If one's fingers were to slightly exert their strength and close together, they could hold things. However, some things were very difficult to grab hold of, like sand, the sea breeze, sunlight, starlight, or time.

Chen Changsheng spread apart his fingers, and the starlight leaked out.

In those countless nights from spring until the late autumn, did that starlight falling upon his body trickle out just like this?

The beginning of cultivation was the lighting of one's Fated Star and then drawing in starlight for Purification. For thousands of years, countless cultivators had repeated this same course. The radiance of the stars that fell from their Fated Stars silently changed their bodies, from their hair, fingers, and skin, all the way to their bones, muscles, and organs. There had never been a case in which the starlight leaked out from the body of a cultivator.

The body of a cultivator was not made of colored glass, nor was it made of water.

Chen Changsheng was well-versed in the Daoist Canon, but even he had not read of any similar case. However, when he was reading the appendix of the 'Four Classics on Meditation', he had seen a certain passage regarding a medical case. A hundred-some years ago, a southerner had mysteriously combusted. Later on, when the authorities and a neighboring sect went to investigate the cause of this person's death, they were unable to turn up any hints. The only thing they found out was that this person had undergone Purification for thirteen years but had never succeeded.

As someone who had been learning the medical arts from Daoist Ji since he was a child, Chen Changsheng noticed several details of this case. The author mentioned that this southerner who had combusted was afflicted with a leakage disease.

A leakage disease referred to an inborn deficiency of Qi and blood, making the body weak. What did it have to do with combusting to death?

From this passage, the bizarre medical case, and his own strange situation, Chen Changsheng obtained a most audacious and absurd hypothesis.

The leakage disease that afflicted this southerner who had combusted was actually just a result of his rather unique body. When he drew in starlight for Purification, the starlight did not cause any changes in his hair or skin but went directly through it, entering the deepest part of his body.

That person had undergone Purification for thirteen years, so it could be imagined how much starlight had ultimately accumulated in that person's body. Later on, for some reason—a reason that Chen Changsheng could already vaguely guess at—the radiance of the stars that had accumulated for so many years had suddenly exploded, catching the person completely unawares.

This sort of hypothesis seemed rather difficult to accept—why was starlight able to pass through one's skin? Though when this was carefully considered, one realized that when a cultivator meditated, not even the roof or his clothes could cut off the connection between the cultivator and his Fated Star, nor could they cut off the starlight. Thus, why couldn't starlight pass through the skin and directly enter one's body?

And if this was a complete impossibility, why had that virtuous predecessor of the Orthodoxy so solemnly recorded this medical case in the appendix of the 'Four Classics on Meditation' several hundred years ago?

The main reason Chen Changsheng had developed such an audacious hypothesis was still that he had encountered too many incomprehensible problems in his cultivation. That he was able to light his Fated Star was proof that his spiritual sense was strong enough. Logically speaking, the steps that followed should be like water flowing through a canal, a right and expected matter. Who would ever expect to be stopped at Purification for half a year?

Even if it was because his meridians were different from others and he could not practice Purification in the same manner as normal people, where had all the starlight gone? Had it all truly just scattered without a trace?

No, he did not believe that. After all these nights, he had long had his doubts about the matter, but he still felt that such a thing was baseless. If the Heavenly Dao was said to reward the diligent, was there anyone in the world as diligent as him? Of course, if the Heavenly Dao truly was unfair, then there was nothing he could say. However, at this very moment, he firmly believed that he had at least accomplished drawing in starlight for Purification.

Yet even an expert like Jin Yulu could not sense a single ripple of true essence within his body. If the starlight he had drawn in over those many nights was all in his body, where was it? How could he find it and then begin to use it?

Just like when searching for one's Fated Star, when one wanted to learn the situation in one's own body, oneself was the best observer.

Chen Changsheng knew what he had to do.

He had to perform Meditative Introspection.

...

...

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?"