The bronze mirror was flanked by two dragons, its back adorned with seven-colored gemstones, and its surface was as bright as a silver platter.
The mirror emitted a hazy white glow, illuminating Li Qingxian.
Li Qingxian finally whispered, "Bright mirror hang high, grant me vision of the Ten Directions!"
The Celestial Gazing Mirror trembled slightly. The Yin-Yang Carpets slowly rotated, the Eight Trigrams Lamp overhead flickered, and the eyes of the Eight Directions Gods statues gleamed with faint light. A fierce gale erupted within the room, but it was contained by an invisible force, unable to even budge the doors and windows.
The whites of Li Qingxian’s eyes showed. In the blink of an eye, it was as if his gaze was suspended from the top of Wangjiang Pavilion, looking down and taking in everyone below.
All the Lower-Grade and Middle-Grade individuals were completely oblivious. Only a few Upper-Grade Experts vaguely sensed something was amiss. They glanced up, but seeing nothing wrong, they returned to participating in the Literature Cultivation gathering.
But Li Qingxian didn’t look at the Upper-Grade experts, focusing only on those of Middle and Lower Grade.
Li Qingxian focused his thoughts on the Celestial Destiny Instrument and sent a Qi Fortune Fish into it.
The familiar roar of the Celestial Destiny Instrument sounded. Li Qingxian looked toward a Lower-Grade Literature Cultivator near the entrance.
A translucent starlight appeared above the man’s head. It was different from the Destiny Stars within a Life Mansion; no details were visible. All he could tell was that this elderly, Lower-Grade man possessed the "Rooster Crowing Moon," a Diligent Study and Advancement Type Destiny Star. As for any other Destiny Stars, they were all invisible.
At the same time, Li Qingxian’s right hand moved, employing the Pen Manipulation Skill to record this Destiny Star and commit the old man to memory.
Then, Li Qingxian immediately looked to the next person. Just as before, he didn’t perform a detailed Observing Fate and Qi, but simply recorded the relevant Destiny Star.
Li Qingxian observed and recorded, one after another.
In the end, Li Qingxian had recorded over a hundred people and more than five hundred Destiny Stars in total.
Li Qingxian stopped the Ten Directions Celestial Observation Technique. Looking at the densely packed notes, he let out a soft sigh.
’People always say that the most successful individuals in every field rely mostly on luck—even they say so themselves. But this observation has made me understand that while they might have luck, they also possess incredible ability. These people have an average of five Diligent Study and Advancement Type Destiny Stars each, and some even have more than eight. And these are all classic Human Destiny Stars, forged entirely through their own painstaking study, perseverance, Cultivation, and growth, bit by bit.’
’I should learn from them. But should I learn their luck, or their ability? It’s obvious you can’t learn luck, but you can learn ability.’
Afterward, Li Qingxian’s gaze fell upon an old man.
’Sun Kusong. A full eight Diligent Study and Advancement Type Destiny Stars. His life has been the stuff of legends. He came from a humble family, was frail and sickly as a child, and only managed to Enter Grade and become an Advanced Scholar after countless setbacks. Then, he fell gravely ill for three years, only formally joining the Imperial Court as an official after that. This man is not one for flattery, so his career has been incredibly rocky, full of ups and downs. Even without entering his Life Mansion, I can tell he must be influenced by an Evil Star. Yet despite all this, he has persisted in his diligent studies without a moment of laxity. He was even framed by a superior officer and thrown in prison, but he spent his days reciting the poetry and essays he had memorized, wryly calling himself the "Scholar of the Jail." ’
’Anyone else afflicted by an Evil Star would at best lose all motivation, and at worst, die young. But he hammered himself into forging eight Human Destiny Stars, forcibly suppressing that Evil Star. He resigned from his official post a few years ago but has continued to read and study without interruption. Despite losing the protection of the Imperial Court’s Qi Fortune, he didn’t regress; he advanced, rising from Junior Fifth Grade to Fourth Grade. He was originally frail and sickly, but as his Grade Level rose, his Vast Righteous Qi grew stronger, and his health gradually improved. "Growing stronger with age" is the perfect description of him.’
’An old man like this is brimming with vitality. Even if he were willing to sell his life to me, I couldn’t bring myself to buy it.’
