Chapter 27

If Chen Changsheng had directly started the process of drawing starlight into his body to cleanse his marrow after lighting his life star that night, the young girl in the Hundred Grass Garden, separated from the National Teaching Academy by only a wall, might have been able to discover his existence through her talent, tracing the unbroken sensation. If the sweat on the floor had not strangely evaporated upon contact with the wind, seeping into the floor and disappearing, she might have discovered him as well.

The problem was that at this moment, Chen Changsheng once again displayed a temperament or mindset very different from that of ordinary people. Without hesitation, he resisted the temptation of cleansing his marrow and returned to the small building to take a bath and sleep. The sweat on the floor had long since disappeared without a trace.

The next day, Chen Changsheng carefully read the "Marrow Cleansing Theory" again, especially the part about drawing starlight to cleanse the marrow, taking many notes to ensure he had fully grasped the content. He then went to the lakeside grassland to rest with his eyes closed, waiting until the sun set behind the city walls and night fell. He confirmed that his physical and mental states were in excellent condition before pushing open the door of the library and formally beginning the process of cleansing his marrow.

His divine consciousness spread into the air, not penetrating the library's roof to reach the night sky, but he knew that a mysterious connection had been established between him and the distant red star. This feeling was not concrete; more accurately, the connection between him and the star did not leave any perception in his body or mind. However, he was very certain that the star was there, and no one could take it away.

Just as the former Supreme Bishop had said: "That thread really exists."

Chen Changsheng closed his eyes, calmed his mind, and opened his soul, following the method described in the "Marrow Cleansing Theory" to enter a state of complete relaxation and forgetfulness of self, quietly waiting for the essence of the starlight to condense and follow the thread to his body.

Time gradually passed, and the night wind was sometimes gentle, sometimes condensed.

Outside the library, the forest was quiet. The forest had been pruned by the workers of the Church the previous day, with many branches cut off. The cut ends of the branches were exposed in the air, emitting a distinctive scent of wood, carried by the night wind to the distance.

The wood scent from the cut ends was particularly strong because a nearly transparent, gel-like substance, the sap, was seeping out. The trees in the National Teaching Academy were of various types, including fruit trees, which emitted a pleasant aroma.

There was a large locust tree, with its thick branches near the ground cut off. One of the cuts looked like a scar, with a lot of sap congealed on it. When the night wind blew, the sap slowly flowed down the trunk to the ground. If someone who enjoyed killing saw this scene, they might think the locust tree was bleeding from its severed limbs. But under the silver starlight, the flowing sap looked more like sweet honey.

After a long time, the honey-like sap finally fell to the ground, landing on a patch of green grass. It did not have the luck or cruelty to turn an insect into the initial form of amber, so it would eventually become food for the insects.

A similar scene occurred inside the library.

The light from countless stars fell on the invisible, undetectable thread, condensing into a slightly thick essence, which then slowly flowed down the thread, passing through the library's roof, and finally landing on Chen Changsheng's body.

The starlight was soft and smooth, making Chen Changsheng's skin seem like jade. But in the next moment, the starlight seeped into his body like sand and wind passing through his fingers, disappearing without a trace. His face remained unchanged, showing no signs of any transformation.

More starlight fell on his body, seemingly able to penetrate any obstacle, easily passing through his clothes and landing on his skin, but it did not stay, seeping into his body and disappearing.

Chen Changsheng, with his eyes closed, did not see these scenes and was unaware of what was happening.

Not until the first rays of morning light fell on the capital and the roosters began to crow did he wake up.

He was somewhat excited, a feeling he had rarely experienced in the past fourteen years. If the marrow cleansing was successful, he would embark on the path of cultivation. Whether or not he could win the top place in the imperial examination, he would gain some control over his own destiny.

This emotion was not good for his body, he silently told himself. With a willpower that did not match his age, he quickly calmed down, then looked at his hands, his expression changing slightly, his eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment.

His hands showed no change, just as clean as they were last night.

He took out a small round mirror from his pocket and looked at his face in the mirror. After a moment of silence, he put down the mirror, pulled up his collar, and looked at his body, finding no changes, just as clean as it had been in the past years.

If the marrow cleansing had been successful, it should not have been like this.

