This scorching airflow is actually the energy of the Netherghost Violet Orchid. As soon as it entered Evan Chu's body, it began rampaging through his meridians, muscles, and bones—completely beyond his control.
It was just like breaking through the Starforge Body—he could only let it run its course, unable to stop it. But once this energy entered his body, the pain was immediate and intense, making him suffer terribly.
But right now, he couldn't stop absorbing the Netherghost Violet Orchid's energy. If he did, the entire herb would be wasted. Evan could only grit his teeth and endure.
He realized the damage from the Netherghost Violet Orchid's energy was no less than the pain of breaking through the Starforge Body. No wonder Luna had warned him to keep going no matter how tough it got.
He'd thought it would just be a bit of physical pain, but he never expected it to slowly spread to his soul. Now, every part of his body hurt like hell.
Sweat had already soaked through his clothes, and the twisted muscles on his face showed just how much agony Evan was in at this moment.
As time passed, even with Evan’s current strength and defenses, he was on the verge of passing out. Only now did he realize how terrifying breaking through to the Saint Martial Realm really was. But with his stubborn will, he refused to give up and kept grinding through. If Lynne Nie and Ryan Ouyang could make it, so could he.
The Netherghost Violet Orchid's energy was slowly decreasing, but Evan's body was starting to change. His skin began to split, then his bones started to fracture, and even his meridians snapped bit by bit—leaving him completely shocked.
Luna was right beside Evan. Seeing his current state, her brows knit tightly as if searching for a solution. Suddenly, her expression cleared and she said, "Evan, you absolutely can't give up. If you can tough it out this time, I believe even a First-Layer Saint Martial expert won't be your match."
Evan couldn't speak at the moment, but he could still hear her. He desperately wanted to ask Luna why this was happening, when she continued, "Your current situation is most likely because the Netherghost Violet Orchid's powerful and unique energy has accidentally triggered a breakthrough to the Seventh Layer of the Starforge Body. So if you can survive this, you'll have forged the Seventh Layer of the Starforge Body."
Hearing this, Evan was momentarily stunned. Luna had once said he’d need to reach at least Third-Layer Saint Martial Realm before attempting the Seventh Layer of the Starforge Body. Now, with his realm so much lower, it was definitely risky—but the arrow was already nocked and there was no turning back. Live or die, he could only leave it to fate.
Finally, all the Netherghost Violet Orchid’s energy was absorbed. The orchid in his hand turned into a purple blossom. Though the phenomenon was strange, Evan couldn't dwell on it—he could only endure the endless pain.
Luna was extremely anxious now. She hadn’t expected Evan’s Saint Martial breakthrough to trigger such changes. If she’d known, she never would have let him attempt it. But if he didn’t break through, his strength would never improve. Advancing to the Seventh Layer of the Starforge Body was inevitable—it was a tribulation he had to face sooner or later.
By now, Evan couldn’t even sit up straight—he could only crawl slowly on the ground. When he checked his internal state, he found that his internal organs were actually starting to rupture. Even the Divine Star Core region was cracking. It was the first time Evan had ever experienced his organs breaking apart, and the pain was beyond words.
Then the Chaos Dragon Force inside him fused with the Netherghost Violet Orchid’s energy. The ruptured Divine Star Core region acted like a breached dam, and soon the flood of power shattered all of Evan’s organs.
If it were anyone else, they’d have died long ago. Right now, Evan’s muscles and bones were being devoured by this energy, shrinking away bit by bit. In the end, only his head remained intact, while a powerful energy mass spun where his body used to be.
After about half an hour, the spinning energy finally began to slow. It started to distribute itself in the shape of Evan’s original body—a phenomenon so terrifying it defied description, yet it was happening to him.
The ground was stained everywhere with pale-golden blood. Evan was left with only a human head, his eyes and mind still functioning, as if his lower body had vanished. Even Luna was shocked—this was her first time witnessing the breakthrough to the Seventh Layer of the Starforge Body.
Evan no longer knew what pain was—maybe he’d gone numb from it. He had no idea how long had passed before he finally felt something: his vanished body began to slowly recover. He realized he’d made it through.
No one would believe such a horrifying cultivation method. The pain in his body gradually eased, and his missing organs started to regrow bit by bit. The process was slow, but it was real.
Luna watched everything without blinking. Her furrowed brow finally relaxed, and she murmured to herself, "Evan made it through. That was truly a close call—if he’d lost consciousness at the last moment, he might never have awakened again. Attempting the Eighth Layer of the Starforge Body will probably have to wait until the Immortal Realm."
Once Evan’s body was fully restored, he found that the energy mass had vanished. He felt an inexplicable lightness—a sensation he’d experienced six times before. That meant he’d accidentally broken through to the Seventh Layer of the Starforge Body.
He sat up and began circulating Chaos Dragon Force. This time, he found it was noticeably stronger than before. After running it through a full cycle, two crisp cracking sounds came from the Divine Star Core region, and an unprecedented sense of fullness washed over his body.
Those two sharp cracks told Evan he’d broken into the Saint Martial Realm—and had jumped straight to the Second Layer. Maybe it was because he’d stored up so much energy during the late Divine Martial Realm.
Evan’s heart leapt with joy. He immediately stood up and grinned at Luna beside him. "Sister Luna, I did it—I broke through to the Saint Martial Realm!"
Compared to breaking into the Saint Martial Realm, Evan felt the breakthrough to the Seventh Layer of the Starforge Body was even more profound. Only after reaching the Saint Martial Realm could he cultivate Wind and Thunder transformations, and absorb the energy from demon cores to strengthen the Nascent Soul in his sea of consciousness.
"Congratulations, Evan! You’re the most defiant genius I’ve ever met, and your luck is off the charts. If anything had gone wrong, you would’ve died—no amount of five-element undying arts could have saved you. It was a hair’s breadth from disaster," Luna said, clearly moved and delighted by his breakthrough.
Evan laughed. "Who do you think I am? There’s no way I’d go down that easily. I still need you to become my woman! By the way, how long did this breakthrough take?"
At this moment, Evan was a bit worried about his bet with Faye Knox. He felt the breakthrough had taken a long time—if there wasn’t much time left, winning against her would be impossible... (To be continued)