Protoganist's Sidekick Fights Back-Chapter 50: Star Forged Baptism - 2

Closing his eyes, Su Kang guided the faint silver wisps of energy into his newly formed meridians.

Unlike the familiar flow of spiritual qi, which moved like a gentle stream, this energy carried a strange duality—ethereal yet dense, weightless yet profound.

It didn't clash with his body; instead, it seemed to meld seamlessly, as if it had always belonged there.

He traced the single Astral Meridian that had emerged during his transformation—a new pathway running parallel to his spiritual meridians.

It felt broader, tougher, as though forged through countless trials.

When Astral Qi entered it, there was no resistance, no struggle for control—it was absorbed seamlessly, as if this meridian had been waiting for it all along.

Along its length, nine dormant acupoints flickered like faint stars, waiting to awaken.

"Were they always there, hidden deep within my body? Or did the Star-Forged Physique create them from nothing?"

With steady focus, he directed the Astral Qi into the first acupoint. A faint silver glow flickered beneath his skin as the acupoint stirred, drinking in the energy with a quiet hunger.

The sensation was unlike anything he had experienced before. There was no swelling sense of fullness, no accumulation of power.

Instead, the Astral Qi sank deep into his flesh, permeating his muscles, bones, and even his cells.

"It's not for storage... it's for refining the body itself."

The energy spread through him, tempering his physique on the most fundamental level.

Every breath carried traces of Astral Qi into his bloodstream, reinforcing his body from within.

The nine acupoints acted as refining chambers, drawing in the energy and breaking it down into microscopic fragments before dispersing it across his being.

One by one, he guided the energy through the acupoints. The second, the third—each one awakened with a subtle hum, resonating with the rhythm of the cosmos.

By the time he reached the ninth, a transformation began to take hold.

His muscles grew denser, his bones heavier, yet his body felt lighter, as if an invisible force was tempering every inch of his flesh.

His strength did not skyrocket... but each movement felt more precise—as if his entire body had become an instrument, tuned to some distant celestial rhythm.

When the last trace of Astral Qi finally dissolved into his flesh, Su Kang opened his eyes.

A subtle sheen of sweat clung to his skin—yet beneath the fatigue, he felt... whole.

Even without circulating the technique, his Astral Meridian pulsed faintly—absorbing traces of silver from the air itself. A living artifact constantly tempering itself.

Hours passed in silent meditation. By the time he completed the first cycle of Stardust Infusion, his spiritual qi reserves were nearly depleted, yet his body still craved more Astral Qi.

He sat in silence, eyes closed, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. It was different now—stronger, more resonant.

Each pulse echoed through his being, carrying a faint celestial rhythm, like the slow turning of stars in the night sky.

He exhaled slowly, suppressing the dull ache pressing against his consciousness.

He allowed his mind to drift—skimming the surface of his own soul.

That was when he sensed it.

The Strange Mark.

It lay at the deepest recess of his mind, a faint star-like imprint, neither dormant nor truly awake.

He had not paid it much attention before, too preoccupied with his physical transformation.

Su Kang hesitated before brushing against it with his consciousness. The moment he did, reality shifted.

Vastness - Not the kind one could describe—the kind one could feel. The kind that stripped away the weight of existence and replaced it with something far greater.

Silence - Not an absence of sound, but a silence so absolute it rang louder than any noise. A silence that had existed long before the first word was spoken.

A rhythm - Slow, ceaseless, eternal. A beat that carried the weight of distant stars, of worlds yet unseen.

And then, as abruptly as it came, the sensation vanished.

Su Kang's eyes snapped open, his breath unsteady. The mark remained, silent and unyielding, offering no answers.

It did not respond to his probing.

Nor did it resist.

It simply... existed.

"What...is this?" Su Kang's brows furrowed.

"Fate," he called out in his mind, his voice steady but laced with unease.

"What is this... thing inside my spiritual consciousness?"

A long silence stretched before the indifferent voice answered. "I am not certain."

Su Kang's eyes narrowed, his heart growing heavier. For a brief moment, he had hoped Fate might have an explanation. But this... this was something even it couldn't decipher.

"Well, there are many secrets still buried in this world."

He forced his thoughts to calm, though the weight of the unknown pressed against his mind.

"I... saw something when the Astral Qi touched my spiritual consciousness," he said slowly, recounting the vision—the boundless cosmos stretching into eternity.

The infinite stars flickering across the void, and the profound rhythm that had resonated deep within his soul. Even now, the memory made his spirit tremble.

"I don't know if it was an illusion or something more," Su Kang murmured.

Fate remained silent for several breaths. When it finally spoke, there was a faint hint of certainty in its usually cold tone.

"It is possible... that you glimpsed the laws contained within the Astral Essence."

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Su Kang's heart skipped a beat. The laws—the very foundation of this world.

"But that's impossible," he muttered.

"I'm still in the Core Formation realm. How could I glimpse something like that?"

"You are correct. Ordinarily, such a thing would be beyond your comprehension. However... there are rare instances where cultivators accidentally glimpse the boundless cosmos through supreme treasures or ancient inheritances."

Su Kang's brows furrowed. A mere glimpse... and it had left this mark on his soul? What would happen if someone truly comprehended such laws? His fingers clenched into a fist.

"I don't know how long it lasted," Su Kang said slowly. "It felt like only a few breaths... but when I woke up, I found cracks in my Sanctuary."

The Sanctuary of the Unwavering Soul—his fortress, was no longer whole.

Faint, jagged fractures stretched across its once-unbreakable walls, fine as hairline cracks on ancient jade

He reached out with his mind, brushing against the fractures, and immediately, a dull ache lanced through his consciousness.

But ...now, faint hairline fractures stretched across its walls—so subtle they were almost invisible.

His foundation had not collapsed, but it had been shaken. And in cultivation, a damaged soul was far more terrifying than a wounded body.

"You saw something that your soul could not withstand," Fate said indifferently. "The damage will take time to repair."

Su Kang's heart sank. It felt like a scar to him, left by something beyond his understanding.

The unknown had always been the greatest fear of cultivators. It was one thing to face death—another entirely to carry something inside without knowing whether it was a blessing or a ticking poison.

"I see," he said quietly, closing his eyes and steadying his breath.

"This would create problem for my cultivation. I need to heal my mind and soul first." He sighed.

If even Fate couldn't see through this mark, then there was no point in worrying about things beyond his reach.

For now, he would focus on what he could control—his body, his cultivation, and the path ahead.

For now, Su Kang would walk the path before him, one step at a time.

With the last trace of strength, Su Kang laid back on the cold floor.

The silver mark flickered faintly in the depths of his mind—silent, unmoving, yet undeniably there.

His body ached with exhaustion, his mind teetering on the edge of consciousness.

His body was drained, his soul trembling from unseen scars, his mind tired from the painful process.

Sleep claimed him within breaths—his consciousness sinking into a dreamless void.