Shadow's Desperate Fight and Star Dew Body Tempering

The dark curtain descended, swallowing the light and bringing with it a chill and despair that pierced the soul. Su Yan felt his spiritual energy circulation almost cease. The protective light of Starlight Bodyguard flickered violently under the encroachment of darkness, emitting a strained "sizzling" sound.

"Can't tank this!" Su Yan's mind screamed an alarm. The energy level of this Guixu Shadow far surpassed any monster he'd encountered before! Without hesitation, he activated Wood Escape again, his figure flashing sideways and backward at the last possible moment, narrowly dodging the core area covered by the curtain.

But the Guixu Shadow's attack wasn't that simple. The spreading darkness, as if alive, split into several tendrils that pursued him relentlessly, their speed astonishing!

"Starfire!" Little Big Dipper roared, shielding Su Yan. He opened his mouth and spewed out scorching silver-white Ice Flame. Starfire collided with the dark tendrils, creating a violent energy annihilation sound. Although it blocked them for a moment, the dark tendrils seemed endless. They merely dimmed slightly before reforming and attacking again!

"Armor Shattering Talisman!" Su Yan gritted his teeth, a yellow light shooting towards the core area of the Shadow. However, the talisman's light vanished into the darkness as if a clay ox entering the sea, failing to stir even a ripple! This Guixu Shadow seemed immune to conventional weakening methods!

"Try physical attacks!" Su Yan shouted urgently. Little Big Dipper transformed into purple lightning, its claws carrying a cold glint as it fiercely tore at an approaching dark tendril.

"Screech!" A small piece of the tendril was torn off, releasing a denser dark aura. But instantly, new darkness replenished it. Little Big Dipper's attack was effective, but the efficiency was too low, like a drop in the bucket! Moreover, the dark aura retaliated, causing Little Big Dipper to let out a pained roar, its Blood Essence dropping, and the Life Drain effect was greatly diminished against this pure energy erosion.

The Guixu Shadow let out a silent mockery. More dark tendrils converged from all directions, completely sealing Su Yan's retreat. The massive dark entity slowly approached, its central void resembling a vortex, threatening to suck their souls in.

Despair! The vast difference in levels and attributes, coupled with the unique nature of Guixu's power, rendered almost all of Su Yan's abilities useless!

Did he really have to use that life-saving Minor Heavenly Star Escape Talisman? The mission had just begun, and to flee in such a sorry state, he was unwilling! Furthermore, Elder Xingyan had specifically mentioned this as a test of his character. If he retreated now, his Dao heart would inevitably bear a flaw.

In a flash of lightning, Su Yan's gaze swept over the few Dust-Cleansing Star Orchids that were still stubbornly emitting a faint glow, and the two drops of chaotic gray-white dew in the jade bottle in his hand.

"Purifying power... against Guixu..." A crazy thought flashed through his mind.

"Little Big Dipper, cover me!" Su Yan roared, no longer retreating but charging towards the massive dark entity! At the same time, he drew out one drop of Purifying Star Dew from the jade bottle, suspending it at his fingertip!

"Star Track Deduction!" He fully activated the Compass's newly acquired ability, his mental power burning at an unprecedented speed, attempting to find the only sliver of hope amidst countless despairing futures! Countless fragmented images flashed through his mind, finally settling on one scene: actively sending the Star Dew, which contained purifying power, into the most concentrated core of Guixu's energy to trigger an internal energy conflict!

Now!

A resolute glint flashed in Su Yan's eyes. The drop of chaotic gray-white dew at his fingertip, enveloped by his spiritual energy, shot out like an arrow. It wasn't aimed at the dark tendrils but directly at the Guixu Shadow's deepest, most profound void vortex!

"Plink!"

A faint sound, like a drop of water falling into a deep pool. The drop of Purifying Star Dew entered the dark core.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment.

The next instant--

"Awoooo--!!!"

A roar, not transmitted through the air but directly resonating on the soul level, filled with pain and fury, erupted from within the Guixu Shadow! The massive dark body twisted, swelled, and contracted violently, as if something inside had exploded! The darkness, originally solid like a curtain, now churned like boiling ink, with countless chaotic, gray-white light spots appearing on its surface. This was the purifying power of the Purifying Star Dew fiercely clashing with Guixu's energy!

