As the sound of the wooden clapper roused Xu Jin from his sleep, he stretched lazily, feeling incredibly invigorated.
Previously, due to an innate condition in his body, Xu Jin always felt sleep-deprived, and even after a full night's rest, he would still feel exhausted.
"Brother Jin, you're awake!"
"Brother Xu, you're awake!"
As soon as he woke up, Qian Xiaohu and the other young men from the same dormitory gathered around him, all looking curiously at Xu Jin's chest.
Xu Jin was taken aback but quickly realized.
These people were curious to know if he had succeeded in Star Pointing or not.
Xu Jin was also eager to find out.
With a single thought, he focused on his chest where the Star Pattern was located, and instantly, a faint Starlight illuminated from his chest's Star Pattern, which was incredibly clear.
Dim yet constant.
"It worked! It worked!"
"Congratulations, congratulations!"
"Congratulations Brother Jin!"
The whole dormitory erupted into excitement.
So much so that when Xu Jin needed to go for a big number two, the dozens of young men from the same dormitory crowded around him, all eager to engage in conversation with Xu Jin.
It wasn't that these young men were overly cunning.
They genuinely wanted to glean any bit of experience from Xu Jin, hopeful they too might succeed in Star Pointing.
After all, the experience of Yue Daqi, who succeeded in Star Pointing in just three days, was beyond their reach—they couldn't even strike up a conversation with him, let alone share in his experience.
Was innate talent something they could learn from?
Ren Xiaoxiang, who Star Pointed in eight days; Zhou Du, in twenty-one days; and Lu Xianbing, in twenty-nine days, also possessed such talent, unlearnable by others.
The experience of Luo Geng, who succeeded in just over two months, might offer some guidance to them, but the problem was they couldn't get a word in edgewise—after Luo Geng's success, he completely disregarded them.
The experience of Xu Jin, who took eighty-three days to succeed, was their best bet.
Xu Jin answered all of their questions to the best of his ability, not withholding any information he knew.
This so-called experience might not necessarily aid them, but it could certainly bolster the anticipation and confidence of these youths who had not yet succeeded in Star Pointing.
"Arrogant!"
As Xu Jin found himself the center of everyone's attention, Luo Geng and some others happened to see this and spat out the word discontentedly.
Qian Xiaohu and the group of young men immediately rallied around Xu Jin, standing tall and defiant.
However, Xu Jin stepped aside proactively.
With his slight frame at present, it was better to be cautious.
"Did it work?"
Before the morning lessons, Instructor Ning Yuchan approached the spirited Xu Jin to inquire. Seeing Xu Jin nod, her slender willow eyebrows lifted slightly, and a smile likely brightened beneath her veil.
"Then your body is also better?" Instructor Ning asked once more.
"I feel very energetic, and my breathing is much smoother; it should be much better!" said Xu Jin.
Previously, Xu Jin had always felt as if there was a heavy stone pressing on his chest, making breathing difficult. This morning, that uncomfortable sensation had vanished completely.
"That's good, if everything's resolved, it's not in vain that your father worried so!
"Now focus on cultivating diligently these next few days and strive to break through to the first layer of Dining Dawn!" instructed Instructor Ning.
"As daylight emerges, Dining Dawn Form, arise!"
Following Instructor Ning's call, one by one the young men took a wide stance, crouched slightly, and held their hands in an empty embrace as they faced the first light of dawn, their eyes slightly closed, in a gesture of ingesting and expelling the morning rays as if lax yet taut.
Xu Jin did the same.
But this time was different; as soon as Xu Jin started to practice the Dining Dawn Form, the Star Pattern on his chest was already shining brilliantly, with its lines visible in dazzling splendor.
As Xu Jin practiced the Dining Dawn Form, his chest began to grow warm, with the Starlight flashing around the Star Pattern continuing to brighten steadily.
Success in Star Pointing meant gaining the foundation for cultivation, but it was just the beginning. The next step was to continuously accumulate Star Power and then use it to temper the entire body.
The process of enhancing and tempering the body with Star Power was the means of strengthening and transforming physique and bone structure.
Once the Star Power thoroughly tempered the chest and abdomen, it would fortify the internal organs, significantly enhancing all basic physical attributes. This was known as the first layer of Dining Dawn.
