Evan Chu was feeling pleased, unaware that the obvious surge of spiritual power in his body was simply the effect of absorbing Spirit Stone for the first time.
If he tried to absorb another one right away, the effect would drop off sharply. Otherwise, if everyone could rely on Spirit Stones to boost their power, wouldn’t they all be unbeatable masters? Who would even bother absorbing stellar force anymore?
He glanced at the sky—it was already deep into night. He hadn’t expected that refining a single low-grade Spirit Stone would take half a day. Time really does fly!
Not feeling hungry at all, Evan decided to go outside and absorb stellar force. He still had many questions he hoped the Sword Spirit could answer, and the spirit only appeared when he’d taken in enough star power.
The night sky was filled with stars. Evan Chu sat down on the ground and began slowly absorbing the stellar force he’d wanted to give up on countless times.
Gradually, tiny points of starlight appeared around him, then faded completely into his body.
This time, the starlight Evan absorbed didn’t just vanish inside him like before. Instead, it slowly moved toward his dantian in a regular pattern, just like when he absorbed Spirit Stones.
Minute by minute, the starlight in Evan’s body grew thicker. Much of it flowed straight into his dantian, spinning slowly until it condensed into fine threads of cyan star power.
Although Evan’s eyes were shut while absorbing, he could clearly see what was happening inside his body. This ability was called inner sight, and two years ago he’d discovered he could observe his internal condition.
Now, seeing star power appear in his dantian, he was overwhelmed with excitement—this was the first time he had truly succeeded in absorbing stellar force.
He just couldn’t figure out why he could see this star power. Supposedly, stellar force below the Earth Martial Realm is supposed to be invisible, which left him puzzled.
Since it worked, he figured he should just absorb as much as possible. That was Evan Chu’s only thought as endless starlight poured into his body and turned into star power. He stopped only when dawn arrived.
By then, the amount of star power visible in his dantian had grown even more than when he first saw it.
Absorbing all night hadn’t left Evan Chu tired at all—on the contrary, he felt clear-headed and refreshed. But now his stomach was starting to feel something. “I’ll eat breakfast, then go to the Book Repository and pick out a few martial techniques to study,” he said with a smile as he stood up.
When he entered the house, he found breakfast already set out on the table by Lily Lin. “Lily, how come you got up so early to make breakfast?”
“You didn’t eat last night. I saw you absorbing stellar force, so I didn’t disturb you. I figured you’d be hungry in the morning, so I got up early and made breakfast!” Lily Lin said happily as she watched Evan Chu start eating.
“Thank you, Lily! Want to eat with me?”
“No, you were busy all night and must be tired. Second Young Master, just eat and rest a bit!”
After Evan Chu finished eating, Lily Lin quickly cleared away the dishes. Seeing it was still early, Evan decided to visit the practice ground for some morning training before heading to the Book Repository.
There were already quite a few clan disciples practicing there. Evan headed to his old morning training spot by the stone pillar, but someone was standing there this time.
As he got closer, he saw it was Ryan Chu. “Second Brother, you’re here for morning practice too? I heard you beat Leon Lin from the Lin Family and could’ve picked Sophia Lin to be engaged to you. So why did you end up choosing that ugly freak?”
Ryan Chu’s voice made Evan feel sick to his stomach. “Who I choose has nothing to do with you, does it? This is my morning practice spot—don’t get in my way!”
“Oh? You get a little respect and start acting like you own the place, huh? Linfeng, I don’t buy that you beat Leon Lin. Hearing rumors isn’t the same as seeing for myself. Let’s spar today and see if you’ve really been hiding your strength all this time.”
As soon as Ryan finished speaking, his whole body surged with star power.
“You think I’ll fight just because you want me to? That’d be pathetic. I’m not playing along.” Evan rejected him outright. He wasn’t even sure if he still had the kind of star power he did before—maybe the Sword Spirit had helped last time.
“Trash! Stop showing off in front of me. You’re fighting me today whether you like it or not, or I’ll hassle you every single day!” Ryan threatened when Evan refused.
“Do whatever you want—I’m not scared! With your pathetic three-legged-cat skills, you’re nothing to me. If you know what’s good for you, get lost. Otherwise, if you piss me off, I’ll make your life miserable.”
“Trash, you’ve gone too far!” Ryan Chu roared in fury. No one had ever dared talk to him like that before. He swung a fist at Evan with all his strength.
Evan had been watching Ryan’s movements while talking, so he dodged before the punch could even get close.
Evan’s change in attitude was all because the Sword Spirit’s voice had just echoed in his mind: “Teach that ignorant kid a lesson. Show him what real star power looks like.”
The Sword Spirit’s words left Evan utterly convinced. The bit of star power he’d absorbed overnight wasn’t much different from Ryan Chu’s second-level Xuanwu Realm star power. Who would win or lose was anyone’s guess.
After dodging Ryan’s attack, Evan circulated the bit of star power in his dantian through his body, channeling it all into his right fist. Instantly, his fist gleamed with dazzling starlight.
“Take this!” Evan shouted, throwing a punch. Just as he focused star power into his fist, Ryan prepared his second attack, unleashing a martial technique: “Cloud-Parting Palm!”
This was a Yellow-tier, lower-grade martial art, but Ryan had already mastered it quite well. As he struck, a flurry of palm shadows infused with star power crashed toward Evan, colliding with his swinging fist.
There was no loud bang—just a faint tremor. Ryan was sure that hitting Evan with Cloud-Parting Palm should at least cripple him, since Evan had never trained in martial techniques before.
But what Ryan didn’t expect was that his Cloud-Parting Palm, filled with star power, disappeared like a stone sinking into the sea when it met Evan’s fist. It didn’t do a thing.
But Evan’s seemingly simple punch felt as if it carried the weight of ten thousand pounds—it sent Ryan flying.
Ryan crawled up from the ground, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He’d clearly suffered internal injuries. “Impossible! How could you beat my Cloud-Parting Palm?”
“Didn’t I just beat you? I wasn’t even going all out. If I didn’t care that you’re my cousin, I could’ve killed you with one punch. You’d better watch yourself and stop bothering me. Next time, you might not be so lucky!”
Ryan Chu was left standing there, clutching his chest and unable to speak. Evan Chu’s words echoed in his ears, making him feel both humiliated and afraid.
By now, Evan Chu had used up all his star power. If Ryan Chu tried Cloud-Parting Palm again, he’d be the one getting hurt.
Really, Evan was just bluffing—he wanted Ryan to stay unsure about his true strength. Plenty of clan disciples had seen Evan knock Ryan flying with a single punch, and now they all stared at him in shock.
“When did Evan Chu get so strong? Wasn’t he supposed to be trash?” one clan disciple whispered.
“Who knows? I heard he beat Leon Lin with one punch yesterday too. Leon’s way stronger than Ryan Chu, so maybe we’d better not mess with Evan!” another disciple chimed in.
“He must’ve been hiding his strength all along. Two years without showing anything—he’s really something. With the clan trials coming up, maybe he just doesn’t want to hide anymore!”
“Evan, what martial art was that?” Ryan Chu couldn’t accept being beaten except by a superior technique.
“Starfist Art. Ever heard of it?” Ryan was his third uncle’s son, so Evan hadn’t really gone all out. His third uncle, Dominic Chu, was famous for fiercely protecting his own.
“Starfist Art? Never heard of it,” Ryan said, looking puzzled. He didn’t seem to care much about losing.
“There’s a lot you haven’t heard of. I don’t have time to waste with you. Just remember what I said—don’t bother me unless you want trouble!” Evan finished speaking and headed straight for the Book Repository.