Chapter 180: Playing Innocent After Getting a Good Deal

Feint east, strike west. Borrow a path to attack Guo. Create something from nothing. Sneak across Chencang. Kill with a borrowed knife…

The ancient arts of war made it perfectly clear.

If you want to muddy the waters, the best way is to drag everyone in.

Targeting Xue Yang directly was too obvious. It would instantly draw all the hatred onto him, bringing down a torrential storm of retaliation.

Now, Li Ye had acted in the name of the Shiyao Group, dragging the Star Map Group into it. The matter had absolutely nothing to do with the Flat Pan Group, so even if Xue Yang became suspicious, he would never connect it to Demon Qi.

Either Xue Yang would watch the tigers fight from a mountaintop, or he’d get involved to reap some benefits for himself. No matter what happened, it was a win for Li Ye.

…

The sun set.

Li Ye began to introduce Star Force into his body, while Liu Rongrong stood guard as his Protector.

With the colossal Flat Pan Group as their theoretical enemy, He Xu and the others had naturally grown more cautious. They stopped gathering all at once in Liu Rongrong’s rented house, switching to online communication instead.

Li Ye was happy with this arrangement. Neither the Shadow Guild nor the Star Map Group would ever think to look for him hiding among a few college students.

Given his skills and perception, it was practically impossible for anyone to tail him.

…

“Don’t be nervous. Take it slow. It’s okay if you fail the first time. It takes most people about a month to succeed at Introducing Star Force into the Body. Only a handful of geniuses can do it on their first try,” Liu Rongrong said. “Huang, your target is the Lunar Star. It’s the easiest to sense, because nighttime is the Lunar Star’s domain. Most people fail because their bodies can’t withstand the Lunar Star’s Ice Cold Power. The same goes for you. If you feel anything wrong at all, stop immediately…”

Liu Rongrong rambled on, seeming even more nervous than Li Ye himself.

Just as she was speaking, a white light was already emanating from Li Ye’s body. As it flared, the surrounding temperature instantly dropped by three or four degrees.

Liu Rongrong’s voice cut off abruptly. She subconsciously clenched her fists, watching Li Ye anxiously and chanting in her heart, ‘He has to succeed. He has to succeed.’

A moment later, the white light disappeared.

It then transformed into a golden light tinged with a Sharp Qi, followed by a green light representing vitality, a red representing heat, and a deep yellow…

Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn…

Sensing the changes in the Star Power emanating from Li Ye, Liu Rongrong sighed to herself. ‘He failed after all!’

‘Even someone with a powerful constitution like Huang can’t withstand the Lunar Star’s Ice Cold Power?’

‘I guess that means Qin Tian really is on another level.’

However, ‘Huang seems a little too hasty.’

‘Normally, after failing to connect, you’re supposed to adjust your mindset and try sensing a different Star Power the next day. Who just keeps switching between different stars in the span of a few moments…?’

‘If you can’t even pinpoint the star’s position on the Star Map, it’s impossible to successfully connect with it.’

Soon, Liu Rongrong realized something was off.

The rate at which the different types of Star Power flared on Li Ye’s body was too consistent; he switched to a new one every minute. If he weren’t exceptionally familiar with the Star Map, he wouldn’t even be able to locate the stars, let alone accurately distinguish the Star Power of others while being masked by the Taiyin Star Power.

‘Could Huang have memorized the entire Star Map in a single afternoon?’

Liu Rongrong held her breath. ‘That’s just ridiculously talented!’

‘But if he memorized the Star Map, why isn’t he focusing on connecting with a single star? What’s the point of trying to connect with every single one?’

…

With a puzzled expression, Liu Rongrong waited for six whole hours, watching as Li Ye connected with every single Life Star in the sky, one by one.

Finally, Li Ye opened his eyes and exhaled softly.

“Huang, did you memorize the entire Star Map in a single afternoon?” Liu Rongrong asked, her voice filled with disbelief.

“Yes.” Li Ye nodded. “My memory is very good.”

“If you’ve memorized the entire Star Map, why didn’t you pick one to be your Life Star and focus on connecting with its power?” Liu Rongrong asked with a frown. “Isn’t there a single star that’s a good match for you?”

Li Ye glanced at her, smiled, and didn’t speak.

‘My Dantian is half Spiritual Power and half Divine Power. But Star Power corresponds to the three hundred sixty acupoints in the body. The three hundred sixty-five Life Stars perfectly form a Star Map within the body, which doesn’t conflict with Spiritual Power or Divine Power at all. In just over six hours, I lit up all three hundred and sixty-five Life Stars in one go. By this world’s standards, I’m already a ninth-rank master—a peak ninth-rank master, at that. It’s just that the Life Stars I’ve lit are pitifully low on Star Power. I have the framework of a ninth-rank master, but none of the actual strength. I have to admit, this body, transformed by Demon Qi, is simply perfect. As long as the Cultivation Techniques don’t conflict, it can make them all perfectly compatible. Now I just need to fill them with Star Power.’

Li Ye closed his eyes and began to draw Star Force into his body again.

The Ice Cold Power of the Lunar Star, the Sharp Qi of Venus, the Vibrant Life of Jupiter, the Slaughter Qi of the Killing Wolf…

They surged into Li Ye’s body in an instant. The different streams of Star Power wove themselves into a Star Map across his skin, echoing the starry sky above.

Liu Rongrong’s eyes flew wide open. She reflexively clapped a hand over her mouth to keep herself from crying out.

Li Ye cultivated the entire night, only stopping at sunrise when the Sun Star’s light overpowered all the other Star Power.

