Inside the cultivation room, Han Xuan sat cross-legged on the mat, his breathing slow and even.
His mind gradually sank inward.
The familiar system interface surfaced before him.
Previously, amid the chaos of congratulations and invitations, he had received another set of rewards but had not had the chance to examine them carefully.
Now, in the quiet of his cultivation room, he finally had the time.
His gaze landed on the first reward.
[Seven-Star Sealing Pagoda: A spiritual weapon used for imprisonment and sealing. Can only be activated using star-attributed energy.]
"A spiritual weapon?" Han Xuan raised an eyebrow slightly.
Without hesitation, he said, "System, extract."
The moment the command left his lips, space before him rippled faintly.
In the next instant, a pagoda-shaped spiritual weapon materialized out of thin air and hovered silently in midair.
The pagoda stood about a foot tall.
It was constructed of an unknown dark-blue metal, its surface smooth yet ancient, as if it had been tempered by countless years of starlight. Seven distinct layers rose one above another, each layer slightly smaller than the last, forming a perfect, balanced structure.
Faint star-patterned inscriptions were carved along the edges of every tier.
They were not bright, nor dazzling—only thin, subtle lines that glimmered softly, like distant stars embedded in the night sky.
When Han Xuan's spiritual sense touched them, he felt as though those runes were not carved onto the pagoda, but rather suspended within it, constantly shifting and realigning.
At the top of the pagoda floated a tiny, rotating star sigil.
It turned slowly, soundlessly, exuding a calm yet oppressive pressure that made the surrounding spiritual energy instinctively avoid it.
Its aura is not violent, probably bacuse this pagoda was not meant for effensive, but to suppress, imprison, and seal.
"It's a good spiritual weapon," Han Xuan murmured, shaking his head lightly, "Unfortunately, it can only be activated with star energy. That means it was specially designed for Xing'er."
It was a pity, but not a regret.
After all, the more trump cards his son possessed, the safer he would be when heading to Starfall City.
Han Xuan placed the Seven-Star Sealing Pagoda aside.
Baobao's eyes immediately lit up.
The little creature opened its mouth, clearly intending to swallow it whole.
"Don't even think about it," Han Xuan said calmly.
Baobao froze mid-action, then obediently shrank back, looking aggrieved.
Han Xuan planned to give the pagoda to his son directly after fully inspecting all the rewards obtained from the system.
How could he let this greedy little toad swallow it?
After all, once things enter its belly, they would be troublesome to retrive.
He then turned his attention to the second reward.
[Soul-Star Binding Method: A method for refining a natal spiritual weapon. By using a wisp of soul, blood essence, or star energy, the cultivator binds a spiritual weapon to themselves. Once bound, the spiritual weapon becomes a natal weapon and will grow alongside the cultivator. As the cultivator's realm rises, the weapon's power and abilities can also improve.]
"Natal spiritual weapon refinement method?" Han Xuan's eyes widened in genuine surprise.
He had heard of such methods before.
Unlike ordinary spiritual weapons, which could be replaced, traded, or discarded at will, a natal spiritual weapon was fundamentally different. It was no longer merely an external object, but an extension of the cultivator's very existence.
Such methods were tightly monopolized by major sects. Even great families like the Chen, Lu, and Zhao Families did not possess them.
Yet now… he had obtained one.
Without the slightest hesitation, Han Xuan gave the order, "Extract!"
In the next moment, a faint flash of light appeared before him.
A jade slip materialized in midair and gently fell into his palm. It was cool to the touch, with faint star patterns drifting beneath its surface like a miniature night sky.
Han Xuan injected a trace of spiritual sense into it.
Instantly, vast streams of refined and profound cultivation knowledge surged into his mind.
After a long moment, Han Xuan slowly exhaled and muttered, "Truly an extraordinary method…"
It perfectly aligned with what he already knew.
A natal spiritual weapon refinement method was a technique that bound a spiritual weapon to a cultivator's very life.
From that moment on, the weapon and cultivator would rise and fall together.
Naturally, the risks were immense. If the natal spiritual weapon were damaged, the cultivator would suffer backlash. If it were destroyed, the consequences would be severe—potentially crippling their foundation.
However, the benefits were just as astonishing.
