The Heavens: Man Covers the Heavens, Refines Treasures to Become an Emperor

This was not a real battle, but a duel between consciousness and the shadow of death in the mind! Jiang Xuan condensed a battle blade with his own will and fearlessly charged forward.

Each collision and annihilation of consciousness represents his "collapse" and "death" at the level of his mind, but he will immediately separate a wisp of consciousness and throw it into this endless battle.

The dangers involved are no less than those of a real life-or-death battle, and perhaps even more bizarre. Once his main consciousness is completely lost in this constant cycle of "death," his inner demons will gain the upper hand, leading to utter ruin.

Fortunately, the Lesser Netherworld Art maintained his last shred of clarity, allowing him to maintain an extraordinary calmness and insight amidst this insane cycle of death.

He no longer passively endures death, but actively uses his understanding and control of "Star Gathering" to fight against, dismantle, and learn within the illusion constructed by the shadow of death!

He repeatedly "died" and was repeatedly "reborn" to fight again.

Every failure was like a deep imprint, constantly replaying and analyzing in his mind every detail of the Serpent Spirit Clan expert's "Star Gathering" technique, the trajectory of the power's movement, and the murderous intent it stirred up.

His understanding of "star-picking" was slowly but steadily improving in this almost self-torturing struggle.

At first, his counterattack was still fragile and easily crushed.

But as his understanding deepened, the battle blade formed from his consciousness became stronger and stronger in its counterattacks, and lasted longer and longer. Occasionally, he could even find a tiny, exploitable gap under the terrifying blade's force.

Failure, failure, and more failure!

But Jiang Xuan's will had long been tempered into an unyielding steel through the Blood Slaughtering Camp and countless life-and-death battles.

He was not discouraged and turned every failure into nourishment.

Finally, after experiencing countless "deaths" at the level of consciousness, when the crimson blood blade of the Serpent Spirit Clan expert once again slashed down with the force of a destructive comet, the battle blade formed from Jiang Xuan's consciousness suddenly moved!
This strike had an unpredictable trajectory, like a gazelle hanging its horns, leaving no trace.

It didn't clash head-on, but rather, from an incredible angle, precisely struck the weakest point in the flow of the destructive blade's power! The blade flashed, containing Jiang Xuan's new and deeper understanding and control of the "Star Gathering Style," like a newly born star suddenly bursting forth with its own light!
"laugh--!"

The clash of ideologies was not a dramatic, earth-shattering event.

However, the terrifying sword aura unleashed by the illusory figure of the Serpent Spirit Clan expert was instantly shattered and disintegrated like a burst bubble under Jiang Xuan's seemingly casual strike! The illusory figure of the Serpent Spirit Clan expert also let out a silent hiss and vanished completely!

He successfully wiped away the first shadow of death!

In the battle of consciousness, he successfully surpassed the opponent represented by the shadow in his control of the "Star-Picking Style"!
Without the slightest pause, Jiang Xuan's consciousness, carrying the momentum of victory and new insights, immediately pounced on the second shadow of death like a tiger unleashed!

……

In the courtyard, starlight shrouded the area like a thin veil, and the flowers and plants on the ground swayed gently in the breeze, full of vitality. Liu Qingyan sat upright on a stone chair, and the green bamboo flute at her lips continued to play an ethereal and desolate melody, maintaining a rare tranquility and peace in this space.

Xue Jin and Granny Feng were both highly skilled cultivators, and they keenly sensed that under the continuous effect of Liu Qingyan's flute music, the originally rampant and violent killing intent on Jiang Xuan's body had actually weakened by about one-third! Although it still existed, the madness that seemed to want to destroy everything was obviously much weaker.

"This method actually works!"

A hint of surprise flashed in Xue Jin's eyes.

Granny Feng also looked surprised, but when she turned her gaze to Liu Qingyan, that surprise was immediately replaced by deep heartache.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Liu Qingyan's smooth forehead, her once rosy lips had lost some of their color, and her brows bore an undisguised weariness. Her fingertips, which were playing the flute, even trembled slightly. Clearly, maintaining such exquisite flute music was extremely taxing on her, beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

……

In battles at the level of consciousness, the flow of time is completely different from that in the outside world.

With the valuable experience gained from erasing the first shadow of death, and his transformative new understanding of the "Star Gathering Style," Jiang Xuan significantly accelerated his speed in erasing other shadows of death!
The core principles of the "Star Gathering Technique" used by these powerful figures in the secret realms are the same, but the styles they display are quite different.

Some are as violent as a comet striking the moon, some as dazzling as the Milky Way cascading down, some as heavy as stars pressing down, and some as mysterious as a dark star devouring...

