Vast Starry Sky Chart

After finishing the scroll and closing it, Liu Ding could not help laughing bitterly. If others called him a freak, then he felt this martial skill scroll was even more freakish.

It required the realm of a Four-Vessel Martial Apprentice, yet demanded that its practitioner possess insight into three of the realms above Five Soulforging Cauldrons. This made Four-Vessel Martial Apprentices shy away from it, while the realm requirements made higher-level martial apprentices disdain it. Thus, it had been left to gather dust.

Such a useless skill made Liu Ding return the Seven Stars Steps scroll to the shelf. But after circling around a few times, he came back. Unable to find any martial skill or cultivation insight more worthwhile, he hesitated briefly before taking it down again.

"Are you sure you want to borrow this martial arts scroll?" The Library Pavilion clansman handling registration was quite surprised. "No one has ever been able to comprehend this martial skill. It has been gathering dust for years."

"Anyway, I can't find any decent martial skill. Better than nothing." Liu Ding sighed.

"..." The second-floor library was a place where countless family elites lingered and refused to leave, yet this freak actually said he could not find a decent martial skill. The man was speechless.

As expected, Zhi'er had instructed Sister Zhu'er to stew a pot of turtle soup. Liu Ding had shouted excitedly as he prepared to feast, but the moment the soup entered his mouth, he spat it out. Sticking out his tongue, he said, "Why is it so bitter?"

Sister Zhu'er smiled. "Miss Zhi'er specially added several medicinal herbs for you. She said they would be very useful for your cultivation."

Liu Ding's mouth twitched. Pulling a long face, he said, "Do I have to think about cultivation even while eating? Are you trying to kill me?"

"So, are you eating it or not?" Zhi'er shot him an annoyed glare.

"I'm eating, I'm eating." Liu Ding was utterly helpless. A certain ailment from his short-life dream surfaced in his mind—being henpecked. Could Zhi'er go back to being a Little White Fox?

Well-fed and full of medicine, Liu Ding finally patted his stomach in satisfaction. "Come on, Zhi'er, let's go to sleep." As he spoke, he naturally held out his hand to her, his expression utterly sincere.

"What are you saying? Who wants to sleep with you?" Zhi'er's little face immediately flushed red.

"Didn't I always hold you while we slept before?" Liu Ding had not yet caught on.

Sister Zhu'er could not help covering her mouth and laughing. "Zhi'er has already transformed into a human. Men and women should not touch casually—how can she still sleep with you? What a silly boy."

Only when he saw Zhi'er's shy little face did Liu Ding finally understand. He scratched his head awkwardly. "Sorry, I didn't realize Zhi'er had become such a little beauty. I actually still wanted to hold you while sleeping. What a sin, what a sin."

That only made Zhi'er's face turn even redder. With a twist of her body, she fled.

Unable to hold the Little White Fox and gently stroke her soft fur with his fingers as he slept, Liu Ding realized something serious: he could not fall asleep.

Tossing and turning without the slightest drowsiness, Liu Ding simply opened the Seven Stars Steps scroll and continued cultivating.

Seven Stars Steps had seven illustrations. They looked like the shapes of the Big Dipper seen from different angles in the vastness of space. If Liu Ding had not known the original Big Dipper, he truly would not have imagined that the other six illustrations were also the Big Dipper.

Vast starry skies—unimaginable.

Liu Ding's Fourth Soul-Forging Cauldron realm had already stabilized. As for the other three higher Cauldron realms, during the latter three years of those seven years, he and the Little White Fox had soaked in medicinal cauldrons and gained insight into the mysteries of their totems.

By all rights, he met the cultivation requirements for Seven Stars Steps. Yet whenever he practiced, he would get stuck on every illustration, unable to make any progress.

The places where he got stuck were the various Meridian Courts within the Twelve Extraordinary Meridians. The illustrations also marked them with red dots surrounded by halos.

"What kind of damn Seven Stars Steps is this? It's a scam, isn't it?" After struggling for half the night, no matter which step he practiced, he got stuck half to death at those so-called Meridian Court points. Liu Ding broke down and tossed aside the Seven Stars Steps scroll.

If he remained unable to advance beyond the Fourth Soul-Forging Cauldron realm, then even with his freakishly durable body, he would not be able to withstand Liu Ji, who had entered the Six Soulforging Cauldrons realm. Losing the position of clan head was nothing—he had no ambition to manage a small family—but Zhi'er would be in grave danger.

Liu Ding was deeply frustrated. He went outside and came to the edge of a cliff. The stars filling the sky twinkled as though they were all mocking his incompetence.

"Big Brother, if you can give me dreams, why can't you give me a dream of growing into a supreme emperor? Why give me the dream of some brain-dead youth fighting over a woman instead?"

