Five in the morning.
The sky was already approaching dawn.
A faint glow touched the city’s horizon.
Bluebirds chirped in the woods.
The buildings of Jianghai City were still quiet, most of its residents still lost in dreams.
Only a few night owls, or perhaps some Star Martial Artists training hard for a breakthrough, happened to glance up at the sky and witness the magnificent sight!
Up in the heavens,
a brilliant meteor shower descended like a fine, green veil of mist.
Star Force flowed between all living things, as vast and powerful as the ocean’s tide.
The surface of Li Shui Lake boiled and churned as thousands of blood-red lines shot into the sky, converging inside the black hole and accelerating its transformation.
It was expanding!
Its diameter was growing at an incredible rate!
Some citizens who were up early happened to see this. Their eyes widened in an instant, and they scrambled to pull out their phones to take pictures of the black hole.
They were all dumbfounded!
"Holy shit, what’s happening to the black hole in the sky?"
"It’s about to connect with the other black holes!"
"Something bad isn’t about to happen again, is it?"
"Hey, look at Li Shui Lake! Why is there a red glow shooting up into the sky?"
"We’re screwed. This whole thing is blowing up!"
"..."
An incessant, noisy clamor filled the air as panic gradually took hold of Jianghai City.
Firstly, it was fear of the unknown.
Secondly, they could faintly perceive a change in the Heaven and Earth Star Force.
Before long, the news spread through every Jianghai City chat group. Citizens clamored, gathering on the shores of Li Shui Lake, all trying to find the source of the anomalous Star Force.
Watching from the opposite bank, everyone was lost in speculation.
’To change the black hole phenomenon with their bare hands... are they even part of the Human Race!?’
...
"Haha, the grand Array actually worked!"
"As expected of the Young Master!"
At the bottom of Li Shui Lake, Liu Wushuang looked up at the strange phenomenon in the sky, stretched his limbs, and understood everything perfectly.
After all, unlike the citizens outside, he wasn’t bewildered by the Blood Spirit Array.
And he certainly wouldn’t indulge in wild speculation.
’Now, with this boost... you could say this is another stroke of great fortune for Jianghai City. Not only will everyone get a wave of promotions, but more Star Martial Artists will also have the chance to break through. Innate Grandmasters. Grandmasters crossing into the Venerable Realm... Jianghai’s military strength will finally reach a new level!’
’One day, we’ll have Grandmasters walking all over Jianghai!’
Just as Liu Wushuang was lost in his reverie,
BUZZ!
an unusual sound suddenly came from behind him.
Ripples of a terrifying aura stirred the water, slowly spreading outward.
Liu Wushuang turned to look.
He saw that the surface of the Blood Spirit Array was dissipating.
Immediately after, Qin Yang’s figure emerged from within. He stepped across the silt at the bottom of the lake, brushing the dust from his hands while sensing the Star Force around him.
He seemed to be observing the results of his modifications.
"Young Master, congratulations!!"
Seeing Qin Yang walk out of the Blood Spirit Array, Liu Wushuang immediately rushed over to greet him. He extended a hand, eagerly pointing at the sky above.
"You really did it! The Star Force from the Upper Realm is now being diverted to the Lower Realm!
Especially here in Jianghai City, right at the center of it all. This Star Force is simply inexhaustible!"
"Calm down. It was expected."
Qin Yang’s expression was calm, but he couldn’t suppress the smile at the corners of his mouth. Just by sensing the Star Force outside his body, he felt incredibly refreshed.
Modifying the grand Array had been extremely draining on his Spiritual Power.
It had taken the better part of a day.
’I’ve finally finished the modifications.’
If the Power of Stars before had merely flowed in at a steady pace,
then the current modification...
was a hundred times greater than before!
It was like a sluice gate had opened, and the sea was pouring in, endlessly washing over everything in the world!
With the release of this Star Force, it was as if sweet dew was falling from the sky, nourishing the Star Martial Artists below.
After this night,
those Star Martial Artists who had been struggling with their Realms would now have a chance to advance again.
And more importantly,
before long, this wave of Star Force would spread out from Jianghai, following its ley lines as a center, and extend in all directions across the country!
From the whole city to the whole country, until it finally encompassed all of Earth Star!
"Not bad. The effect is quite remarkable."
Qin Yang brought a Hollow Fist to his mouth and coughed twice. He walked slowly out from the edge of the Blood Spirit Array, his face ghastly pale.
A trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth, but he quickly wiped it away.
"Young Master?!"
Seeing this, Liu Wushuang hurried forward to support him. "How are you? Were you injured while modifying the Array?"
"It’s nothing, I’m fine."
Supported by Liu Wushuang, Qin Yang took a deep breath to focus his mind, suppressing the churning blood and qi in his chest. He said in a low voice,
"The final stage of the modification was harder than I expected. My Spiritual Power is completely drained. It’ll take a few days of rest to fully recover."
With that, Qin Yang paused, looked at Liu Wushuang, and said gravely,
"Elder Wushuang.
For the next few days, I’ll be in seclusion and won’t see anyone except members of our Heaven-Blasting Gang.
So, for the time being, I need you to handle external affairs for me and act as the Speaker for the Heaven-Blasting Gang."
"Handle external affairs?"
Liu Wushuang stared blankly for a moment, then pointed at his own chin, asking in disbelief, "Me?"
"That’s right, you."
Qin Yang smiled candidly, skillfully sweet-talking him as he figured out the best way to palm off his duties. "So many years have passed. You’ve stepped into the Celestial Venerable Realm now, making you one of the founding members of our Heaven-Blasting Gang.
In terms of both seniority and strength, you’re in the upper echelons of the gang. So it’s only reasonable that I ask you to be our Speaker this time."
"But..."
"But... that’s the Speaker."
Liu Wushuang clenched his fists, his whole body trembling with excitement. The thought of such a great responsibility being placed in his hands made his heart burn with a fiery passion.
’This is such an honor.’
After pondering for a long moment,
he finally nodded solemnly.
"Yes, Young Master! This subordinate will not fail the mission!"
After dumping all the troublesome matters on Liu Wushuang, Qin Yang breathed a sigh of relief. He had him stay at Li Shui Lake to deal with the Commander and the upper echelons of Jianghai.
As for himself, he turned and quietly returned to his residential complex to get some rest.
...
...
「The next day, just after dawn.」
The strange phenomenon in Jianghai’s sky immediately shot to the top of the trending charts.
Major online media outlets scrambled to report on it.
News clips were released one after another, spreading rapidly across the internet.
Xiaobai lay on the roof, her slender, fair calves dangling as she gazed at the sight in the sky. Her nine tails swayed behind her, wagging as joyfully as cattail reeds in the wind.
After admiring the view for a moment, she casually opened her phone to check out the public’s reaction.
[Have you guys seen the news from yesterday? I heard the Star Force concentration over in Jianghai is off the charts!]
[OMG, for real?]
[The housing prices in the blessed land of Jianghai are gonna go up again!]
[Got a hookup for Jianghai residency. Interested? Add 19******]
[Stop spreading rumors! Wait for the official announcement from Jianghai!]
[Holy shit! Again? How many times has this happened?!]
[I knew it! There’s something up with this batch of Star Martial Artists from Jianghai City! No wonder they’re having epiphanies and breakthroughs every day... It’s obvious that the heavens are spoon-feeding them!]
...
...