Returning to the Jinshan Dao Academy, Xu Jin first prepared a letter.
The letter stated that he had met a master of Star Art who appreciated him and would take him to the Star Palace mountain gate for secluded cultivation; he would return only after mastering it, with no time limit, and they should not worry or wait for him.
Having spent several months with Xu Dajiang and Sister Jiang'er, Xu Jin was afraid that his sudden disappearance would make them too sad, so he left a letter.
At the same time, he tidied up his belongings, including the remaining five qian of silver, wrapping them up and placing them under the bedding.
He planned to go out after lunch to set up an altar for Star Pointing.
The Stars are bright at night, which is a good time for evening cultivation lessons and the best time for Star Pointing.
The key is minimal disturbance.
As for the location for Star Pointing, he had already decided.
The Jinshan Dao Academy has two meals a day; a quarter past You Shi (5:15 PM) is dinner time, which is also the most relaxed and lively time for the youths participating in this Star Gathering Season.
Because the dinner time is the most relaxed, lasting for half an hour, it is a time for the youths to gather and chat.
Of course, there are also groups.
But these groups have hierarchical divisions.
Just like eating in his previous life, there was a table for leaders and several tables for employees.
The food was also different.
For the youths who had successfully achieved Star Pointing in this Star Gathering Season, there was a separate food stall. Their dinner was stir-fried mixed vegetables with meat, black steamed buns, and it was all you can eat.
Those who had not successfully achieved Star Pointing gathered together and ate mixed vegetable porridge.
There was also a unique case.
That was the Genius youth Yue Daqi, who had successfully achieved Star Pointing within two days among the youths in this Star Gathering Season.
It is said that after the spring Star Gathering Season ends, Yue Daqi will be directly admitted into the Inner Courtyard of the Jinshan Dao Academy, and in the future, he might even enter the Star Hall.
But what the youths were most envious of was the large bowl of braised meat and half a chicken in front of him!
Xu Jin was naturally in the group that had not successfully achieved Star Pointing.
In the group that had not successfully achieved Star Pointing, there were also hierarchical distinctions. Youths like Xu Jin, who had no hope of achieving Star Pointing, were all silently slurping their mixed vegetable porridge.
"I have a feeling, within three days, at most three days, I'll be able to achieve Star Pointing," the youth Sha Youtian said, stepping one foot on the chair, spitting everywhere while looking enviously at the food of the group who had successfully achieved Star Pointing.
"I also have that feeling the Instructors mentioned; within these two or three days, I should be able to achieve Star Pointing," the youth Liu Ji said with a humble expression, but his face showed a hint of smugness.
Hearing this, the youths who had not achieved Star Pointing and were quick-witted immediately offered congratulations. Some shrewd ones even paid respects to their future 'big brothers' in advance, asking for care after they succeeded in Star Pointing. Other youths also followed suit, creating a lively atmosphere.
Xu Jin, however, silently held his rice bowl and moved away slightly. The spit was flying...
"So noisy!"
"None of you have succeeded in Star Pointing yet, what are you shouting about?
Are you going to let people eat?"
A youth from the group who had successfully achieved Star Pointing, perhaps annoyed by the noise from this side, suddenly slapped the table and jumped up.
The excited youths who had not successfully achieved Star Pointing all craned their necks and looked over, feeling somewhat defiant.
Besides, youthful passion is not fake.
"What are you staring at? Are you unhappy?"
That youth pointed his finger and cursed angrily again, and even the youths who had successfully achieved Star Pointing looked over.
A sense of oppression washed over them.
Sha Youtian, Liu Ji, and other youths who had not successfully achieved Star Pointing immediately backed down.
Xu Jin, however, sighed inwardly. He recognized the cursing youth; his name was Luo Geng. Just over twenty days ago, he was still eating together with them, but now...
Star Pointing!
It is the qualification for advancement for the youths in this world.
It is comparable to taking the civil service exam in his previous life.
Star Pointing is the term used in this world for entering the path of cultivation.
Xu Jin had only understood this world for less than three months, but he was certain it was not the internal/external cultivation system of strengthening tendons and bones from the inside out that he was familiar with in his previous life.
Cultivation is possible in this world, but the method of cultivation is surprisingly the absorption of the ubiquitous Starlight between heaven and earth, also known as the radiance of the Stars.
But this Starlight cannot be absorbed into the body just like that.
Before entering the path, which is before successfully achieving Star Pointing, two major elements are required.
One is Cultivation Technique, and the other is Star Mark.
The Cultivation Techniques are actually simple: Canxia Style for morning lessons and Glory Drinking Style for evening lessons. Xu Jin's Old Dad knew about them. The key is the Star Mark.
Only Star Art masters who have achieved cultivation success can help others imprint Star Marks.
After imprinting the Star Mark, one can absorb the ubiquitous radiance of the Stars through the Canxia Style and Glory Drinking Style.
The first time imprinting the Star Mark requires fifty taels of silver. It is said to be a welfare price from the Jinshan Dao Academy.
The imprinted Star Mark can last on the chest for three months. If within three months, this Star Mark is completely illuminated and solidified, it is considered entering the path, which means successfully achieving Star Pointing.
If Star Pointing is not successful within three months, the Star Mark will completely dissipate.
Without a Star Mark, no matter how one circulates the Canxia Style and Glory Drinking Style, it is useless.
