Projection of the Heavens: I prove my immortality through slaughter.

In the western part of the city, the signboard of "Lin's Grocery Store" stands somewhat forlorn in the wind. The store is small and located in a relatively remote area, selling everyday necessities such as needles and thread, oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. Business is slow, seemingly out of place in the bustling capital.

The shopkeeper was an old man with gray hair and a hunched back. His surname was Feng. He was originally a veteran of the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion. In his early years, he followed Lin Tianhao on the northern frontier battlefield and suffered from swords and arrows, which left him with a chronic illness. After retiring, the Marquis arranged for him to live out his days here and take care of this business, which he did not expect to make a profit. It was also a way for him to keep his hopes alive.

When Lin Xuan, under the cover of darkness, knocked on the inconspicuous back door of the general store like a ghost and appeared before Manager Feng, the veteran who had seen countless battles and death, trembled violently in the hand of the oil lamp, the dim yellow light shaking so badly that he almost dropped it in fright.

"Young...Young Master?! Is it really you?!" Manager Feng's cloudy old eyes widened instantly, his voice trembling uncontrollably, a mixture of unbelievable joy, the lingering grief from the devastating news he'd heard earlier that day, and the immense shock of being saved from a desperate situation. He instinctively reached out, as if to touch Lin Xuan to confirm this wasn't a hallucination; his calloused and wrinkled hand trembled incessantly in the air.

"Uncle Feng, it's me." Lin Xuan slipped into the room, quickly and deftly closing the door and bolting it. His voice was surprisingly calm, carrying a steadiness that made Manager Feng feel both unfamiliar and inexplicably at ease, as if overnight, the fledgling eagle that needed the protection of the Marquis's mansion had weathered the storm and grown strong feathers.

By the dim, flickering light, Manager Feng greedily surveyed Lin Xuan's appearance. The young man's face was still somewhat pale from blood loss, and he wore dark, coarse cloth clothes that he had found somewhere, even stained with some dust, making him look somewhat disheveled. But his eyes, those black pupils that inherited the Marquis's features, were now as deep as a bottomless, icy pool, calm and sharp. Gone was the naive and somewhat arrogant innocence of the young master of the Marquis's mansion; instead, they resembled...remarkably, the gaze of the young Marquis when he was strategizing on the battlefield, even deeper and more unfathomable!

"Heaven has eyes! Lord Marquis... Lord Marquis, in your spirit in heaven, please protect the young master so he can escape! Heaven has eyes!" Manager Feng could no longer hold back his tears, which streamed down his deeply lined face. His hunched back was so moved that he was about to kneel down.

Lin Xuan acted first, reaching out to firmly support his frail arm: "Uncle Feng, there's no need for such formalities. You already know about the Marquis's affair. This place is still dangerous; we cannot linger here. We must leave the capital as soon as possible."

Manager Feng was instantly jolted back to reality by the unexpected strength and composure emanating from Lin Xuan's arm, a strength beyond his years. He wiped his face vigorously, his years of experience in the capital's underbelly returning to his usual alertness. He nodded emphatically and lowered his voice, "This old servant understands! This old servant understands! It's a miracle that the young master has escaped; we absolutely cannot allow those wolves to catch a whiff of our tracks again! This old servant will pack up now, and we'll leave immediately!" Having lived in anonymity in the capital for many years, he knew all too well the treacherous and ruthless world behind those high walls.

There wasn't much to pack. Manager Feng quickly packed up the little cash he had in the shop, a few inconspicuous but valuable old items, and some portable dry rations. He took one last look at the general store where he had lived for more than ten years, a hint of reluctance flashing in his eyes, which then turned into resolute determination.

Half an hour later, an inconspicuous old carriage with a green canopy, carrying simple luggage and Lin Xuan and Manager Feng, who were disguised as visiting relatives, quietly drove out of the huge and gloomy West Gate of the capital during the darkest hour before dawn and merged into the sparse traffic on the official road.

Instead of taking the official road to the northern frontier or other bustling cities, they turned south towards a small border town called "Qinglan City." This was a decision Lin Xuan made after analyzing the original owner's memories and listening to Manager Feng's brief introduction to the empire's situation.

Qinglan City is located on the southern border of the dynasty, bordering the Ten Thousand Mountains. Far from the imperial power center, with the emperor far away, it is a melting pot of all sorts of people, and the government's management is relatively lax. This mixed environment makes it easier to hide. More importantly, the city is backed by the continuous "Qinglan Mountains" (a name that coincidentally sounds like a mountain range in the cultivation world, which made Lin Xuan's heart stir). The mountains are not only rich in various medicinal herbs, but the people are also quite fierce, and martial arts are prevalent. This might be beneficial for him to understand the power of this world and find resources.

