Chapter 300 – Universe Will, Natal Star Diagram, A Hundred Times Harder!

Lu Yuan had obtained the first three stages of the [Origin Heart Sutra] ten days ago.

Yuwen Tong was as “generous” as ever.

But this so-called Extraterrestrial Martial Arts, once he actually began cultivation, presented effects that were completely different from what Lu Yuan had anticipated.

The principle of the [Origin Heart Sutra] is actually very simple.

It involves using one’s own will to communicate with the universe will, thereby drawing cosmic energy into the body to achieve the purpose of tempering the body.

During this process, the potential treasures of the human body will be thoroughly unlocked, and the consciousness and state of life can undergo infinite evolution.

“The primary objective in cultivating Extraterrestrial Martial Arts is to communicate with the will of the starry sky and resonate with it, thereby qualifying to sense the ubiquitous cosmic energy…”

In this step, the mental will, that is, the power of the mind, is particularly important.

It is the key to whether one can get started.

The word “Heart” in the [Origin Heart Sutra] likely derives from this.

The [Origin Heart Sutra] records a total of twelve moves to accompany this stage of cultivation.

Each of the twelve moves is more bizarre and twisted than the last, many even defying the structure of the human body, something a normal person could never perform.

“Even a martial artist with a certain foundation would break bones and tear muscles attempting the fifth move… by the sixth move their internal organs would hemorrhage.

Failing to complete the eighth move could result in death…”

“The difficulty of the very first step before even getting started is so great, it’s no wonder the death rate of cultivating Extraterrestrial Martial Arts is so high.”

Of course, this step was nothing to Lu Yuan, who was already a Grandmaster in martial arts, having long reached a level of mastery over his body that allowed him to control it at will.

Lu Yuan stood calmly in the center of the open space, performing the twelve introductory moves recorded in the [Origin Heart Sutra] one by one.

During this process, he felt his mind gradually becoming clear, and his body’s functions seemed to start slowing down.

It had to be said, this was quite marvelous.

Given Lu Yuan’s current strength, there are very few cultivation techniques that can affect his body.

It’s truly incredible that twelve moves, similar to pure martial artist “stance techniques,” can achieve this effect.

After completing all twelve moves, Lu Yuan stopped.

At this moment, the blood sphere in his chest almost completely ceased spinning, his entire body’s blood and energy stagnated, the white light of his Five Viscera was faint, and his heart came to a stop…

It seemed as if everything had come to a halt, with only a golden light representing his mental power in his mind shining to the extreme.

At this moment, Lu Yuan felt as though he had completely freed himself from the constraints of his flesh.

His entire being floated upward quickly, like light, mist, and smoke, spreading outwards.

Countless scenes flashed before his eyes, but he couldn’t accurately capture any of them.

Soon, Lu Yuan seemed to arrive at the Starry Sky.

Before him appeared a vast sea of stars, with countless stars twinkling in the starry sea, the scene both breathtaking and beautiful.

This signified the successful communication with the universe will.

Lu Yuan felt no waves in his heart; this was evidently not his first time reaching this step.

As described in the [Origin Heart Sutra], generally speaking, once one successfully senses the Starry Sky’s universe will, a danger will appear.

Ordinary people, upon first contact with the universe will, are easily lost within the vastness and boundlessness before them.

Their consciousness becomes completely assimilated by the universe will, losing their qualification to exist as an independent entity.

Externally, this manifests as the practitioner’s consciousness suddenly being erased, turning them into a vegetative state from which they can never awaken.

This is what Xiao Rui had mentioned to him earlier-death that no amount of consciousness upload can revive.

If the first twelve introductory moves at least weed out half of those attempting to cultivate Starry Sky martial arts,

Then by reaching this step, another half will die.

The elimination and death rate reaches seventy-five percent.

Next up is the third step.

“Awaken the star diagram and open up your first star acupoint within your body…”

Lu Yuan recalled the description in the [Origin Heart Sutra].

Sensing the universe will and not being assimilated by it, the next moment would truly determine one’s fate.

According to the description in the [Origin Heart Sutra], everyone in the universe is a unique, independent individual.

There are no two completely identical people in the universe, just as it’s impossible to find two identical leaves in a forest.

Everyone has their own natal star diagram.

To step into the realm of Starry Sky martial arts, the first thing one must do is awaken their natal star diagram and then illuminate the stars on the diagram one by one.

Lu Yuan was extremely shocked when he first read this description.

Just the concept alone is already fantastical, beyond imagination, and undeniably surpasses pure martial arts by an unknown margin.

No wonder Starry Sky martial arts can break through limitations and initiate the grand wave of infinite life evolution.

This step has little risk.

It is merely a selection based on innate conditions.

It’s similar to many fantasy cultivation novels Lu Yuan had read in his previous life.

Before the protagonist practices cultivation, their “spiritual root” would be tested.

Without a “spiritual root,” one does not have the qualifications for cultivation.

The natal star diagram is equivalent to the “spiritual root” for those practicing Starry Sky martial arts.

This round eliminates roughly another half of the people.

Fortunately, Lu Yuan also successfully passed this step.

He smoothly awakened his “natal star diagram.”

Lu Yuan’s consciousness merged into the vast sea of stars before him, quickly lighting up seven stars in the starry sea.

The seven stars formed a shape resembling a ladle, which looked somewhat like the Big Dipper he remembered from his previous life.

Since the natal star diagram serves as a standard for qualification, naturally, it varies in quality and quantity.

The [Origin Heart Sutra] documents dozens of shapes of natal star diagrams; Lu Yuan did not find one similar to his, but according to the [Origin Heart Sutra], the quality and value of the natal star diagram are usually judged by the number of stars composing the diagram.

