Chapter 229: Starlight Baptism · Infant Jade

Chapter 229: Starlight Baptism · Infant Jade

"Aww, what a shame. Why couldn't someone just kill this pest?"

A distant solitary cultivator couldn't help but sigh in regret. Truth be told, they all hated Dai Tianrui just as much.

These words struck a chord with Wen Suruo, who secretly shared the same sentiment.

At the same time, a flicker of worry crossed her eyes. Now that things had escalated, what would the golden light technique fellow cultivator do?

Unsurprisingly, the golden core True Sovereign from the Dai family had already sensed the anomaly. He might arrive outside the Relic in three days—or even tomorrow—to lie in wait at the exit like a hunter.

She wanted to help devise an escape route, but no matter how hard she wracked her brain, she came up empty.

"Tsk, what a colossal fool."

Some cultivators secretly mocked Xiao Chen, priding themselves on their clarity: "He knew full well that fellow had a golden core great-grandfather. He should've backed down when the odds turned against him."

"Still charging recklessly into action inside the Relic."

"Didn't he see all of us swallowing our pride to avoid provoking this little tyrant?"

"We've all been biting our tongues, but he just had to play the hero, flaunting his strength. Now he's staring at disaster!"

Everyone knew the gap between major cultivation stages was like an unbridgeable abyss.

Especially at higher realms, where comprehension of the Dao itself became critical.

Golden core cultivators needed to 'see clearly' the path they would walk to break through cultivation bottlenecks, though their daily practice still focused on manipulating spiritual energy.

Golden core True Sovereigns, however, didn't just 'see' the Dao—they had begun to truly 'comprehend' it.

The Tai Xu Cloudlight Barrier before them naturally carried the Dao insights of the Dai family's ancestral founder. A mere golden core cultivator could never hope to destroy it.

Thus, in the eyes of all the onlookers, this matter was already settled.

Now it was the Dai family's turn to exact revenge.

"Huh? What's he doing?"

A solitary cultivator suddenly noticed Xiao Chen striding toward the Tai Xu Cloudlight Barrier, still refusing to give up.

The next moment, they watched him unleash the Ninghuo Palm again at the semi-transparent barrier.

A torrent of blazing flames erupted, mercilessly scorching the surrounding rocks.

Yet the barrier only trembled imperceptibly, remaining utterly intact.

"A mere residual spell left behind has such power. Seems like overcoming a cultivation stage gap is still unrealistic."

Xiao Chen hadn't immediately used his Mechanical Flying Claw to snatch Dai Tianrui because he wanted to test the gap between himself and a golden core True Sovereign—a rare chance for real combat experience.

After all, he had just used this new spell to defeat five direct disciples of the Yin Corpse Sect and over a dozen corpse puppets, proving he now stood at the peak of the golden core stage, even surpassing its conventional limits.

Yet in the end, he still lamented the truth—major cultivation stages were indeed insurmountable.

"Hahahaha! You overestimate yourself!"

Inside the barrier, Dai Tianrui laughed until his mouth ached: "What do you think you're doing, huh?"

"My young master advises you to face reality instead of daydreaming here!"

"Ooh, raising your hand again? Still not giving up?"

Seeing Xiao Chen channel true mana to reignite his flames, Dai Tianrui suddenly stepped closer to the barrier: "Come on, my young master'll get nearer—hit me right here!"

"Can you even scratch a single hair on my head?"

The distant crowd watched in confusion, unable to grasp what was happening.

The truth was simple—Xiao Chen merely wanted to use the flames to obscure other cultivators' vision. Normally, this wouldn't work well since flames couldn't penetrate the barrier.

But then, to his surprise, Dai Tianrui actually pressed himself against the barrier, perfectly synchronizing with Xiao Chen's movements.

Hissing inwardly, Xiao Chen realized—he'd be a fool to waste such a divine opportunity.

Without hesitation, he struck another palm forward.

At the same time, he activated the Mechanical Flying Claw hidden in his sleeve.

