Danwu Refining Spirit

Chapter Seventy-Six: A Treasure Hunt

Dreams are always full of passion, but reality is always incredibly cruel.

After his last glimmer of hope was extinguished, Xiao Chong, still somewhat unwilling to give up, stared at Yin Changchang Kong with an expression as if he were looking at an idiot and pressed, "Since no one can decipher these characters, why do you all continue to cultivate so diligently?"

"If there's a treasure in front of you, but the door is locked and you don't have the key, wouldn't you turn around and leave?" Yin Changkong's lips twitched as he used a very vivid analogy.

Xiao Chong instinctively replied, "Of course not! Maybe I'll get the key someday?"

"This is the same principle as the Xiao clan cultivating the Seven Transformations of the Stars. Even someone as smart as you wouldn't give up. Are others dumber than you?" Yin Changkong looked at Xiao Chong as if he were an idiot looking at another idiot.

Okay, I admit, anyone would find it hard to resist such temptation. But since you can't even recognize those scribbles, then there's nothing more for us to talk about.

Xiao Chong glared at Yin Changkong resentfully, tucked the martial arts manual under his arm, and listlessly returned to his room.

"Hmph, a bunch of bumpkins, how dare they compare me to these natives! Who am I? I'm a transmigrator, a model youth with cheat codes, how can I be the same as you?" Xiao Chong sat in the chair, muttering to himself.

Just as the mention of the "golden finger" (a cheat system in Chinese fantasy novels) was mentioned, a sudden inspiration flashed in Xiao Chong's mind.

"That's right, isn't the purpose of a cheat system to solve all sorts of problems? How could I have forgotten that!" Xiao Chong slapped his thigh and immediately focused his thoughts into his mind.

"Where is the spirit of the cauldron? I am here! Why don't you come to greet me at once? What are you waiting for?" In his mind, Xiao Chong called out loudly to the spirit of the cauldron.

"So it's a celestial being! I'm so sorry for being late in welcoming you, I deserve to die a thousand deaths!" Upon hearing the summons, the cauldron spirit trotted out, its mouth overflowing with flattery.

There was nothing they could do; ever since Xiao Chong cut off their supply of Yuan energy, the cauldron spirit had been living on tenterhooks.

This morning, he had just revealed a formula for interrogating someone using divine sense. Seeing that the relationship between the two sides was showing signs of easing, how could the wise cauldron spirit not serve him well?

Therefore, Dingling adopted a very humble attitude, completely unaware that the phrase "this palace" in the other party's self-reference actually contained a lot of hidden meaning.

"You're quite perceptive!" Xiao Chong was very satisfied with the cauldron spirit's attitude and made a comment that was hard to tell whether it was a compliment or an insult.

The spirit of the cauldron was quick to respond, "This humble god is merely fulfilling his duty; it is only what he should do."

"Alright, since you've performed so well, I'm not an unfeeling person. All your benefits will be restored to what they were before," Xiao Chong said with a smile.

"This humble god thanks the immortal. Is there anything else this humble god can do for you?" the cauldron spirit asked with great delight.

Now that the flatterer has mastered the art of sycophancy and the recipient accepts it with delight, let's get down to business.

Xiao Chong recalled the last page of the "Seven Transformations of the Stars" technique in his mind and asked Ding Ling, "Help me take a look at what these scribbles on are. Do you recognize them?"

Ding Ling leaned closer, stared at the page for a long time, and then fell into deep thought.

Do you even know him? But like Yin Changkong, who looked for a long time and then said he didn't understand, I never want to go through that emotional journey from hope to disappointment to despair again.

Just as Xiao Chong was anxiously waiting, the cauldron spirit finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Unbelievable, unbelievable, truly unbelievable."

"Are you keeping me in suspense, or are you trying to negotiate with me?" Xiao Chong's voice turned cold, and his tone immediately became somewhat unpleasant.

The spirit of the cauldron dared not express any more sentiments and quickly said, "This is ancient immortal script. Judging from its contents, it should be the general outline of a cultivation technique. I just don't know how you obtained it?"

As expected of someone who's been around in the immortal realm, he's got some skill; he actually recognized him.

Xiao Chong felt a surge of excitement and said in a slightly trembling voice, "Don't worry about that. Just tell me what it says."

"Fine, I won't ask then. I'll translate it for you, and you can go out and read it yourself."

This time, Dingling was quite pragmatic and didn't nag incessantly like before. Instead, it directly imprinted a page of text in Xiao Chong's mind.

Then, in a consultative tone, he said, "During this period of cultivation, could you perhaps give me a little preferential treatment? After all, the sooner I take human form, the more it will be of help to you."

I haven't found a way to put a "tightening spell" on you yet, so how can I just let you out like this?

Xiao Chong chuckled and said dismissively, "Don't worry, as long as you behave and don't cause me any trouble, I will definitely treat you well."

After saying that, seeing that the cauldron spirit was about to speak again, Xiao Chong didn't give it a chance. He suddenly left his mind, leaving the cauldron spirit alone and confused.

"What a blunder! If I had known this would happen, I should have kept a backup plan. I'm not afraid he won't give in." Having not received the expected benefits, the spirit grumbled alone in Xiao Chong's mind, like a resentful concubine banished to the cold palace.

In the room outside his mind, Xiao Chong found paper and pen and neatly copied down the general outline of the cultivation method translated by the cauldron spirit, studying it repeatedly.

