Breakthrough!"
Qi Yuan grinned, a subtle sense of exhilaration rising within him.
The original body had been stuck at the third-tier Star-Level for an unknown amount of time, constrained by secret techniques and limited resources.
Now that the breakthrough had finally happened, he felt incredibly relieved and elated!
"To think that my first attempt at cultivation led to a breakthrough! The Nine Radiances Body Refining technique is definitely much more powerful than the incomplete methods I used before!" Qi Yuan thought, while feeling the changes in his body after the breakthrough.
Of course, he also understood that the reason for such a smooth breakthrough was twofold.
First, he had already accumulated a significant amount of energy at the second-tier Star-Level. He had been progressing toward the third-tier for a long time.
Second, the original owner had been living on Lei Yuan Star, where cultivation resources were scarce. He had relied solely on absorbing cosmic energy for his cultivation.
It could be said that his cells had been in a "starving state," always hungry for energy.
Now, using the Wood Ya Crystal—a precious item ideal for Star-Level cultivation—this was the perfect opportunity for him to maximize the effects.
However, Qi Yuan knew this was a one-time occurrence.
After all, once the cells were "full," they would need time to digest the energy. He couldn't keep absorbing the Wood Ya Crystals at the same speed.
"My cells need time to digest, and I can't keep absorbing Wood Ya Crystals for now. I'll focus on studying the accompanying Nine Radiance Sky Blade," Qi Yuan decided.
He opened the information about the Nine Radiance Sky Blade on his auxiliary holographic screen and began to carefully review it.
The Nine Radiance Sky Blade, though called a blade technique, was essentially a method for amplifying force.
This force amplification technique could be applied not only to blades but also to swordplay, body movements, and even defensive techniques.
The full Nine Radiance Sky Blade consisted of thirty-three stages. Each completed stage would amplify the force by three times.
However, the Lei Bao Star Master had only provided Qi Yuan with the first twelve stages of the technique.
According to the technique's description, an apprentice could master the first three stages, a planet-level cultivator could reach stages four to six, a star-level cultivator could master stages seven to nine, and a cosmic-level cultivator could reach stages ten to twelve.
Qi Yuan's original body had never received complete guidance, and his technique and force control had mostly been self-taught.
Now, he was only able to reach a force amplification of nine times, just a slight improvement over the Thunder God's strength at the Planetary Level.
But according to the Nine Radiance Sky Blade technique, with Qi Yuan's current third-tier Star-Level power, completing stage seven should increase his amplification to at least twenty-one times! A full twelve times stronger!
This was the clear difference between having a secret technique and not having one!
"I wonder how many stages I can complete now... Let's test it!" Qi Yuan thought.
He closed the auxiliary screen and took out his second-tier Force Battle Sword from his spatial ring.
The battle sword was pitch-black, about 1.2 meters long, with a thick spine and straight blade, resembling the traditional ring-pommel sword from Earth's ancient weaponry.
"Let's begin!"
Qi Yuan stood in the center of his cave and began to swing the Force Battle Sword repeatedly, creating blurs of motion with each strike.
The Nine Radiance Sky Blade technique's power explosion relied on a resonance-like method of force amplification.
A normal person swinging a blade with full force could generate a one-times amplification.
But with the Nine Radiance Sky Blade technique, the practitioner could perfectly control the muscles and bones of their body, generating small hidden forces that formed subtle vibrations.
These tiny forces would accumulate in the arms, creating a "resonance" that could instantly explode into several times—or even dozens of times—the original power.
The more hidden forces were generated, and the more intricate the resonance, the more powerful the explosion of energy!
"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"
Qi Yuan swung the blade continuously, trying to control his muscles and bones perfectly, channeling these subtle forces through his arms as described in the Nine Radiance Sky Blade.
His third-tier Star-Level body gave him incredible control, and combined with the basics he had learned, he quickly made progress.
After just several dozen swings, Qi Yuan suddenly felt as if a surge of energy had gathered in his arm. It was as if numerous tiny streams of force were converging, accelerating his movements!
"Whoosh!"
A flash of light from the blade sliced through the air like a bolt of lightning!
Moments later, Qi Yuan stopped and sighed with mild dissatisfaction.
"Although I've reached the third-tier Star-Level, I can barely manage to perform the fourth stage of the Nine Radiance Sky Blade. It seems like I haven't even reached the average level for practitioners of this secret technique."
According to the technique's description, planet-level cultivators could complete stages four to seven.
Now, even though Qi Yuan had reached the third-tier Star-Level, he could only achieve the fourth stage's force amplification, which was a bit disappointing.
But there was nothing he could do.
After all, the original body had never received complete guidance, and he had been forced to rely on fragmented techniques and self-study, leaving him far behind those cultivators who had a full inheritance.
"But I won't be discouraged."
Qi Yuan quickly shook off his dissatisfaction and felt reinvigorated.
The original body had reached the third-tier Star-Level without resources or a complete technique, so his natural talent and comprehension must have been exceptional compared to ordinary cultivators.
Now, with a complete technique and abundant resources, along with the powerful return system by his side, his weaknesses could be made up for—he just needed time. Qi Yuan believed that he would soon catch up to others!
For the next period of time, Qi Yuan's life became incredibly regimented.
Aside from the occasional inspection of the various mines, he rarely left his dwelling and focused entirely on his cultivation.
Most of his energy was spent practicing the Nine Radiance Sky Blade.
In the cave, Qi Yuan swung the blade repeatedly, cutting through the air with precision.
With each swing, he would follow the force methods of the Nine Radiance Sky Blade, drawing out subtle hidden forces from various parts of his body, guiding them into his arms to form the resonance.
With every strike, Qi Yuan was looking for the perfect combination of power and technique.
Throughout this process, the constant use of hidden forces placed an immense load on his bones, muscles, and cells, quickly causing him to fatigue.
But when exhaustion reached its peak, he couldn't rest immediately. Instead, he would use the Nine Radiance Body Refining method to push his cells even further, then absorb the Wood Ya Crystal to enhance his cultivation.
It was like someone working out more would develop a greater appetite. The more energy he expended, the more his body needed!
This allowed Qi Yuan to absorb the Wood Ya Crystal's energy more efficiently.
After the energy from the Wood Ya Crystal flooded into his body, every starving cell began to greedily consume it, replenishing what had been used.
The life force in the crystal subtly enhanced his body, making his physical condition even stronger.
And so, every day, Qi Yuan began to push himself to his limits.
Once his body recovered, he resumed training with the Nine Radiance Sky Blade.
Swinging the blade at full force, releasing hidden energy, he continuously tried to find the best state to explode with even greater power.
When he reached the limits of his strength, he would once again use the Nine Radiance Body Refining method in combination with the Wood Ya Crystal to restore his energy and enhance his body.
This cycle of refining the body, absorbing energy, and training with the blade continued.
Through this repeated process of being "squeezed dry" and then "stuffed full," Qi Yuan's progress in the Nine Radiance Sky Blade was rapid, and his physical strength was also increasing at an astonishing pace.