Evan Chu suddenly felt a powerful force rampaging inside his body, just like when he broke through to the Second Layer of the Starforge Body—it was completely uncontrollable. Alarmed, he thought, "Oh no, this time I'm really dead!"
Goldwing, the Golden Demon Vulture, noticed Evan's panicked expression and asked curiously, "Boss, what's wrong? Why do you say you're doomed? Is there another monster coming?" As he spoke, he glanced around warily.
Evan didn't answer. Instead, he anxiously communicated with Luna, the Sword Spirit: "Sister Luna, I feel a force rampaging everywhere inside me. Is it possible I'm breaking through to the Third Layer of the Starforge Body right now?"
Luna had once told Evan that the early layers of the Starforge Body always emerged without warning. You might be fighting someone, you might be cultivating, but when it suddenly appears, that's when it's most dangerous.
Right now, Evan's Chaos Qi was mostly depleted and he was seriously wounded. If a breakthrough happened at this moment, it was basically a death sentence.
"Evan, your luck is incredible. Congratulations on showing signs of breaking through to the Third Layer of the Starforge Body at a time like this! Keep going! I'm watching, hehe!" Luna laughed, completely ignoring Evan's worries.
Evan was so frustrated he nearly coughed up blood. "I'm about to die here and you still have the mood to laugh? You'll be a widow for sure!"
"Hehe, what does your death have to do with me? Even if someone ends up a widow, it certainly won't be me," Luna replied, surprisingly not angry at all.
Goldwing saw Evan's face twisted in pain and waited a long time for a reply, growing anxious. "Boss, is your injury getting worse? Say something!"
Knowing Goldwing was worried, Evan could only answer helplessly, "Old Gold, the body-refining technique I practice is showing signs of a breakthrough right now. Guard me—don't let anyone disturb me!"
Goldwing was baffled by Evan's words—he'd never heard of breakthroughs in body-refining techniques before. But since Evan was his boss, he nodded seriously and said, "Boss, don't worry. I won't let anyone or any monster disturb you. If you need help, just call for me."
"Alright, go," Evan said. "Get far away from here—I can't afford to be interrupted, or I might suffer cultivation deviation. You should also take the chance to heal up!"
Goldwing immediately turned and left, flying several hundred meters away before stopping to tend to his own wounds.
Evan stopped bothering with Luna. Her constant teasing only made his mood worse. Breaking through to the Third Layer of the Starforge Body required a massive amount of stellar power, and from what he could sense, he simply didn't have enough.
The mysterious energy inside him surged faster and faster, and even his meridians—tempered by two rounds of body refinement—started to ache.
Not wasting any time, Evan hurriedly pulled out a pile of low-grade and mid-grade Starstones from his storage ring, placing them in front of him. Then, using one mind, two uses, he began frantically absorbing stellar power.
With experience from his previous breakthroughs, Evan knew he had to saturate his body with stellar power to succeed. The problem was, he had no idea what this mysterious new force inside him actually was.
The power left by the Bloodshadow Berserker Lion hadn't budged, and his Chaos Qi was pitifully low. Evan couldn't figure out what other force could be stirring inside him, and that uncertainty made him feel lost.
"Evan, don't absorb stellar power yet. Wait until your body fully absorbs the medicinal power first. I told you your luck was good, but you never believe me—this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance!" Luna suddenly chimed in.
"Medicinal power? Wait, medicinal power? Could it be the spirit herb Goldwing gave me?" Evan suddenly realized—he remembered eating some unknown herb on a whim.
Back then, he only felt a wave of heat in his belly, but he ignored it to focus on breaking the cave barrier and then fighting the Flying Demon Tiger. Had those events triggered the medicinal power early? Just what kind of spirit herb was this, to be so potent?
Luna could read Evan's thoughts like an open book. "I didn't pay attention to what that old bird gave you—I only noticed the Soul Snow Grass in your hand. But any herb that can trigger your breakthrough to the Third Layer of the Starforge Body must be at least as valuable as a Soul Snow Fruit."
"This kind of herb is special, with hidden medicinal properties. That's why Goldwing thought it was just an ordinary spirit herb—you really lucked out."
At that moment, Evan felt his meridians burning as if set on fire. Sweat poured down his face, and even the bloody, mangled chest wound from the Flying Demon Tiger hadn't hurt this much.
Evan knew this feeling well—Luna had told him the pain would only get worse with each layer. He couldn't imagine what breaking through to higher levels would feel like.
Pulling himself together, Evan could only let the medicinal power run wild in his meridians. He thought about using Chaos Qi from his Earth Star Pellet to suppress it, but worried that might backfire, leaving him feeling deeply conflicted.
It was like standing still while someone sliced away at his flesh—he could only grit his teeth and endure, unable to fight back.
Minute by minute, time crawled by. Evan felt his meridians twisting, some even snapping, as part of the medicinal power surged into his bones and muscles, making the pain even more unbearable.
His muscles and bones had already been toughened by the Second Layer of the Starforge Body, but now they were being destroyed again. That made the process harder, longer, and far more painful.
Evan's face turned dark as a pig's liver. His stubborn nature kept him from making a sound, but sweat poured off him like rain, soaking the ground beneath.
As more time passed, Evan's skin began to crack and blood gushed out. The pain had already surpassed his limits—he nearly fainted several times. Yet somehow, despite losing so much blood, there was never any decrease after each breakthrough.
"Evan, hang in there—the medicinal power is finally weakening, and your body is starting to absorb it. Once it's all absorbed, you need to go all out and absorb stellar power. The medicinal power can only break down your meridians and flesh, but it can't help you breakthrough by itself." Luna urged.
"Only stellar power can restore your body to its original state!" Luna added.
Evan was half-delirious, but forced himself to stay awake at Luna's voice. His body reeked of blood and a foul stench—the impurities being expelled. Every breakthrough purged more filth, making him tougher and stronger.
Gritting his teeth, Evan endured as the pain slowly eased. He knew it was because his body was finally absorbing the medicinal power. He had no idea how much time had passed, but when the rampaging force inside him finally quieted, he moved.
He grabbed a Starstone in each hand and, using one mind, two uses, began absorbing stellar power at full speed. The energy surged into his body and dantian, growing denser with every breath.
Once he'd absorbed enough stellar power, Evan circulated it through his eight extraordinary meridians, cycling it over and over.
After three full cycles, most of the absorbed stellar power was spent. Evan repeated the process—absorb, consume, absorb, consume...
When only one Starstone was left in front of him, Evan finally stopped. His shattered meridians were fully healed, his bones and muscles restored, and even the chest wound from the Flying Demon Tiger had vanished without a trace.
Evan let out a long, turbid breath, feeling power surge through his whole body. Looking up, he saw Goldwing staring at him in shock...