"Incredible… it really is the power of the stars. This star power is infused within the heaven and earth energy, and once it enters the body, refining it is even easier than absorbing ordinary spiritual energy. It's not just easier—it's at least ten times faster. Training with this kind of star power… I could make a thousand miles of progress in a single day. With this kind of assistance, I can start attacking my second meridian!"
Yi Tianxing sank his consciousness into his body and began circulating the Heavenly Dragon Imperial Scripture. Waves of heaven and earth energy surged through his first opened meridian like a tidal flood. It was rapidly refined and transformed into streams of True Dragon Qi. The speed of this transformation, the overwhelming sense of growing stronger—truly intoxicating. He was completely immersed, unable to pull himself away.
The speed was just too fast. It felt as if a mighty expert was pouring enlightenment directly into his mind.
Every second, the True Dragon Qi surged.
"Time to break through the second meridian—the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian. The meridian path follows the principle of yin and yang complementing each other."
"The Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian has eleven acupoints: Zhongfu, Yunmen, Tianfu, Xiabai, Chize, Kongzui, Lieque, Jingqu, Taiyuan, Yuji, and Shaoshang. To open this meridian river, I'll need to pass through eleven checkpoints. But it's easier than the Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian. I must seize this moment while star power is so abundant to break through in one go."
Yi Tianxing pondered silently.
He already had a deep understanding of the body's meridians. He had studied traditional martial arts and medicine—inseparable disciplines. The meridian charts were long etched into his memory. Now, just a single thought was enough to visualize them clearly. This time, he was going to open his second meridian river.
The flood of star power entering his body was an opportunity too good to miss. Even the energy he expended could be recovered almost instantly. Missing this chance would be a mistake worth smashing his head against a wall.
With a thought and no hesitation, he resumed cultivating. He directed his True Qi toward the path of the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian and began his meridian impact.
Time passed quietly.
Outside, many survivors were pale from shock at the sight of the blazing stars overhead. On each star, familiar images appeared—scenes from legendary stories, mythologies, and even iconic films and novels. Every survivor, regardless of culture, was stunned by the celestial display.
In both East and West, people gaped in disbelief.
Western survivors saw images of magical worlds, wizards, and the like. Many screamed about God, their faces a mixture of fanaticism and terror. No one could have imagined such sights outside of a dream.
The cataclysm had lasted five full days. The death toll was unimaginable.
Even "one in a hundred survived" was considered optimistic.
Civilization was destroyed. The modern world was utterly gone. And now this… this surreal sky.
Yet the stars did not care. They hung in the sky, unmoving, even growing in number. Just looking at them induced fear and pressure in the minds of those below.
Time pushed forward.
With the appearance of the stars, more people began to experience strange awakenings—life apertures—gaining supernatural abilities. And the rate of awakening was not low. This sparked hope and ambition alike.
In the underground parking garage, Zhao Ziyan and the others were also deep in cultivation.
Suddenly, the ambient heaven and earth energy rushed madly into specific parts of their bodies, as if drawn by some unseen force. They didn't need to control it—the energy simply poured into them.
Zhao Ziyan felt energy rush into her eyes.
So did Tang Zitong.
Chen Xuerou experienced a similar phenomenon, but the energy surged into her chest.
Though none of the women noticed it during their cultivation, the moment their bodies began to change, they sensed something. Remembering their conversation with Yi Tianxing about life apertures, they quickly realized they were likely awakening one. Ecstatic, they dared not interfere, letting the transformation proceed naturally.
And they weren't alone—many others in the garage began awakening life apertures.
The heaven and earth energy outside was just too dense. With the stars blazing, the star power was overwhelmingly abundant. People, long starved of energy due to the polluted environment of the modern era, were now thrown into a spiritual ocean. Their bodies were extremely sensitive to the change, making it the perfect moment for awakening.
Of course, only those born with dormant life apertures could awaken them. Otherwise, nothing would happen no matter how strong the energy. The intense stimulation merely opened what was already hidden within.
Luck and fate both played a part.
But the star power was simply too rich—excessively so. The stimulation was overwhelming. A massive number of survivors began awakening their apertures.
And the abilities granted were wildly diverse. Each life aperture gave different kinds of mystical powers.
"What's going on? The heaven and earth energy is flowing into my Dantian."
At that moment, a strange change occurred in Yi Tianxing's body as well. Though his focus was on breaking through his meridians, part of the external energy suddenly surged into his Dantian, as if drawn by some irresistible force. It didn't stop—streams of energy kept pouring in and vanished without a trace.
His Dantian became like a bottomless pit, madly devouring the surrounding heaven and earth energy and star power.
It was like tossing stones into the sea—they disappeared instantly.
Yi Tianxing practiced the correct path of cultivation, opening a Divine Sea at the navel and unlocking the body's treasures. Normally, the Dantian was abandoned—it was no longer used as a primary Qi reservoir. It had been empty and inactive. Under normal circumstances, it would serve no purpose.
But now, the Dantian was devouring energy without end, and Yi Tianxing couldn't control it at all.
This was beyond strange, mysterious and unfathomable.
"Could I be awakening another life aperture? Something besides the Innate Yin-Yang Eyes?"
The thought struck him, and the more he considered it, the more he felt it had to be true.
But even if it was a life aperture awakening, he could not interfere. It was happening naturally.
No matter what kind of life aperture it was, if it could awaken on its own, it was a blessing from the heavens. It meant he could skip all the precious materials and cultivation techniques normally required.
After observing for a while, Yi Tianxing returned his focus to his meridian breakthrough.
He couldn't interfere in the awakening anyway. The energy flowed into the Dantian on its own. It had no impact on his cultivation.
The process of opening the meridian was incredibly smooth. One checkpoint after another fell before him. As the meridian cleared, any impurities and toxins it contained were drawn into the Divine Sea and immediately refined by the ancestral dragon's flames. All filth was burned to ash, leaving nothing behind.
Others might expel black sludge or suffer stomach trouble for days after breaking through.
But not him. Everything was refined into nothingness.
Such was the power and overbearing nature of the Heavenly Dragon Imperial Scripture.
"Hu!"
Yi Tianxing finally emerged from his meditative state. He opened his eyes, a trace of joy flashing within them.
"The second meridian—the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian—is open. I can absorb heaven and earth energy even faster now. The True Qi also nourishes my flesh, strengthening the muscles and tissues around the meridians."
Having opened two meridians, he was now much stronger than before.
The amount of True Dragon Qi stored in his Divine Sea had grown significantly. If conditions were suitable, he could have begun breaking through the third meridian immediately.
The star power was too abundant, too extraordinary. It felt like dwelling in a fairyland. He almost didn't want to leave it.
"The Dantian is still absorbing star power and heaven and earth energy. What kind of life aperture is awakening?"
Yi Tianxing probed his Dantian and discovered it was still pulling in massive amounts of energy. But he couldn't see inside—he had no way of knowing what was changing.
All he could do was let the Dantian continue on its own.
"If I can't open more meridians right now… I'll cultivate the Innate Yin-Yang Eyes."
This was a natural life aperture, one he had been born with—mysterious and infinitely profound. Life apertures could be cultivated.
With a thought, he immersed his mind into the Innate Yin-Yang Eyes.
It was a strange black-and-white space.
A black and white Yin-Yang diagram spun slowly at the center.
The diagram absorbed ambient heaven and earth energy into the Yin-Yang space, refining it into Innate Yin-Yang Qi. Five Yin-Yang Locks floated on the diagram, constantly being tempered by the qi. As the diagram spun, it too was evolving, with traces of Yin-Yang Dao Rhythms weaving and transforming within it.