Back in his room, Xu Luo suddenly felt a warmth in his Dantian.
He suddenly had a thought. 'Since I can see through the glazed tiles to the outside and see underground through the layers of earth, can I see inside my own body?'
The moment the thought formed, an image of his body's interior suddenly... appeared in Xu Luo's mind!
There were blood vessels of varying thickness, with bright red blood flowing slowly through them like rivers; meridians, distributed evenly throughout his body; and that... powerfully beating heart!
Xu Luo was stunned. Then, he saw his Dantian and couldn't help but let out a soft gasp.
That was...
The Big Dipper!
Seven stars that should have been shining in the night sky had miraculously appeared in his Dantian!
But for some unknown reason, from Dubhe, the first star of the Big Dipper, to Merak, Phecda, Tianquan, Jade Balance, and Kaiyang, all six stars were gray. They emitted no light, like dead stars, arranged in his Dantian in the same formation as the Big Dipper in the sky.
Only the last star, the Shaking Light Star, emitted a faint glow, but it was like a candle flickering in the wind, so weak it seemed it could be extinguished at any moment.
'The Big Dipper... how can it be inside my body?' Xu Luo's first reaction was fright.
'What in the world is going on?'
When Xu Luo's Divine Sense touched the only lit star, the Shaking Light Star, the star flickered again. A moment later, a wealth of new information suddenly flooded Xu Luo's mind.
'Shadow Shaking Heart Method!'
'Breaking Army Seven Kills!'
The two Cultivation Techniques felt as though they had always been in Xu Luo's mind. Though it was his first time encountering them, they felt completely familiar.
In the Cangqiong Kingdom, it was said that a good Heart Method could command ten thousand martial techniques. While a bit of an exaggeration, this illustrates the importance of a Heart Method.
Xu Luo didn't know how powerful the Shadow Shaking Heart Method was, but since the Shaking Light Star had forced it into his mind, he figured it couldn't be too bad.
As for Breaking Army Seven Kills...
Xu Luo was rather intimidated.
First Kill of Breaking Army Seven Kills—BROKEN TENDONS AND BONES!
Second Kill of Breaking Army Seven Kills—SEVERED MERIDIANS!
Third Kill of Breaking Army Seven Kills—SEVERING THE PRIMORDIAL SPIRIT!
Fourth Kill of Breaking Army Seven Kills—GREAT MOUNTAIN COLLAPSE!
Fifth Kill of Breaking Army Seven Kills—BREAKING TORRENT!
Sixth Kill of Breaking Army Seven Kills—RAGE SEA TIDE!
Seventh Kill of Breaking Army Seven Kills—VIBRATING EIGHT DESOLATES!
Just from the names, Xu Luo knew that Breaking Army Seven Kills was a Cultivation Technique brimming with murderous intent.
The very First Layer was Broken Tendons and Bones. A single punch or kick would leave an opponent with snapped tendons and broken bones. It was simply too powerful!
In all his sixteen years, Xu Luo had never encountered such a powerful Cultivation Technique. He had never seen, or even heard of, anything like it.
The Cultivation Technique practiced by his ever-protective older brother, Xu Su, was already quite powerful, but compared to Breaking Army Seven Kills, it was utter trash!
'This Cultivation Technique would be a better fit for my brother,'
Xu Luo muttered. Unfortunately, Xu Su had joined the army two years ago to guard the Border Region and hadn't even returned for the Star Festival.
What was previously just suspicion and intuition now gave way to a new sense of fear as Xu Luo confirmed that his changes were related to the Big Dipper.
If he had previously considered telling his father about this, he now didn't dare mention it to a single soul.
Even though the incident hadn't been his fault, the Emperor might still take out his anger on him simply for being the Drummer who fainted. If anyone were to find out that these seven stars had appeared in his Dantian, it wouldn't just be him—the entire Xu Family would likely suffer enormous consequences!
At that moment, Xu Luo made a decision. Unless he one day possessed the power to destroy the world with a flick of his finger, he would never, ever reveal this secret!
'Destroy the world with a flick of a finger... Is that even possible?'
To Xu Luo, that was just a wild fantasy, an impossibility. So, he had best take this secret to his grave.
Then, with boyish eagerness, Xu Luo couldn't help but begin practicing the Shadow Shaking Heart Method.
The Heart Method seemed as if it were tailor-made for him, and he encountered no resistance whatsoever as he began to cultivate.
His body, already cleansed by the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi during the Star Festival, began to absorb it in massive quantities as he circulated the Shadow Shaking Heart Method.
The absorbed Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi flowed along his meridians into his Dantian, where it converged on the Shaking Light Star.
But the Shaking Light Star was like a bottomless pit; no matter how much True Essence flowed into it, there was no reaction.
He lost all track of time while cultivating. When Xu Luo finally opened his eyes, he could no longer suppress... an expression of pure ecstasy that spread across his face!
'I can finally... cultivate!'
Xu Luo even felt the urge to erupt into wild, unrestrained laughter.
Although the Shaking Light Star in his Dantian showed no change, Xu Luo, who had been weak for sixteen years, knew better than anyone how exhilarating it felt to have a body brimming with power.
It was like a slave freed from his shackles, a bird flying from its cage, a fish returned to the water!
Xu Luo felt his body had never been so light and nimble.
He tried circulating the Shadow Shaking Heart Method and leaped into the air from where he stood. And then...
BANG!
"Ah!"
Xu Luo crouched on the floor, grimacing as he rubbed his head.
He'd hit his head hard, and a large lump was already forming. But despite the stinging pain, he couldn't help but chuckle like an idiot.
