A Surge in Strength

"Xia Tao?" A flicker of disdain crossed Bai Chen's eyes. "Without his family's backing, he'd be on par with us at best, maybe even worse." "Yeah, his is only a Middle-Rank Star Aspect," Qin Yang agreed with a nod. "And from the looks of it, it hasn't been long since he reached Great Accomplishment in Entering the Minute either." Neither of them held Xia Tao in high regard. In martial arts universities, having a high-ranking Star Aspect or a high Life Level would draw envy, but it could not earn genuine admiration from people's hearts... Because Star Aspects were innate, whereas Life Levels could be elevated through external help. What students at martial arts universities respected the most were often those whose Life Levels were not high, but whose martial technique was exceptionally exquisite. Fang Yu was one such person. *Whoosh!* Sitting cross-legged on the ground, the fiery red silhouette of a snake at Fang Yu's brow gradually retracted and vanished. The points of light shining across his limbs and torso swiftly dimmed, and his whole body returned to normal. Bai Chen and Qin Yang were not surprised in the least by this. They knew very well that if this were a high schooler awakening a Star Aspect early on, neither the aspect nor the star acupoints would show such a pronounced disturbance... Only when a powerful martial artist awakened a Star Aspect for the first time would there be such a tremendous commotion. These considerations were explained in detail in the university's relevant coursework. *Whoosh!* Though the light of the star acupoints drew inward, a vast amount of materialized flame star force that had originally swirled around Fang Yu was now surging incessantly into every part of his body through each star acupoint, melding into every inch of flesh and blood. The bones throughout Fang Yu's body underwent a drastic transformation. Internal organs, blood, muscles, skin, hair... his entire body was being comprehensively reinforced and transformed, and even the cellular genes were undergoing a frenzy of evolution. This transformation was astonishing beyond measure. It was dozens of times more violent and swift than when Fang Yu ingested Crimson Star Pills... The surging flame star force turned Fang Yu's entire body bright red, and even the temperature of his combat suit skyrocketed. Under normal circumstances, a body would find it extremely difficult to withstand such a rate of evolution. Yet! Fang Yu showed only a faint trace of pain on his face. He remained quietly seated cross-legged, allowing his body to undergo this wild metamorphosis... Watching this, Bai Chen and Qin Yang, standing guard nearby, could not help but sigh with emotion. "It's my first time seeing an older martial artist awaken for the first time," Qin Yang said. "Yeah," Bai Chen nodded, his tone laced with deep emotion. "According to the textbooks, during a martial artist's initial Star Aspect awakening, the efficiency with which star acupoints absorb star force is at its absolute peak... The stronger the physical constitution, the better the initial effect of the star acupoints." "Fang Yu is Level 21." "And he has a full forty-six star acupoints, comparable to awakening an Upper-Rank Star Aspect. Just what level will his physical constitution transform to?" Bai Chen's eyes brimmed with anticipation. Qin Yang felt the same. The older a martial artist grew, the slimmer their chances of awakening a Star Aspect became. Even if they did awaken one, it was usually weaker—most were Lower-Rank Star Aspects, a few were Middle-Rank, and the number of star acupoints was generally small... Bai Chen and Qin Yang had never seen anyone as extraordinary as Fang Yu. Even hearing about it—they had only ever read about such cases on the internet. The two waited quietly. ... *Forty-six star acupoints?* Fang Yu's consciousness had not yet fully cleared, but he had already sensed the numerous subtle shifts within himself. With a single thought, he could perceive the forty-six star acupoints situated throughout his body. To awaken so many star acupoints in the very first stage of awakening? Naturally, Fang Yu was thrilled. He understood the knowledge surrounding star acupoints: with forty-six of them, his efficiency in absorbing external star force was fully capable of rivaling an Upper-Rank Star Aspect. *Even though I've already swallowed Crimson Star Pills several times...* *Absorbing star force through star acupoints is a first for me.* Fang Yu mobilized his entire body as best he could, voraciously absorbing the streams of wondrous power pouring into him through his star acupoints. *The one I'm drawing in seems to be flame star force?* *This exclusive star force suits my body best. It often penetrates into the finer depths of the body, unearthing more of its latent potential.* Fang Yu pushed his star acupoints to their utmost. *Whoosh! Whoosh!* The limbs and bones of Fang Yu's body ravenously devoured and absorbed star force. His genetic cells continuously metamorphosed, sending his Life Level soaring. Waste impurities and discarded cells inside his body continuously surfaced through the pores of his skin. ... This transformation lasted a full six hours. Only when Fang Yu felt the star force devoured by his bones, muscles, and flesh reach its absolute limit—so full he could hold no more—did the forty-six star acupoints finally cease their absorption. "Phew!" Fang Yu's consciousness cleared completely. He felt sticky all over, as though he had broken out into a heavy sweat on a hot summer day. He understood that these were impurities expelled during his body's drastic metamorphosis; a quick wash would take care of it. *Such immense power.