Seven Refinements of the Big Dipper

The other Floating Skulls lowered their tongues from the sky, forming nooses, attempting to ensnare Chen Shi.

In the darkness of night, these nooses were difficult to spot. With the slightest carelessness, one could easily thrust their head into one, only to be lifted by the Floating Skull and hanged in the air.

Chen Shi, while the Jia Ma Talisman's power still held, sped along the post road, whistling as he went, leaving the Floating Skulls far behind.

The Jia Ma Talisman generated a clear breeze beneath his feet, making his steps light and swift. He strode forward, his sleeves fluttering, illuminated by the moonlight, truly a picture of dashing elegance.

However, Chen Shi's complexion grew increasingly grim. His heart pounded faster and faster, as if something were pressing down on his chest.

"Don't have an episode now, don't have an episode now!"

He grew anxious. Traveling in the dark was already a life-threatening risk. If he were to fall ill at this moment, it would truly be a certain death!

Waves of sharp pain began to emanate from his chest.

Chen Shi knew that if he overexerted himself, he would have an episode. For instance, when he handled the Li Family Camp case, he fell ill that very night after returning home.

Another time, he encountered the Iron Brush Old Man on the road and handled the case of beating the Iron Brush Old Man and the steward Zhao Ming to death. Perhaps because he killed fewer people, he didn't fall ill that night, but he did the following night, and it nearly cost him his life!

Now, he had committed the Huangyang Village massacre, with twenty-one lives on his hands. This time, the episode came faster and fiercer!

In the past, his episodes often occurred in his sleep, with a sudden, agonizing pain in his heart that made it impossible to breathe.

But now, the episode was happening while he was awake. He could feel his heart being grasped by a gaunt, ghostly hand, squeezing tighter and tighter, making his heart beat faster!

His vision gradually blurred. The post road under the moonlight seemed to float in the clouds, swaying left and right, twisting and rotating, causing his body to sway, twist, and rotate along with it.

He tasted blood in his mouth, his nostrils felt warm, and suddenly, two streams of blood flowed from his nose.

Blood also seeped from his eyes, and his ears buzzed, as if warm liquid were flowing out.

"Don't die here, I don't want to die here! I want to go home and see Grandpa. Even if I die, I want to die at home!"

Chen Shi gasped for air, his eyes wide open, trying desperately to see the road ahead. But the road became more and more illusory.

"Heaven was born first, only the gods are revered. Evils abound, the True God is unseen, only ghosts torment mankind! Observe the way of heaven, act according to heaven..."

He activated the Three Lights Righteous Qi, attempting to suppress the ghostly hand gripping his heart. The Big Dipper Seven Stars appeared around him, and various constellations shifted with his movements.

Chen Shi stumbled forward. Strange things in the surrounding mountains and forests noticed his distress and began to pursue him.

Leading the chase were the Floating Skulls. These malevolent spirits were numerous and particularly fond of hanging people, dragging their corpses through the air to dance.

Sometimes, one could see a dozen Floating Skulls drifting in the sky, their long tongues hanging down, wrapped around the necks of the deceased. A dozen corpses swung back and forth in the air, their limbs flailing, a bizarre sight.

While the Floating Skulls flew in the air, dozens of infants crawled rapidly on the ground towards Chen Shi, shrieking and babbling as they went.

They were extremely cheerful, crawling at breakneck speed. They would even climb onto trees by the roadside, only to become trapped.

Each time this happened, their long necks would appear behind them, writhing like snakes, rescuing them.

There were also tiny figures riding small yellow horses, only five or six inches tall. The horses were not much larger than they were. They galloped forward, shouting repeatedly, drawing their bows and shooting arrows at Chen Shi.

Fortunately, the Jia Ma Talisman on Chen Shi's legs was still effective, and these tiny figures couldn't catch up.

However, Chen Shi's condition was dire, and being caught by them was only a matter of time.

Chen Shi stumbled, his head spinning. The Big Dipper Tempering could not suppress the ghostly green hand.

"Am I really going to die here?"

The road before his eyes twisted. Suddenly, pairs of red shoes appeared on the road ahead, covering the entire post road, leaving no place to step. As soon as he set foot down, he would step on these red shoes.

These red shoes were embroidered with peach blossoms on the sides with pink thread and peonies on the toes, making them vibrantly colored.

The malevolent spirit also appeared.

The malevolent spirit began to assault his mind, further disorienting his already confused senses.

Chen Shi's heart ached more and more. He swayed precariously, on the verge of being unable to avoid the red shoes ahead. Suddenly, the red shoes vanished completely, and the road returned to normal.

The sound of hooves echoed on the post road. A carriage pulled by four fine horses approached along the road. A lantern hung in front of the carriage, and where its light shone, all malevolent spirits retreated.

"Whoa—"

The coachman reined in the horses, and the carriage stopped in front of Chen Shi.

