novelraw Chapter 268 261: Southern Dipper Star Fire
Chapter 268 261: Southern Dipper Star Fire
Zhou Yuanjue was unaware of what was happening with the Zhou Family.
In fact, he had no intention of getting too involved with the Zhou Family. After all, though his current power and status were immense, the enemies he faced were beyond their wildest imaginings. Too much contact would only bring them disaster.
「A month passed quickly.」
The Martial Arts Association was officially established, and the entire nation's Martial Arts Realm was undergoing rapid, intense changes. Within a week, every prefecture had set up a branch of the Martial Arts Association to handle level assessments and mission postings.
Thousands upon thousands of Martial Artists began undergoing strength tests and receiving ratings at their regional Martial Arts Association branches. In just half a month, the number of registered and rated Martial Artists nationwide reached one hundred thousand, and that number was still growing rapidly.
This figure surprised even Chen Qingmu and the other high-ranking members of the Martial Arts Association. It turned out that so many martial arts practitioners had been hidden within modern society.
Online, showing off one's Martial Arts Association level certification became an extremely popular way to flex. Simply presenting an entry-level martial arts certificate would earn you the title of "expert." If someone was D Level, C Level, or even B Level, they would be instantly worshiped by netizens.
At the same time, the Martial Arts Association's mission system was officially launched. For now, however, the missions were limited to tasks like helping capture fugitives. Missions related to the Celestial Demons remained classified and had not been made public.
As the Martial Arts Association's influence continued to grow, the establishment of the Donghua Martial Arts University was also put on the agenda.
The location for the Donghua Martial Arts University was finally decided: the West Suburb. A large plot of land was approved not far from the Martial Arts Association, and construction of the campus facilities began. Although the university wasn't built and classes hadn't officially started, student recruitment was already underway, and the number of applicants was overwhelming.
Most importantly, the school's internal forum was established immediately. Without a second thought, the moment the forum was up and running, Zhou Yuanjue posted his thesis on it ahead of schedule. Anyone who had completed the enrollment process and joined the Martial Arts University could read the paper using their own account and password.
The thesis instantly sparked intense discussion within the upper echelons of the Martial Arts Realm. Countless top-tier Martial Artists benefited immensely from it.
Exploring the essence of the Martial Dao, rather than being confined to mere techniques—this path showed the higher-ups of the Martial Arts Realm its benefits.
'It seems the establishment of the Martial Arts University truly has its value.'
Of course, it wasn't all good news. The clandestine struggles between Celestial Demons and Spirit Guardians intensified across the country, causing some chaos. It was becoming difficult to completely suppress news of these incidents.
While everything was proceeding with fiery intensity, Zhou Yuanjue, the president of the Martial Arts University, was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he had immediately entered a round of secluded cultivation.
He was a completely hands-off manager, dumping all the work on Feng Chuan. Feng Chuan was so busy he was run off his feet, rushing everywhere, while he himself remained quite leisurely, at most taking a little time each day to approve a few documents.
His goal was to gain a preliminary grasp of the Power of the Southern Dipper Starlight, at least enough to attempt using it briefly in combat and make it a part of his "Yin Fire".
「Nighttime, Zixiao Mountain.」
The sky was clear, dotted with countless stars.
Zhou Yuanjue sat in front of the Chief Commissioner's courtyard. Planted in the ground before him were six Yellow Paper Blood Banners.
He had borrowed these Yellow Paper Blood Banners from Daoist Bailong. With the help of this array, the light of the Southern Dipper Six Stars would be more intense, making it easier for him to grasp and trace the magnetic field's trajectory.
He had chosen to conduct his cultivation on Zixiao Mountain Peak because of the Chief Commissioner, a readily available source of free labor. It would be a waste not to use him. After all, his own power was limited, and the Southern Dipper Starlight he could draw was relatively weak. But if the two of them worked together, the effect would be much better.
It was precisely because of this assistance that Zhou Yuanjue's progress over the past month had been so rapid.
Six beams of starlight descended, landing on each of the six Yellow Paper Blood Banners and enveloping Zhou Yuanjue.
The Chief Commissioner's consciousness hung high in the sky, watching Zhou Yuanjue, somewhat speechless.
'Helping this guy with his cultivation is exhausting even for an existence like me,' he thought. 'I have no idea how he keeps it up. I guess achieving so much is no accident.'
BUZZ!
Under the shroud of the Southern Dipper Six Stars' unique magnetic field, Zhou Yuanjue's spirit was completely immersed in that magnetic space.
He was experimenting. Over the past month, he had discovered some weaknesses of the Southern Dipper Starlight Magnetic Field.
During the day, when sunlight covered the earth, the stars were hidden. The sun's intense magnetic field swept over everything, making the power he could borrow from the Southern Dipper Six Stars extremely weak. But at night, especially on a clear, cloudless night when the light of the Southern Dipper Six Stars shone directly upon the earth, the power he could borrow was much stronger.
This limitation was a fatal flaw, but when the conditions were met, the ability became utterly terrifying.
"Alright, Chief Commissioner, you can disperse the magnetic field for now."
Suddenly, Zhou Yuanjue opened his eyes and stood up from the ground.
"Did you succeed?"
The Chief Commissioner's voice boomed through the air, tinged with a hint of surprise. He hadn't expected Zhou Yuanjue to succeed so quickly.
"I've gained a preliminary grasp of it. I can test its actual strength now."
Zhou Yuanjue nodded. The moment the words left his mouth, A Mu and Xiaoyuan, who had been peeking from the doorframe, flattened themselves on the ground as fast as they could.
The Chief Commissioner dispersed the magnetic field. Without the infusion of their combined fields, the Yellow Paper Blood Banners stopped fluttering, and the starlight they had drawn vanished.
Zhou Yuanjue stood in place, his eyes slightly closed, as if sensing something.
Suddenly, the Chief Commissioner, who was watching from the side, noticed a faint white light emanating from Zhou Yuanjue's body. The six stars in the sky brightened, and six pillars of light converged in the air, projecting down onto Zhou Yuanjue.
FWOOM!!
The hair on Zhou Yuanjue's body stood on end. He snapped his eyes open, a hint of silver light now coloring his dark pupils.
The Southern Dipper Starlight projecting onto him suddenly took the shape of flames, shrouding his body. He looked like a divine spirit bathed in silvery star fire, descended to the mortal world.
Yin Fire: Southern Dipper Star Fire!!
Bathed in the glow of this fire, all of Zhou Yuanjue's bodily functions reached their optimal state, bringing an indescribable sense of pleasure.
Then, he raised one of his hands.
SQUELCH!!
He drove his hand forward, plunging it into his own lung.
With a muffled thud, as A Mu and Xiaoyuan stared wide-eyed, half of Zhou Yuanjue's hand sank into his own chest.
A wound that deep would have surely pierced his lung.
Yet Zhou Yuanjue's face was expressionless. He slowly pulled out his hand, and some blood spurted out.
But the bleeding quickly stopped. Before everyone's shocked gazes, the dark, gaping wound began to heal at a visible rate as it was cauterized by the silver star fire surrounding him.
In less than half a minute, the horrifying wound had almost completely healed. All that remained was a faint scab and some residual blood, proving a wound had once been there.
This recovery speed was more than five times faster than his original Nirvana Fire. The only drawback was its strict requirements regarding time, location, weather, and many other factors...
Zhou Yuanjue looked up slightly at the six stars in the sky, which were now noticeably brighter.
'Perhaps, from now on, I will be at my strongest on clear, starlit nights.'