Reaching the first layer of Dining Dawn, according to Instructor Ning, meant breaking away from the ranks of ordinary people. Even in the military, one would start as a squad leader.
The main purpose of practicing the Dining Dawn Form and Drinking Radiance Style during morning and evening lessons was to draw in and accumulate Starlight and Star Power, which was then used to temper the body.
And to temper the body, one must use the Star Martial arts to activate the Star Power for tempering.
However, as Xu Jin had just succeeded in Star Pointing, he needed to fully accumulate Star Power at this moment.
During the ongoing practice of the Dining Dawn Form, Xu Jin could directly sense the increase of Star Power within himself.
The size of the luminescent sphere of Star Power that radiated from the chest and its brilliance were clear indicators.
While cultivating, Xu Jin glanced at the Candou Platform.
The Candou Platform looked just as it did the day before: a Star Lamp flickered with radiance above, with a wisp of Starlight drifting around.
To be precise, it was more than half a wisp of Starlight.
This surprised Xu Jin.
The wisp of Starlight he had drawn into his body in desperation the previous night not only cured his innate heart disease but also led to his success in Star Pointing, consuming only a part of the Starlight.
It seemed the volume of that single wisp of Starlight was quite substantial.
With a single thought, the figure in the middle of the Candou Platform again performed Star Worship, and within three breaths, another wisp of Starlight appeared above the platform.
The floating Starlight became a full wisp and a half.
"What are you doing?"
A booming voice accompanied by a burst of wind came rushing towards him, startling Xu Jin.
It was Instructor Ning Yuchan, who had suddenly appeared before Xu Jin. Her chest was still heaving, but her iron crutch was suspended an inch above Xu Jin's head, flashing threateningly.
"Cultivation must not be distracted!
Having just succeeded in Star Pointing, you've become complacent and distracted, what accomplishments can you hope for in the future?"
"Remember, diligence can make up for deficiencies. Although it took you eighty-three days to succeed in Star Pointing, with diligent effort, you can still achieve something."
Instructor Ning, who had been patrolling the morning class, keenly noticed Xu Jin getting distracted and came over to scold him profusely, but after the scolding, he didn't forget to encourage Xu Jin.
A True Good Master!
Xu Jin could only nod incessantly.
"Alright, now that you have succeeded in Star Pointing, go over there. It's more conducive to cultivation, staying here would only disturb others from Star Pointing."
Xu Jin nodded in agreement.
After giving an encouraging look to Qian Xiaohu beside him, he moved to the eastern side of the morning practice square amidst the envious gazes of the other teenagers.
This area was populated by youths who had succeeded in Star Pointing.
In terms of practice spots, there wasn't much difference.
The biggest difference was that the center of the morning practice square was filled with youths who hadn't succeeded in Star Pointing, practicing the static skill Dining Dawn Form, where a one-meter square was enough for each person.
But on the eastern side, Star Pointing succeeders each occupied about a two-meter plot, because apart from static skills, they had to practice active skills.
Only by combining static and active practice could one refine the body and break through to the first layer of Dining Dawn.
Between these big and small, static and active practices, Heaven and Earth were already different.
"Greetings, senior brothers."
Upon reaching the east side and finding a spot, Xu Jin proactively greeted them, and many youths who had already succeeded in Star Pointing smiled and nodded at him as a form of greeting. After succeeding in Star Pointing, one was truly regarded as a brother within the Taoist Institute.
Some, like Luo Geng who had succeeded in Star Pointing earlier, merely glanced at Xu Jin before continuing their cultivation.
Yue Daqi, who was the first in this season's Star-pointing, was still practicing hard and focused, unaffected by Xu Jin's arrival.
Indeed, geniuses are industrious.
Taking steps, slightly lifting his head, envisioning the Star Pattern, pondering the stars of Heaven and Earth, Xu Jin continued into the Dining Dawn Form in one go, feeling the ongoing increase of Star Power within his body.
But in just half an hour, Xu Jin felt a swelling sensation in his chest. The Dining Dawn Form had been circulating for a while, but there was no further increase of Star Power within him.
Being quite serious in his studies at the Taoist Institute, Xu Jin knew this was a sign of Star Power being full. Next, he needed to switch to active skills to stimulate the Star Power to refine his body.
