Power of Ten Stars (Part 1)

The face on the giant ball of flesh miraculously scrunched together, forming a kind smile, followed by a benevolent laugh. "Little one, I think highly of you!"

Alex frowned in surprise and looked up at the ball of flesh in confusion.

"Worldmind, you should know why we came here, right?" Seeing that the Worldmind seemed ready to have a lengthy talk with Alex, Adora hurriedly interrupted and brought the conversation back to the main issue.

The face on the ball of flesh immediately turned serious, as though it had fallen into deep thought. After a long while, it spoke again. "It can be done, but it is extremely dangerous. I do not recommend it." The Worldmind paused briefly, then continued after weighing its words. "If Thanos wanted to destroy the universe, he would have done so long ago. Since he has yet to make a move, he must have some other purpose. There is no need for us to rush."

Alex immediately grew anxious. Noticing the hesitation on Adora’s face, he hurriedly stepped forward and argued loudly, "No matter what schemes Thanos has, the sooner we deal with him, the better." Afraid that the Worldmind might say something else, Alex quickly added, "Inheriting the Power of Ten Stars was my own request. I believe I can endure it—and control it."

Hearing Alex’s words, Adora immediately came to her senses. Though Thanos had not made any grand moves to destroy the universe over the years, his smaller actions had never ceased. The Nova Empire and the nearby space empires had suffered terribly, their national strength and economies taking enormous damage. If they could deal with Thanos sooner, Adora would support it with all her strength.

Seeing Adora’s expression, the Worldmind knew her choice. It sighed softly, then turned to Alex and solemnly looked him over. "In that case, prepare yourself!"

At the Worldmind’s words, Alex immediately tensed up, constantly adjusting his condition and trying to put himself in the best possible state.

"Here it comes!" Once Alex was ready, the Worldmind gave another sharp cry. The face on the enormous ball of flesh swiftly vanished, and the ball began spinning at high speed.

As the ball spun faster and faster, its enormous body began to shrink. The entire spherical underground chamber shook violently, as if heaven and earth had turned upside down.

Alex struggled to control his body, his eyes darting from the Worldmind to the surrounding space. His face was full of confusion. The Worldmind’s actions baffled him completely. This was entirely different from the relaxed ease with which he had advanced to Three-Star Centurion before, carrying an elusive air of mystery.

Just as Alex was utterly baffled, an arm-long, thumb-thick wound suddenly split open on the Worldmind’s fleshy body. The silver wound looked strangely out of place, like an ornament suddenly embedded in the ball of flesh.

"Put your hand inside!" The Worldmind’s voice suddenly rang out. It was no longer the aged, benevolent voice from before; its powerful tone carried a faint trace of tension.

Alex did not even have time to think. His right hand stretched out instinctively, and his long index finger entered the silver wound first.

A needle-like pain shot from the pad of his index finger. Alex instinctively tried to pull back his right hand, only to discover that it seemed nailed inside the wound, utterly unable to move.

Worse still, the pain in his fingertip grew more intense, like a rising tide battering Alex’s pain receptors without end, piercing deep into his consciousness where there was nowhere to hide.

"Hold on!" The Worldmind’s voice rang out again. Beneath its calm tone lay profound weakness; evidently, its previous actions had been an immense ordeal for it as well.

Alex’s entire body shuddered. His consciousness, nearly drowned by the tide-like pain, immediately cleared. Yet before Alex could display his resolve, his newly gathered awareness was smashed into fragments by an even fiercer pain.

Fortunately, Alex did not sink into oblivion. In only a moment, he stabilized his consciousness once more. Though it was quickly scattered again, as time passed, his awareness became steadier and tougher. He endured the tide-like pain for longer and longer. In the end, no matter how violently the pain surged, it could not shake Alex in the slightest.

"Very good. Congratulations on passing the first trial!" Just as Alex was overjoyed and thought he had successfully received the Power of Ten Stars, the Worldmind’s next words cast him into the abyss. "Pass two more trials, and you will succeed!"

Before Alex could curse, an immense force surged through his right index finger and poured into his body. The violent impact lifted his entire body into the air. If his index finger had not been held fast, Alex himself would have been sent flying.

"Do your best to keep your body intact!" The Worldmind’s voice sounded again, filled with gravity. "The longer you endure, the greater the Nova Force you will ultimately inherit!"

Before Alex could recover from the sudden turn of events, the surging power crashed through his body in every direction, destroying everything in its path. In an instant, it tore his organs into fragments, turning them into the purest energy that continually leaked from his body.

The destruction was so swift that Alex did not even have time to feel the agony of his body being destroyed. Still, that was for the best—he could devote all his attention to maintaining his body.

Alex had spent a long time residing in an energy body before, so he did not panic too much over the changes within himself. Relying on Energy Control and his absolute understanding of his own body, Alex easily kept his body intact.

"I did not expect you to possess such an ability!" Alex resolved the crisis so easily that even the Worldmind, which had been preparing to intervene in secret, was startled.

Alex chuckled, looking utterly relaxed. "Is this the second trial?"

The moment Alex finished speaking, an even stronger force struck again, catching him off guard. The body he had just managed to maintain collapsed once more.

"That came on a little hard." Alex remained unhurried as he muttered softly. His body, scattered into motes of dust, gathered together once again.

After several consecutive waves, the constantly battering force finally disappeared. Alex, whose face was tense, finally breathed a sigh of relief. Toward the end, the intervals between the impacts had become shorter and shorter, leaving him no time to maintain his body.

"My will and body have both been tested." Alex restored his body to its most perfect state at incredible speed, then looked up at the Worldmind. With both anticipation and fear, he asked, "What is the final trial?"

That aged face surfaced on the ball of flesh once more, smiling approvingly at Alex. "Congratulations. You have successfully completed the trials. Prepare to receive the Power of Ten Stars!"

"I succeeded?" Alex stared at the Worldmind in disbelief. Amid his astonishment, joy filled his heart, and he urged impatiently, "Quick, give it to me!"

"Here it comes!"

That is one update. Please recommend and click!