A noble young man sat in the carriage. Despite traveling through the dangerous countryside at night, he maintained an air of composure, as if nothing in the world could disturb him.

This was Prince Xiao, whom Chen Shi had met once before.

Chen Shi and his Grandpa had encountered Prince Xiao outside the manor at the Yin-Extreme Corpse-Raising Ground. Prince Xiao's coffin was magnificent, and his conversation and demeanor left a deep impression on Chen Shi, making him feel as if he were basking in a spring breeze.

"Long time no see, Chen Shi."

Prince Xiao sat in the carriage, his face as gentle as jade. He watched Chen Shi stagger toward him, the starlight swirling around him. Prince Xiao's gaze flickered as he said, "The cultivation technique you practice is not perfect; it is an incomplete method. The Big Dipper Tempering, you haven't grasped its essence, no wonder you've fallen into such a dire situation."

Hearing his voice, Chen Shi tried to steady himself and pay his respects, but he couldn't stand firm.

He wanted to speak, but the pain made it impossible to breathe.

Prince Xiao's bearing and demeanor were natural and flawless, like an immortal descending to the mortal realm, his every move perfectly proper.

His appearance was impeccable, his figure graceful. Even a man could find no fault with him.

His voice was deep and resonant, humming in his chest before emerging from his mouth.

"You gather starlight, shaping it into the form of the Big Dipper Seven Stars, causing them to revolve around you. However, relying solely on the illumination of the seven stars, you only temper your skin and blood, failing to reach your internal organs and bone marrow. These seven stars not only temper the body, skin, and hair, but also refine essence, qi, and spirit. You haven't understood what tempering truly means, which is why you suffer this torment."

Prince Xiao's voice entered Chen Shi's mind. Although Chen Shi was in immense pain, his mind was clearer than ever. He said hoarsely, "Please guide me, senior!"

Prince Xiao instructed, "The purple star before your feet is called Tian Shu, located at the head of the dipper. Look closely, you will see talisman structures within the star."

Chen Shi tried his best to concentrate, to ignore the searing pain, and looked at the cluster of Tian Shu starlight. Upon careful observation, he indeed saw the internal structure of the Tian Shu star.

The internal structure of the starlight was very peculiar. Above, it resembled the character "大" (dà, big), enclosing the star cluster. Below was a yang-style inscription, shaped like the character "一" (yī, one). Further down was the seal script character "正" (zhèng, correct).

Beneath that were the characters "Govern" and a star chart, along with dragon patterns.

Underneath the dragon patterns were two characters, "Towering" (wéi, towering).

"The other six stars also have their own talisman structures," Prince Xiao said.

Chen Shi steadied his scattered thoughts and looked at the other six stars. He saw that these star clusters also contained complex talisman structures within them!

This was something he had never discovered before!

"The Big Dipper Seven Stars are divided into Tian Shu, Tian Xuan, Tian Ji, Tian Quan, Yu Heng, Kai Yang, and Yao Guang. Each cluster of starlight is composed of different talisman seals."

Prince Xiao sat in his carriage, his voice calm, and said, "Different talisman seals contain different tempering methods. Now, tread upon Tian Shu and circulate the talisman seals."

Chen Shi endured the searing pain, his body trembling as he took a step. His foot landed on the Tian Shu star cluster. He focused his remaining consciousness and circulated the Tian Shu star talisman.

Suddenly, the star cluster blazed with light, the starlight exploding. Instantly, all the starlight poured into his body, starting from his tailbone, ascending along his spine, flowing through his shinbones to the back of his head, then upward to circulate throughout his skull, down along his facial bones, and through his twenty-eight teeth.

It then flowed down along his trachea, past his twenty-four ribs.

In an instant, the starlight had circulated a full cycle along his bones, as if tempering his entire body. His bone marrow felt like it had consumed celestial nectar, and he couldn't help but shiver. The crushing pain in his heart had also lessened slightly.

At the same time, the starlight energy of the Tian Shu star beneath his feet was depleted, and the star talisman began to change, transforming into the Yao Guang star talisman.

The Tian Xuan star talisman to his right also changed at this moment, transitioning into the Tian Shu talisman.

The other star talismans were also rotating and changing, like a formation where moving one part affects the whole. As one talisman changed, the others followed suit.

"To your right front, step on Tian Shu again," Prince Xiao instructed.

Chen Shi followed suit, stepping onto the transforming Tian Xuan star talisman.

The moment his foot landed, the Tian Xuan star talisman had just changed into the Tian Shu talisman. The starlight erupted once more, instantly flowing through his bones, and the sensation of body tempering became even more intense!

The impact of the star power caused the pale green ghostly hand gripping his heart to relax slightly with each heartbeat, further reducing the pain!

