3 Formation of Astral Soul

"Is.... He dead"

"He's not moving so I guess so"

"His clothes... He must be an outsider. Someone that lavishly decorated must be a noble but I haven't heard of someone like him"

"Ah! I've heard of this. He was most likely bit by a lifesucking mosquito . As the name suggests it doesn't suck blood but life force. He probably has a hole in his body with greenish coloring around it."

"No my friend , his symptoms clearly show he is a worshipper of a great ghost and has given up his life as tribute."

"No, No. Look at how stiff his bones are. He was clearly cursed by a user of an astral soul condensed from the Skull or Bone related Constellations."

The crowd suddenly became filled with expert doctors and physicians who each gave their diagnosis.

The waiter was on pins and needles. What if this causes the restaurant to have a bad image. It'll be his head on the stake. I I I have to fix this somehow, please don't be dead please!!!! Oh God Oh Buddha pleaseee..!!! I need this job!!! He silently wailed.

Suddenly V opened his eyes. Feeling the strange atmosphere he chewed on the braised deer before beckoning the waiter, "Sorry I fell asleep. The Bill please."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"You fell asleep!!!!!"

They all screamed in unison. Tables were flipped with food kissing the floor.

What's with them?, V wondered as he paid the bill , stretched and walked out. Wondering why the waiter had a murderous gaze directed at him.

After an hour or so of looking around, he docked at an inn.

"Hey you. make sure no one bothers me, otherwise I'll sever half their life"

He flicked A gold coin to the attendant whose eyes immediately rounded with delight but his legs tightened watching El's gaze and tap on his sword hilt. A man's Johnson was half his life. Though his warning left out the female specifications.

"Of course, of course. Lord customer. Absolutely no one will disturb you."

With a salesman's smile he bequeathed V to please continue upstairs.

The reason for V's request? Of course , it was to condense his first astral soul. It was a vital aspect of survival in the wider world.

...

V Sat by the open window on the third floor of the inn, the side of his face rested on his right clenched palm, his eyes were cloudy and dazed.

"How exactly do I go about doing this? I have no idea how to condense an astral soul."

"???"

Speculations were birthed and spiralled in and out of his mind. He tried to remember the books he read but they were vague . He also knew no Stellar Martial Cultivators.

Staring at the window sill...

He had a suddenly flash of inspiration.

"Hmm. It must be becoming a star and devouring your chosen constellation right. That sounds right."

If anyone heard his thoughts , they would tell him that he was totally wrong. But without a teacher and no intention of ever getting one, What else could he do? He believed in forging his own path, how else did he survive all those years ago. He would never bow to anyone in this life.

He grew up relying on just himself to survive.

He instantly focused without even changing position. He delved in the depths if the mind, thinking " I am a star " repeatedly, picturing himself rising from the earth and talking his position amongst the heavens.

After some time.

His consciousness seemed to metamorphose into a small ball of light that rose towards the heavens. Suddenly, he found himself climbing at a rapid speed above the skies and immersed in a boundless starry area. Different types of intent and energy collided with his small star.

This was the first heavenly layer.

Supposedly, higher layers are stronger yeah-- With that thought he ascended consistently. Up all the way astonishingly to the 6th Heavenly Layer in One go! His very first astral soul was from the sixth heavenly layer.

Talent was only one of the factors affecting the endurance of your astral projection in the astral rivers. Your personality and will were crucial. He crawled by himself out of a steep precipice when he was less than 3 years old. He licked the earth to survive as a baby. He lived alone in the true sense of the word.

Who had a will stronger than him at his age. Who? The trials he went through were unimaginable to most. Being able to ascend to the sixth heavenly layer on his first attempt wasn't all that unbelievable considering his history.

Talent wise, the runes that had fused with his meridians after birth, created a miniature starry river within his meridians filled with astral qi every night to this day.

He tried to ascend to the seventh layer but he felt a tearing pain in his consciousness.

Recognizing his limit he looked around.

The astral river was truly a thing of beauty. Countless starry lights burned with resplendent breathtaking brightness. It was a sea of beautiful constellations that flickered with different colours as far as the eyes could see. Looking at them you couldn't help but want to join them to let their starlight immerse you in warmth.

"Hm"

He had felt a peculiar sensation beside him but he had thought it was the peculiarities of this heavenly layer but now he realized that it was a..... constellation???

He saw nothing and felt nothing but he knew something was there. It was a strange feeling. It was like a strange being from a separate dimension was whispering to him. It was like such a distant and ethereal voice.

His star form jumped into that area and sure enough, that feeling grew stronger but like a mortal child trying to catch air, it escaped his grasp. After 10 times he failed. He was tempted to give up but his intuition said to persevere, why would he not listen? So after returning to his body and resting , he tried again and again.

Tens....hundreds...thousands... and finally on the 1334th attempt he resonated with 6th formless constellation. A colorless aurora enveloped his star's manifestation and seeped inside it.

