White Deer Academy.

Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.

Inside the pavilion, light screens shimmered and shifted—identical to the interface of the Spiritual Nexus Profound Mirror, only far grander in scale.

Behind the glowing curtain stood a counter. An elderly Deacon rested there with eyes closed, seemingly dozing.

Figures moved in and out of the pavilion as disciples exchanged items and left.

Xiao Che stood before the massive screen, staring at two listings, his brows knotted tightly.

Azurewood Blazing Flame Art — 2,500 contribution points.
Perfectly suited for Qing’er’s mutated Fire–Wood Spirit Root. A top-tier choice for alchemical foundation building.

Seven Star Steps — 1,500 contribution points.
A Profound-rank Low-Grade movement technique—exactly what he needed to shore up his shortcomings.

Balance: 1,565 contribution points.

“Tsk.”

Xiao Che inhaled sharply, as if nursing a toothache.

If he exchanged for Seven Star Steps, he’d be left with only sixty-five points. How was he supposed to repay Senior Sister Bai’s 1,150-point debt?

“Troublesome.”

He paced slowly within the pavilion.

“I’m still a thousand short of Qing’er’s technique. But my Gale Step is genuinely falling behind…”

In the Trial Tower, when surrounded by ten Ninth Layer Foundation Establishment puppets, the slight sluggishness in his footwork—

In a real-life-and-death battle, that could become a fatal flaw.

“Strength is the only hard truth. As for the debt… Senior Sister never said I had to repay it immediately.”

He clenched his teeth and made a decision.

“Seven Star Steps first. Once my combat strength improves, earning contribution points will be easier. The debt… I’ll delay it a bit. Senior Sister probably wouldn’t publicly shame me on the spirit network, right?”

He took a deep breath and pressed firmly.

“Confirm exchange: Profound-rank Low-Grade movement technique, Seven Star Steps.”

Behind the counter, the old Deacon glanced at his Tianshu True Inheritance Token and nodded faintly.

A streak of spiritual light shot forth and landed on the counter, condensing into a jade slip of faint azure hue, star-like glimmers flickering within.

“Inheritance jade slip. Three readings permitted. Harmonize with divine sense. Do not transmit.”

His words were concise.

“This disciple understands.”

Xiao Che solemnly received the jade slip.

It felt faintly heavy in his palm.

At the same moment, 1,500 contribution points were deducted from his token.

Remaining balance:

Sixty-five.

Staring at the pitiful two-digit number, Xiao Che’s heart twitched.

“One night back to poverty… and still buried in debt.”

He tucked both the jade slip and the True Inheritance Token into his robes. His chest felt heavy, yet oddly hollow.

“No matter. Back to closed-door cultivation. I’ll master Seven Star Steps first.”

Leaving the pavilion, he quickened his pace toward the Listening Bamboo Pavilion.

He needed to convert investment into returns quickly. Cultivating while in debt—there wasn’t a moment to waste.

“First, get familiar with the technique. Then let the Heavenly Tome deduce and complete it. Free customized max-level movement technique, here I come…”

That thought dulled the sting of his emptied contribution points.

In the long run, this trade was absolutely worth it.

…

Listening Bamboo Pavilion.

Meditation chamber.

Xiao Che sat cross-legged, divine sense sinking into the azure jade slip.

Seven Star Steps, Profound-rank Low-Grade movement technique.

Its core lay in drawing upon a thread of stellar force, coordinating with a special stepping method. Within inches of space, one could pivot and shift unpredictably, as if stepping upon the Seven Stars—erratic and elusive.

At high mastery, short-distance bursts and evasive ability would improve dramatically, though spiritual power consumption far exceeded that of Yellow-rank techniques.

“Drawing upon stellar force? The entry requirement alone isn’t low.”

He studied the formula, then rose to test it.

Following the method’s recorded positions of Tianshu, Tianxuan, and the other seven stars, he stepped repeatedly within the chamber—lungeing forward, pivoting back.

Again and again, he adjusted his footing, attempting to capture that subtle rhythm—the resonance with the stars.

…

The next morning.

Sunlight filtered through the lattice window as Xiao Che slowly withdrew his stance, sweat dotting his forehead.

