Rapid Surge! Awakening?

Purchasing just a single bottle required a deduction of one million Star Coins. After passing triple verification via password, fingerprint, and facial recognition, Fang Yu received the notification: "Purchase Successful." "This order will be dispatched from Guangling City headquarters and delivered within twelve hours at the latest. Please reconfirm your address and contact information," a series of prompts flashed across his phone. Whew! Only after confirming everything once more did Fang Yu's heart gradually settle. Even though he had planned for this long in advance, spending one million Star Coins in a single go still gave him a jolt... Over the summer break, he had consumed treasures worth two million Star Coins, but his father had purchased those, so the sting had not felt quite so sharp. This time, he had spent the money with his own hands. "The martial path is paved with gold." "Since I've chosen this path, I can't afford to pinch pennies," Fang Yu quickly readjusted his mindset. "As long as I can raise my Life Level as quickly as possible, even if I spend every last coin, it will be worth it." ... That night, Fang Yu slept soundly. As usual, he woke up at three in the morning and headed to the Underground Martial Arts Room. Taking a Vital Energy Compound and a Bone-Strengthening Pill, he began a new day of training. "No matter how many medicinal compounds and treasures one has, perseverance in cultivation remains essential." "Only by drilling boxing forms and saber techniques over and over, circulating vital energy, can one gain ever finer control over the body," Fang Yu thought, his mind completely serene. "Once I reach the ultimate peak where no further progress is possible, I'll be close to the Inner Vista of technique." Lesser Accomplishment of Entering the Minute meant unifying muscles and bones to unleash one's full strength with flawless cohesion. Great Accomplishment of Entering the Minute meant bursting forth with Dark Force in an instant; typically, one's maximum explosive force could reach over 1.5 times one's baseline strength. When Dark Force powered by vital energy erupted, reaching an explosive output of double one's baseline strength, it essentially signified the limit of Entering the Minute, putting one on the verge of stepping into the Inner Vista at any moment. Although Fang Yu's physical technique had attained Great Accomplishment of Entering the Minute, and he had even achieved Entering the Minute with his saber, he was still quite a distance from the limit of Entering the Minute. His only choice was to keep toiling. "Practice a day, gain a day's skill; skip a day, lose a hundred days' progress." Fang Yu understood well the hardships of martial arts. Martial arts was not the cultivation of immortals; there was no such thing as attaining eternity in a single step. Even for those of exceptional skill, if they slackened for an extended period without practicing their forms and weapons, their physical technique would regress. There were even masters of Great Accomplishment of Entering the Minute who ultimately became unable to unleash Dark Force at all. Yet Fang Yu did not find this arduous. Instead, he treated it as an enjoyment, finding genuine pleasure in the process. In truth, that was how Fang Yu had persevered for so many years. In any endeavor, only by throwing oneself into it with heartfelt passion could one make the greatest progress. Time slipped by. Shortly after five, Fang Long and Fang Siyue arrived at the Underground Martial Arts Room. Seeing their elder brother already deep into his training, they did not dare disturb him and quietly began their own practice. ... After their morning practice concluded, the family ate breakfast together. "Dad." Fang Yu walked Fang Ping'an out to the courtyard. "Once you head to Huguang Martial University, you'll have to take part in actual combat right away, won't you?" Fang Ping'an looked at his son, a trace of worry flickering in his eyes. "I know that's a path every powerful martial artist must walk. None can avoid it." "Your mother walked that path back then." "Now you're walking it, and your brother and sister will walk it in the future." Fang Ping'an sighed softly. Fang Yu remained silent. Primordial Star actual combat was a life-and-death struggle. As a former Martial Junior College student, his father could easily look up basic information about it. "On the path of a martial artist, you're stronger than I ever was, so I won't offer you advice on that." "However, I've spent decades in business. After making fortunes, I nearly went bankrupt, enduring several great rises and falls... I've gathered a bit of insight along the way," Fang Ping'an said. "I know there's a popular saying among martial artists: wealth and honor are sought in peril." "Yet few know the full saying." "As your father, I'll pass it on to you." "Wealth and honor are sought in peril, but they are also lost in peril; one in ten succeeds in the seeking, while nine in ten perish in the loss. A true man, in all he undertakes, must cast aside reliance on luck, temper himself through a hundred trials into steel, and amass progress second by second before he may astonish the world with a single leap." Fang Ping'an looked intently at Fang Yu. "So do not take reckless risks. Survive! Only by surviving does everything else matter." "Come back alive to see me." Survive! That was Fang Ping'an's parting wish for Fang Yu. ... Shortly after ten in the morning, two martial artists from Star Radiance Group delivered the package directly to his door. After verifying his identity and signing for it, Fang Yu finally held the Crimson Star Pills he had been longing for. Without hesitation, and after instructing his younger brother and sister not to disturb him, Fang Yu went straight back to the Underground Martial Arts Room and took out the exquisitely packaged Crimson Star Pills. The description called it "one bottle," but the pills were actually