The gap between Tier-3 Awakening Liquid and Standard Core-ranked Awakening Liquid is enormous.
Tier-3 Awakening Liquid can only stimulate basic potential and support early-stage awakening, allowing a person to develop a special ability. However, such abilities are usually just average, mostly good.
In contrast, Standard Core-ranked Awakening Liquid is far more refined, capable of awakening rare special abilities and stabilizing one's foundation. The two are not even in the same league.
Likewise, the difference between Standard Core-ranked Awakening Liquid and Standard Core-ranked Awakening Essence is just as vast.
While Awakening Liquid helps in awakening rare special abilities, Awakening Essence represents a highly concentrated and purified form. It can trigger qualitative changes, enhance compatibility with one's core, and drastically raise the final ceiling of awakening. With Awakening Essence, one is guaranteed to awaken extraordinary special abilities.
Cedric didn't know anything about Awakening Liquid at first, but he had the Universal Bracelet, so finding information about such treasures was not very difficult for him.
He also discovered that Standard Core-rank Awakening Liquid is nearly 25 times more concentrated and purer than Tier-3 Awakening Liquid.
In other words, one vial of Standard Core-rank Awakening Liquid is equivalent to 25 vials of Tier-3 Awakening Liquid, or 50 half-filled vials of Tier-3 Awakening Liquid.
Therefore, 10 vials of Standard Core-rank Awakening Liquid are equal to 500 half-filled vials of Tier-3 Awakening Liquid.
Likewise, Standard Core-rank Awakening Essence is 10 times more concentrated and purer than Standard Core-rank Awakening Liquid.
Because of this, the system's 500x return was perfectly reasonable.
Cedric looked for this information after Lior had left.
After a while, Cedric gathered all his scattered thoughts and muttered, "Everything is ready. It's time to look at the Cultivation Technique Julian prepared for me."
He gently rubbed the Universal Bracelet with a look of anticipation on his face.
Julian had already sent all the resources to him, including the cultivation technique.
He gently tapped on the Universal Bracelet, and a screen appeared before him. Then he swiftly opened a tab where Julian's name was written in bold letters. Inside Julian's messaging section, a file was attached. He downloaded the file and opened it, only to find that the file was filled with an overwhelming amount of content.
It was a cultivation technique called the ⧼Solar Ascension⧽.
⧼Solar Ascension⧽ was actually a cultivation set, divided into three parts: ⧼Solar Body Tempering Art", ⧼Solar Battle Circulation Art⧽, and ⧼Solar Severing Blade Art⧽.
⧼Solar Body Tempering Art⧽ is a foundational physique-refinement technique designed to temper the body under controlled overload. It focuses on using precise postures, breathing rhythms, and energy guidance to stimulate every part of the body, strengthening it from the inside out.
⧼Solar Battle Circulation Art⧽ focuses on using specialized movements to greatly speed up the absorption of cosmic energy and refine it. It was somewhat similar to the basic guidance methods used by beginner warriors, but its depth and sophistication were on an entirely different level.
⧼Solar Severing Blade Art⧽, on the other hand, was a combat skill that perfectly complemented the circulation art. It specialized in converting refined energy into explosive offensive power, using layered techniques to amplify force with each successive strike. As the practitioner advanced through its stages, their attacks grew sharper, faster, and more overwhelming, allowing them to unleash devastating blade techniques capable of tearing through defenses far above their own level.
"Let's start by trying ⧼Solar Body Tempering Art⧽ first."
Cedric rose to his feet and walked to the middle of the temporary room. Planting his feet firmly apart, he began replaying the technique he had just studied in his mind.
The ⧼Solar Body Tempering Art⧽ is composed of nine complete sequences. Each sequence targets different aspects of the body, ensuring balanced and comprehensive refinement.
When practicing ⧼Solar Body Tempering Art⧽, a warrior must circulate refined Cosmic Energy through the body in strict accordance with the stances. This forces the cells into a state similar to extreme strain, pushing them close to their limits without causing permanent damage. Under this pressure, the body's latent potential is awakened, impurities are expelled, and the physical foundation is rapidly strengthened.
As the art progresses, the warrior's body becomes increasingly resilient. Bone density rises, muscles grow tougher and more elastic, blood circulation improves, and the body's tolerance to energy surges and external forces greatly increases.
