Volume One: Emerging Brilliance Chapter Ten: Double Joy Arrives!

Wang Jue remained cautious, always staying in crowded places. Only when he was completely certain no one was following him did he choose to return home. This time, though, he was much later than usual; normally, after school, he would stay at home, but today, by the time he got back, it was already close to eleven at night.

He had already prepared an excuse: if, upon opening the door, he found his parents waiting for him in the living room, he would simply say he had been out with classmates, and that would be that. Unexpectedly, when he slipped the door open with utmost care, his parents were not there as he had imagined. Relieved, he feared making too much noise and waking them, so he tiptoed quietly back to his room.

“Damn, that was just too surreal tonight,” Wang Jue muttered to himself as he returned to his familiar, comforting room, still conflicted over the bizarre encounter. “I wonder who that dead middle-aged man was. He seemed to be on the run; if I’m not mistaken, his identity must be anything but simple.”

While he’d been outside, he was too concerned about being discovered to show any reaction, but now, recalling the whole experience, his heart began to race again, followed by a wave of anxiety and confusion. Even though he hadn’t stolen or robbed anything—the man had tossed the item to him—he couldn’t help but worry whether his actions might bring danger to his family.

As he was lost in thought, his mother’s voice suddenly came from outside the door: “Jue, you’re back?”

“Yes, I just got home. Mom, you haven’t gone to bed yet?” Wang Jue snapped back to reality and hurried to open the door.

His mother, seeing him open the door, didn’t come in but instead glanced subtly around his room. After confirming her son was alone, a fleeting look of disappointment crossed her eyes before she smiled and said, “It’s late, you should get some sleep. Don’t forget you’ve got school tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I know. I’ll grab my clothes and shower, then go to bed. You should get some rest too, Mom.” Without hesitation, Wang Jue grabbed a change of clothes and, as he left his room, said this to his mother before heading to the bathroom.

Left standing there, his mother paused for a moment, watching Wang Jue’s departing figure with a hint of suspicion in her eyes. Then, as if a realization dawned, she appeared somewhat pleased with herself. “Looks like the pig we’ve raised all these years is finally old enough to root around in the cabbage patch. Whether he can or not will depend on his own abilities.”

Perhaps thinking that soon she might have a daughter-in-law, Wang Jue’s mother returned to her own room in high spirits after watching him close the bathroom door.

Meanwhile, Wang Jue, true to his word, began undressing the moment he entered the bathroom. As he took off his pants, his hand brushed against the jade box in his pocket, reminding him that he still hadn’t had the chance to examine it closely. What secret did it hold that was worth risking one’s life for?

Had his mother not appeared earlier, he would have taken out the box to inspect it as soon as he’d calmed down. But her sudden presence had made him forget about it for the moment. Besides, after everything that had happened, he was still in a state of bewilderment, so he hadn’t mentioned any of this to his mother—mainly because he didn’t want her to worry.

Now, alone in the bathroom, Wang Jue looked at the jade box in his hand, hesitating over whether to open it. He knew the middle-aged man had entrusted it to him, but he was also aware it was done out of desperation—he just happened to be the only one there.

Logically, now that the box had been handed over, it belonged to him. But curiosity aside, Wang Jue couldn’t help but worry whether opening it might bring danger upon himself. In his previous life, he’d read plenty of online novels—how many people had died from hidden weapons in boxes? More than a few!

Ever vigilant, Wang Jue dared not open the jade box lightly; he had no intention of ending up like those unfortunate characters, rejoicing only to meet a tragic fate.

He studied the box, its surface adorned with intricate and unique patterns, exquisitely crafted and seemingly seamless. A faint, refreshing fragrance would occasionally waft from it, instantly clearing his mind. He couldn’t decipher the carvings, but he had a strong premonition that this thing was far from ordinary—perhaps even more extraordinary than he imagined.

But his greater curiosity was about what was hidden inside.

Driven by curiosity, Wang Jue finally decided to open the box.

Click.

The jade box opened easily. Seeing there were no hidden mechanisms or weapons inside, he breathed a sigh of relief and looked inside.

There wasn’t much: apart from three diamond-shaped crystals the size of pigeon eggs, there was also a milky-white pearl that emitted a faint glow. Nothing else.

