First. Sorry for the delay in responding. Our site is having issues.
Then…I can’t see the braille so I can’t really answer. But if I understand your question… The asterisks don’t require a blank line, but the blocked paragraph, heading, and break in context do. So yes, a blank line is required… Not because of the asterisks but because of the other stuff.
If I did not understand correctly, let me know and I’ll try again. ????
Cindi