According to the "Marrow Cleansing Theory," humans, while living in the world, eating and breathing, absorb nutrients but also bring impurities from the world into their bodies. Therefore, they need to draw starlight into their bodies to use the purest and gentlest power of the stars to expel these impurities.

According to the accounts of predecessors, after successful marrow cleansing, the body would expel a large amount of foul-smelling sweat, and there might even be severe diarrhea, proving that the impurities had been expelled.

However, Chen Changsheng's body showed no changes.

He had a mild obsession with cleanliness and loved being clean, but at that moment, he desperately wanted to see his body covered in foul-smelling black mud. This had nothing to do with cleanliness; it simply should not be like this.

Chen Changsheng looked at the rising sun outside the window and remained silent for a long time.

Suddenly, he pressed the back of his hand against the floor and rubbed it hard. When he felt a real pain, he lifted his hand and saw a large red mark, with faint blood threads. He then knew that his marrow cleansing had indeed failed.

The starlight first touched the skin, so the initial stage of marrow cleansing should strengthen the skin.

His skin showed no changes from the night before.

Chen Changsheng was silent. He had thought that the problem with his meridians would only cause his soul to easily dissipate, making it difficult to retain starlight as true essence in the future, but he had not expected that he could not even complete the marrow cleansing.

As the morning light grew brighter, he stood up and walked out of the library. His body was sore from sitting cross-legged all night, and he moved slowly, looking like a child recovering from a serious illness from behind.

Walking back to the small building, he looked at the kettle on the stove, emitting steam, and felt a bit sad. According to the "Marrow Cleansing Theory," he had thought he would return covered in filth, so he had prepared hot water in advance. Who would have thought he had not even sweated a drop?

He thought for a moment and decided to take a bath.

Not because he had sat on the floor all night, nor because there was some dust in the academy.

His body had a problem, which made him dislike it. He always felt his body was somewhat dirty.

He washed frequently and loved being clean, with a mild obsession with cleanliness, all because of this.

He poured the hot water into a large bucket in the corner, got in, and covered his face with a wet towel, leaning back with his arms spread out, feeling very tired.

A faint sigh came from under the wet towel.

At that moment.

From the other side of the wall, a faint sigh could also be heard.

Chen Changsheng thought, "It seems there are many people who are sad."

...

...

No one knew that Chen Changsheng had attempted to cleanse his marrow, even those who had seen him light his life star did not know, because cleansing the marrow was a more common practice than setting the star. Whether it was a Marrow Cleansing Realm cultivator or a Star Gathering Realm powerhouse, as long as they were cultivating, they needed to do this every night. Those who could see the life star being lit could not see the thread, and thus did not know who held the other end of the thread.

Human self-strengthening has no upper limit.

Cleansing the marrow is never a one-day affair.

That night, Chen Changsheng walked into the library again, sat on the floor, and continued his attempts.

A fourteen-year-old boy recovering from a setback and regaining his spirit in such a short time was partly due to the experiences he had already had and would have, though he should also blame those experiences.

He had no time to be disheartened and could only keep trying and striving.

"Failure is not an option," these six words suited him perfectly.

He calmed his mind and meditated, and countless thick but invisible essences of starlight flowed down the invisible thread from the distant night sky, landing on his body like a gentle spring breeze that lingered.

The starlight, as it had the previous night, silently seeped into his body and then disappeared.

This process continued for a long time until the sky began to brighten, and he woke up again.

He examined his hands and found no changes. He touched his forehead and found no sweat. His old clothes were still dry, and the morning breeze from the window easily fluttered his sleeves.

He did not understand. Even if his meridians were severed, his skin and hair should have shown some changes when they came into contact with the starlight.

Where did the starlight go?

He thought the starlight had dispersed into the air and become invisible.

He did not know that when he closed his eyes and meditated, the starlight had passed through his black hair and hands, through his old clothes and the short sword at his waist, silently entering his body without any loss.

Like snowflakes passing through the wind and the forest to land on the ground.

It was rare for no leaf to catch a snowflake.

But it had happened.

Now, the forest still looked lush and green, with no trace of white.

In reality?

The ground below the forest was gradually covered with snow.

This was the accumulation.

One day, it would burst forth.

Or, perhaps, explode.