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

Inside the treehouse, all was silent except for the long, rhythmic breathing that rose and fell like the tides. Lin Xuan sat cross-legged, his palms facing upwards, his aura merging seamlessly with the cool starlight streaming in from the window, creating a profound and indescribable resonance. The few low-grade spirit stones he clutched in his palms were visibly losing their luster, their pure spiritual energy being devoured like a whale swallowing the sea, ultimately turning into a small clump of dull dust that slipped softly through his fingers.

However, the surging spiritual energy within him originated primarily from the omnipresent, void-crossing power of the stars. Wisps of silver light, as if drawn by an invisible force, fell from the night sky, seeping through the cracks in the treehouse and silently merging into his limbs and bones, ultimately flowing into his dantian.

With cause and effect resolved, his Dao heart became crystal clear, free from all hindrances. At this moment, cultivating the *Star River Qi Refining Technique*, Lin Xuan felt an unprecedented clarity and tranquility in his mind. Every flow and subtle change of spiritual energy within his body was as clear as the lines on his palm. His ability to introspect and guide the circulation of Qi through his body reached a level akin to "microscopic manipulation of divine sense." Within his dantian, the already magnificent silver vortex spun faster and faster, its volume slowly but steadily expanding under the continuous infusion of spiritual energy, already reaching the limit of the fifth level of Qi Refining, brimming with potential.

The invisible bottleneck between the fifth and sixth floors, under the continuous scouring and polishing of such pure, vast and inexhaustible stellar spiritual energy, was already riddled with cracks and on the verge of collapse, as if it was just one last straw away from bursting open.

Lin Xuan's mind was calm and his spirit was clear. He was not anxious at all because he was about to break through the bottleneck, nor did he force the breakthrough. Instead, like an old craftsman whose skills had reached the pinnacle, he patiently guided the increasingly powerful spiritual energy, refining and expanding the space of his dantian and the meridians of his body again and again, striving to polish the foundation before the breakthrough to be flawless and indestructible.

Time slipped away quietly in intense focus. The moon set, the stars faded, the night gradually receded, and a pale dawn appeared on the eastern horizon. The clear chirping of early birds began to rise from the woods.

As the first rays of golden dawn, brimming with vitality, pierced through the layers of leaves like a sharp sword, illuminating Lin Xuan's forehead—

"Buzz!"

A resounding sound, as if from the depths of chaos, resonated within him, a sound that only he could perceive, like the beginning of the universe and the booming of the Dao!

The silver vortex within his dantian, which had expanded to its limit and was almost about to burst through the barrier, suddenly underwent an extreme, illogical collapse! All the spiritual energy, no matter how violently surging, was forcibly compressed into an infinitesimally small singularity at this moment, and then—

Like a supernova explosion!

A more powerful, purer, and sharper stellar spiritual energy, seemingly capable of tearing apart all obstacles, burst forth from the extremely compressed singularity! Instantly, it filled the dantian space, which was nearly twice as large as before! A new, larger, more solid stellar vortex, resonating with the surrounding spiritual energy as it rotated, reformed and floated quietly, emitting pure and brilliant starlight, carrying a restrained majesty.

Upon reaching the sixth level of Qi Refining, everything fell into place naturally, and a sudden enlightenment dawned!

Lin Xuan suddenly opened his eyes. In the deepest part of his eyes, a miniature galaxy vortex seemed to suddenly form and then vanish in an instant. The sharp light that flashed by made the dim treehouse light up. The dust in the air was pushed away by the invisible force, forming a circle of temporary cleanliness.

He exhaled a long, stale breath, incredibly concentrated. Instead of dissipating immediately after leaving his body, it shot out like a white arrow, flying several feet away with a "whoosh," striking precisely a thick patch of dark green moss on the opposite wall. With a soft "poof," the moss instantly turned to dust, revealing the dark wood grain beneath.

Feeling the vast spiritual power within his body, as if some kind of restraint had been released, suddenly surging and roaring, with a total amount and purity far exceeding what it had been before, a solid and powerful sense of confidence, originating from the power itself, arose spontaneously.

"Sixth level of Qi Refining... truly a whole new world!" Lin Xuan carefully experienced the all-encompassing changes brought about by the breakthrough, his heart filled with excitement. "The total amount of spiritual energy has more than doubled, and its purity far surpasses that of ordinary sixth-level Qi Refining cultivators! Although the range of my divine sense has not expanded significantly, the clarity and sensitivity of my perception have improved by at least 30%!"

