"No wonder the Douglas family is one of the top families in the Azalea Federation—they've gathered so many martial arts manuals!"
Muria gazed at his communicator. He'd just received partial access to the family's archives, allowing him to browse all the martial arts manuals they had collected.
...
"Great War Deity Techniques"
"Ocean Whisper Method"
"Immortal Combat Body"
"Purple-Green Sword Codex"
...
"White Cloud Codex"
"Black Tiger Strength"
...
Muria scrolled through page after page of martial arts manual titles. The manuals were ranked from highest to lowest, with the most advanced at the beginning and the more common, less potent ones further down.
After ten minutes of rapid browsing, Muria finished skimming through the entire catalog. He now had a clearer idea of the depth of the Douglas family's resources.
He also got a glimpse of an era when martial arts flourished. But, sadly, that age had ended, leaving martial arts nearly extinct.
"Let's see what this world's masters have discovered and passed down about power."
Determined, Muria opened the top entry, the "Great War Deity Techniques." He decided to study every manual the Douglas family had archived.
...
"Indeed, every world has its share of brilliant minds." Muria set down his communicator after reading through the night, sighing softly. "What a pity that your legacies have nearly disappeared. But you're fortunate to have met me; I'll pass on the knowledge you left behind."
"Now it's time for my own training!" Muria's understanding had deepened significantly from reading several of the advanced martial arts manuals, which rivaled the "Celestial Star Way" in complexity. "I can make some adjustments to my current technique."
The night's training flew by, and as dawn's light crept through his window, Muria opened his eyes. They gleamed with a sharp radiance that seemed to challenge the sunlight streaming into the room.
"Whew!" Muria, who had used meditation to replace sleep, exhaled a warm breath that swept across the room. Papers rustled on the desk, and the curtains swayed slightly.
Crack, pop!
Muria stood, stretching his body after a night of stillness. His bones emitted crisp popping sounds like firecrackers. As he moved, his clothes tightened, outlining the solid muscles he had developed.
"Finally, I'm officially initiated!" Muria clenched his fist, causing a faint, almost invisible glow to appear around it. When he swung his fist, the air whistled from the speed.
"A true martial artist can channel qi to any part of the body to empower attacks."
He looked at his fist, a trace of helplessness in his expression. "For an average person with the right aptitude, it would take around twenty years of relentless training to reach this stage. And if they were training with a manual of this level, it would take even longer. But even then, a first-level star-armored warrior could easily defeat them."
"It's a depressing outcome!" Muria placed his hand on his chest, pressing down on the amethyst pendant. A flash of crystal light, and Muria held an enormous white-and-purple-patterned handgun.
This handgun was massive, with a length of 32 centimeters and a caliber of 0.56. Its barrel and grip were decorated with intricate purple energy patterns, radiating an intimidating aura.
Imagining the recoil this weapon would produce was enough to know it wasn't designed for ordinary use; it was a weapon for low-level star-armored warriors.
"If I encountered a martial artist of my own level, I could just shoot them. One shot, one kill." Muria examined the firearm. "Decades of martial training are no match for a star-armored warrior who's practiced for a few years. With that kind of disparity, no wonder star-armored warriors became dominant."
"Only when a martial artist reaches the level of manifesting 'martial aura' do they stand a chance of withstanding mid-range star firearms without being instantly defeated." Muria pondered as he touched the amethyst crystal on his chest, which began to glow.
From the crystal, a stream of metal plates emerged, flowing over Muria's body.
A suit of white-and-purple armor enveloped Muria completely. Despite his youth, his frame had already started to develop, and the star armor gave him a tall, lean silhouette.
Hatchling Phoenix, the custom armor of Douglas family members. This star armor had been given to him when he was young and was designed to last him until the third tier.
Once he reached the fourth tier, the family would provide him with a new set of armor, and upon reaching the seventh tier, he would be eligible for a custom-tailored set.
"In close combat, a martial artist would be at a disadvantage against a star-armored warrior from a family like mine," Muria murmured as he summoned a sword with a white base and purple patterns.
"A martial artist will be beaten by a star-armored warrior at the same level in the early stages. Only after evolving their life force do they gain the power to match a star-armored warrior."
Having had this armor since he was seven, Muria was well aware of the strength of a star-armored warrior. After a certain amount of training, a star-armored warrior could wield both ranged and close-combat weaponry with minimal weaknesses. They could adapt quickly to a wide range of combat scenarios.
Take Muria's Hatchling Phoenix armor, for example. Although it was only beginner-level armor, it came with seven weapon attachments.
Mid-to-Short Range Weapons:
- Violet Night Sniper Rifle with an effective range of 2000 meters
- Two Dark Night Pistols with an effective range of 300 meters
Close Combat Weapons:
- White Dawn Spear
- Violet Night Sword
- Steel Breaker Dagger
- Cold Shadow Arm Blades (detachable)
The only weakness of the Hatchling Phoenix armor was its lack of ultra-long-range weaponry. However, that was a limitation of all beginner star armors; it was due to low-level warriors being unable to manage the recoil and power needs of such equipment.
For a well-trained beginner-level star-armored warrior, the Hatchling Phoenix was a fully equipped high-tier armor set, allowing them to easily defeat any martial artist who hadn't mastered martial aura.
"A pure martial artist without a life-force transformation would be utterly outmatched against a star-armored warrior. But fortunately, I don't plan to be a pure martial artist!"
Muria clenched his fist, and the faint glow surrounding his hand extended over his armored gauntlet, giving his fist a gleaming aura.
"There's no conflict between the martial and star-armored paths," Muria muttered softly. The star armor's face shield slightly muffled his voice.
"Jerros! Are you up? Come down for breakfast if you are!" Susan's voice called from downstairs.
"Coming!" Muria immediately deactivated his armor. The star armor dissolved into streams of light, flowing back into the amethyst pendant on his chest.
This compact storage technology was available only to the government and the Federation's top families, allowing a large suit of armor to be compressed into a small accessory. The technology was generally reserved for higher-level star armor, but top-tier families extended it to beginner armor as well.
However, only members like Muria, with a star affinity over 60%, were allowed to carry such armor.
"Mom, I've started training with martial arts manuals, so my appetite will increase. Could you prepare extra food? What's here isn't enough."
Muria quickly finished his breakfast and, still somewhat unsatisfied, made his request.
"That's no problem. Just let the kitchen know," Susan replied casually. With the large amount of meat they already bought daily for the house's "zoo" of beasts, food was never an issue.
"How is your training going? Can you feel any results?"
"I've already developed qi," Muria replied.
"Qi? Not bad," Susan nodded, looking a bit confused. She had read up on martial arts overnight and recalled that developing qi was considered talented for martial artists of that era.
"Mom, can you stop picking me up from school? I'd like to get home on my own."
"Oh? So you're all grown up now and don't want to be seen with me?"
"No, I just want to join my classmates for extracurriculars or hang out after school."
"Oh, alright. Just call me if you ever need a ride."
"Got it."
...
"Today's my birthday! My dad reserved a room at the Vega Hotel. I'd be honored if you all could join me for the celebration!"
As soon as the afternoon bell rang, a female student stood up and invited the entire class to her birthday party.
"Count me in!"
"Sweet, I know where I'm eating tonight!"
"Happy Birthday, Niro!"
Amidst a wave of laughter and well-wishes, the girl named Niro walked over to Muria, looking up at him expectantly.
"Jerros, will you be able to come to my party?"
"Sure," Muria nodded, ready to break out of his usual routine.
"Great!" The girl cheered softly, thrilled that the most formidable member of the Douglas family in her class had accepted her invitation.
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