Chapter 137: Fame
Chapter 137: Fame
— Fierce and Brave!
Staring fixedly at Li Yi, two words surfaced in Zhao Tianji’s heart.
Even he felt it was absurd: how could a mage known for elegance and depth give off a sense of being fierce and brave?
But the scene before him was truly impactful!
That pale cyan light originated from the soul and could actually restrain three stars, even more unfathomable than the Zhangsun Clan’s “Floating Light Water Lily.”
That pitch-black Black Dragon, needless to say, was a Bloodline Ability, and an extremely rare and powerful one at that.
What truly nearly made his eyes pop out was Li Yi’s action of grabbing the stars.
One must know that each of these stars was a condensation of stellar essence, radiating violent stellar pulsations.
The reason Yan Zhao could grasp “Zhenxing” was because he had the “Body of Breathing Soil” and had activated his Bloodline Ability—”Thick Earth Skin,” which provided strong defense.
Yet Li Yi was merely flesh and blood, with no magical fluctuations on his body at all, and he grabbed a star?
“This little fellow, could he be a dragon descendant?” Zhao Tianji thought to himself, secretly shocked. “Or perhaps, it’s an awakening of an Ancient Bloodline?”
Li Yi was not having an easy time.
That “Lianzhen” star felt as heavy as ten thousand jun and struggled incessantly, trying to escape.
He had to use all his strength, operating the “Mammoth’s Firmness” and the “Sea Demon’s Softness” to a seamless degree just to barely hold onto it.
After a short while, the starry sky collapsed, and the stars scattered.
The vast majority of people gained nothing.
Those few who successfully captured stars took them into their bodies one after another.
“Five stars, can he absorb them all?” Hua Lianxing’s lips parted slightly. She was stunned for a long moment before speaking doubtfully.
“He’s not afraid of bursting…” You Qiushui sneered coldly, as sarcastic as ever.
Zhangsun Shenji, Yan Zhao, Yu Qian, and others each drew a star into their bodies. Su Xuan’er had beads of sweat on her forehead; she had taken two stars, making the refining process more difficult.
But Li Yi’s refining was different from the others.
The pale cyan light was like an all-absorbing sea. The three stars—”Taibai,” “Suixing,” and “Yinghuo”—gradually dissolved into it, merging into his soul.
That “Qisha” star also didn’t struggle for too long. It was encircled and then swallowed whole by the Black Dragon.
Finally, only one “Lianzhen” star remained.
“Hmph, I’ll just bite into you!” Li Yi hardened his heart, and in front of everyone’s eyes, he directly stuffed the star into his mouth and swallowed it.
“Aaah—” The crowd stared in shock, looking at him as if he were a monster.
“Ugh!” Li Yi grunted softly. It felt like a river of fire flowed down his throat, searing pain spreading from his esophagus to his throat.
After several deep breaths, his muscles tensed and relaxed. Carefully, he sent the star into his abdomen.
Inside his body, the Dragon Turtle Bloodline was busy advancing, while the Li Dragon Bloodline was busy devouring “Qisha.”
However, these two bloodlines came from Mana feedback and Six Strategies Qi respectively. Li Yi’s bloodline was mixed and still contained many fragmented bloodlines, such as “Lionheart,” “Cold Crow,” “Huace,” and others.
These slumbering bloodlines suddenly surged up all at once, swarming forward to tear apart and consume that “Lianzhen” star.
“This is just… amazing…”
An indescribably wonderful sensation washed over his entire body, bringing comfort and ease.
Li Yi closed his eyes, quietly perceiving the changes inside him.
Nourished by the three stars—”Taibai,” “Suixing,” and “Yinghuo”—the damage in his soul was completely repaired.
His soul, originally tinged with a pale cyan ethereality, now also carried the lofty brilliance of starlight.
What excited him even more was that deep within his soul, a rune wobbled, revealing half of itself.
He immediately understood. This “bud just showing its tip” rune was a Soul Rune, which meant—a talent ability!
With patient care and careful nurturing, within three to five years, it would become a new talent ability.
“An unexpected surprise, very good…” Li Yi nodded, his face beaming with joy.
Descending his consciousness further to investigate, his expression shifted slightly, becoming thoughtful.
The Bloodline Rune—”Lurking Abyss”—had become more intricate and smooth. He could clearly feel that the bloodline had grown much stronger. However, it didn’t show any signs of advancing.
This wasn’t surprising either. That “Bearing the Stele” rune had already shown signs of advancement when nourished by the Six Strategies Qi. Later, that strange drop of purple liquid was just the final push.
