Chapter 169: Chapter 108: Dream Dominator, the Power of the Great Dream of Thousand Years

In the next moment, he went even further, connecting the Star Acupoints to form a grand formation.

—Such a radical maneuver would be absolutely impossible in the real world. The opening of one’s acupoints cannot be rushed, and the accumulation of Star Power must be done slowly.

Being too hasty could easily lead to mistakes or cultivation deviation, which would in turn damage the physical body.

But this wasn’t reality. It was a dreamscape.

As the Master of Dreams, Zhong Ming could experiment as he pleased.

Therefore, he could have his physical body open its acupoints in a short time and, what’s more, have those acupoints rapidly fill with Star Power.

Admittedly, because the simulated body was so realistic, the continuous opening of acupoints during this process caused Zhong Ming to bleed from all seven orifices, bringing his body to the verge of collapse.

But it wasn’t a major issue. With a single Thought, Zhong Ming’s projected body in the dreamscape refreshed itself.

’Great Dream of Thousand Years... It’s truly powerful. This is the most perfect Cultivation Field!’

After a sigh of admiration, Zhong Ming continued to perform all sorts of radical experiments on his own body.

He wanted to find the fastest method to open Star Acupoints without harming the physical body, as well as how to rapidly accumulate Star Power.

’With this ’experience,’ opening my acupoints in reality will be incredibly easy, and I’ll be able to avoid countless pitfalls.’

This experimentation undoubtedly allowed Zhong Ming to gain a great deal of experience and insight.

[You have experienced the process of opening Star Acupoints through Immersion. Your Cultivation Technique progress +75...]

[You have ’personally’ experienced the process of opening all thirty-six Star Acupoints. Your Star Heaven·Divine Monarch progress +287...]

[You have condensed the Star Armor. Your Cultivation Technique progress +95...]

The convenience of the dreamscape allowed Zhong Ming to grind his progress for the First Realm Initiation of Star Heaven·Divine Monarch all the way to 3600 points in just a single shichen.

’No, it’s not just the dreamscape. Without the mental clarity from Mind Reading and the deep comprehension from Immersion, the experience I gain each time wouldn’t be in the tens or hundreds.’

’This is the combination of the dreamscape and Reading.’

The efficiency of the two abilities combined stunned even Zhong Ming himself.

Admittedly, his physical body had collapsed dozens of times during the process, but it was worth it.

’At this rate, could I actually master Star Heaven·Divine Monarch all the way to the Second Realm of Insight before evening?’

After some careful thought, Zhong Ming realized it was genuinely possible.

’One shichen in the dreamscape is equivalent to just one hour in the real world... In other words, I still have at least five shichen, which is almost ten hours of comprehension time...’

’Cultivation Techniques... for me, they’re so easy it’s like I can do it as long as I have hands.’

Shaking his head to clear his idle thoughts, Zhong Ming continued to comprehend the mysteries of Star Heaven·Divine Monarch.

Another shichen later, Zhong Ming’s Cultivation Technique progress had reached First Realm Initiation (4986/7200).

But upon reaching this point, Zhong Ming’s brow furrowed, and a sense of frustration grew in his heart.

The reason for his darkening mood wasn’t that the progress of his Cultivation Technique had slowed down.

The further one progressed in a Cultivation Technique, the harder it naturally became to comprehend. The slowdown was within Zhong Ming’s expectations—Heaven Rewards Diligence merely ensured he would improve a little with each complete cultivation session. It was a safety net, not a guarantee that he could maintain a progress rate of over a hundred points indefinitely.

Nor was Zhong Ming frowning because of the fusion between the Longxi Magical Robe and the Star Armor.

Thanks to the robe’s property of being able to merge with anything, like water, their fusion was proceeding quite smoothly.

What made Zhong Ming frown was that as his progress in Star Heaven·Divine Monarch increased, bringing him closer and closer to completing the First Realm, he slowly began to feel a sense of incompleteness.

The Cultivation Technique was incomplete, yet he didn’t know how to supplement it. It was like an exquisite piece of porcelain with a chipped corner—touching it was a jarring sensation that filled one’s heart with unease.

Hmm... Zhong Ming’s ability to feel this was also related to Immersion and Great Dream of Thousand Years.

In the dreamscape, Zhong Ming could merge with the phantom of the Divine Monarch and comprehend its mysteries through [Immersion].

It was this deep level of connection that allowed Zhong Ming to perceive the flaw.

If it were an ordinary Cultivator, they would feel nothing at all.

Unable to perceive it, they naturally wouldn’t experience this frustration.

’What is this? Is ignorance bliss?’

...

This discomfort frustrated Zhong Ming, but what made it even worse was the fact that he actually had a slight chance to complete the Cultivation Technique.

Eternal Flame, an ability born from the union of [Reading] and [Candlelight Heart Eye], allowed Zhong Ming to traverse millennia and resonate with the historical projection of the author.

’Originally, I planned on never using this ability before reaching the Golden Core realm. But now... this is an excellent opportunity.’

As his understanding of Eternal Flame deepened, Zhong Ming gradually discovered that activating this ability depended on three key factors.

The first, needless to say, was Zhong Ming himself.

If his strength was absolute, he could directly burn his Heart Fire and use the text in a book to resonate across ages, allowing him to perceive the historical projection of its author.

The second was the medium.

Certain powerful inheritance artifacts possessed dense Dao Rhyme and Time Imprints. The most classic examples were Emperor’s Weapons.

By using such powerful inherited items, Zhong Ming could resonate with his predecessors without expending much effort.

The third was the strength of the author.

If Zhong Ming were reading a book written by the Bodhi Ancestor, and the latter also wished to meet him, they could connect directly without Zhong Ming needing to do anything.

Other powerful figures, while incapable of something so incredible, could still lessen Zhong Ming’s burden by sensing him and proactively expending their Heart Spirit to resonate with him.

What vexed Zhong Ming was that he had currently managed to gather "one and a half" of the conditions.

’The stele collected by Prince Qinghe’s Mansion has a dense Dao Rhyme. Having been weathered by ten thousand years of time, it must also have many Time Imprints. That counts as one condition.’

’And to be able to inscribe the Inheritance Stele and have it endure for ten thousand years, that elder—or perhaps Sect Leader—of the All Heaven Stars Sect must have been incredibly powerful.’

’Moreover, beings of that caliber usually have a deep-seated attachment to their legacy. However, human nature is ultimately unpredictable, so this only counts as half a condition.’

Having one and a half conditions meant Zhong Ming had a chance of success, but failure was far more likely, which left him feeling conflicted.

’Sigh. If there were no chance at all, I wouldn’t be this conflicted. I would have just given up.’

This situation, being stuck in the middle, was the most torturous of all.

After a moment of deliberation, Zhong Ming finally made his decision—he would burn it!

He had no choice. A Celestial Level Cultivation Technique was just too tempting.

’Besides, in addition to borrowing the stele’s Dao Rhyme and Power of Time, if I do it this way, I can also borrow the Power of Heaven and Earth.’

’In that case, the risk isn’t actually that great...’

As Zhong Ming muttered to himself, a glint of determination flashed in his eyes.