Han Feng sat cross-legged on the ground, as if he were in a void, with tiny specks of light floating around him like a frozen galaxy. He closed his eyes, his breathing was steady and long, and he seemed to be one with this space.
"Remember, the power of the stars is an extension of your body," Zero's voice came from afar, yet also seemed to resonate directly in your mind. "Try to become one with it; it is a part of you."
Han Feng slowly opened his eyes, his pupils shimmering with silver light. He raised his right hand, palm up, and a soft halo began to gather there. Unlike the awkwardness of the first time, this time the halo took shape almost as soon as the thought arose, as naturally as breathing.
The halo gradually solidified, and the internal structure began to reorganize and arrange itself. First, the outline of the hilt emerged, then the slender blade, and finally, the starlight flowing along the edge. The entire process was fluid and seamless, and a battle sword with a silvery luster appeared in his hand.
"Very good." Zero's voice echoed again in the void, "Now try swinging it."
Han Feng clenched his fingers, feeling the subtle vibration emanating from the hilt of the sword. It wasn't the coldness of metal; it felt like a pulse of energy with warmth. He stood up, raised his right arm slightly, and the sword's trajectory through the air trailed out fragments of starlight, as if a galaxy had been cleaved in two.
My first cut was a bit clumsy.
The fifth cut was already smooth.
The tenth strike, the blade flashing as if it were part of his arm or fingers.
The sword grew increasingly light and agile in his hands, each swing creating a dazzling curtain of light. Han Feng could feel the stellar power within him surging like a river, continuously flowing into the weapon through some mysterious connection, maintaining its form.
"It lasted thirty seconds longer than last time," Zero said approvingly. "That's a big improvement."
The battle blade eventually dissipated into countless points of light. Han Feng didn't pause and immediately began the next condensation. This time, he didn't envision a domineering battle blade, but a small and exquisite dagger.
The ball of light spun and compressed in the palm of the hand, transforming its form almost instantly. The dagger took shape nearly twice as fast as the battle sword, its entire body crystal clear, with a particularly bright starlight shimmering at the tip of the blade.
"Oh?." Zero looked at Han Feng's changed appearance. "Miniaturization does indeed reduce the difficulty of control."
Han Feng didn't answer, his attention completely focused on the starlight dagger in his hand. He tried to perform some delicate movements: turning the blade, reversing his grip, and tossing and catching. Each movement made the dagger's light more solid, as if responding to his concentration.
Time lost its meaning in this clockless space. Han Feng tirelessly repeated the process of condensing, manipulating, and dissipating. The forms of his weapons also began to diversify—short swords, throwing knives, long whips... Each attempt deepened his understanding of the power of the stars.
When Zero spoke again, "Dawn is approaching," Zero appeared before Han Feng as a ball of light. "Today's training will conclude here..."
"Wait a minute, I want to try again." Han Feng suddenly interrupted, a strange light flashing in his eyes. "I have an idea I want to test."
Without waiting for a response, Han Feng had already sat down cross-legged again. He closed his eyes, and the star meridian diagram within his body automatically activated, attracting countless points of light from the void and converging into his limbs and bones. In just a few minutes, the consumed star power was fully restored.
This time, Han Feng didn't condense a ball of light in his hand. He took a deep breath, imagining himself as a newborn star, with every pore on his body beginning to emit a faint glow. At first, only a layer of silver light appeared on the surface of his skin, but soon the light grew stronger and stronger until it enveloped his entire body in a dazzling cocoon of light.
"Are you crazy?" Zero's voice was unusually tense. "With your current strength, you're releasing such a massive amount of stellar power..."
Han Feng could no longer hear any sounds from the outside world. His entire consciousness was focused on maintaining this enormous energy cocoon. Sweat evaporated into tiny specks of light as soon as it seeped through his skin, and his muscles trembled from the excessive strain, but he gritted his teeth and refused to give up.
The cocoon of light continued to expand, gradually revealing a blurry humanoid outline. Han Feng felt his consciousness splitting, one part remaining in his body, the other flowing towards the humanoid form with the power of the stars. This experience was bizarre and painful, like his soul being forcibly torn in two.
"Freeze!" Han Feng forced out a low growl through gritted teeth.
The cocoon of light trembled violently, then rapidly contracted and solidified like a receding tide. When the light faded, another "Han Feng" stood quietly in the spot where the cocoon had been, with the same height and build, the same facial features, but the starlight in his eyes was different, just like the self that Zero had just transformed into.
Both Han Fengs simultaneously looked down at their hands, then simultaneously looked up at each other. The movements were so synchronized, as if they were looking in a mirror.
Zero's starlight form trembled violently, revealing his inner shock: "...How is this possible? He's only just learned how to materialize..."
The clone suddenly spoke, its voice identical to the original: "I feel...something strange."
Han Feng, the main body, wiped the sweat from his brow, a tired yet excited smile playing on his lips: "Not just a clone." He stretched out his hand, and the clone did the same. Their fingertips touched, bursting into a shower of sparks like starlight. "I can control two bodies simultaneously, sharing all my senses."
In just a moment, the illusion of Han Feng collapsed into countless starlight, and Han Feng collapsed to the ground as if he had been completely exhausted.
Zero's voice drifted over: "Do you know what this means? This isn't a simple illusion. What you just did split your soul and consciousness apart. The weapon dissipating is fine. If your clone had been destroyed by external force, your soul would have suffered severe damage. Luckily, you just couldn't take it anymore and dispelled it yourself."
Although Han Feng was slumped on the ground, he smiled with great satisfaction: "But how will we know where the limits are if we don't try?"
Looking at Han Feng in front of him, Ling didn't know what to say to him. He just sighed and said, "I don't recommend you use this trick often. The star power in your body is not enough to last that long. Next time you can try to just condense a clone and then only use your divine sense to enter the clone to control it. That way, even if you are injured, it will not have any impact."
Han Feng nodded. He naturally understood that Zero must have had his reasons for saying that. Then, with a thought, he withdrew his consciousness from the space. When he opened his eyes again, the sky was already turning light. After just one night, Han Feng had a deeper understanding of the power of the stars within him. He felt that if he encountered Kurosaki again, he could kill him without making a sound, even if Kurosaki was a cultivator of the shadow element.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com