First, a natal spiritual weapon could be stored and nurtured within the cultivator's dantian or sea of consciousness.
Second, it would respond instantly to the cultivator's will, requiring no delay or activation.
Third, it possessed limitless growth potential, as long as sufficient resources and opportunities were provided.
Lastly and most importantly, it possessed a level of compatibility far beyond that of ordinary spiritual weapons.
Han Xuan frowned.
According to the contents of the jade slip, an ordinary cultivator could refine only one natal spiritual weapon in their lifetime. However, the creator of this method had discovered a way to refine up to three.
The key lies in using different carriers for the binding.
The first relied on a wisp of the cultivator's soul.
The second used blood essence.
The third required star energy.
The first two methods were relatively straightforward. The third, however, was far more demanding.
Star energy was not something cultivators could naturally generate. At best, they could rely on star-attributed cultivation techniques, possess a star-attributed spiritual body, or use rare treasures capable of producing star energy.
Even then, this method required star energy generated from the cultivator's own body, not borrowed from external sources.
For most people, this requirement alone would be insurmountable.
Han Xuan, however, was not entirely without a solution.
He possessed the Seven Star Sword Art, which is practiced by his son, Han Qixing.
The real difficulty, therefore, was not the lack of star-attributed techniques but how he himself could comprehend and cultivate it.
Although non–star-attributed cultivators could attempt to practice the Seven Star Sword Art, their progress would be painfully slow. In many cases, they might never grasp its essence at all.
After all, cultivating a technique depended not only on diligence but also on talent and compatibility.
At this moment, Han Xuan's eyes flickered.
He suddenly remembered something.
He still possessed a Minor Enlightenment Chance from the system's previous rewards.
Originally, he had planned to use it to study talisman arts.
But now…
"It would be better to use it to comprehend the Seven Star Sword Art," Han Xuan murmured.
If he could force open a path of understanding through enlightenment, then generating star energy would no longer be impossible.
And once that step was taken, he would have no problem refining three natal spiritual weapons according to the Soul-Star Binding Method.
However, Han Xuan was not in a hurry.
At present, he still lacked a truly suitable spiritual weapon to serve as his natal one.
Although he possessed the Ice Soul Needles, he felt that they had not yet reached the level required to become a natal spiritual weapon. Forcing the binding now would only limit their future potential.
It would be better to wait until he obtained a more appropriate weapon.
Moreover, the jade slip clearly stated that cultivating the Soul-Star Binding Method required a supplementary material known as the Star Soul Stone. Without it, the refinement could not be completed.
Yet in all his years of frequenting Blueleaf Market, Han Xuan had never once heard of such a material.
This meant only one thing.
Such an item was likely far beyond the reach of a small town.
"Perhaps only a place like Starfall City would have it…" Han Xuan muttered softly.
His gaze grew distant.
Starfall City…
For now, Han Xuan had no intention of heading there himself.
But he had already made arrangements a month ago with Gu Jiuye.
Gu Jiuye had departed for Starfall City a full month earlier, his primary goal clear: seeking a chance to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
For Qi Refining cultivators, advancing to Foundation Establishment required one crucial resource—Foundation Pills.
Yet in a small place like Blueleaf Market, Foundation Pills were exceedingly rare. They appeared only once every few years, and only during the grand auctions held by the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
Even then, those pills almost always ended up in the hands of the Three Great Families.
As for smaller families and casual cultivators?
If they wished to obtain such pills, they had only one option—go to a larger market or a major city.
That was precisely why Gu Jiuye was willing to venture to Starfall City.
According to the information he had gathered, a large-scale auction would be held there three months from now—right around the time the main event of the Hundred Sects Recruitment took place.
His second purpose for going early was equally important.
To gather intelligence on the Hundred Sects Recruitment for Han Xuan.
It seemed Gu Jiuye was extremely confident in Han Qixing's potential.
So much so that he was willing to go to great lengths, arriving months in advance, just to scout the situation in Starfall City and pave the way for the boy.
Han Xuan let out a soft breath and muttered, "I wonder how Brother Gu is faring now…"
Given the distance, Gu Jiuye would likely need another two months before reaching Starfall City.
"I just hope he can arrive safely," Han Xuan sighed.