Successfully achieving Star Pointing within three months is considered having cultivation talent; conversely, one does not.
The Jinshan Dao Academy organizes two Star Gathering Seasons each year, in spring and autumn.
Anyone between the ages of fifteen and thirty, as long as they pay silver, can have a Star Mark imprinted and begin attempting Star Pointing.
Xu Jin was not yet eighteen years old. He was sent here by his father, Xu Dajiang, paid the silver, and entered this spring Star Gathering Season.
If Star Pointing is successful, he will be absorbed into the Dao Academy, with a promising future. If Star Pointing fails, he can only return home.
Xu Dajiang broke the family's pots and sold iron to send Xu Jin here for Star Pointing, not entirely for the future. It is said that a famous doctor said Xu Jin's illness was congenital, a heart disease from the womb, and medicine was ineffective. If he succeeded in Star Pointing and embarked on the path of cultivation, there was a possibility of healing.
If not, he might not live past eighteen.
The day Xu Jin transmigrated, there were ninety days left until the previous body's eighteenth birthday.
This was one of the reasons Xu Jin was particularly nervous.
The previous body's illness could really kill someone.
The previous body was already dead, so if he, the newcomer, could not succeed in Star Pointing, he might not be far from death either. In fact, he had personally experienced falling ill and being close to death several times already.
It was very scary.
He truly felt close to death.
Counting it, eighty-three days of the three months (ninety days) had already passed, leaving the last seven days.
Either succeed in Star Pointing, or try to transmigrate back!
But judging from Xu Jin's current situation, it was basically impossible for this body to succeed in Star Pointing due to congenital reasons.
In fact, in Xu Jin's memory, on the first day of the Star Gathering Season during the evening lesson, his body had already experienced the feeling of Starlight filling the Star Mark, as described by Instructor Ning.
The talent should not be bad.
But just as that feeling appeared, symptoms of illness emerged: blue lips, profuse sweating, and trembling hands.
He failed.
Later, Xu Jin also thought carefully, wanting to use long-term cultivation of the Canxia Style and Glory Drinking Style to fill the Star Mark, thereby increasing the body's tolerance and succeeding in Star Pointing.
He would attempt Star Pointing every twenty days or so.
But each time, he would fall ill and be close to death.
This morning's effort was actually Xu Jin's last attempt.
But he still fell ill.
He didn't want to die!
***
After the meal, Xu Jin asked a youth he was familiar with to help him ask for leave, and he placed the letter and package he left for Xu Dajiang and the others.
He bathed in cold water to purify himself, changed into another clean set of clothes that Xiao Jiang'er had brought him today, thus completing the simple purification procedure before the ritual.
Xu Jin left the Dao Academy just as it was getting dark.
The Jinshan Dao Academy had quite a few people, and as long as one had a waist token, entry and exit were not prohibited.
On the way, Xu Jin used the copper coins he had set aside to buy three kinds of fruits, which served as offerings.
Sincerity was enough.
Xu Jin couldn't afford more formal offerings of three animals, and the Daoist priest back then hadn't used them either.
As for the location for setting up the altar for Star Pointing, Xu Jin had already scouted it out during this period.
The Jinshan County City is backed by the Great Green Mountain, and a Jinsha River surges out from within the Great Green Mountain, flowing through the city.
Within the Prefecture City, on the banks of the Jinsha River, there is a River Viewing Platform, occasionally used for sacrifices during festivals and holidays, and it is completely open.
There are occasional tourists during the day, but basically no one at night, making it a good place to set up an altar for Star Pointing.
Moreover, this unconventional method of setting up an altar for Star Pointing that Xu Jin was using would not take more than a quarter of an hour, unlike the Martial Marquis's method of Star Pointing in his previous life, which required seven days and seven nights.
The River Viewing Platform was not far from the Dao Academy, reachable in less than half an hour.
However, Xu Jin was not in a hurry to ascend the platform. Instead, he first walked around the River Viewing Platform, which was five meters high and three meters long and wide on each side.
He wanted to check if there were any beggars or others staying nearby, as it would be bad if they disturbed his Star Pointing out of curiosity.
There was no one around, the moon was high in the sky, the Stars were shining brightly, and Xu Jin ascended the River Viewing Platform.
The river breeze was gentle, so there was no worry about the star lamps being blown out.
According to the memory in his mind, Xu Jin located the exact north direction, placed the fruit offerings, and then, according to the positions in his memory, arranged nine star lamps (oil lamps), followed by the incense burner and incense sticks.
Xu Jin was not in a hurry to start. Instead, he walked around the River Viewing Platform once more and looked out from the platform to ensure there was no one around before taking out a tinderbox and lighting the star lamps one by one.
After all the star lamps were lit, Xu Jin, holding the jade tablet, bowed three times towards the offerings facing north. Then, stepping in the direction of the star lamps, treading the Nine Stars, he lit the incense to open the altar, held the jade tablet, and began reciting the Star Pointing invocation.
"Nine Emperors of the Big Dipper, Celestial Sun Star Lords in array, Disciple Xu Jin, burn incense and respectfully request..."
"Disciple Xu Jin, now with utmost sincerity, performs Star Pointing to dispel evil, praying to the Celestial Sun Star Lords, to bestow blessings and avert disaster."