Chapter 349: Stellar Cultivation Method

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Lu Yang felt that while he wasn't exactly a devastatingly handsome man, surely his appearance wouldn't cause someone to mistake his gender entirely.

He wanted to state that he was a man, but remembering the other party’s affection for a Senior Brother, he lacked the courage to say so.

He considered claiming to be a woman, but then thought paying such a steep price just to buy a Star Chart wasn't quite worth going that far.

After all, he only bought it to guess the nature of his Eldest Senior Sister's Golden Core, purely for amusement.

It was better to retreat while he still could.

As soon as the Senior Brother finished speaking, he wanted to slap himself twice—what kind of nonsense had he just uttered!

His two lackeys were even more mortified; this was an old habit of their Senior Brother, who easily misspoke whenever he became nervous.

The bad news was that their Senior Brother was nervous quite often.

It was rumored that the Palace Master had even suggested whether their Senior Brother should switch his cultivation to the Vow of Silence.

"No, what I meant to say was, Senior Brother, this Star Chart is an item needed for the cultivation of a Senior Brother I admire. Could you find it in your heart to part with it?"

He reflected for a moment, deciding it would be best to organize his thoughts starting with a proper self-introduction.

"I am Gu Qisheng, a disciple of the Rainbow Grand Palace, currently at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. I have come here to participate in the Grand Ceremony Tournament. Observing that your age is similar to mine, I assume you are also a participant in the tournament."

Not yet eighteen, Gu Qisheng had already attained the early stage of Foundation Establishment; such a cultivation speed was enough to rank within the top five in the history of the Rainbow Grand Palace.

Although cultivating to a profound realm allowed one to freely alter their physical appearance, Gu Qisheng judged from his experience that if the individual before him were an old monster of the Golden Core or Nascent Soul stage, they wouldn't be purchasing things in a place like this. Those old monsters had lived long, possessed vast experience, and maintained their own sourcing channels.

Lu Yang had heard of the Rainbow Grand Palace; it was a first-rate sect in Jizhou, but he possessed no further intelligence beyond that.

"I am indeed here to participate in the Grand Ceremony Tournament, and perhaps the two of us shall meet upon the arena stage. As for this Star Chart, please suit yourself, Junior Brother." Lu Yang took another step backward.

Seeing Lu Yang retreating further and further, Gu Qisheng hurriedly explained, "Just now my tongue slipped and I muddled the titles. In truth, it is one of my Senior Sisters who requires a Star Chart for her cultivation."

Hearing this, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou both breathed a sigh of relief simultaneously. Just a moment ago, Meng Jingzhou had been so startled he almost unleashed his Celibacy Curse Punch.

Lu Yang smiled and said, "My interest in the Star Chart is merely casual. It is far less important than Junior Brother Gu's romantic prospects."

Overjoyed, Gu Qisheng pulled out one thousand five hundred spirit stones and purchased the chart.

One thousand five hundred stones was no small sum for him, but to please a core Senior Sister, it was entirely worthwhile!

Filled with anticipation, he unfurled the Star Chart, only to find it covered in bloodstains, leaving almost nothing visible.

"What is the meaning of this!" Gu Qisheng roared in fury. He had worked so hard to purchase a Star Chart, only to buy a piece of blood-wiping paper?

The street vendor explained unhurriedly, "Didn't I already say so? This Star Chart was drawn with my heart's blood and utmost effort. Spitting a couple mouthfuls of blood while drawing is perfectly normal."

Lu Yang: "..."

Why was this market so full of traps everywhere?

Meng Jingzhou sent a voice transmission to Lu Yang: "Most items in the market are counterfeits. One of the trials for our Meng Family's coming-of-age ceremony is to successfully purchase a genuine item in a market."

"So that's how it is. Wait, isn't adulthood reached at sixteen? How come I never heard of you returning to the Meng Family to undergo your coming-of-age ceremony?"

The age limit for entering the Single-Minded Sect was before sixteen, and Lu Yang had never seen Meng Jingzhou return to the Meng Family.

Meng Jingzhou replied righteously, "I ran away from home! Why would anyone who ran away from home still celebrate a coming-of-age ceremony!"

Gu Qisheng was still arguing with the vendor: "If that's the case, couldn't you have just redrawn another Star Chart!"

"Now that shows you don't know the trade, esteemed customer. Great secrets are hidden within the stars. Go ask around about the last few centuries—who has ever successfully drawn a Star Chart? Even if completed, they would ultimately be destroyed for various reasons."

"Furthermore, the artist cannot remember the layout of the stars. It is already exceptionally rare that a small portion of my Star Chart remained unstained by blood. Selling it to you for one thousand five hundred spirit stones is a bargain."

Gu Qisheng naturally did not believe the vendor's nonsense, yet he recalled that the core Senior Sister had indeed never possessed a Star Chart, which shouldn't be the case given her status.

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou had never heard of such a thing. Who would observe the stars for no reason and even memorize their positions? Lu Yang thought of his Eldest Senior Sister's Golden Core and felt the vendor's words held some degree of credibility, so he entered his mental space to awaken the Fairy.

"Ah? Are you calling me?" The Immortal Fairy asked with bleary eyes, letting out a yawn.

Lu Yang repeated the vendor's words, drawing the serious attention of the Immortal Fairy.

She temporarily borrowed Lu Yang's body and gazed up at the sky. Though it was daytime, she could still perceive the stars obscured by the sunlight.

She returned Lu Yang's body to him.

"How is it? Did Eldest Senior Sister's Golden Core set up a barrier, making it impossible for the world to observe which star is her Golden Core?"

"Whether it was set up by the girl Yun, I am not certain, but there is indeed a cognitive barrier that prevents people from remembering the positions of the stars, unless they personally ascend to the heavens to check."

Lu Yang grew pensive. It was highly likely a barrier established by his Eldest Senior Sister, though he knew not what the purpose could be.

Was she worried that enemies would discover the position of her Golden Core?

Or was Eldest Senior Sister preventing the world from practicing stellar cultivation techniques?

As the stars were refined into the continent beneath their feet, the power of stellar cultivation techniques had long declined compared to ancient times, since the power of such techniques originated from the stars in the heavens.

Yet there were still those who stubbornly believed that ancient things were superior and insisted on practicing stellar techniques.

"You have arrived in Qingzhou to participate in the Grand Ceremony? Come, come, come, allow this Immortal to display the eyesight of an immortal to you!"

Lu Yang regretted waking the Immortal Fairy. Once awake, the Fairy was bursting with vitality, bouncing around and utterly restless.

Lu Yang walked past a stall where the owner had displayed various books before him, all of which were