Chapter 6: Stellar Battle Body

For Lucian Lawes, Amber might have been a timid, self-preserving little servant, but he had stayed by his side for six full years. He had been loyal to the bone. Whenever Lucian Lawes gained something, Amber always got his share. Lucian Lawes did not know who had come after him, but they had dared to seize Amber. How could he not be furious? He also knew Amber still had sick parents at home who needed caring for. If anything happened to him, Lucian Lawes would blame himself for the rest of his life. He shredded the note into scraps, then bolted out of the Yare family estate without a second thought, whipping up like a gust as he raced for Sunrise Restaurant. Sunrise Restaurant sat near Jadeite Tower. Lucian Lawes pushed his speed even harder. On the main street, pedestrians only felt a sudden rush of wind, and then he was gone. When he lifted his head, the brightly lit restaurant stood out in the night, clear as day. He closed in step by step. The crowd near the entrance forced him to slow, but the doors still drew closer and closer. Then, from the left side of the street, a four-horse carriage burst out at a dead run. People shouted curses as they scattered, yet the carriage did not slow in the slightest. Lucian Lawes could have avoided it easily. But at that instant, a child not far behind him stared blankly at the onrushing carriage, then burst into tears. The carriage was moving too fast. If it rolled over the kid, there would be nothing left. Lucian Lawes's heart jolted. He stopped thinking. Instead of dodging, he spun around and scooped the child into his arms. True Energy erupted through his body. A horse slammed into his back with a thunderous impact, launching him through the air. Cries of alarm rippled down the street. Everyone thought both he and the child were dead. But Lucian Lawes twisted midair, forced his trajectory, and landed solidly. He did not pause to comfort the child. Nobody even got a clear look at his face before he vanished again. Amber's life still hung in the balance. The street behind him dissolved into chaos. Lucian Lawes ignored the dull ache spreading across his back and strode into Sunrise Restaurant. The moment he crossed the threshold, he nearly collided with someone. He looked up, and the boy in front of him almost blinded him. The kid was only fourteen or fifteen, even younger than Lucian Lawes. Lucian Lawes already counted as fairly good-looking, but this one was beautiful to the point of being unreal. If not for the obvious Adam's apple, Lucian Lawes might have mistaken him for a delicately carved girl. They had nearly crashed into each other. Lucian Lawes stared, dumbstruck, while the boy calmly studied him in return. "Are you a boy or a girl?" The words slipped out before Lucian Lawes could stop himself. To anyone else, it would have sounded like an insult. Yet the pretty-faced boy did not get angry. He simply gave Lucian Lawes a cool glance, pointed at his Adam's apple, and said, "I'm a man." He spoke with earnest seriousness, his voice soft and pleasing. Lucian Lawes had heard plenty of courtesans' coy cooing, yet hearing this boy speak still made something itch under his skin. He cursed himself in silence, then remembered Amber still needed saving. He hurried past the boy and went inside. "I saw you save that child just then. You saved a life…" Behind him, the boy spoke as if to himself. But Lucian Lawes had already rushed into the restaurant, so the boy closed his mouth and watched with open curiosity. There was no disgust in his gaze at all. If anything, he seemed to admire what Lucian Lawes had done. "This man feels like my brother… and he carries a faint trace of Stellar Energy. He must have cultivated a stellar-type Battle Technique. I haven't used Stellar Battle Body in a long time…" The boy murmured to Lucian Lawes's retreating back. The moment Lucian Lawes entered, he felt a sharp, pressing stare. He turned his head and saw Zane Yare sitting by a window. Across from him sat a beautiful young woman. "Zane Yare is here? Was Amber's kidnapping arranged by him?" Then Lucian Lawes glanced at the woman and shook his head. "If Zane Yare wanted to deal with me, he wouldn't need a trick like this. Besides, he's busy flirting." He did not linger. He headed straight to the second floor. The note had named Peony Room One, and it was up there. By the time he reached the hallway, the anger in his chest could no longer be contained. He strode toward the target and shoved the door open. The room was pitch-black. The instant he stepped inside, a blade's killing edge swept toward him. Lucian Lawes jerked aside, and only then did he see the situation clearly. The attacker had already moved to the