C12 Yang Chen's Ability.!

Dusk was settling in as Yang Chen made his way back to his neighborhood. He had spent the afternoon wandering, exploring the streets he had once ignored. It was during this leisurely stroll that he discovered a different side to the small city of Hancheng, a charm he had never noticed before. In the past, consumed by the struggle to survive and too busy scavenging for scraps, he never had the chance to truly see the city's beauty or understand its character. After all, when your next meal is uncertain, little else seems to matter.

But times had changed. No longer plagued by hunger, Yang Chen could afford the luxury of taking in his surroundings. He ambled through the streets, taking his time to return home. His journey brought him to a familiar place: "Lau's Noodle Bistro." The sight of the weathered signboard sent a wave of nostalgia washing over him. Inside, the same old man was busy at work, skillfully lifting noodles from boiling water and seasoning them with practiced ease. The aroma that wafted out was both comforting and familiar.

Yang Chen was a different man now. Just yesterday, he was a beggar, his entire fortune amounting to little more than pocket change, barely scraping by with the beef generously offered by the old man. Today, his pockets were lined with tens of thousands. A sentimental feeling tinged his nose as he approached the bistro with a smile.

The old man seemed to sense Yang Chen's presence, looking up with a slight smile. "The usual two servings of plain noodles, less chili?" he asked.

Yang Chen paused, flashing a bright smile, "Make it two servings of beef noodles, and still easy on the chili."

The old man chuckled in response, "Alright, two servings of beef noodles, less chili it is!"

...

Leaving "Lau's Noodle Bistro," the sky had taken on an orange hue as the sun dipped toward the horizon. Yang Chen walked home, a sense of contentment in his step. Meanwhile, the old man watched from his chair, a faint glimmer shining in his cloudy eyes. It wasn't until Yang Chen disappeared into his house that the old man looked away, pulling out a pipe and taking deep puffs, the smoke rings billowing into the air.

"Damn, my eyes aren't what they used to be," he muttered, setting the pipe down and closing his eyes, perhaps to sleep or merely to rest.

Back at home, Yang Chen sat cross-legged on his bed, eager to experience the so-called A-grade spiritual energy irrigation. The name alone promised potential. "System! Use the A-grade spiritual energy irrigation!" he commanded, focusing his mind.

A mechanical voice confirmed, [Ding! Activation successful!]

Immediately, Yang Chen felt an overwhelming power flood his body like a torrential river. His face flushed with the intensity of the energy, but he managed to keep it under control. His body, now at Grandmaster Level, was among the elite in Hua Xia, capable of withstanding such raw force. Yet, this was an unprecedented amount of energy for him to contain.

The surge of power was immense, and despite his formidable physical condition, Yang Chen felt a twinge of pain. The body's strength was not the same as the strength of one's meridians and dantian. His physical prowess had been enhanced, his constitution improved, but in a world where spiritual energy was key, and Ability Users drew upon it to amplify their powers, Yang Chen's cultivation was still nascent.

The A-grade spiritual energy irrigation was akin to pouring the full cultivation of an A-grade Ability User into a host. For anyone else, this might have been fatal, resulting in an explosive death. But Yang Chen's enhanced constitution could bear this terrifying concentration of spiritual energy, though not without suffering.

His body began to show faint blood-red cracks, spreading like a spiderweb, a ghastly sight accompanied by the scent of blood. Yang Chen's expression contorted with pain, a pain far greater than any he had felt during his physical transformation. The infusion of spiritual energy brought him to the brink of despair, but still, he refused to give up.

With the system that had the power to transform his life, if Yang Chen simply gave up, he might as well resign himself to being a nobody, scavenging through garbage!

"Bring it on!"

Yang Chen roared, bracing himself against the onslaught.

The spiritual energy flooding into him seemed to respond to Yang Chen's call. Already somewhat wild, the energy intensified, pouring relentlessly into his body.

It coursed through Yang Chen's meridians, raging through every part of him with ferocious power.

This was untamed energy, raw and natural, with a hint of the wild.

A gradual infusion would have been manageable, but this overwhelming torrent was a different beast altogether—potentially devastating.

Yang Chen's meridians, however, were not frail; they were quite robust.

Even so, the agony was inescapable!

"Ah!"

Veins bulged on Yang Chen's neck, his eyes tinged with a scarlet hue as sweat beaded on his forehead and temples, only to be vaporized by the heat radiating from his body.

At that moment, the energy—or rather, the spiritual energy—within Yang Chen had reached a fearsome level.

Countless streams of spiritual energy swirled within his modest dantian, coalescing into a formidable force.

The mist-like spiritual energy thickened with the influx, gradually condensing into a liquid form within the dantian.

With time, the spiritual energy formed droplets, suspended in the core of Yang Chen's being.

The process came to a halt only after Yang Chen had absorbed every last bit of the spiritual energy.

As the deluge subsided, a vivid new vision unfolded in Yang Chen's mind.

He found himself amidst a vast starry expanse, where innumerable stars floated in the cosmos, each emitting a kaleidoscope of light.

"What is this…?"

Confusion flickered in Yang Chen's eyes.

Hadn't he just been immersed in the nourishment of spiritual energy? How had he been transported to the cosmos?

And more puzzling still… With no oxygen in space, how was he breathing?

A barrage of questions flooded Yang Chen's thoughts, catching him off guard.

But then, he noticed that each star in the universe pulsed with its own unique energy.

Some blazed with fire, others stood enshrouded in ice, and a few were enveloped in violent sword qi.

"This…" Yang Chen squinted, a sense of déjà vu washing over him as he gazed at the stars.

"Could this be… an ability?" Suddenly, the connection clicked in his memory—these stars represented the abilities of Ability Users.

Were these the true essences of their powers?

Yang Chen was baffled.

In the midst of his wonderment, a powerful force seized his attention, drawing him towards a specific direction in the universe.

Whoosh!

Yang Chen's speed was astonishing, darting through the dense field of stars like a beam of light. As he passed each one, he sensed an emotion akin to fear.

Were the stars cowering before him?

What in the world was going on?

Yang Chen's confusion deepened, but he pushed the thought aside as the mysterious pull grew stronger.

He was nearing his destination!

Yang Chen's heart pounded with anticipation. He was eager to discover his own unique ability, akin to the suspense of awaiting a lottery draw's outcome.

You hope for the best but fear the worst.

After what felt like an eternity, Yang Chen finally reached a place devoid of stars, facing only the vastness of a colossal black hole.

​