A barren wasteland. At a glance, there was nothing but endless desolation, with no other objects in sight. This was the scene Jiang Yueming witnessed upon entering Lu Lin's Star Power Domain.
There was no wind. There were no clouds. There were no flowers or green leaves. There were no mountains or rivers. It was as if this was the face of the entire earth at the dawn of the world.
Jiang Yueming controlled his consciousness to wander around the Star Power Domain and was amazed. According to his experience, Lu Lin's Star Power Domain spanned 36 square meters, not the 101 square meters he had sensed before.
So, the area of a Star Power Domain really can shrink and become smaller.
As for the seemingly unbounded view, it was merely an illusion created by the Star Power Domain for entrants, making them mistakenly feel that the Domain was endless. In truth, every Star Skill Instructor's Star Power Domain was finite.
After experiencing it for a moment, Jiang Yueming voluntarily withdrew.
Seeing Lu Lin slowly open his eyes before him, a trace of gratification appeared on Jiang Yueming's face.
"Lu Lin, well done."
Lu Lin smiled but said nothing.
After calming himself, Jiang Yueming continued to teach Lu Lin the essential skills a Star Skill Instructor must know: Guiding.
Star Skill Guidance is not just about having a Star Power Domain. It also requires guiding the consciousness of the entrant. This guidance differs from the active guidance of Designated Schools. The Natural School emphasizes that the comprehension and development of Star Skills should occur naturally. Influencing the Star Core Warrior's environment to help them discover the Star Skill that best suits them—this is the core philosophy of the Natural School when providing Star Skill Guidance.
"The most important aspect of guiding is to see!" Jiang Yueming emphasized. "To see through a person's heart, to perceive what the Martial Artist within the Domain truly desires. Based on their thoughts and consciousness, you actively create an identical or relatively similar scene."
"But this 'seeing' isn't about superficially observing what a Martial Artist says or does. Those are just external manifestations. For example, the War Roar Star Skill requires a Martial Artist to possess a fearless heart to have a chance of comprehending it."
"Some Martial Artists might appear brave, fearless, and unafraid of sacrifice in your presence, but this doesn't necessarily represent their inner selves. Others, though they may not show it outwardly, possess strong determination and perseverance."
"These are things that we, as Star Skill Instructors, need a discerning eye to see through—to understand people's hearts. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Yes."
Yesterday, when Lu Lin was comprehending Star Skills in the school's Multimedia Classroom, he hadn't displayed any particular bravery or fearlessness to Jiang Yueming. Yet, he had comprehended the War Roar Star Skill in a single attempt. This demonstrated Jiang Yueming's grasp of human nature.
However, as a Master-level Star Skill Instructor, Jiang Yueming had encountered countless Martial Artists of every imaginable character, temperament, and habit. As the saying goes, the more one sees, the more one knows. With over a century of accumulated experience, he could achieve this effortlessly. But new Instructors would struggle.
Jiang Yueming saw Lu Lin nod and knew he understood. However, Lu Lin had only just been introduced to this concept. Understanding was the first step; mastering it would require an accumulation of experience over time.
"Alright, let's end today's lesson here," Jiang Yueming said. "When you have free time, practice releasing your Star Power Domain more. While ensuring you have sufficient Star Power, try to enrich the contents of your Domain—right now, it's too bare."
"Also, the ability to observe people's hearts before guiding them requires constant practice. I suggest that when you have time, you go out more, participate in social activities, and encounter different people, events, and things. This will be of considerable help to you."
Jiang Yueming recalled guiding the graduates at Golden Sword High School the day before. The other students had been eager to be at the front, some even wanting to rush onto the stage to receive guidance. Only Lu Lin and another chubby boy had sat in the farthest corner of the classroom, clearly the types who weren't fond of socializing.
"I understand, teacher."
Lu Lin smiled bitterly inwardly. No one else knew his circumstances. His parents had low incomes, and his family was still burdened with debt. Even students from slightly less well-off families could occasionally afford a meal at the school canteen. But he? Since childhood, the number of times he had eaten real food was pitifully small. Starting from Junior High School, he had eaten nutritional meals every single day. With such conditions, how could he easily get along with others? Of course, this was also related to his constant dedication to sword training and physical conditioning.
"Alright, then you can continue cultivating here for a while," Jiang Yueming said. "There are still two hours left on the time I booked."
"Okay, teacher. Take care."
Lu Lin escorted Jiang Yueming to the elevator and then quickly returned to the Cultivation Room. Even if Jiang Yueming hadn't said anything, he had wanted to linger a bit longer. The Refinement Degree of his Earth-Type Star Vessel had improved slightly, but the Refinement Degree of his Second Star Vein had skyrocketed.
I feel like I might be able to raise the Refinement Degree of my Second Star Vein to Zero Level, Ten Stages today, Lu Lin thought.
He closed the door to the Cultivation Room and opened the booklet Zuo Zhenyu had given him that morning: *Federation Military's "Elite Refinement Method"*.
It was said that one could cultivate directly to the level of a Golden Body Star Warrior using this method.
A Golden Body Star Warrior! That's a level higher than Jiang Yueming, a Level 6 Star Warrior. Jiang Yueming cultivated diligently for over a century, only to reach the Level 6 Peak.
Excited, Lu Lin began to cultivate.
Cultivating with the Elite Refining Skills was time-consuming and energy-intensive. The main training task for Federal Soldiers was to refine their Star Veins using this method. However, very few civilian Martial Artists used it.
Elite Refining Skills required Star Power, and Star Veins had to be refined with a progress of 0.1% each time—no faster, no slower. Like a perfectly disciplined army, Martial Artists needed 100% control over their refinement progress. Even within the army, only elite soldiers were permitted to practice Elite Refining Skills. Ordinary soldiers practiced the *"Soldier King Refinement Method,"* which need not be discussed here.
Lu Lin carefully read the method of absorbing Star Power and using it for refinement as detailed in the *Federation Military's "Elite Refinement Method"*. Feeling confident, he began the process.
The incident earlier, when I recklessly expanded my Star Power Domain, served as a reminder. From now on, I must plan carefully before acting.
He began to absorb Star Power.
Lu Lin relaxed his mind, striving to sense the omnipresent Star Power Factors around him. Under the effect of his Perceive Star Skill, the surrounding Star Power Factors were as plain as day, hovering around him.
He focused his mind. Absorb!
Instantly, particles of silver, glittering Star Power Factors streamed into Lu Lin's body like flowing water. This was different from passively allowing Star Power to enter his body; this time, Lu Lin was actively drawing it in.
Once inside, the Star Power Factors quickly entered his Star Core under his guidance. The Star Power stored within the Star Core steadily increased.
Lu Lin temporarily paused his absorption of Star Power and instead used the accumulated Star Power to refine his Second Star Vein. After all, the progress of his Second Star Vein now far exceeded that of his Earth-Type Star Vessel. Once its Refinement Degree reached 100% and advanced, the quality of his Star Power would significantly improve.
By then, using the enhanced Star Power to refine my Earth-Type Star Vessel—wouldn't that yield twice the results with half the effort?
Next, he would begin refining according to the Elite Refining Skills, at a speed of 0.1%.