"Screee!"

Beneath the roaring flames, a mechanical whirring sound inaudible to anyone but him rang out.

"Crack!"

The Tai Xu Cloudlight Barrier shattered instantly. The leading claw of the Mechanical Flying Claw seized Dai Tianrui's head.

"Crunch!"

Immediately, a human-shaped hole appeared in the barrier, which then completely collapsed.

The distance was short enough that the flying claw retracted to Xiao Chen's hand in less than a breath.

The mechanical claw at the front clenched into a fist, smashing toward the location of Dai Tianrui's head.

But it was already unnecessary—during the collision with the barrier, Dai Tianrui had already been reduced to a pulp.

"Ah, so there's indirect damage too. The hex didn't mention that."

Xiao Chen had prepared to finish the job, but hadn't expected it to end so abruptly.

The raging flames engulfed everything, blocking sight and spiritual senses.

Though the outer cultivators saw nothing, they heard the barrier shatter, their hearts leaping in shock.

What happened? Impossible!

A wild thought surfaced in everyone's mind.

They all strained their eyes, staring fixedly at the center of the flames without blinking.

Some cultivators instinctively stepped forward for a better view. Others became so focused they forgot to breathe.

As the flames gradually dissipated, the semi-transparent barrier—and Dai Tianrui himself—had vanished without a trace.

Xiao Chen stood calmly in place, his right hand extended, pinching a Storage Ring between his fingers.

Before him, a pool of fresh blood steamed on the scorched ground, hissing as it met the heat.

Judging from the tattered fragments of his Spirit Robe—this was indeed Dai Tianrui!

"Did the young master of the Dai family... die?"

Someone whispered in disbelief.

"Good! That bastard deserved to die!"

Another cultivator openly cheered, wisely pulling a bamboo hat over his face before speaking: "Well done!"

Others followed suit, hiding their faces as they laughed in agreement: "The Yin Corpse Sect's bastards are all dead! This is karma!"

"Good and evil always get their due! After all their sins, they finally got what they deserved!"

The solitary cultivators erupted in cheers, their voices echoing endlessly.

Yet while they celebrated, the Golden Core Late Stage cultivators present stood frozen, out of sync with the crowd.

Wen Suruo's pretty eyes widened, her mind blank.

The Xingfa Elder of Wu Lei Guan accidentally tore out his beard, unaware of the pain.

Zuo Hufa of the Fubing Sect felt a surge of emotions. He understood this feeling all too well, though his position prevented him from showing it openly.

Meanwhile, a young man's heart quietly shattered.

Just fifteen minutes ago, Xiang Yiyan had secretly resolved to catch up to Xiao Chen, striving to surpass him.

How the hell was that even possible?!

Sometimes, ignorance truly was bliss.

The more you knew, the more you felt awe.

Right now, only one question echoed in Xiang Yiyan's mind: "How?!"

As fellow golden core cultivators, he felt like an impostor.

Yet from his perspective, Xiao Chen's second palm strike hadn't seemed much stronger than the first.

Why had the results been so drastically different?

Could it be!!!

Xiang Yiyan suddenly realized the only possible explanation:

Xiao Chen had already begun comprehending the Dao of Fire!

"Has he already taken that step?"

Golden Core Late Stage cultivators, especially those like Wen Suruo from major sects, understood the vast differences even within the same cultivation stage.

She immediately connected the dots, her heart filled with reverence.

Once a cultivator began comprehending the Dao, advancing from golden core to golden core wasn't just smooth sailing—it was a wide-open path!

In other words, this golden light technique fellow cultivator had already stepped halfway into the Golden Core Realm.

Thus, his spells carried Daoist insights, allowing him to shatter the Tai Xu Cloudlight Barrier.

"Ah, what a fool I've been!"

The Xingfa Elder of Wu Lei Guan couldn't help sighing: "Since he'd already taken that step, why didn't he wait until Nascent Soul Formation before acting?"

"Whoa!"

