The Trouble in Cultivation Lies Within Oneself

Xiang Bao's heart brimmed with resolve. Full of youthful vigor, he returned home with steady steps, utterly unlike the person he had been yesterday. Fortunately, it was already late at night; otherwise, had an acquaintance seen him, they would likely have thought he had stumbled upon some extraordinary encounter.

After closing his door, Xiang Bao took out the "Immortal Bestowed Star Sword," immersed his mind in it, and began studying the "Myriad Star Chart."

Countless points of starlight glittered, rising and falling with dazzling radiance, tracing profound and intricate paths that formed a scroll like the reflection of a starry sky—deep and splendid.

After only one glance, Xiang Bao became dizzy, his temples swelling as though about to burst, his ears buzzing. Yet, after his previous enlightenment, he did not shrink back in the face of difficulty. Instead, following his earlier idea, he focused his mind on the most conspicuous Big Dipper and carefully observed and memorized the trajectories of those seven stars.

A few breaths later, Xiang Bao suddenly toppled backward from his seated position. His face was deathly pale, his eyes vacant, and his mind was nearly exhausted. He was so weary that he could barely move a finger, so dizzy that he wanted to smash his head against the wall, as though he might faint at any moment. Still, he forced himself to hold on and recalled, one by one, the star trajectories he had just observed, lest he forget them.

Streams of brilliant light emerged within his visualization, but he could recall less than one-tenth or two-tenths of what he had observed. Once he had finished recalling them, Xiang Bao could finally hold on no longer and fainted.

When he woke, the sun was already high in the sky. His head felt swollen, but after recalling