Star Rank

Half a month later, Black Dragon Mountain X4396, inside the cultivation room at Storm Port.

Tang Ping sat cross-legged with his eyes tightly shut, a faint halo of energy swirling around his body.

On the jade table before him sat a neatly arranged "Star Rank Basic Breakthrough Package": three bottles of "Star Source Liquid" shimmering with a fluorescent blue luster, their surfaces etched with intricate energy patterns; a fist-sized, completely transparent "Constant Crystal" that seemed to have starlight flowing slowly within; and ten orange-red "Body Tempering Pills" emitting a rich, medicinal fragrance.

In addition to these, there was the "Moon Thought Flower" prepared specifically for Spirit Readers, its petals as pure as moonlight, and the "Constant Moon Water" used to stabilize the sea of consciousness, contained in a crystal bottle so clear it could reflect a person's silhouette.

Although I'm not a poor student, there's no harm in being fully prepared, Tang Ping thought to himself, the corners of his mouth curling upward.

He had always believed in "stability above all else." Even though he had met the conditions for a breakthrough long ago, he was unwilling to take any risks. This set of breakthrough resources, worth 50 million Black Dragon Coins, was the "double insurance" he had bought for himself.

Recalling the little episode from a few days ago, Tang Ping couldn't help but chuckle.

At the time, he had been honing his secret techniques in the training field according to his schedule when Luo Xiaoyu suddenly showed up, waving several photos of him chatting with female students, her eyes filled with a hint of "killing intent."

Tang Ping was amused on the spot. Before Luo Xiaoyu could lash out, he took the initiative to "teach her a lesson." Half a day later, Luo Xiaoyu left limping, clutching her backside, but not before leaving behind a fierce threat: "Next time, I'll definitely beat you!"

Hmph, and they talk about family hierarchy, the three obediences and four virtues, and the husband's authority failing? Not a chance. Tang Ping felt smug, but the next second, he couldn't help but reach out to support his waist.

He hadn't controlled his strength well during their scuffle and had exhausted himself quite a bit. He had hurriedly run into the cultivation room to meditate, absorb Cosmic Origin Energy, and take supplements to recover, only reaching his peak state today to prepare for the assault on the Star Rank.

Theoretically, his preparations were far beyond what was required for the breakthrough: his internal origin energy was so full it was nearly overflowing, his willpower had reached the second level of the Star Rank in advance, and his Spiritual Telekinesis amplitude had reached an astonishing 20 times. The breakthrough should have been risk-free.

But looking at the resources on the table, Tang Ping felt no heartache at all. After all, the greatest tragedy in life is "dying with money left unspent." If 50 million Black Dragon Coins could guarantee a foolproof breakthrough, it was worth it!

He took a deep breath, suppressed all distracting thoughts, and began to recall the keys to a Star Rank breakthrough.

The Star Rank and the Planetary Rank were as different as heaven and earth. The base strength of a Star Rank powerhouse was more than ten times that of a Planetary Rank, measured in millions or even tens of millions of tons; with a wave of their hand, they could destroy a small planet.

In the universe, a Star Rank powerhouse held a certain status, capable of participating in small-scale interstellar wars. Even in a star field like Black Dragon Mountain, they were considered "prominent" figures.

High status came with high difficulty. To break through to the Star Rank, one had to overcome two major hurdles: comprehending the laws of the universe and tempering the physical body with cosmic energy.

Tang Ping first picked up the "Moon Thought Flower" and gently crushed the petals. A cool stream of energy instantly surged into his sea of consciousness, and his previously restless Spiritual Telekinesis became calm in an instant.

He cast aside all distractions, his consciousness floating up like a feather, merging into the vast universe outside the cultivation room.

The laws of the universe were mysterious and unpredictable—invisible and intangible, yet omnipresent. Tang Ping's consciousness drifted slowly through the "dark ocean," and relying on his insights into the Wind-Thunder Fusion Domain and the keen willpower honed in the Deep Cold Ice Cave, he quickly captured that fleeting light of the laws.

The agility of wind and the violence of thunder—the phantoms of these two laws intertwined in his consciousness like two streams of light, easily brought under his control.

As expected, having a foundation really makes a difference. Tang Ping felt a surge of joy and immediately picked up a bottle of "Star Source Liquid," tilting his head back to drink it.

The liquid, spicy yet sweet, slid down his throat and instantly transformed into a violent surge of cosmic energy, rushing toward his limbs and bones. Tang Ping channeled the Wind-Thunder Secret Canon, guiding the energy to begin tempering his body.

Wherever the energy passed, his muscles, bones, and cells trembled violently, as if countless small knives were cutting through his body, causing cold sweat to bead on his forehead from the pain.

But to him, this pain was nothing. The bone-chilling winds and mental attacks of the Deep Cold Ice Cave had long since made his body and willpower incredibly resilient.