Crystals? Pearl?

What were these things?

Wang Jue frowned, searching his memory, but found no information about either item. He immediately realized these were not ordinary objects; otherwise, why would they be kept in such a refined jade box, and why would they involve the pursuit of high-level martial artists?

[Star Source detected. Absorb?]

Curious, Wang Jue had intended to inspect the three crystals, but the moment his hand touched one, a virtual panel suddenly appeared before his eyes, displaying this message.

He was startled, but quickly realized it must be his “golden finger” at work.

Ever since obtaining the system, the panel’s information had remained unchanged. Now, seeing this new message, Wang Jue grew excited and couldn’t help but call out to the system.

“System?”

“System, are you there?”

“System, big brother?”

“System, mighty lord, if you’re there, give me a sign!”

No matter how he called, the system was as unresponsive as a dead thing. If it weren’t for the message clearly displayed on the panel, he would have thought he was hallucinating.

Seeing no response, Wang Jue realized his system lacked the “AI” functions common in many novels; at best, it was a stripped-down “assist mod.”

[Star Source detected. Absorb?]

Holding the crystal in his right hand, Wang Jue saw the prompt again and, knowing the system wouldn’t answer, silently said in his mind, “Absorb!”

He had long lamented having a system with no Star Source to use; who would expect fortune to literally fall into his lap?

[Absorption complete. Star Source +1.]

Wang Jue: “???”

The system absorbed the Star Source in an instant, and when he saw the message, he was stunned!

That’s it?

He had expected the crystal to grant him all sorts of benefits, not that each crystal would only yield a single Star Source point. No windfall here, it seemed.

He couldn’t tell whether the crystals were just that worthless, or the Star Source points were simply that precious!

Disappointed by the crystals, Wang Jue decided not to absorb the remaining two right away. Instead, he turned his attention to the milky-white pearl.

Who could have guessed that the moment he touched the pearl, a torrent of overwhelming information surged from it through his right hand straight into his mind. The sudden, violent influx struck his consciousness with tremendous force, making his vision go black and his footing unsteady.

If he hadn’t instinctively leaned back against the wall, he might have collapsed onto the bathroom floor right then and there.

After a long while, Wang Jue felt as though his mind was crammed full of something—full, but no longer painfully so.

He probed the new mass of information in his mind, only to find it was far too profound and obscure for him at present; he couldn’t make sense of it at all. He tried several times, but in the end, he had to give up.

Though he couldn’t grasp the details of that information, a glance at his panel revealed something new.

[Name: Wang Jue]
[Level: Body Tempering, First Stage]
[Talent: Red Grade (Mid) 0/100]
[Technique: Stellar Soul Art (Not yet initiated)]
[Star Source: 1]

Under the “Talent” section, there was now a “Technique” entry that hadn’t been there before, which delighted Wang Jue. Having just broken through to become a martial artist, he was in desperate need of a cultivation technique—especially since his family couldn’t support his path any further, and he’d been on the verge of giving up.

But now, having picked up this “pie from the sky,” he’d not only solved his lack of Star Source points but also obtained a cultivation art—the two things that troubled him most.

Solving both problems at once was nothing short of a double blessing.

Looking at the green plus sign next to the technique and his single Star Source, Wang Jue hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and tapped it.

In the next instant—

A flood of experiences and insights about cultivating the Stellar Soul Art surged into his consciousness, making him feel as though his mind was transported to some unknown space where he ceaselessly practiced the art over and over.

Again and again.

He could clearly sense the previously unfathomable information in his mind becoming less obscure; he could at least comprehend a small part now. Though there was still a long way to go before mastering it, he had made a good start.

After upgrading, Wang Jue eagerly checked his panel again.

[Name: Wang Jue]
[Level: Body Tempering, First Stage]
[Talent: Red Grade (Mid) 0/100]
[Technique: Stellar Soul Art, First Stage (Unknown) 0/1000]
[Star Source: 0]

The panel’s steadily improving information confirmed his suspicion: his system might appear “worthless,” but was actually more powerful than he’d imagined.

He couldn’t help but resent the fact he couldn’t directly raise his cultivation, but being able to improve his talent, techniques, and even martial skills was more important to him now than simply leveling up.