Chapter 37: The Three-Star Mission

“Body of Space?” Qingxi’s breath caught in his throat. He had just learned of the Body of Stars, and now another—Body of Space—had appeared, making him unspeakably excited.

“Little Helper, is it true that the cultivation world is home to all sorts of legendary invincible physiques?”

“There are indeed, but they have nothing to do with you,” Little Helper replied, converting the spatial energy from the storage bracelet as he explained.

“So there really are invincible physiques? This world is truly magnificent. I wonder, once I’ve forged the Body of Stars and the Body of Space, will I be able to sweep across the realm?”

“…”

Little Helper was at a loss for words. “It’d be good if you’re not the one getting beaten to a pulp. As for sweeping the world—don’t be so ambitious. The cultivation world may look unimpressive on the surface, but hidden invincible experts abound. For now, curb your lofty ambitions.”

“But I have the Body of Space!” Qingxi retorted, watching the spatial energy continue to merge with his body, as if it were only natural.

“The Body of Space requires an enormous amount of spatial energy to truly take form. You only have a single, lowest-grade storage bracelet. Where does this confidence come from?” Little Helper couldn’t resist a jab.

“One should always have dreams! What if they come true? At worst, I’ll find ten thousand storage bracelets and absorb them all—maybe then I’ll succeed. By the way, why can’t I just convert the spatial energy of the cultivation world itself?”

“Your train of thought truly is unique… The system currently cannot convert the spatial energy of the great world. Once more: curb your ambitions!”

“I call it having grand ideals!” Qingxi’s skin was thick.

Little Helper dearly wished he could take on physical form and give Qingxi a proper thrashing, but he knew all too well that if he ever had a physical body, Qingxi would be the first to rush in and beat him senseless in return.

As the two bickered, all the spatial energy in the storage bracelet was absorbed and transformed. With a crisp crack, the bracelet, drained of power, shattered.

Qingxi caught it lightly in his hand as it turned to dust and scattered on the wind.

“At last, all the spatial energy has been refined, though it was dreadfully slow,” Qingxi said, standing up. He took a step forward, only to realize that nothing felt different.

“Shouldn’t I have mastered teleportation by now?” He was left standing there, dumbfounded.

“Hahaha… With just a wisp of spatial energy, and you want to teleport?” Little Helper almost crashed from laughter, sending a flurry of information to Qingxi with the gentle care one might show a fool.

Qingxi opened the panel and read the following:

[Host’s Physiques: Body of Stars, Body of Space]

[Body of Stars: Draw upon the power of myriad stars; move mountains, fill seas, chase the sun, and cut down strong foes.]

[Body of Stars Progress: 1/10,000]

[Body of Space: Command spatial power; teleport, twist space, seal the void, open new dimensions, transport objects… In short, wield immense strength.]

[Body of Space Progress: 1/10,000]

Seeing the five-digit numbers after the slashes, Qingxi licked his lips and said, “Let’s not talk about the Body of Stars for now—if I can gather ten thousand storage bracelets, I could truly obtain the Body of Space. Wonderful!”

“First, you’d have to get your hands on ten thousand storage bracelets!” Little Helper imagined himself rolling his eyes. “Forget it. I need a break. I’ve sent you the details on the Body of Space. Read them yourself!”

With a chime, Qingxi noticed a new line on his system panel.

[Body of Space User Guide (Click to view)]

He reached out and tapped it. Instantly, a stream of information surged into his mind: a more detailed introduction and usage guide for the Body of Space.

Within, it was explained that the Body of Space could indeed enable teleportation, create new spaces, seal voids, and other near-omnipotent feats. Yet with his current, pitiful amount of spatial energy, he couldn’t use any of them.

The only ability available was spatial interference.

Spatial interference, as described, allowed him to use his internal spatial energy to create a spatial interference zone at a chosen location, altering the trajectory of any object passing through.

“So that’s how it works. I understand now.”

Qingxi tossed a stone upward, then, as the system had described, activated that slender thread of spatial energy, forming a fist-sized interference zone where the stone would fall.

What happened next made Qingxi’s eyes light up.

The stone, which should have fallen straight down, suddenly veered off course and shot right back at him.

“Damn!”

He had no time to dodge, and the stone smacked into his forehead, leaving a swollen bump.

“The function is excellent, but I definitely need more practice!”

Qingxi drew a sharp breath, rubbing his forehead, his eyes shining ever brighter.

After practicing through the night, Qingxi had completely mastered spatial interference. He could now alter the path of any stone thrown at him, making it fly wherever he wished.

Although, for now, the only ability he had with his meager spatial energy was this, it was already enough for him.

For when he used spatial energy, the cost was almost negligible. Though only one interference zone could exist at a time, in battle it could work wonders.

“With the ability to interfere with space, I finally have hope of completing the three-star mission to find the Water Spirit Pearl.” Qingxi packed his things and, after bidding farewell to Ouyang Changfeng, headed to the mission hall.

At the hall’s doors, Qingxi ran into Nie Yu.

With him were the brothers Tang Jiang and Tang Hai.

After their journey through the Tiger Roar Woods, the three held a genuine respect for Qingxi. If not for his decisive intervention, suppressing Li Xingyao, the rest of them would have returned empty-handed—if not worse, severely punished.

“Junior Brother, heading back to Tiger Roar Woods?” Nie Yu greeted him warmly, pushing through the crowd.

“No, I’m planning to go to the West Sand River,” Qingxi replied honestly. “I urgently need more points, so I intend to take on a more challenging three-star mission.”

Though he’d earned nearly four hundred points in Tiger Roar Woods, that had been by robbing disciples of the Crimson Flame Sect. If he stuck to honest herb-collecting missions, he’d be lucky to earn a few dozen.

Besides, he had already set his sights on the three-star mission to collect Water Spirit Pearls and had no plans to return to Tiger Roar Woods for now.

“A three-star mission?”

Nie Yu’s mouth twitched. He was only at the twenty-first level of Qi Refinement and, as an alchemist, not strong in combat. For him, a three-star mission was a daunting prospect.

The Tang brothers, Tang Hai and Tang Jiang, were also taken aback.

“Three-star missions are very difficult. Our cultivation is too low—even as a team, we couldn’t complete it,” Tang Hai said, trying to dissuade Qingxi from taking the risk.

It was true that Qingxi had once unleashed a power that crushed Li Xingyao, but that strength had come from Ouyang Changfeng. It was a one-time boon, not a permanent solution.

“A three-star mission is too risky. Better to stick to herb-collecting. If that doesn’t work, we could always help the old granny in the next village plant vegetables,” Nie Yu advised kindly.

“Or how about this: we return to Tiger Roar Woods and lie in wait for more Crimson Flame Sect disciples? If we could trap another disciple at the peak of Qi Refinement, wouldn’t that be thrilling?” Tang Hai seemed unable to let go of their previous adventure.

If they set their traps in advance, even with their meager strength, they could still ambush a few more Crimson Flame Sect disciples and rack up points.

Qingxi shook his head, his gaze resolute. “No. I’m going to West Sand River. I’m determined to complete this three-star mission.”

“My, what big words—from a mere outer sect disciple, no less! You think you can meddle in three-star missions? Seems to me you’re looking for death.” A mocking voice suddenly rang out from nearby.

The words were like a bomb dropped in the crowd. Countless astonished gazes turned their way, converging upon them.