Chapter 29: Seven Star Phantom Steps

The two first took a carriage to District Twelve and got off near the Yongxing Tea Garden.

Along the way, Qin Wu observed his surroundings. It was as dilapidated and filthy as District Eleven. What was strange was that the closer they got to the Yongxing Tea Garden, the fewer vagrants and orphans there were on the road.

Jing Yang had never been here before. He asked in surprise, “Is the Yongxing Tea Garden operating that openly?”

Qin Wu understood Jing Yang’s meaning. He sneered, “Because the Yongxing Tea Garden constantly recruits workers to tend the tea trees. On the surface, for the development of District Twelve, they prioritize recruiting vagrants and orphans. As for whether they really tend tea trees after going in, I don’t know.”

The intelligence from the Golden Jade Tower did not reveal why the Yongxing Tea Garden needed so many people. It likely involved the core secrets of the Ge Family, something that couldn’t be bought for a few million.

Jing Yang asked, “What time did the Yongxing Tea Garden say we should arrive?”

Qin Wu replied, “The materials stated two in the afternoon.”

It was around ten o’clock now. The two found a restaurant near the Yongxing Tea Garden and went in, planning to stay there until around one before leaving.

After ordering, Qin Wu transmitted his voice to Consort Lian, “I want to learn a movement technique. Do you have one you can teach me?”

Getting in this time wasn’t the problem; the difficult part was getting out.

However, with Consort Lian helping him control the enemy, as long as his movement technique was fast enough, he should be able to escape with Xiao Yu.

But Consort Lian didn’t reply for a long time.

At that moment, she was using her hair to prop herself up on the table, drinking the beverage that had just been served.

Spitting out the straw in her mouth, Consort Lian said gloomily, “I was eaten for a thousand years in the Food Ruin Path. Some memories were eaten away long ago. What I have left now is basically all related to my daily life with Your Majesty. The Cultivation Techniques I remember are also the ones I frequently used.”

“…” Qin Wu glanced speechlessly at this love-struck fool.

After the food arrived, the two ate in silence. Consort Lian used her hair to wrap around chopsticks and occasionally picked up pieces of meat to put into her mouth.

It was unknown where the meat went without a physical body.

With the illusion technique active, Jing Yang noticed nothing, only feeling strange, wondering if the meat was being eaten so quickly today?

After they finished eating, Qin Wu glanced at the time and said apologetically, “I’m going to the restroom.”

Jing Yang waved his hand carelessly, “Go ahead.”

He entered the restroom and locked the door.

“【Do you wish to enter 【Instance: Taixu Ruins】?】”

“Yes.”

Returning to the Taixu Ruins, the eyes of the pale giant face above moved. “You failed to enter the Taixu Holy Land?”

Sensing the countless terrifying auras in the black mist, Consort Lian’s hair instantly stood on end. She transmitted her voice to Qin Wu in horror, “What is this place?!”

Qin Wu didn’t have time to reply. He respectfully cupped his hands toward the Senior Brother, his face showing embarrassment, “No, Junior Brother has already become a Holy Land Disciple. It’s just that I’m short on Spirit Stones and cannot afford Cultivation Techniques, so I wanted to look in the Sect’s library.”

“…” The Senior Brother: “What do you want?”

Qin Wu seemed to sense the Senior Brother’s exasperation, “I want a movement technique…”

Just as he was about to state the requirements for the movement technique, a Jade Slip shot rapidly from the library and embedded itself in the ground by his feet.

He pulled it out, glanced at it, and immediately stopped talking, placing the Jade Slip into his storage ring.

“Thank you, Senior Brother!”

“Mm,” the Senior Brother said lightly, “After I awoke, the Taixu Sect will be somewhat restless these past few days. You had better not linger.”

Qin Wu’s heart skipped a beat. He instantly recalled the body tissues at the Seventh Outpost that had begun to reactivate.

Damn it!

Could it really be related to the Senior Brother!

Qin Wu felt extremely guilty, “Then Junior Brother will take his leave first.”

Returning to the restroom, Qin Wu was silent for a long time.

“Is that the Taixu Sect? But when I was in the Food Ruin Path, I heard that the Taixu Sect was eroded by the black mist in one day, and the Sect Master along with all the Disciples perished. Could it be that some people didn’t die?” Consort Lian asked doubtfully.

