75: Chapter 75 Starlight Appears

4:00 AM, Chen Zhen opened his eyes.

He lay still, his consciousness sinking into Internal Vision.

In his Dantian, the newly formed Qi bead was rotating slowly.

The dark blue Stellar Energy and the pale golden Qi were intertwined, forming a magnificent luster never seen before.

Every time the Qi bead rotated, two streams of power surged out simultaneously, flowing through his meridians throughout his body.

Qi Refining Level 4.

It wasn't just a simple increase in Qi; it was a qualitative change.

He stretched out his hand, palm facing up.

With a thought, a wisp of dark blue light rose from his palm, condensing into a fist-sized ball of light.

"Star Radiance."

It wasn't the previous version that could only be used for illumination; it was the true power after Fusion with the star core.

He shifted his intent, and the ball of light instantly deformed, elongating into an arc-shaped blade of light.

"Starlight Slash."

It consumed 5 points of Qi, but he hadn't tested its power yet.

He retracted his technique, and the light dissipated.

He sat up and scanned the room with his gaze.

Cleaning Spell.

1 point of Qi consumed, and an invisible ripple swept across.

But this time, the effect of the Cleaning Spell was significantly different.

Mixed with Stellar Energy, the area swept was not only clean but also faintly covered in a layer of light blue halo, which lasted for three seconds before dissipating.

[Cleaning Spell Mutation: Star Radiance Cleaning]

[Effect: Cleaning + weak purification, has an additional dispersing effect on Yin evil Qi]

Chen Zhen looked at that notification, lost in thought.

Even the most basic Spell had changed.

Stellar Energy had a greater impact than he had imagined.

Five o'clock sharp, morning run.

Twenty-five Object Control Orbs flew out from his Storage Space, lining up beside him into a Dongshan Rune Array.

Core circle, three-point triangle, radial curves, nested geometry, seventy-two point array—all structures were completed in one go.

But this time, the Rune Array had also changed.

The originally pale golden formation was now covered in a layer of dark blue halo.

Every Object Control Orb was vibrating slightly, as if injected with new life.

He activated [Star Core].

The rotation speed of the Dantian Qi bead soared instantly, and Stellar Energy surged into the Rune Array like a tide.

The formation expanded suddenly, doubling in size to a diameter of six meters.

That layer of dark blue halo became dazzling, looking like a small blue sun in the morning light.

[Rune Array power + 200%]

[Duration: 30 seconds]

Chen Zhen didn't stop and continued running.

Thirty seconds later, the halo subsided, and the formation returned to normal.

But he had remembered that feeling.

With the addition of Stellar Energy, the power of the Rune Array doubled.

If used in actual combat...

He shook his head, temporarily suppressing this thought.

Now was not the time to use it.

Six o'clock, Riverside.

The old man stood under the willow tree, looking at the river with his hands behind his back.

Hearing footsteps, he didn't even turn his head.

"Breakthrough?"

"Yes."

"What Qi Refining level?"

"Level 4."

The old man was silent for a few seconds.

Then he turned around and looked at Chen Zhen.

In his eyes, there was surprise, relief, and a hint of complex emotion.

"Forty-nine days, from Mortal to Qi Refining Level 4." He said, "You are the fastest I have ever seen."

Chen Zhen didn't speak.

The old man walked over and looked him up and down.

"The Qi is wrong." He said, "It's not ordinary Qi. What do you have on you?"

Chen Zhen thought for a moment, stretched out his hand, and condensed a ball of dark blue light.

The old man's pupils contracted slightly.

"This is..."

"A star core fragment." Chen Zhen said, "It has completely undergone Fusion."

The old man stared at the ball of light for a long time.

Then he looked away and sighed.

"Old Gu was right." He said, "Some people are destined to walk a different path."

He patted Chen Zhen on the shoulder.

"Since it has undergone Fusion, use it well. That power is stronger than you imagine, and also more dangerous than you imagine."

Chen Zhen looked at him: "Where is the danger?"

The old man didn't answer directly.

He turned to look at the river, silent for a few seconds.

"Old Gu once underwent Fusion with a piece." He said, "But he didn't succeed. That power was too strong, and he couldn't suppress it."

Chen Zhen's heart jolted.

Old Gu had undergone Fusion?

"What happened later?"

"Later, he stopped." The old man said, "He forcibly stripped it away, damaging his Foundation. This is also the reason why his health has been poor ever since."

He looked at Chen Zhen.

"That you were able to succeed in Fusion shows you are stronger than him. But being strong doesn't mean you can do whatever you want."

Chen Zhen nodded.

"I know."

The old man nodded, not saying anything more.

"That's it for today." He turned around, "Go back and consolidate, don't rush to push upward."

Seven o'clock, Chen Zhen arrived home.

His mother had already left, and his father had also gone to the factory. There was a note and twenty yuan left on the table: "Buy your own breakfast."

Chen Zhen took the money but didn't go to buy any.