doorway. He shut the door with a soft click, then stared at Lucian Lawes with cold eyes. On the other side, Amber was bound head to toe with thick rope, a cloth stuffed in his mouth. His face was tight with fear and rage as he struggled and cried muffled sounds toward Lucian Lawes. Beside Amber stood another man. Both were masked, but the murderous aura rolling off them was unmistakable. They were the same two who had tried to assassinate Lucian Lawes that night. Even now, he could not understand it. He was a nobody. Why would anyone send killers after him? "Who are you? Why are you coming for me?" "We take the money and do the job. No more questions. Lucian Yare, die!" Two blades chopped toward him at once. The strikes were vicious, the air splitting with a savage whoosh that made the scalp prickle. "These two might not have much more True Energy than I do, but they're experienced. They've killed plenty. They're a hundred times more dangerous than Lucas Casson, that stubborn mule. If I don't go all-out, I'll die here." "And from their footwork, they're used to fighting together. I have to break one of them first, or their combined pressure will crush me." In the darkness, cold light flashed in Lucian Lawes's eyes. As the blades closed in, he used his agility to roll to the side. That single roll was perfectly timed. It broke the angle that forced him to face both at once. The two masked men chased him in a staggered line, one ahead and one behind. "Wild Wind Blade!" Whoosh! The man in front surged in, his saber howling as the edge snapped toward Lucian Lawes. With the two assassins separated, Lucian Lawes clenched his jaw and drew up every last thread of True Energy. Instead of retreating, he charged straight in. "Falling Star Fist!" In the black private room, a burst of starlight flared. The assassin's eyes blurred for a heartbeat, and a crushing momentum smashed through his saber technique and slammed into his body. Bang! Blood sprayed from the lead assassin's mouth as he crashed into his partner behind him. Lucian Lawes lunged forward, snatched the man's saber in one motion, and roared. The blade drove straight through the assassin's heart. Blood drenched Lucian Lawes's clothes and splattered across his face. It had looked simple, but it had been razor-close. What shocked Lucian Lawes most was that the starlight from Falling Star Fist had actually muddled the enemy's vision. And because Falling Star Fist was a Yellow Tier Intermediate Battle Technique, its power reached the level of a Third Level Dragon Pulse Realm expert's strongest strike. That was why he had been able to cripple the assassin in one blow and finish him immediately. The second assassin stared at his dead partner, eyes wide with disbelief. He did not hesitate. He vaulted out the window and fled. Lucian Lawes started to chase, wanting to force an answer out of him about who had ordered the assassination. But the door slammed open. Zane Yare stood in the doorway, imposing and cold. When he saw Lucian Lawes covered in blood and a corpse on the floor, his brow furrowed deeply. "You animal. You really don't know your place. You get a little ability and you dare kill someone in Sunrise Restaurant. Do you have any idea Boss Mckay and I are good friends?" Lucian Lawes ignored him. He turned back, untied the rope around Amber, and said, "Amber, get out of here first. We'll talk about everything else later." One killer was dead and one had escaped. Amber stared at Lucian Lawes in shock. Then he noticed Zane Yare's hostile gaze and felt his legs go weak. He was terrified, and even though he worried about Lucian Lawes, he knew he could not help. He hurried downstairs, clearly running to find someone to rely on. Lucian Lawes's indifference made Zane Yare's face twist. Behind Zane Yare, a richly dressed fat man glanced at the bloody scene and went pale. "This young master has gone too far. You made such a gruesome mess you scared off my customers. My business is going to take a real hit." The two of them played off each other, clearly trying to make Lucian Lawes suffer. Lucian Lawes had just killed a man, and his bloodlust had not yet cooled. One glance from him made Boss Mckay stumble back again and again. Lucian Lawes did not want a direct clash with Zane Yare. Zane Yare was Fourth Level Dragon Pulse Realm and had cultivated many Battle Technique. At his current level, Lucian Lawes was not his match. So he endured it. Even so, Zane Yare still burned with anger. He had never liked Lucian Lawes. He was used to humiliating him. Yet this bastard had actually grown some strength. Especially the last time, when Lucian Lawes injured Lucas Casson, Zane Yare had been forced to swallow his rage. Old grudges and new