"I, Xu Luo... I'm finally not a good-for-nothing who can only be mocked by others! I can cultivate! I can jump several meters into the air! HAHAHAHA!"
After sixteen years of pent-up frustration, Xu Luo finally let loose, laughing like a child in his room.
He laughed until tears streamed down his cheeks. Only then did Xu Luo take a deep breath and sit down, his pure, youthful eyes shining with a brilliant light.
'The Centennial Star Festival, the seven stars falling... I thought it was a sign of great misfortune.'
'But I never expected it to be my great fortune. It not only changed my weak constitution but also gave me something I never dared to dream of.'
'My world will no longer be filled with just ridicule and sarcasm, no longer just bitter medicine. I, too, will have my own wonderful life, just like everyone else!'
As he thought this, Xu Luo couldn't help but look inward again. His gaze fell upon the Big Dipper in his Dantian, and he made a silent vow: 'I don't know why you've appeared inside my body, but I will not let this opportunity go to waste!'
Just then, the only illuminated star, the Shaking Light Star, flickered faintly, as if encouraging him.
Then, two words suddenly appeared in Xu Luo's mind—Star Soul!
"Star Soul?" The boy's eyebrow shot up as he murmured, "So you're Star Souls. What is a Star Soul? The soul of a star? Why did you appear in my body? And what happened to the real Big Dipper?"
No one answered him. There were only the changes in his body, the two powerful Cultivation Techniques, and... the Seven Star Souls within him.
"Forget it. I won't dwell on it for now. Sooner or later, I will uncover the secret behind all this, but not now," Xu Luo said, clenching his fist. It was as if he were speaking not just to himself, but to the Seven Star Souls in his Dantian.
...
The fallout from the failed Star Festival gradually spread from the Cangqiong Kingdom to its neighbors.
In just over ten days, countless secret reports flew into the Imperial Capital from all directions like a blizzard.
Grand General of National Guardian Xu Ji had to cut his leave short, bid farewell to his wife and son, and depart the Imperial Capital for the distant Border Region.
"Only a Border Region guarded by Xu Ji is a border that allows Us to rest easy!"
These were the very words of the Emperor, Huangfu Haoran.
The Star Festival had failed, but life had to go on. At present, the Empire truly could not do without a Grand General of National Guardian like Xu Ji.
The Emperor also felt somewhat apologetic toward Xu Ji. After the failed Star Festival, a casual, joking taunt he'd made had unexpectedly spread throughout the entire Imperial Capital.
The four words "Civil Servant's Rice Bowl" had become the new nickname for the frail young Xu Luo.
Now in the Imperial Capital, if you brought up those four words and someone admitted they didn't know them, they'd likely be met with scorn: "You must be some country bumpkin. How could you not know about someone so infamous?"
As the Emperor, it was impossible for Huangfu Haoran to apologize to a mere boy, even if he was the son of the Grand General of National Guardian...
Impossible!
...
"By the Mandate of Heaven... Xu Su, eldest son of National Guardian General Xu Ji, is hereby enfeoffed as a County Lord. He is rewarded with one thousand taels of silver, one stalk of Purple Jade Coral, one thousand-year-old ginseng, and one set of a Baron's Attire..."
The eunuch delivering the decree watched the receiving Xu Luo with a blank expression, a flicker of well-hidden mockery deep in his eyes.
Since the National Guardian General was already on his way to the Border Region and his wife was not home, the duty of receiving the Holy Decree fell to Xu Luo.
Although Xu Luo was very close with his brother and felt no jealousy over his new title as County Lord, toward this Holy Decree, and toward the high and mighty Emperor in the Imperial Palace, Xu Luo could only let out a bitter laugh in his heart.
'I'm the one who was wronged, but my brother is the one who gets compensated... Oh, Emperor, Your Majesty... in your heart, I, Xu Luo, am truly worthless!'
Xu Luo accepted the Holy Decree with a placid expression, then smiled as he instructed a Maid, Lianyi, to bring some silver to thank the eunuchs.
As the lead eunuch was leaving, he gave Xu Luo a surprised look. He had originally expected the boy to fly into a rage upon receiving such a Holy Decree.
Xu Luo sat in the parlor, the Holy Decree—which to him was a symbol of shame—placed beside him.
The sixteen-year-old boy sneered inwardly.
'Faced with his restless and ambitious neighbors, the Emperor can only show his apology to the Xu Family through his actions. So he enfeoffs Xu Su, who hasn't even inherited a title yet, as a County Lord.'
'Even though it's the lowest rank of Baron, for someone of Xu Su's age, this is an incredible honor!'
'So even if my father still harbors some resentment, this "sincere" gesture from the Emperor is more than enough to placate him.'
'For a Monarch who has been on the throne for twenty years, winning people over is just basic homework. He does it effortlessly, and he can even throw in a subtle insult my way...'
The smile on Xu Luo's face grew colder as he murmured, "In fact, for His Majesty, giving away a County Lord's title is probably less practical than marrying off a Princess. The Empire has a history of over a thousand years, so noble titles have become increasingly precious. Princesses, on the other hand? A dime a dozen..."
Though it was a heartbreaking thing to say about the Princesses, it was an indisputable fact.
'Too bad my brother, the outstanding legitimate heir of the Xu Family, is already engaged. No matter how devalued a Royal Family Princess is, she would never be sent to be my brother's concubine.'
'As for me, Xu Luo, the second young master of the Xu Family...'
'Heh, who the hell is Xu Luo?!'
"Civil Servant's Rice Bowl... Steal a Civil Servant's Rice Bowl? To hell with your Civil Servant's Rice Bowl! HAHAHAHA!"
His face was wreathed in smiles, but those once-pure eyes of his were now filled with humiliation and rage.