Chapter 350: Advancing to Legend

Chapter 350: Advancing to Legend

Buzz! The Star-raising instrument sprang to life.

Powered by electricity, the massive machine began to spin, gradually increasing in speed. After a few seconds, it reached its designated velocity, and the ether crystals slotted into the outer shell began to flicker faintly.

At that moment, Ji Xinghuo sensed the etheric energy being drawn out and channeled into the Star-raising instrument.

The etheric energy density within the instrument's space immediately skyrocketed.

This principle was similar to the etheric energy chamber, but with even greater energy density and pressure, making cultivation twice as effective.

Etheric energy was notoriously difficult to control and observe, and the Star-raising instrument couldn't contain it completely. Soon, the energy started to dissipate.

That's when the five auxiliary mutants stepped in.

Their merged abilities, utilizing the Star-raising instrument as a platform, combined to control the etheric energy.

The ether crystals continued to release their energy.

The internal space where Ji Xinghuo resided had a diameter of only five meters, and an enormous amount of energy gathered around him.

However, his stellar power had already reached its limit, and without any consumption, he couldn't absorb the energy. It was like swimming; despite being immersed in water, the currents only flowed over his body's surface without interacting internally.

"Continue to increase the pressure," ordered Ke Mingshan as he monitored the data on the screens.

Two hundred ether crystals continuously released energy, but to the naked eye, nothing seemed amiss.

However, Ji Xinghuo could clearly 'see' that the etheric energy density around him had increased tenfold! And it was still rising rapidly.

Buzz...

The Star-raising instrument hummed steadily as it operated, and after a few minutes, the etheric energy density had surpassed twenty times the average value.

In Ji Xinghuo's perception, the calm space was now filled with tumultuous waves of etheric energy, almost viscous in nature.

The density and pressure of the etheric energy were so high that it gradually permeated his body.

"Prepare to enter the body!" Ke Mingshan's voice sounded out. "Xinghuo, retract your stellar power."

Before they began, Ke Mingshan had explained the steps of the ascension process to Ji Xinghuo, so he knew what to do at this juncture.

Ji Xinghuo immediately retracted all his stellar power into his Magnetic Spirit Star Core, leaving none in his body except for what was in his star gland.

Instantly, the dozen or so metal conductors inserted into his body took effect.

The vast etheric energy around him seemed to have found an outlet, rushing madly into his body along these specially designed conductors.

"Ugh..." Ji Xinghuo grunted softly.

It felt like he was a balloon being inflated, his body expanding.

During normal cultivation, etheric energy entered the body and combined with cells to transform into stellar power. But at this moment, the etheric energy was forcibly pumped into his body in massive quantities, far too much for his body to transform in time.

A mutant's body was like a container, already filled to the brim. Retracting his stellar power into his star gland only created a minuscule amount of extra space.

This violent infusion immediately caused pain.

His entire body ached, but the level of pain was not unbearable for Ji Xinghuo, and he felt relatively relaxed.

His robust physical condition was proving its worth.

This 'container' was resilient enough to withstand greater pressure.

Ji Xinghuo wasn't the first mutant to use the Star-raising instrument.

Before him, dozens of super mutants with varying stellar power indices had used it for their ascension. The Etheric Energy Research Institute had gathered data, concluding that the ability to withstand greater pressure correlated with a higher success rate in ascension.

"How do you feel?" Ke Mingshan asked.

"Good," Ji Xinghuo replied calmly. "Continue increasing the pressure."

"Alright," Ke Mingshan agreed without hesitation, instructing the researchers to speed up the operation of the Star-raising instrument, releasing more etheric energy and increasing the energy density and pressure within the instrument.

A few minutes later...

The etheric energy density had reached approximately thirty times the average value! The vast energy, constrained within the narrow space, continued to increase in density and pressure, funneling into Ji Xinghuo's body through the metal conductors.

He felt even more pained.

But he didn't make a sound, lying there motionless.

Ji Xinghuo tried to manipulate the surrounding etheric energy, guiding it to enter his body in larger quantities.

Within his body, the etheric energy was slowly transforming into stellar power.

This newly formed stellar power trickled into his Magnetic Spirit Star Core, gaining electromagnetic properties through the transformation in his star gland, but it couldn't leave.

The Magnetic Spirit Star Core was like a bottomless pit.

On the interface of the Myriad Star Pupils, the stellar power value began to rise.

It had previously been stagnant at 15,887 points, but now it ticked upward every few seconds, increasing his stellar power little by little with each jump.

The rise in stellar power brought both pain and joy.

Ji Xinghuo's heart was filled with delight. Ke Mingshan had explained the principle behind the Star-raising instrument: using immense energy pressure to forcibly break through the stellar power limit. When the stellar power reached a certain level, it would compress and transform, breaking through bottlenecks and triggering evolution.

It sounded simple, but it was incredibly difficult to achieve.

Every condition had to be met precisely—achieving the desired effect without losing control and harming or even killing the mutant.

This required extremely high precision; even a slight deviation could lead to an accident.

The fact that his stellar power was increasing meant that it was working, and maintaining the current state would definitely lead to a breakthrough.

The operational data of the Star-raising instrument reflected this positive state.

"Maintain the current pressure!" Ke Mingshan, with his keen understanding, grasped Ji Xinghuo's situation and instructed the researchers to control the Star-raising instrument to sustain this intensity.

The five auxiliary mutants also focused intently, using their abilities to help Ji Xinghuo stabilize his condition.

