The night was cool like water, the bright moon suspended high.
Under the deep night, somewhere outside Bian City, in a cave on a barren hill a hundred li away, a man and two women appeared. The three people scouted the surroundings very carefully, very furtively. Unaware individuals may have thought this was a an illicit and adulterous affair between one dragon and a pair phoenixes.
Under the slightly cold moonlight, the three people"s faces were illuminated. How could it not be Su Xing and his cohorts.
"Yingmei, is this the place?" Su Xing asked.
"Your servant has troubled Master, this place is sufficient." Lin Yingmei replied.
Seeing her say as such, Su Xing did not say anything much else. He unrolled a small violet bag: "Is this enough Relic Blade Sand?"
"It"s enough to refine twice and still have some to spare."
"Yingmei, have you obtained the other materials?" Wu Xinjie asked curiously.
Lin Yingmei nodded her head.
Next was the time to refine the Destined Star Weapon. Su Xing was rather curious about how Star Generals refined their weapons, standing to the side watching Lin Yingmei"s every move; he saw Lin Yingmei first draw a crisscrossing pattern on the ground using her Star Energy. From the initial, simple structure slowly taking shape, it vaguely became something complicated, a beautiful seal.
Su Xing always felt this was apparently somewhat familiar. Only when Wu Xinjie reminded him with "the Majestic Star"s seal" did he recall that this happened to be the symbol of the Star Crest of he and Lin Yingmei"s contract.
Each Star General possessed an Star Crest that belonged to them, and only using the Star Array1 of an Star Crest could a Star Weapon be refined.
Approximately several hours after the event, Lin Yingmei finished carving the Star Crest"s outer edge, and then, with a wave of her hand, the Arctic Star Serpent Spear appeared out of thin air. Under the Majestic Star"s thoughts, it hung above this Star Crest Array"s center. Then, Lin Yingmei was silent. From her own Astral Gemstone shot out two kinds of items that hung in the air, three pieces of white, jade-like and snowy crystals, their entire icy bodies pervaded with billowing clouds and mist. When they appeared, the air temperature was abruptly lowered below zero.
They were the Arctic Cloud Ice Souls!2
"Hē."3
Lin Yingmei shouted, flicking her ten fingers. Star Energy violently shot out and wrapped around the Arctic Cloud Ice Souls.
The Star Crest Array"s carved patterns orderly linked. Su Xing was somewhat amazed; that design linked line by line to each other and shined, all rushing towards the center point. Finally, its entirety glowed, and when the light shone, the Star Energy on the Arctic Cloud Ice Souls rapidly expanded. The imposing ferocity made Su Xing unable to but somewhat retreat.
A ball of transparent flame began to burn on the Arctic Star Spear, and the blaze was odd. Su Xing originally thought this was fire, but upon closer inspection, it was dissimilar. There were some transparent and flickering starlights, yet it was very similar to burning flames. It seemed that this was Starfire.
Lin Yingmei moved her ten fingers, and Starfire engulfed the Arctic Cloud Ice Souls. Starfire, Star Crest, and Star Weapon were seemingly like a fantastical, winding road linked together into a single whole, slowly dissolving the Arctic Cloud Ice Souls among it. That Ice Soul began to slowly turn into liquid, and at the same time, the Arctic Star Spear also became indistinctly thick.
This refinement was a period that took forever.
Taking advantage of the time, Wu Xinjie explained to Su Xing how Star Weapons were refined: refining Star Weapons generally had the three steps of "Essence, Qi, Spirit."4 Essence was the Star General dissolving her own energy into the weapon, and refining it in Star Fire for longer times meant that the Star Energy it could sustain would be even greater. Qi was the Star Weapon"s Spirit Qi. This was the Star Weapon"s grade advancing point. Most of the time that Star Weapons were refined to upgrade their Spirit Qi, Spirit Sand was needed to guarantee that Pure and Divine were a single whole.