Li Qingxian studied his notes carefully. The more he read, the more moved he became, especially when he saw certain Destiny Stars that could only be born in the most arduous and extreme environments.
Combining this with his knowledge of Fate Skills, Li Qingxian slowly mulled things over, his understanding of Human Destiny Stars deepening.
Finally, Li Qingxian first selected a few Destiny Stars that would be suitable for him, then located those old men to observe them a second time.
He passed over men like Sun Kusong, who only grew stronger with age, because they would never be willing to trade their Destiny Stars for wealth or personal gain.
Soon, Li Qingxian had found several targets. These were men who were either gravely injured or down on their luck. Some had even slowed or given up on their Cultivation. They were more likely to sell their Destiny Stars in exchange for a comfortable life for the rest of their days, or to provide a safety net for their families.
Li Qingxian sought out Zhou Chunfeng and discreetly pointed out several old men one by one.
Zhou Chunfeng had been in the Divine Capital for many years and had attended numerous literary gatherings. He knew everyone. Each time Li Qingxian pointed someone out, Zhou Chunfeng would tell him the person’s name and write it down.
After they had finished and returned to their room, Zhou Chunfeng glanced at the list of names again and said, "You’re young, but you have a good eye for people. These men have either been demoted, have grown too disheartened, or are too severely injured to advance. As long as you offer enough compensation and respect, the likelihood of them selling their Destiny Stars is high. But what about the others? Don’t they have any good Destiny Stars?"
Li Qingxian said helplessly, "My Inference showed that Mr. Sun Kusong possesses eight Diligent Study and Advancement Type Destiny Stars. Every single one is excellent. Several have the potential to become extremely valuable and might even help him ascend to the Upper Grade. Tell me, how could I bring myself to buy his Destiny Stars?"
"That’s true. If you asked me to buy Mr. Kusong’s Destiny Stars, I’m afraid I would refuse," Zhou Chunfeng said.
"Exactly. That’s why I’d rather buy from those who have already given up on their Destiny Stars."
"After seeing so many Diligent Study and Advancement Type Destiny Stars, what are your thoughts?"
"Success may have its coincidences, but there are also many inevitabilities we don’t see. I’m starting to understand something Master Yuanhai once said. He said that everyone actually has the chance to forge a Human Destiny Star, but not everyone can persevere to the very end," Li Qingxian said.
"Oh? How so?" Zhou Chunfeng asked with a smile.
Li Qingxian thought for a moment before replying, "What Master Yuanhai meant is that throughout our lives, we all experience certain things, hear certain words, and learn certain principles. But for ordinary people like us, we hear them and then forget, or we assume we understand and then ignore them. The people here, however, after experiencing those things, hearing those words, and learning those principles, didn’t forget. Instead, they mulled them over repeatedly, contemplated and applied those principles constantly, and kept persisting until one day, they truly understood. This is how they accumulate powerful abilities and give birth to corresponding Human Destiny Stars. For these people, hearing those principles might have been a matter of coincidence and luck, but their persistence in pondering, applying, and striving has nothing to do with luck."
"Well said." Zhou Chunfeng’s face was filled with gratification. "Tomorrow is the Martial Cultivation Association. Martial Artists are more direct. Buying their lives will be simpler. You should do the same as you did today."
Zhou Chunfeng handed the list to Li Qingxian and added, "Write down their Destiny Stars next to each name, and circle the most important ones."
After Li Qingxian finished filling it out, he circled several Destiny Stars and said, "These are the key ones."
Zhou Chunfeng looked it over and nodded. "I’m no expert in Astrology, but I’ve read a few books on the subject for leisure. These Destiny Stars are indeed quite good. After the Martial Cultivation Association ends tomorrow, we’ll make our final selections. Then, I will personally take you to pay them a visit."
"Thank you, Uncle Zhou!" Li Qingxian said, looking at Zhou Chunfeng with gratitude.
Li Qingxian and Han Anbo knew all too well how difficult it was to buy a Diligent Study and Advancement Type Destiny Star. If not for that, the two of them wouldn’t have failed to acquire even a single one. Obtaining "A Drop of Water Becomes a Lake" and "Discerning the Minutest Detail" had been entirely due to Ye Han and a sheer accident.
With Zhou Chunfeng’s status, buying an exceptionally good Destiny Star might be difficult, but purchasing an ordinary Middle-Grade one was as easy as flipping his hand.