"'Heavenly Cycle Star Body' takes the flesh as the universe and the cells as stars. Such a supreme method, one that seizes the creative power of heaven and earth, must require an astronomical amount of energy. Today, let me see how far these three years of accumulated resources can push this cultivation method!"
Qin Chen drew a deep breath and abruptly closed his eyes. In his mind, the vast, oceanlike circulation pathways of the Heavenly Cycle Star Body instantly activated.
Boom!
As the cultivation method circulated, a terrifying black hole seemed to spring into existence within Qin Chen's body.
An invisible yet utterly domineering devouring force swept outward in every direction, centered on his body.
On the floor of the secluded chamber, the mountain of resources instantly resonated. The tens of thousands of low-grade spirit stones on the outermost edge trembled in unison, then burst apart in a succession of bangs, becoming a storm of pure, dense, milky-white spiritual energy.
The hundred-year-old blood ginseng and thousand-year-old spirit herbs also rapidly withered and shriveled under this devouring force. The plant essences and spiritual energy of heaven and earth contained within them were forcibly extracted, becoming torrents of multicolored energy that surged madly into Qin Chen's body.
"Hiss-"
The instant the energy entered his body, Qin Chen sharply sucked in a breath. His handsome face instantly contorted, veins bulged on his forehead, and beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down.
Pain! Agonizing pain that pierced the marrow and tore at the soul!
Cultivating the Heavenly Cycle Star Body was nothing like the traditional process of nourishing the meridians and opening the dantian. It was utter destruction and rebirth!
After entering Qin Chen's body, the terrifying mass of energy, enough to burst countless Xiantian Paragon experts, did not gather toward the Purple-Gold Lightning Core in his dantian. Instead, it became countless tiny blades that rushed straight toward every cell throughout his body.
Tearing, pulverizing, rebuilding, compressing!
Qin Chen felt as though his flesh had been placed between enormous millstones and was being ground to pieces, bit by bit.
Tiny beads of blood began seeping through his skin, but the moment they appeared, the intense heat rising from his body instantly vaporized them, forming a faint, blood-colored mist around him.
Time passed, second by second, minute by minute, as the resources in the secluded chamber dwindled rapidly at a rate visible to the naked eye.
One day, two days, three days...
For seven full days and nights, Qin Chen sat cross-legged in place like an old monk deep in meditation, enduring the pain of being sliced to pieces, pain ordinary people could scarcely imagine.
And the priceless mound of resources before him had now been reduced entirely to ashes and residue scattered across the floor.
The astonishing collection amassed over three years had been consumed down to the last scrap!
The instant the final wisp of spirit herb essence was drawn into his body, Qin Chen's tightly shut eyes snapped open. Two brilliant beams of starlight, seemingly tangible, shot from his deep eyes, illuminating the dim chamber as brightly as day.
Condense!
Qin Chen let out an earthshaking roar in his mind.
Humm-
At the very center of his chest, deep within the Shanzhong acupoint, one cell among the hundreds of millions that had undergone countless cycles of destruction and reconstruction finally underwent a fundamental transformation.
An inconceivably vast amount of energy was compressed tightly within this tiny cell. At last, an exceedingly faint spark of light, radiating an aura of primordial vastness, lit up within it.
Micro Star-Dust ignited!
Though there was only one, though it was so faint that it seemed liable to go out at any moment, the instant this Star-Dust ignited, Qin Chen's body underwent an earthshaking transformation.
He slowly rose to his feet, his bones releasing a dense series of cracks like beans popping in a pan.
His skin, which the lightning tribulation had rendered like creamy white jade, now shimmered faintly with a thin layer of starlight, looking sacred and inviolable.
Qin Chen lowered his head and looked at his hands, then abruptly clenched his fist.
Bang!
Without using even a trace of Golden Core true qi, merely clenching his fist through physical strength alone, he actually crushed the air in his palm with a muffled burst. A visible ring of white air rippled outward, making even the chamber's stone walls tremble slightly.