Zuo Hufa sucked in a breath: "If he survives this calamity, in a few years we'll have a new golden core True Sovereign specializing in fire magic!"

He recalled the special Voice-Transmitting Spirit Sword given by his sect leader.

But the Tianxing Island's first opening meant all sealing formations were intact.

He tried for ages, but no matter how he channeled true mana, the Spirit Sword remained unresponsive. He could only accept the situation helplessly.

The Fubing True Sovereign's whereabouts were uncertain—he might not even be in the Darkness Sea right now.

Without advance warning to bring help, it would be too late once the Relic closed.

"How could this happen!"

Meanwhile, Wen Suruo watched the ashes of her sound-transmitting talisman burn away, her heart sinking.

She had planned to use the potential of recruiting a future golden core True Sovereign as leverage to convince her sect to intervene.

But she hadn't expected the transmission talisman gifted by the Taishang Elder to fail completely.

"Boom! Boom!"

Another Altar erupted with a deafening noise, splitting into two halves.

Unlike the others, Xiao Chen didn't linger in contemplation or worry.

After dealing with the Yin Corpse Sect, he secured the Storage Ring and began activating the Altars one by one.

Thanks to his earlier acquisition of all the Treasure Pearls, he quickly activated all twelve Altars.

Slightly unfortunate was that two Altars contained spirit fruits, two held pills, and one held a refined spiritual artifact.

After countless years of erosion, they had all decayed into residue.

Fortunately, the remaining Altars remained intact. Besides the Earth Mother's Dense Marrow Jade he'd obtained earlier, there were still six treasures left:

Silver-Back Sky Spider Silk, Dragon Turtle Moon-Embracing Jade, Azure Phoenix Flame Feather Ash, and three legacy Jade Slips.

The first three were all Fourth Stage Spirit Herbs.

The silver-back spider was originally a third-rank spirit beast. Only a rare few, after a millennium of cultivation reaching the Golden Core Realm, could be called 'Sky Spider'.

Their silk was exceptionally supple and tough, perfect for forging top-tier spirit robes.

The Dragon Turtle was also a Third Stage spirit beast. It emerged at night to lie on fixed stones and absorb moonlight, hence its name.

If the stone happened to be jade, and considering the turtle's longevity, the jade itself would gradually absorb the moonlight's essence over time.

If two or three moon-embracing turtles select the same piece of jade, and their combined cultivation time exceeds two millennia, they can form a Dragon Turtle Moon-Embracing Jade.

This is a top-tier array formation material. When placed at the array core, it can channel stellar and lunar energies to stabilize the formation.

As for the final ingredient, Qingli Phoenix Feather Ash, its origins are even more extraordinary.

Legends say Qingli possesses the bloodline of the Vermilion Bird, a divine creature. When it undergoes its Golden Core Realm breakthrough, a spirit flame will engulf its body, reducing its shed feathers to ashes.

Within these ashes lies a thread of true fire essence.

Cultivators who collect the ashes promptly before they scatter in the wind can gain a rare chance to comprehend the Grand Dao of flame.

As for the three jade slips, Xiao Chen did not use them immediately but stored them away temporarily.

"Buzz!"

A loud droning sound erupted as the final Altar fully unfolded. The twelve towering light pillars became even brighter.

They pierced straight through Tianxing Island toward the heavens, collectively channeling Star Constellation Power to this location.

The cultivators from major sects stationed outside the island simultaneously witnessed this dazzling spectacle.

"It must be the legacy activation!"

Someone shouted, leaping up to rush toward the Observatory Platform.

Instantly, a flood of cultivators surged forward, scrambling to reach the platform.

However, everyone instinctively avoided Xiao Chen's Altar, choosing the remaining eleven staircases instead.

"Ow!"

"Yowch!"

"That hurt!"

Scores of solitary cultivators rushed forward, but aside from a rare few, the rest were violently repelled the moment they stepped onto the stairs, flying backward to crash outside the Observatory Platform.

Clearly, not everyone could ascend.

"What's going on?"