* Still seated cross-legged, Fang Yu could clearly sense the surging power coursing through him, vastly stronger than before. He could not help but have an illusion. His current self felt as though he could beat his past self to death with a single punch. *Buzz—* With a stir of his consciousness, he arrived once more in that mysterious realm. A moment later, he froze in sheer bewilderment: the Star Aspect that had clearly awakened earlier had fallen back into a deep slumber, remaining entirely motionless. However... Coiled before the sleeping Star Aspect was a much smaller crimson serpent. Its entire body was clad in scarlet scales, and as it lay coiled there, it resembled a ball of blazing fire, save for a white stripe running along its belly that lent it an elegant beauty. *Sss—* The crimson serpent's form was slightly ethereal as it flicked its tongue, appearing remarkably lively. Meanwhile, Fang Yu also perceived several streams of information transmitted from the dormant Star Aspect, far more complex than in the past. —— Aspect Observer Life Level: 26.2 (Intermediate Martial Artist) Martial Technique: High Entering the Minute (Vital Qi and Blood, Weapon Entering the Minute) Soul Level: 29.5 Void Star Aspect: Unknown (Please work hard to elevate your Life Level to unlock the second-stage awakening) Disguised Star Aspect: Crimson-Scaled Snake (Middle-Rank) Star Acupoints: 46 Innate Divine Ability 1: Devour (Increases digestion speed and improves digestion results after ingesting various rare treasures) Innate Divine Ability 2: Disguise (Before completing all awakening stages, can disguise as an appropriate Star Aspect and possess all of that Star Aspect's innate gifts) Innate Divine Ability 3: Unknown (Please work hard to become a higher-level life form) —— This information gave Fang Yu a foundational understanding of his condition. His Star Aspect was still not fully awakened, but completing the first stage of awakening had already brought about a qualitative transformation. First was the rise in his Life Level. Leaping from Level 22.3 to Level 26.2... a direct increase of nearly four levels. This was simply a qualitative leap. If left to Fang Yu's own cultivation... Even if he spared no expense in taking Crimson Star Pills, and even with his martial technique at Great Accomplishment in Entering the Minute, Fang Yu estimated it would take at least a year. After all, the effects of Crimson Star Pills grew weaker the more one took. Yet now! With the aid of the Star Aspect awakening, he had drastically shortened that time. *Star Aspect talent truly is important,* Fang Yu sighed inwardly. Only after awakening a Star Aspect talent of one's own did one truly understand why the Blue Moon Alliance placed such immense value on Star Aspects. The advantages were simply far too great. *A Middle-Rank Star Aspect, 'Crimson-Scaled Snake'?* Fang Yu mused. *It actually shares the same lineage as the Upper-Rank Star Aspect 'Swallowing-Sun Python'—both are tied to flame star force.* *The colossal celestial body my consciousness visualized at the very end in that starry cosmos also seemed to be composed of flame.* Having gone through the first-stage awakening and having reached that mysterious, boundless starry cosmos with his consciousness, Fang Yu's horizons had broadened tremendously, sparking many hypotheses in his mind... The rank of his dormant Star Aspect was most likely above even an Upper-Rank Star Aspect. Furthermore! In this boundless starry expanse, the Upper-Rank Star Aspects were probably not limited to the twelve kinds publicly acknowledged by the Blue Moon Alliance. The reason this dormant Star Aspect resided in him was very likely tied to his bloodline. If it was linked to bloodline, then it was inextricably tied to his great-grandfather, Fang Tiankuo. The man's dying words had specifically mentioned the Swallowing-Sun Python. *Return to New Moon?* Fang Yu silently thought. *Whether to fulfill the unfulfilled wishes of my great-grandfather and father, or for my own path in martial arts... I must find an opportunity to visit New Moon.* For now, he put matters of New Moon aside. *I just didn't expect the second innate divine ability to be Disguise,* Fang Yu thought. *And there's even a third innate divine ability?* *Perhaps there might even be a fourth.* If other martial artists knew about having so many innate divine abilities, their jaws would drop in shock. After all, according to public information, even the Twelve Upper-Rank Star Aspects possessed only one innate divine ability each. Regardless, Fang Yu's gains were already immense. ... *Phew!* Fang Yu slowly exhaled, opened his eyes, and rose to his feet. "Brother Fang!" "Fang Yu, you're finally fully awake!" "Congratulations on awakening your Star Aspect!" Delighted voices rang out around him. Bai Chen, Qin Yang, Xia Yao, and Xiong Meng were all gathered nearby, smiling warmly at Fang Yu. "Thank you, everyone." Fang Yu felt deeply grateful. For such a long time, his teammates had undoubtedly stood guard by his side. Fang Yu also understood that unusual phenomena must have appeared during his awakening. However, with the innate divine ability 'Disguise' active, whatever had manifested should have been the phenomena of the Crimson-Scaled Snake, which posed no problem. "Haha, Brother Fang, we're teammates—what's there to thank?" Xiong Meng said with a hearty laugh. "Fang Yu, I stood guard for you for six whole hours, and it was exhausting," Xia Yao chimed in playfully. "With a joyous occasion like awakening a Star Aspect, you definitely have to treat us once we get back to base." "A treat is definitely in order," Qin Yang said with a smile. "Of course. A joyous occasion like this must be celebrated properly," Fang Yu replied with a laugh. "When we return to base, enjoy yourselves at the mall—all expenses are on my tab!" Xiong Meng, Xia Yao, and the others all burst out laughing. "Fang Yu." "With your initial Star Aspect awakening, your Life Level must have made a massive leap," Bai Chen said with great anticipation. "How do you feel? Around what level do you think you've reached?" The others also turned curious gazes toward Fang Yu. "The boost really is substantial, but it's hard for me to say exactly what level I'm at," Fang Yu replied with a sly grin. "How about it, Captain—care to spar a bit with me?"