"Xiao Chen… I'm sorry!"Sensing that her disciple was about to face a grave danger, the Stellar Soul immediately seized control of Xiao Chen's body once more.
And just as she had feared, it truly happened.
Thousands of sword strikes erupted out of the void, accompanied by a thunderous roar powerful enough to bring down every remaining structure of the Phoenix Empire.
"Where did your power come from?!"A newly arrived masked man shouted as he unleashed his sword technique.
"Heavenly Wrath Sword!"
Swuuuuuuush! Swuuuuush!
The Stellar Soul smiled faintly. She had taken control just in time. Xiao Chen's body began moving in a zigzag pattern, swiftly evading the thousands of Qi-formed swords.
Swuuuuush! Swuuuuush!
The masked man's eyes widened in shock. He finally realized that the Stellar Energy he had been searching for had likely already been used by the boy before him.
"A cripple who couldn't cultivate suddenly becoming as strong as me… I can't stay idle! Kill him!"
Swuuuuush! Swuuuuush!
Although the swords exploded upon contact with anything they touched, new swords continuously emerged from the void, relentlessly charging toward Xiao Chen.
"Not bad at all!"While evading the continuous assault, Xiao Chen began forming formation seals with his hands.
Once the seals were complete, he stopped moving and slowly raised his hand.
What followed was astonishing.
A massive formation circle engraved with ancient patterns expanded outward. In the next instant, fierce lightning sparks burst forth, detonating thousands of swords midair!
BOOOOOOOOM!
"D-damn it! What kind of technique is that?! Why have I never seen it before?!"The masked man was shocked—but his shock deepened when he could no longer sense Xiao Chen's presence.
"Heaven-Shattering Palm!"
Xiao Chen suddenly appeared behind the masked man and unleashed a fatal strike.
Everything happened too fast. The masked man barely realized the attack was about to strike his back. Forced to react, he twisted his body and slammed his Qi-infused fist against Xiao Chen's palm.
BOOOOOOOOM!
Both were pushed back more than twenty meters.
Yet behind the mask, the man's eyes bulged violently. The bones in his arm felt shattered, and blood spilled from his mouth.
"Uuuuughhh!"
He dropped to one knee, clenching his jaw in agony.
Unlike the masked man, the Stellar Soul could have killed him with a single blow. However, the body she was using was far too weak. As a result, even she coughed up blood after the exchange.
'Xiao Chen… I'm sorry. I can't continue the fight anymore. Your body is far too fragile—it won't hold out any longer.'She conveyed the message through his mind.
'Master… then what should we do?'
'Before he came here, he was already injured by someone else. After that exchange, his internal injuries worsened. He won't dare force another battle.'
The masked man fell silent, grinding his teeth.
'Damn it… I can't continue this fight. What matters is that I've confirmed the existence of the Stellar Soul within his body…'
After that thought, he stood up, stared deeply at Xiao Chen, and left—without leaving behind a trace of spiritual aura.
After his departure, the Stellar Soul—unable to linger any longer—spoke while still controlling Xiao Chen's body.
"Xiao Chen, you will bear a heavy consequence for lending your body to me. What do you need to prepare for next?"
"Please… bury my mother's body. And my uncle's as well."
The Stellar Soul nodded and quickly traced the location of Xiao Chen's mother using her spiritual sense.
After finding her, she snapped her fingers—then paused.
"Where is your uncle's body?"
Xiao Chen searched together with her through her perception. However, they could not find his uncle's body anywhere.
"D-damn it…"
"Xiao Chen, hurry. I can't hold on any longer."
"T-then please… just bury my mother."
The Stellar Soul nodded. Using her energy, she lifted Xiao Chen's mother's body and transported it to a hill. After preparing a proper burial and scattering simple flowers, she delivered one final reminder.
"Xiao Chen, I will fall into slumber for about two months. During this time, once you bear the consequences of lending me your body, train your physical strength—run twenty kilometers every day. This will be the beginning of your training. Remember, physical strength is the most fundamental foundation of cultivation."
The Stellar Soul returned control of the body to Xiao Chen.
However, whether due to his weak physique or the consequences she mentioned, Xiao Chen collapsed unconscious atop his mother's newly formed grave.
Some time later, Xiao Chen slowly regained consciousness. He opened his eyes and tried to rise—
Only to feel as if every bone in his body had shattered. He couldn't move a single part of himself.
"D-did I…"
"AAAAAAAH!"
Xiao Chen screamed in despair. He felt completely paralyzed, as though he could only wait for death atop his mother's grave.
"Mother… Xiao Chen truly is an unfilial son. Look at me now…"
Amid grief and despair, exhaustion finally overtook him, and Xiao Chen fell asleep. Perhaps, had he trained his body earlier, this would never have happened.
Until the next morning.
Xiao Chen opened his eyes once more. At first, he felt nothing unusual. But when he stood up, he realized his body felt lighter and far more refreshed than before.
"Master… are you truly asleep?"
He received no response.
"Forget it. I'll follow Master's advice and train my physical strength."
After paying his final respects to his mother's grave, Xiao Chen began his training exactly as instructed by the Stellar Soul. Every day, he ran laps around the hill. Though exhaustion often overtook him, his desire for revenge burned deep within his heart, allowing him to ignore the fatigue.
Seven days later, Xiao Chen grew accustomed to the routine and decided to push himself even further.
He picked up two stones the size of fists and tied them to his legs.
He continued his relentless training, unaware that this extreme regimen was steadily forging his body into something far stronger than before.
Two months later, Xiao Chen grew irritated that his master still had not awakened. He had called out to her more than a hundred times in his mind, yet received no answer.
While continuing his training, a gentle voice suddenly reached his ears.
"Xiao Chen, I never expected you to train this hard… The lazy boy I thought you were isn't as bad as I imagined."
Xiao Chen shuddered. He quickly turned around.
His eyes landed on a beautiful young woman with long flowing black hair, smiling at him warmly.