"My cosmic energy control is still too rough. This blade art demands absolute coordination. Even the slightest imbalance between body, energy, and intent could cause the force to leak away. It seems I need to practice this blade art relentlessly before I'll be able to master the first form."
Cedric frowned for a moment before exhaling slowly. Then his grip on the blade tightened. His eyes focused as he adjusted his stance and corrected the flow of Cosmic Energy from his core to his limbs.
Then he swung again.
Shua~
---
Over the days that followed, Cedric's routine became almost rigid in its regularity.
Aside from occasionally checking on the operations at Mining Station 12, he rarely stepped outside his room, immersing himself completely in cultivation.
The bulk of his time was spent training the three techniques of ⧼Solar Ascension⧽. He mostly practiced ⧼Solar Severing Blade Art⧽.
Within the room carved into the mountain wall, Cedric swung his blade again and again. With every strike, he followed the art's method of force release, drawing out subtle, hidden strength from all parts of his body and guiding it to converge into the arm wielding the blade, forming a unified resonance.
Each swing demanded flawless harmony between power and technique. He failed repeatedly, corrected himself, and tried again without pause.
As cosmic energy erupted continuously, his bones, muscles, and cells endured tremendous strain, rapidly pushing his body into deep fatigue.
Yet even at the brink of exhaustion, Cedric did not rest. Instead, he further compressed his cells through the ⧼Solar Body Tempering Art⧽, then immediately cultivated in ⧼Solar Battle Circulation Art⧽ to absorb Cosmic Energy, forcing his body to grow amid relentless pressure.
It was much like intense training in ordinary life, when a person works their body hard, their appetite naturally skyrockets.
As Cedric's cells consumed more and more energy, their "hunger" grew just as fiercely.
Because of this, the effect of absorbing cosmic energy through ⧼Solar Battle Circulation Art⧽ was greatly amplified.
Almost a month slipped by in this relentless rhythm. Day after day, Cedric honed his blade, tempered his body, and circulated cosmic energy until his bones hummed with strain and power.
Failure slowly turned into familiarity, and familiarity into mastery. On the thirtieth dawn, when his blade descended in a smooth arc, the force inside his body resonated perfectly with his blade as energy, muscle, intent, and motion of his body locked into a flawless chain.
Shua~
The strike landed with quiet inevitability rather than brute impact, and the air itself seemed to ripple. Cedric paused, breathing lightly, and a faint smile tugged at his lips.
"At last, I've fully grasped the first form of the ⧼Solar Severing Blade Art⧽."
Not only did Cedric grasp the first form of his blade art, the surging reservoir of Cosmic Energy inside his body told him clearly that he had reached the absolute peak of Nine Stars. Now, he can start breaking through to the Awakening Stage.
That progress did not come by chance. For an entire month, he had tirelessly cultivated the ⧼Solar Battle Circulation Art⧽, forcing cosmic energy through his meridians again and again.
Now that he felt like he could start breaking through, Cedric reached into his spatial ring and withdrew a vial filled with a faintly glowing golden liquid without hesitation. It was a vial of Standard Core-ranked Awakening Essence.
He removed the cap and tilted his head back, swallowing the contents in one smooth motion.
The liquid slid down his throat like molten sunlight. A moment later, a searing heat exploded inside his chest. It wasn't a superficial burning; he felt as if every cell, every strand of flesh and bone, had been thrust into a blazing furnace.
Cedric gritted his teeth, sweat pouring down his face, yet he did not resist. He allowed the heat to surge, refine, and scour him from within. Then, just as the pain reached its peak, his consciousness was abruptly pulled away into a vast, boundless darkness.
Inside this boundless space, when Cedric opened his eyes, he found a cosmic expanse filled with countless stars stretching before him. Each of these stars was exuding immense energy.
Cedric instinctively understood where he was. This was the threshold of awakening.
It is said that during the process of breaking through to the Awakening Realm, a warrior's consciousness is drawn into the Awakening Space, where countless stars shine brilliantly. Each star is a manifestation of a special ability, born from the Cosmic Laws of the Midnight Land. To truly step into the Awakening Realm, a warrior must choose one of these stars, touch it, and draw forth the ability contained within.
Looking at thousands of stars in front of him, Cedric couldn't help but click his tongue.
He immediately drifted closer to the stars. His eyes started scanning the luminous sky. Some stars were shining so brightly that Cedric felt the illusion of being called out by them.
Cedric didn't know what star to choose. He started hesitating, and it was actually very normal. After all, each star is the manifestation of a different ability. What ability a person can obtain after awakening depends entirely on their luck.
In such a situation, it's better to try to sense which star resonates closely with oneself before choosing it.
The more Cedric looked at all the stars around him, the harder it became to decide.
As Cedric was observing the stars and finding it difficult to make a decision, he suddenly noticed a star unlike the others.
Among the thousands of dazzling lights, this was the only star that did not shine brightly. It was so dim that it was almost invisible. If Cedric hadn't happened to notice it by chance, he would have overlooked it just like countless others before him.
Yet from the instant he saw this dim star, a strange pull seized his heart. It was as though something inside him was urging him to walk toward this dim star. He even heard a call that wanted him to touch the star and make that ability his own.
Cedric was stunned at first. He couldn't help but grow curious about this star. Simultaneously, he also felt a faint sense of wariness beneath that curiosity as well.