Purification and continue to do so for half a year.
Even if it was due to his meridian lines being different, which made it impossible to Purify in the same way others do, where did all the Starlight go to? Did it just dissipate without a trace?
No, this was something he couldn’t possibly believe. Having spent so many nights doing this, he had long started to suspect something; this was unreasonable. If it could be said that Heaven’s Way rewarded diligence, then who could compare with his diligence? Though of course, if Heaven’s Way was unfair, then he had nothing else he could say, but at this moment in time, he still held onto the view that out of the process of guiding Starlight to undergo Purification, he had fulfilled the requirement of guiding Starlight.
Yet, even an expert such as Jin Yu Lu, couldn’t sense any traces of True Essence from within his body, if the Starlight was really contained within his body, then where would it be? How was he to find its location and then make use of it?
Just as how one would seek their Fated Star, if you wanted to inquire the state your own body, you are your own best observer.
Chen Chang Sheng was aware of the method.
That method was Meditation.
Cultivation required the illumination of a Fated Star, then Purification, then meditative introspection. This sequence was immutable; any transpositions would cause either injury or death without exception. Countless years ago, there were cultivators that attempted to forge new methods, but now, no one dared to try such a reckless endeavour.
Human cultivators, in terms of their bodily strength, was the weakest out of the three races of demon, yao and human. To directly attempt meditative introspection without first successfully achieving Purification; ignoring the criteria of ensuring your meridians were wide enough and strong enough to endure the movement of True Essence converted from Starlight, was akin to seeking death itself.
Akin to an embankment that had yet to be reinforced; you seek to irrigate it using sea water?
Daring to allow the power of True Essence to wantonly flow through the body, to seek new grounds and establish a base without the thorough strengthening of every bone, every fibre of hair in your body through Purification?
For meditative introspection, completing Purification was the most basic requirement, Chen Chang Sheng was not a member of the yao race, thus he had to adhere to this rule. If he were to attempt skipping the Purification stage, then, according to the Scripture of The Way, even if he was to find the Star Brilliance that was hidden in his body through meditative introspection; upon the moment of contact, he was likely to instantly perish.
If his hypothesis was correct, then the Southerner that had died due to an explosion, recorded in the addendum of the Four Classics of Meditation, had clearly managed to accidentally die in this fashion.
But if he were not to perform meditative introspection, he wouldn’t be able to find the Star Brilliance that he suspected to be hidden within his body, and he would forever stall upon the entrance of the Purification realm, without being able to advance further; was this not a hopeless situation?
This was a question of his life with only two choices.
Even someone who held time to be as precious as he did, could only contemplate upon this matter for a time, wracked with indecision in weighing its advantages and disadvantages.
The Grand Examination was fast approaching; the amount of time he had left was very short indeed.
Heaven’s Way, or rather, fate, really was unfair.
His fate really was dismal; not only did he have a difficult to treat illness, but it seems he also had an exceptionally unusual problem in cultivation.
He was becoming very depressed, yet at this moment, he heard Xuan Yuan Po calling everyone for supper.
Due to health concerns, he rarely had supper, this made him even more depressed.
Not wanting to see the others, he left the dorm; pushing open the new door on the wall, he arrived at the Hundred Herb Garden.
The autumn trees gently swayed within the night breeze; from far away a dim light could be seen.
What was it? He was still filled with indecision, and naturally started thinking of the Black Dragon that was under the Imperial Palace alongside the words he had said in front of that Black Dragon.
It would seem if he wanted to continue living, he would have to risk his life.
He then remembered, he had promised to see the Black Dragon but never had the chance to fulfil that promise.
Upon this moment, he saw a figure of eerie darkness, a divine-like existence.
This wasn’t the Black Dragon.
It was the Black Goat.
Chen Chang Sheng was surprised; he went to the Black Goat and crouched down in front of it, asking: “Why are you here?”
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