They traveled in silence, resting by day and sleeping by night. Lin Xuan spent most of his time in the carriage meditating, silently nourishing his projected body with the methods of the "Starry Sky Qi Guiding Chapter," while simultaneously processing information from both realms. Manager Feng, responsible for driving and managing the journey, looked at Lin Xuan with increasing respect. He vaguely sensed that this young master, who had survived a calamity, had undergone a profound transformation; his calm demeanor made him dare not be negligent in the slightest.

Ten days later, the dusty carriage finally arrived in Qinglan City.

This city is far smaller than the capital. Its walls are made of huge bluestones, weathered and mottled, bearing the ruggedness, vicissitudes and wildness unique to the frontier.

The city streets were unexpectedly bustling, lined with shops on both sides, filled with shouts and calls. Everywhere you looked, you could see wandering swordsmen carrying all sorts of weapons, as well as herb gatherers dressed in various styles, exuding a faint scent of medicinal herbs. The air was filled with a unique aroma, a mixture of the fragrance of herbs, the saltiness of sweat, and the faint smell of livestock, noisy yet full of life.

With some of the gold and silver he had brought, Manager Feng purchased an old house with a small courtyard in a relatively quiet alley in the west of the city, where most of the residents were craftsmen or small vendors. The courtyard was not large, with only three main rooms and a kitchen. The walls were peeling, and there was an old locust tree in the courtyard, but its advantage was its secluded location and quiet environment. Once the door was closed, it was a world of its own.

After settling in, Lin Xuan called Manager Feng into his room and solemnly instructed him, "Uncle Feng, in front of outsiders, we are grandfather and grandson who depend on each other for survival. My name is Lin Xuan, you can call me Brother Xuan. We are merchants who fled from the north. Our family has fallen on hard times, and we came here to seek refuge with relatives but were unsuccessful. So we have settled here temporarily for the sake of peace and stability."

"This old servant understands, young master... no, Xuan-ge'er." Manager Feng respectfully replied, looking at Lin Xuan's composure and decisiveness, which were far beyond his years. He felt a mix of sorrow and relief, and an indescribable sense of peace. My lord, if you are watching from heaven, look, young master... he has truly grown up. Perhaps, the bloodline and glory of the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion have not been severed...

In the days that followed, Lin Xuan lived a secluded life, spending most of his time cultivating in his small courtyard, as if he had truly become a down-on-his-luck disciple who had retreated from the world.

The core of his cultivation was naturally the "Starry Qi Guiding Chapter," a secret technique he obtained from the Marquis's mansion. Every night, as starlight fell, he would sit cross-legged under the old locust tree in the courtyard, abandoning all distracting thoughts and immersing himself in the profound visualization. He would draw upon the meager yet highly potent stellar power, refining every inch of his body's bones and meridians with fine, delicate touches, while simultaneously accumulating the unique stellar internal energy within his dantian.

Although progress was slow, like water dripping on a stone, the foundation was incredibly solid. Every bit of growth was as easy as an extension of his arm, completely under his control, without the slightest hint of superficiality.

Occasionally, he would also have Manager Feng, under the pretext of going out to purchase goods or gather information, go to bookstores, the outskirts of martial arts schools, or some scattered stalls in the city to collect some of the most widely circulated and common martial arts manuals in Qinglan City, such as "Raging Bull Strength," "Falling Leaf Sword Technique," "Grass-Walking Flying," and "Five Tigers Breaking the Gate Saber"—basic martial arts techniques. These manuals didn't cost more than a few copper coins on the market and were mostly used by young people who were just starting out in martial arts to lay a foundation, or by some low-level guards and thugs for training.

Manager Feng was initially quite puzzled. With the young master's unfathomable cultivation level (in his eyes, being able to easily deal with the Marquis's assassins must mean he had received the Marquis's true teachings or even had some extraordinary encounters), why would he need these low-class people? But he was almost blindly obedient to Lin Xuan's orders. Although he had doubts in his heart, he still faithfully carried them out, carefully wrapping up the collected manuals and bringing them back each time.

In the stillness of the night, a dim oil lamp cast a yellowish glow in the study.

