Hoshino has been staying in Biyou Village for nearly five months, living a solitary life.
During this period, the chief of the Hua Country lived up to expectations and fulfilled Hoshino's expectations of him, which can be considered as satisfactory.
Behemoth was completely destroyed, and the Magic Association accepted Hua Country's training program. Even the usually closed Nathan Island had to open its port and allow the chief to send people to be stationed there.
But four months is ultimately too short a time.
Although the upper echelons have gained control over most of Blue Star's energy distribution, undercurrents are still swirling.
Remnants of forces in various regions continue to resist covertly, and even attempt to disrupt the stability of the new order through various means.
But none of this mattered to Hoshino, nor did he care.
All he needed to do was ensure that Blue Star could serve as a reliable logistical base and escape route when Shinobu faced annihilation.
Now, there is only a little over a month left before the Dragon Vein guides him back to the Shinobi World.
The collection of the Eight Extraordinary Skills is nearing completion.
He has acquired the Divine Machine Hundred Refinements, the Feng Hou Qimen, the Heaven Communicating Talisman Art, the Spirit Restraint and General Dispatch, the Twin Hands, the Six Treasury Immortal Thief, and even the Old Farmer's Skill, which is suspected to Qi-State Origin-Flow.
Cultivation is not difficult; everything proceeds smoothly and naturally, even for those with Twin Hands who require bloodline cultivation.
After all, Hoshino had modified his own bloodline before, so making minor adjustments again wouldn't be difficult.
The only thing missing is the most mysterious Grand Luo Insight.
The whereabouts of Gu Jiting remain a mystery, and his fate is unknown. It also seems that there is no successor to the Grand Luo Insight.
Hoshino stood atop a high point in Biyou Village, overlooking the tranquil village.
Ma Xianhong was still working on correcting the errors in the Self-Cultivation Furnace, and the villagers continued to live a peaceful life. Hoshino did not interfere with the operation of Biyou Village, nor did he attempt to change any of the rules here.
Just waiting.
Waiting for an opportunity that may never come.
The Grand Luo Insight technique, capable of observing higher-dimensional spacetime, might help him truly see the true nature of the Jashin.
Spirit Restraint and General Dispatch control spirits can be achieved, Jashin are not simply spirits, but rather manifestations of certain rules.
He is like a snake with its head and tail intertwined, constantly devouring its own existence.
Without higher-dimensional observation methods, Hoshino couldn't even be sure whether he was truly 'fighting' Him, or becoming a part of Him.
"We must find the Grand Luo Insight..."
Hoshino muttered to himself, his gaze sweeping over the distant mountains.
at the same time.
Ma Xianhong stood Self-Cultivation Furnace, his fingertips radiating red Qi light from his Twin Hands.
Since Hoshino helped him rebuild his bloodline, his past memories have gradually begun to return.
Those deliberately blurred childhood fragments, those past events distorted by Qu Tong, are now like a mirror with the dust wiped away, becoming clear once more.
He remembered that he once had a younger brother.
I remember that relative I lost during the war.
I remember why I was so obsessed with creating the Self-Cultivation Furnace.
It's not just about recreating the pinnacle of Divine Machine Hundred Refinements, but also about finding that blood relative who may already be gone.
And now, Hoshino was standing right in front of him.
This man, who descended from another world, shares the same bloodline as him.
Hoshino did not deny their relationship, and even took the initiative to use her Twin Hands to help him repair his fragmented memories.
Even so, Ma Xianhong still couldn't completely let go. The answer he had been searching for for half his life was presented to him in this way.
Although he and Hoshino were brothers, they ultimately belonged to two different worlds.
Neither of them are the sentimental type, and it's unrealistic to try to bind Hoshino with emotions; it's likely to backfire.
Let nature take its course... that's fine too!
The sound of the Self-Cultivation Furnace running was particularly clear in the quiet night.
Ma Xianhong possesses the Twin Hands and the Divine Machine Hundred Refinements, and has a deeper understanding of the Self-Cultivation Furnace. Over the past five months, he has made several modifications to it, further perfecting it.
Originally, it was just a device that could reshape the human body's meridians and endow ordinary people with extraordinary abilities.
However, with Hoshino's assistance, Ma Xianhong gradually incorporated the principles of the Eight Extraordinary Skills into it, causing it to evolve into something akin to 'life alchemy'.
The Divine Machine Hundred Refinements, endowed it with the ability to evolve on its own.
The furnace body is no longer limited to a combination of metal and runes, but can adjust its structure autonomously according to needs, and even in some extreme cases, it can be decomposed and recombined into different forms.
The Twin Hands gives the Self-Cultivation Furnace the characteristics of 'repair' and 'reshaping'.
It no longer involves simply and crudely modifying the human body, but rather allows for precise adjustments down to the cellular level, and can even simulate the characteristics of different blood vessels, thus protecting the recipient from rejection reactions.