piled together. The look he gave Lucian Lawes carried naked killing intent. "…Last time you hurt Lucas Casson, I let you off. Today you've dragged our the Yare family name through the mud again. Looks like I really need to teach you a lesson, so you don't keep acting like you're above everyone and doing whatever you please!" He stepped forward several paces, and his aura pressed down like a crushing weight. "This bastard… he's strong." Fourth Level Dragon Pulse Realm was no joke. Zane Yare's vicious glare bore down like a mountain, forcing Lucian Lawes to retreat again and again. Still, Lucian Lawes did not release the saber in his hand. Blood dripped from the edge, pattering to the floor. His own eyes burned with a feral light, and for a moment he looked like he could meet Zane Yare head-on. Seeing that only enraged Zane Yare further. He ground his teeth. "You little bastard. You still dare stand against me? If you don't kneel and lick my toes today, don't even think about leaving here alive!" Lucian Lawes did not answer. He only stared back, cold and silent. He knew that if Zane Yare pushed him too far, then even if he died, he would make Zane Yare pay. Just as the two were about to clash, the girl who had been sitting with Zane Yare appeared behind Boss Mckay. When she saw the private room, her face drained of color and she stumbled back several steps. "Brother Zane, don't… please. Let's leave, okay…" Zane Yare drew his aura back. He turned to the girl, then looked at Lucian Lawes again and said harshly, "Fine. I'll let you enjoy one more day. Tomorrow morning, you'll learn what the word 'death' looks like." With that, he wrapped an arm around the girl and left. Lucian Lawes finally let out a breath. The saber slipped from his hand and clattered to the floor. "Zane Yare. Our debt just got another line added to it. I'm close to breaking into Third Level Dragon Pulse Realm. When I become stronger than you, you'll learn what the word 'death' looks like." One assassin had died, but the other was still out there. The mastermind remained unknown. Everything was a fog. This place was trouble, so Lucian Lawes decided to leave. He ran downstairs and found Amber waiting anxiously. When Amber saw Lucian Lawes was unharmed, he sagged with relief and hurriedly said, "Young Master Lucian, when I ran down earlier, a really pretty boy told me to give you this. He said he admired you, but he had something to do and left first." Lucian Lawes froze, remembering that impossibly handsome boy, his soft voice, and that serious expression that had been almost funny. He took a Secret Manual from Amber and flipped it open. On the first page were four characters: Stellar Battle Body. Amber added, "He said this goes well with your Falling Star Fist. He saw you save that child and figured you were a good person. He didn't need it, so he gave it to you." Lucian Lawes nodded and read Stellar Battle Body carefully. "It's a Yellow Tier Intermediate Battle Technique…" "I only saved a child, and that kid handed me Stellar Battle Body. His background must be terrifying. He's probably not from Palepop Town. He must be a disciple from some major power elsewhere…" "Fine. Meeting today was fate. I need this badly. Since he gave it to me, I'll repay him if we ever meet again." Lucian Lawes smiled, sent Amber home, and returned to the Yare family estate. "…Absorb Stellar Divine Power and merge it into skin, bone, and blood… temper day and night, persist without fail, and you may achieve the Stellar Battle Body… with each step, sand and stones will fly. With a casual punch, you will carry the might of a Battle Technique…" "This Stellar Battle Body is actually a Body Tempering Method. It's even more valuable than an attack Secret Manual." "Stellar Battle Body has two layers: Minor Completion and Major Completion. The incantations are obscure, but I can understand them. Tonight the starlight is brilliant. I'll borrow it to cultivate Stellar Battle Body. Once I succeed, every casual strike will be at the level of an Elementary Battle Technique. If I run into Zane Yare again, I'll be able to retreat unscathed, or even fight him head-on!" For Lucian Lawes, Stellar Battle Body was not difficult. With the stars blazing overhead, he cultivated beneath their light as if he had returned to water after a long drought. After some time, starlight seemed to pour down onto him. His body looked like a star itself, cloaked in a faint, hazy glow. Suddenly, Lucian Lawes opened his eyes. "Stellar Battle Body still isn't complete, but after today's life-and-death battle, the nourishment of starlight, and the Mysterious Jade Pendant, my True Energy has surged again. This time… I'll break into Third Level Dragon Pulse Realm!"