He took a piece of spiritual Mint leaf from his Storage Space and brewed a cup of tea.

The pale golden tea shimmered with a warm luster in the morning light.

He took a sip, the coolness entering his throat, and then that warmth rose from his stomach, slowly merging into his Dantian.

[Consumed Spiritual Mint leaf × 1]

[Mental Energy recovery + 30%]

[Trace amount of Qi + 0.1]

0.1 points of Qi, not much.

But even a mosquito's leg is meat.

He finished his tea, put on his schoolbag, and went out.

Seven-twenty, Chen Zhen stepped into the classroom.

Zhang Meng was making up homework in the back row. Seeing him enter, he didn't even lift his head: "Help! Lend me your English homework to copy!"

Chen Zhen threw the notebook over.

Zhang Meng caught it and buried his head in copying furiously.

Su Xiaoya from the front row turned her head: "Chen Zhen, did you solve that physics problem yesterday?"

"Which one?"

"The last one on the test paper." Su Xiaoya said, "Chen Hao said it was hard, and Zhou Rui also said it was hard. Only a few people in the class solved it."

Chen Zhen thought about it: "I solved it."

Su Xiaoya's eyes lit up: "Can I take a look?"

Chen Zhen pulled the test paper out of his bag and handed it to her.

Su Xiaoya took it, looked at it for a while, and her expression changed from anticipation to confusion.

"This step of yours... how did you jump it?"

"Which step?"

"Here." Su Xiaoya pointed to the paper, "From the third step directly to the fifth, where are the two steps in the middle?"

Chen Zhen glanced at it.

Those two steps, he had done mentally.

"Omitted." He said, "The two steps in the middle are basic transformations; you should know them."

Su Xiaoya stared at him for a few seconds.

Then she returned the paper to him and whispered: "Chen Zhen, have you been cheating lately?"

Chen Zhen didn't answer.

In the last row, Zhou Rui was looking down at his book, as if he hadn't heard anything.

But Chen Zhen could feel that his aura was stronger than yesterday.

He was close to the critical point.

The third period in the morning was physics class.

Old Li was lecturing on electromagnetic induction synthesis, and the blackboard was filled with coils, magnetic field lines, and current directions.

After finishing an example problem, he put down the chalk and scanned the classroom.

"Who will come up to solve this problem?"

There was silence below.

Old Li's gaze swept around and finally landed on Chen Zhen.

"Chen Zhen, you come."

Chen Zhen stood up and walked to the podium.

The problem was difficult: calculating the induced current of a coil in a composite magnetic field, involving Faraday's Law, Lenz's Law, Ohm's Law, and complex geometric relationships.

He glanced at it, and a model was automatically constructed in his mind.

[Knowledge Fusion] activated.

[Model Thinking] activated.

[Star Core] passive buff—thinking speed was at least 30% faster than usual.

He picked up the chalk and started writing.

Magnetic field analysis—geometric modeling—differential equations—solving.

Six lines of formulas, one sketch, three steps of derivation.

The whole process took less than two minutes.

When the chalk was put down, there was dead silence below.

Old Li stared at the blackboard for five seconds.

Then he smiled.

"The answer is correct, and the reasoning is more concise than the standard answer." He looked at Chen Zhen, "Did you self-study college physics during the summer vacation?"

Chen Zhen thought about it: "I read a little."

Old Li nodded and didn't ask any more.

But Chen Hao turned his head from the front row with a complex look in his eyes.

Zhou Rui, in the last row, looked at the lines of formulas on the blackboard, lost in thought.

After school at noon, Chen Zhen went to the cafeteria.

Zhang Meng dragged him into line, nagging the whole way: "Are you still human? That physics problem was so hard, and you solved it in two minutes? How are we supposed to live?"

Chen Zhen ignored him.

After getting their food, the two found a seat and sat down.

After eating a few bites, someone walked over with a tray.

Zhou Rui.

He stood at the table and looked at Chen Zhen: "Can I sit here?"

Chen Zhen nodded.

Zhou Rui sat down and started eating.

He ate very slowly and focused, as if doing an experiment.

Halfway through the meal, he suddenly spoke: "Master, I tried it last night."

Chen Zhen looked up at him.

"That power," Zhou Rui lowered his voice, "I felt it. It was spinning in my body, wanting to rush out. But as you said, I didn't force it to guide it, I let it move on its own."

Chen Zhen looked at him.

"And the result?"

Zhou Rui was silent for a few seconds.

"It moved around on its own, then stopped at the Dantian. It was warm and very comfortable."

Chen Zhen's heart moved.

The threshold from the Qi Sense Stage to the Qi Refinement Stage, had he already crossed it?

"How do you feel now?"

Zhou Rui thought for a moment and said: "My whole body feels light. My mind is particularly clear. And..."

He stretched out his hand, palm open.

Nothing happened.

But Chen Zhen could feel the aura in his palm condensing.

Extremely weak, but it was indeed condensing.

