Chapter 014: Change
Hearing Lu Xiu’s words, Du Fan also became curious. The observatory was the perfect place to cultivate Star Combat Qi, and Du Fan wanted to see it for himself.
Looking at the sky, the stars were about to appear. That was the best time to cultivate Star Combat Qi.
“Since that’s the case, Third Uncle, I’ll stay at the observatory for one night,” Du Fan said, nodding in agreement after hearing Lu Xiu’s suggestion.
“Alright, I’ll have the people below prepare it. After dinner, I’ll take you to the observatory,” Lu Xiu said with a smile.
The observatory was indeed a platform built on a cliff within Star Moon Castle, nestled against a mountain. From above, it appeared to be the tallest structure in the entire castle.
“Du Fan, just fly up there and sit on that platform,” Lu Xiu said seriously as they faced the observatory.
“Okay, Third Uncle. I’ll go up. You go back and rest early,” Du Fan replied.
With a flick of his sleeves, Du Fan flew straight up to the observatory. Seeing Du Fan ascend, Lu Xiu left quickly.
Standing on the observatory, the entire Star Moon Castle appeared like a gentle kitten bathed in starlight. Du Fan spread his mental energy outward and soon discovered that a massive magic array was installed throughout the castle, with the observatory at its core.
This huge magic array drew in energy from a large area surrounding Star Moon Castle. On the observatory itself, there was a smaller magic array that contained the energy collected by the larger one and directed it inward. Inside the observatory, it seemed there was a huge energy container that stored all that collected energy without loss.
Moreover, Du Fan could clearly sense that the energy drawn in by the massive magic array contained pure Star Power!
Sitting on the observatory and sensing the flow of this energy, Du Fan quickly realized that while other energies contained varying amounts of impurities, Star Power was extremely pure. After absorbing it, it hardly needed further refinement by his body!
This was the advantage of Star Combat Qi—but it was also its drawback.
Due to its purity, the power of Star Combat Qi is extremely great. And because that star energy comes from distant places, each portion of it is very weak. To absorb enough star energy often takes several times as long!
Sitting quietly on the star observation platform, Du Fan felt a strange sensation. The star energy from the sky kept falling onto the magic arrays set up in Star Moon Castle, then was gathered through those arrays and surged toward Du Fan!
The tiny bits of star energy, collected by this massive magic array, turned into a black ribbon resembling one covered with many shiny gems, pouring directly into Du Fan’s forehead.
“So powerful!” Du Fan exclaimed in awe upon feeling such strength.
Star Moon Castle was a fortress capable of housing a hundred thousand troops. With such a large area, it could absorb star energy and infuse it into a single person’s body. Moreover, the purity of the star energy meant that with just a little refinement, it could be fully absorbed.
As a result, those who practiced Star Combat Qi on the star observation platform didn’t need to worry about attracting star energy at all. They only had to focus on absorbing as much of the star energy drawn in by the massive magic array as possible!
This star observation platform was truly an excellent place for practicing Star Combat Qi! Feeling the massive amounts of star energy being drawn into his body and continuously transforming to strengthen his meridians, Du Fan couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. Originally, the location of this platform already allowed for several times faster absorption of star energy compared to ordinary places. Coupled with the artificial setup of a huge magic array to absorb a wide range of star energy, the speed was countless times faster than practicing in an ordinary location!
Thinking of this, Du Fan suddenly realized that since Lu Xiu was stationed in Star Moon Castle, he probably sat on the star observation platform to practice at night when the stars appeared. With such an excellent training site, it would be hard not to break through to a new realm!
Thinking of this, Du Fan accelerated the speed at which he absorbed star energy. Back when he was at Duke Green’s residence, his reckless absorption of solar energy had caused a massive fire, nearly costing him his life. As a result, the meridians in his body used to store energy had thickened several times over. With such enlarged meridians, his usual method of absorbing star energy simply couldn’t fill them up.
This time, sitting on the star observation platform, an enormous amount of star energy kept flowing into his body. The continuous sense of being replenished gave Du Fan a deeply comforting feeling, as if he were bathed in the starlight absorbed by the magic array.
Bathed in the starlight, Du Fan was completely immersed in this growing sense of fulfillment, entering a state of meditation where he was unaware of anything happening outside.
