Awakening：The Infinite Evolution of My Talent as a Low-Level Awakener-Chapter 826: Lifespan Depletion! Potential Risks!

Swish!

Sterl suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with a hint of confusion. Yet, the fierce divine light that emanated from his instincts was enough to shatter the soul of any deity in an instant.

"I... what is happening...?"

He slowly stood up, still trying to make sense of the situation. Before he could gather his thoughts, the scene around him struck him with awe.

The entire bottom level of the Abyssal Prison looked as though it had been attacked by a Black Hole, with almost nothing visible in the surroundings.

The countless, seemingly indestructible prison cells had vanished without a trace, and even the ground had sunk several meters deep. Most strikingly, after everything had disappeared, the surface remained smooth, and even the surrounding walls and ceiling had become exceptionally flat and smooth.

"Did... did I do all this?"

Sterl tried to recall the events that had led to this, but his memory ended the moment he absorbed the thirty thousand units of high-level soul power.

What had happened in between was completely unknown to him.

This shift made Sterl's heart tighten. The sensation of being out of control was unpleasant—he felt as though he had become a fish on the chopping board, unaware of how he would meet his end.

"Has the soul power refining ended?"

Sterl quickly checked the time and realized that more than half a day had passed. His new evolution opportunity had successfully refreshed.

With a single thought, he poured this evolution opportunity into his physical passive ability. Instantly, he felt an overwhelming surge of power within his body.

"Ha... this feeling is truly indescribable."

Sterl exhaled deeply. From the way his power had surged, it was clear the soul power refining had been completed successfully. Moreover, his body had perfectly mastered this new strength. He hadn't noticed any changes upon waking up.

However, while his strength had increased significantly, he couldn't shake the sensation of a slight pain in his chest, as though something was lodged there.

As time passed, the discomfort slowly faded away. He estimated that within an hour, it would completely dissipate.

Yet, this feeling left him with an ominous sense of foreboding.

Without hesitation, he immediately checked the results of this enhancement.

[Infused with a large amount of mysterious power, energy increased by 95%]

[Infused with a large amount of mysterious power, vitality increased by 110%]

[Infused with a large amount of mysterious power, the basic effects of strength, constitution, agility, and spirit increased by 80%]

[Infused with a large amount of mysterious power, overall recovery ability (including energy, vitality, spirit, etc.) increased by 90%]

[Infused with a large amount of mysterious power, comprehension of all things (including formations, Laws, skills, talents, etc.) increased by 100%]

[Infused with a large amount of mysterious power, lifespan reduced by 3000 years!]

[Infused with a large amount of mysterious power, unknown resistance increased by 20 points!]

[Infused with a large amount of mysterious power, body potential rank increased by +3!]

Looking at this glaring list of data, Sterl finally understood why his body was filled with such immense power.

Upon seeing the final entry, Sterl couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.

"Indeed, my body potential rank has increased again!"

He carefully sensed the changes and realized that the amount of power he could now bear had increased significantly.

If his body had once been like a vast lake, capable of holding only as much water as a lake could, now it was gradually transforming from a lake into an ocean!

Of course, the actual situation was even more exaggerated than this metaphor, considering that Sterl's current power tier was far beyond what could be described by a lake and an ocean.

"As long as my body potential rank keeps improving, with the help of this cheat power, I can completely disregard any concerns and rapidly grow stronger!"

Sterl thought excitedly.

However, amidst his excitement, it seemed he had missed something.

"Wait! This is..."

Sterl froze for a moment, then fixed his gaze on the third-to-last entry. This entry was supposed to be about the increase in lifespan.

Since his cultivation had only been for a few years, he had never really paid attention to his lifespan. After all, with an infinite supply of energy, he had never bothered to estimate how long his life would last.

What he hadn't expected was that, this time, instead of increasing his lifespan, the soul power refining had actually caused a significant loss. His lifespan had been reduced by a full 3000 years!

This was no small number. Even legendary creatures had lifespans of only about a thousand years, and gods, who were said to have eternal lifespans, only maintained their life through the power of faith. Their actual lifespans were no more than ten thousand years.

A loss of 3000 years of lifespan was not something to be taken lightly for any powerful being.

"No wonder..."

Sterl pressed his hand against his chest, where the odd sensation and stabbing pain seemed to be the negative effects of his lifespan depletion.

Furthermore, lifespan was tied to one's life source and vitality. The stronger the lifespan, the stronger the vitality; when the lifespan is depleted, vitality is also affected.

Sterl's expression darkened slightly as he carefully assessed the situation, his face relaxing a bit.