stored individually within a specially crafted metal case. "Ten pills to a bottle, a hundred thousand Star Coins each." Fang Yu gingerly retrieved one Crimson Star Pill. Thumb-sized, it was laced with faint crimson streaks across its surface. A wondrous fragrance wafted from the pill. Merely inhaling the scent triggered a primal urge within Fang Yu's heart to swallow it down. "It smells incredible," Fang Yu marveled silently. He understood that this was not a true scent, but an instinctual longing for life evolution—much like the uncontrollable surge of desire in the heat of passion. Such was the allure of star force to a lesser life-form. Suppressing the craving within, Fang Yu reviewed the instructions once more to make sure he had memorized every precaution, and then swallowed the Crimson Star Pill in one gulp. Sizzle~ The moment the Crimson Star Pill entered his stomach, his innate divine ability, Devour, was instantly activated. Streams of wondrous, mysterious power immediately surged along his limbs and skeleton, sweeping into every corner of his body. His arms, legs, chest, internal organs, and even his brain were nourished simultaneously by this extraordinary power. This energy arrived like a raging torrent, yet it was remarkably gentle! "Ah..." Fang Yu could not help letting out a low groan as an unprecedented sense of comfort and a thrilling shiver ran through him, making his entire body tremble involuntarily. The invisible star force surged in wildly, eagerly devoured by his starved body. It was like sweet rain falling on parched soil! At this moment, Fang Yu was experiencing not merely changes to his muscles and bones, but an evolution at the genetic level—an astonishing metamorphosis reaching deep into his cells that rapidly elevated his physical constitution. Without question, this was the fastest improvement to his Life Level he had ever experienced in his entire life. "It's true." "According to the description in the junior college course, Source of Star Force, when martial artists who awaken their Void Star Aspect late absorb star force for the first time, their flesh and blood have never experienced it before... so the very first session yields the greatest results," Fang Yu marveled inwardly. "The increase in Life Level is the most astounding." "The next few times will also be quite effective, and only after that will progress gradually return to normal." "Even though I haven't awakened a Void Star Aspect, taking a Crimson Star Pill mirrors a normal martial artist absorbing star force for the first time after awakening... It can trigger a qualitative transformation just the same." Fang Yu was filled with anticipation. "What's more!" "My innate divine ability, Devour, really works! The instructions said that after taking a Crimson Star Pill, one would feel body aches and that certain impurities would affect the body... Yet I feel none of that; every thread of star force is incomparably pure." Fang Yu's eyes shone brightly. "That means for me, this Crimson Star Pill is practically identical in effect to a Dragon Star Pill." A comparable effect, yet at one-fifth the price. Sizzle~ Star force continually poured from his stomach, relentlessly strengthening Fang Yu's body as though meeting no bottleneck whatsoever... After forty minutes, the medicinal efficacy of this Crimson Star Pill gradually faded. "Hungry!" "I'm so hungry!" A severe pang gnawed at Fang Yu's stomach. Without hesitation, he rose, opened the case, and swiftly swallowed a second Crimson Star Pill. This time, the medicinal effects ran out in just half an hour, and Fang Yu promptly ingested a third. And so it went, one pill after another. As the expensive Crimson Star Pills were consumed, every cell in Fang Yu's body underwent repeated, astonishing transformations, expelling countless useless impurities. His bone density soared! His skin grew tougher... Along with the dramatic surge in Fang Yu's Life Level, his spiritual force swelled at an astonishing pace. ... In the blink of an eye, it was past three in the afternoon. Only upon ingesting the ninth Crimson Star Pill did Fang Yu feel the frantic metamorphosis in his body finally slow to a stop and settle back to normal. He felt completely stuffed, unable to take in even a shred more. "Nine whole Crimson Star Pills! Under the effect of my innate divine ability, Devour, their potency was absorbed almost perfectly without a hint of waste. That's probably equivalent to a normal martial artist taking more than a dozen Crimson Star Pills—and without any side effects whatsoever." Fang Yu slowly opened his eyes. "Absorbing star force for the first time truly yields incredible results." A Crimson Star Pill without side effects was essentially a Dragon Star Pill. Whew! Fang Yu stood up, let out a long breath, and gently closed his eyes. In an instant, his consciousness arrived in that mysterious realm. In the center, the colossal slumbering star aspect stood fully revealed before Fang Yu, its facial features distinct and clear. "Huh?" Fang Yu was taken aback. In the past, this massive slumbering star aspect had remained utterly motionless. Now, at some point without his realizing it, it seemed to have crossed a critical threshold. Its enormous torso was subtly rising and falling as though breathing, on the verge of waking at any moment. At the same time, through the slumbering star aspect, several streams of information were transmitted to Fang Yu: —— Aspect Observer Life Level: Level 21.0 (Intermediate Martial Artist) Martial Technique: High Entering the Minute (Vital Energy, Weapon Entering the Minute) Soul Level: Level 24.3 Void Star Aspect: Unknown (Impending First-Phase Awakening) Innate Divine Ability 1: Devour (Consuming various rare treasures yields faster digestion and enhanced effects) Innate Divine Ability 2: Unknown (Strive to become a higher-level life-form) ... "First-phase awakening?" Fang Yu was stunned. "Could it be that my Void Star Aspect awakens in separate stages?"