden and Concealing Image (Seeking Subscriptions)

"Before I pass on a new Divine Soul Star Pattern to you, I must first ask you a question.

Xu Jin, what do you think is the difference between mid-to-high-tier Star Arts and basic Star Arts?" Seeing Qi Shanye asked with a serious expression.

"The difference?"

"The power is definitely different, the Star Force consumption is different, and the difficulty of execution is different," Xu Jin said after thinking for a moment.

Seeing Qi Shanye shook his head slowly. "Not entirely. Star Arts are directed outward, while Star Patterns are directed inward. Remember that?"

"I remember."

"Star Patterns target or alter your Star Force, your inner self, whereas Star Arts target external objectives. But Star Arts are, in fact, the manifestation of Star Patterns from the inside out. Can you understand that?" Seeing Qi Shanye said.

Xu Jin pondered for a few breaths, then suddenly said, "Teacher, do you mean that the difference between mid-to-high-tier Star Arts and basic Star Arts is simply the Star Patterns?

Are mid-to-high-tier Star Arts just the state presented after Star Patterns have altered one's inner power?"

A flash of joy crossed Seeing Qi Shanye's eyes. This logic was not difficult to grasp, but it was rare for someone to understand it so quickly on their own.

"Then do you understand the importance of Star Patterns now?"

"Is Teacher saying that Star Patterns are the foundation of all mid-to-high-tier Star Arts?" Xu Jin asked.

"You could say that. At least for our human race, and at least at the level I can access, that is indeed the case," Seeing Qi Shanye said.

Although he said he was teaching a new Divine Soul Star Pattern, Seeing Qi Shanye did not teach it immediately, but instead began explaining these basic concepts to Xu Jin.

Originally, the Academy would also teach these basics.

However, the Academy usually waited until disciples had completed Star Forging before teaching them. Now that Xu Jin needed to engrave a new Star Pattern onto his Divine Soul Star, Seeing Qi Shanye had to explain it clearly to him; this was the foundation.

The Star Pattern used for Star Forging is generally called a Core Star Pattern, or a Main Star Pattern.

In this world, the Star Patterns that can serve as a Core Main Star Pattern are very limited.

The first type is the Star Force-type Star Pattern; for example, the Great Gathering Star Pattern passed down by the Jin Shan Academy can be used as a Core Star Pattern.

Under normal circumstances, every cultivator's first Star Forging must be a Star Force-type Star Pattern, otherwise, they cannot cultivate.

There is another type, the Divine Soul power-type Star Pattern, which is extremely difficult to cultivate. The only one known in the current world is the heritage of the Lingji Shang Xinggong; to a certain extent, this is also one of the root causes of the Lingji Shang Xinggong's destruction.

The third type is the special-type Star Pattern, and the Mingji Star Pattern is one of them.

Several other Star Palaces also possess such special-type Star Patterns.

For instance, the Tianyang Shang Xinggong has several types of special Star Patterns, one of which is called the Water Lei Xiangxing Pattern.

That is why the Tianyang Shang Xinggong is extremely powerful in sea exploration.

However, cultivating a special-type Star Pattern for Star Forging is usually done using the Lower Shang Xinggong, just like Xu Jin's Mingji Star Pattern.

In this way, compared to ordinary cultivators, it is equivalent to forging two stars simultaneously. By the time they reach the ninth layer of Refine Star, they possess two Refine Star ninth-layer star cores, so their strength is naturally powerful.

However, forging two stars and cultivating two star palaces simultaneously means double the cultivation difficulty and double the consumption of cultivation resources.

Therefore, in the major Star Palaces, only the top few geniuses are taught special-type Star Patterns for Star Forging, as only their cultivation speed allows them to forge two stars at once and undergo two sets of cultivation.

If taught to ordinary disciples, it would be harming them and delaying their cultivation future.

Someone who could have reached the peak of the ninth layer of Refine Star in three years would actually need six years or longer.

Ten years later, others would already be at the ninth layer of Condense Star and starting to look for opportunities to break through to Gather Battle, while the ordinary disciple who learned the special Star Pattern might have only just broken through to Condense Star.

"Teacher, according to what you said, wouldn't I have to forge three stars? Does that mean my cultivation difficulty is three times that of others?" Xu Jin thought of the Star Patterns in his three major star palaces and asked hurriedly.

"Theoretically, yes. Originally, I planned to take you to a place of heritage to take some risks, which would have allowed your Divine Soul to forge a star directly. I didn't expect you to stumble upon this great opportunity yourself, with your Divine Soul Star already at the third layer of Refine Star.

So, moving forward, you only need to forge two stars, which is the same cultivation difficulty as the genius disciples of other Star Palaces.

But I personally feel that with the cultivation speed you have demonstrated so far, even cultivating two major star palaces simultaneously, you will still be faster than others," Seeing Qi Shanye said.

Being praised directly to his face by Seeing Qi Shanye, Xu Jin felt a bit embarrassed.

"Now, let's continue talking about Star Patterns. Theoretically, there is actually an upper limit to the number of Star Patterns every person can engrave; it can even be calculated."