Effective! Although it couldn't purify such a massive Shadow, this internal conflict originating from its core had clearly caused it immense pain and disruption! The surrounding dark tendrils instantly lost control, becoming scattered and fragile!

"Opportunity!" Su Yan wouldn't miss such a rare chance! He endured the dizziness from his overused mental power and shouted sternly, "Little Big Dipper! Attack its core!"

Little Big Dipper, telepathically connected with its master, was already poised. It let out a long hiss, its star patterns erupting with unprecedented brilliance, forcibly expelling the trace amounts of Guixu aura that had invaded its body! It transformed into a purple meteor burning with silver-white Starfire, charging headlong into the Guixu Shadow, which was twisting due to internal conflict and had greatly reduced defenses in its core area!

Advanced Poison! Life Drain! Starfire! All its power erupted at this moment! Little Big Dipper's claws and fangs, entwined with Starfire and poison, fiercely tore through the boiling darkness, accurately striking a weakened area caused by the purifying power!

-1888! (Critical Hit!)

A huge, exhilarating golden number floated up!

The Guixu Shadow let out a final, unwilling, and venomous silent shriek. Its massive dark body rapidly contracted like a popped balloon, finally collapsing with a roar, turning into pure experience points and a few wisps of refined Guixu Origin Aura, along with a faintly glowing Shadow Crystal.

[System: Successfully killed elite boss 'Guixu Shadow' (Level 36) by exceeding level! Gained a large amount of experience points!]

[System: Congratulations on reaching Level 22!]

[System: Your summoned beast 'Little Big Dipper' has reached Level 22!]

[System: You have comprehended the true meaning of combat in despair, your Dao heart has become more stable.]

[System: Successfully collected the third drop of 'Purifying Star Dew'.]

The battle ended. Su Yan was almost exhausted. He stumbled a few steps, leaning against a rock to barely stay upright. Little Big Dipper also lay on the ground, panting heavily, with several wounds on its body corroded by the dark aura, but its eyes were exceptionally bright, filled with post-victory excitement.

"Well done... buddy." Su Yan patted Little Big Dipper's head, took out the best wound medicine and recovery pills, and shared them between man and pet, seizing the time to recover.

He looked at the last drop of barely collected Purifying Star Dew in his hand, which also appeared chaotic gray-white, and the few wisps of Guixu Origin Aura on the ground that were attempting to re-condense but were gradually dissipating due to the loss of their host. He felt lingering fear, yet was filled with the joy of harvest.

Killing a Level 36 elite boss by exceeding his level brought a massive amount of experience, directly leveling him and Little Big Dipper up by one. More importantly, the experience of hovering on the brink of death and ultimately winning through wisdom and courage was priceless for tempering his state of mind.

He carefully put away the Shadow Crystal and Guixu Origin Aura. These two items contained pure Guixu power. Although dangerous, they might be useful in certain special refining or research applications.

After resting, Su Yan dared not linger in this place any longer. The oppressive feeling from the Guixu Rift deep within Falling Star Lake was too strong. He didn't know if any more powerful beings had been alerted by the recent battle.

He quickly retraced his steps and left the lake area shrouded in death and void.

Upon returning to a relatively safe area, Su Yan immediately used Star Pavilion's teleportation service, returning directly to the pavilion.

In the Star Observation Pavilion, Elder Xingyan looked at the three drops of chaotic Star Dew, the mission report, and the Shadow Crystal that Su Yan presented. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes again.

"You... encountered and defeated the 'Guixu Shadow'?" Xingyan's tone carried a hint of disbelief. "It seems I still underestimated your potential and decisiveness. Using the Purifying Star Dew to trigger its internal conflict, though risky, struck at its core. Good! Very good!"

He contentedly put away the mission items, transferred the promised 500 contribution points to Su Yan, and said, "Since you've already withdrawn the introductory chapter of Star Refining Body Art, cultivate it well. Furthermore, since you've come into contact with and collected the contaminated Purifying Star Dew, and even obtained Guixu Origin Aura, perhaps you can try tempering your body with it."

"Temper my body with it?" Su Yan was taken aback. Wasn't that stuff extremely corrosive?

