Chapter 284: A Surge in Stellar Power

Chapter 284: A Surge in Stellar Power

Splash!

Ji Xinghuo stepped onto the ice-covered lake, shattering the frozen surface as he plunged into the frigid water. The icy lake enveloped him, causing him to shiver momentarily, but he soon adapted to the low temperature.

After a refreshing bath and a few laps in the lake, he took to the skies once more.

Drying himself off and changing into clean clothes, Ji Xinghuo felt refreshed. With his current physical condition, extreme temperatures, be it hot or cold, had little effect on him. He could easily counter the discomfort caused by temperature changes by manipulating his stellar power, and illness was a thing of the past.

During his stay in Peach Blossom Gorge, he had developed a routine of ending his daily training with a dip in the lake, finding it a convenient way to stay clean.

Sometimes he would bathe two or three times a day.

As he was about to return to the wooden cabin, Ji Xinghuo paused, sensing something. He took out a crystal plate—a communication device given to him by Chieftain Hanqiu.

Within a radius of ten thousand kilometers from Tianzhuai Cliff, one could receive messages sent by Chieftain Hanqiu. Ji Xinghuo activated the device and listened to the chieftain's message.

After hearing the message, he opened the map of the Bloody Highland and studied it for a while.

"This time, I should make it," Ji Xinghuo muttered to himself.

Ever since he had left Tianzhuai Cliff, Chieftain Hanqiu had sent numerous messages, but he had missed the first few. Later, when he was in the Earth Abyss Star and unable to receive messages, he had returned to find that the chieftain had sent two more messages, but the wars they pertained to had already ended.

This time, however, the warring tribes were located about two thousand kilometers west of Tianzhuai Cliff, in the northeastern direction from Peach Blossom Gorge, approximately three thousand six hundred kilometers away.

If he left immediately, he should be able to arrive before the war broke out.

Ji Xinghuo wasted no time.

Entering the secret realm, he spotted Ren Mian tending to the plants in the garden. He approached her and said, "Sister Ren, I'm going out for a bit."

Ren Mian, who was crouching among the flowers, looked up in surprise. Instead of asking where he was going, she inquired, "How long will you be gone?"

"If all goes well, I'll be back in two to three days," Ji Xinghuo replied.

"Okay," Ren Mian nodded slightly. "Go ahead, and be careful."

Ji Xinghuo turned to glance at Qinghong, who was napping in the grass, having happily played with Little Sunflower earlier. The two tribes involved in this war were not as large as the Blood Fury Tribe, and the intensity of the conflict was expected to be lower, so he decided to leave Qinghong behind this time.

"Please take care of Qinghong while I'm gone, Sister Ren," he requested.

"It's no trouble at all," Ren Mian readily agreed, having grown fond of Qinghong as well.

Ji Xinghuo nodded in gratitude and turned to leave the secret realm. As he soared out of Peach Blossom Gorge, he accelerated once he was beyond the canyon, out of sight of the secret realm. With a thunderous roar, he broke through the clouds and sped off toward the northeast, harnessing the dual powers of Turbulent Flow and Magnetic Field.

During his flight, Ji Xinghuo activated the Stealth Ring.

Even though the effects of "Refraction" and "Silence" were greatly reduced at high speeds, only masking a fraction of the noise, it was still better than being completely exposed.

He maintained an altitude of one thousand meters and set his speed at 120 kilometers per hour.

In the interface, the stellar power value fluctuated constantly.

It hovered around 4,200, decreasing at times but quickly recovering. After cultivating in Peach Blossom Gorge for about ten days, his stellar power had increased to 4,220 points!

Ji Xinghuo flew from noon until nightfall, enduring a flight of over twenty hours without a moment's rest, yet he felt no fatigue at all.

Along the way, he encountered several flying monsters, but he paid them no heed, simply accelerating to leave them behind.

Only when two or three persistent monsters refused to give up did he draw out his Black Hengjing War Bow and shoot them down with an arrow as they entered his absorption range.

"I must arrive before dawn," Ji Xinghuo said to himself as he checked the time. At his current speed, he might not make it in time.

Thus, he increased his speed once more.

Rumbling...