Jiang Xuan was fighting against these "opponents" conjured from the shadows of death in his consciousness, which was equivalent to simultaneously engaging in a life-or-death sparring match with dozens of "teachers" who had cultivated the "Star Gathering Style" to an extremely high level.

He constantly absorbed the advantages of each style, learning from its strengths and compensating for its weaknesses, discarding the dross and retaining the essence. His mastery of the "Star-Picking Style" improved steadily, as if he were riding a flying sword!
The blade of consciousness he wielded increasingly accurately captured the essence of the "Star Gathering Style" in harnessing the power of heaven and earth, its power and artistic conception surging at a visible speed. Later, he even had a faint feeling of integration, as if he were about to fuse these different styles of "Star Gathering Style" into one, forming a "Star Gathering Style" that belonged only to him and had a more magnificent atmosphere!
As the shadows of death were swiftly erased, the negative emotions such as fear, despair, and resentment they contained also vanished.

Like uprooting a poisonous weed from his heart, the source of power for the inner demon that threatened his life was being rapidly cut off, and its threat was decreasing dramatically.

Xue Jin and Granny Feng could clearly see that Jiang Xuan's murderous aura was fading at a steady pace, and his twisted and ferocious face was gradually calming down. Although he was still sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, his aura was becoming more and more stable, and even faintly revealed a sharp edge that could be broken and then rebuilt.

Their hearts gradually calmed down, and they even predicted that if Jiang Xuan could successfully overcome this calamity, his cultivation would undergo an amazing transformation, and his future path would be much broader!
However, just when things seemed to be going very well—

"cough……!"

As Liu Qingyan sat upright playing the flute, her brows suddenly furrowed, and she let out a suppressed cough, a trickle of bright red blood spilling from the corner of her lips.

The ethereal and desolate flute music abruptly ended!

She nearly dropped the emerald bamboo flute from her hand, her face instantly turning deathly pale. Her eyes, which had been as bright as stars, dimmed, and she seemed to have lost most of her strength, about to fall backward.

"Miss!"

Granny Feng exclaimed in surprise, her figure flashing like lightning as she instantly appeared behind Liu Qingyan, catching her and holding her in her arms, her face filled with anxiety and heartache.

Xue Jin's heart sank; her worst fears had come true! Liu Qingyan had overexerted herself in her efforts to help Jiang Xuan, damaging her health in the process!
"Grandma...I'm fine..."

Liu Qingyan leaned against Granny Feng's chest, her breath weak, but she still managed to stay upright, her gaze anxiously fixed on Jiang Xuan, who was still sitting cross-legged.

"How...how is he? Has he woken up?"

When Granny Feng saw that she was still only concerned about the boy at this point, she felt both sorry for her and annoyed, and couldn't help but scold her.

"You silly child! You're already in this state, why are you still worrying about him!" She quickly checked Liu Qingyan's condition and found that she had mainly exhausted her spiritual power, damaging her vital energy. Although it wasn't fatal, such injuries were extremely difficult to heal, and for an artist who cultivated through music, the impact could be very profound. Granny Feng was both anxious and angry. She suddenly looked up and shouted sharply at Jiang Xuan, who still had his eyes closed.

"Jiang Xuan! If you have even a shred of conscience, listen to me! If my young lady suffers any harm or harm because of this, I will risk my life to make you pay with your life!"

Xue Jin also had an unfriendly expression and snorted in agreement.

"That's right! That bastard, once he wakes up, I'll be the first to teach him a lesson! He'll definitely get a good beating!"

He said this half sincerely and half to appease Granny Feng. As he spoke, he deliberately gave a cold laugh in Jiang Xuan's direction.

"Hmph, stop pretending to be dead. I knew you were awake all along, didn't I?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Xuan, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, twitched his eyelids slightly and slowly opened his eyes with some embarrassment.

He first avoided Granny Feng's furious glare, which was almost spitting fire, then quickly stood up and walked to Liu Qingyan, who was being supported by Granny Feng. Ignoring Granny Feng's murderous gaze, he bowed deeply and sincerely to Liu Qingyan, who was pale and weak.

"Thank you so much, Master Liu!"

His voice was slightly hoarse, but full of sincere gratitude.

Although he was fighting his inner demons with all his might, he was not completely cut off from his perception of the outside world. In particular, he vaguely heard the ethereal flute music that soothed his mind like sweet rain, as well as the conversation between Granny Feng and Xue Jin. He naturally understood that it was Liu Qingyan who sacrificed herself to play the extraordinary music, which gave him a precious opportunity to break free from his inner demons.

Seeing that he had woken up safely, Liu Qingyan's eyes flashed with a hint of relief. She gently shook her head, her voice weak but clear.