If the spiritual power at the fifth level of Qi Refining is likened to a surging stream rushing through a mountain ravine, then at this moment, it is a mighty river roaring across a plain! Whether it is the instantaneous explosive power of casting spells, the endurance of continuous combat, the strength of the outward projection of divine sense, or the precision of self-control, all have undergone a qualitative leap!

With a slight thought, he did not cast any specific spell, but simply followed the surging power within him and casually waved his hand forward.

"call--!"

An invisible yet powerful wave of energy suddenly spread out from him, instantly swirling up the dust and dead leaves accumulated inside the treehouse, creating a miniature storm that sent them flying in all directions. The massive ancient tree supporting the treehouse also emitted a teeth-grinding creak, as if it could no longer bear the weight.

"With my current spiritual power, facing that Qi Refining Level 4 servant again, I probably wouldn't even need to use the Star Finger. With sheer overwhelming spiritual power, a single punch would be enough to obliterate his protective aura along with his physical body!" Lin Xuan calmly assessed his leap in strength. "Even against an ordinary Qi Refining Level 7 cultivator, with my pure stellar spiritual power, powerful physique, and divine sense far surpassing others of the same level, I could easily contend with them head-on, and perhaps even... defeat them!"

The breakthrough in cultivation not only brought a surge in combat ability, but also greatly enhanced his survival capital and voice in this perilous cultivation world.

After a moment of excitement, Lin Xuan quickly composed himself and forced himself to calm down. He knew that if he did not have the perfect control to match the power he suddenly gained, it would be like a child wielding a giant hammer, not only unable to harm the enemy, but also very likely to injure himself.

He closed his eyes again, not in a hurry to absorb more spiritual energy to replenish his still somewhat weak cultivation after the breakthrough. Instead, he focused most of his mind on his body and began to circulate the basic cycle of the "Star River Qi Refining Technique" again and again, guiding the surging spiritual energy to familiarize itself with the new circulation path, refining and consolidating his initial sixth-level realm, striving to make every bit of the increased power completely his own.

At the same time, another part of his consciousness sank into the dark silver jade slip containing the "Star River Qi Refining Technique".

Previously, limited by his cultivation level, most of the contents of the jade slip were like looking at flowers through a fog to him. He could only access the most basic Qi-inducing methods and a few rudimentary spells such as "Wind Control Technique" and "Dust Purification Technique" (his previous use of "Star Finger" was more of a self-taught imitation of the use of spiritual power in the form of sword qi, and not orthodox). Now, as he officially stepped into the sixth level of Qi Refining, the deeper contents of the jade slip, which were originally sealed, slowly opened their doors to him like a dusty treasure.

In addition to the cultivation techniques that lead directly to the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, a systematic and powerful attack spell, truly belonging to the core inheritance of the "Star River Qi Refining Technique," was clearly imprinted in his sea of ​​consciousness—

Star Finger!

This was not his previous crude imitation, but a profound finger technique recorded in the "Star River Qi Refining Technique" that truly invoked the Dao of the stars and brought out the characteristics of the stars' spiritual power to the extreme!

This method has no fixed, rigid techniques or routines; rather, it emphasizes a unique method of harnessing power—a "Dao" of extreme compression, condensation, and utilization of stellar spiritual energy. The jade slip records that this method is divided into three realms, each more difficult and terrifying than the last.

The first level, the Finger Aura. Its core lies in "condensation" and "sharpness." It requires a unique mental technique to extremely compress the primordial stellar spiritual energy within the dantian's star vortex, then precisely circulate it through several hidden and vulnerable meridians in the arm, ultimately concentrating this terrifying energy at a single point on the fingertip, forming an indestructible and incomparably sharp starlight finger aura. If this level is mastered, the finger aura can remain condensed and undispersed three zhang (approximately 10 meters) away from the body, its power sufficient to pierce most defensive magical artifacts of the same level.

The second level is Starfall. This realm emphasizes "contraction" and "explosion." The power of the finger beam is no longer fully outward, but extremely inward. The moment it hits the target, the stellar spiritual power contained within it will suddenly erupt at a special frequency, producing a terrifying destructive force like a miniature star reaching the end of its life and collapsing with a bang. It destroys all material structures from the inside out, with terrifying power.