Astral qi from the constellation descended onto the earth, it's light cascading through the Windows wrapped his body in a starry skin. Information came rushing into his brain. This constellation was actually... A time attribute constellation!!! Their mere existence itself was merely conjecture.

After all since space attribute constellations existed why couldn't time exist too. Within the endless starry rivers above the heavens, surely there existed such a constellation. But to this day, no known record of such time constellations existed under V's province of the nine skies. Because of his limited knowledge on the matter, he had no idea of the waves his constellation would bring.

He opened his astral gate, where astral qi flooded through his meridians, the otherwise tyrannical astral qi of the 6th Heavenly Layer behaved very watery and gently like, perhaps due to the constellation it was associated with. Not even a water attribute constellation would have such a feeling during formation of the astral soul.

It took him two days just to finish condensing it. He couldn't afford to lose a moments focus so he became like a monk in meditation.

"Sure enough, the rumors were true. Condensing an astral soul is incredibly hard. No wonder no Stellar Martial Cultivators were in my previous country despite it containing 100 million people."

If any sensible stellar martial Cultivator heard him they would have the urge to jump into a pit to wallow in their despair and shame. The blasted condensed an astral soul from the 6th Heavenly Layer of the nigh unheard of time alignment and he had the nerve to complain. He should be sentenced to death by a thousand cuts!!!!

In the room on the third floor of the inn.

V's forehead shone as a mysterious colorless symbol was seemingly projected on the skin, bones and tissues of his forehead. The «Ethereal Time Astral Soul» had four abilities, he knew of currently:

1) Temporal Perception: allowing the user's perception to be able to view things slower or faster upon use.

2) Time Manipulation: slowing, freezing, or accelerating time within a area for a limited time.

3)Future sight: able to see a glimpse of the future.

4) Time Anchor: the most crucial ability of this astral soul. It creates an anchor within its user preventing them from being swept away by the river of time. Reducing sudden ageing, or time warps which may harm the user.

With the condensation of his astral soul, he was now at the first layer of body refinement. Naturally, he had his own way of refining his body as well. Well, the way he thought would work to refine his body.

It was currently nightfall so he balanced on two fingers and did upside down push ups , stimulating his astral soul, and the tyrannical qi of the 6th Heavenly Layer. He directed the qi descending from the starry skies throughout his body while doing finger push-ups. He expelled the astral qi from his meridians to his pores and flesh.

He switched fingers when the began to redden and only stopped when all fingers were bleeding.

Naturally, he felt that he could break through to the second layer of body refinement now but he intentionally suppressed himself. He had to build a foundation to pierce the skies. Back at war, his corpse mountains/sleeping spots were loose when he randomly piled them up. He had to build a foundation of broken armour and put the dead bodies in a pattern upon the armour and weaponry. It felt like the same concept.... Probably

...

"What if i injected astral qi into my blood?"

At the Mulberry Inn,

V Sat comfortably in enjoying his wine while he mused. Sprouts of chatter occurred here and there. But there was one particularly loud one.

"Dick Lawson, do you think you're stronger than me just because you have already condensed your astral soul at the sixth layer of body refinement!!!!!"

"I, Shin Wen might have not yet condensed my astral soul but I can still mop the floor with your face quite easily."

A short haired young man , who was slightly handsome with a tinge of manliness, puffed out his chest and indignantly responded to a lanky young man dressed in a sect uniform.

"Yet... pshh. You dare boast. Who doesn't know that the likes of you is a shame to your Wen clan. Unable to condense an astral soul after trying so many times. You are an such a disgrace to the world. You were born from fish yet you can't swim, a bird but you cannot fly, a predator without fangs...."

His eloquent speaking captivated the listeners. Those who didn't know who the short haired person in jeans and a White t-shirt was before, definitely knew his identity henceforth.

Some people speak with such alacrity that they earn the praise of all. The short haired young man, Shin Wen, was a member of the Wen clan. It ruled this country along with five other great forces but Shin was sent away to the branch clan, here in this town for his ineptness in cultivation.

Shin gritted his teeth like the upper and lower mandibles wanted nothing more than to crush each other to death, his fingernails pierced deep into his palms and blood leaked from his clenched fists. His head was low and he trembled angrily.

Sip. "I guess that sort of thing is important around these parts." V sipped his newly delivered tea as he watched the show thinking , these should be more frequent. It was so dull usually.

"Let's teach this trash a lesson."

Acting like a true authoritative figure Dick commanded his follower's to hold Shin as he pummeled him. Rhythmic impacts treated his body like a drum who let out resounding moans of pain rather than bass beats .

After throwing him to the side like a rag doll, they swaggered off. Whispers and fingers pointed at him while he was down. Laying there all he thought of at the moment was- I resent this! Why! Why!Why! Why am I trash. No. No matter what I'll keep trying , I'll..ah- a palm tightened on his head. His face was directed to a scary but handsome face.

V's muscles in his forehead became pronounced. Words leaked out of his mouth one drop at a time.

"Oi. You. Are. On. My. Food!!"

With that he mercilessly flung Shin to the floor.

"Waiter, another round"

Shin "..."