The veins on Chase Chu’s face bulged, his muscles twitching uncontrollably as if about to knot together in a single instant. Beads of sweat the size of soybeans dripped down nonstop, but he didn’t let out a single cry of pain.
Evan Chu was equally shocked in his heart—his son’s endurance was truly extraordinary. If Chase could really endure this, Evan decided he would pass down the Starforge Body technique to him.
The Starforge Body is a body-refinement cultivation art; only those with monstrous willpower can practice it. Evan had personally experienced the agony it required—maybe his son could do it too. If Chase mastered it to the limit, his defense would become just as heaven-defying.
“Hang in there, Chase! Your dantian will rupture soon. I’ll protect your heart meridians. If you can make it through, you’ll become a peerless powerhouse. If you fail, you’ll be a waste forever.” Evan said.
Chase’s eyes had already turned red; his lips were torn open from biting them, leaking pale-gold blood. “Dad, I... I can... I can do it!” Just saying this took nearly all his strength.
Evan kept pouring Chaos Immortal Force and wood-element power into Chase. He could clearly sense cracks forming in his son’s dantian—the swelling pain was something even Evan himself had never endured. He didn’t need to imagine how excruciating it was.
Chase’s fingernails had dug deep into his flesh, but he barely felt that pain anymore. This was worse than death. He clung to one obsession: he had to make it through, couldn’t let Dad down, had to change his fate as a ‘waste’ and become a true powerhouse.
Minute after minute ticked by. Chase nearly blacked out several times, but every time he was about to faint, he bit his lip harder or drove his nails into his palm, using spikes of pain to keep himself awake.
Just then, Evan saw dragon scales appearing on Chase’s arm—sign his bloodline power was awakening. It wasn’t a full awakening, but it was already impressive.
Before Evan could speak, a crisp crack sounded from Chase’s dantian—the sound of it rupturing. This wasn’t like self-detonation; it was a completely different phenomenon.
Evan knew this was the most dangerous and crucial moment. He shouted, "Chase, stay awake! Use your mind to control the power inside you. Gather it at your dantian and form a qi-sea. As long as you form a qi-sea, you’ll shed your ‘waste’ shell for good!"
The rupture in his dantian made Chase’s agony vanish, as if a huge weight had lifted. Hearing Evan’s words, he focused his mind and slowly began to control the wild energy inside him.
Evan’s wood element gathered tightly to shield Chase’s heart meridians, preventing any damage from the dantian rupture and ensuring his life was safe.
Minute by minute, time crawled by. To Evan, it felt like a year or two had passed—he just wished it would end soon.
Finally, Chase spoke up. "Dad, I can control the energy now. It’s spinning near my dantian, and it feels incredibly strong."
Evan was overjoyed and told him, "Chase, keep going! Make that energy form a qi-sea in your dantian. That will solve your current predicament. Once the qi-sea forms, you’ll be able to send energy through your meridians, and then you’ll see just how heaven-defying your Hidden Divine Meridians really are."
Chase didn’t fully understand, but he still followed Evan’s instructions, patiently controlling the spinning energy. After a long time, Evan relaxed, withdrawing his arm that had been channeling wood element—his forehead drenched in sweat.
Now that the wood element had fully protected Chase’s heart meridians, and the energy inside him was stable, Evan finally felt at ease.
Chase looked inward and found his dantian had vanished, replaced by a swirling mass of powerful energy. It was like a miniature sea, sending out gentle waves of energy.
“This must be the qi-sea Dad talked about. I can’t believe I really made it through—what a struggle! From today on, I’ll go all out cultivating and make Dad proud!” Chase murmured to himself.
With a thought, Chase slowly guided the energy from his qi-sea to flow through all his meridians. This time, he found the energy moved so fast it was hard to describe—a full circulation took only half a stick of incense.
Before, he could complete a circulation, but it took half a day. That was one reason his realm had been stuck. Now things were completely different—the change was like night and day.
"Dad, I can fully control the energy in my qi-sea now. I feel like I can break into the Saint Martial Realm—I just need to absorb the Netherghost Violet Orchid’s power." Chase said excitedly.
Evan checked his storage ring, found a Netherghost Violet Orchid, and handed it to Chase. "Go ahead and absorb it. Breaking into the Saint Martial Realm is still painful, so be prepared." he said.
Chase took the Netherghost Violet Orchid and began absorbing it right away. He felt his absorption speed was much faster than before—the orchid’s energy was devoured clean in no time.
After circulating the energy in his qi-sea, Chase felt power surging through his whole body. The energy rushed through his meridians, completing a full cycle quickly. Soon, he entered a state of selfless cultivation.
Seeing Chase’s achievement, Evan was deeply moved. With a son like this, he could finally feel proud. The label of ‘spoiled brat’ was fading away for good.
Bang! Bang! A series of sharp cracks echoed from Chase’s qi-sea. He opened his eyes, feeling an unprecedented surge of power—something he’d never experienced before.
"Dad! I broke through—I made it to the Saint Martial Realm! I’m no longer a waste!" Chase said, overjoyed.
Evan glanced at his son’s new cultivation and was shocked—Chase had jumped straight to the Sixth Layer of the Saint Martial Realm. It must be thanks to Evan’s Chaos Immortal Force and Chase’s awakened bloodline power.
"Chase, keep circulating your qi-sea’s energy. You might be able to break through another level or two. Don’t stop now!" Evan urged.
Chase nodded and kept circulating his energy. Evan watched quietly. After a while, Chase stopped, his face full of joy. "Dad, I broke through again! Thank you—if not for you, I’d never have made it in my whole life!"
He was about to kneel and bow to Evan, but Evan waved a hand to stop him. "Chase, I’m your father. Helping you succeed is my duty. I know you suffered while I was gone, but don’t hold onto that. Focus on becoming a true powerhouse."
Cultivate well from now on—I believe you can become truly strong. We’ve been in this chamber a long time; your mother must be worried. It’s time to go out." Evan said.
Chase nodded and left the chamber with Evan. As soon as they opened the door, they saw Faye Knox’s face—anxious but full of joy...