The third level is the Void Penetration. This realm is close to the "Dao". With a single finger, one can grasp the ultimate principles of the birth and death of stars and the transformation of space. It is mysterious and unpredictable, and can ignore a certain degree of spatial obstruction. The finger force reaches the essence directly. It is no longer within the scope of ordinary spells and requires extremely high levels of cultivation and comprehension from the cultivator.

"So that's how it is... What I used before was merely imitation, lacking substance, and I hadn't even touched the true threshold of this first level of 'Finger Beam'..." As he pondered the profound explanations in the jade slip, Lin Xuan felt both awe and an overwhelming surge of excitement. This was the true offensive technique that could perfectly unleash the characteristics of his stellar spiritual power!

He immediately cleared his mind of all distractions and devoted himself entirely to comprehending and cultivating the first level of "Star Finger"—the finger beam.

Its cultivation difficulty was indeed extremely high. The primary hurdle was "compression." Stellar spiritual energy was already known for its purity and condensation, and to compress it further required extremely powerful divine sense for precise control, while also posing a huge test to the strength of the meridians. In his initial attempts, the violent spiritual energy was extremely difficult to tame, and it often collapsed suddenly halfway through compression due to a lack of control, with the recoil causing his arm meridians to throb with pain.

However, Lin Xuan's will had already been tempered to an unyielding rock through countless brushes with death. He was undeterred, failing time and again, summarizing each mistake, and starting over each time. His powerful divine sense played a crucial role at this moment, allowing him to perceive every subtle fluctuation and change in the compression of spiritual energy as clearly as reading the lines on his palm, and to make timely and precise adjustments to avoid damaging his meridians.

After countless failures, when nearly half of the spiritual energy in his dantian was depleted and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead—

A faint, yet remarkably stable, and almost tangible silver light finally shone stubbornly and resolutely from the tips of his index and middle fingers, which were joined together!

This light was not as dazzling as when he imitated sword energy before. Instead, it appeared somewhat restrained and profound. However, the extremely sharp and seemingly all-piercing aura emanating from it made Lin Xuan feel a slight tremor in his heart!

His gaze swept over the wall of the treehouse, which was made of hard ironwood. With a slight thought, he pointed gently at the wall.

"laugh--!"

A soft yet penetrating sound, like a red-hot iron being plunged into ice water, rang out in the silent treehouse.

The solidified starlight at his fingertips detached from his body and transformed into a pale silver thread, almost imperceptible, which instantly disappeared into the hard ironwood wall at a speed beyond visual perception.

There was no loud noise as expected, and no sawdust flying everywhere.

On the wall, only a pitch-black hole, about the thickness of a thumb, with smooth, mirror-like edges, extending inwards and seemingly bottomless, remained! A slender beam of morning light pierced through the other end of the hole, casting a clear pillar of light in the room, within which tiny dust particles floated.

Lin Xuan got up and went behind the wall to check. He saw that the finger beam had not only easily pierced through the ironwood wall, which was about a foot thick, but its residual force had also shot out an identical hole through the trunk of an ancient tree several steps away, a tree that was as thick as a person's embrace!

"What terrifying penetrating power!" Lin Xuan stared at the two almost perfect circular holes, his eyes bursting with undisguised surprise. This was merely a rudimentary grasp of the "finger beam," far from being fully mastered. If he were to cultivate it to perfection, and even have the opportunity to reach the second level of "Starfall" in the future, how terrifying would its power become?

He suppressed his excitement, took out a Spirit Recovery Pill and swallowed it, feeling the medicinal power dissipate and replenish his depleted spiritual energy. Afterward, he once again immersed himself in the repeated practice and familiarization with the "Star Finger," striving to master this powerful offensive technique as soon as possible and make it his true trump card.

His cultivation level broke through, his realm was consolidated, and his offensive techniques were initially mastered.

At this moment, Lin Xuan, having gone through hardships and accumulated experience, has been completely transformed, renewed inside and out, and truly possesses the solid capital to initially establish himself in this cruel world of cultivation, and even to compete with others.

Outside the window, the rising sun over the Qinglan Mountains had fully leaped above the horizon, its golden rays scattering the morning mist and filtering through the gaps in the leaves, creating dappled light and shadow. The light also shone through the new opening in the wall, casting a brilliant glow upon the treehouse. The light illuminated the boy's angular, resolute, and confident face.

His gaze was calm and profound, as if it had pierced through the layers of mountains and mist before him, and was now fixed on the soon-to-be-opened gates of the Qingyun Sect, a gateway to a wider world and infinite possibilities.