Seven or eight manuals, their paper rough and their ink varying in shades, lay open before Lin Xuan. His gaze swept calmly over them, and with a slight movement of his divine sense, he imprinted every word, diagram, and energy flow path into his mind, without the slightest error. Then, from the high-dimensional perspective of a cultivator, like a meticulous scholar, he began to dissect and deduce these mundane martial arts techniques with the precision of a skilled butcher dissecting an ox.

"The 'Raging Bull Strength' is a basic technique in the Body Tempering Realm. It uses a specific, stiff posture to shake and circulate the Qi and blood, forcibly stimulating the body's potential to generate a brute force. It is inefficient, puts a heavy burden on the body, and long-term practice can easily leave hidden injuries and damage the foundation. It is truly an inferior method..."

"The Falling Leaf Sword Technique appears to have complex and flashy moves, but in reality it is all show and no substance, with as many as thirteen flaws. Its power generation technique is clumsy, and the flow of true energy is sluggish..."

"The 'Flying on Grass' method, a way to raise qi and lighten the body, has a decent approach to utilizing the main meridians in the legs, but its internal energy conversion efficiency is too low, and it doesn't adequately develop the subtle meridians, resulting in limited speed and difficulty in sustaining it..."

In his eyes, these secret manuals, which ordinary martial artists might regard as the gold standard and study diligently, were full of flaws and unbearable to look at, like a child's scribbles. But his purpose in collecting them was not for cultivation, but to "know not only what it is, but also why it is so".

He wanted to analyze the underlying logic of martial arts in this world, the universal laws governing the flow of internal energy, and the essential connection between the changes in techniques and the application of power. This would be crucial for him to better disguise himself, integrate into the rules of this world more quickly, and even create "Star Martial Arts" based on these rules in the future, which would be more suitable for this projected body and leverage the advantages of stellar internal energy. This was more like a high-level "research."

Through extensive reading and analysis of these fundamental martial arts techniques, his understanding of the martial arts world deepened rapidly, gradually outlining the basic framework of this world's power system. At the same time, he also began to try to simulate and drive these martial arts moves using the pure stellar internal energy within his dantian, verifying his understanding.

He discovered that by using the Starry Sky Internal Force to propel "Flying on Grass" along the improved route, his speed could increase several times over, his figure would become more elusive and agile, and the burden on his body would be minimal, making him lighter and more enduring.

Simulating the power generation method of "Raging Bull Force", the force is no longer a brute force, but a condensed and drill-like force with extremely strong penetrating power, yet without any sense of backlash, making it seem effortless.

This is more like a "dimensional reduction attack," using higher-level energy and more sophisticated control to master lower-level techniques and achieve effects far exceeding their original design.

During this time, he also learned about the distribution of some forces in Qinglan City through Manager Feng's inquiries and observations.

The city is dominated by three major families: the Li family, which controls most of the surrounding medicinal herb business and has intricate relationships with pharmaceutical merchants from all over the country;

The Zhang family operates several iron and copper mines in the vicinity and controls forging resources;

And the Wang family, which owns martial arts schools, has many disciples, and wields considerable influence in the lower echelons of the martial arts world.

All three factions have experts at the late or even peak stage of the Meridian Opening Realm, constantly vying for power and maintaining a superficial balance.

The peaceful day was quietly shattered one afternoon.

While Manager Feng was out purchasing rice, he got into a quarrel with a spoiled brat from the Wang family because of traffic congestion. The brat, named Wang Hu, was used to bullying people in the western part of the city by relying on his family's power. When he saw that Manager Feng, an old man from out of town, dared to talk back to him, he felt he had lost face and his words became increasingly offensive. He even tried to order his guards to beat the old man.

Just then, Lin Xuan needed a common medicinal herb for his cultivation and went out to find Manager Feng. He had just turned the corner when he stumbled upon this incident.

He didn't want to cause trouble and just wanted to keep the peace. But Wang Hu's words were foul, insulting Manager Feng (whom he considered family), and he even tried to hurt him, which crossed his bottom line.

Lin Xuan's eyes turned cold, and he also intended to use this opportunity to establish his authority and avoid being entangled in more senseless troubles in the future.

He didn't use any extraordinary techniques like the Star Finger; he simply moved his feet slightly, seemingly casually, yet subtly mimicking the mysteries of the Star Step. Like a ghost, he entered the battle. In a swaying motion, he dodged a guard's grabbing hand. Then, with a seemingly casual slap and grab, he used the technique he had refined after analyzing the Falling Leaf Sword Technique and several grappling manuals, his fingertips containing a barely perceptible trace of Star Internal Force.

"Snap!"