His vitality had indeed weakened, but thanks to the Star-Bone Sacred Body, the degree of weakening was negligible.

"It seems that my lifespan is even longer than I imagined. Losing a full three thousand years of life doesn't seem to be too serious.

And this loss isn't a decrease in my maximum vitality; it's just simple life force depletion, and there's room to recover."

Sterl's face returned to normal.

While treasures capable of replenishing vitality were rare, given his strength, acquiring one would be quite simple—after all, it's merely a matter of restoring life force.

But increasing the maximum lifespan and extending one's life was much more difficult. Such treasures, if they appeared, would quickly attract the attention of countless powerful beings.

Moreover, with the Perfect Regeneration and Purification of Immortality granted by his Star-Bone Sacred Body, even if he did nothing, the life force he had lost would gradually recover.

[2. Purification of Immortality: Your blood carries the sacred Star-Bone Purification Factor, capable of purging all toxins, diseases... dispelling curses and malevolent thoughts, while transforming all negative energy into life-nourishing power, constantly repairing cells, delaying aging, and maintaining peak vitality.

(Under the influence of unknown forces, the Star-Bone Purification Factor will actively absorb free energy, including but not limited to light, heat, electricity, nuclear energy, elements, Divine Power... and 297,863 other types of energy, keeping the body perpetually vital.)

3. Perfect Regeneration: When the body suffers any damage, the Power of Star-Bone instantly merges with the body's cells, causing severed limbs to regenerate in an instant. The body restored by the Power of Star-Bone is then tempered by the Power of Star-Bone, permanently increasing its resistance, defense, and physical strength.

(Under the influence of unknown forces, the effect of the Power of Star-Bone tempering is enhanced: 10.)] freēnovelkiss.com

"I need to find a way to acquire some Star Bones and enhance the strength of my Star-Bone Sacred Body."

Sterl murmured to himself.

He was becoming increasingly aware of how crucial the Star-Bone Sacred Body was to him. Its greatest strength wasn't the amplification of the Star-Bone Body itself, but rather the other auxiliary abilities.

These abilities might seem ordinary at first glance, but their effects, though invisible, were essential and irreplaceable.

"The tiers of Dreamland are no weaker than the [Transcendence] grand world. The Dream Spirit Empire has dominated the world for tens of thousands of years, and perhaps within their accumulated treasures, there are quite a few Star Bones."

Among the many worlds, the more common terms for Star Bones were the Core of the World and fragments of the Core of the World.

Obtaining the Core of the World is extremely difficult. It is a treasure that only comes into existence under rare circumstances, when a world falls and, by chance, is influenced by unknown forces.

Such a level of treasure holds immense attraction for any strong being, especially for those who focus on techniques.

The Core of the World has a powerful amplifying effect on the cultivation of techniques.

However, while the Core of the World is hard to obtain, with Sterl's strength, acquiring fragments of the Core of the World shouldn't be too difficult.

Keeping a careful mind, Sterl shifted his focus to the Soul Devourer Sphere, his expression becoming solemn.

This time, the soul power tempering appeared to be quick, seemingly done with the blink of an eye, but the risks were increased by more than tenfold.

If not for his strong resistance, the mortality rate would have been no less than 40%!

Fortunately, by absorbing three hundred thousand high-level soul power at once, his resistance to soul power increased by 20 points, reaching a level of 60 points now.

Then, a peculiar look appeared in Sterl's eyes as he controlled the Soul Devourer Sphere, infusing ten thousand soul power into his body.

A few minutes later, the ten thousand soul power was absorbed and merged, and his overall strength improved slightly. However, to his disappointment, his body's potential tier did not increase, and neither his lifespan nor resistance saw any improvement.

"Indeed, to continuously improve resistance, I must absorb more soul power than before all at once to provide sufficient stimulation."

After obtaining a definite result, a complex expression appeared on Sterl's face.

In his view, the Soul Devourer Sphere was like Pandora's Box—once it was used, one would either forgo the exaggerated rewards or face increasingly terrifying risks.

It was possible that at any moment, with the closing of his eyes, he might never awaken again.

But it was naturally impossible for Sterl to abandon the Soul Devourer Sphere.

To him, the importance of the Soul Devourer Sphere was second only to the cheat. The cheat was the foundation of everything, but the Soul Devourer Sphere was his greatest aid during these stages. Without this Soul Treasure, his progress in becoming stronger would at least decrease by several dozen times!

Not only that, but the evolution of the cheat also required soul-level advancements, which seemed incredibly distant.

With that thought, Sterl was even less likely to give up this aid.

Although the Pandora's Box was frightening, he was confident he could suppress it and turn its risks into benefits!

...