Ji Xinghuo, with the fusion of two etheric resonances, had a much higher conversion efficiency than other mutants, and his Magnetic Spirit Star Core was far more powerful than an ordinary star gland. After adapting to this state, he didn't even feel any pain.

Soon, his stellar power broke through 16,000 points and continued to rise.

Time ticked by.

The increase in stellar power wasn't particularly fast; it took over half an hour to reach just over 16,300 points, and there were signs of it slowing down.

This was a normal phenomenon.

For other mutants, a sudden surge of stellar power of nearly 500 points would be enough to force a compression and trigger an evolution.

However, Ji Xinghuo was different; his stellar power was three times that of an ordinary super mutant.

As such, his critical point for triggering evolution was also higher.

"Don't increase the pressure, just maintain this intensity, and don't stop the energy flow," Ke Mingshan ordered, asking, "Xinghuo, can you hold on a little longer?"

"No problem," Ji Xinghuo replied casually.

If the forced infusion of stellar power into his body were to stop, the energy would quickly dissipate, rendering their efforts futile.

"The critical point for stellar power compression is, at the very least, 10% of the stellar power index, and we're still quite far from that," Ke Mingshan said, his eyes fixed on the screen of data.

Ji Xinghuo nodded.

He had a better understanding of his own stellar power situation than anyone else, and according to his calculations, his critical point was 17,475 points of stellar power.

After another half-hour, his stellar power reached over 16,900 points.

The rate of increase slowed down again.

Ke Mingshan made a decisive decision and ordered, "Increase the pressure!"

The researchers immediately controlled the Star-raising instrument to speed up its operation, releasing more etheric energy. The energy density and pressure inside the instrument slowly increased, funneling into Ji Xinghuo's body and causing the growth of his stellar power to accelerate. However, the intensity of pain he felt also heightened.

Ji Xinghuo's expression remained unchanged.

At this moment, the density of etheric energy had reached forty times the average value.

As time passed, his stellar power broke through 17,000 points, then 17,100, 17,200... When his stellar power reached 17,500 points, Ji Xinghuo had been inside the Star-raising instrument for over an hour and a half, setting a new record for the Etheric Energy Research Institute.

The previous record holder among super mutants had only lasted a little over 40 minutes.

"Director, they're reaching their limit," one of the assistants in charge of aiding the mutants reported loudly.

This was an unprecedented situation; the auxiliary mutants had been using their abilities for an extended period, and some were struggling to keep up.

Another assistant also spoke up, "Director, this batch of ether crystals will be exhausted in 15 minutes."

"Noted," Ke Mingshan nodded, his face calm, but his heart tense.

The researchers in the room shared his tension.

Ji Xinghuo was the most important mutant they had ever aided, completely different from the previous experimental mutants. If Ji Xinghuo's advancement failed, it would undoubtedly affect the progress of their research on the Star-raising instrument.

Suddenly, the data on the screens all jumped simultaneously, most of the values fluctuating violently.

The efficiency of etheric energy infusion suddenly increased by an order of magnitude, and while the density and pressure decreased rapidly, the energy did not dissipate outward but was absorbed inward.

The researchers were stunned for a moment before they realized what was happening and became elated.

"We did it!"

Ke Mingshan also rejoiced, pumping his fist, and then turned his attention to Ji Xinghuo inside the Star-raising instrument, but there seemed to be no change in his condition.

However, Ji Xinghuo's stellar power index was steadily climbing.

In the blink of an eye, it broke through 18,000!

Ji Xinghuo's own sensations were far more intense than what the instruments outside indicated. Vast amounts of etheric energy poured into his body, but he felt no pain, and no matter how much energy entered his body, it was swiftly transformed into stellar power.

His Magnetic Spirit Star Core seemed like a bottomless pit, endlessly absorbing the incoming stellar power without releasing any.

The stellar power value on the interface of the Myriad Star Pupils continued to tick upward.

In just over ten minutes, when Ji Xinghuo's stellar power exceeded 20,000 points, the frantic absorption of energy finally stopped, and his Magnetic Spirit Star Core gently vibrated, releasing stellar power.

This stellar power was completely different from before!

When he was a super mutant, his stellar power had been in a plasma state, unpredictable and elusive.

Now, the density of the stellar power had been compressed, and while it flowed through his body like a gas, it was also distinct from common gases. To be precise, it had transformed into a fluid, a state specifically termed "aerodynamic."

The aerodynamic stellar power had elevated in terms of rotational speed, energy density, explosive force, and various other properties.

Most importantly, it could promote evolutionary changes in life!

The Magnetic Spirit Star Core continuously released stellar power, spreading throughout his body, and Ji Xinghuo immediately felt his physique being enhanced and strengthened.

His countless trillions of cells seemed to cheer in unison, and every part of his body, from the inside out, underwent earth-shaking transformations. Simultaneously, the progress of each of his fused abilities, as displayed by the Myriad Star Pupils, was on the rise.

Outside the Star-raising instrument, Ke Mingshan and the researchers watched with bated breath.

The ether crystals' energy was completely spent.

The auxiliary mutants ceased their abilities, and the energy density quickly returned to its average value as the Star-raising instrument also stopped operating.

At this moment, Ji Xinghuo opened his eyes and looked directly at the camera, his expression calm and relaxed.

"Open the Star-raising instrument!" Ke Mingshan stepped forward and, along with the researchers, quickly removed the metal wires connected to Ji Xinghuo's body and untied the restraints.

"Well, did it succeed?" he asked impatiently.

Ji Xinghuo sat up, feeling the surging power within him, and smiled. "Thank you, Director Ke, for your help. I have indeed become a legendary mutant."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end