The woman that his incarnation in the short-life dream had fought over did have some looks, but she was not even one ten-thousandth as beautiful as Zhi'er, nor could she compare to Liu Tao in the slightest. To end a short life over such a woman was truly brain-dead beyond measure.

Now that his soul had recovered, Liu Ding also understood that Chixian was merely a remote corner of Shan Continent. Cultivation here was all related to the soul: Soul Power, soul qi, soul spirits...

Logically, after merging with those brain-dead memories and strengthening his soul, Liu Ding should have possessed a natural advantage on this continent where Soul Power was cultivated. The halo of genius should have followed him all the way.

Yet he was stuck half-dead at the Fourth Soul-Forging Cauldron realm. It would have been one thing if he had only just reached this point, but he had already comprehended the following three higher Cauldron realms. It was like having a four-hundred-horsepower motorcycle to race in that brain-dead life dream, only for the road to be blocked. Frustrating—extremely frustrating.

"No, I need to find another path." After roaring, Liu Ding calmed down. Then he thought of Liu Ji, who had broken through to Six Soulforging Cauldrons before turning sixteen. That was nearly impossible within the Liu Clan. Could it be that he possessed another path?

With that thought, Liu Ding turned around and decided to investigate.

As he neared the Nie Residence, Liu Ding smelled a medicinal fragrance. He knew it well—it was the medicinal liquid formed from a melted Qilin Soul Pill for Six Soulforging Cauldrons.

Nie Zhengxu was a powerful Seven Soul-Forging Cauldrons martial apprentice. Liu Ding cautiously approached, then leapt lightly upward and peered down through a gap in the roof. To his surprise, he saw Liu Ji taking a Six Soulforging Cauldrons medicinal bath, while Nie Zhengxu stood guard beside the Qilin Cauldron.

"Ji, my grandson, how does it feel?" Seeing Liu Ji rise from the medicinal liquid, Nie Zhengxu hurriedly asked.

"Grandfather, I used a Suanni Soulforging Pill from the Murong Family to advance to Six Soulforging Cauldrons. This medicinal liquid from the Qilin Soul Forging Pill has no effect." Liu Ji looked deeply dejected.

So he had used the Murong Family's Suanni Soulforging Pill to advance. No wonder he had entered the Six Soulforging Cauldrons Martial Apprentice realm before the age of sixteen. Liu Ding understood.

"Could it be that we need to make medicinal liquid from a Suanni Soulforging Pill as well?" Nie Zhengxu also looked helpless. "You should know that the Suanni Soulforging Pill you used for your breakthrough cost us the family territory of three villages, eight hundred li in all. Do we have to trade for another? It will be hard to explain in the future."

Eight hundred li of family territory, traded for a single Soul Forging Pill to help his little bastard grandson advance. Nie Zhengxu was shameless to such a degree. Liu Ding gritted his teeth. No matter what, he could not allow that little bastard grandson to seize the position of clan head. This was driving the family onto a dead-end road.

"Grandfather, I only entered Six Soulforging Cauldrons not long ago. Once I reach the peak of the Six Cauldrons Realm, we can think of another way." Liu Ji said helplessly.

"That is the only way. After the candidate realm assessment for the clan head contest a year from now, we will see how the others stand. If anyone has entered Six Soulforging Cauldrons, I will find a way to obtain a Seven Soul-Forging Cauldrons pill." Nie Zhengxu said darkly.

"Thank you, Grandfather!" Liu Ji was overjoyed. Then he seemed to recall something. "By the way, Grandfather, that little hooligan Liu Ding lifted the Fourth Soul-Forging Cauldron with one hand today. What realm do you think he is at?"

"Hmph, at most Five Soulforging Cauldrons. With the Liu Clan's Soul Forging Cauldron cultivation method, it is absolutely impossible to enter Six Soulforging Cauldrons before the age of sixteen." Nie Zhengxu said, "Lifting a cauldron with one arm only means he used the Soul Forging Cauldron's medicinal liquid to forge a powerful body. That is why I have you take medicinal baths."

"Oh, then I can rest easy." Liu Ji let out a breath. "Grandfather, since medicinal baths in Soul Forging Cauldrons are so effective, how about I start soaking from the First Soul-Forging Cauldron as well?"

Smack! Nie Zhengxu slapped his thigh. "Why didn't I think of that? Directly using Six Soulforging Cauldrons medicinal liquid may be too aggressive. Starting tomorrow, you will begin medicinal baths from the First Soul-Forging Cauldron."

The grandfather and grandson were both ambitious wolves, plotting against this person and that. Seeing that there was no more important information, Liu Ding quietly departed. He planned to tell Liu Yandong about this first.