“They truly all died,” Qin Wu walked out and returned to the dining table. “That place has been completely occupied by Black Mist Monsters. It’s just that the Senior Brother still retains a shred of consciousness, which is why he didn’t attack me.”

He poured himself a glass of cold water to calm his nerves.

Consort Lian knew he had secrets. This ability to casually teleport to other places was extraordinary, so she didn’t press for details.

“Are we really going to wait here until two?” Jing Yang kept looking at his watch anxiously.

Qin Wu nodded, “Wait a little longer.”

He took out the Jade Slip from his storage ring and looked at the movement technique inside.

“Seven Star Phantom Steps (Star Dao): Stride the stars and draw in Qi, align steps with stars, control the body with stars, body and star merge. When moving, summon Star Power; when still, conceal the star trajectory.

Requires opening the seven star acupoints throughout the body. The higher the level, the more condensed the Star Power, the more realistic the afterimages, and the more absolute the speed.”

This was the movement technique the Senior Brother cultivated back then. Upon Major Achievement, one could draw upon the Origin of the Big Dipper Seven Stars for one’s own use. Without needing to step, the body moves with the stars, allowing one to traverse anywhere between heaven and earth. Every move aligns with the star trajectory, making one unpredictable and uncatchable.

However, for him to reach this level, he didn’t know how many years it would take. Even the extremely monstrous Senior Brother had only cultivated up to the Fifth Star before his death.

Qin Wu sighed, then clicked on the panel.

“【Cultivation Technique: Seven Star Phantom Steps (Untrained)】”

“【Do you wish to spend 50 Life Points to enter the initial stage?】”

He only had 75 points left now. It was a pity that the Black-clothed Cultivator wasn’t killed by him, otherwise, he would have gained 15 Life Points.

Qin Wu secretly regretted that he hadn’t just killed him back then.

“Yes.”

Instantly, his Life Points dropped drastically, finally stopping at 25 points.

Vast amounts of memories flooded his mind—all about him cultivating the Seven Star Phantom Steps, day after day, year after year. Qin Wu’s head ached almost to the point of explosion.

He propped his forehead with his fist and mocked himself through gritted teeth, how could his talent be so poor that just entering the initial stage took so many years!

The pain gradually subsided. Just as Qin Wu breathed a sigh of relief, his brow suddenly stung.

“【Brow center’s Tanlang Acupoint has been opened】”

“【Cultivation Technique: Seven Star Phantom Steps (First Star · Tanlang Maze) — Progress: 0%】

Core Effect: When stepping, draw upon Tanlang Star Power, condensing 1-3 solid afterimages beside the body. Afterimages last for 3 breaths, and the main body can freely jump between the afterimages.】”

“Let’s go, let’s go in and take a look,” Qin Wu stood up and transmitted his voice to Consort Lian, “Use your illusion to change our appearances to match the records.”

Consort Lian’s illusion technique was extremely strange. When used on herself, it could not only deceive the naked eye but even cameras couldn’t detect it, as if she truly had changed her face.

He hadn’t been to the tea garden in his previous life, but he had heard that tea trees were grown on mountains. However, although the Yongxing Tea Garden occupied a vast area, from the outside, it looked like a research institute.

Cultivators guarded the outside of the tea garden, and none of them had a cultivation base below the third level of Qi Condensation.

Qin Wu claimed they were interns coming to work. The captain of the guards only glanced at their graduation certificates, confirmed they matched the photos, and said coldly, “Follow me.”

He hadn’t expected it to be this simple, as if the tea garden didn’t care if the people entering had ulterior motives.

Once inside, they could see that there wasn’t a single tea tree. At the front was a huge circular building. The captain led the two over.

“Beep!”

After swiping the card on the door, the captain opened the main gate and led the two to a laboratory on the second floor.

“Dr. Zhao, these are this batch’s interns.”

The man inside was busy looking at data and didn’t even raise his head. “Go clean up Laboratory Number One. I’ll need it shortly.”

Ten minutes later, the two were sweeping the corners of the laboratory diligently with brooms.

Jing Yang’s sweeping movements were very quick; he clearly often did manual labor. “When we came in just now, I sensed Xiao Yu.”

Hearing his transmission, Qin Wu asked, “Where is he?”

Jing Yang pointed his index finger downwards.

Qin Wu subtly shifted his gaze and started scrubbing test tubes. Was it on the first floor? Or underground?