A sickeningly sharp crack accompanied Wang Hu's pig-like scream. All the onlookers saw was Wang Hu's thick wrist bend at an unnatural angle, his entire body thrown back as if by a tremendous force, staggering more than ten feet before crashing heavily onto the bluestone slab. He writhed on the ground in agony, tears streaming down his face. His body tempering realm guards, who had brought him with them, hadn't even seen how Lin Xuan had made his move; they only saw a blur before their young master was sent flying with a scream, leaving them frozen in shock.

This scene was witnessed by Wang Zhenshan, an elder of the Wang family who happened to be passing by. He was a mid-stage Qi Refining Realm expert with sharp eyes. Although he didn't sense particularly strong internal energy fluctuations from Lin Xuan (due to the different nature of Stellar Internal Energy and Lin Xuan's deliberate concealment), Lin Xuan's unpredictable and natural movement, his effortless and precise control, and his composure in defeating his opponent with a single move were far beyond the capabilities of ordinary martial artists, even those in the Qi Refining Realm! His grasp of timing and control over power were simply astonishing!

"This person... is unfathomable!" Wang Zhenshan's heart was instantly filled with shock. He immediately shouted to stop his own guards who wanted to rush up and entangle him, and quickly stepped forward to apologize to Lin Xuan with his hands clasped, adopting an extremely humble posture.

"I am Wang Zhenshan, the head of the Wang family. The younger generation of my clan has not been properly disciplined and has offended you and this elder. I apologize and hope you will forgive them." Wang Zhenshan's tone was sincere, but his gaze involuntarily scrutinized Lin Xuan, trying to see through the young man's true nature. He only found the other's aura calm and unfathomable. "May I ask your esteemed name and where you reside? I will certainly prepare generous gifts and personally visit you to apologize another day."

Lin Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm and unwavering, as if he had merely brushed away a speck of dust: "Lin Xuan. No need for apologies, just keep your own people in check." After saying this, he said no more, helped the still-shaken yet triumphant Manager Feng, turned and left towards his own courtyard, leaving Wang Zhenshan with an unfathomable back view.

Wang Zhenshan stood there, looking in the direction Lin Xuan had left, his gaze extremely solemn. He immediately sent people to investigate, but the feedback was scarce. All they knew was that the grandfather and grandson were down-on-their-luck merchants from the north who had bought that small courtyard in the west of the city a little over a month ago. They lived a secluded life and had mysterious backgrounds.

Soon, the name "Master Lin" quietly spread throughout the small area of ​​Qinglan City. Everyone said that a mysterious young master had come to the West City. He looked young, but his cultivation was unfathomable. Even Wang Zhenshan, the elder of the Wang family, treated him with great respect and dared not offend him. The young master of the Wang family was even taught a lesson by him with ease, and the Wang family did not dare to utter a word.

Subsequently, the well-informed Li and Zhang families seemed to have sensed something and sent people to deliver visiting cards and gifts that, while not particularly valuable, were enough to show their sincerity (such as some high-quality medicinal herbs and refined iron), with their words implying a desire to test the waters and make friends.

Lin Xuan accepted all gifts without hesitation, allowing Manager Feng to readily accept them, but he politely declined all invitations to visit, maintaining his air of mystery and aloofness. He knew that a suitable distance and a sense of mystery could sometimes be more intimidating than revealing one's full strength.

This act of establishing his authority had a remarkable effect. Not only did it restore the courtyard to its former tranquility, preventing anyone from easily disturbing it, but it also made it easier for him to access higher-level martial arts information through Manager Feng. He even spent some money to obtain a fragmented copy of the Meridian Opening Realm technique, "Cotton Palm Technique," through certain special channels for reference and research, further refining his understanding of the power system of this world.

Standing under the starry sky in the courtyard, Lin Xuan felt the stellar internal energy within his body, which was growing day by day and flowing slowly like a silver stream, as well as his increasingly profound and almost essential understanding of the martial arts of this world.

"The seed has been sown, and the foundation has been initially laid." He looked up at the stars that resembled the cultivation world, and murmured to himself, his deep eyes seemingly reflecting the waves of the future. "Next, we must wait for it to take root and sprout, to absorb the nutrients of this world, and even... to blossom and bear fruit, and give back to itself."

He projected himself into this world not only for temporary refuge and simple cultivation of this body, but also to establish a stable "rear base" and "experimental field" to provide a continuous source of resources, insights, and even fortune for the supreme path of his true cultivation body.

Qinglan City will be the first cornerstone for his rise in this world, where he will stir up storms and change the course of history. And the name "Master Lin" will no longer be confined to this small border town.