Each star represents a star acupoint that a practitioner needs to develop within their body.

Star acupoints are the “warehouses” for capturing and containing cosmic energy. The more star acupoints, the stronger the foundation, and naturally, the greater the strength.

A natal star diagram with seven stars is neither very poor nor very good.

It is roughly in the lower-medium range.

Generally speaking, a natal star diagram with more than ten stars is considered relatively good.

Of course, there are even more extreme cases where the first star diagram includes dozens of stars.

Seven stars compared to several dozen… indeed feels somewhat lackluster.

But before Lu Yuan could wallow in disappointment and frustration over his “underachiever” status, the real challenge arrived on the battlefield.

“Opening the star acupoint.”

Lu Yuan focused his consciousness on the star diagram formed by the seven stars before him, selecting the lowest star as the position for his first star acupoint.

Following the description in the [Origin Heart Sutra], Lu Yuan began to mobilize his mental will.

In an instant, it felt as if countless torrents were pouring into him from all directions.

This was the so-called cosmic energy!

It was at this step that Lu Yuan finally understood the mysterious energy drawn in by the whirlpool formed around the Platinum Dharma Form when he summoned the Grandmaster Form.

Initially, he was somewhat pleased, thinking there was a connection between pure martial arts and Starry Sky martial arts.

But the next second…

Brutal reality hit him hard!

“Buzz-“

With a large influx of cosmic energy into Lu Yuan’s body, a faint glow emerged all over him.

The torrent of cosmic energy began to converge towards a particular location within Lu Yuan’s body, intending to open his first star acupoint in the natal star diagram.

However.

At this moment, the blood sphere in Lu Yuan’s chest began to tremble violently.

His body buzzed, as if the previously perfect cycle was on the verge of collapse.

As more cosmic energy poured in, the glow at the star acupoint position intensified, and the blood sphere in Lu Yuan’s chest became increasingly unstable, showing signs of imminent disintegration.

The blood sphere, being the core maintaining the circulation of blood and energy within Lu Yuan’s body, began to collapse, causing his entire system to spiral out of control.

Blood energy reversed, muscles tore, bones cracked, and the Five Viscera shifted out of place…

“Plop!”

Lu Yuan abruptly opened his eyes, the glow covering his body dissipated instantly, and a mouthful of bright red blood spurted from his mouth.

Lu Yuan’s face showed a mix of resignation and complexity as he slowly wiped the blood trickling down the corner of his mouth, muttering softly, “It’s still not working…”

During this period, Lu Yuan had tried countless times.

But every time he attempted to open the star acupoint, he encountered insurmountable resistance.

Lu Yuan used the [Grandmaster Meditation Battle] to forcibly push through his training within his Consciousness Space.

The result was always the same: the blood sphere would completely collapse, and he would die as his body exploded under the out-of-control cosmic energy.

Even if he forced himself into the [demon] state, the outcome was still the same.

If he continued… he would die!

“From the current perspective, the path of the pure martial Grandmaster and the Starry Sky martial arts are completely incompatible…”

Lu Yuan’s expression was complex, a bitter look flashing across his face.

After advancing to the Grandmaster Realm through the pure martial route, his life form changed, and a perfect cycle formed within his body.

To open a star acupoint inside his body, the first step would be to break this cycle.

This is why, back in Penglai, Xiao Rui had told him that if a pure martial Grandmaster tries to practice Starry Sky martial arts, the death would be even more miserable than for an ordinary person.

After advancing to the Grandmaster Realm, it is almost impossible to have another chance to practice Starry Sky martial arts because the mortality rate is nearly 100%.

These were words Xiao Rui had heard from Yuwen Tong.

But it was also Yuwen Tong’s idea for Lu Yuan to first break through to the Grandmaster Realm and then practice Starry Sky martial arts.

Initially, Lu Yuan was puzzled as to why Yuwen Tong would “harm” him.

It was only after inquiring with Yuwen Tong that he learned-

[After a pure martial artist advances to the Grandmaster Realm, switching to practice Starry Sky martial arts indeed becomes at least ten times more challenging.

However… once successful, the star acupoints you open will be ten times more powerful than those of an ordinary person.

The universe will is always fair: the more you give, the more you can gain in return. This kind of grand foundation opportunity comes only once in a lifetime; miss it, and you will remain mediocre forever.]

This was Yuwen Tong’s exact reply.

After seeing her response, Lu Yuan asked her if there were any successful examples.

Yuwen Tong replied that there were.

Curious, Lu Yuan asked who these remarkable individuals were.

In the end, Yuwen Tong replied nonchalantly-[I am.]

Only then did Lu Yuan realize that Lord Tong herself had once practiced pure martial arts to the Grandmaster level before switching to Starry Sky martial arts.

No wonder Yuwen Tong was so certain about this; she had gone through it herself.

And it made sense that Yuwen Tong purposely waited until he had broken through to the Grandmaster level before giving him the [Origin Heart Sutra], genuinely looking out for his best interests.

Lu Yuan was overwhelmed with a mix of emotions-he felt “honored” by Lord Tong’s meticulous care and the great expectations she had placed on him.

But on the other hand, he felt utterly helpless.

Damn it.

Even Lord Tong couldn’t have foreseen…

He didn’t just ascend to an ordinary pure martial Grandmaster level; he had reached the extraordinary Grandmaster realm.

If the difficulty for a typical pure martial Grandmaster to switch to Starry Sky martial arts was ten times greater than that for an ordinary person, then for him…

It would be a hundred times harder!

If not more!