Wang Xundao

Regarding the message conveyed by the slumbering star aspect—"approaching first-phase awakening"—though Fang Yu did not yet understand what the "first phase" meant, he understood what "approaching" meant. This was the very first change in the Void Star Aspect's message. "There are two possibilities. One is that I've already met the requirements for the first-phase awakening," Fang Yu mused. "However, the actual awakening will still take some time—perhaps a few days, or perhaps a month or two. "The second possibility is that my Life Level is still a bit shy of the first-phase awakening, though the gap isn't large anymore." If it was the first possibility, there was nothing Fang Yu could do except wait patiently. "Regardless, consuming Crimson Star Pills as quickly as possible to raise my Life Level will never be the wrong move." Fang Yu threw a powerful punch. Whoosh! Whoosh! The air faintly tore with howling gusts. "At Life Level 21, my punch force really is far stronger than before." Feeling the surging power within his body, Fang Yu couldn't help but smile. "The benchmark punch force for Level 20 is 2,000 kilograms. "The benchmark punch force for Level 21 is 2,800 kilograms. That means in under six hours, my physical fitness improved by fifty percent?" This was a terrifying rate of improvement. Previously, after reaching the Great Accomplishment of Entering the Minute, Fang Yu had trained bitterly for an entire summer break just to rise from Level 16 to Level 20, and the increase in punch force then was roughly comparable to today's... The higher one's Life Level, the greater the gap between each level. For Intermediate Martial Artists in their twenties, the gap between levels was 800 kilograms of punch force. For Advanced Martial Artists past Level 30, the gap was 1,000 kilograms per level. "It's only because this is my first time absorbing star force that the progress was so massive," Fang Yu thought. "In the short term, I can't use Crimson Star Pills to temper my body again." Fang Yu understood. The initial effect had been so remarkable partly because of his frenzied, bitter cultivation in the past, which had left his body in an extremely starved state... Right now, he was stuffed, with a vast amount of star force still lurking within his limbs and bones. "Next... "I must continue my bitter training to digest the star force latent in my body. Once my body returns to a starved state, using Crimson Star Pills will yield the best results," Fang Yu concluded. Star Coins were limited. A single session had consumed nine Crimson Star Pills, the equivalent of devouring 900,000 Star Coins... How much money did Fang Yu have in total? Naturally, he had to budget carefully. "My control over my body has grown somewhat coarse as well." Fang Yu felt a slight stiffness in the circulation of his vital blood, reminiscent of when he had just attained the Great Accomplishment of Entering the Minute. "Right now, my peak burst force is probably only 1.5 times my base punch force." This showed that his physical fitness had advanced too quickly. He had to undergo rigorous training to become intimately familiar once more with every bone and sinew, every bundle of muscle, reclaiming perfect control over his body. Otherwise, in a life-or-death battle, miscalculations could easily occur. "All in all... "My strength has surged significantly, and I have much greater confidence in actual combat." Fang Yu felt increasingly confident. Through this attempt, his faith in his innate divine ability, Devour, had grown even stronger. ... Placing another order for three bottles of Crimson Star Pills, his bank account balance plummeted to 1.96 million Star Coins, yet Fang Yu felt no heartache whatsoever. He changed the delivery address to Wuling Martial Junior College. Only then did Fang Yu take a thoroughly refreshing hot shower. Feeling invigorated from head to toe, he dressed neatly. Standing in his room, Fang Yu looked around. "Time to go." He knew that the next time he returned home would likely not be until winter. He mused, "They say once you go to university, you only know your hometown in winter and summer. "I didn't feel it during three years of junior college. "Now that I'm truly attending university, I can finally understand the sentiment." Fang Yu picked up the backpack he had packed earlier and headed straight downstairs. His younger brother and sister were already waiting by the door. "Bro, are you really leaving?" Fang Siyue couldn't help asking. "I heard Dad say you're going to the Primordial Star?" "Yeah." Fang Yu smiled and rubbed his sister's head. "Don't worry. Your big brother is an elite undergraduate student at a martial university. I'm plenty strong—nothing will hurt me." "Bro, I'll protect Sis," Fang Long said in a muffled voice. "Good." Fang Yu patted his brother's shoulder and asked, "Where's Grandpa?" "In his room, probably playing video games," Fang Long replied. Fang Yu nodded, turned down the hallway, and knocked on his grandfather's door. Soon, the door opened, and Fang Zhiyuan—dressed in a shirt and boxer shorts—poked his head out. "Eldest Grandson, what's up?" "Grandpa, I'm heading out soon," Fang Yu said. "Isn't it tomorrow?" Fang Zhiyuan paused in surprise. "I have some business at school tonight, and I'll be setting