He had not slept all night. Though the steps were memorized, that elusive thread of stellar force remained beyond reach—let alone integrating it perfectly with the movement pattern.

His movement lacked the described “seven stars linked, trajectory unfathomable.” There was still noticeable stiffness.

“Profound-rank techniques aren’t so easy to enter.”

He exhaled turbid air and sensed that nearly seventy percent of his spiritual power had been consumed.

Mastering it alone in the short term was unrealistic.

But…

His consciousness sank into the purple jade tome within his sea of consciousness.

Time for the “cheat” to work.

Without hesitation, Xiao Che retrieved his remaining assets—

Five hundred spirit stones gifted by his family, plus five hundred spirit stones won from the wager.

All were converted into a single strand of Primordial Qi.

His consciousness descended once more into the gray Sumeru space.

Beside the purple jade tome stood the translucent azure cocoon, radiating soft light. Within, that peerless silhouette remained faintly visible.

The Azure Lotus Empress still slumbered.

“Begin deduction and completion—Seven Star Steps.”

Focusing, Xiao Che guided the technique’s insights from his night of practice toward the Heavenly Tome.

Purple light enveloped it and began to circulate.

Yet after only an instant, the motion halted abruptly.

The purple jade tome trembled faintly. It did not absorb the strand of Primordial Qi.

Instead, clear feedback echoed in his consciousness:

Deduction and completion of a Profound-rank Low-Grade technique requires ten strands of Primordial Qi.

Xiao Che froze within the space. His face darkened completely.

“Ten… ten strands?”

“That’s ten thousand low-grade spirit stones!”

This Primordial Heavenly Tome didn’t just devour resources—it had refined taste!

He exited the Sumeru space and stared silently at the pile of spirit stone ashes on the floor.

The only consolation was that the thousand spirit stones had at least been converted into one strand of Primordial Qi—not entirely wasted.

But “ten strands” felt like a mountain pressing down.

“Investment carries risk. Cheating requires caution…”

He shook his head with a wry smile.

His plan to rapidly master Seven Star Steps through the Heavenly Tome was completely bankrupt.

For now, he either practiced honestly—or somehow scraped together enough wealth to tempt the Tome.

And at present, his pockets were emptier than his face.

He sighed and checked his True Inheritance Token. The Spiritual Nexus Profound Mirror indicated that at the third quarter of the Chen hour, the course Fundamentals of Sword Theory would begin.

Out of habit, he opened the Exchange Zone. Two red-highlighted posts were pinned at the top:

[Discussion Platform] Explosive! Tianshu Academy’s Feng Mohan defeats two Tianjiao Ranking experts—97th and 88th—in a single day. His sword is unstoppable!

Posted by: Xuan Buyan.

[Discussion Platform] Astonishing! Tianshu Academy’s Super Grade-A Xiao Che storms the Trial Tower at Foundation Establishment First Layer—straight to Floor Fifty! (Includes tower monument image—maximum shock factor!)

Posted by: Xuan Buyan.

“Great. Trending again. And that Xuan Buyan—does he just camp here refreshing posts all day?”

Xiao Che muttered, half amused.

“Still… Feng Mohan really does have some skill.”

He curled his lips and closed the interface.

Keeping a low profile? Impossible.

…

Second quarter of the Chen hour.

Sword Academy.

Hall of Sword Discourse.

What a scene.

The tiered hall, capable of seating five hundred or six hundred, was nearly 70% full.

Men and women alike, their cultivation ranging from Qi Refinement to Foundation Establishment.

No surprise—of all weapons, the sword was king. Wherever one went, sword cultivators were the most numerous.

Xiao Che entered, white robes fluttering, posture upright.

Sword-like brows, starry eyes. The lines of his profile, illuminated by morning light, appeared especially sharp. Even with a calm expression, he drew many gazes.

“Senior Brother Xiao, over here.”

A gentle voice called out.

Xiao Che turned to see Mu Xinlan of Water Moon Sect.

She wore a flowing water-blue dress that set off her jade-like complexion. Her brows were like distant mountains, her eyes like autumn waters—soft and graceful in temperament.