Chapter 118 – The Starlight Between My Fingers (2) (2/2)

Cultivators first lit their Fated Stars, then went through Purification, and only after that did they perform Meditative Introspection. This order was absolute, as straying from it would result in death or severe injury for the cultivator with no exception. Countless years ago, there were still some cultivators attempting other paths, but now, no one dared to try such a crazy thing.

The body of a human cultivator was the weakest amongst the three races of Demon, Demi-human, and Human. Without succeeding at Purification, without ensuring that the meridians were strong and wide enough to hold and convert starlight into true essence, someone attempting Meditative Introspection and using one's spiritual sense to stimulate true essence was just seeking their own death.

Without even ensuring the dikes of the river were firmed up, you want to let the sea water pour in?

Without thoroughly strengthening every hair and bone of your body through Purification, you dare to let the power of true essence run free through your body, opening new lands and wantonly making changes?

If one wanted to perform Meditative Introspection, greater completion of Purification was the most basic requirement. Chen Changsheng was no demi-human, so he had to respect this iron law. If he attempted to jump over the pass of Purification and directly perform Meditative Introspection using the knowledge contained within the Daoist Canon, even if he could find where the radiance of the stars was hiding in his body, there was probably a high chance that he would immediately die once he triggered it.

If his conjectures were not wrong, the southerner who had combusted to death written about in the appendix of the 'Four Classics on Meditation' had very evidently blundered this way into their death.

But if he did not perform Meditative Introspection, he would never be able to find where the radiance was hiding in his body, and he would remain for the rest of his life at Purification, never able to take another step forward. How could he not despair at this?

This was a dilemma.

Even someone who so cherished time as him had to spend a long time in thought, weighing the pros and cons and hesitating between both sides.

But the Grand Examination was not far, and there truly was not much time left for him.

The Heavenly Dao and fate were truly very unfair.

His fate was truly dismal. Not only did he have such an incurable illness, it now seemed that a situation rarely encountered by cultivators had fallen upon him.

He was stewing in depression when he heard Xuanyuan Po call from far away that it was time to eat midnight snacks.

For reasons of health, he very rarely partook in midnight snacks, so he felt even more depressed.

He didn't want to see them, so he walked out of the house, pushed upon the gate in the academy wall, and walked into the Hundred Herb Garden.

The trees of the forest lightly swayed in the night breeze. In the distance was a faint light.

What should he do? He was still hesitant. Very naturally, he recalled the Black Dragon beneath the Imperial Palace, recalled the words he had once said to it.

If he wanted to live, it seemed that he really did have to put his life on the line.

Then he recalled that he had promised to go and see the Black Dragon, but he had never found the opportunity.

Just then, he saw a pitch-black, almost mystical, existence.

It was not the Black Dragon.

It was the Black Goat.

Somewhat surprised, Chen Changsheng walked up to the Black Goat and squatted down, asking, ”How did you end up here?”

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