[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-star-martial-era":3,"chapter-the-star-martial-era-the-star-martial-era-chapter-94":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},2274952,4448,"Chapter 94: Return and Concealment (Request Subscription)","the-star-martial-era-chapter-94",94,"\u003Cp>“Before I teach you the new Divine Soul Star Pattern, I must first ask you a question.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xu Jin, what do you think is the difference between high- and mid-tier Star Arts and basic Star Arts?” Qi Shanye asked seriously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Difference?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The power is different, the Star Force consumption is different, and the difficulty of casting is different,” Xu Jin replied after thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Shanye slowly shook his head. “Not entirely. Star Arts act outward; Star Patterns act inward. Do you remember?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I remember.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Star Patterns target and alter your Star Force, your inner self. Star Arts target external objectives—but Star Arts are, in essence, the outward manifestation of Star Patterns. Can you understand?” Qi Shanye said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin pondered for several breaths, then suddenly said, “Master, are you saying the difference between high- and mid-tier Star Arts and basic Star Arts lies in the Star Patterns?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are high- and mid-tier Star Arts merely the outward expressions of inner changes wrought by Star Patterns?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flicker of delight passed through Qi Shanye’s eyes. The concept wasn’t difficult, but for someone to grasp it so quickly was rare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you now understand the importance of Star Patterns?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean Star Patterns are the foundation of all high- and mid-tier Star Arts?” Xu Jin asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You could say that—at least for our human race, at least at the level I’m familiar with, it’s always been so,” Qi Shanye said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he claimed he was going to transmit a new Divine Soul Star Pattern, Qi Shanye did not immediately teach it. Instead, he explained these foundational principles to Xu Jin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally, these basics were also taught at the Dao Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Dao Academy typically waited until disciples had forged their Star Core before teaching them. Now, since Xu Jin needed to inscribe a new Star Pattern onto his Divine Soul Star, Qi Shanye had to make sure he understood these fundamentals first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Star Patterns used for forging Stars are generally called Core Star Patterns, or Primary Star Patterns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this world, the number of Star Patterns capable of serving as Core or Primary Star Patterns is extremely limited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first type is Star Force Star Patterns—such as the Great Gathering Star Pattern passed down by Jinshan Dao Academy, which can serve as a Core Star Pattern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every cultivator, under normal circumstances, must forge their first Star using a Star Force Star Pattern; otherwise, they cannot cultivate at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second type is Divine Soul Power Star Patterns, which are exceedingly difficult to cultivate. Among all known sects today, only Lingji Star Temple possesses this lineage—and in a sense, this is one of the reasons Lingji Star Temple was destroyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third type is Special Star Patterns—Mingji Star Pattern is one such example.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other Star Temples also possess such Special Star Patterns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, Tianyang Star Temple has several Special Star Patterns, one of which is called Water Image Star Pattern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Tianyang Star Temple is exceptionally strong in ocean exploration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when cultivating Special Star Patterns to forge a Star, one typically uses the Lower Star Palace—just as Xu Jin did with his Mingji Star Pattern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This means, compared to ordinary cultivators, you effectively forge two Stars at once. By the time you reach the ninth level of Star Refinement, you possess two ninth-level Star Cores, making your strength naturally far greater.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But forging two Stars and cultivating two Star Palaces simultaneously means double the cultivation difficulty and double the resource consumption.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, in every Star Palace, only the absolute top few geniuses are taught Special Star Patterns for forging Stars—only those whose cultivation speed can handle dual cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Teaching this to ordinary disciples would be harming them, stunting their cultivation prospects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone who could normally reach the peak of ninth-level Star Refinement in three years might now take six years—or longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten years later, others have already reached Ninth-Level Star Condensation and are seeking opportunities to break through to Star Gathering. But an ordinary disciple who learned a Special Star Pattern might barely have broken through to Star Condensation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, if I understand you correctly, doesn’t that mean I have to forge three Stars? Then my cultivation difficulty is three times that of others?” Xu Jin asked, remembering his three Star Palaces each held Star Patterns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Theoretically, yes. Originally, I planned to take you to a legacy site, take some risks, and allow your Divine Soul to forge a Star directly. But you found this great fortune on your own—your Divine Soul Star has already reached Third-Level Star Refinement.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now, you only need to forge two more Stars—your cultivation difficulty will match that of other Star Temple geniuses.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But personally, I believe your current cultivation speed is so fast that even cultivating two Star Palaces simultaneously, you’ll still outpace others,” Qi Shanye said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being praised directly to his face, Xu Jin felt slightly embarrassed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now, back to Star Patterns. Theoretically, every cultivator has a maximum limit to how many Star Patterns they can inscribe—and that limit can even be calculated.