In the darkness of the night, a thunderous roar akin to rolling thunder reverberated through the sky as Ji Xinghuo pushed his speed to 180 kilometers per hour, causing his stellar power to deplete at a faster rate.

However, the "Aether Refining Solvent" he had consumed earlier was still in effect, enhancing his stellar power recovery beyond its usual rate. Despite being unable to maintain a balance between consumption and recovery, he could still sustain his flight for seven to eight hours, more than enough time to reach the battlefield before dawn.

He sped through the night.

Over an hour before dawn, Ji Xinghuo neared his destination.

It was the month of "Cold Moon," the coldest month in the Stellar World and the time of the year with the shortest stellar nights, lasting less than three hours.

Under the brief stellar night, Ji Xinghuo spotted a tribe built against the mountains in the distance. It was a tribe of Highlanders, followers of the Red Emperor. Their enemies were a Dan tribe, a city whose population did not worship the Red Emperor, outnumbering the Highlanders several times over, though their combined numbers fell short of a million.

At that moment, numerous torches illuminated the Highlander tribe as they seemed to be gathering their forces.

"I made it," Ji Xinghuo breathed a sigh of relief.

He landed, donned the two Ferocious Bracers once more, and put on his armor and bearskin cloak, disguising himself as a follower of the Red Emperor.

He rested briefly, allowing his stellar power to recover.

After daybreak, an army of three to four thousand Highlanders marched out from their tribe. Ji Xinghuo positioned himself ahead of their marching direction, using electromagnetic induction to scan the army. Detecting only one Heavenly King-level warrior and three to four Legends, he breathed a sigh of relief and infiltrated the tribe, blending into the chaotic crowd as they rushed toward the battlefield.

The Highlander army marched through the snow for half a day, finally reaching the Dan tribe's city at noon. Without hesitation, they launched their attack.

The city was not large, surrounded by walls standing at a mere fifteen meters tall.

However, the Dan tribe chose not to hole up within their walls but instead met the Highlanders head-on in an open battle outside the city.

Ji Xinghuo, amidst the Highlander ranks, pretended to fight while actually doing nothing.

The battle raged from day into night, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides, with the Dan tribe suffering more losses. Ultimately, however, they managed to hold their ground and defend their city.

Unable to breach the city, the Highlanders had no choice but to retreat.

While a surprise attack might have succeeded, a few drops of the Red Emperor Blood Crystals weren't worth the risk.

Seizing the opportunity, Ji Xinghuo slipped away midway through their return journey.

From start to finish, no one noticed that someone had infiltrated their ranks, and he had idled on the battlefield all day without lifting a finger.

Rumbling...

Ji Xinghuo flew back to Peach Blossom Gorge under the cover of darkness.

In the interface, his spiritual source energy had once again surpassed 30,000 points.

"Not bad, not bad at all!"

"This is the right way to harvest spiritual source energy."

Ji Xinghuo was in high spirits. On this trip, he had gained over 28,000 points of spiritual source energy, which was much easier than killing monsters in the Earth Abyss Star. It was simple and safe.

After flying for over thirty hours, he returned to Peach Blossom Gorge in the afternoon of the third day.

Slowing down, he descended into the secret realm.

"Sister Ren, I'm back!"

Ren Mian was still tending to the plants in the garden. If it weren't for the change of clothes, it would seem as though he had never left. She turned to glance at him and offered a slight smile, neither questioning his whereabouts nor prying into his business. Some things were better left unsaid.

They each had their secrets, and both respected each other's privacy.

At that moment, Qinghong came running over, licking his hand, while Little Sunflower circled around in flight. "Brother Xinghuo, where did you go? Qinghong didn't want to play with me while you were away."

Ji Xinghuo ruffled Qinghong's head affectionately. "I had some business to take care of."

After playing with Qinghong and Little Sunflower for a while, he resumed his cultivation.

Before nightfall, Ji Xinghuo went out to hunt a Snow Pine Deer. Upon his return, he prepared a barbecue dinner of deer meat for Ren Mian and Qinghong, which Little Sunflower also tasted, finding it barely acceptable.

From then on, Ji Xinghuo focused on his cultivation.