This was the embryonic form of Qi.

[System Notification: Disciple Zhou Rui is about to break through]

[Current status: Qi Sense Stage Great Perfection → Qi Refinement Stage critical point]

[Estimated Breakthrough time: within 24 hours]

Chen Zhen looked at Zhou Rui.

"Don't sleep tonight." He said, "After you go back, just sit in meditation. When that power wants to rush out, don't block it, and don't push it; let it move on its own."

Zhou Rui nodded: "Understood."

He stood up and walked away with his tray.

Zhang Meng watched from the side, completely confused.

"What are you guys talking about? What power? What rushing out?"

Chen Zhen glanced at him.

"Competition problems."

Zhang Meng was stunned: "Can competition problems rush out?"

Chen Zhen didn't answer.

In the afternoon classes, Chen Zhen didn't listen much.

He was doing something else—familiarizing himself with the power of [Star Core].

[Internal Vision] was fully activated, observing the dark blue Qi bead in his Dantian.

It was completely different from ordinary Qi beads. Every time it rotated, it released two types of power.

One was ordinary Qi, pale golden.

The other was Stellar Energy, dark blue.

The two powers intertwined in his body, then flowed into different meridians.

Ordinary Qi followed the conventional path.

Stellar Energy followed those newly opened micro-meridians.

He tried to guide the Stellar Energy with his mind, making it form a cycle in the micro-meridian network.

The first time, he failed. The Stellar Energy was too strong, and the micro-meridians couldn't bear it, almost rupturing.

The second time, he slowed down the speed, letting the Stellar Energy slowly seep in.

He succeeded.

After being soaked by the Stellar Energy, those micro-meridians became tougher and more unobstructed.

The micro-meridians that could originally only hold 0.5 Qi could now hold 1.5 Qi.

[Meridian expansion advancement successful]

[Qi limit: 200 → 215]

[New status acquired: 'Stellar Meridians' (some micro-meridians fused with Stellar Energy, circulation speed + 50%)]

He opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

This discovery was more valuable than the Breakthrough itself.

After school, Chen Zhen didn't go straight home.

He went to the Secret Base.

Pushing open the door, the six spiritual plants were growing quietly in the Spirit Gathering Array.

The largest wild soul-calming grass had very obvious golden edges on its leaves, and a small flower bud had even emerged at the top.

[Wild soul-calming grass (seventh day after transplanting)]

[Status: Fully recovered, about to enter the rapid growth phase]

[Flower bud: About to bloom (within 24-48 hours)]

soul-calming grass blooming?

He walked over, squatted down, and observed carefully.

The flower bud was very small, only the size of a fingernail, and was pale purple.

In [Internal Vision], there was an extremely weak flow of Qi inside the flower bud.

Much stronger than the leaves.

[soul-calming grass flower bud]

[Usage: The flower can be used to make incense, calming effect + 800%; flower seeds can be used to plant new plants]

He stood up and looked at those soul-calming grasses.

In two more days, he would be able to harvest the first batch of calming flower.

Then, he could try directional cultivation.

At 9:00 PM, Chen Zhen returned home.

His mother was knitting a sweater in the living room, and his father was watching the news. Seeing him return, his mother looked up: "Did you eat?"

"I ate."

"Then go to sleep early, tomorrow is Monday."

"Yes."

Chen Zhen returned to his room and closed the door.

He sat cross-legged on the bed, not Cultivating immediately.

Instead, he took out that piece, no, that piece was gone.

The fragment had completely fused into his body.

He closed his eyes and activated [Star Path Perception].

His consciousness instantly spread out, crossing the city, crossing the mountains and fields, crossing all obstacles.

Then he "saw" it.

In the northeast direction, about eight hundred kilometers away, there was a faint point of light.

In the due north direction, about twelve hundred kilometers away, there was a brighter point of light.

In the southwest direction, about three thousand kilometers away, there was an extremely strong point of light, so strong it made his heart palpitate.

There were even more, farther, and blurrier points of light scattered throughout his entire range of perception.

[Star Path Perception result]

[Detected star core fragment × 17]

[Among them: weak reaction × 12, medium reaction × 4, strong reaction × 1]

[Distance to nearest fragment: about 800 km]

Seventeen pieces.

There were seventeen more fragments like his.

And that strongest one...

He withdrew his perception and opened his eyes.

That direction was the Kunlun Mountain.

He took a deep breath and kept this information in his heart.

Then he closed his eyes and began to Cultivate.

The Dantian Qi bead rotated slowly, Stellar Energy and ordinary Qi intertwined, surging into the meridians of his whole body.

[Cultivation progress: Qi Refining Level 4 80 / 1800]

Late at night, eleven o'clock, Chen Zhen prepared to sleep.

His phone vibrated.

Zhou Rui's message: "Master, it worked."

Just four short words, but Chen Zhen could feel the excitement on the other side of the screen.

He replied with one word: "Good."