The God of War's Baptism and the First Formation of the Star Vortex

Within the mountain hollow, the Breath of the End coiled around the ancient altar like thick, black liquid. The several [Corrupted Battle Soul Elites] were massive, their bodies churning with intertwined dark red and black energy. Violent and chaotic flames flickered in their empty eye sockets, their aura far more ferocious than any monster encountered before. Their existence not only defiled this holy land, which held the lingering will of the God of War, but also acted as a beacon, continuously seeping the power of the End into the ley lines of Mount War God.

"Three Level 38 Elites, guarding the altar in a triangular formation. Their energy is interconnected. We need to destroy them simultaneously or reduce their numbers quickly, otherwise they'll empower each other and grow stronger as the fight progresses," Mo Hen analyzed the situation rapidly through his reconnaissance bee, his voice quick and clear. "The altar itself has a faint barrier. A frontal assault might trigger a backlash."

Yun Ji stood calmly to the side, her gaze sweeping over the battlefield from behind the mist. Her cool voice rang out, "The will of the stone tablet is not extinguished; it resists the pollution. Attacking the corrupted battle souls will cause their dispersed power of the End to temporarily weaken the barrier. Fellow Daoist Su, your purification power is key."

Su Yan instantly understood. "I'll focus on one, Little Big Dipper, cooperate with me, and let's aim for the fastest kill! Brother Mo Hen, disrupt the other two and delay their coordination! Miss Bai Zhi, stabilize our condition! Fellow Daoist Yun Ji, please guide us on the timing!"

"Understood." Mo Hen's hands were already gripping several specially made [Shocking Mechanism Thunderstones]. Bai Zhi planted the [Spirit Soothing Incense] on the ground, her Heart Calming Incantation aura at full power, the willow branch in her hand glowing with vibrant green light.

"The one on the left has the weakest connection to the stone tablet. In three breaths, its energy circulation will have a momentary stagnation. That's our opening," Yun Ji's voice was like a precise pendulum.

"Attack!"

The moment Yun Ji's voice fell, Su Yan moved! [Wood Escape] made his figure appear like a phantom behind the left Battle Soul Elite. The prepared [Soul Chasing Talisman · Erosion] shot out, crackling with purple lightning and black patterns, accurately hitting its energy core!

"Roar!" The Battle Soul Elite let out a pained roar, the black energy around it churning violently. Little Big Dipper, who had been poised for this moment, charged like a purple meteor. Its reinforced claws, carrying the momentum to tear everything apart, fiercely raked across the wound created by the [Soul Chasing Talisman · Erosion]! -988! -1102! Astonishing damage numbers floated up!

At the same time, Mo Hen's mechanism thunderstones exploded precisely beneath the feet of the other two Battle Soul Elites. The intense shockwaves, though not causing much damage, successfully interrupted the energy they were trying to gather, causing them to enter a brief state of paralysis. Bai Zhi's [Universal Salvation] light shone down, stabilizing the slightly fluctuating Blood Essence of Su Yan and Little Big Dipper due to their burst of power.

The targeted Battle Soul Elite counterattacked ferociously, its dark red battle halberd sweeping with soul-tearing power. However, guided by Yun Ji's prompt to "move half a step left," Su Yan narrowly dodged, the ice-blue halo of [Starlight Bodyguard] neutralizing most of the scattered impact. Little Big Dipper was even more fierce, neither dodging nor evading, taking an energy blast head-on. Relying on [Life Drain] and its own powerful defense, it forcefully endured, its claws and fangs raining down like a storm!

"Now! Its core connection to the altar is broken!" Yun Ji's voice rang out again.

Su Yan's heart surged. He abandoned using talismans again, channeling all his Star Power and a wisp of the Ice Devouring Origin he had just absorbed and refined into his fist, and roared, "Star Radiance Evil-Breaking Fist · Ice Devour!"

A fist of ice-blue starlight intertwined with wisps of black energy, like a drill, slammed fiercely into the Battle Soul Elite's exposed core weakness after its connection was severed!

"Crack—Boom!"

Like the sound of ice shattering, the Battle Soul Elite's massive body stiffened abruptly, then countless ice-blue cracks erupted from within, finally exploding with a roar! Pure [Essence of Battle Intent] mixed with more concentrated [Tainted Battle Soul Fragments] splashed out!

With the death of this Elite, the black energy around the altar visibly thinned, and the faint barrier flickered.

"Well done!" Mo Hen cheered, his hands not stopping as he threw more mechanisms, fiercely engaging the other two enraged Elites. Bai Zhi's healing spells were like timely rain, quickly restoring the health Little Big Dipper had lost from taking a direct hit earlier.

Although the remaining battle was still difficult, with the loss of the triangular formation's mutual support, the threat from these two Battle Soul Elites was greatly reduced. Under Yun Ji's precise predictions and commands, Su Yan and Little Big Dipper followed suit, concentrating their firepower to break them down one by one! When the last Elite turned to ashes under [Starfire] and claws, the entire mountain hollow fell silent.

The black energy on the altar, as if its source was cut off, began to slowly dissipate. The broken stone tablet trembled slightly, and a faint, yet stubbornly unyielding golden light emanated from its cracks.

"Purify it, Fellow Daoist Su," Yun Ji reminded him.

Su Yan stepped forward, placing his palm on the stone tablet, circulating the Star Qi Drawing Art. Pure Star Power, mixed with the aura of order emanating from the Compass, slowly flowed into the stone tablet. Little Big Dipper also came closer, exhaling a gentle breath of [Starfire] towards the stone tablet. The silver-white flames were like purifying flames, burning away the residual filth.