Lastly was the Star Weapon"s spirit. If the spiritual power and essence soul were insufficient, promoting a Star Weapon"s every capable aspect like speed, power, durability, sharpness and even magic power in the end was decided by the refined spirit. In short, this relied on every exceptional material.
It was exactly relying on this Star General"s one and only "Essence, Qi, Spirit" weapon refinement technique that Star Generals" Star Weapons could sweep away everything on Liangshan Continent, and no man was unafraid.
Su Xing was secretly in awe after hearing this. This Star General was terrific as expected, and he could not help but be even more curious about the Liangshan Maiden. Each and every Star General was excellent and outstanding, would not the Liangshan Maiden be even more fearsome?
"Xinjie is also unaware." The Knowledge Star shook her head as she replied, her eyes revealing she was slightly at a loss.
"When we were born at Liangshan Continent, all our memories were only of the Star Duels." Wu Xinjie embarra.s.sedly explained: "The reason why many sisters would put their lives on the lines is for the sake of witnessing Liangshan Maiden with their own eyes."
Su Xing nodded his head. Seeing the Knowledge Star not feeling too well, he used his hand to hold her shoulder, consoling her.
Wu Xinjie very enjoyably rested herself against Su Xing"s chest, gazing steadily at Lin Yingmei completely concentrated on refining the Star Weapon.
The Starfire refinement used three consecutive days, and the three Arctic Star Ice Souls turned into liquid that fused with the Arctic Star Spear. Then, Lin Yingmei tapped her fingers, and from within the bag, Relic Blade Sand floated into the air. Lin Yingmei"s ten fingers seemed to have a spirit thread, controlling the Relic Blade Sand by means of some kind of unspeakable rules to slowly arrange it; a white light slowly appeared on the Star Weapon.
The Arctic Star Spear slowly rotated. Lin Yingmei"s fingers wrote in the air, a bright string wandered on the spear like a roaming dragon. The Relic Blade Sand also was decreasing and a.s.similating bit by bit into this thread.
"Little Sister Yingmei is carving the final Star Engraving. It"s about to end soon." Wu Xinjie did not forget to explain as she leaned her head against Su Xing"s shoulder.
"Do you also want to refine your Star Weapon?" Su Xing asked. Approximately twenty liang of Relic Blade Sand had been used, and the 49 liang remaining should be enough for the Knowledge Star to refine.5
Wu Xinjie stuck out her tongue: "The remainder should be enough for Little Sister Yingmei to refine the second Star, so Xinjie won"t use it. Xinjie is not a fighting general. Refining my Star Weapon is not that useful."
"However, refining it is always somewhat better." Su Xing thought.
"Young Master, let"s save this for another time." Wu Xinjie winked, suddenly leaving her Master"s embrace.
"Master, in a moment, properly please Little Sister Yingmei." The Knowledge Star was very ambiguous.
Su Xing did not understand. At this time, the transparent flames burning in the cave finally went out. Lin Yingmei"s expression was unbearably exhausted, and Su Xing immediately swiftly advanced, supporting the girl. Lin Yingmei"s face was drained of color, and she was very weak. Three consecutive days had nearly sucked the Majestic Star"s Star Energy dry.
"Master." Lin Yingmei said in a low voice, wanting to raise her body, but Su Xing did not care.
"Don"t move, you rest for a bit. Do you want to first enter the Star Nest?"
"No need." Lin Yingmei looked at the Arctic Star Spear in the middle of the array, a white glittering that began to flicker.
The Arctic Star Serpent Spear was finally One Star!
The long spear disappeared completely, and Lin Yingmei shut her eyes. Su Xing gave her a bottle of Return Spirit Liquid to ingest, and then he touched her Astral Crest. Lin Yingmei then fled into the Star Nest to recuperate.
"You really won"t refine?" Su Xing asked Wu Xinjie
Wu Xinjie seriously nodded.
"Very well, then. Let"s return first."
