Starry Sky Professional

“Gravity suit?”

Fang Xing mused to himself.

In the interstellar era, adapting to different levels of gravity was an essential skill for warriors!

A gravity suit was an auxiliary training device, allowing warriors to easily adjust their own gravity.

The suit evenly distributed gravity throughout the body, reaching deep into the cells, making it far more effective than any weighted training!

But the price was also quite formidable...

‘And then there's the B-rank martial art—Demonic Blade, which is a prerequisite to the A-rank martial art "Ghostly Blade." This Gu Yun, at most fourteen years old, has already mastered the first realm and is on the brink of breaking into the second realm. She has even begun learning the B-rank martial art...’

‘In comparison, why do I feel like a failure?’

He was speechless internally, though he kept his guard up, spinning a staff flower pattern in front of him.

In the next instant.

Whoosh!

A black shadow flashed by, as swift as a nimble cat, the wooden sword in her hand carrying a hint of bewitchment, slashing through the air.

Smack!

Fang Xing felt a surge of strength in his hand, nearly causing the wooden staff to slip from his grasp, but ultimately it stayed firm.

‘I blocked it!’

‘This isn't because I'm much stronger than Liu Wei; it's because the opponent is wearing a gravity suit! Her speed was much slower than before, and her strength too...’

He came to a realization.

“Kill! Kill kill!”

Gu Yun's cute face showed no trace of adorableness, instead brimming with a murderous aura as she unleashed another swing of the Demonic Blade, her eyes slightly bloodshot, as if holding a deep-seated grudge against Fang Xing.

‘The Demonic Blade, indeed it lives up to its name... It's saturated with a killing intent.’

Fang Xing felt as though he was a leaf in a stormy sea, liable to be wrecked at any moment.

The B-rank martial art—Demonic Blade—was inherently a blade art filled with demonic allure, containing hidden hypnotic techniques and mental fortitude training, meant to fully exploit the warrior's potential.

The resulting negative emotions and effects were equally terrifying.

"Without madness, there is no life!"

It is said that the A-level martial art 'Ghost Blade' is even more terrifying!

After all, it's a formidable martial art that enabled low-ranked warriors to face down the followers of evil deities, originating from the era of brutal conflicts between humans and alien races!

Suddenly, Fang Xing saw Gu Yun swing her wooden sword; one slash followed by another, making two sword shadows overlap as if carrying a doubled force!

—The Double Overlapping Blade!

"I can't block it anymore."

The stick in his hand flew out as he saw Gu Yun's strike coming.

“Stop!”

In that instant, a deep voice rang out.

Gu Yun's wooden sword halted inches from Fang Xing, caught by a hand as white as jade.

“I couldn't pull back in time again... I failed...”

Gu Yun seemed to snap out of some trance, gasping heavily as she looked at the middle-aged man suddenly appearing before her: "Dad..."

The middle-aged man was towering, at least 1.9 meters tall, and merely shook his head at her words: "Don't be discouraged, Xiao Yun'er; you've improved a lot since last time... This 'Demonic Blade' is pure demonic martial art from ancient times, imbued with a demonic nature. In mastering it, one is bound to cause bloodshed, but now its mysteries have been unraveled. One must 'wield the blade but forget the blade,' to defeat the foe without slaying them, so as to tame the demonic nature... Only upon reaching this state can you attempt the initiation into the 'Ghost Blade'; otherwise, the lightest consequence is mental derangement, and the worst is death from blood circulation reversing...”

Having explained these things, the middle-aged man then turned to Fang Xing and Liu Wei: "You've worked hard, both of you. Today's pay is doubled!"

“Thank you, boss!”

Hearing this, Liu Wei's pain seemed to diminish a little as a smile spread across his face.

…

Half an hour later.

As they walked out of the lavish Jiang residence, Liu Wei fell silent, only cursing after a long pause: "Damn... If I'd known it was this kind of sparring, I wouldn't have come. Double pay's barely enough for the medical bills... That guy looked like a pro, but who knew he'd be so stingy."

Fang Xing, however, was still contemplating the middle-aged man's last words, shaking his head: "There's still compensation, and that's the secret technique for the Demonic Blade... Natural family upbringing like this is invaluable, far beyond what schools can provide, unless you gain the favor of Teacher Xia Long..."

“Damn, I see it now. That girl was using us as tools... Practicing the Demonic Blade technique is hard to control, so she needs live targets for her blade. But once she does this, she's set on a path to darkness... They say 'wield the blade but forget the blade,' meaning to use one's will to tame the demonic nature in the blade, defeating us without killing or holding back, which means truly mastering the Demonic Blade... Her dad purposely stayed hidden to always monitor whether she could hold back, intervening at the last moment if necessary...”

Liu Wei wasn't dumb either.

Or rather, being a biochem man in high school, he was already elite, recognizing some things with a click of his tongue: "If mastering the Demonic Blade is already so difficult, what about the 'Ghost Blade' as an A-level martial art?"

"But we really are just tools... At least we're getting paid."

Fang Xing, unfazed due to his own special advantages, grinned and said, "They even give us double!"

With this payment, at least he could order a basic nano-protective suit.

"Hmph, we earned that money with our injuries..." Liu Wei rubbed his shoulder, still muttering, "I originally thought everyone living in the Bright Rivers Estate was filthy rich, but it turns out they're just middle-class..."

"Middle-class is a misleading term. Do they even have any real assets? Saying they belong to the middle-income group would be more accurate..." Fang Xing complained as well, "Based on how they arranged a martial arts career for their daughter, you can tell this family isn't wealthy..."

