Patrolling Heaven and Dotting Stars

Chen Fusheng looked at the Silver-Robed Elder in confusion. "My lord, you know my grandpa?"

"Didn't you have an older sister named Huang Li?"

The Silver-Robed Elder gave a faint smile. "Last month, she reached the Other Shore Realm. She retrieved her records from me and went to the Inner Courtyard. I took special note of her identity information. If you ask me, your sister is modest enough. She became an Inner Courtyard disciple without even letting me tell anyone."

Chen Fusheng was somewhat bewildered. The sole requirement for becoming an Inner Courtyard disciple was reaching the Other Shore Realm, and the status difference between Inner Courtyard disciples and Outer Sect Disciples was as vast as heaven and earth.

The path of cultivation was collectively known as Patrolling Heaven and Dotting Stars. It was divided into Three Realms: Star Attraction, Other Shore, and Spirit Roaming.

Star Attraction merely opened the gate to cultivation. The Other Shore Realm was like a bridge connecting one with one's Natal Star. Once one reached the ninth layer of the Other Shore Realm, one had to step into the Spirit Roaming Realm.

In Spirit Roaming, spiritual willpower became like a boat. One meditated on the Starry Sea, reaching a deeper resonance with one's Natal Star.

It was also like "storing the stars in contemplation" within one's body, causing the energy of one's qi sea to undergo a qualitative transformation and erupt with terrifying Star Phenomena.

A Star Phenomenon was a condensed form of one's Natal Star!

Chen Fusheng had never seen a Three Realms Star Master before, and he knew that only a handful of such disciples existed in the Inner Courtyard.

"She became an Inner Courtyard disciple. Why didn't she come home to share the good news?"

Chen Fusheng was unwilling to view others with malice, much less his own sister. Even without a blood relationship, they were as close as siblings.

Moreover, Huang Tiancheng had no children. He and Huang Li had both been raised by the old man.

Huang Li's parents had once been servants in the Dining Hall. They died when she was very young, and Old Huang had adopted her out of pity.

In Chen Fusheng's impression, Huang Li had been clever and quick-witted since childhood and extremely filial to Grandpa Huang. She also knew what she wanted and gave it her all to achieve it. Three years ago, she had finally become an Outer Sect Disciple as she wished.

However, ever since Huang Tiancheng had fallen ill, she had hardly returned. Chen Fusheng had gone to find her several times, only to be told by her friends that she had gone out to carry out secret missions.

At that moment, the Silver-Robed Elder's words interrupted Chen Fusheng's thoughts.

"Chen Fusheng, considering your limited cultivation, this task of catching one pound of Silver Moon Spirit Fish is just right for you."

"Thank you for your consideration, my lord!"

Chen Fusheng thanked him. The various tasks at the Outer Gate Hall were issued by Inner Courtyard disciples or mentors, while the Inner Courtyard's Grade-A tasks were issued by the Star Palace.

As for Silver Moon Spirit Fish, they contained a relatively rich amount of Essence of Lunar Yin. They liked appearing at night to swallow lunar energy, making them one of the easiest spirit fish to catch.

"Take this document to the Black River Hall established outside our Star Gazing Manor. There, you can collect a boat and fishing nets." The Silver-Robed Elder took out a document stamped with a Star Official's seal.

"Thank you, my lord. I'll take my leave first."

Chen Fusheng turned and left the Outer Gate Hall. He had just been about to return home, but after a slight hesitation, he strode toward the Dining Hall in the East Courtyard.

Afternoon.

Dozens of servants were busy in the rear kitchen, scrubbing pots and sweeping the floor. When they saw Chen Fusheng approaching, their faces filled with astonishment.

"He actually dares to come back? He was late the entire morning. Besides taking a vicious beating, he'll lose this month's wages too."

"I heard Old Huang is about to die. Their household used to be so glorious, but now they're no different from us. Heh, what a miserable sight."

"Shh, stop talking. Master Wang hasn't left yet. Hurry up and work."

At the mention of Master Wang, all the servants involuntarily quickened their movements.

Here, whatever the head chef said was the law. Even beating a servant to death was nothing out of the ordinary. It was all written into the servant contracts.

At that moment, a burly, dark-faced giant hurried over and said urgently, "Fusheng, where did you run off to? You should've said something if you had business. I could've helped you ask for leave."

"Third Brother, something delayed me. It was a good thing." Chen Fusheng wanted to find out whether they knew that Teng Lin had gone looking for him.

"What good thing? Are you getting married?"

Lei San gave a simple, honest smile. He had once been Old Huang's apprentice and was as close to Chen Fusheng as a true brother. After Old Huang had fallen ill, he had contributed no small amount of money and effort.

Chen Fusheng was just about to share his joy when a lionlike roar came from the kitchen.

"Chen Fusheng, you little bastard! You'd better have broken your legs, or I'll flay you alive!"

"Master Wang, it's all a misunderstanding..."

Lei San hurried toward the kitchen, but a huge fleshy mountain came straight at him. The folds of flesh across that face made him tremble.

Wang Dapang weighed around five hundred pounds. He was known by the nickname Wang Dapang and carried a fine-steel ladle as tall as a person.

