Chapter 138 | Mad Lyra
Dexter didn’t go back to sleep.
He sat cross-legged on his bed and closed his eyes, as he cultivated.
Suddenly he noticed something different with his body.
"I’ve broken through?"
Dexter chuckled. He hadn’t even been trying, Yet his body had continued absorbing mana automatically.
This was the benefit of an EX-Rank affinity. His body automatically drew in energy into his body.
Whether he was awake or asleep, meditating or eating or fighting, the world offered its power to him willingly, and his body accepted it without hesitation.
He hadn’t even noticed the breakthrough happening. One moment he was Seventh Stage Superhuman. The next he had woken up and was in the Eighth Stage.
Dexter closed his eyes and turned his attention inward, entering the vast, dark universe of his inner world.
The cosmic DNA helix floated in the void, its first seven segments blazing with stable, radiant light.
The eighth segment had ignited during the night, its gray shell crumbling away to reveal a fresh, pulsing glow that connected seamlessly to the chain.
But that wasn’t all.
Dexter’s gaze shifted to the seven brilliant Star Nodes floating near the top of the helix.
They burned steadily, each one a miniature sun radiating independent mana.
But there were actually newer ones.
Overnight, he had awakened three more!
’It seems what they said is true, fighting an killing monsters really unlocks one’s potential.’
And he hadn’t even absorbed the nexus cores of the beasts yet.
Now he possess ten mana reservoirs, each one capable of storing and supplying mana separately from the others.
This meant that his total mana capacity was equivalent to ten individuals of the same cultivation realm combined.
A single Eighth Stage Superhuman would normally possess one mana pool. Dexter possessed ten.
With this kind of capacity, if he ever acquired an ultimate technique that could drain an ordinary cultivator dry in seconds or maybe when he reach a high stage in the Godslayer Thunder Saber art, he could use it recklessly.
But the true advantage of the Star Nodes was beyond that.
The Grand Cosmos Scripture didn’t use meridians.
It bypassed them entirely. Each Star Node functioned as an independent power source, capable of feeding mana directly to a specific technique or body part without needing to circulate through the traditional meridian network.
This meant Dexter could use multiple techniques simultaneously.
Conventionally, a cultivator channeled mana through their meridians to power a technique.
Using two techniques at once required splitting the mana flow, which reduced the effectiveness of both and demanded immense concentration.
Highly proficient fighters could manage two, maybe three, techniques simultaneously.
But Dexter wasn’t using meridians.
With ten Star Nodes, he could assign one node to power a flame technique with his left hand.
Another node to power a thunder technique with his right.
A third to sustain a movement technique.
A fourth to maintain a defensive barrier.
A fifth to fuel an auxiliary talent.
A sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth—all running independently, all simultaneously, without any loss of efficiency or concentration.
Ten techniques at once.
And if he awakened twenty Star Nodes, he could use twenty. If he awakened a hundred, he could use a hundred.
The Limitless Primordial Universe Star Scripture had no ceiling. Every new Star Node didn’t just increase his mana pool—it multiplied his combat versatility exponentially.
Dexter opened his eyes, a quiet, satisfied smile settling on his face.
"Fascinating," he murmured.
That wasn’t all, he noticed his injuries has all healed and when he checked them, he saw 42 rows of crimson marks on his chest.
’I killed 42 monsters yesterday, is this... the Asura Slaughter technique?’
Dexter frowned. The mark looked wierd and bloody but strangely bewitching.
He could also see his muscles and physique had improved drastically.
He had reached the 10 kills of the Asura technique. The next stage is 100kill which would take his body to the Superhuman realm.
Just his body skin and flesh alone had advanced but there wasn’t much improvement. Simply because alredy possess a body strengthening technique but it wouldn’t be bad mixing the two together.
Then his physique would be even more terrifying!
***
It was time to cook.
Dexter moved through the morning routine like he done time over again.
He washed his hands, tied his apron, and began preparing breakfast.
He used his heaven and earth herbs as ingredients along with the diamond rice and even went all out and produced his Sun Alcohol with it, cooking them a perfect meal.
By 6:50 AM, the meal was complete. A Grade-4 Arcane meal was ready for them.
He turned back but didn’t see Lyra waiting in the kitchen’s entrance.
Usually, she would hover near the kitchen doorway while he cooked, her eyes tracking every movement.
Today, she hadn’t come near the kitchen.
’This girl might hold grudges even more than I thought.’
He set the dining table and listened for movement in the hallway.
The girls were already awake. He could hear them shuffling through their morning routine, bathroom doors opening and closing, the sound of running water, the soft rustle of clothes being changed.
One by one, they emerged.
Mira came first, using her spectral arms to wheel herself to the dining table. She was expressionless as usual, didn’t look at Dexter and simply positioned herself at her usual spot and waited.
Selene came next, her bare feet padding softly against the floor. She stopped eating slippers in the house when she noticed she could feel vibration easily without them.
She found her chair by memory and echolocation, sat down gracefully, and placed her hands in her lap.
She didn’t look at Dexter either but for a completely different reason
Lyra appeared last. She walked to the table without a word, sat down, and picked up her spoon.
Her dark eyes were fixed on her bowl. Her AI glasses sat on her nose, their tiny lights blinking.
"Good morning," she said.
It was devoid of the soft, melodic warmth that usually accompanied her telepathic greetings.
She didn’t project the words into his mind, instead, she typed on her phone and it spoke them aloud.
Dexter smirked at her antics to appear cold and aloof.
Dexter served the meal in silence.