Ren Mian often joined Ji Xinghuo in their cultivation sessions in the Azure Sky Forest, but her sessions were brief, and she would only cultivate every two to three days, spending just three to four hours each time.

Ji Xinghuo doubted the effectiveness of her method.

So he asked her directly.

Ren Mian explained that her cultivation method was unique and differed from others. She didn't need to spend long hours training, but her stellar power was constantly increasing, even when she wasn't actively cultivating.

However, she didn't disclose the specifics of her method, only mentioning that it was exclusive to her.

This left Ji Xinghuo feeling envious.

His stellar power was increasing rapidly, averaging an increase of a little over 40 points per day.

Each day followed a similar routine, mostly spent cultivating in the Azure Sky Forest. Sometimes, he would help Ren Mian tend to the garden or assist her in the kitchen. After filling their stomachs, they would sit by the fireplace, chatting leisurely while petting Qinghong and playing with Little Sunflower.

At times, they would sit in silence, each immersed in their books.

This peaceful and fulfilling life brought a sense of tranquility to Ji Xinghuo. He even contemplated continuing this life indefinitely.

Yet, thoughts of Zhao Manying would occasionally cross his mind.

During this period, Ji Xinghuo received two more messages from Chieftain Hanqiu, prompting him to embark on two more trips. However, he only managed to arrive in time for one of the wars, earning over 20,000 points of spiritual source energy. His total points surpassed 50,000, but he continued to accumulate them without using any.

Time flew by.

One day, after completing a training cycle, Ji Xinghuo took a dip in the lake to wash up.

When he returned to the shore and got dressed, he checked the interface and was pleased with what he saw.

"Finally, my stellar power has broken through the 5,000-point mark!" Ji Xinghuo exclaimed.

It had been exactly 45 days since he started cultivating in Peach Blossom Gorge, and the effects of the Aether Refining Solvent he had consumed had also come to an end.

If he hadn't left on those three trips, his stellar power would have surpassed 5,000 points several days ago.

This far exceeded the upper limit of an ordinary Super Being.

Ji Xinghuo wasn't sure about the stellar power values of other Super Beings, but based on his encounters, he could make an educated guess about their range.

On average, a Super Being's stellar power would reach around 3,000 points when they hit their upper limit. He had long surpassed that. Those with better talent could attain 3,500 points, and a Super Being with stellar power reaching 4,000 points was considered exceptional.

5,000 points of stellar power was comparable to that of a Legendary Being!

Moreover, it was at the pinnacle of the first stage of the Legendary realm.

"I'm still far from my stellar power limit. With the second Aetheric Resonance, my limit will definitely increase further, possibly even reaching 15,000 points."

"That might even surpass the upper limit of the second stage of the Legendary realm."

Ji Xinghuo shook his head helplessly.

Upon returning to the wooden cabin, he found that Ren Mian had already prepared dinner. After they finished eating, they sat by the fireplace to relax. Outside, a blizzard raged, turning the night into a snow-covered landscape. In contrast, the cabin was warm and cozy. Qinghong lay on the carpet, dozing with her eyes half-closed, while Little Sunflower entertained herself by swinging back and forth on a small swing made of ivy vines.

Suddenly, Ren Mian spoke up. "Today is the last day of Cold Moon."

"Huh?" Ji Xinghuo was taken aback. "Does that mean the stellar night will arrive tomorrow night?"

The last day of Cold Moon signaled the end of the cold season, with the following day marking the beginning of the warm season.

After nightfall, the stellar night would commence, followed by the dark night. As the days progressed, the stellar nights would lengthen, and the temperature in the Stellar World would gradually warm up.

"Time really flies!" Ji Xinghuo exclaimed.

He recalled that when he first entered the Stellar World, it was during Warm Moon, and in another three months, it would be Warm Moon again, marking the completion of a full year in the Stellar World.

"Yes, it does," Ren Mian agreed, her tone carrying a hint of emotion. After a moment of contemplation, she looked directly at Ji Xinghuo and said, "Idle hands are the devil's workshop. As it happens, I have a hunting target in mind, but I'll need help. It's in the Earth Abyss Star, and it's dangerous. Ji Xinghuo, would you like to come with me?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end