The vibrant glow of the astral core dimmed slowly as Su Chen emerged from the high-pressure chamber buried beneath the Titan Consortium's hidden base. His breath came in sharp gasps, sweat drenching his robes. Around him, the air crackled with unstable cosmic energy.
The Core Tempering Ceremony was complete. He had succeeded.
But the cost... was monumental.
His body felt like it had been torn apart and stitched back together by starlight and willpower. Su Chen stared at his hands, faintly trembling with lingering strain. His veins shimmered silver-gold under his skin—a side effect of absorbing fragments of the ancient Astral Sovereign's essence.
Behind him, High Director Nyx observed quietly. "You survived it. The first in a thousand years," she murmured, awe etched into every syllable. "You are now bonded with the Astral Imprint. Your trade authority will no longer be bound by planetary or even galactic barriers."
