Chapter 160 - 159: Blue Bull

Chapter 160: Chapter 159: Blue Bull

"That’s it!" Han Ning’s spirit lifted.

He had captured it—the Power of Stars. Though it was as faint as a candle in the wind, it undeniably existed. Even the Black Tide could not block it.

Han Ning no longer hesitated. Drawing from the knowledge in his mind, he slowly assumed the posture for the next step of the prayer ritual. He slowly extended his arms out to his sides like unfurling wings. With his palms facing upward, it was as if he were preparing to receive the Star Energy from the starry sky. Taking a light, half-step forward with his left foot, he leaned his body slightly into a posture that resembled a bird about to take flight, yet also looked like a devout prayer.

To be honest, if an outsider had been watching him at this moment, they would have thought Han Ning was doing yoga or calisthenics. It looked a bit abstract.

The movement seemed simple, but it required intense coordination between all his muscles and his Spirit. Every minute angle and every bend of a joint corresponded to the position or trajectory of a specific star in the sky.

The freezing wind battered fiercely against his body, but Han Ning seemed completely unaware of it, fully immersing himself in the ritual to guide the Power of Stars. His Mental Power was highly concentrated. Like an invisible bridge amplified by the will of nature, it struggled to pierce through the obstruction of the clouds, reaching desperately toward the source of the Power of Stars he had sensed.

"?$?￠?￥?"

Following the information provided by the interface, he silently chanted an ancient and tongue-twisting string of syllables in his heart. It didn’t sound like a true language. Instead, it was more like a resonance created by Spiritual Power vibrating through the void, simulating the rhythm of celestial orbits.

This process consumed quite a bit of Mental Power. However, since the Star Society could be unlocked at Level 5, it wasn’t too taxing for the current Han Ning.

But gradually, Han Ning sensed that something was wrong. The amount of Mental Power he was expending quickly began to far exceed what he had used to connect with the Earth back at Level 5.

He wondered, "Could it be that because my Level has increased, my Perception range has expanded as well?"

He didn’t know how much time had passed—perhaps a few minutes, perhaps a long hour. High above the canopy of heavy, leaden clouds, a tiny speck of silvery-white light flared to life. Then came a second, and a third...

The clouds did not part on their own. Instead, highly concentrated Star Energy simply pierced through layers of obstacles to plummet downward. Several points of light rapidly connected and traced out lines, forming the complex and mysterious outline of a star map against the pitch-black canopy of clouds. A pure, silvery-white pillar of light projected down from the core of the star map, completely ignoring the raging storm to envelop Han Ning as he maintained his prayer posture on the hillside below.

HUM.

Han Ning’s body shuddered as the Power of Stars poured into him. Unlike the warm, motherly embrace of the Earth, this felt indescribably cold and indifferent.

This Energy was overbearing. It washed through Han Ning’s flesh, bones, and internal organs before finally pouring into his Spiritual World. The Life Seed at his heart began to faintly pulse once more. At the same time, leaf-vein-like patterns surfaced on his skin. Unlike before, these patterns now glowed with a silvery-white luster that sparkled like stardust.

His hair fluttered without any wind, every single strand tainted with starlight. Deep within his consciousness, a blurry, complex mark composed of countless points of light was slowly taking shape.

Han Ning couldn’t help but slightly adjust his posture in tandem with the shifts in the star map. With every adjustment, he drew down even more starlight. He became the sole source of light in this violent, pitch-black night—bright and utterly mysterious.

This phenomenon did not last long; for Han Ning, who was bathing in it, it felt like a mere fleeting moment. When the light of the star map deep within the clouds reached its absolute peak, the final and thickest torrent of starlight surged into his body.

WHOOSH.

Deep within his Spiritual World, that profound mark formed by countless specks of light completely solidified into a brand resembling a nebula.

On the hillside, Han Ning retracted his outstretched arms. As he stood in place, the residual starlight patterns on his body rapidly faded, melting back into his skin.

He opened his eyes. Deep in his pupils reflected the boundless starry sky: profound silvery-white, cold grayish-blue, brilliant shattered gold... Colors flashed in his eyes like a carousel lantern, displaying several distinct hues of starlight.

There was more than one type of starlight. Some starlight was brimming with vitality. Some contained the aura of death. Others were overflowing with murderous intent...

[Star Society Initiation Successful!]

[Star Druid Level 10]

[Spiritual Power: 260/260 (Humanoid Form, amplified by Bathing in Starlight Talent)]

[Mental Power: 8 (Humanoid Form, amplified by Bathing in Starlight Talent)]

[Talent: Bathing in Starlight]

[Bathing in Starlight]: The light of the stars guides you. Based on your current physical constitution, your maximum Spiritual Power limit is increased by 30%, and Mental Power by 10%.

Han Ning remembered that when he broke through to Level 10, his Spiritual Power had jumped directly from 120 points at Level 8 to 200 points. Now, with the addition of Bathing in Starlight, his maximum Spiritual Power had skyrocketed to 260 points. If he received further amplification from a shapeshifted form, it would be even higher.

The Star Energy flowing through his body was likely responsible for this increased limit. Furthermore, the Star Society and Earth Society did not conflict, which meant this Talent could also be applied to his beast transformations.

Mom never had to worry about him running out of mana again.

[Star Society Skills Unlocked: Raptor Form (Basic Level), Star Blessing (Basic Level), Starfire Technique (Basic Level), Starlight Transfer (Basic Level)]

Just like with the Earth Society, unlocking the Star Society granted him four new Skills. Three unlocked at Level 5, and one at Level 10.

[Raptor Form (Basic Level)]:

Commune with the Power of Stars to transform into the swift and ferocious form of an aerial hunter (Currently brandable Raptor Beast Spirit: 0/1).

In this form, gain exceptional flight capabilities, sharp vision (dynamic motion capture, ultra-long-distance sight), high-speed mobility, and aerial combat instincts.

In this state, Spiritual Power is continuously consumed.

[Star Blessing (Basic Level)]:

1. Draw upon the Power of Stars to bestow a blessing upon a target. Slightly increases the target’s Perception, reaction speed, Energy Gathering speed, movement speed, and destructive power. Provides an additional bonus to creatures with super-vision-related traits.

2. Star Domain: Every target that receives the Star Blessing will form a unique domain. The more creatures that receive the blessing, the larger the domain’s range. The blessed can sense each other’s presence within a certain radius.

[Starfire Technique (Basic Level)]:

Absorb dead star Energy from the sky, converting a portion of your Star Energy into this special-natured Energy. For the duration of the effect, attacking enemies will incinerate the Energy within their bodies.

...Absorb lunar Energy... For the duration of the effect, attacking enemies will drain the Energy from their bodies to replenish your own.

...Absorb morning star Energy... Unleash a morning star ray imbued with intense burning properties, dealing extra effects to Dark Creatures.

[Starlight Transfer (Basic Level)]:

Temporarily convert the physical body into starlight to rapidly travel a short distance.

During the movement, your speed approaches the speed of light, but it requires preparation time. The higher the Skill Level, the shorter the preparation time.

"Compared to the Earth Society, the Star Society is indeed much more geared toward combat—specifically single-target combat. Its offensive power is strong, but its Support capabilities actually aren’t weak either," Han Ning said, exhaling a breath.

The Earth Society was mostly about rallying allies, Healing, and running a group-attack army style. The Star Society leaned far more toward personal empowerment.