Chapter 303 - 280: Star Inference Spell

Chapter 303: Chapter 280: Star Inference Spell

This was the precious wealth he had accumulated over many years, yet now he had no choice but to reluctantly part with it, handing it all over to Jiang Xu.

Jiang Xu took the tomes and Jade Scrolls without hesitation, putting them directly into his Storage Bag without so much as a glance.

His casual, unconcerned demeanor made the corner of Sun Long’s eye twitch, and his heart twisted in anguish.

However, Sun Long knew he had to keep his promise. Though his heart ached with reluctance, he had no choice but to give them up.

After a moment’s hesitation, he finally steeled himself and carefully presented an exquisite Jade Box. Inside was the Foundation Establishment Supreme Technique he cherished most.

With a grave expression, Sun Long warned Jiang Xu,

"This Magic is immensely powerful. You must keep it safe and never attempt to practice it rashly, or you risk suffering from its backlash."

Jiang Xu ignored Sun Long’s rambling.

He eagerly reached out to take the Jade Box.

However, Sun Long’s hand clamped down on the Jade Box like an iron vise, refusing to let go. He was clearly challenging Jiang Xu’s strength.

Somehow, even with his Body Refining Late Stage strength augmented by the Giant Strength Technique, Jiang Xu couldn’t budge the Jade Box in Sun Long’s hand by a single inch.

Sun Long’s arm muscles tensed, and fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead, revealing his inner turmoil. The two were locked in a stalemate.

Suddenly, Jiang Xu’s expression turned to one of shock as he pointed ahead.

"My god, there are Golden Core Cultivators engaged in Magical Combat over there! And they’re using Divine Powers!"

"Divine Powers?! Where?! Where?!"

Sun Long’s eyes lit up, and he immediately looked in the direction Jiang Xu indicated.

His grip loosened considerably.

Seizing the opportunity, Jiang Xu gave a sudden tug, snatched the Jade Box from Sun Long’s grasp, and brazenly tucked it into his Storage Bag.

"Ahem, well, what do you know. Those two Golden Core Cultivators were just too fast. They disappeared in the blink of an eye. What a shame."

Sun Long, finally realizing what had happened, felt his lips twitch. He took several deep breaths to calm himself, barely restraining the urge to attack.

After stowing away the Foundation Establishment Techniques, Jiang Xu didn’t begin studying them on the spot.

On the surface, his Cultivation was only at the Qi Cultivation Late Stage, so he certainly couldn’t begin practicing them then and there.

Doing so would be tantamount to announcing that he wasn’t merely in the Qi Cultivation Realm.

After putting the techniques away, there was something Jiang Xu didn’t understand. He asked Sun Long,

"You’ve cultivated so many different types of Magic. Aren’t there any side effects?"

"Logically, a person’s Sea of Consciousness has a finite capacity."

"Forget hundreds or thousands—most people can’t even handle dozens. Their Sea of Consciousness would collapse under the strain, and they’d become a drooling imbecile."

"So how did you manage to learn hundreds, even thousands of techniques? You don’t seem to be affected at all."

Sun Long’s gaze still lingered on the space where the Jade Box had been, his eyes filled with a deep, lingering attachment.

But upon hearing Jiang Xu’s question, an imperceptible flicker of pride flashed through his eyes.

Sun Long had always disdained wasting his time on ordinary people who knew nothing about Magic.

He considered it casting pearls before swine, a complete waste of time.

Given the choice, he would much rather immerse himself in the world of Magic, delving into its mysteries alone.

But Jiang Xu was an exception.

While Jiang Xu’s breadth of knowledge regarding Magic might not match Sun Long’s,

Sun Long knew full well that when it came to the depth of his research and comprehension, Jiang Xu’s mastery far surpassed his own.

To be asked for guidance by someone with such unique insights into Magic gave Sun Long an unprecedented sense of accomplishment.

It was as if the insights from his many years of practice had finally found a kindred spirit who could appreciate their true value.