"Risk and opportunity coexist," Xingyan explained. "The essence of Star Refining Body Art is to draw upon the power of the stars to refine the physical body. The power of stars itself possesses certain purifying and order-maintaining characteristics. If you can guide a trace amount of extremely weak Guixu Origin Aura, neutralized by the Purifying Star Dew, and integrate it into the star power for body tempering, you might forge stronger resistance to Guixu's power, or even... develop the rudiments of a 'invincible to all methods' physique. Of course, this method is extremely dangerous and requires extreme caution. A slight mistake could lead to the collapse of your physical body and damage to your soul. You may consider it carefully."

Leaving this statement, which was both tempting and warning, Xingyan dismissed Su Yan.

Returning to his courtyard in Chang'an City, Su Yan looked at the wisps of dark Guixu Origin Aura and the chaotic Purifying Star Dew in his hand, falling into contemplation.

Elder Xingyan's suggestion was undoubtedly extremely bold. Guixu's power was a destroyer of order. Using it for body tempering was akin to playing with fire. But if successful, the gains would be immense. Especially after witnessing how troublesome Guixu's power was, improving resistance to it seemed particularly important.

"Fortune favors the bold..." Su Yan's eyes gradually firmed. He decided to try! Of course, he had to prepare thoroughly.

He first spent a large amount of contribution points and Dream Coins at the Star Pavilion to exchange for several precious pills and incense that could stabilize the mind and protect the meridians: [Meridian Protection Pill] and [Soul Stabilizing Incense]. He also set up a small Spirit Gathering Array and a defensive formation.

With preparations complete, he sat cross-legged within the array. He first circulated the Star Qi Drawing Art and Star Refining Body Art to bring his condition to its peak, with the Starlight Bodyguard light shield enveloping his entire body.

Then, he carefully drew out a wisp of [Guixu Origin Aura], thinner than a strand of hair, and simultaneously drew out a drop of [Purifying Star Dew]. He wrapped them with his own spiritual energy and slowly guided them, allowing the two to make initial contact and neutralize each other outside his body.

"Ssss..."

Gray and white intertwined with deep darkness, and an extremely unstable, yet strangely balanced energy was born. Su Yan could feel the conflicting powers of destruction and rebirth contained within it.

He took a deep breath, drawing this neutralized, peculiar energy into his meridians. Following the path of the Star Refining Body Art, he began to circulate it!

"Ugh!"

Agony! It felt as if countless tiny ice needles and flames were simultaneously traversing his meridians, burning and freezing! Wherever the energy passed, the meridian walls trembled violently, causing tearing pain! The Starlight Bodyguard light shield flickered unstably, barely resisting the erosion from the energy leakage.

Su Yan maintained clarity of mind, circulating his techniques with all his might, guiding the power of the stars to continuously repair and nourish the impacted meridians. The medicinal power of the [Meridian Protection Pill] dissolved, forming a protective film; the aroma of the [Soul Stabilizing Incense] kept his mind steady, resisting the seductive, void-like whispers within the energy that tempted him to give up.

This was an extremely painful and long process. Sweat instantly soaked his robes, his body trembled involuntarily, and a trickle of blood even seeped from the corner of his mouth. Little Big Dipper stood guard nearby, pacing anxiously but not daring to disturb him.

After an unknown amount of time, when that wisp of peculiar energy was finally refined with great difficulty and completely integrated into his flesh and meridians, the intense pain receded like a tide, replaced by an indescribable sense of comfort and resilience.

He felt as if his meridians had widened slightly, his physical strength had significantly increased, and more importantly, his body seemed to have developed a natural resistance to "void" and "erosion" type powers.

[System: Successfully tempered the body with 'Guixu Origin Aura' (neutralized). Star Refining Body Art proficiency greatly increased. Physical Strength +10. Permanent resistance to erosion-based negative status effects increased by 5%.]

Success!

Su Yan opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them before disappearing. Although the process was perilous, the rewards were immense! This 5% resistance increase might save his life at a critical moment!

He looked at the remaining Guixu Origin Aura and Purifying Star Dew. He didn't get greedy, understanding the principle that too much is as bad as too little. He carefully stored the remaining materials. This trip to Falling Star Lake had concluded perfectly.

His strength had increased, his resistance had been enhanced, and he had completed the commission from the Star Pavilion's higher-ups, accumulating contribution points and favor. Su Yan felt he was steadily advancing step by step towards being able to directly confront the world's truths.

Next, should he continue accumulating through Star Pavilion missions, or should he explore the other markers that had newly appeared on the Compass Star Map, possibly related to the "Resurrection Node" or the "End Times Cult"?