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All cultivators, besides their Core Star Pattern, can inscribe one new Star Pattern on the aura ring of each level they refine in their Star Core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, a cultivator who has fully reached Ninth-Level Star Refinement can possess at most ten Star Patterns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cultivator with nine Condensed Stars can possess at most ninety Star Patterns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Star Gathering comes a dividing line: some late-stage Star Gatherers can inscribe at most 270 Star Patterns; others can inscribe 540—or even more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Shanye explained much, and Xu Jin finally understood completely—he summed it up in one sentence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>High- and mid-tier Star Arts are combinations and variations of basic Star Arts and Star Patterns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These combinations are endlessly variable, and are the closely guarded secrets of every Dao Academy and Star Temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because each cultivator gets only one chance to experiment with Star Pattern combinations—unless they’re willing to discard their cultivation and start over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In essence, all high- and mid-tier Star Arts are paths forged by countless ancestors’ trial and error.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My concealment technique—aren’t you curious? Don’t you want to learn it?” Qi Shanye suddenly asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Xu Jin grew excited. Who wouldn’t want to learn a skill like Qi Shanye’s—appearing and disappearing without a trace?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in his past life, after watching many movies and novels, he’d once dreamed: wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to phase through walls invisibly?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he wouldn’t have to do homework—he could just sneak invisibly into his senior’s house and copy it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wouldn’t fear exams anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The night before an exam, he could sneak into the female teacher’s room and preview the test paper—wouldn’t he get first place?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he had this ability, wouldn’t he slip laxatives into the tea of teachers who always kept class late?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every time the national flag was raised or lowered, he’d have to slip something into the school leaders’ tea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t spoken, and now he was going on and on—completely ruining his mealtime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too bad, back then, it was only fantasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Xu Jin never imagined that in this world, he could actually learn such an invisibility technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, his excitement faded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this world, there were no teachers who dragged out class, no principals who talked endlessly—Headmaster’s speeches were always brief and to the point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were female teachers, yes—Ning Yuchan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even if he learned it, he wouldn’t dare use it. That hammer of hers crushed Star Refinement cultivators like tofu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin was only at the Qi-Extraction stage—he couldn’t afford to provoke her. Not at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My concealment technique is simple, really—it’s just one basic Star Art combined with three Star Patterns. I’ll teach it to you now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Qi Shanye pulled out a jade tablet the size of a thumb and handed it to Xu Jin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All the details of my concealment technique—the basic Star Art and the three Star Patterns—are recorded inside. The Core Star Pattern required is the Clear Soul Star Pattern, which you’ve already learned. Now, you only need to master the basic Star Art, Star Mist, and the other two Star Patterns.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But among the two Star Patterns, I strongly advise you to inscribe the Gui Cang Star Pattern as quickly as possible—onto the first aura ring of your Divine Soul Star,” Qi Shanye said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin took the jade tablet, bowed in thanks, then asked, “Master, may I ask why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Gui Cang Star Pattern can seal all your vital energy back into your Yuan. Its applications are countless—but its most direct effect is to suppress and conceal your aura, including your cultivation base.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Divine Soul Star is already at Third-Level Star Refinement. Most people can’t detect it. But a few, like Dong Zhao, might sense it if they get close enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dong Zhao poses no threat to you, but he might still bring unnecessary trouble.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood?” Qi Shanye said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand, Master. I’ll inscribe it as quickly as possible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, Master, how powerful is the Gui Cang Star Pattern’s effect? What determines its strength?” Xu Jin asked quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The strength of the Gui Cang Star Pattern depends on two things: your Divine Soul cultivation level, and the number of Gui Cang Star Patterns you’ve inscribed. If you inscribe only one, then theoretically, only someone whose Divine Soul cultivation is one full realm ahead can detect your true level up close—or pierce your concealed aura.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you inscribe two Gui Cang Star Patterns, then theoretically, someone must be two full realms ahead of you to detect your true level up close.