One defining feature of this art is its after-tempering hunger state. Upon completing a full sequence, both physical stamina and internal energy are heavily depleted, leaving the body in an intense state of demand. Absorbing Cosmic Energy during this period results in exceptionally high absorption and refinement efficiency, making subsequent cultivation several times faster than normal.
Because of its demanding nature, ⧼Solar Body Tempering Art⧽ requires strong willpower and precise control. Improper execution or excessive practice can lead to exhaustion or injury. However, when mastered correctly, it lays an unshakable foundation, perfectly supporting advanced circulation arts and high-level combat techniques.
Cedric steadied his breathing and slowly sank into position, beginning the First Stance of the Solar Body Tempering Art.
His feet spread shoulder-width apart, toes gripping the stone floor as if rooting into the earth itself. His knees bent slightly, lowering his center of gravity, while his spine straightened and stretched upward. The moment his posture settled, he felt a subtle tension run through his entire body, like a bowstring being gently drawn.
Following the technique's instructions, Cedric raised his arms in a smooth, deliberate motion. His palms faced the sky, elbows relaxed, as though he were lifting an invisible weight above his head. With each slow breath, he guided refined Cosmic Energy from his core upward along his spine, letting it seep into his bones, muscles, and surrounding cells.
At first, the sensation was mild. He felt a warm flow spreading from his lower back. But as the stance stabilized, the warmth intensified. His vertebrae seemed to hum, and his muscles tightened instinctively, reacting to the incoming energy. It felt as if countless tiny sparks were igniting inside his body, awakening areas he had never consciously sensed before.
Cedric's breathing grew deep and steady. With every inhale, cosmic energy entered his body; with every exhale, it was compressed and driven deeper into his frame. The cells along his spine responded first, swelling with activity, then spreading the stimulation outward to his shoulders, hips, and limbs.
A faint heat gathered beneath his skin, accompanied by a growing sense of pressure. It was uncomfortable, but controlled.
Cedric clenched his jaw and held the stance, resisting the urge to move. He could feel his body being pushed toward its limits, as if an invisible hand were testing the strength of his foundation.
By the time the First Stance completed its cycle, his muscles trembled slightly, and hunger stirred deep within him.
However, Cedric was not done yet. He continued practicing.
Next was the Second stance.
Guided by the rising force inside him, Cedric shifted his posture smoothly. His waist and hips twisted together, rotating like heavy grinding stones pressed into motion. The power gathered at his core as his arms drew back, tendons tightening, his foot stepping forward with deliberate precision.
Then his fist thrust out.
The moment the strike was completed, a blazing heat erupted along his spine. It rushed upward in a violent surge, spreading through his shoulders and neck, pouring down both arms like molten metal, before exploding into his tightly clenched fists.
Cedric's muscles tensed as the energy poured through them. The air around his fists seemed to ripple faintly, and within his perception, he could sense something unseen being forced outward. At the same time, he felt an invisible pressure pushing through his fingertips.
The sensation was intense and painful, yet it carried an undeniable clarity. Every movement felt sharper, heavier, and more real, as if his body were beginning to understand how to channel its strength rather than simply endure it.
The Second Stance ended, but the energy within him had not yet settled.
Third Stance!
Cedric shifted once more, drawing his fists back to his waist as if embracing his abdomen. This time, the searing heat migrated, concentrating in his chest and lower belly.
He continued practicing the Solar Body Forging Art without stopping. He also completed one stance after another.
Fourth stance!
Fifth stance!
Sixth stance!
Seventh stance!
Eighth stance!
One movement flowed into the next as Cedric executed the techniques of the Solar Body Tempering Art in sequence, continuously driving Cosmic Energy to stimulate the surrounding cells.
Although this was his first time practicing the art, Cedric was already at the Nine Stars and possessed exceptional control over his body, allowing him to perform every stance without error.
Throughout the process, he felt a surging tide of heat rolling through him again and again, as though boundless strength were welling up inside his body.
Only after completing all Nine Stances from start to finish did that overwhelming sensation suddenly vanish.
In the next instant, crushing exhaustion swept over him. It felt like pushing himself to the absolute limit, and after the rush faded, all that remained was deep fatigue and a hollow emptiness throughout his body.
At the same time, a sharp hunger stirred inside him.