Chương 8: War God — Chapter 8 - Stellar Body Refinement Art, Activate!

"Look!"

"Someone's charging in?"

"Wait—who is that kid?"

"Has he lost his mind? Look at his uniform, he's a high schooler!" The line kept moving forward. Eyes never left. The moment Wang Xian darted out, everyone around him saw it. They'd assumed the two high schoolers were just talking quietly to each other. Who would've thought one would suddenly bolt? More and more eyes gathered. The advancing line ground to a halt again. Some onlookers gripped the utility poles by the roadside. Some lowered their heads in shame, silent. Others couldn't help pulling out their phones.

Still others shook their heads, sighing endlessly. And the majority...

"Reckless fool, asking to die!"

"A high schooler who hasn't even awakened his martial talent... running in there is suicide, isn't it?"

"I've said it before—the country needs to ban more of those hot-blooded martial arts anime. Kids watch too much, spend all day fantasizing about saving the world. Isn't that just harming them?"

"I think it just makes things harder for the rescue teams later..."

"Harder? Not really. By the time rescue arrives, that kid won't have survived anyway. A pity..."

"Judging by the uniform, he's from Rong City Martial High. A provincial key school, no less. What the hell does that damn school teach its students every day?"... In the crowd, the naysayers were the majority. Some even spat venom.

"Enough!" The burly man from before suddenly bellowed, his cold gaze sweeping over those who'd spoken ill.

"You people who aren't even the equal of a single high schooler, what gives you the right to spout this crap?" The man's voice boomed, resonant and commanding, instantly silencing everyone.

"And what gives you the right to lecture us?" someone shot back, shame turning to anger.

"You, a third-realm martial artist, don't even, ""I'm not brave enough!" The burly man locked eyes on the speaker.

"But at least I don't attack others to soothe my own pathetic sense of morality and responsibility."

"You—!"

"Zhou Tianlong, Dragon Nation's first Martial God, once said: A martial artist can lack anything. But the one thing they must never lack is the courage to face everything!"

"Isn't it still suicide?" someone objected.

"You call it suicide? Then let me ask you, back during the Alien Beast Invasion War, the Seven-Nation Colonial War... without countless martial artists willingly going to their deaths, carving a bloody road forward with sheer will, would you have even been born in this era of Dragon Nation?" The other party was left speechless. The burly man's gaze was icy as he scanned the crowd. Those who met his eyes bowed their heads, not daring to speak. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road.

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"That's why people like you don't even have the qualifications to become martial artists!"

"I am not his equal. And not a single martial artist here can compare to that high school boy who just charged in!" With that said, he stepped forward. He didn't turn to look at the woman behind him, but simply said:"Xiao Li, take care of our son."

"Brother Xiong... you..." The burly man grinned, his voice softening:"Right, let me tell you a secret."

"What?"

"In the entrance hallway at home, on the second shelf, there's a hidden compartment. Inside is a pair of shoes. Flip up the insole, and you'll find a stack of cash. Make sure you take it out when the time comes..."

"..."

"Otherwise, I'm afraid you'd never find it your whole life..." The burly man walked step by step toward the railing. His pace was neither fast nor slow. Steady. Behind him, gradually, one figure stepped forward. Then two. More and more followed. Until they crossed the railing and entered the disaster zone. Then a faint fiery glow began rising around his body, covering him. Yuan force externalized, the hallmark of a third-realm martial artist.

Only then did the burly man finally exhale sharply, sweat already beading on his forehead. The several martial artists who'd followed him in were the same. You wouldn't know until you came in. The moment you entered the disaster zone, you could feel an immense oppressive pressure. Indeed, that pressure came from nothing more than those few feathers, faintly visible through the distant dust. Especially now, as a pale red mist had gradually begun spreading through the disaster zone.

This was the sign of spirit sha overflow. Regions invaded by alien beasts often required long periods of yuan force restoration before they could become habitable again. All to purge the spirit sha left behind by these high-tier beasts.

"Every step is a struggle..." The burly man swallowed and exchanged a nod with the other third-realm martial artists who'd come with him.

"Everyone, let's do what we can..."

"We probably can't save them. But at the very least... we can bring their bodies back intact..." Their hearts sank, but they all nodded. They didn't believe ordinary people could survive in this environment.

"By the way, that boy from earlier ran very fast. No telling where he collapsed. I haven't spotted him yet..."

"The spirit sha overflow is several times worse than before. Our perception and vision have dropped considerably too..."

"If only we had a Divine Will martial artist... their spirit far surpasses others at the same realm... even in this environment, they could instantly sense the target..." The burly man and the other martial artists supported each other as they slowly advanced.,"This feels amazing!" Wang Xian ran through the ruins of the disaster zone, eyes closed. Spirit sha poured into his body from all sides. He paid it no mind. His expression even held a trace of excitement.

"It's practically like being back on the Alien Star Battlefield..." Wang Xian couldn't put it into words. How to describe it. He missed it. Like coming home. Because on the Alien Star Battlefield, there wasn't a trace of heaven-and-earth yuan qi. Only spirit sha, thick as slurry. That place was the main battlefield of the myriad star races. S-rank alien beasts and the like were child's play there. Spirit sha? Don't get it twisted.

That was the only high-grade energy a martial artist could absorb on the Alien Star Battlefield. Its scientific name: "Spirit Sha." One of the true cosmic energies. On Blue Star, spirit sha was considered terrifying because it truly caused devastating damage to ordinary lifeforms. The bodies of ordinary and low-to-mid-tier martial artists simply couldn't withstand it. Compared to Blue Star's heaven-and-earth yuan qi, this cosmic energy was harder to absorb and harder to control.

And at the same time, far more domineering. On the Alien Star Battlefield, Wang Xian had long since tested it. Martial techniques fueled by spirit sha were at least several times stronger than normal. If used for cultivation and body refinement, the enhancement to the physical body was multiplied even further. Otherwise, how would those alien beasts be so powerful?

It was just that the spirit sha overflowing from high-tier alien beasts carried traces of the beasts' own will, which would attack and destroy a lifeform's consciousness. So for Blue Star martial artists at the current stage, this spirit sha could not be controlled or cultivated. They could only keep their distance. Wang Xian, naturally, was different. He didn't fear the alien beast will contained within this spirit sha. Forget this.

Even if the Wind King Falcon itself stood before him, he wouldn't bother furrowing his brow.

"I thought after being reborn, I'd have to wait at least a few years before I could absorb spirit sha into my body for cultivation... didn't expect it to come so soon."

"Fortunately, I had Ye Miyue give me that massage just earlier, plus my own meridian-shifting and acupoint-relocation. Barely managed to open one Yang Link Meridian..."

"Otherwise, absorbing spirit sha would've been difficult..." Without opening a meridian, absorbing any kind of energy was impossible. The result would be spirit sha forcing its way into the body and directly destroying cells everywhere. With good luck, you'd just drop dead on the spot. With bad luck, your body would explode. But opening a single meridian changed everything.

"Alright then. Stellar Body Refinement Art, activate!" The corner of Wang Xian's mouth curved upward. As he swiftly made his way toward the distant third-floor balcony, he gave a soft mental command. ➤ Next: Divine Meridian Complete! Little One, Want Me to Take You Away?