"The Seven Transformations of the Stars draws the power of the stars throughout the heavens into the various acupoints to temper the physical body, thus creating transformations that make one invincible and capable of achieving divine power."

The general outline is concise, unlike the general cultivation methods of Tianyun Continent, which are full of ambiguity and leave people confused. Instead, it states the correct cultivation method of the "Seven Transformations of the Stars" technique in one sentence.

"Fortunately, it's not a cruel and inhumane method like 'to practice divine skills, one must castrate oneself,' otherwise it's better not to practice it at all."

Xiao Chong patted his chest and continued reading.

"...From the first transformation to the Martial Apprentice, to the seventh transformation to the Martial Saint, and after the seventh transformation there are two more transformations, to the Martial Emperor and even the Martial God... These two transformations are divinely ordained, and can only be mastered by those with great fortune. However, most people in the world are greedy, knowing it is impossible yet doing it anyway, which leads to endless disasters... Therefore, the second transformation is concealed while the seventh transformation is preserved, and only those who understand this general principle can learn it..."

"Hmm? Is that even a saying? Looks like I've really struck gold." Xiao Chong thought to himself.

Now that I've discovered the secret of the general outline, doesn't that mean I'm the one with the greatest opportunity? This "Seven Transformations of the Stars"... oh no, it should be called "Nine Transformations of the Stars"... it's practically tailor-made for me!

With a mix of excitement and trepidation, Xiao Chong continued reading.

According to the general outline, every star in the sky emits a tremendous and mysterious power, known as the power of the stars.

The cultivation method of "Nine Transformations of the Stars" is that practitioners use secret techniques to establish a connection with the stars in the sky, thereby activating the stars and drawing their power into their own acupoints to temper their bodies, ultimately achieving a state of invincibility and invincibility.

Once this stellar power enters the body, it cannot be used directly by the cultivator. However, its greatest advantage lies in its ability to transform the acupoints within the body, converting the accumulated primordial energy within them into properties similar to stellar power.

This is quite remarkable. What is the power of stars? To put it simply, according to the physics Xiao Chong learned in his previous life, every star is composed of elements, and these elements are constantly undergoing nuclear fusion, thus releasing enormous energy into the universe.

To put it bluntly, the cultivation process of "Nine Transformations of the Stars" is a process of constantly absorbing celestial energy, transforming oneself, and turning the body into a bottomless pit that can contain infinitely much energy.

As long as a cultivator's body is strong enough, theoretically, it is possible to continuously use this energy to temper their body.

So what's the final result? It's turning your body into a giant energy fortress. When needed, the energy erupts, blasting everything or anyone that gets in your way into dust.

However, the general principles also state that different celestial bodies have different energy properties. Human strength is always limited, and the human body is extremely weak; being able to absorb the power of nine different celestial bodies is already the limit.

If there's too much, the various energies will clash and combine within the body, and the only possibility is to explode and die, turning into nothingness.

Therefore, in the general outline, these nine stars are also called "destiny stars," which can take the lives of others if they succeed, and take the lives of themselves if they fail!

As for the method of drawing the power of the stars into the body, it is not complicated. The cultivator simply selects a few stars, communicates with them through divine sense, and once the connection is established, the power released by the stars can be drawn into the body to temper the acupoints.

The general outline also states that when the seven stars are perfected, one can become a Martial Saint and step into the realm of the extraordinary. However, to reach the level of a Martial Emperor by reaching the level of a Martial Star by reaching the level of a Martial God by reaching the level of a Martial Star requires many fortuitous opportunities.

Both the cultivator's luck and the harmony of the nine stars' attributes are crucial and indispensable.

However, the general outline makes no mention of how to choose these nine stars to avoid conflict, only saying that cultivators should figure it out for themselves.

"What the hell are you talking about! Can't you just explain everything clearly? Why make something perfectly good sound so mystical? Does it make the creator seem more cultured?"

If even one word in my graduation thesis had been unclear, the examiners would have made me suffer terribly!

After repeatedly explaining the general principles, Xiao Chong couldn't find any clues about choosing stars, so he had no choice but to put down "Nine Transformations of Stars" and secretly complain about the person who created this technique.

"And why is this general outline written in immortal script? Why does it mention divine consciousness instead of the mental power or spiritual power commonly referred to on the Tianyun Continent? Could it be that the 'Nine Transformations of the Stars' technique was not created by cultivators on the Tianyun Continent, but has some peculiar origin?"

After a while, Xiao Chong noticed some details in the technique and began to make wild guesses about its origin.

However, these speculations are all conjectures, and no relevant evidence can be found. No matter how much we guess, there is no accurate answer.

Soon, Xiao Chong stopped dwelling on this point and focused all his energy on how to choose a star. This was the most crucial issue; if it wasn't handled well, his cultivation might stagnate after reaching the Martial Saint realm.

This situation is like the analogy Yin Changkong used: a treasure is standing in front of you, and you've worked hard to find the key, but when you finally open the treasure door, you find that there are only some gold coins inside, and you can't take away or use any of the wealth. Wouldn't you just cry your eyes out?

Xiao Chong absolutely did not want such bad luck to happen to him, so he racked his brains and went to great lengths to figure out which stars to choose.

So how should we choose? How can we ensure that the chosen stars have different attributes, yet there is some kind of relationship between them?

As darkness fell and stars rose in the night sky, Xiao Chong went to the courtyard and looked at the starry sky. Suddenly, a bold idea popped into his mind.