off tomorrow morning, so I won't be coming back," Fang Yu explained. "Going to the Primordial Star?" Fang Zhiyuan opened the door further, a trace of solemnity on his face. "Are you going for training this time, or real combat? Is it dangerous?" "There's a certain amount of danger," Fang Yu answered, without going into detail. "Do you have to go?" Fang Zhiyuan looked at Fang Yu. Fang Yu nodded. "You... in some ways, you really take after your dad." Fang Zhiyuan gazed at Fang Yu with a sigh. "When your dad was young and traded stocks, everyone said nine out of ten stock traders lose money. But he refused to believe it. He even said, how would you know if you're that one in ten if you don't trade stocks?... I don't understand the martial path. "Yet I reckon the reasoning is much the same. "High risk, high reward... If you can't beat them, run. Whatever you do, don't be stubborn, and don't try to be a hero." Fang Zhiyuan shook his head. "As for me, you don't need to worry too much. "I'm lounging around at home anyway—danger won't find me. "If I pass away one of these days, it'll just be a happy funeral after a long, full life." ... That evening, Fang Yu and Wang Mo arrived at a private dining courtyard not far from the school. In one of the courtyard rooms, a table was laid out with a variety of delicious fruits. There were also numerous delicacies. Judging purely by appearance, the dishes were impeccable. The slowly rotating lazy Susan tabletop was heated, keeping every dish at an optimal temperature. "The old man said he was treating us. I told them when to serve the food, and now everything's on the table, yet he still hasn't shown up," Wang Mo said, shaking his head. "Delicacies like these ought to be eaten right on time. What a waste." "No rush. Your father is an elder, and he's busy," Fang Yu said with a smile. "Besides, as martial artists, we need to mind our diet anyway and avoid eating recklessly." "Old Fang, "We're Intermediate Martial Artists now; our bodies' digestive capacity far surpasses what it used to be," Wang Mo chuckled. "There's really no need to be so strict with food. Good food is one of life's greatest pleasures." "Yeah." Fang Yu smiled without arguing. "Son, you ought to learn a thing or two from your roommate. Barely an Intermediate Martial Artist, yet already slacking on your diet?" A mild voice drifted in from outside the courtyard, traveling from afar straight into the room. "Finally here." Wang Mo stood up. Fang Yu stood up as well and stepped forward toward the door to welcome them. But in the next instant, he felt several gusts of wind sweep past, and two figures had already drifted along the corridor to the courtyard entrance. Walking in the center was a middle-aged man dressed in casual wear. His facial features bore an eighty to ninety percent resemblance to Wang Mo's, though his eyes were considerably deeper, and he carried a cultured, scholarly air. Yet an invisible bio-magnetic field still made Fang Yu's heart clench instinctively. "What a high Life Level," Fang Yu thought in silent astonishment. As martial artists grew progressively stronger, their spiritual force increased as well. Paired with superb martial techniques, their perception of the outside world naturally became keener. With certain Advanced Martial Artists, Fang Yu could faintly sense that they were out of the ordinary. "Is Wang Mo's father an Advanced Martial Artist?" Fang Yu mused. It wasn't particularly surprising. These days, it would be strange if ultra-wealthy tycoons didn't have high Life Levels. Once wealth reached the scale of hundreds of millions of Star Coins, most people would do everything possible to elevate their Life Level. "And the person behind him?" Fang Yu's gaze shifted involuntarily. The most eye-catching was the figure standing a step behind Wang Mo's father: a bald, middle-aged man wearing an unknown silver-white technological device on his head like a headband. When his gaze fell upon Fang Yu, an invisible pressure surged forward like a crashing wave. "Danger!" The hairs on Fang Yu's neck stood on end. Goosebumps broke out across his entire body. It felt as though he were a little white rabbit cornered and stared down at close range by a ferocious tiger. An acute sensation of peril welled up in his chest, instantly triggering his instinctive vigilance. "So strong! "This is definitely a terrifying martial artist." Fang Yu felt a chill run through him. Even though he had seen quite a few Advanced Martial Artists, none had ever projected a greater sense of threat than this man. Of course, it was also possible that Associate Professor Tang had restrained his aura whenever they met. "Dad, Uncle Gu," Wang Mo said with mild reproach, "you're finally here. Come, let me introduce you. This is my roommate, Fang Yu. "He earned a direct-pass student spot, and his saber technique has reached Entering the Minute." "Fang Yu, this is my dad, Wang Xundao, and this is Uncle Gu," Wang Mo introduced. "Uncle Gu is a very powerful martial artist and the head of our Shengchuan Group's Martial Artist Department. In his earlier years, he ventured and fought across the Primordial Star. Even though he's an Advanced Martial Artist, he earned the title of Tier-4 Civilization Warrior. "Among Advanced Martial Artists, he's absolute top-tier."