"Hmm," Han Feng thought to himself.
Zero didn't give him time to react.
"The reward has been issued, and the Star Vein Map has been stored in your space. Would you like to check it now?"
"Check my ass! Don't you even know where I am right now? Just check it!" Han Feng was so angry he almost cursed. This so-called system was going further and further astray.
"Oh, then remember to check the reward. It'll be very helpful to you. Taking it out now might even shock this old man. Since you don't want to, I'm leaving." After saying that, Zero fell silent.
Han Feng simply ignored him. He noticed that Liu Shanhe's gaze towards him was filled with increasing admiration.
"Xiao Ran, come here." Liu Shanhe called out. Liu Xiao Ran had just watched the two enter the stone chamber and then returned to stand outside the courtyard. Hearing his grandfather calling him, he quickly walked into the courtyard.
Liu Shanhe looked at his grandson, then at Han Feng in front of him, and slowly said, "Actually, Xiao Ran also has the strength of the second level of the initial stage of the acquired realm. Back then, due to the changes in my family, I sealed his strength to prevent other families from finding out and taking action. He himself did not know this. Now that the old man has obtained the answer he wanted, let's unseal his strength. This will be a help to you."
"What!?" Liu Xiaoran looked at his grandfather in disbelief. He had actually obtained the family's inherited power, but it had been sealed away.
Even Han Feng was taken aback and asked, "Why did Grandpa Liu only tell him today?"
"Xiao Ran told me what kind of opponents Longyuan might face next. This will give him an extra chance to survive. Plus, I've just confirmed that you have certain abilities, so I believe in you." After saying that, he dipped his finger in two drops of tea and flew them toward Liu Xiao Ran's forehead.
Liu Xiaoran felt a sudden ease in his mind, as if a shackle had been broken and a continuous stream of power was gushing out.
Feeling the changes in his body, Liu Xiaoran closed his eyes, seemingly immersed in it. Liu Shanhe said to Han Feng, "Alright, don't tell anyone about our meeting today except the three of us, including Mengran. I need to help Xiaoran consolidate his strength now, so you should go back first."
Han Feng stood up and said, "Alright, then this junior will take his leave."
---
Back at the villa, Han Feng locked his bedroom door and, after confirming that all surveillance equipment was turned off, took a deep breath. The "Star Vein Map" he retrieved from the system space floated above his palm. It wasn't the blueprint or scroll he had imagined, but rather a constantly shifting mass of starlight, with countless tiny points of light flowing along complex trajectories within, resembling a miniature Milky Way.
"Zero, are you sure you can just stick this thing inside your body?" Han Feng stared at the breathtakingly beautiful yet dangerously unknown light, his Adam's apple bobbing.
"Otherwise what? Hang it on the wall as a decoration?" Zero's voice carried a hint of sarcasm. "Place it in your dantian, and let it do the rest."
Han Feng sat cross-legged and gently pressed the ball of light against his lower abdomen. The moment it touched his skin, the starlight, like a firefly finding its home, suddenly entered his body. Before he could even be surprised, an unprecedented pain exploded from his dantian, instantly engulfing his entire body.
\"ah--!\"
Han Feng's screams filled the villa, thankfully no one was home at the moment. He hunched over, gripping the carpet tightly with both hands. It felt as if a thousand red-hot steel needles were piercing his veins, each inch bringing excruciating pain. Sweat instantly soaked through his t-shirt, forming a puddle beneath him.
"Stay calm and don't faint." Zero's voice echoed deep within your consciousness, calm to the point of cruelty. "This is a cleansing of your body, removing toxins and impurities accumulated in your body. The longer you persist, the more thorough the detoxification will be."
Han Feng bit his tongue, the taste of blood spreading in his mouth. This was the fifth time he had used this method to stay conscious. Through his blurred vision, he saw a thick, black substance seeping from his bare arm, crawling slowly like oil, congealing into an ugly scab on his skin.
Waves of pain washed over him, seemingly without end. Han Feng's consciousness began to waver. His fingernails dug several bloody scratches into the ground.
After an unknown amount of time, just when Han Feng thought he was about to collapse, the pain suddenly receded like a receding tide. In its place was an unprecedented sense of lightness, as if he had been freed from the heavy shackles he had carried for many years. He tried to move his fingers and found that his movements were smoother and more precise than before, and his muscles responded at an astonishing speed.
"Finally...it's over?" Han Feng weakly looked up, then was stunned by the sight of his body. Black scabs covered his entire body like armor, emitting a nauseating stench. He struggled to stand up, the scabs cracked and fell off, revealing the new skin underneath, which gleamed like pearls under the light.
“I suggest you go take a shower now,” Zero said curtly. “You smell like you could kill a cow.”
Han Feng stumbled into the bathroom and frantically scrubbed himself under the shower. After the black scabs fell off, his skin, washed by the water, became unusually sensitive; he could clearly distinguish the subtle changes in water temperature and the force of each water droplet.
The mirror was fogged up by steam. Han Feng wiped it clean, revealing a clear area, and was stunned. His facial features seemed more defined, and a faint starlight flickered deep within his pupils. He exuded an inexplicable change in his aura. He leaned closer to examine it and discovered extremely fine silver lines beneath his skin, forming some kind of complex pattern, but disappearing in the blink of an eye.
"Zero, what am I doing...?"
“Use your mind to look inward.” Zero interrupted him, her tone impatient. “Focus your attention on your body, just like when you use your scanning skill.”
Han Feng closed his eyes and tried to follow the instructions. At first, it was completely dark, but as he focused his attention, he "saw" it. The previously blurry flow of energy within his body was now clearly visible, with countless star-like nodes connected by delicate rays of light, forming a vast star map. Energy flowed endlessly within it, like a cascading galaxy.
"This... is so beautiful," Han Feng exclaimed. He could sense that each node corresponded to a specific part of his body, some as bright as stars, others dim and faint.
“The Starry Sky Network Diagram is reconstructing your energy circulation system,” Zero explained. “This is only the initial stage. Once all nodes are activated, you will truly understand what a ‘cosmic-level’ cultivation method is.”
Han Feng opened his eyes and suddenly found that the world had changed. He could hear the dripping sound of the kitchen faucet upstairs, smell the fragrance of roses in the garden, and even see the patterns on the wings of mosquitoes on the wall ten meters away. His senses had become at least three times sharper.
He attempted a punch, the movement incredibly fluid, even producing a slight sonic boom in the air. "My physical abilities..."
"It's more than 10 times better than before," Ling said, making a startling statement.
"Wait a minute," Han Feng suddenly thought of a question, "Why did it hurt so much at first? What are those black substances?"
"The junk food you've eaten, the smog you've inhaled, the metabolic waste you've accumulated over the past twenty years," Zero said with a hint of disgust, "along with all sorts of residual toxins and radiation. Ordinary people live and die with these impurities, but you..." It paused, "to bear the power of the stars, you must first become a qualified vessel."
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