Chapter 12: Devouring the Core
Shen Yuan sat atop the corpse of the giant wolf, his breath ragged, chest heaving violently. Beads of blood trickled down his forehead, mixing with the beast's gore that stained the ground. This wasn't the first beast he had fought… but it was the first time he had slain a Star Beast—and the first time a true Core of Powerحقيقي بين يديه.
He lifted the small orb before his eyes. It was slightly smaller than his fist, glowing with a dark yellow hue laced with twisted black veins that pulsed like living roots. Just gazing at it pressed heavily against his chest, as though it contained secrets no mortal body was meant to touch.
All his life, he had heard the same warning: these cores were meant to be refined into star weapons or medicinal pills. To swallow one directly was slow suicide. Masters had said: "Those who consume it are torn apart from within, or lose their sanity entirely."
Yet now, as he stared at it, he felt no fear—only temptation.
The words of the technique engraved into his mind echoed:
"Devouring the core is the beginning of transformation… a body that dares to smelt chaos within itself shall know no limits."
Shen Yuan clenched his teeth, his heart pounding violently. Memories surged—cold nights spent starving as he fled, his frail body staggering through the forest, the arrogant faces mocking his weakness. He had always been the weakest link, always incapable of keeping up.
"If I don't take this risk now… I'll remain a slave to fate forever." He muttered hoarsely, a bitter smile curling on his lips.
Raising the core toward his mouth, his fingers trembled slightly. For a moment, he hesitated. His mind whispered: "If you swallow it, you may die here, alone, in the darkness of the forest." But he laughed bitterly. "And what difference would that make? I've been dead all these years already."
Without another pause, he dropped the core into his mouth and swallowed it whole.
The instant it reached his stomach, it erupted like a miniature sun.
"AAAHHHH!"
A raw scream tore from his throat as he collapsed to his knees, his body convulsing violently.
Chaotic energy surged into his veins, turning his blood into rivers of searing chaos. It was as though countless blades shredded his muscles from within, every nerve crushed mercilessly.
He slammed his fist against the ground, sweat drenching his clothes, teeth chattering until his jaw nearly broke.
Yet amid that agony, he remembered the instructions etched into his soul:
"Guide the chaos… do not let it drown you. Lead it as you lead the blood in your veins."
Clenching his eyes shut, he forced his will to gather. Inside, he saw a raging sea of yellow light colliding with black chains that sought to tear him apart.
Slowly, painfully, he began redirecting the energy through his meridians according to the pattern of the technique. Each cycle felt like his bones were dissolving and his flesh disintegrating, but he persisted.
Minutes passed like centuries.
Then suddenly—his heart stopped.
A thunderous wave of power exploded from within, lifting his body into the air before slamming him back down. Veins bulged grotesquely across his arms and neck, blood streaming from his nose, ears, and eyes.
He stood on the brink of collapse. Yet the flames of his will refused to die.
With a desperate roar, he pushed the technique to its limits, forcing the chaotic torrent to revolve again.
One cycle… another… and another…
Until finally—
The searing pain receded. The raging fire melted into his body, transforming into pure energy that seeped into his cells.
He opened his eyes slowly, breath still heavy, but his gaze was no longer the same.
Clenching his fist, the crisp crack of bones echoed, harder than steel. The air felt lighter, his vision sharper, even the faintest sounds of the forest clearer than ever before.
Standing, his body felt like a machine newly forged of iron.
He turned toward the wolf's corpse, then raised his black sword and swung at a nearby boulder.
BOOOOM!
The rock shattered into fragments, though he had used barely half his strength.
He froze in place for a moment, heart racing—then a muffled laugh escaped his chest. It wasn't just joy, but the laugh of a man who had finally tasted freedom.
"…I did it." he whispered, almost disbelieving.
He sat to recover his breath, examining his body with the technique. The core had dissolved completely into his meridians, leaving behind faint black residues that had sunk into his heart and soul.
He didn't yet understand their meaning, but they felt like seeds—mysterious and ominous—that would sprout someday.
Although he hadn't even completed the first layer of the technique, and the second remained as distant as the heavens themselves… this was still a beginning. A brilliant one.
Lifting his gaze toward the nearby cave, he could feel the aura still leaking out, stronger and purer than he had imagined.
Wiping the blood from his face, he steadied himself and rose.
"If this is only the beginning… then what awaits me inside?"
Gripping his sword tightly, he stepped toward the cave, every cell in his body trembling with anticipation.