As the Breath of the End was dispelled, the golden light on the stone tablet grew stronger. Finally, a blurry, sky-high phantom of the God of War flashed across the sky above the stone tablet. A vast will, desolate, ancient, yet filled with unyielding battle intent, swept through the entire mountain hollow like a tide!

Hum—

Su Yan, Mo Hen, Bai Zhi, and even Little Big Dipper felt as if their souls had been cleansed. The fatigue from the battle vanished, their mental power became more refined, and their control over their own strength seemed to have improved by a level.

[System: Successfully purified the ancient God of War altar, obtained 'The God of War's Faint Blessing'! All attributes permanently +5, resistance to mental negative status effects increased by 10%, experience gain efficiency increased by 10% (lasts for 72 hours).]

[System: Your summoned beast 'Little Big Dipper' has received the God of War's Will Baptism, its potential awakened, and it has learned the new skill 'Battle Intent Burn' (Passive: As battle time extends, gradually increases its physical attack power and attack speed).]

[System: [Damaged Compass] has absorbed a large amount of pure battle intent and residual power of the End, its repair progress has increased to 55%!]

The generous rewards brought joy to everyone. The +5 to all attributes was a huge improvement, and the increased experience gain efficiency was a godsend. Little Big Dipper's learned passive skill, [Battle Intent Burn], gave its role as a physical output core a qualitative leap in sustained combat capability!

"This place is not suitable for lingering. The commotion just now might attract more enemies," Mo Hen cautiously observed their surroundings.

The group quickly cleaned up the battlefield, collecting a good amount of Essence of Battle Intent and materials, and then rapidly departed the mountain hollow.

In the following days, the four-person team became more active in the Outer Reaches of Mount War God. With the enhancement of 'The God of War's Faint Blessing,' their monster-slaying efficiency greatly increased, and their experience bars soared. Su Yan's level quickly broke through Level 29, heading towards the threshold of Level 30. Under the boost of [Battle Intent Burn], Little Big Dipper grew more courageous with each battle. By the late stages of combat, its attacks were like a storm, its purple figure weaving through the rocks and leaving afterimages.

During this time, they discovered and purified two smaller points of contamination from the End, and the Compass's repair progress steadily increased to 56%. Su Yan's use of Star Power became increasingly proficient, even beginning to attempt applying [Star Track Deduction] to practical combat prediction. Although far from Yun Ji's precision, it significantly improved his grasp of combat rhythm.

One day, the four found a relatively safe stone cave to rest. Su Yan sat cross-legged, preparing to break through the Level 30 bottleneck. Level 30 was a small watershed on the path of cultivation, signifying truly leaving the novice stage. His spiritual power would undergo a qualitative change, and he would be able to learn more powerful sect skills.

He consumed the last few pieces of [Star Marrow], and the immense energy dissolved within his body, impacting the barriers of his meridians. The Star Qi Drawing Art and Star Refining Body Art were simultaneously pushed to their limits. The spiritual power vortex in his dantian spun wildly, constantly compressing and purifying. In his mind, the starry sky depicted by the Star Contemplation Method became clearer, his mental power highly focused, guiding the torrent of energy.

After an unknown amount of time, it was as if some barrier was broken, and a faint roar echoed within Su Yan's body! The spiritual power vortex in his dantian suddenly contracted, then expanded explosively. Although its volume decreased, the spiritual power became more condensed, purer, with a faint starlight sheen! His entire meridians seemed to have widened by a circle, spiritual power circulated faster, and the total amount had nearly doubled!

[System: Congratulations on reaching Level 30!]

[System: Spiritual power has undergone a qualitative change. Spiritual power cap increased by 50%, spiritual power recovery speed increased by 30%, all spell effects increased by 10%.]

[System: New sect skill learning permissions unlocked!]

[System: Achieved the 'First Glimpse' achievement, obtained the title 'Rookie Cultivator' (All attributes +3).]

Finally Level 30! Su Yan opened his eyes, which seemed to hold flowing stars, his aura far more stable than before! He immediately checked the newly unlocked Fangcun Mountain skills:

[Lightning Talisman]: Summons a bolt of lightning to attack a single enemy, dealing significant spell damage, with a chance to paralyze the target. A powerful single-target burst skill of Fangcun Mountain.

[Origin Return Incantation]: Consumes a large amount of mana to instantly restore a certain percentage of one's own Blood Essence. A crucial life-saving and sustain skill.

[Shrink Ground into Inches]: Advanced escape technique, instantly moves to a farther distance, or performs continuous short-distance blinks within a short period. A divine skill for survival and pursuit.

Without hesitation, Su Yan learned all three skills! His combat power soared once again!

His heart stirred, and he couldn't help but stand up straight, calling out to the people guarding outside the cave, "I succeeded!"

Mo Hen and Bai Zhi both smiled, genuinely happy for him. Yun Ji also nodded slightly, "Thirty and established, Dao Foundation initially formed. Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Su."

However, just as Su Yan broke through and everyone was rejoicing, Yun Ji's expression suddenly changed. She looked up towards the depths of Mount War God, a trace of solemnity flashing in her eyes behind the mist.

"What is it?" Su Yan noticed her abnormality.

Yun Ji performed a finger calculation, her brow furrowing. "Heaven's secrets are disturbed... a powerful energy has been stirred in the depths, seemingly related to our purification of the altar and your breakthrough, Fellow Daoist Su. Something... has been awakened, or... attracted."

Her words made the recently relaxed atmosphere tense up again.

Fortune brings disaster. The improvement in strength seemed to have attracted deeper attention.