The ancient Fuxi, observing things afar and things nearby, taking Heaven and Earth as his model, thus created the Bagua! Modeling the Dao through principle, achieving the rank of Human Sovereign!
Though I am talentless, I enter the Dao through martial arts, emulating the Human Sovereign! Drawing methods from the Nine Heavens, mirroring the changes of the bright stars, I forge a school of my own! This is the Nine Heavens Star River!
The Nine Heavens refer to the nine strata of the firmament! One is the Central Heaven, two the Exalted Heaven, three the Conforming Heaven, four the Changing Heaven, five the Serene Heaven, six the Vast Heaven, seven the Complete Heaven, eight the Deep Heaven, and nine the Accomplished Heaven!
Star River! The vast galaxy across the vault of the heavens! Hanging overhead at night, densely populated with stellar bodies—this is the Star River!
The Nine Heavens Star River draws its inspiration from Nature! Above the Nine Heavens! The celestial galaxy, day and night stars! The transformations of Qian and Kun! Limitless and infinite, ceaselessly generating! The vault of heaven is supreme, the Star River is manifold, shifting thousands of times—this is the essence of all methods! It is also the very marrow of swordsmanship!
The Nine Heavens Star River models itself after the Nine Heavens of the firmament, manifesting as the Star River, and is divided into Nine Forms!
The First Form: Stars Fall from the Nine Heavens The Second Form: Chaotic Stones Nebula The Third Form: Moon Shatters, Stars Sink The Fourth Form: Blood Sun Crimson Sky The Fifth Form: A Single Cold Star The Sixth Form: Stars Shift and Move The Seventh Form: Seven Stars Shine Together The Eighth Form: Heavenly Fiend Lone Star The Ninth Form: Star River Infinite
Those who wish to cultivate the Nine Heavens must simultaneously practice my other two supreme skills: Nine Dragons Body Protection and Dragon Shadow Swordplay. Only by cultivating all three can true mastery be achieved! Be warned: The Nine Heavens Star River Sword possesses boundless might, yet if handled carelessly, it is extremely easy to suffer Qi deviation and fall into madness! Its danger is unparalleled! To practice this sword art requires understanding the natural way of the Dao and the profound mysteries of universal principles. Alas, on the continent of Mafa, no one recognizes the vastness of my Huaxia civilization. Woe is me! Though I created this technique, I have no opportunity to pass it down to later generations, leaving it recorded only here, awaiting those who come after! May those destined to find this in later ages cherish it and practice it with caution; never use this skill for evil, lest you incur heavenly retribution! Absolutely heed this warning!
Sprawled out was a large expanse, all written in archaic, terse, and profound Classical Chinese. Fortunately, I still had some foundation in Chinese from modern times, so after careful deliberation, I finally managed to comprehend it! It turned out that this Nine Heavens Star River Sword Art was actually a peerless sword technique created by the first generation Dragon Shadow based on the phenomena of the starry night sky!
Ancient Chinese valued entering the Dao; one could enter the Dao through any means. The ancient sage Fuxi, drawing inspiration from the Great Natural World with his transcendent wisdom, finally achieved enlightenment and became a Human Sovereign! And this first-generation Dragon Shadow had no small ambition, actually attempting to enter the Dao through martial arts! Although I don't know if he ultimately attained enlightenment, this Nine Heavens Star River Sword Art was perfectly preserved by him!
This blue booklet not only contained vivid illustrations but also marked detailed textual annotations; practicing according to the diagrams and text would not make it difficult to master. [First Release Speed First Release]
It could be said that this booklet was the very essence of the first-generation Dragon Shadow’s lifelong martial arts. Besides the Nine Heavens Star River Sword Art, it also recorded the cultivation methods for the Nine Dragons Body Protection. Compared to the secret manual I previously obtained from Mò Huī, this one was clearly recorded in much greater detail.
Furthermore, the Dragon Shadow Swordplay and the Dragon Shadow Heart Technique were also completely recorded within! It was evident that this book was likely written during the first-generation Dragon Shadow’s later years!
From this book, for the first time, I learned what the nine moves of the Nine Heavens Star River Sword Art were, and I also learned that to cultivate the Nine Heavens Star River Sword Art, one absolutely must simultaneously cultivate the Nine Dragons Body Protection and the Dragon Shadow Swordplay! Coincidentally, I had already mastered more than half of both these other techniques! It truly seemed as if everything was predetermined by fate! This Nine Heavens Star River Sword Art of the first-generation Dragon Shadow was simply tailored specifically for me!
And through my narration, Jiàn Lí had also gained a general understanding of the contents recorded in the book! “I never imagined the conditions for cultivating this sword art would be so stringent. No wonder our ancestor chose to bury it rather than risk passing it down to later generations,” Jiàn Lí sighed deeply, filled with emotion. “It seems all of this was destined.”
“…” I didn’t know what to say either, just staring blankly at Master Jiàn Lí. His mood must be incredibly complex right now. A peerless sword art was right before his eyes, yet he couldn't cultivate it. If it were me, I’d probably be so frustrated I’d smash my head against a wall by now!
