Nine Star Burden

Chapter 117: Preparation

“Xiaopi, you’re here. Hurry and come in.” Xia Yan parked the car in the garage, and when they exited, they were greeted with the sight of Auntie Zhou opening the door and greeting them enthusiastically.

“What? What’s so good about this kid? I have never been so warmly welcomed by you,” Xia Yan grumbled before rubbing Jiang Xiao’s head forcefully.

Jiang Xiao tried his best to struggle out of her grip and retorted. “I’ve only been here for seven days and she already has such a good impression of me. She’s already been taking care of you for two years. Don’t you see the issue?”

“I’m perfect and do not accept any rebuttals.” Xia Yan snorted.

Under the warm reception of Aunt Zhou, everyone sat in the living room for a while, then changed out of their clothes and rushed to the basement.

Xia Yan couldn’t wait to try the power of the Gold Quality Green Glow.

Jiang Xiao was glad to entertain her.

However, in the beginning, Xia Yan did not choose to block it with her arm and instead placed her giant sword in front of him in a defensive stance.

Jiang Xiao clenched his fists without using much force because he merely wanted to try out the increased repelling effects of Green Glow.

“Boom!”

A loud sound filled the air as Jiang Xiao gently punched the steel blade.

Xia Yan bent her knees a little and slid backward while her body leaned forward.

She glided over a distance of more than eight meters before regaining her balance.

Jiang Xiao was overjoyed. An effortless punch would cause a person to retreat by eight meters?

He thought about blasting Xia Yan back by eight meters…

Of course, Jiang Xiao’s power was simply power while the repelling effects of Green Glow were simply repulsion.

The two had to be distinguished.

Power may be a bonus in repelling Xia Yan’s body, but increased strength would not add any value to Green Glow’s repelling effects.

The additional effects that may be added to Star Techniques were fixed and would not be affected by the user’s physical fitness.

“Come on, let me test the increased damage that Green Glow can output,” Xia Yan said after looking at the blade and realizing that no damage had been done. She placed the giant blade against the wall at random and walked towards Jiang Xiao.

Apart from the increased repelling effects, Green Glow could also result in stronger strikes on the opponent.

The added effect was thus linked to the physical fitness of the user.

“Should I put on the gloves? It’s some sort of protection for both you and me,” Jiang Xiao said after some hesitation.

Not wearing any protective gear during freehand combat would be considered as an irresponsible act to both parties.

“No need, just do it,” Xia Yan said in a tone that was rather aggressive. Star Power surged through her body and her arms, which she placed in front of her face as a shield.

Jiang Xiao used 30% of his force and threw a light punch at the speed of lightning.

Xia Yan’s face tensed up, and the visual effect was much more obvious than the damage done.

Due to the repelling effects of Green Glow, Xia Yan was again blasted away. She only stopped moving when she glided more than eight meters away.

“Are you alright?” Jiang Xiao concernedly asked.

“Don’t be so serious, I’m not used to it.” Xia Yan glared at Jiang Xiao and shook her arm. “Increase the force applied. Has your sister been abusing you every day? Does she not feed you any food?”

I f***ing…

Jiang Xiao got into a standard fighting stance and threw out another left jab quickly and fiercely.

“Tsk, tsk…” Xia Yan’s head was hidden behind her crossed arms. She slid back uncontrollably again and let out a sigh.

“Are you satisfied or trying to ridicule me?” Jiang Xiao scratched his head and looked at Xia Yan, who had regained her balance. He couldn’t quite understand her.

“Not bad. If there is a blade for you, it will add more damage.” Xia Yan shook her slightly trembling arms. “If you really plan to use a sword, pay more attention during competitions. The added striking effects of Green Glow are really rather powerful.”

Jiang Xiao murmured, “You’re not that good and you’re already starting to worry about your opponent.”

Seemingly having failed to hear her, Xia Yan continued, “Has your Blessing been upgraded?”

Jiang Xiao answered, “No.”

Xia Yan asked, “Why hasn’t it been upgraded even after such a long time?”