The spacetime laws of Feng Hou Qimen are imprinted in the core of the furnace, allowing the flow of time within the furnace to be adjusted briefly, enabling cultivators to gain several times more time inside than outside.
The talisman system of the Heaven Communicating Talisman Art was transformed into an energy circuit, enabling the Self-Cultivation Furnace to autonomously absorb the Qi between heaven and earth, no longer relying on external energy supply.
The Spirit Restraint and General Dispatch allows the furnace to temporarily contain spirits, and can even transform specific spirits into pure Qi for cultivators to absorb.
The Six Treasury Immortal Thief's devouring properties are carefully limited to a controllable range, allowing the Self-Cultivation Furnace to decompose impurities, purify energy, and avoid the risk of going astray.
As for the Old Farmer's Skill.
This cultivation method, which is suspected to Qi-State Origin-Flow, gives the Self-Cultivation Furnace the characteristic of 'nurturing', allowing the cultivators inside the furnace to grow in a more natural way.
Today's Self-Cultivation Furnace is no longer just a tool, but more like an entity that exists between an object and life.
It can self-repair, self-adjust, and even possess a certain vague consciousness at certain times, making it not much different from the magical artifacts in myths and legends.
Ma Xianhong stood before the furnace, the red Qi light from his fingertips reflecting off the runes on the furnace body.
This furnace has reached the level he had always dreamed of, and even exceeded his expectations.
Even so, he still couldn't be sure if he had really 'finished' it.
Perhaps, the evolution of the Self-Cultivation Furnace has no end.
Hoshino's figure appeared silently beside the Self-Cultivation Furnace. Moonlight shone through his silhouette onto the ground, yet cast no shadow whatsoever.
His eyes remained closed, but the state of his Nascent Soul was completely different from usual.
The originally pure white spirit body now appears as a translucent glass, with Six Paths distinct energy circulations clearly visible within it. Perhaps due to the lack of the Grand Luo Insight, it doesn't appear quite perfect.
Yet it still emanates a chilling energy fluctuation.
In particular, the four-colored mark between his eyebrows, which was exactly the same as Hoshino's original body, seemed to have the power to suppress all things, so that the Power of Jashin could no longer stir up the raging storm of the past.
Of course, it's also possible that Hoshino was in another universe at the time, and the interference from the Jashin wasn't so intense.
A night breeze blew by, Hoshino's clothes fluttered slightly.
"Have you thought it through? Do you want to come with me to my world?"
Hoshino's voice was exceptionally clear in the night, yet it carried a subtle, almost imperceptible, detachment.
Ma Xianhong did not answer immediately.
His gaze fell on the Self-Cultivation Furnace, the runes on its surface flickering slightly with his breath, as if responding to his thoughts.
Five months is enough time for him to confirm many things.
Hoshino is indeed his younger brother; they are blood relatives, there is no doubt about it.
But he also knew better than anyone else that Hoshino did not belong to this world, and his goal remained clear and unwavering.
The crisis in the Shinobi World, the threat of the Jashin, the collection of the Eight Extraordinary Skills... all of this is for one purpose.
Survive.
And what about myself?
The obsession that once led to finding lost relatives has now been achieved in an almost absurd way.
But then another question arose: should he leave with Hoshino?
Biyou Village was his life's work, Self-Cultivation Furnace was his creation. The villagers here trusted him and relied on him.
What will happen if he leaves?
But conversely, what can he do if he stays here?
The Self-Cultivation Furnace has evolved to a level he could never have imagined before, and it even faintly has its own consciousness, no longer needing Ma Xianhong's control to operate autonomously.
Having mastered the Twin Hands and the Divine Machine Hundred Refinements, he himself had already reached the pinnacle of the art of weapon crafting.
If he stays in this world, his future may simply be to repeat the same research until the end of his life.
But if we follow Hoshino to the Shinobi World...
There is a completely new power system, enemies that defy common sense, and Jashin that even the Eight Extraordinary Skills cannot fully analyze.
That's the real challenge.
However, Ma Xianhong ultimately shook his head.
"I will not leave." His voice was calm yet firm. " Biyou Village needs me, and the New Jie Sect needs me too."
Yes, the New Jie Sect.
During those five months, he wasn't just modifying the Self-Cultivation Furnace.
With the tacit approval of Hoshino and the higher-ups, Ma Xianhong had quietly spread the ideas of the New Jie Sect.
Those who had been oppressed by Behemoth, those sorcerers rejected by the Magic Association, and those wanderers rejected by Nathan Island all came to Biyou Village seeking refuge and power.
Ma Xianhong, through the Self-Cultivation Furnace, gave them a new life.