Su Xing took a deep breath. Cultivating the Five Spirits Law Blooming Water Divine Thunder, Rock Piercing Water Droplets, Chaotic Tail Escape Technique…to break through the Nebula Stage, he needed to go to the Divining Star Platform as soon as possible; the matters he had waiting for him were not few.
—
A mountain range bordering the Azure Dragon Territory and the Vermilion Bird Territory.
Black Rock Mountain, Thousand Machine Gang.
A square-faced and grave man walked out. Waiting outside was a man and woman that Su Xing had encountered earlier. It was the Gong Xu that ran away and his Star General, the Devil Star Giant in the Clouds Song Wan.
Spotting that serious-looking man, Gong Xu was delighted, hastily going up to greet him. "Vice Sect Leader, what did the Sect Leader say?"
The Thousand Machine Gang Vice Sect Leader looked at Gong Xu, opening his mouth to say: "Gong Xu, your actions this time have made the Sect Leader extremely angry. The Thousand Machine Gang’s current foundations are not at all stable. We need to slowly again mend the majesty of the Divine Machine Clan, but you went once to the Azure Dragon Territory, claiming you"ve obtained information on the Mo Attack Mechanism Records. Only then did Sect Leader a.s.sign Protector Gong Yang to aid you, but…" Speaking of this, the man sighed deeply.
"Disciple did not expect to encounter Lin Chong." Gong Xu was sad.
"Was it truly that Lin Chong that legends said refused to sign a contract during the ninth generation Star Duels?" The Vice Sect Leader"s whole face was solemn.
Gong Xu definitively nodded.
"The Mo Attack Mechanism Records have also been taken by the Thief Star. Right now is precisely the best opportunity to kill them. Vice Sect Leader, you must think clearly, this is the Wu Clan Strategic Town"s6 grand, good opportunity. Jia"er, you speak, too."
Song Jia twitched her lips, turning her head. She completely lacked interest in explaining.
The Vice Sect Leader glanced at the Giant in the Clouds, saying to Gong Xu: "The Sect Leader still needs several days to exit seclusion. I have already been given full authority to handle this matter. En, Gong Xu. What you said is not wrong, but the Sect Leader presently had great difficulty to call together a hundred disciples. If you go this time, and more than half perishes, have casualties again, the Thousand Machine Gang will be in danger…Gong Xu, you must understand my meaning?"
The Majestic Star Panther Head Lin Chong actually was a frightful Fiend Star.7 This was also the reason he was slow and unwilling to make a firm resolution; with the Thousand Machine Gang"s current strength, he could not believe it.
"The Thief Star Shi Qian already is somewhat aware. Hesitate any longer, and we shall not be able to find the Best Thief Under Heaven ever again."
"Hmph, if you are afraid, you can find someone to ally with." Song Jia abruptly opened her mouth.
The two men stared blankly.
"There"s a good piece of information. The Blooming Water Sword Sect lost the Blooming Water Divine Thunder True Technique. This Boss surmises that it must be the Thief Star"s doing, and you only need to join hands with the Blooming Water Sword Sect, each taking what it needs, to everyone"s delight and satisfaction. As far as the other party"s Star General after the event, as long as Sect Leader promptly leaves seclusion, there is no need to be afraid of falling out with the Blooming Water Sword Sect."
"This idea is good." The Vice Sect Leader clapped his hands in praise. With the Blooming Water Sword Sect, his confidence was even more sure. No matter how much more powerful that Lin Chong was, it was impossible for one person to deal with the Azure Dragon Territory"s Four Great Sword Sect alone, right?
"Gong Xu, I"ll hand this matter over to you to handle. I shall notify the Sect Leader."
"Gong Xu accepts!"
Gong Xu excitedly cupped his fists.
- 星陣 ↩
- 寒雲冰魄 ↩
- 喝, SFX for a grunt. ↩
- 精，氣，神 ↩
- Please, tell us what her Star Weapon is. All we know is that it"s a lock or a chain of some sort. ↩
- 吾族重鎮 ↩
- She"s a Heavenly Star, though… ↩