Chapter 7: Star-Picking Hand

A tranquil mountain village, peaceful and serene. Within the village stood an ordinary bamboo hut, where a white-robed youth had lived for years.

The villagers were quite curious.

This village was built by mortals fleeing war into the deep mountains, so many were strangers to each other. The white-robed youth had come with them and settled here. They thought he too was fleeing war... but five years had passed, and they noticed he spent his days fishing—angling or netting fish.

He didn't court girls or worry about carrying on his family line.

Nor did he farm.

He lived solely by fishing.

"This lad doesn't know what's good for him. He turned down a match—Old Li's daughter is so pretty, from such a fine family, one of the best in the village. Rare that she took a liking to him, and he just smiled and refused..." The matchmaker stormed out of the bamboo yard, even kicking a bamboo stalk hard.

If she knew she had kicked the gate of a supreme god-demon standing at the pinnacle of the Three Realms, who knows what expression she'd have.

Ji Ning, standing by the bamboo door, just smiled, picked up his fishing rod, and prepared to go fishing.

He had once roamed the Three Realms, but recently he began immersing himself in mortal life, interacting with the villagers. Gradually, he realized another layer of meaning in 'Water'—mortals say the people are water, able to carry a boat or capsize it. Ji Ning faintly sensed a vast, majestic significance within the Water Dao of Heaven...

"Eh?" Just as he picked up the rod, he stopped.

"The divine ability... finally revised." A hint of joy appeared on Ji Ning's face.

"Let's go."

Whoosh.

Ji Ning shot into the sky, vanishing instantly. But the villagers didn't see this; they only saw the white-robed youth pick up his rod and go fishing. They didn't know that what remained was merely an 'avatar.'

...

On a battered star in the void of the Three Realms, Ji Ning appeared out of nowhere, then descended, stirring up dust that flew into the endless void.

"I'll cultivate the Star-Picking Hand here."

Ji Ning nodded, waved his hand, and the dust on the ground gathered into a ball, turning into rock that fell aside.

Then he sat cross-legged, took out a gourd containing the 'Five Elements Essence'—extracted by the Five Elements Divine Cauldron from some Pure Yang and innate treasures in the World Prison. Ji Ning intended to use this essence to cultivate the sixth turn of the Star-Picking Hand!

The sixth turn was extremely difficult to cultivate.

Back then, San Shou Daoist had fortuitously obtained a 'Star Gold Stone,' which bore innate divine patterns. After long contemplation, he used it as the main material, supplemented by many rare treasures, to achieve the sixth turn. In all the Three Realms, besides San Shou, only Lord Sanqing had obtained one!

But Lord Sanqing used his to forge the Immortal-Slaying Sword Diagram!

The Immortal-Slaying Sword Diagram, based on insights from the Nine Chaos Seals, was forged from countless rare materials. It made the four Chaos Divine Swords act as one, unleashing terrifying power!

"The Star Gold Stone should be the 'Star Heart' recorded by Northrest World God. Such wonders—finding two in the Three Realms is already lucky." Ji Ning shook his head. Without a Star Heart, the sixth turn was impossible.

So...

Ji Ning began to study this divine ability. For him, making his hands comparable to Chaos treasures wasn't important—he already had Chaos treasures, and even the 'Violet-Water Sword' was more powerful. What he valued was the Star-Picking Hand's method of divine power burst, allowing massive divine power to erupt instantly, far exceeding normal strength!

San Shou Daoist's realm wasn't high—he hadn't even comprehended a Heavenly Dao—yet relying on the Star-Picking Hand, he fiercely killed several True Gods and Daofathers of foreign races in the ancient cataclysm!

The Star-Picking Hand was ranked among the top ten divine abilities of the Three Realms, alongside Hou Yi's archery.

Because its burst power was truly astonishing! If San Shou had been as strong as Ji Ning, a half-step Ancestral God, this ability alone would have placed him at the leader level. Ji Ning now lacked a divine power burst method; though he had the Nine Yuan Annihilation, it required much time to comprehend powerful techniques.

In terms of divine power burst,

Northrest World God naturally had powerful ones, learned from the Heavenly Cang Palace. During his travels, he had obtained some burst methods, but they were ordinary, weaker than the sixth turn of the Star-Picking Hand.

"The sixth turn was realized by San Shou from the Star Gold Stone."

"But his divine power burst is too violent! The hands must be tempered into Chaos treasures, otherwise they can't withstand such burst." Ji Ning thought.

The Star-Picking Hand was extremely violent in burst.

The hands had to be tempered very strong to endure it!

"It's been a hundred and seventy-two years since I became a True God, and my second avatar has spent over seventeen thousand years in the Peering Heaven Tower." Ji Ning mused. "Though I mainly focused on Dao comprehension, occasionally pausing to study sword techniques and divine abilities, I've finally revised the ability."

Using the Nine Yuan Annihilation as a foundation, he carefully analyzed the Star-Picking Hand.

The Star-Picking Hand's profundity came from insights from the Star Gold Stone. Its structure wasn't overly complex. With the Nine Yuan Annihilation as reference, Ji Ning dissected it piece by piece.

Then he gradually deduced the sixth turn...

Working intermittently, after over seventeen thousand years, his second avatar finally completed the deduction!

He used 'Five Elements Essence' to replace the Star Gold Stone and other rare materials for tempering his hands, since the Star-Picking Hand method essentially used Five Elements substances for tempering.

...

Ji Ning sat cross-legged, a gourd beside him containing Five Elements Essence.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh~~

Under Ji Ning's guidance, the Five Elements Essence flew out toward his hands. The 'Star-Picking Divine Patterns' emerged, gradually becoming more complex until they reached an extreme, radiating a sense of perfect completion. His hands emitted an overwhelming pressure, but his heart force had already spread in layers, blocking all detection.

The Infinite Realms knew Ji Ning was on this star but couldn't detect what he was doing.

"Done." Ji Ning willed it, and the domineering aura of his hands subsided.

"My hands, comparable to Chaos treasures, can withstand that divine power burst." Ji Ning willed it and struck a palm toward the void above.

Boom~~~

A huge, semi-transparent palm imprint crushed toward the void, causing it to tremble. A wave spread across hundreds of millions of miles, traveling who knows how far.

"What a formidable divine power burst." Ji Ning nodded with joy. With such burst, his sword's power could be even stronger.

"Divine ability achieved!"

"Now I only lack... Dao comprehension! I hope to comprehend a Heavenly Dao before the final battle." Ji Ning felt a hint of urgency. He had an avatar in the Ten Thousand Races Hall, so he knew the Three Realms' situation—on the verge of eruption, the final battle could break out at any time.

Even if the battle came after the struggle for luck, it would be within decades.

...

Haste makes waste.

Ji Ning understood this well. Though he yearned to comprehend a Heavenly Dao, and indeed, over seventeen thousand years, his realm had advanced quickly in Dao comprehension, anxiety would only hinder it. So he remained calm, as before, pausing to study sword techniques while comprehending the Dao.

Over ten thousand years, though he hadn't achieved a Heavenly Dao, he had mastered the divine ability and greatly improved his sword techniques.

"Ninety-eight sword technique steles—I've mastered ninety-six. Only these two remain... still lacking. Once I fully comprehend them, I can study the nameless sword art." Inside the Peering Heaven Tower, the black-robed Ji Ning gazed at the two steles before him.