Seeing a glimmer of hope for survival, Chen Shi didn't wait for Prince Xiao's reminder. He spun his body, taking his third step. Just then, the Tian Ji star talisman had transformed into Tian Xuan, and then from Tian Xuan back into Tian Shu.

By the time his foot landed, a third Tian Shu star talisman had formed!

His body precisely circled the carriage, moving like a swimming dragon, leaving behind a residual afterimage.

Chen Shi took his fourth step, his speed increasing, like a phantom.

He took his fifth step, surprisingly landing on the trunk of a large tree by the roadside, as if walking on level ground, with no sign of falling!

Step by step, Chen Shi walked faster and faster, growing more excited, and the pain in his heart diminished further.

By treading upon the Big Dipper, he had inadvertently learned a remarkable footwork!

And by tempering his bones with Tian Shu, his bones grew stronger and stronger, his marrow became purer, his blood and qi churned, bringing an indescribable comfort.

"Now, switch to Tian Xuan!" Prince Xiao's voice echoed.

Without hesitation, Chen Shi stepped on the Tian Xuan star. The Tian Xuan talisman seal immediately erupted, and starlight surged into his body, entering his heart.

Following a "dong" sound of a heartbeat, the next moment, his heart sent the blood infused with star power to his limbs and head, through blood vessels large and small, thick and thin, reaching the extremities!

The pale green ghostly hand was further stretched by the heartbeat, unable to grip his heart tightly!

As Chen Shi followed the Tian Xuan star, the Big Dipper formation beneath his feet continued to change. Star power cleansed his blood and strengthened his heart chamber.

His blood and qi became increasingly vigorous, and his breath grew longer.

Tian Shu tempered the bones, Tian Xuan tempered the blood!

After Prince Xiao let him temper for one cycle, he reminded him, "Now switch to Tian Ji!"

Chen Shi's steps changed, and he landed on the Tian Ji star. The power of the star talisman erupted, merging with his tendons and fascia.

His major tendons twanged like bowstrings, allowing his fists to move faster, and his fascia bulged like great drums, increasing his strength.

After Chen Shi had traversed a full cycle, tempering all his major tendons, he then stepped onto the Tian Quan star cluster.

Seeing this, Prince Xiao did not offer any further guidance.

Chen Shi only circulated each tempering method for one cycle, quickly traversing all seven stars of the Big Dipper.

The Tian Quan star talisman tempered his muscles, and the Yu Heng star talisman tempered his skin.

Chen Shi was unsure what the Kai Yang and Yao Guang star talismans tempered. He only felt that when he stepped on the Kai Yang star talisman, his true qi circulated, and the shrine reappeared, suggesting it tempered true qi, but he couldn't be certain.

And stepping on the Yao Guang star talisman inexplicably made him feel refreshed, his thoughts becoming clearer than ever before.

More crucially, the pain in his heart continued to decrease!

"The Kai Yang star talisman tempers true qi, and the Yao Guang star talisman tempers the spirit."

Prince Xiao continued to instruct, "The Seven Refinements of the Big Dipper will temper your bones, heart, blood, muscles, skin, true qi, and spirit. The cultivation method you are practicing is truly extraordinary."

He thought carefully, comparing it to all the cultivation methods he had seen before, and still felt that Chen Shi's method was top-tier.

Chen Shi stopped, his entire body's Blood Essence churning ceaselessly. It took a long time to subside. The sharp pain in his heart had already vanished, leaving him both surprised and delighted.

Prince Xiao's guidance was crucial for him. Not only had it saved his life in a moment of crisis, but it had also spared him the arduous and dangerous process of self-discovery!

He still remembered the time in the dilapidated mountain temple when he had fumbled with moving his Blood Essence, causing it to rush to his brain and knock him unconscious.

"Don't get distracted. Now, guide the fire back to its source, refine it into your Dantian, and transform it into your own cultivation."

Prince Xiao observed his aura and said, "If you don't guide the fire back to its source after finishing your practice, it's all for naught. Focus your spirit and guard your Dantian."

Chen Shi followed his instructions, drawing the Blood Essence throughout his body and refining it into his Dantian. However, as soon as this Blood Essence transformed into true qi within his Dantian, it dissipated without a trace, leaving him disheartened.

Prince Xiao also noticed the dissipation of true qi within him. After a moment of thought, he said, "The Seven Refinements of the Big Dipper temper your bones, heart, blood, flesh, skin, qi, and spirit. You just can't retain true qi, but the other six aspects have progressed at lightning speed. You might achieve something in the future. Strange, didn't Master Chen teach you about these things?"

--Thank you to the Alliance Leader, God's Messenger on Earth, for the reward!

With the permission of Alpaca7, illustrations drawn by the great master A7 for On the Great Dao have been inserted in corresponding sections of some chapters. Readers are recommended to check them out; they are exquisite and fit the original text perfectly. Special thanks!