Chapter 94: Star of Ruin
Xingluo remained suspended beneath the countless stars as the pillar of light continued passing through her body.
The pain gradually weakened, replaced by a deep pressure spreading through her mana channels. The foundation of her C-rank talent began dissolving beneath the starlight, washing away the limit that had followed her since awakening without leaving any visible wound or mark.
For a brief moment, her body felt completely empty, then silver-gold power descended from the surrounding stars and filled the hollow space.
It settled inside her soul before spreading through her mana channels, replacing everything that had been removed with something far stronger.
A notification unfolded before her.
[Succession ceremony completed.]
[Talent awakened: Lord of the Nine Stars.]
[Rank: SSS.]
Xingluo stared at the shining rank as the new talent settled inside her.
She had always understood the difference between herself and those born with powerful talents. Training could shorten that distance, but effort alone could never remove the limit established during awakening.
That limit was gone now.
SSS...
She read the letters again, but they remained unchanged.
Before the shock could fully settle, the stars surrounding her began moving and eight travelled deeper into the blue-gold sky and gradually dimmed, while the final star descended until it hovered directly above her.
Deep red-gold light burned across its surface.
[First Star awakened: Star of Ruin.]
The awakened star released a heavy pulse, causing Xingluo’s body to tighten as the force entered her muscles and bones. Her heartbeat grew louder, her breathing deepened, and the exhaustion left by the legacy trial quickly faded beneath the transformation.
The Star of Ruin carried no element or complicated principle. Its power was direct and physical, gathering force through movement, strengthening impact and breaking whatever stood in its path.
Red-gold light spread from Xingluo’s chest into her limbs before sinking beneath her skin.
Several notifications formed together.
[Primary Authority awakened: Stellar Dominion.]
[Authority completion: 1/9.]
[Innate constitution awakened: Starlord Celestial Body.]
[Secondary Authority trait awakened: Celestial Creation.]
[Star Core forming.]
Xingluo closed her eyes as Stellar Dominion settled at the centre of her new talent, connecting her to the Star of Ruin and the eight distant stars still sealed beyond it.
The Starlord Celestial Body changed alongside the Authority, her muscles became denser without increasing her weight, her senses sharpened and the delay between thought and movement nearly disappeared.
She could feel that the constitution remained incomplete, but the sealed stages gave her no clear indication of how it would change after the other stars awakened.
Another current stirred near her soul, it lacked the overwhelming weight of the Star of Ruin yet it still answered when Xingluo reached toward it, silver-gold energy gathered between her fingers as she imagined a small dagger.
The light stretched into a narrow blade its handle formed unevenly and the edge trembled beneath her incomplete control, but the construct remained stable for several breaths before dissolving into drifting sparks.
[Celestial Creation allows simple objects and constructs to be formed from Star Energy.]
Xingluo understood only the basic principle, simple shapes could be formed quickly, but durability and complexity depended upon her control and understanding of whatever she attempted to create.
She did not try again, the place was just to small and weird to test the true capabilities of her abilities.
The final transformation began inside her mana core as the remaining mana was pulled inward and compressed as its nature slowly changed, becoming heavier and purer while its colour shifted into silver-gold.
[Star Core successfully formed.]
[Mana conversion initiated.]
[Primary energy changed: Mana → Star Energy.]
The first stream of Star Energy circulated through Xingluo’s body.
The energy was denser and carried far greater pressure, though the amount available remained limited with only one star awakened.
Xingluo opened her eyes, and countless points of starlight reflected within them before gradually fading.
The pillar around her weakened and began lowering her through the blue-gold sky, when her feet finally touched the invisible surface, she steadied herself immediately and carefully adjusted to the strength contained within her body.
Even standing felt different, a slight movement carried more force than she expected, while her armour seemed almost weightless against her skin.
The Star of Ruin brightened once more and a red-gold line descended from it and stopped before Xingluo, widening as the shape of a weapon slowly formed within the light.
She felt a pull inside her right hand and reached forward, the moment her fingers closed around the hilt, the surrounding glow scattered into countless sparks.
A dark-silver longsword settled inside her grip small stars moved beneath the blade, while a thin red-gold line ran through its centre and ended near the point.
[First Star Weapon bestowed.]
[Name: Heavenfall.]
[Type: Growth-type Star Weapon.]
[Current Grade: Epic.]
[Bound Star: Star of Ruin.]
Xingluo lifted Heavenfall and adjusted her grip.
The sword felt almost weightless, but the power contained beneath its blade was impossible to ignore. She sensed that movement and combat would allow it to gather force, though the exact limits remained unclear.
[Weapon ability awakened: Gathering Momentum.]
[Weapon ability awakened: Falling Star.]
[Sealed Weapon Art detected: Nine-Star Collapse.]
Xingluo read the notifications without activating any of them, she had only just received the weapon, and testing unfamiliar abilities inside the succession space served no purpose.
Heavenfall could wait until she returned.
Wuxia watched her from several steps away before a quiet laugh escaped him. "Looks like you really are a daughter of heaven."
Xingluo raised her chin, still holding Heavenfall beside her. "Indeed."
Before either of them could speak again, the entire sky brightened, the eight sealed stars disappeared into the distance, while the Star of Ruin released one final pulse and entered Xingluo’s body together with Heavenfall.
The ancient voice returned from above.
[Congratulations, successor.]
[The First Legacy Trial has been completed.]
[The First Star has awakened.]
[Eight Stars remain sealed.]
[A Star Oracle will descend when the conditions for the Second Legacy Trial have been fulfilled.]
The blue-gold expanse began dissolving into light.
The stars vanished one after another until only Xingluo and Wuxia remained, surrounded by a brilliance that continued growing around them.