Though the change in space caught Chen Rui off guard, he didn't dwell on it. With a thought, he appeared on the throne. This time, three glowing screens appeared around him—one more than before—and a flood of new information poured into his mind.
The character-status screen showed a translucent image of Chen Rui, much as before. The only difference was that a fist-sized ball of white flame burned rather grotesquely inside a vital area, with the character "Gang" flickering faintly within it.
The text beside it had changed to:
Title: Star-Wielder
Evolution Level: One Star
Experience: 0%
Spirit Energy Value: 21
Overall Strength Assessment: E
From the new information in his mind, Chen Rui learned that the human body had seven major Star Meridian Points, corresponding to the seven realms of Star Power. Star Power drew on the human body and reflected the fundamental principles of the celestial bodies, unleashing immense power. The Star Meridian Points were the source of Star Power.
"Gang" was the first Star Meridian Point, and the name of the first realm. It had been activated automatically during the initial evolution, but that was a one-time exception. To activate any of the later Star Meridian Points, he would first have to cultivate his current realm to its limit, then break through under a specific set of circumstances. Each newly activated Star Meridian Point brought a tremendous leap in power, along with powerful traits and skills.
The realm after "Gang" was "Sha." He wouldn't learn the names of the later realms until he comprehended the Sha Realm.
As for "Experience" and "Overall Strength Assessment," they were, in a sense, ways of quantifying strength. Experience represented his accumulated proficiency in controlling and using Star Power at his current stage. Reaching 100% experience was the minimum requirement for breaking through to the next realm.
The skill-tree screen had changed too. One more layer above it had lit up, revealing three new icons—presumably the Star-Wielder's new abilities.
Star Body (Passive Trait)—Accelerates the recovery of injuries, stamina, and mental strength.
Analytical Eye (Active Skill)—Reveals and analyzes a target's condition. Its effectiveness increases with evolution level. Costs 1 Spirit Energy Value per use; lasts 10 minutes.
Aurora Blast (Active Skill)—A ranged attack using Star Power. The more proficient the user, the greater its power. Limited to two uses in 24 hours; current uses remaining: 2. Costs 10 Spirit Energy Value per use.
He now had five skills: Breath Concealment and Star Body were passive, while Aura Conversion, Analytical Eye, and Aurora Blast were active.
The icon for Analytical Eye showed two eyes glowing faintly. The Aurora Blast icon showed a ball of light shooting from an outstretched hand.
He still didn't know what Analytical Eye was for, but Star Body was certainly a useful passive trait. And the ranged attack skill made him eager to give it a try.
Suppressing his excitement, Chen Rui turned his attention to the newly added third screen. Several buildings of different designs appeared before him: the Storage Warehouse, Training Ground, and Exchange Center. A few others were dimmed, without names or descriptions. Clearly, he couldn't use those yet.
When he focused on the Storage Warehouse, a prompt appeared.
Activation requirement: 500 Spirit Energy Value.
Function: Stores any items that aren't alive. Items can be placed inside or removed with a thought. The warehouse expands automatically as its owner's evolution level increases.
The Training Ground required 1,000 Spirit Energy Value to activate. It provided cultivation spaces with various special conditions; specific rules could be purchased with Spirit Energy Value.
The Exchange Center also required 1,000 Spirit Energy Value to activate. It allowed him to exchange Spirit Energy Value for various special items.
It wasn't until after his initial evolution that Chen Rui realized the thing he had hated most—Spirit Energy—was actually the most important resource. It powered the entire Super System, or could be thought of as its currency.
Breaking through to a new realm, activating new buildings in the Temple, exchanging for items, and even using active skills in battle all cost Spirit Energy.
Chen Rui wanted to activate all three buildings, but he only had 21 Spirit Energy Value. Though a Star-Wielder's Spirit Energy replenished twice as fast as before his evolution, it still took about half an hour to gain one point. That amounted to just 48 points a day—far too slow. It seemed Aura Conversion would be the skill he used most from now on. The only question was where he could find the special energy sources that could be converted into Spirit Energy.
Chen Rui left the Super Space and opened his eyes. His senses felt sharper than ever, and a strange power surged through him, seemingly without end. He leaped off the bed, but used too much force and shot into the air, smashing his head against the ceiling before dropping back down with a thud.
He rubbed his backside and got to his feet, both stunned and delighted. The bed was three or four meters from the ceiling. He'd jumped that high without even using his full strength. If he could return to Earth, he could dominate the Olympics.
Chen Rui picked up a piece of wood and squeezed. It crumbled in his hand. Then he grabbed a solid iron rod, two fingers thick, from beside the door and bent it with barely any effort, folding its ends together. His fingers had left shallow dents in the metal.
Strength! This was what strength felt like!