Truly affluent people would just buy their own mechs instead.

"Yeah, yeah, just middle-income and yet they think they're rich..." Liu Wei laughed heartily, as if his injuries had magically healed.

...

Happy Homeland Community.

"Did it arrive so soon?"

Fang Xing looked at the parcel in front of his door, scratching his head in confusion, "I only just placed the order while I was on the way..."

He carried the parcel inside, scanned for identity verification, and the package opened automatically, revealing a silver-white metal sphere inside.

Fang Xing pricked his fingertip, letting a drop of blood fall onto the silvery metal sphere.

This wasn't some kind of "blood recognition" ritual, it was simply to program the nano-suit to remember his DNA.

Ding!

With a gentle sound, Fang Xing followed the instruction manual, making the silver-white metal sphere come into contact with the skin of his arm.

The silver-white metal sphere instantly "dissolved", like a liquid, covering his entire body.

Fang Xing moved around a bit, finding there was no restriction or added weight.

"Mask mode!"

He called out softly, and immediately a silver mask appeared on his face, with a transparent film even covering his eyes.

"360-degree protection without dead angles... Change color! To rose gold!"

At Fang Xing's command, his entire nano-suit changed through various colors, finally settling on a pure white.

"At school, there's no need to be this cautious..."

Fang Xing mused for a moment and transformed his nanosuit into a casual white short-sleeve shirt, then stretched out leisurely on the chair and picked up his holo-glasses. "Let's start! Let's start!"

Several hours later...

"Ah... as expected..."

With a look of lazy satisfaction on his face, Fang Xing lay on the bed. "I'm addicted again... Even with a crossover, without a special advantage, I'm still a nobody..."

Admitting one's own mediocrity and inability is also a test that growth demands to be faced.

Fang Xing was acutely aware that as a once nine-to-five corporate slave, with a lack of historical knowledge, even if he traveled to ancient times, the most likely result would still be death due to language barrier, disease, famine, or war.

Another world was even worse, as most of the experience and knowledge a traveler had would be rendered useless, particularly in a technologically advanced world.

The only thing he could truly rely on was the special advantage.

Without a special advantage, he would have no choice but to accept his fate step by step.

"Lying down... is a kind of wisdom too."

Fang Xing glanced at the time and forced himself to sleep, since he still had classes to attend the next day.

...

The next day.

At Yucai High School.

Ms. Lan Fei, with an alluring figure, spoke smoothly: "...The Eldritch God's family is divided into lower servitors, higher servitors, lower heirs, higher heirs... And between the higher heirs and the rulers, there's another category—Eldritch Offspring!"

"Eldritch Offspring, whether in terms of corruption or ability, are much stronger than higher heirs. Rumors speak of the most powerful Eldritch Offspring possessing powers and authority close to those of lesser rulers... However, the conditions for the birth of Eldritch Offspring are extremely strict, and their numbers are sparse, therefore they're not considered a race..."

Fang Xing glanced beside him, noticing the empty seat.

Liu Wei was injured and had taken a class off to receive treatment in the school's infirmary.

'The infirmary's treatment pods can even quickly mend severed limbs... And students get a discount, so Liu Wei surely wouldn't spend extra to get treated outside...'

While contemplating, Fang Xing diligently took notes.

Suddenly, he slightly lifted his head and saw a gaze cast in his direction.

'Is it her, Bai Lianyi?'

Fang Xing noticed a female classmate with delicate features, gazing over with a thoughtful expression.

The other person had fair and delicate skin, resembling a fine porcelain doll, exuding a charming gentle grace. Dressed in pure white martial arts attire, with a jet-black belt wrapped around the waist, this person carried an air of brisk competence.

‘Seems like I made no mistake when I saw her at the brilliant Jiang Estate... Is this nervousness I sense?’ Fang Xing thought to himself.

While pondering this, the school bell finally rang, signaling the end of the class.

With the environment shifting, it was soon time for the martial arts class that Fang Xing eagerly anticipated.

“A Xing, I’m back!”

At this moment, Liu Wei came trotting up, the acne on his face reflecting a playful red hue.

Any student might skip cultural studies, but none would want to miss a martial arts lesson.

Instructors like Xia Long, teaching martial arts externally, would charge at least ten thousand star coins per hour!

“Your injuries healed?”

Fang Xing glanced sideways.

“Of course... fighting fit!” Liu Wei flexed his muscles.

In the age of interstellar technology, medical advancements were indeed remarkable, and a non-fractured arm like his healed quickly.

“Mr. Xia is here!”

Just as Fang Xing was about to say something further, Xia Long strode into the classroom. His gaze was sharp like a tiger, sweeping across the room, his voice booming like a bell: “First, assume the stance, then practice your punches!”

“Yes!”

All students responded in unison, adopting the grand dragon stance with a synchronized beauty.

Fang Xing focused intently, practicing the stance, gradually losing the distinction between himself and his surroundings.

Suddenly, his spine felt like it had been struck, bristling like a startled cat.

“Your stance is too rigid. Pay attention to the third node in your spine...”

The voice of Xia Long reached him by his ear.

Unconsciously following his guidance, Fang Xing felt his skin tighten, his skills deepening considerably.

With an invigorated sensation, he checked his skill panel:

【Grand Dragon Stance: 69/100】

‘At last, I've waited for Mr. Xia's guidance again. The difference between having guidance and not having it is truly worlds apart...'

(End of Chapter)