Lei San braced himself and rushed forward to explain, but the furious Wang Dapang swung the iron ladle at his crown.

Lei San gritted his teeth and closed his eyes to accept his punishment. His sturdy body would recover after a few days, but if Chen Fusheng took the blow, he would not be getting out of bed for ten days or half a month.

"Bang!"

Suddenly, the sound of vibrating air rang out.

Lei San had already pictured his head bursting open, yet he felt no pain for a long while.

He opened his eyes in confusion. Seeing Wang Dapang's somewhat stiff expression, he instinctively turned his head.

Bang, bang, bang!

Chen Fusheng strode forward. Energy flowed in and out of his pores, his loose hair whipping wildly despite the absence of wind, while the ground boomed beneath his feet, as if he were announcing something.

All the servants stood rooted in shock... Lei San was even more unable to believe his eyes.

Wang Dapang's expression shifted between dark and light. He had once been Huang Tiancheng's deputy and had only risen to become head chef after being suppressed for many years, so he inevitably harbored some resentment toward Old Huang.

But he had never expected that both the grandson and granddaughter Huang Tiancheng had adopted would become cultivators, while his own children's spiritual willpower was zero. This made his anger even more bitter.

"Master Wang, I successfully attracted a star this morning, so I went to the Outer Gate Hall to register my information. I was delayed on the way." Chen Fusheng was the first to break the silence.

"Chen Fusheng, you're still young. Don't think that becoming a Star Master means you can ignore the rules. Finish today's regular duties before you leave."

"I will naturally obey." Chen Fusheng nodded. Wang Dapang possessed cultivation, and given his petty nature, it was better not to create another complication.

Lei San watched the ill-tempered fat man leave, then suddenly threw an arm around Chen Fusheng. His eyes reddened as he growled, "Fusheng, you've really made us proud!"

Chen Fusheng fell silent. If life had not left him with no choice, how could he have embarked upon a forbidden path?

The other servants ground their teeth and stamped their feet in envy, thinking, Why wasn't it me...

Chen Fusheng smiled. "Third Brother, I just got lucky. Oh, right—I'm preparing to go out and carry out a mission."

"I understand. I'll move into your house tonight. Leave Grandpa Huang to me." Lei San burst into hearty laughter.

"That's right, Fusheng. Put your mind at ease."

"Brother Sheng, I'll definitely take good care of Grandpa Huang."

"Brother Fusheng, my family still has a wild ginseng plant. I'll find a way to steal it for you later."

All the servants crowded around to curry favor with him, leaving Chen Fusheng somewhat dazed.

What surprised him was that Steward Qian had arrived and advanced him his monthly wages—several times what he had received before. It seemed the amounts previously deducted had all been paid back.

Chen Fusheng had previously received three Starstone fragments as his monthly wages. Ten fragments were worth one complete Starstone.

Starstones were the only hard currency in the Abyssal World. They contained star energy and could aid Star Masters in cultivation.

After seeing Steward Qian off, Chen Fusheng handed the money pouch to Lei San. The latter shook his head. "Why are you being polite with me? Enough, don't say anything. Once you make it big in the future, just find me a wife!"

Chen Fusheng smiled brilliantly. Lei San's greatest wish was simply to have a wife and children around a warm brick bed.

He weighed the money pouch in his hand and suddenly discovered that the Star Chart Heavenly Pillar was vibrating faintly.

"Hm?"

Chen Fusheng discovered that the Star Chart Heavenly Pillar had formed some strange connection with the Starstone fragments.

He thought of something. While sweeping the floor, he gripped a silver fragment the size of a thumb in his right hand, drew out the energy contained within, and injected it into the Evil Tiger Diagram.

He could clearly sense that all the energy in the fragment was equivalent to an hour of bitter cultivation.

A burning light flashed through Chen Fusheng's eyes. If he could earn a large number of Starstones, reaching the Other Shore Realm in the short term would no longer be a dream.

Near dusk, he completed his servant duties in excess. Nothing related to Teng Lin happened during that time either, so he left without worry.

Night fell, and the weather was cold. In an old forest on the rear mountain, the sharp sound of something slicing through the air rang out.

Chen Fusheng's seemingly thin body radiated the intent of a tiger. His limbs shattered through the undergrowth, creating a wave of air that swept up the fallen leaves.

He leaped back and forth through the old forest, relying on his hearing and sense of smell to pounce on wild rabbits, birds, and other creatures.

The Evil Tiger Diagram emphasized fierce explosive power, relying on powerful sinews and bones to support him in battle.

With the Starstone fragments charging him, he threw himself completely into cultivation.

It was not until the latter half of the night that his body seemed to have become a furnace set ablaze. His vigor was exceptionally abundant, and he was full of vitality.

"The Furnace Contemplation Method... The furnace can also be understood as myself, while the energy within my body is the heat current—my life essence."

"The stronger my flesh, sinews, and bones become, the more vigorous my life essence will be. This is also connected to the bottleneck of my realm!"

Chen Fusheng pondered the path of the physical body. After bitter training, he felt somewhat unbearably overheated. He lowered his head and glanced at his crotch, feeling an indescribable swelling.

"What do I need this thing for?"