"What terrifying strength..." Even Qin Chen himself felt a flicker of alarm.
He could clearly feel that his body was now as heavy as a towering mountain.
Though there was only one ignited Micro Star-Dust, it bestowed upon him an unending supply of terrifying strength.
The toughness of his skin, muscles, and bones now far surpassed that of ordinary supreme-grade spirit artifacts. They could even withstand slashes from Lower-Grade Magical Artifacts without suffering the slightest damage.
"Three years' worth of resources, enough to cultivate dozens of Xiantian Paragon experts, was only enough for me to ignite a single Micro Star-Dust and barely reach the introductory stage of the Heavenly Cycle Star Body. This cultivation method is simply a bottomless pit."
Qin Chen gave a bitter chuckle, but he could not conceal the excitement in his eyes.
Though the consumption was absurdly high, the benefits it brought were equally heaven-defying.
Qin Chen had a strong intuition that if he encountered an ordinary early Golden Core stage cultivator now, he would not need to use the true qi of his Purple-Gold Lightning Core or cast any intricate spells.
He only needed to rely on this star body to withstand his opponent's flying sword, then rush up to them. With a single punch, he could blast a Golden Core stage cultivator apart, Golden Core and all!
Weathering an entire lightning tribulation with his flesh alone? That was already a thing of the past.
"With my body alone, I can fight Golden Core cultivators. If I add the Purple-Gold Lightning Core within me, I can reign supreme within the Golden Core stage." Qin Chen stood with his hands behind his back, confidence gleaming in his eyes.
But soon, that gleam receded, replaced by deep wariness and composure.
"Invincible in the Golden Core stage, but what about the Nascent Soul stage?"
In Qin Chen's mind appeared the Xiang Family's Nascent Soul stage ancestor, who remained hidden in the shadows of the Chu Family and had held the entire Chu State in fear for centuries.
If the Qin Family wanted to restore their state and overthrow the Chu State's rule, their greatest obstacle was not the Chu State's army of several hundred thousand, nor the Xiang Family's Xiantian experts, but this lofty Nascent Soul stage old monster.
"At the Nascent Soul stage, the core shatters to form a nascent soul, and the soul transforms. Not only is their true qi ten or a hundred times more abundant than at the Golden Core stage, but more terrifyingly, Nascent Soul stage cultivators have already gained a rudimentary grasp of the laws of heaven and earth. They can teleport and even exert suppression through domains of their own."
Qin Chen paced back and forth in the secluded chamber, calmly analyzing the difference in strength between the two sides.
"Though my body is formidable now and can blast Golden Core cultivators apart, if I face a Nascent Soul stage old monster, my opponent won't give me any opportunity to get close. They could teleport away to create distance, then wear me to death with endless spiritual energy of heaven and earth. What's more, a Nascent Soul stage cultivator's soul attacks are impossible to guard against completely. Though my current soul cultivation isn't weak, taking a Nascent Soul old monster's Nascent Spirit assault head-on would still be far too risky."
At this thought, Qin Chen drew a deep breath and completely suppressed the trace of pride that had just risen within him.
I can't let this go to my head. Absolutely not. I'm only thirteen this year, and even counting every bit of it, I've only cultivated for a few years. Reaching the Golden Core stage and mastering the introductory stage of the star body at thirteen-talent like that would be explosive even across the entire cultivation world. My greatest advantages are my youth, my potential, and my time!
In that case, I'll keep lying low a little longer.
Qin Chen made his decision.
Until he had absolute confidence that he could kill that Nascent Soul old monster in a single strike, he would never casually reveal his Golden Core stage cultivation or his trump card, the star body.
The Qin Family had endured in silence for so many years. This final stretch of time would make no difference.
What he needed to do was continue accumulating strength until he could crush everything as effortlessly as snapping rotten wood, then strike like thunder.
Having made up his mind, Qin Chen began considering his next cultivation plan.
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