"Junior apprentice brother, why are you fine?"

"Why can't I go up? What's wrong here?"

The crowd stared at the seven cultivators who successfully stood on the stairs, utterly baffled.

Though only seven had succeeded, they included men and women of varying ages, even a Golden Core Initial Stage cultivator.

This was perplexing—what rule determined eligibility?

They looked at each other in confusion until someone finally deduced the answer.

Wen Suruo's eyes lit up as she watched her junior sect sister on the stairs. "Shanshan, toss me a Tianxing Token!"

The woman immediately threw down a glowing token.

Wen Suruo caught it and stepped forward again. This time, she passed through the sealing formation without obstruction.

"What? You need a Tianxing Token?!"

The crowd gawked in disbelief, realizing this unexpected requirement.

These tokens were already rare, with very few in existence.

Some had even traded with the Tianyin Sect or Wu Lei Guan, leaving them helpless as major factions ascended while they remained below.

"It was meant for this."

Xiao Chen naturally had no such concerns. Stepping forward, he smoothly reached the Observatory Platform's summit.

The platform's summit was vast, spanning a hundred zhang in each direction.

Divided by the staircases, it formed twelve distinct regions.

Under the formation's effect, immense Star Constellation Power descended from the heavens, evenly distributing across each area.

Without any action from the cultivators, the surrounding inscriptions refined it into purest star energy.

Then, with each breath, the energy naturally flowed into their bodies.

Inside the Relic, there were thirty-six Tianxing Tokens in total. Originally, each region should have accommodated three cultivators for the starlight baptism.

However, due to Xiao Chen's earlier dominance, he stood alone in his region.

Thus, he alone received triple the star energy, quickly feeling his body nearing saturation.

Yet the surrounding starlight kept pouring in relentlessly.

The sensation was like being stuffed full while still compulsively overeating.

"Enough already! Share with others!"

Xiao Chen watched four cultivators clustered in the same region, struggling to divide the insufficient star energy.

However, the surrounding inscriptions continued operating by fixed rules.

A sealing formation blocked the stairs behind him, preventing energy dissipation while cutting off his retreat.

Truly, some suffered drought while others drowned in flood.

"No way I can hold this much longer. Time to use a legacy secret technique!"

Xiao Chen estimated this process wouldn't end soon, while the surrounding sealing formation provided protective separation.

He decisively retrieved a jade slip, pressing it against his forehead to read its contents.

The moment his spiritual sense entered the jade slip, he felt transported back years.

Before him stood an elderly man with a white beard and whiskers, hands clasped behind his back before the Observatory Platform. Many unfamiliar-dressed cultivators busily carved inscriptions.

Xiao Chen even heard vivid shouts in his ears.

"Pay attention! Carve carefully! These are the final and most important batches of Star-Embracing Jade. Anyone who messes up will serve ten years of solitary confinement!"

"The void-sealing formation has been deployed and ready for activation testing!"

"Reporting Elder, one set of sword-and-shield puppets hasn't arrived. Should we send someone to urge their arrival?"

...

The scene before him seemed to span a full day and night.

Yet judging from the congestion of star energy in his body, it felt like a mere moment.

During this time, Xiao Chen witnessed the layering of sealing formations and inscriptions across the Observatory Platform.

He heard commands coordinating various elements within the Relic.

Then, the scenes and voices gradually faded.

Only the old man remained, speaking unhurriedly: "When heaven and earth undergo great changes, human effort cannot reverse it. May our sect flourish and our teachings endure."

Simultaneously, a message unfolded within Xiao Chen's Spirit Sea.

Tianxing Island was built by the ancient Tianxing Sect to connect with celestial constellations, serving as a place to receive starlight baptism.

At that time, spiritual energy was exceptionally abundant, supporting such grand activities.

But one day, the cultivation world's spiritual energy concentration mysteriously began declining, continuing for several years.

After multiple failed investigations, the Tianxing Sect had no choice but to prepare early, abandoning the island and deliberately sealing it as a Relic.