Jiang Xiao answered, “It’s still early. I absorbed seven or eight White Ghoul Witch Star Beads in Holy Ground, but the number is too small. If I could absorb bunches of them, I might get to upgrade the quality of my Star Techniques more quickly.”

Xia Yan said, “The school will organize another outfield experience, but I reckon Jiannan Village Snowfield Base will only be opened to the outside world after some time. There’s another snowfield base in Xindan Cree, but it’s rather far away. It’s about a three to four-hour drive.”

“Let’s take the train. The train will take us only about one and a half hours, wouldn’t it?” Jiang Xiao asked while scratching his head.

Xia Yan said, “I still prefer driving. I enjoy having my personal space. Whenever I pick you and your sister up, I wish I could shove you into the trunk so that I can be alone with your sister.”

Jiang Xiao pointed at Xia Yan and exclaimed, “Are you a devil!?”

Xia Yan’s palm slid down her shoulders and brushed past her slender waist. She then pointed at her long legs and said, “You’re young, but you have good vision.”

Watching them bicker, Han Jiangxue felt incredibly amused.

“I’d like to go to the volcanic area instead of the snowfield,” Jiang Xiao said abruptly.

“Huh?” Han Jiangxue looked at Jiang Xiao in bewilderment.

It was because the Star Technique Bell had originated from the Lava Ghoul in that volcanic area.

Moreover, Bell was of Silver Quality. Since there was no Brass Quality Lava Ghoul Star Bead, Bell would require only ten Silver Quality Lava Ghoul Star Beads for it to be upgraded to Gold Quality.

In terms of rapidly improving the team’s combat effectiveness, choosing to upgrade Bell to Gold Quality was undoubtedly the best option.

“Bell is more suitable for healing injuries,” Jiang Xiao replied.

“The creatures of another dimension in the volcanic area are more powerful than those in the snowfield. They don’t belong on the same level at all.” Han Jiangxue shook her head and disapproved. “There are also stronger creatures of other dimensions there. There are also some mysterious creatures in the volcanic area.”

“Do we need to purchase entry tickets for that place?” Jiang Xiao asked.

“Yes, only low-level Dimensional Spaces like the snowfield are free for us. That volcanic area is no longer a paradise for low-level Awakened.” Han Jiangxue shook her head once more. “The stronger teams tend to go to the volcanic area to train and gain more experience.”

“Oh,” Jiang Xiao answered, feeling the pinch just from hearing that they had to pay an entrance fee.

It was true that martial arts and combat were expensive.

Being an Awakened was not a profession that the poor could afford. Hence, some Awakened would choose to rely on some social groups to survive.

Of course, those were just a portion of them.

There were also some who didn’t have such big ambitions and enjoyed a simple life.

For example, Jiang Xiao would have gone to the hospital to work or become a private doctor for the local tycoons if he didn’t have any ambitions. He knew that he’d definitely be able to live well by doing that.

Goals like buying a house or a car would be easily achievable within a short period of time.

“What’s the price of a Lava Ghoul Witch Star Bead?” Jiang Xiao asked.

“The market price is about 100,000 yuan,” Xia Yan replied.

“Huh? How can it be that cheap? A Silver Quality Bell is cheaper than a Brass Quality Blessing?” Jiang Xiao asked in shock.

“That’s precisely because Blessing is a Brass Quality Star Technique which has a higher probability of successful absorption compared to Bell. The Brass Quality White Ghoul Witch Star Beads are meant for Medical Awakened. They are always in short supply and cannot be bought with money,” Han Jiangxue explained.

“It seems as if you have money to buy Lava Ghoul Witch Star Beads,” Xia Yan murmured.

“Huh?” Han Jiangxue turned to look at her.

Xia Yan hurried forward to hold Han Jiangxue’s hand and said, “Yeah, I almost forgot. We’d better hurry and go to the backyard to prepare. With the afterglow of the sunset, we will be able to break through the shackles of the mid-Nebula stage.”

“How can it be considered a business firm if we can’t buy anything?” Jiang Xiao asked.

Han Jiangxue shook her head and said, “You don’t know enough about this world, but you will find out more in the future. The so-called business firms are also essentially recycling bins for certain types of people.”

Jiang Xiao was speechless.