He was no longer a worthless weakling whom anyone could bully! Overcome with excitement, Chen Rui straightened the iron rod, then twisted it into a knot. If he hadn't been worried about disturbing Aldas and Sli, he would have wrecked the whole room. Still, he wondered what level of strength an E-rated Star-Wielder represented.
Remembering the Aurora Blast, his fingers began to itch. No, I have to find somewhere to try it!
Night fell. A figure in a dark blue-green cloak, face hidden, walked through the shadows of an alley. Like the many demons dressed in similar garb, he attracted no attention.
The figure was Chen Rui. He had wanted to test the Aurora Blast outside the city, but Shea's strict administration meant the night inspections at the city gates were even tighter. He had no choice but to look for a secluded spot in the city. On the way, he tried activating Analytical Eye.
"Cost: 1 Spirit Energy Value. Duration: 10 minutes."
He only had 22 Spirit Energy Value. Every point he spent made him wince.
After Analytical Eye activated, creatures within about ten meters appeared with information displayed beside them. A Dark Goblin by the roadside, for example, showed up as: Unknown creature. Overall strength assessment: G. Constitution: Unknown. Strength: Unknown. Mental strength: Unknown. Agility: Unknown.
Chen Rui understood. The skill worked like a scanner, assessing an opponent's level so he could anticipate their moves in battle. It was a very useful ability. As his evolution level increased, the data marked "Unknown" would become clearer.
Just then, an odd voice came from behind him. "Will Master let me eat my fill today?"
Chen Rui spun around, but there was no one there. Startled, he checked Analytical Eye, which was still active: Unknown creature. Overall strength assessment: H. Constitution: Unknown. Strength: Unknown. Mental strength: Unknown. Agility: Unknown.
"Whimper. The bone's too far away. I can't reach it."
Chen Rui focused and saw that the speaker was a little Magic Dog chained by the entrance of a house. It was some kind of guard dog or pet.
Since when could a low-level Magic Dog speak the common tongue of the Demon Realm?
Wait—could it be... Analytical Eye?
To test his guess, Chen Rui found the bone the Magic Dog couldn't reach, picked it up, and tossed it over.
The little Magic Dog wagged its tail happily and whined softly. In Chen Rui's ears, it sounded like, "Thanks!"
"No need to thank me. Want anything else to eat?"
Chen Rui tried asking, but got no response. When he asked through his thoughts, the Magic Dog finally answered, though its vocabulary was simple. "Meat!"
"Next time I get the chance, I'll bring you some."
Chen Rui tried it out. Once Analytical Eye's duration ran out, he could no longer communicate with the Magic Dog. After activating it again, he could communicate through his thoughts as before. So Analytical Eye has another use!
As he walked, a commotion suddenly came from an alley ahead.
"You sneaky Goblin! You still dared to hide money from us?"
"Please, sir, spare me! Those White Crystal coins aren't from today. I saved them a few days ago to buy food for my daughter. Please don't take them all!"
"You miserable wretch! Gangke was already merciful to leave you alive. If you keep whining, we'll take your daughter to settle the debt!"
"Gob, stop wasting your breath. Beat him half to death, then take his daughter!"
Bullying, robbery, and violence—the same vile deeds existed in every world. Wait, Gangke? He seemed to have run into someone he knew.
After a moment's thought, Chen Rui adjusted his clothes, covered his face with a piece of cloth, and carefully crept toward the source of the noise.
Sure enough, it was Gangke, the underling who had accused Chen Rui of colluding with thieves at the city gate. He had two subordinates with him, and they were tormenting a short Dark Goblin father and daughter.
Analytical Eye had only just been activated, so Chen Rui carefully moved closer until they were within its range. Gangke's overall strength assessment was F. The other two were farther away, but judging by the fact that they followed Gangke's lead, their strength couldn't be any higher. F was one rank below Chen Rui's E.
It might be foolish to step in when you weren't strong enough, but turning a blind eye when you were capable was just callous. Though such things were commonplace in the Demon Realm, Chen Rui had been looking for a chance to test his new strength anyway. Now that he'd come across injustice, he could teach Gangke a lesson for framing him before.
Gangke was reaching for the poor Goblin girl when someone behind him suddenly shouted,
"Stop! In broad daylight—no, under the beautiful Twin Moons of the Demon Realm—you dare bully the weak like this? Aren't you ashamed?"
The Demon Realm's rule of survival was the strong preying on the weak. Gangke and his men were taken aback by Chen Rui's unconventional words, as were the father and daughter.
Because of his passive Breath Concealment skill, the cloaked figure with his face covered seemed utterly harmless to the three men. The Horned Demon Gob sneered. "What fool is this? I, Gob, will teach you that being weak is what's shameful!"
With that, he charged over, swinging his club. Whether it was thanks to Analytical Eye or the difference in their levels, Gob's movements seemed to slow when Chen Rui focused on him, like a slow-motion scene in a movie. Chen Rui dodged him with ease.
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