After Evan Chu devoured the last drop of Water Spirit Pearl energy, the pain hit him like a sledgehammer—he nearly screamed. This was nothing like what Luna had warned him about breaking through the Starforge Body.
It was two completely different kinds of torture—one like being roasted alive, every inch of his flesh crackling in invisible fire.
The other was like being locked in an ice vault—he wanted to smash his own body into pieces just to escape the cold. His whole body swung between blazing heat and bone-chilling frost, the kind of cold that would freeze anyone to death.
By now, Evan’s clothes had been burned to nothing. One second, flames burst out over his skin and he wished he could dive into an ice cave; the next, he was sealed in ice, desperate to leap into a sea of fire. At least the bed hadn’t gone up in flames.
But all this was just surface pain. The real torment was inside his muscles and meridians, where water and fire elemental particles fought for territory, neither yielding to the other, making Evan open his mouth wide in agony.
Even a casual breath would spit out a stream of blazing fire or a wave of icy cold, leaving him utterly frustrated—yet the pain refused to stop.
The muscles on his face seemed twisted together, veins bulging and his eyes blood-red, looking downright ferocious. Most frightening of all, dragon scales began appearing on his skin.
The scales crept across his body, until he was covered head to toe. The itching was so fierce it felt like thousands of ants gnawing at his flesh—he wanted to claw his own skin off. Evan gritted his teeth, but this torment was beyond hell; he’d rather die than endure another second.
Dragon scales meant his bloodline was awakening again, but this time it was agonizingly slow—like a thunderstorm turning into a drizzle, barely dampening the ground, nowhere near enough to flood it. He could feel power stirring, but it just wouldn’t break free.
Every meridian felt torn apart, leaving his whole body numb and deadened. Even his Heaven Star Core spun uselessly inside him, powerless to help.
He didn’t know how long he’d spent writhing on the floor, every muscle screaming. He couldn’t even sit up—he just lay there, gasping, half hoping to black out. But somewhere deep inside, he could feel a shift—a sliver of hope.
The water and fire inside him finally stopped trying to tear each other apart. It was like they’d signed a secret truce, settling down and—against all odds—starting to fuse. Evan could barely believe it.
When the torment finally faded, Evan realized he could move Chaos Dragon Force through his Heaven Star Core again. He almost laughed with relief—then Luna’s voice cut in, sharp as ever:
“Evan, this is the turning point! Merge Watershift and Fireshift—your power will skyrocket. Guide the fused water-fire particles through your meridians, run them for a few full cycles, then let them slowly spread out. Take it slow, don’t rush it!” Luna urged.
Evan finally got it—the difference between Watershift and Fireshift. One made fireballs or set him ablaze; the other conjured waterballs or Mystic Ice.
The techniques were basically the same. Now the water and fire inside him had fused, mixing the martial skills was no big deal.
He let the fused energy roam through his meridians. Far from breaking, they’d toughened up—just as Luna predicted, his body was nearing Fifth Layer Starforge Body.
Once he’d spread the water-fire particles throughout his body, Evan knew—he’d nailed it.
He sprang to his feet. A thought, and a waterball appeared, then a fireball, then Mystic Ice. But when he focused on dual transformation, a waterball formed in his palm with a blazing flame swirling inside—pure water-fire fusion.
This had to be the water-fire fusion Luna meant. If he hurled this water-fire sphere at someone, the damage would be off the charts.
“Evan, you’re a freakin’ monster! Seven days, and you’ve nailed the two toughest transformations in Ninefold Stellar Transformation—water and fire. Out of all nine, only fusing these two is truly a nightmare.”
Water and fire fuel each other but also clash head-on. Once you’ve got the other Spirit Pearls, this fusion will hold everything together and save you the agony. With this, you’re ready for Earthshift!
Earthshift’s offensive power isn’t huge, but its defense is outstanding. Most amazing, once you master Earthshift, you’ll be able to merge into the earth itself and walk—or even run—through soil and rock.” Luna explained.
“So if I’ve mastered Watershift and Fireshift, does that mean I can swim through water and run through seas of fire?” Evan asked curiously.
“You can, but it still depends on your cultivation realm. At your current level, you can safely move through ordinary fire or normal ice layers. If you encounter divine flames or extreme coldfire, it’s still dangerous,” Luna replied.
This news was shocking. Evan realized that once he reached the Saint Martial Realm, there would be nowhere he couldn’t go—lava flows, icy seas, nothing could stop him.
“I need two days to recover before I tackle Earthshift. That breakthrough nearly fried my brain and wrung me dry,” Evan groaned.
He glanced down—buck naked. Evan shot Luna a wry grin. “Well, Sister Luna, you got a front-row seat to the whole show! Talk about a rip-off—I’m the one who got robbed!”
“Oh, quit whining, brat! It was just a peek—what’s the big deal? Haven’t you ogled me before? But, wow, that part of yours… it’s really something. Just thinking about it is kinda scary!” Luna snickered.
After she said that, Luna’s heart was pounding nonstop. She couldn’t believe she’d blurted something so embarrassing.
Evan was left speechless. He wanted to tease Luna back, but was afraid she’d get revenge, so he quickly pulled out some clothes from his storage ring, dressed, and walked out of the room.
Seven days—he could hardly believe it had actually taken him seven whole days to master Watershift.
He took a deep breath of fresh air and felt completely refreshed. “Evan, you’re finally out! We’ve been worried about you for seven days straight!”
It was Claire Ouyang’s voice. Evan turned and saw Claire, Selena, Luna Chu, and Skylar Yule all standing quietly, watching him.
He stepped outside, sucking in the fresh air like it was the sweetest nectar. "Sorry I made you all worry," Evan said, grinning sheepishly. "Didn’t think it’d take me a whole week to crawl back out."
Everyone crowded in, faces full of concern. Selena gave Evan a once-over, then raised an eyebrow. "So? How’d it go? I don’t sense any breakthrough in your realm."
Evan flashed a cocky grin. "Realm’s the same, but my strength? Through the roof. Honestly, I’m dying to test it out in a real fight!"
Selena smirked. "Want me to be your punching bag?"
Evan waved her off. "I’ll pass. If I accidentally lay you out, I’ll never forgive myself."
The whole group froze. Evan, hurt Selena? Unthinkable. But Selena knew he wasn’t just mouthing off—she stared at him, eyes narrowed.
"So, what rank of Divine Martial can you take down now?"
"Fifth-layer? Easy! If it wasn’t for the Water Spirit Pearl, I’d still be stuck at the old level," Evan said, conjuring a ball of Mystic Ice in his palm. The chilling aura made everyone instinctively back away—no one doubted him now.