Every cultivator, in addition to the Main Star Pattern for Star Forging, can engrave a new Star Pattern on the halo of each layer of the star core they cultivate for every layer of Refine Star they advance.

Therefore, a cultivator at the full ninth layer of Refine Star can possess at most ten Star Patterns.

A cultivator with nine Condense Star seats can possess at most ninety Star Patterns.

Gather Battle is a watershed; some in the late stage of Gather Battle can only engrave two hundred and seventy Star Patterns, while others can engrave five hundred and forty or even more.

Seeing Qi Shanye explained a great deal, and Xu Jin finally understood it completely. To summarize, it was just one sentence.

Mid-to-high-tier Star Arts are actually combinations and variations of basic Star Arts and Star Patterns.

These combinations are ever-changing and are the closely guarded secrets of the major Academies and Star Palaces.

This is because everyone only has one chance to attempt a Star Pattern combination, unless they are willing to waste their cultivation and start over.

It can be said that all kinds of mid-to-high-tier Star Arts are paths paved by the experiences of countless predecessors from the major Star Palaces and Academies.

"Are you curious about my concealment technique and want to learn it?" Seeing Qi Shanye asked suddenly.

"Of course."

Hearing this, Xu Jin felt a bit excited. Who wouldn't want to learn Seeing Qi Shanye's ability to come and go without a trace?

Back when he was in school in his previous life, after watching many movies and novels, he had harbored such thoughts. If he could turn invisible and walk through walls, how great would that be?

Then he wouldn't have to do homework; he could just turn invisible, run to a senior student's house, and copy it back.

He wouldn't have to fear exams either.

The night before an exam, he could just run to the female teacher's room, see the test paper in advance, and wouldn't he be guaranteed to get first place?

If he had this ability, wouldn't he be able to add some laxatives to the tea cup of a teacher who loved to drag out class?

If he had this ability, every time before the national flag was raised or lowered, he would have to add something to the school leader's tea.

If they didn't speak, fine, but once they started, it was always a long-winded speech that directly delayed his meal.

Unfortunately, at that time, it was ultimately just a fantasy.

But Xu Jin did not expect that in this world, he could actually learn this invisibility-like ability.

Suddenly, the excited Xu Jin felt a bit dispirited.

In this world, there were no teachers who loved to drag out class, nor were there principals who spoke endlessly; the Academy Head's speeches were always brief and short.

There was a female teacher, Ning Yuchan.

The problem was, even if he learned it, Xu Jin wouldn't dare. That hammer of hers could crush a Refine Star Realm expert like tofu.

Xu Jin was only at the Meal of Mist Realm; he couldn't afford to provoke her, definitely couldn't.

"My concealment technique, to put it simply, is just a combination of one basic Star Art and three Star Patterns. I will teach you now."

While speaking, Seeing Qi Shanye took out a thumb-sized jade tablet and handed it to Xu Jin.

"The one basic Star Art and three Star Patterns for my concealment technique are all recorded inside. The required Core Star Pattern is the Cheng Po Star Pattern, which you have already learned. Now, you only need to learn the basic Star Art 'Star Mist' and the other two Star Patterns.

However, among the two Star Patterns, I suggest you complete the engraving of the 'Returning Hidden' Star Pattern in the shortest possible time, and engrave it onto the first halo of your Divine Soul Star," Seeing Qi Shanye said.

Xu Jin took the jade tablet, first bowed to thank Seeing Qi Shanye, then asked, "Teacher, can you tell me the reason?"

"The Returning Hidden Star Pattern can return all your aura into the origin, and its wonderful uses are endless. But its most direct effect is that it can restrain and hide your aura, including your cultivation aura.

Your Divine Soul Star is currently at the third layer of Refine Star, so ordinary people won't be able to discover it, but a small number of people, like Dong Zhao, could sense your Divine Soul Star if they were in close contact.

Dong Zhao poses no danger to you, but it could potentially bring unnecessary trouble.

Do you understand?" Seeing Qi Shanye said.

"I understand, Teacher. I will definitely complete the engraving in the shortest possible time."

"By the way, Teacher, how strong is the specific effect of this Returning Hidden Star Pattern? What does its specific effect depend on?" Xu Jin asked hurriedly.

"The specific effect of the Returning Hidden Star Pattern depends on two points: first, your Divine Soul cultivation, and second, the number of Returning Hidden Star Patterns you have. If you only engrave one Returning Hidden Star Pattern, then theoretically, unless someone's Divine Soul cultivation is a major realm ahead of yours, they won't be able to discover your true cultivation at close range, or see through the aura you have restrained and hidden.

If you engrave two Returning Hidden Star Patterns, theoretically, one would need a Divine Soul cultivation more than two major realms above yours to potentially discover your true cultivation at close range.

However, as it stands, one Returning Hidden Star Pattern is enough. As for two, you don't have enough space to engrave them right now.

Before Condense Star, Star Pattern slots are extremely precious," Seeing Qi Shanye said.