"Tianxing Sect?"

Xiao Chen recalled carefully but couldn't remember ever hearing about this sect.

Unsurprisingly, it likely perished during history's long river.

Their wish for "sect flourishing, teachings enduring" had become mere longing.

The old man spoke again: "To prevent misfortune, I leave this legacy for the worthy."

Then appeared the Heaven-Tier legacy cultivation manual《Zhou Tian Star Spirit Sensing Secret Art》within Xiao Chen's Spirit Sea.

This cultivation manual focused on harnessing the power of the stars to aid cultivation, condensing a Star Core, forming a Star Infant, and ultimately achieving Star Constellation Divine Transformation.

"What a shame you didn't leave a Yellow-Rank cultivation manual! Who's supposed to cultivate this Heaven-Tier technique?"

Xiao Chen stared at the peak secret technique leading directly to Nascent Soul Formation, feeling both amused and helpless.

Normally, obtaining such a peak legacy would be a tremendous opportunity, but he'd already chosen a different cultivation path.

He now understood the other two jade slips also contained peak secret techniques directly leading to Nascent Soul Formation.

The Tianxing Sect left multiple cultivation manuals within the Relic, storing Yellow-Rank and even Mystic-Rank manuals separately in previous chambers, hoping to preserve their teachings.

They wished future generations could revive and rebuild the Tianxing Sect through these legacies.

"Well, at least it's a Heaven-Tier legacy. Even if I don't cultivate it, I can broaden my knowledge."

Xiao Chen composed himself, studying the《Zhou Tian Star Spirit Sensing Secret Art》to see if it contained methods to alleviate the star energy.

The starlight baptism was thoroughly documented in the legacy.

Tianxing Sect developed this special secret technique to condense a star core within the Shenting Acupoint using star energy.

Its primary function was greatly accelerating cultivation speed for their sect's manuals.

Additionally, it could enhance a cultivator's spiritual sense.

The secret technique itself wasn't difficult, but the main challenge lay in requiring immense star energy to condense the star core—far beyond ordinary cultivators' reach.

Even within Tianxing Sect, only direct disciples and a few outstanding inner disciples could receive the starlight baptism every ten years.

"Ah, why is this an Earth-Tier method?"

Xiao Chen read through the complex, obscure content with growing frustration.

"Do you have a misunderstanding about 'not difficult'?"

Feeling the increasing pressure of uncontainable star energy within, he retrieved a Purple-Gold Bodhi fruit from his Storage Ring and swallowed it.

Truly, as a Fourth Stage spirit fruit, its effects were immediate.

Within mere breaths, reviewing the manual, he suddenly felt enlightened—many previously incomprehensible parts now made perfect sense.

Even the less clear sections offered some direction, requiring only slight contemplation to understand.

He could even multitask, beginning cultivation while studying the remaining unclear parts.

Naturally, this attempt would waste some star energy and cause minor damage through failed cultivation attempts.

But it didn't matter—Xiao Chen had more than enough star energy to spare.

As for injuries, his Ten Thousand Phenomena Spring Return Sutra could heal them, enhanced by hex techniques.

These minor injuries would recover instantly.

Half a shi later, he successfully condensed a simple star core within his Shenting Acupoint.

Then, Xiao Chen directed his spiritual sense into the star core, immediately sensing a faint but tangible nourishing effect.

From now on, he could continuously nourish his spiritual sense through the star core.

This process would last months, ultimately increasing his spiritual sense intensity by 50% to 100% depending on his innate talent.

"Buzz!"

The Observatory Platform droned again as the twelve Altars' mana reserves were completely exhausted.

The towering light pillars flickered then vanished entirely, the surrounding sealing formations dispersing.

In the Observatory Platform's center, another tray rose, bearing a deep purple jade.

Xiao Chen, having just received the legacy's memories, immediately recognized it as Infant Jade.

Its effect was simple—refine it into the dantian to increase Nascent Soul Formation success rate by 10%.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end