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But for now, one Gui Cang Star Pattern is enough. You don’t have enough space to inscribe two yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Before Star Condensation, Star Pattern slots are extremely precious,” Qi Shanye said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Shanye gave Xu Jin a few more instructions, then left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Qi Shanye departed, Xu Jin sank his mind into the Star Lamp and began inscribing the Gui Cang Star Pattern directly within it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had already tried—it was exhausting to inscribe Star Patterns on the aura rings of his Divine Soul Star, because each attempt required breaking through his Divine Soul energy to leave a mark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was like carving into extremely hard metal or stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, he made many mistakes and often interrupted the process, forced to keep progressing through failure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But inscribing inside the Star Lamp was like carving wood—minimal resistance, and the energy cost was nearly negligible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Xu Jin mastered the Gui Cang Star Pattern perfectly inside the Star Lamp, then when he tried on his Divine Soul Star’s aura ring, he’d succeed in no more than three or five attempts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin had already planned: he wouldn’t meet Headmaster until he succeeded in inscribing the Gui Cang Star Pattern—and he’d avoid other experts at Jinshan Dao Academy too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night, Xu Jin wrestled with the Gui Cang Star Pattern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He slept only two hours; the rest of the time was spent inscribing the Gui Cang Star Pattern inside the Star Lamp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning, Xu Jin settled his father and sister, telling them to find a house first, while he himself continued wrestling with the Gui Cang Star Pattern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had already inscribed it thousands of times inside the Star Lamp—each attempt succeeded perfectly. It was time to try.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An hour later, Xu Jin opened his eyes and swallowed a Star-Refined First-Level Spirit-Reviving Pill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to replenish his depleted Divine Soul energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the recovery effect shocked him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too little!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After one night of intense cultivation, his Divine Soul Star had lost about twenty percent of its energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From past experience inscribing Star Patterns, he knew: you must restore your Divine Soul energy and Star Force to peak condition to succeed in one attempt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he instinctively used the Spirit-Reviving Pill to restore his Divine Soul energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before forging his Star, one Star-Refined Spirit-Reviving Pill could fully restore Xu Jin’s Divine Soul energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the recovery amount now left him speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After taking three refined Revitalizing Pills, he restored only half a percent of his soul force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this is taken as a benchmark, then Xu Jin’s soul force, after Casting the Star and refining it to the Third Level of Star Refinement, increased by roughly sixtyfold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What a terrifying increase.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed Xu Jin needed to find a way to stockpile higher-grade elixirs to restore soul force; otherwise, the recovery amount would be too meager at critical moments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, continuing to refine the Revitalizing Pills was another direction—see if he could coax out a second halo, or even a third.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, Xu Jin sank his spirit into his Soul Star.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the Soul Star shone brilliantly, surrounded by three distinct layers of halos—this was the Third Level of Star Refinement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond the third stellar halo, Xu Jin also saw a faint, diffuse glow—likely the fourth layer, but not yet fully formed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a thought, he began inscribing the Gui Cang Star Pattern onto the first stellar halo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Gui Cang Star Pattern, which he had always inscribed successfully inside the Star Lamp, now encountered difficulty when inscribed in reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the difficulty of inscription was different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was carving wood; the other, metal or stone—the force required was not the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Xu Jin’s mastery of star patterns was an unmatched advantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First attempt failed, consuming half a percent of soul force; second failed; third succeeded partially; fourth failed; fifth nearly succeeded; sixth failed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the seventh inscription ended, as the final stroke was completed, the intricate patterns covering the first stellar halo suddenly formed a unified whole.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soul force began to flow along these intricate patterns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The instant soul force began circulating through the first halo, the three layers of radiance on Xu Jin’s Soul Star simultaneously retracted, dimming instantly into plain, unadorned dullness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin realized that the moment the Gui Cang Star Pattern was fully inscribed, not only did the Soul Star’s radiance recede, but the Grand Star Pattern of the Central Star Palace and the Ming Ji Star Pattern of the Lower Star Palace—both previously glittering with starlight—also retracted inward, becoming dim and lifeless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin also noticed that the starlight in all his cultivated body parts had vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, when he looked inward, the cultivated parts of his body glowed brightly—he looked like a tiny star-being.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, the starlight had completely retracted; he appeared ordinary, like someone with no cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the Gui Cang Star Pattern was complete!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin immediately began studying the newly transmitted basic star technique, Star Mist, and the second star pattern—the Ni Xiang Star Pattern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2444,"2026-06-19T23:56:29.689Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e1f4a982cd639536f17c3ebbe012a8bf8c93221e7cb8a98da25dc3a8383de6f1","the-star-martial-era-chapter-95","the-star-martial-era-chapter-93",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-star-martial-era-cover.jpg"]