Seeing Qi Shanye guided Xu Jin for a while longer before leaving.

After Seeing Qi Shanye left, Xu Jin sank his consciousness into the Star Lamp and began engraving the Returning Hidden Star Pattern directly inside it.

He had already tried it just now; engraving a Star Pattern on the Refine Star halo of the Divine Soul Star was quite strenuous, because every time, he had to break through the Divine Soul power to leave a mark.

It was a bit like engraving on extremely hard gold or stone.

But at the beginning, there were many mistakes in the engraving, and it was easy to be interrupted, requiring him to constantly move forward amidst errors and failures.

Engraving inside the Star Lamp, however, was like engraving on wood; not only was the resistance small, but the consumption was even negligible.

As long as Xu Jin became extremely proficient at engraving the Returning Hidden Star Pattern inside the Star Lamp, he would be able to succeed on the Divine Soul Star halo in at most three to five attempts.

Xu Jin had already planned that he would absolutely not see the Academy Head until he had successfully engraved the Returning Hidden Star Pattern, and he would even avoid other experts from the Jin Shan Academy.

That whole night, Xu Jin wrestled with the Returning Hidden Star Pattern.

He only slept for two hours, and the rest of the time was spent engraving the Returning Hidden Star Pattern inside the Star Lamp.

Early the next morning, Xu Jin settled his father and younger sister, telling them to go find a house first, while he himself continued to work on the Returning Hidden Star Pattern.

He had already engraved it thousands of times inside the Star Lamp, and could achieve it with 100% success every time; it was time to give it a try.

An hour later, Xu Jin opened his eyes and swallowed a nourished First-Tier Refreshing Pill.

He wanted to replenish the consumption of his Divine Soul power.

However, the recovery effect left Xu Jin very surprised.

Too little!

After a night of bitter cultivation, the power within Xu Jin's Divine Soul Star had been consumed by about 20%.

Previous experience with engraving Star Patterns was that one must restore Divine Soul power and Star Force to their optimal state to have a chance of succeeding in one go.

So he subconsciously used a Refreshing Pill to restore his Divine Soul power.

Before Star Forging, one nourished Refreshing Pill could completely restore Xu Jin's Divine Soul power.

But the recovery amount at this moment left Xu Jin speechless.

He took three nourished Refreshing Pills in a row before restoring his Divine Soul power by half a percent.

If this were used as a reference, then Xu Jin's Divine Soul power had increased by about sixty times after forging the star and reaching the third layer of Refine Star.

Truly a terrifying increase.

It seemed Xu Jin had to find a way to stockpile some higher-grade pills for restoring Divine Soul power; otherwise, the recovery amount would be too small at critical moments.

Of course, continuing to nourish the Refreshing Pills was also a direction, to see if he could nourish a second layer of halo or even a third layer.

Subsequently, Xu Jin sank his mind into the Divine Soul Star.

At this moment, the Divine Soul Star was brilliant, with three distinct layers of halos flickering on the outside; this was the third layer of Refine Star.

Outside the third star halo, Xu Jin also saw a faint halo, which should be the fourth layer, but it had not yet fully formed.

With a thought, Xu Jin began to engrave the Returning Hidden Star Pattern on the first star halo.

The Returning Hidden Star Pattern, which he could successfully engrave every time inside the Star Lamp, encountered difficulties when he actually started engraving it.

Because the difficulty of engraving was different.

One was carving wood, the other was carving gold and stone; the force used was different.

However, Xu Jin's proficiency with Star Patterns was an incomparable advantage.

The first attempt failed, consuming half a percent of his Divine Soul power; the second attempt failed; the third attempt succeeded more than halfway; the fourth attempt failed; the fifth attempt was just a tiny bit away from success; the sixth attempt also failed.

When the seventh attempt at engraving the Star Pattern ended, following the final stroke, the complex patterns covering the entire first star halo of the Divine Soul Star suddenly formed a coherent whole.

Divine Soul power began to circulate along these complex patterns.

The very first moment the Divine Soul power circulated along this first halo, the three layers of brilliance on Xu Jin's Divine Soul Star simultaneously retracted, instantly becoming dim and plain, devoid of any luster.

Xu Jin discovered that the very first moment the Returning Hidden Star Pattern was successfully engraved, not only did the Divine Soul Star's brilliance retract, but the Great Gathering Star Pattern in the Middle Shang Xinggong and the Mingji Star Pattern in the Lower Shang Xinggong, which were originally flashing with starlight, also retracted inward, becoming dim and lusterless.

Xu Jin discovered that the starlight on the parts of his body he had tempered also retracted completely.

Previously, when looking inward, the parts Xu Jin had tempered were flashing with starlight, and he looked like a little star person.

But now, the starlight was completely retracted, and he looked ordinary, just like someone without cultivation.

With this, the Returning Hidden Star Pattern was complete!

Xu Jin, however, couldn't wait to start studying the basic Star Art 'Star Mist' newly passed on by Seeing Qi Shanye, and the second Star Pattern—the 'Concealing Image' Star Pattern.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 95 =====