“Young Master Jiang, there’s no need for such politeness. Although the incident at the arena last time was not Qingyan’s intention, it was because of me that you had to bear such risks for nothing, and I have been feeling uneasy ever since. Consider this my way of repaying Qingyan.”

Jiang Xuan was taken aback upon hearing this.

He hadn't expected that Liu Qingyan would keep the incident at the arena in her heart, and even feel guilty about it.

He raised his head, his gaze falling on Liu Qingyan's pale yet still stunningly beautiful face, which possessed a delicate and pitiful quality. For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

When Liu Qingyan was stared at like that, a faint blush rose on her pale cheeks, and she turned her head slightly to the side, feeling a little awkward.

Jiang Xuan snapped out of his daze and said solemnly.

"Jiang Xuan will remember this kindness and will repay it earnestly."

"repay?"

Granny Feng spoke coldly from the side, her tone still tinged with anger.

"Easy for you to say! If you really have a conscience, hurry up and invite your master, 'Master Xun,' to repair my young lady's ancient musical instrument! How long has this been dragging on?"

Jiang Xuan, still reeling from the fierce battle and grateful for Liu Qingyan's help, blurted out the words almost instinctively upon hearing Granny Feng's urging, driven by a desire to prove he wasn't ungrateful.

"Why bother asking my master? Three days! Within three days, I will repair this xun perfectly and personally deliver it to Cuimingxuan!"

Upon hearing this, the entire courtyard fell silent.

Grandma Wind was stunned.

Xue Jin's eyes widened.

Even Liu Qingyan, who was weakly leaning against Granny Feng's arms, opened her mouth slightly in surprise and stared at Jiang Xuan in astonishment.

As soon as Jiang Xuan uttered the words, he immediately realized something was wrong and inwardly cried out, "Oh no!" He was so focused on getting back to him as quickly as possible that he forgot he was "Jiang Xuan" at that moment, not "Master Xun"!
He quickly tried to salvage the situation, forcing a somewhat stiff smile as he explained.

"Uh... what I mean is, my master 'Master Xun'... he recently had some enlightenment, and before going into seclusion, he passed on all the methods of repair to me. I... I can guarantee that I can repair it within three days! Yes, that's it!"

His hasty explanation not only failed to dispel the doubts of the crowd, but instead appeared to be an attempt to cover up the truth, making things even worse.

Granny Feng, Liu Qingyan, and Xue Jin beside her all focused their gazes on Jiang Xuan. Their eyes were filled with inquiry, suspicion, and a subtle sense that they had discovered some earth-shattering secret.

Jiang Xuan felt as if those three gazes were tangible, making him extremely uncomfortable. Cold sweat almost broke out on his forehead, and he was so embarrassed that he wished he could disappear into a crack in the ground.

The atmosphere in the courtyard became extremely subtle and quiet because of Jiang Xuan's offhand assurance and his subsequent evasive explanation. Three pairs of eyes were focused on him like searchlights, making him feel as if he were being roasted over a fire.

In the end, it was Liu Qingyan who broke the suffocating silence first. She leaned against Granny Feng's chest, her weak voice filled with disbelief and doubt, and asked softly.

"Young Master Jiang...you mean...you are 'Master Xun'?"

Now that things have come to this, continuing to hide it would not only seem pretentious, but would also be a betrayal of Liu Qingyan's kindness in sacrificing herself to help her.

Jiang Xuan took a deep breath, met the shocked and inquisitive gazes of Liu Qingyan and Granny Feng, and nodded frankly, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness and sincerity.

"Now that things have come to this, I dare not hide it from Lady Liu and Granny Feng any longer. Yes, I am 'Master Xun'. I have concealed it before, but it was out of necessity. Please forgive me."

Despite having some suspicions, hearing Jiang Xuan admit it still left Granny Feng and Liu Qingyan momentarily stunned.

The "Master Xun" who was able to repair the ancient spirit flute, refine a special spiritual treasure that attracted the attention of the Shi Ding Zhai headquarters, and was regarded by them as at least a highly respected and experienced veteran spirit pattern master... his true identity was actually this boy in front of them who was only fourteen or fifteen years old and whose cultivation was still in the Human Gang Realm.
This stark contrast was something even the well-informed Granny Feng found hard to accept at first.

She looked Jiang Xuan up and down, her tone full of doubt.

"You? You're Master Xun? Boy, do you know what level of spiritual rune mastery is required to repair the Ancient Law Spirit Ocarina? It's definitely not something you can do with just a few rudimentary spiritual runes! Are you just trying to fool us with empty words?" (End of Chapter)