“Since you can understand it,” Jiàn Lí said with a grave expression, “I will leave this sword manual to you. I only hope that after you comprehend it, you can translate a copy and give it to me.”
“Your disciple understands,” I replied quickly.
“I won’t disturb your rest,” Jiàn Lí said, rising. “Take care of yourself.”
I was left alone in the room! At that moment, I used my only two functional hands to continue flipping through the booklet in my grasp! I had already mastered four moves of the Nine Heavens Star River! Because of this, I was desperately eager to understand the cultivation method for the fifth move! According to the book’s description, to cultivate the inner strength technique of “A Single Cold Star” from the Nine Dragons Body Protection, one must reach the Fifth Layer. Simultaneously, the Dragon Shadow Heart Technique must also reach the Fifth Layer’s Dragon Manifestation, and one must be able to effortlessly control at least five Dragon Shadows before successful cultivation is possible! This stumped me!
I had long since perfected the Fifth Layer of the Nine Dragons Body Protection, and controlling five Dragon Shadows was also no problem. But the sole difficulty lay in the Dragon Shadow Heart Technique! One must remember that Dragon Manifestation is an ultimate skill qualified only for the successive masters of the Dragon Shadow Manor. Even though I had joined the Dragon Shadow Manor for so many years, my Master had yet to teach me the Dragon Manifestation Heart Technique! However, realizing that the book also recorded the cultivation method for Dragon Manifestation brought me great relief. Since Master allowed me to decipher the contents of this book on my own, he likely wouldn't object to me cultivating the Dragon Manifestation Heart Technique! With this thought, I turned to the section in the Dragon Shadow Swordplay concerning Dragon Manifestation cultivation!
The so-called Dragon Manifestation referred to the meaning of condensing Battle Qi and transmitting it beyond an object! It was only at this point that I finally understood what kind of existence the Dragon Shadow truly was! Not gold, not silver, not iron—it is condensed human essence and spirit, possessing form without substance! When gathered, it forms an image; when dispersed, it becomes a shadow—this is the Dragon Shadow! I could roughly grasp the meaning of this passage, but interpreting it through the lens of physics proved impossible! However, at this moment, I didn't want to expend much mental energy trying to fathom the true nature of the Dragon Shadow! All I needed to know was that the Dragon Shadow could change as the will desired, and external forces could not destroy it! That was enough. Perhaps the Dragon Shadow could be destroyed, but at least currently, I hadn't discovered any means to ruin this peculiar Dragon Shadow! Of course, even if a Dragon Shadow were destroyed, a new one could be generated through the Dragon Manifestation Heart Technique! It truly had to be said that this Dragon Shadow was an incredibly monstrous thing!
And the so-called Dragon Manifestation was actually the channeling of special Battle Qi through unique circulation patterns to generate special Battle Qi energy, which was then focused upon an object—this was the source of the Dragon Shadow! Although the principle wasn't complex, the circulation pathways for the Battle Qi were exceedingly intricate! Moreover, the Battle Qi circulation pathways didn't start at one point and end at another; rather, nine separate Battle Qi circulation lines had to operate simultaneously, winding and turning mid-journey. A single misstep could very likely lead to disaster! During the cultivation of the Nine Dragons Body Protection, I had already adapted to the mode of running multiple circulation lines concurrently! Although this Dragon Manifestation was complex, it wouldn't defeat me. [First Release First Release Speed First Release]
However, all of this had to wait until my injuries had healed before I could begin! In the blink of an eye, it was early December! And my injuries had mostly healed! I could now move slightly!
Meanwhile, good news arrived from Jì Dū, Lóng Xīn, and Xiáng Tiān Suí Yún! Following the opening of the Heavenly Gate, they had successfully entered the Sacred Domain of Heaven! The so-called Heavenly Gate referred to the ancient ruins located in the heartland of the Ice Throne! It was said to be a massive city left over from the ancient era, astonishing in its sheer scale! And centered around these ruins, the area spanning five hundred li was known as the Heavenly Gate Zone! On the first day of every month, when the moon disappeared, the Heavenly Gate would exhibit a peculiar magical reaction. The entire Heavenly Gate would be enveloped in a strange spatial magic, and countless passages leading to the Sacred Domain of Heaven would appear—this was the legendary opening of the Heavenly Gate!
According to Chì Háo’s explanation, this was a strange phenomenon of spatial overlapping! That is, the Sacred Domain of Heaven and the Ice Throne overlapped at that specific moment! As long as one was within the Heavenly Gate Zone, one could enter the Sacred Domain of Heaven by following these passages! It was hard to imagine what kind of magical scene that would be! But regretfully, I missed the chance to witness it due to my injuries! I was equally worried about the predicament Jì Dū and the others were currently in! There was news indicating that at the very moment they entered the Sacred Domain of Heaven, Yuè Chè Ào Fēi and the others had also taken advantage of the Heavenly Gate’s opening to enter! Reportedly, terrifying masters of the same caliber as Bīng Chí, Fèng Xiāo and Yōu Quán, had entered with them! This news left me even more restless!