Looking further down, his expression turned odd, and he let out a bitter laugh.
More than a dozen fragmented bloodlines had fought over the star, each gaining very little, with almost no visible changes.
“No wonder noble families place such importance on blood purity! The purer the bloodline, the simpler it is to cultivate…”
He understood this, but he couldn’t overcome it.
Li Yi was a person from hundreds of years later; having a mixed bloodline was inevitable.
“I wonder if there’s a way to specifically strengthen a single bloodline?” Li Yi thought slowly as he continued his internal observation.
At this moment, everyone’s eyes were fixed on him like nails.
Five stars!
This might be the highest record since the existence of “Stellar Praise”!
“You… are called Li Yi?” Zhao Tianji showed an interested expression and asked, “Can you tell us how you managed to obtain five stars?”
“It’s not that complicated,” Li Yi raised his head, a sharp smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. “Because I have a Bloodline Ability that is currently advancing.”
“A Bloodline Ability advancing? What does that have to do with this?”
Not only Zhao Tianji, but several elders were also confused.
“If it weren’t for this Bloodline Ability being in the middle of advancing, I could have taken around eight stars… Without it, I could only take five.”
Li Yi’s tone was casual when he said this, but it was undoubtedly a depth charge!
Everyone was stunned. This little fellow was too arrogant, too proud, simply looking down on everyone else!
The gazes directed at him instantly became much more complex—there was envy, scorn, and unspoken mockery.
Li Yi, however, remained expressionless.
He had already made up his mind. Since he had decided to make a name for himself, he would be unrestrained and show off to the utmost!
Moreover, it was the truth.
With the aid of “Bearing the Stele” to suppress the stars, taking three more was actually a conservative estimate.
Zhao Tianji frowned, also feeling that this youth was too sharp and his words too arrogant. He offered some advice: “Li Yi, it’s good for young people to be spirited, but bragging is not good…”
“Every word I said is true,” Li Yi shrugged and said calmly.
“Oh? You still don’t accept it?” Upon hearing this, Zhao Tianji’s frown deepened.
The youth’s talent made him eager, and he already had thoughts of taking him as a disciple. But he felt this arrogance needed to be tempered; he couldn’t just let it be.
“In that case,” Zhao Tianji had an idea and provoked, “do you have the guts to let me use ‘Star Observation Art’ to examine you? My ‘Star Observation Art’ can see not only stars but also makes souls and bloodlines unable to hide.”
“Go ahead!” Li Yi nodded.
“Brave!”
Praising him, Zhao Tianji’s fingers flickered. Several magical hand seals bloomed like flowers. Starlight flowed from his pupils, gushing forth like a river, pouring down.
Roar!
An earth-shaking roar erupted. Within the starry river, a massive phantom floated out from above Li Yi’s head!
“Soul Manifestation!”
Zhao Tianji’s face showed astonishment.
Elders like Gu Yan and You Qiushui all looked stunned, especially You Qiushui. Strong surprise twisted her face.
Li Yi’s bloodline was clearly extremely mediocre, so how could a Soul Manifestation appear? One must know that even for superior bloodlines, the probability of a Soul Manifestation appearing wasn’t very high.
“Could my Zhenxing Liuren Pan be wrong? What exactly is going on?” You Qiushui was full of confusion.
Looking at the phantom, it resembled a Dragon but seemed to blend the appearances of countless strange beasts. Its aura was eerie, profound, domineering, and overbearing.
Li Yi looked up at that Soul Manifestation, somewhat at a loss for words.
“Now, with the addition of the Great Soft-Shelled Turtle Aura and stellar essence to the soul, it’s even more mixed than my bloodline…”
As he pondered, two Bloodline Runes shot up from his chest and abdomen!
One Bloodline Rune meandered like a Black Dragon, emitting a cold aura.
The other was a milky-white giant cocoon that seemed tranquil, but from time to time, a Dragon Turtle’s deep roar echoed like thunder!
“Really, there’s another Bloodline Ability? And such a powerful one!” Zhao Tianji looked astonished and murmured, “This lost pearl in the sea is far too big!”
“He’s not any of your disciples, right?” He glanced around and asked.
Several elders shook their heads simultaneously, their eyes complex—filled with envy and regret. They perfectly understood Zhao Tianji’s thoughts.
“He is my disciple, but that doesn’t conflict with you, Manor Lord,” Wu Yi, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up with a smile.
“What? He’s also an Armament Master?” Zhao Tianji’s mouth hung open, utterly shocked.