Their journey across the star-dusted void was a series of exhilarating, reckless launches. With each platform they reached, Ye Xingliu's control over the Comet Fist's recoil grew more precise. He was no longer just kicking off; he was steering, using slight shifts in his stance to adjust their trajectory mid-flight, the starlight flaring from his feet like the tail of a true comet.
They landed on a larger platform, one that felt like a small asteroid. The moment their feet touched the rock, the very stars around them seemed to detach and swarm.
From the surrounding darkness, creatures of condensed shadow and solidified starlight coalesced. They had the sinuous forms of panthers, but their bodies were a swirling map of constellations, and their eyes were burning white holes. They moved without sound, their paws finding purchase on the void itself. Comet Shadow Beasts.
"Okay, that's less fun!" Shui'er yelped, immediately summoning a swirling shield of pressurized wind and water around them.
The beasts didn't roar. They simply flowed, a pack of six, their movements a silent, coordinated hunt. They lunged not from the front, but from all angles, a pincer movement of celestial predators.
But Ye Xingliu was already moving. His Life Sensing, supercharged by the ambient stellar energy, didn't just feel their life force; it read their intent. He didn't see six beasts; he saw six interweaving rhythms of attack, a complex, deadly dance.
"Left flank, low!" he called out, his voice calm.
Shui'er reacted instantly, her shield solidifying on that side, deflecting a beast that had been little more than a blur.
Ye Xingliu didn't stop. The Drunken Meteor stance took over, but it was no longer purely defensive. It became a chain of offense. As the first beast lunged at his exposed right side, he didn't dodge away. He dropped into its charge, his body a spinning top. His fist, wrapped in brilliant star-heat, lashed out in a short, curved arc—a Laughing Star that connected with the beast's jaw.
Fizzle-CRACK!
The creature didn't cry out. It simply dissolved, its form exploding into a cloud of pure, shimmering star essence.
He was already moving. The momentum from the first punch carried him into a spin that became the setup for the second. A beast pouncing from above met his rising fist. Pop! Another cloud of essence.
He was a whirlwind of controlled, chaotic motion. A Drunken Meteor step became a Laughing Star punch. The recoil from one impact seamlessly transitioned into the evasion for the next attack. He weaved through the pack, a dancer leading his partners to their dissolution.
Three.
Four.
Five.
The sixth and final beast, the largest, hesitated for a split second, its star-hole eyes fixed on the swirling vortex of destruction that was Ye Xingliu.
That hesitation was its end.
Ye Xingliu finished his spin, planted his foot, and delivered a final, straight-line Comet Fist—not reversed, but pure and true. A single, brilliant lance of stellar energy shot from his knuckles, piercing the beast's core. It vanished with a silent, final flash.
The platform was quiet again. The entire fight had lasted less than ten seconds.
Shui'er stood with her mouth open, her shield dissipating unused. "You… you just…"
But Ye Xingliu wasn't listening. The clouds of star essence he had released were now swirling around him, drawn to the starlight in his soul like iron to a magnet. It flooded into him, a torrent of pure, refined power that was the birthright of his Wanderlust Root. It was a feast after a lifetime of crumbs.
The energy didn't just fill his dantian; it forged it. His meridians blazed with light, expanding, growing more resilient. The percentage on his compass, which he pulled out with a trembling hand, didn't just climb; it leapt.
Mortal Awakening – 40%
He had doubled his cultivation base in a single, violent, glorious moment. The power thrummed within him, a resonant chord that harmonized perfectly with the infinite starscape around them.
He let out a long, steadying breath, tendrils of silver steam curling from his lips. He looked at Shui'er, his eyes blazing with newfound power.
"The road provides," he said, his voice humming with energy, "if you're willing to fight for your dinner."
He grinned, cracking his neck. "Now, let's find this Nexus. I'm just getting warmed up."
---