"Switch to Five Battles Killing Fist, and use the Killing Fist to drive the Star Power to temper oneself!"
With an iron crutch landing silently, Instructor Ning appeared behind Xu Jin once again for guidance.
Xu Jin didn't fuss, bowed with his hands, and then thrust his palms forward, executing the first form of the Five Battles Killing Fist, East and Yin-Yang.
Since joining Jinshan Taoist Institute, Xu Jin had been taking one and a half hours of Star Martial Six Arts classes daily, which included the Five Battles Killing Fist.
Even though it was very strenuous for Xu Jin to practice, and he needed to rest two or three times to complete one set, he had mastered the basic poses quite skillfully.
But as soon as he threw a punch, Instructor Ning parried it back with her crutch.
"You need to carry Star Power. Before punching, envision the Star Pattern first, use your intent to guide the Star Power, and use the fist movements to drive the Star Power through your body for refinement. Only then, practicing the Five Battles Killing Fist is effective."
"At the beginning, you can slow down the punches, but you must drive the Star Power!" Instructor Ning instructed consecutively.
Xu Jin nodded and didn't rush to punch again but thought it through carefully before slowly starting the move again.
With fists cleaving and sealing, it was the East and Yin-Yang move.
Flash!
A bright flash of Starlight erupted from his bare chest, indicating that Xu Jin had successfully harnessed Star Power with this punch.
With the enhancement of Star Power, he even produced a faint breeze with his punch.
Under the drive of the punch, the Star Power violently burst outward, but perhaps because his body hadn't been fully refined, the Star Power didn't erupt outward.
So the Star Power merely swelled and erupted around the chest area.
His chest ached severely.
It was so painful that Xu Jin's mouth twitched a bit.
But soon after, the Star Power in the Star Pattern quickly surged over, and the spot that had been struck by the burst of Star Power alternated between feelings of heat, numbness, and itching.
Then Xu Jin discovered with surprise that the area of Starlight coverage on his chest had indeed expanded slightly.
Where the Star Power on his chest had been full, it was now quite relaxed, and Xu Jin felt that he could continue practicing the Dining Dawn Form to accumulate Star Power again.
"Continue!" Instructor Ning's voice rang out.
Xu Jin continued with the Five Battles Killing Fist, slowing down the moves.
The second form, West Start Myriad Stones, followed by South Waving Six Harmonies, Northern Breaking Sky Wolf, and Central Leader Determining Heaven and Earth.
It took a full 15 minutes for Xu Jin to complete the set of Five Battles Killing Fist.
But after finishing this time, he was completely relaxed, calm and collected, not short of breath at all.
Previously, Xu Jin would be panting heavily before even completing half the set.
Even more delightful for Xu Jin was that completing one set of the Five Battles Killing Fist significantly increased the area covered by Starlight on his chest.
When he had first succeeded in Star Pointing, the area of Starlight on Xu Jin's chest was only the size of an egg.
After one set of the Five Battles Killing Fist, the coverage of Starlight on his chest had grown to the size of an apple.
The progress in Starlight Body Tempering was visibly noticeable.
Instructor Ning nodded approvingly at the side. Xu Jin had taken eighty-three days to succeed in Star Pointing, appearing to have average talent, but his perception in punching was quite good.
Many youths needed three or five, or even eight or ten attempts to completely undergo their first Starlight Body Tempering.
Xu Jin had completed it in one go, which put him on par with Yue Daqi, who was ranked first in this season's Star Pointing.
The area covered by Starlight had increased, but the luminosity of the Star Pattern had dimmed considerably.
Upon internal inspection, Xu Jin discovered that most of the Starlight previously drawn in by the Dining Dawn Form had been consumed.
"Do you understand now?
Continue the Dining Dawn Form, wait until the Starlight is fully accumulated, then use the Five Battles Killing Fist to drive the Star Power to temper the body, and keep cycling through this process to grow stronger." After providing this advice, Instructor Ning left to check on other youths.
Xu Jin, however, appeared contemplative.
Accumulate Star Power, then use Five Battles Killing Fist to temper the body, deplete the Star Power, and accumulate again—this is a cycle.
Could the Starlight inside him during the Candou Platform participate in this cycle?