This feeling of recognition and respect brought him a profound sense of satisfaction and pride, easing the sting of losing his techniques.

Therefore, Sun Long naturally wouldn’t refuse Jiang Xu’s inquiry.

He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, Jiang Xu saw his irises transform, becoming just as they had been when they first met.

A thousand stars swirled within his eyes, and Jiang Xu couldn’t help but be stunned by the sight once more.

"Ever since my Cultivation stalled, I’ve tried my hand at many of the Hundred Skills of Cultivation."

"I’ve studied common skills like Alchemy and Artifact Refining. I’ve also dabbled in rarer arts like creating Spiritual Food, Pulse Examination, Treasure Appraisal, Beast Taming, Music, Medical Skill, and Feng Shui."

"But I have no talent for them. They were like a Celestial Book to me, and I’d forget whatever I learned in no time."

"But when it came to the path of Magic, I discovered I had an extraordinary talent—a perfect memory."

"Before my Cultivation stagnated, I had practiced Magic like any other Cultivator, and there was nothing unusual about me."

"But strangely, after the accident involving my Dantian, a drastic change occurred. I suddenly went from having a mediocre talent for Magic to being exceptionally gifted."

"But no one could explain it. Both the Clan Leader and the Grand Elder inspected my body, but they found nothing out of the ordinary."

"Even when I won fourth place in the Gladiatorial Arena, the Island Master himself inspected me and still came up empty."

"Though he couldn’t figure it out, the Island Master didn’t just leave. Instead, he gave me a Cultivation Technique."

"It was a damaged Ancient Fragment that recorded an incomplete Cultivation Technique for the Qi Cultivation Stage called the ’Star Inference Spell’."

"After cultivating this technique, you can integrate all the Magic you’ve learned in the Qi Cultivation Realm into a single, unified whole called a Star Map."

"From then on, every new technique I learn is integrated into the Star Map, making it more complete."

"This way, the mental strain of learning new techniques is virtually non-existent. No matter how many I learn, the pressure on my Sea of Consciousness is borne by the Star Map itself."

Jiang Xu’s pupils constricted as he listened.

’To think such a bizarre Cultivation Technique exists in this world!’

’And judging by the name, its creator must have been inspired by the stars in the heavens.’

’Such comprehension is truly astounding!’

’Inspired solely by the stars... Could the creator have been a Cultivator from Seven Star Island back in Ancient Times?’

’It’s a shame the Cultivation Technique is just a fragment.’

’Then again, if it weren’t a fragment, its value would be exponentially higher. It wouldn’t have been handed over to someone like Sun Long so casually.’

’The Island Master probably gave this technique to Sun Long just to save face. He couldn’t find anything wrong with him and needed something to resolve the awkward situation.’

Sun Long, unaware that Jiang Xu was inwardly slandering the Island Master, continued,

"But the Cultivation Technique has its limits. At first, the Star Map was weak and could only handle a dozen or so techniques, and there were restrictions on their Realm as well."

"Later, as I gradually mastered the Cultivation Technique and learned how to arrange the techniques rationally within the Star Map, the number and Realm of techniques it could contain gradually increased."

"However, since this ’Star Inference Spell’ is only a fragment for the Qi Cultivation Realm, it can’t integrate Magic from the Foundation Establishment Realm."

After speaking, Sun Long handed a small booklet to Jiang Xu.

This time, he was much more direct.

Perhaps it was because he had already mastered it, or perhaps his interest lay solely in the techniques themselves, not the Cultivation Technique that enabled them.

After handing over the ’Star Inference Spell’, Sun Long didn’t stop. He began pulling out a whole pile of things from his Storage Bag.

Since Jiang Xu had asked to be taught all his techniques, Sun Long was now simply taking out everything he had.

Jiang Xu gasped as he watched the endless stream of items Sun Long pulled from his Storage Bag.

Until this moment, he’d never imagined that techniques could be recorded on so many different types of media.

The most common medium for recording Magic was, of course, books.

But the paper used for these books was incredibly varied and strange.