Star Power was linked to physical development. After a single night of cultivation, his stagnant Body Attributes had begun to improve once more. His perception alone had increased by at least a meter.

In fact, Li Ye felt that at the rate he was lighting up his Life Stars, he could probably even absorb Sun Star Power. But after thinking it over, he decided not to risk it…

His current strength was more than enough for anything short of a direct confrontation with Xue Yang.

“You… You lit up all three hundred and sixty-five Life Stars?” Liu Rongrong asked, her eyes bloodshot with disbelief.

“Yes.” Li Ye nodded.

“Including the Lunar Star?” Liu Rongrong asked again.

“Yes.” Li Ye nodded.

“…” Liu Rongrong stared at Li Ye as if he were a monster and muttered, “Either I’ve lost my mind, or the world has. How could anyone possibly light up three hundred and sixty-five Life Stars in a single night? The world must be what’s gone crazy…”

Seeing Liu Rongrong in a daze, Li Ye snapped his fingers. Star Power flowed as he activated two Star Skills, Clarity and Blessing. A gentle starlight fell upon her, instantly restoring her energy.

Star Skills were created by combining the Star Power from different Life Stars. Since Li Ye had lit all three hundred and sixty-five, he could combine them to create any Star Skill he wanted. However, because he had only absorbed a limited amount of Star Power in one night, the skills weren’t very powerful.

In reality, due to the nature of Star Power absorption, even ninth-rank masters typically only used a few select Star Skills. No matter how strong someone was, it was impossible to fill all their Life Stars with Star Power at the same time.

The Main Life Star one was most attuned to would absorb Star Power the fastest. Most people prioritized their Main Life Star during cultivation, using the others as support…

Taiyin Star Power was known as the War God because the Lunar Star is the closest to the earth, making its Star Power the most concentrated and allowing it to be absorbed far faster than power from any other Life Star. And because its Star Power was so dense, the Lunar Star could activate Star Skills on its own, without needing coordination with other Life Stars.

“Huang, what kind of experiments was the Flat Pan Group running on you?” Even with her energy restored by the Star Power, the bloodshot veins in Liu Rongrong’s eyes hadn’t faded. “Were they trying to create a Superman?”

“Maybe!” Li Ye said with a smile.

“Combat power comparable to a ninth-rank master… lighting up all three hundred and sixty-five Life Stars in a single night… If word of this got out, the entire Federation would lose its mind.”

Liu Rongrong paced back and forth, rambling incoherently. “Huang, your very existence could change the entire structure of the Federation! The Flat Pan Group would never let an ‘experimental subject’ like you get away… They’re insane! If they can mass-produce monsters like you, there’ll be no hope left for us common folk!”

“Rongrong, can you please keep this a secret for me?” Li Ye was forced to use another Star Skill, Calm, to help her settle down. “Don’t tell He Xu or the others. I’m afraid they won’t be able to keep it to themselves. I watched a lot of movies yesterday. I think my master really might be planning to use me for something terrible. I suspect he wants to use my blood serum to create an army of super-warriors. Maybe he’s already doing it. He was always taking my blood, after all. I don’t want to get dragged back there to have more blood taken. I think I’ll die… I don’t want to die!”

“Okay.” Liu Rongrong took a deep breath and said with determination, “Huang, don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone. This is too terrifying. For now, don’t do anything. Just stay here in my apartment and don’t go outside. You have a lot of Star Beads, right? Use them to increase your strength. I have a feeling you’re going to be facing a lot of danger. I need to tell He Xu and the others to focus on getting stronger, too. Otherwise, we won’t just be useless to you, we’ll actively hold you back.”

“Okay,” Li Ye nodded obediently. “If you guys need help, just let me know. I have more Star Beads than I know what to do with. Also, if anyone notices anything strange, make sure you tell me. I’ll deal with them.”

“‘Deal with them?'” Liu Rongrong froze.

“Kill them, dispose of the body, and eliminate the problem at its root,” Li Ye said seriously. “I learned it from the movies. Don’t worry, with my abilities, I can definitely pull it off. You all helped me, so I won’t let any harm come to you.”

“…” Liu Rongrong looked at Li Ye and said with an awkward laugh, “Huang, you can’t always take things from the movies so literally. The Flat Pan Group hasn’t made a move yet. We’re not at that stage. Let’s just take things one step at a time.”

“Okay. I’ll keep watching movies. They’re very useful to me.” Li Ye’s expression turned melancholic. “When the time is right, I’ll fight my way into the Flat Pan Group, find proof of my master’s conspiracy, and then expose him to the world. You were right. He’s not my master; he’s the enemy who ruined my life. If it weren’t for him, I could have been like you, enjoying my parents’ love, going to school, falling in love, finding someone who loved me back, getting married, having kids… Instead of this, hiding away, too scared to even step outside…”

‘You’re the real main character here, for fuck’s sake!’

‘How many ordinary people dream of lighting up all three hundred and sixty-five Life Stars in a single night?’

‘And you’re acting all dissatisfied.’

Looking at Li Ye, Liu Rongrong suddenly had no idea how to comfort him. After a long moment, she finally said, “Yeah… that day will come. Once you defeat the final boss, you’ll be able to live the life you want.”

Her eyes darted as an idea came to her. She felt it was her responsibility to guide Li Ye onto the right path. With a small smile, she said, “Huang, you could try watching some different kinds of movies. Life isn’t all about fighting, killing, and devious plots. There’s also romance and love. Huang, you’re way too tense. You should watch more movies like that to relax. And if you need to… I can help you relax, too…”