He gritted his teeth and swallowed another "Body Tempering Pill." The gentle energy of the pill harmonized with the violent energy of the "Star Source Liquid," significantly reducing the pain of the tempering while greatly increasing its efficiency.

In just one hour, he had easily cleared both major hurdles.

At this moment, in Tang Ping's sea of consciousness, the miniature planet formed during his Planetary Rank days began to tremble violently.

The ravines on the surface of the planet constantly contracted, and the energy patterns became increasingly clear. At the core, a power far greater than ever before was gestating—first a tiny, brilliant speck of light the size of a grain of rice, then it continuously absorbed the surrounding origin energy and the power of the laws, expanding rapidly, its light growing ever more intense.

"Now!" Tang Ping opened his eyes abruptly, his hands forming seals to guide the changes in his sea of consciousness.

After absorbing enough energy, the speck of light broke through the shackles of the miniature planet and transformed into a mini star, emitting ten thousand rays of light.

Around the star, several faint star rings formed, slowly rotating around it. A brand-new miniature star system was officially born in his sea of consciousness!

"Whoosh!"

The energy halo around Tang Ping's body erupted suddenly, then instantly retracted, merging entirely into his body.

He stood up slowly and stretched his limbs, feeling that his body was filled with inexhaustible power. His Spiritual Telekinesis was several times stronger than before, and even his physical strength had broken through to the first level of the Star Rank.

[Realm: Star Rank Level 1 Spirit Reader / Star Rank Level 1 Warrior]

[Willpower: Star Rank Level 3 (300/1000)]

[Laws: Wind Domain Level 2 (2200/10000), Thunder Domain Level 2 (2200/10000)]

Looking at the information on the panel, Tang Ping couldn't help but smile.

Both his Spirit Reader and Warrior paths had broken through simultaneously, leaving no weaknesses. Was this the world of the wealthy?

Indeed, money could solve 99% of life's troubles. If it couldn't, it was probably just because there wasn't enough money!

Having just broken through to the Star Rank and feeling the unprecedented, surging power within his body, Tang Ping's first thought wasn't to consolidate his realm or plan his subsequent cultivation, but rather... to show off.

He turned around excitedly, stepped out, turned right, and headed straight for Luo Xiaoyu's cultivation room. The alloy door of the cultivation room was tightly shut, and he could vaguely see the energy halo leaking from within; clearly, Luo Xiaoyu was still in seclusion.

Tang Ping cleared his throat, raised his hand to knock on the door, his tone filled with irrepressible smugness: "Wife, open up! I have a major announcement—I've broken through to the Star Rank! Do you want to come out and throw a celebration ceremony for me? Maybe prepare a full-course banquet and praise me by saying, 'Husband, you're so amazing'?"

It was quiet inside the door; there was no response.

Tang Ping wasn't discouraged and knocked again: "Don't pretend you didn't hear me! I'm telling you, I'm a Star Rank Level 1 now, both a Spirit Reader and a Warrior. If you fight me, you won't last three rounds before you have to admit defeat! If you're not convinced, come and fight!"

Still no movement.

His eyes darted around, and he switched tactics, deliberately raising his volume with a hint of urgency: "Wife! Oh no! The cultivation room seems to be on fire! Smoke is coming out!"

There was still no reaction from inside the door.

Tang Ping gritted his teeth and played his trump card, his voice instantly turning aggrieved and panicked: "Wife! Something terrible has happened! The Galaxy Liquor stock we bought, along with that investment, it's all gone bust! We've lost every cent!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he pricked up his ears, waiting for some movement from inside the door, but there was still only silence.

Finally, completely out of options, Tang Ping leaned against the door, his tone tinged with pleading: "Wife, I'm begging you, just open the door and let me show off a little before I go, alright? I'm about to burst!"

He waited for another long while, but the door to the Cultivation Room remained shut, without even a ripple of energy fluctuation.

Tang Ping had no choice but to shrug dejectedly, turning away with a look of utter disappointment on his face.

"Forget it, if the wife won't give me face, I still have my good brother!" He pulled out his personal terminal, opened the chat box with Liu Hui, and his fingers tapped rapidly across the screen: "Brother Hui, let me tell you something. I took a nap last night, and when I woke up to cultivate this morning, I accidentally broke through to Star Rank."

"Oh, and the family said that from now on, my allowance will be increased to one hundred million Silver Blue Coins a year. What am I supposed to do with all this money? I can't just eat barbecue every day, right?"

Not two seconds after the message was sent, Liu Hui's reply popped up, consisting of only three words, dripping with resentment: "You animal!"

Seeing those three words, Tang Ping instantly beamed, his mouth curling up to his ears. The gloom from before was swept away, and he felt incredibly satisfied.

Heh heh heh~