Visualization

"Star Refiner."

In the hotel room, Li Pin sat on the sofa, gazing at the scenery beyond the window.

Yet there was no focus in his eyes.

No matter how extravagantly Star Refiners were praised online or on television, it could not compare to even one ten-thousandth of the impact of experiencing one in person.

That terrifying interference of will, that dreadful suppression of blood and qi...

It seemed as though every cell in his body was warning him not to make an enemy of such a higher life-form.

"No wonder Fang Lingjue told me back then that martial artists and Star Refiners were worlds apart. They have blood and qi exceeding a hundred at the drop of a hat. With sheer speed and strength alone, they can crush any Embrace Dan or Gang Refining practitioner until there's no room to fight back."

Li Pin said.

Only Martial Saints who had refined their minds and condensed Martial Will, whose spirits were strong enough to suppress Atomic Will through their own martial path, could barely exchange blows with Star Refiners.

Even then, they did not dare confront them head-on.

At most, when one Star Refiner was hostile toward another, Martial Saints could interfere from the sidelines. They would not be suppressed like Embrace Dan and Gang Refining practitioners, too terrified to even make a move.

As for those who could truly fight a Star Refiner one-on-one...

Without exception, they were those who had cultivated the Martial Saint realm to its utmost limits, making themselves utterly flawless and complete. They stood at the pinnacle of the Martial World, qualified to take part in the King of the Century Tournament and vie for the supreme title of the Martial World.

"However... Martial Saints seem to have another path as well... to risk everything and refine qi into spirit..."

Li Pin recalled the brief records in the Five Elements Sect's texts.

Martial Saints who had tempered their Spiritual Will to the utmost limit could choose to burn themselves and refine qi into spirit. At that moment, their mental power would surge to its pinnacle, allowing them to forcibly visualize the Star God and step into the realm of Star Refiners.

This step...

Was like a moth flying into the flames—fraught with extreme danger, with less than one chance in ten of survival.

Failure meant one's blood and qi would burn away completely, and one would die with the Dao extinguished.

But if they succeeded, they could bathe in starlight, swiftly replenish their spent blood and qi, and turn death into life.

Moreover, because they had once walked the paths of Force Refining, Embrace Dan, Gang Refining, and Mind Refining, those experiences would allow their future growth to become extraordinarily rapid, even though the blood and qi required by Star Refiners far surpassed that of martial artists.

Those who sought to curry favor with Star Refiners were usually Embrace Dan and Gang Refining practitioners. Few Martial Saints did so.

Star Refiners would all take the initiative to show Martial Saints sufficient respect.

Though the hope was slim, no one knew whether that Martial Saint might one day refine qi into spirit, forcibly visualize the Star God, and soar into the heavens in a single leap.

"Heaven's evolution yields forty-nine, while one escapes. Entering sainthood through martial arts is the only hope for those without 'talent' to step into the ranks of Star Refiners. And once a Martial Saint visualizes the Star God, their strength is bound to advance by leaps and bounds. Before long, they can become true powerhouses even among Star Refiners. That is why martial arts are flourishing, and why the nation is vigorously promoting them through tournament after tournament."

Li Pin pondered as he calmed himself.

Martial Saint.

Refining Qi into Spirit.

Spirit.

A star map flashed through his mind.

The star map resembled the Milky Way Galaxy.

At the heart of that Milky Way Galaxy, amid the encircling starlight, a vague figure flickered in and out of sight.

He closed his eyes and quietly visualized it, wanting to see that figure clearly.

Wanting to merge with that starlight.

After trying for an hour...

He failed.

There seemed to be some crucial link of perception missing between him and the figure standing amid the starlight, leaving them forever separated by two dimensions, without the slightest point of intersection.

Like an ordinary person looking at a toy on a computer screen...

Without a 3D printer.

"Talent."

Li Pin concentrated and quietly sensed the changes within himself.

He searched for what he had gained from an hour of visualizing the Star God.

The result...

Even when he pushed his talent to the limit, examining himself in such detail that he began to gain Insight into the cellular level, even attempting to go further and perceive the molecular structure of those organic substances...

He still could not "see" any abnormalities.

At most, his spirit felt slightly better.

Just as resting with one's eyes closed could restore one's mental energy.

"Spirit?"

Li Pin's heart stirred.

A Martial Saint's Martial Will was, under certain circumstances, a highly condensed form of spiritual power.

When they burned themselves and refined qi into spirit, they were likewise attaining ultimate sublimation, blooming with life in that instant to drive their spiritual perception to its utmost extreme, thereby forcibly visualizing the Star God.

They would refine starlight into their bodies in a manner resembling spirit interfering with matter, becoming Star Refiners.

So, if his spirit were strong enough—strong enough to refine starlight without burning himself...

"Entering the Dao through martial arts."

Li Pin slowly exhaled those four words.

This path looked difficult.

There was almost no possibility of success.

But...

Was martial cultivation not itself a struggle against heaven for one's fate, turning the impossible into possible time and again!?

And if he could reach the summit through this path and explore the mysteries of the human body, would that not be the pursuit of his entire life?

"This world... truly brings surprises at every turn."

A heartfelt smile appeared on Li Pin's face.

He closed his eyes and began visualizing once more.

This time, he no longer stubbornly sought to "see clearly" where the Star God was. Instead, through visualization, he searched for the most efficient way to strengthen his spirit from within.

That night, the Five Elements Sect held a small gathering.

Cao Tianyou personally pulled Li Pin over to sit beside him and explained what had happened at noon.

Li Pin expressed his understanding.

When he was not the protagonist, he could not possibly demand that everyone revolve around him.

A supporting character should have the awareness of a supporting character.

Even a Gang Refining Grandmaster like Cao Tianyou had to wear a smiling face before Judy and Shang Feng, let alone an Embrace Dan practitioner like him.

With Zhao Yuan, Qi Dongyuan, Cao Tianyou, and the others deliberately drawing people together, the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

During the gathering, Cao Tianyou seemed to recall something and added, "You needn't be too obsessed with breaking into the top ten of this Jiangzhou Tournament. Just treat it as a chance to gain experience."

"Hm?"

Li Pin glanced at him. "I remember that in the previous dozen or so Jiangzhou Tournaments, the most Embrace Dan martial artists there had ever been was twenty-six, while the fewest was only eight?"

"I heard a rumor. Though it hasn't been confirmed yet, it has already spread. It probably isn't far from the truth."

Cao Tianyou said, "The Lihuo Sect is one of Jiangzhou's foremost martial forces, large enough to rank among the top three. Like our Five Elements Sect in Canglong City, they originally took their elite members to the royal capital to expand into the market there, and their main efforts were focused on the royal capital. But for some reason, their higher-ups have sent their personal disciples into this tournament one after another. Several peerless geniuses are so strong it defies reason! Some are even your age, yet they have already reached Qi Refining into Gang."

"Qi Refining into Gang at twenty-two?"

"Yes."

Cao Tianyou nodded. "The Lihuo Sect has found the pressure in the royal capital too great, so they chose to withdraw their elites to participate in the Jiangzhou Tournament... Therefore, the competition in this Jiangzhou Tournament will be fierce."

He paused. "If you had accumulated another three to five years in the Embrace Dan realm, you would naturally have some hope of contending with them. But you have only just entered Embrace Dan... So, I hope you..."

"I'll act according to my capabilities."

Li Pin said.

"Then I'm relieved."

Cao Tianyou smiled and nodded.

The two sides ate until after nine before finally dispersing.

Li Pin returned to his room. The moment he opened the door...

His figure paused slightly.

The Dan Jin within him immediately surged forth.

Someone was inside!