Alex Xiao breaking through was definitely great news for Evan Chu, but the way she teased him left him a little flustered.
Evan Chu knew perfectly well how powerful her charm arts were—especially after she transformed into human form, it was impossible to tell the difference. If he ever lost his head, it was entirely possible he'd do something he'd regret.
"Alex, you can't be serious, can you? You do realize how bad things could get if you actually went through with it?" Evan blurted out.
"Heh, big brother, I'm just messing with you! Sure, I like you, but I wouldn't really do anything crazy—relax! But once my charm arts level up, I'll be able to help you out in even more ways." Alex Xiao giggled.
Evan understood what she meant. With her mastery of charm arts, she was the perfect choice for undercover work—if she had to infiltrate the enemy, no one would ever see through her disguise. But for now, it didn't seem like he needed that particular skill.
"Big brother, did you get what you wanted from Weakwater this time?" Alex Xiao asked with a grin.
"I did. I just came by to check how you're doing after absorbing the inner core, then I'm planning to go into closed-door cultivation for a while," Evan replied.
Alex looked at Evan and said, "I've finished absorbing it completely. You can start your closed-door training now, big brother. I need to go out and take care of some things too—when you come out, I hope I can give you a huge surprise!"
With those words, Alex Xiao shimmered with violet light and instantly transformed into a small fox, then darted out of the room.
After closing the door, Evan Chu sat down by the bed and began to absorb Stellar Power.
After absorbing the two top-grade Starstone Tablets, Evan Chu stopped and asked the Sword Spirit, "Sister Luna, I want to start practicing the Water-Shift technique. Can you teach me the essentials?"
Luna chuckled, "I thought you’d forgotten! Water-Shift is similar to Fire-Shift in nature, but the changes are much greater. Once you comprehend the water element, you’ll understand."
In that moment, the essentials of Water-Shift suddenly appeared in Evan’s mind. Though the technique was just as profound, with Luna’s explanation and his insights from Fire-Shift, he grasped it in no time.
Evan took out the Water Spirit Pearl from his storage ring, but he didn’t rush to comprehend the water element. Instead, he carefully observed the subtle changes on the pearl’s surface.
The Water Spirit Pearl glowed with a faint green light, and he could vaguely see water element molecules dancing on its surface. Evan slowly cleared his mind and focused his spirit.
He calmed himself and began to sense the world within the Water Spirit Pearl.
Evan’s perception had grown incredibly sharp after sensing darkness in Weakwater, and it worked just as well with the Water Spirit Pearl. Within minutes, he found the feeling he needed.
Luna could naturally sense all of Evan’s changes, and she was very satisfied with his progress. If Evan mastered Water-Shift, his strength would soar.
Slowly, Evan’s divine sense penetrated into the center of the Water Spirit Pearl. The water element molecules inside were wild and turbulent, surging like crashing waves—completely different from the calm, lake-like molecules on the surface.
Evan tried communicating with the water element and discovered ice element molecules mixed in the core. Ice was just another form of water, but its power was even more intense.
Evan felt like his whole body had been plunged into an ice cellar—he was freezing, and even with his defenses, the chill seeped through. The energy inside the Water Spirit Pearl was terrifying.
Time ticked by, and Evan realized that comprehending the water element was taking even longer than fire. Maybe it was because of those mutated ice molecules inside the Water Spirit Pearl—he had to master both water and ice attributes.
Naturally, that made it much harder than just fire. By now, Evan had basically grasped the water element, but he still hadn’t fully understood the icy molecules.
If anyone walked in right now, they’d be shocked—Evan was covered in a thick layer of ice. And this wasn’t ordinary ice, but the kind of Black Ice he’d seen on the northern peaks of the Monster Forest.
But Evan was completely unaware. He felt the cold, sure, but had no idea what was really happening—his mind was focused entirely on communicating with the ice element.
He didn’t know how much time passed before he opened his eyes. Seeing the ice layer on his body, he smiled faintly. With a thought, the ice slowly vanished—not melting, but simply dissolving into the air as ice element molecules.
At this point, Evan had fully comprehended both the water and ice elements. Though they could merge, their essence was still different.
Ice was more destructive, while water was infinitely adaptable. If you asked which was better, there was no clear answer—each had its strengths.
Evan began circulating Chaos Dragon Force inside himself, slowly absorbing the Water Spirit Pearl’s energy.
Bit by bit, the pearl’s energy flowed into his body and started running through his meridians. As the Water Spirit Pearl shrank, his meridians filled with more and more water molecules.
Just as Evan was celebrating his smooth breakthrough, something unexpected happened—the fire element molecules in his body suddenly became restless.
Since ancient times, water and fire have never mixed. Instantly, the water and fire molecules inside Evan began to battle each other. Even though he’d mastered fire, he couldn’t control it now—everything felt out of his hands, and pain tore through his body.
Alarmed by the sudden chaos, Evan’s absorption of the Water Spirit Pearl slowed down. He hurriedly called out to Luna, "Sister Luna, what’s happening to me?"
Luna replied, "Just endure it. This pain is actually a kind of tempering, and it’ll do wonders for your body. It might not push you straight to the Fifth Layer of the Starforge Body, but it’s close."
Water and fire never mix—that’s an ancient truth. But for those who practice Ninefold Stellar Transformation, that rule can be broken.
Once you truly master Water-Shift, your body will undergo a total transformation, and water and fire will fuse together. Your attack power will multiply, but the pain will be just as brutal as breaking through the Starforge Body!"
Evan was stunned. Why did every breakthrough have to come with such inhuman torment? But if he wanted true strength, there was only one answer—endure! Endure what no ordinary person could!
"Only when you’ve fully absorbed the Water Spirit Pearl’s energy will the real transformation happen. Hurry up and absorb—it’ll hurt less if you’re quick, otherwise you’re in for a world of pain!" Luna added.
Gritting his teeth, Evan went all out, frantically absorbing the energy. The pain kept rising, but nothing could shake his determination to become stronger…