The New Jie Sect is no longer a tool in Qu Tong's hands, but has truly become an organization that embraces all laws and pursues truth.
Standing before the furnace, Ma Xianhong watched the runes flowing across its surface, as if he could see the future of the New Jie Sect.
"I won't leave. But if you need help, I will go."
Hoshino gazed at him silently, then smiled slightly and said, "I understand. Well then, we brothers will meet again someday."
As the night breeze swept by, Hoshino's figure gradually disappeared.
Ma Xianhong stood there, looking in the direction where Hoshino had disappeared, a smile also appearing on his lips.
" The New Jie Sect... has only just begun."
The Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley.
Located in Northwest Huaxia, nestled among mountains and valleys, it is a mysterious place that has been regarded as a forbidden area by the world of extraordinary beings since ancient times.
Legend has it that this is where Wu Gensheng enlightenment, and also the place where the Thirty-Six Thieves the Jiashen Incident.
The valley has a unique topography, with twenty-four natural ridges that correspond to the changing seasons, with each ridge representing a solar term in the year.
The valley is rich in spiritual energy, but it also harbors hidden dangers. Those who enter without permission will suffer from disordered meridians at best, and death at worst.
Even more bizarrely, the stone walls of the valley are covered with ancient runes that no one can decipher.
It is neither a Daoist talisman nor a Buddhist Sanskrit script, but rather a more primitive symbol that is closer to the origin of heaven and earth.
Some say it is a 'heavenly book' left by Wu Gensheng, while others say it was carved by an existence even more ancient than Wu Gensheng.
At this moment, Hoshino stood at the entrance of the valley, looking up into the depths of the valley, his long gray hair fluttering slightly in the wind.
" Thirty-Six Thieves... Eight Extraordinary Skills... Wu Gensheng..."
The moment Hoshino stepped into the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley, the entire valley suddenly fell silent.
Even the wind stopped howling, leaving only a faint spiritual energy flowing through the valley.
I walked slowly, the fallen leaves under my feet making a soft crackling sound.
Twenty-four mountain ridges cast dappled shadows under the moonlight, each ridge exuding a unique aura.
On the rocks at the beginning of spring, a few early-blooming wildflowers are blooming out of season; the ground in the summer solstice area is steaming with heat, as if it were midday in the height of summer; and the trees at the autumnal equinox have already turned yellow, with leaves falling silently.
"A place of spatial and temporal disorder!"
Hoshino murmured to himself, his fingertips lightly brushing against the stone wall beside him.
The rough rock surface suddenly rippled, revealing several blurry engravings.
It was an incomplete word 'He', written sharply, as if it had been carved directly with fingers.
As you continue forward, the spiritual energy in the valley becomes increasingly abundant.
In the Jingzhe region, Hoshino stopped.
The fallen leaves on the ground moved without wind, forming a peculiar pattern: thirty-six leaves arranged in a ring, with the three central leaves being a brighter green than the others.
"Traces of a gathering of the Thirty-Six Thieves?"
He crouched down and gently touched the greenest leaf with his fingers.
In an instant, a cacophony of voices filled my ears!
"Big brother, are you sure you want to do this?"
"The secret to becoming an immortal lies here..."
"Where has that kid Gu Jiting run off to again...?"
Auditory hallucinations are fleeting.
Hoshino stood up and noticed a drop of dew on her sleeve.
The water droplet gleamed strangely in the moonlight, reflecting not his face, but an unfamiliar young face.
"Fragments of memory?"
Upon arriving at the center of the valley, nine natural stone tablets stand silently.
One of the stone tablets was covered with fine cracks, from which a faint smell of blood seeped.
As Hoshino approached, a blurry image suddenly appeared on the surface of the stone tablet.
A disheveled man knelt on the ground, frantically scratching his face with both hands, his fingernails filled with flesh and blood, while a fragmented array was drawn on the ground in blood.
Just as Hoshino was about to take a closer look, the image suddenly distorted and warped.
The cracks on the stone tablet spread rapidly, and finally shattered with a 'crack'. The moment the rubble hit the ground, the spiritual energy of the entire valley suddenly surged!
Twenty-four mountain ridges lit up simultaneously, weaving together in the air to form a giant net.
Hoshino felt the Nascent Soul within her body suddenly open its eyes.
The energy of the seven extraordinary skills spontaneously began to operate, creating a wondrous resonance with the spiritual energy flowing through the valley.
This resonance is not confrontation, but a harmonious blend, like water and milk merging together.
This ancient valley is revealing the origin of this world to Hoshino in its own unique way.
Hoshino suddenly understood.
Perhaps the key to finding the Grand Luo Insight lies not in forcibly acquiring it, but in feeling it with your heart.
Just like now, isn't the resonance between Hoshino and the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley a higher level of 'view'?
Perhaps, in this place, he can create his own 'miracle'!