Even the large-scale collected star energy couldn’t meet the massive demands within his body. Gradually, the star observation platform where he sat began to glow.
Normally, no one from the Green family had ever complained of insufficient star energy absorption while sitting on such a platform or using the large-scale absorption magic array. Even powerful domain masters like Luxiu had never faced a shortage of star energy to absorb.
Yet, this happened to Du Fan. In fact, throughout the history of the Green family, only Du Fan could experience such a situation—after all, he was the only one who could survive by absorbing solar energy.
The rule of the star observation platform was that as long as the practitioner sitting there could still absorb energy, all available energy would be supplied to them without reservation. Thus, when the star energy absorbed by the massive magic array wasn’t enough for Du Fan, the vast amount of star energy stored inside the platform would slowly surge upward. Du Fan, like a bead in a fountain, was surrounded by this pure star energy.
While in meditation, Du Fan suddenly felt his body surrounded by countless points of starlight. The abundant star energy kept flowing into his body through his skin’s pores.
A strange phenomenon occurred: as the massive amount of star energy entered his body, it continuously elevated his level of star combat energy.
It was unclear how much time had passed before Du Fan’s meridians were finally filled with the power of the stars. As soon as his meridians were filled, Du Fan immediately sensed a slight movement somewhere within his body. Soon, he realized that his cultivation level had reached the realm stage.
It would have been fine if he hadn’t reached this stage—once he did, the Light Combat Qi in his body could no longer suppress the power of the stars within him. Originally, the Star Combat Qi in Du Fan’s body was at the sacred level, and under the suppression of the Light Combat Qi, it remained confined within his body. But when his Star Combat Qi reached the strength of a realm, the Light Combat Qi could no longer hold it back.
Soon, the two types of combat qi began to entangle rapidly within Du Fan’s body, constantly clashing and twisting through his meridians. Immediately, a painful expression appeared on Du Fan’s face—the pain from the tearing of his meridians was beyond what most people could endure.
Just when Du Fan could no longer bear it, the Divine Origin lurking within his body emitted a faint glow. Wherever this glow passed, the Light Combat Qi and the Star Combat Qi strangely merged together!
Soon, his body was filled with a strange energy. It resembled a white ribbon adorned with specks of starlight, creating an appearance akin to countless stars in the sky during the day. Under the illumination of that milky light, the starlight became even more brilliant. Meanwhile, with the countless stars as a backdrop, the white background appeared even more mysterious.
Observing the changes in the energy within his body, Du Fan felt extremely frustrated. How could he address the challenges of cultivation now that this new merged energy had appeared? Moreover, he would have to figure out many things on his own regarding this new energy.
Thinking of this, Du Fan decided to start practicing the Light Combat Qi again. Soon, he noticed that as he continued to cultivate it, the new energy also increased slightly. He then stopped practicing the Light Combat Qi and turned to cultivating the Star Combat Qi. Again, as he practiced the Star Combat Qi, the new energy kept growing.
By comparing the speeds of cultivation for the two techniques, Du Fan clearly saw that practicing the Star Combat Qi accelerated his level advancement much more rapidly.
Du Fan was delighted—it seemed this new energy was indeed beneficial! Night was the ideal time to cultivate Star Combat Energy, as the bright stars made it twice as efficient to practice. If it were daytime, using the techniques for cultivating Light Combat Energy would naturally be far more effective than those for Star Combat Energy! Soon, Du Fan noticed that after the energy attributes in his body changed, even his domain skills underwent some alterations! The Absolute Protection Domain was no longer just a defensive realm; after activating it, Du Fan found that its energy shield was filled with specks of starlight. As he directed his will, these specks of light moved continuously, responding to his thoughts. Soon, Du Fan realized that these specks of light shared similarities with the Green Family’s ancestral treasure, the Azure Sky Starfield—they could move according to his will and attack any target within 500 meters. The Absolute Protection Domain had transformed from a mere defensive realm into a skill that combined both offense and defense. Not only had the Absolute Protection Domain changed, but his Space Transfer Domain had changed as well. Du Fan could clearly sense that his Space Transfer Domain could now bypass any kind of restriction. In other words, if he encountered again the restriction magic arrays set up jointly by the six supreme experts of the IceFeng
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confederacy Alliance, he would be able to break free effortlessly.