Ashes of the star forge

Lian was struggling.

The representative moved with a speed that bordered on the impossible. Even at the lowered level of Stellar Circuit Star 1, the difference in foundation and combat experience was overwhelming. Lian could not keep up. His eyes struggled to track the punches. His body reacted purely on reflex, arms rising, feet shifting, but it was never enough. He was locked in pure defense, unable to counter, unable to create even a single opening.

The punches began to break through.

Each one came faster and stronger than the last. Lian barely managed to raise his hand in time to block a strike aimed at his face when another fist slammed into his chest with brutal force. A sickening pop echoed through the training room as his sternum shattered. The impact launched him across the entire length of the white chamber. His body slammed hard against the reinforced wall, the force rattling his teeth and sending a shockwave of pain through every nerve.

He dropped to the ground in a crumpled heap. Blood poured from his mouth in thick, wet coughs. His chest burned with white-hot agony. His vision dulled, edges blurring into darkness. His head felt like it was on fire, thoughts scattering like leaves in a storm. He could not think straight. All he could feel was the crushing weight of failure and the relentless pain.

He tried to push himself up.

His arms trembled violently. His hands were broken — fingers twisted at unnatural angles, bones grinding against each other with every movement. His legs shook so badly he could barely stay upright. The representative was already walking toward him, calm and deliberate, like a predator approaching wounded prey.

Lian had not even finished standing when the figure appeared right in front of him.

A final punch crashed into his skull.

Darkness claimed him instantly.

Lian woke slowly.

His eyes opened to soft white light. It did not take him long to realize where he was. The same glass tube. The same warm, slightly viscous liquid. He was floating, completely naked except for the storage rings on his fingers and the bracelet on his wrist. Thin filaments and wires connected to his body, pulsing gently as they fed healing energy into his broken frame.

Lirien stood outside the tube, her small hands moving over a holographic interface. Her silver-white hair fell around her doll-like face, and her violet eyes were focused and calm. She was healing him — repairing shattered bones, restoring damaged meridians, stabilizing his Qi flow.

Lian’s mind was cloudy with questions.

He needed answers. And he knew there was only one person who could give them.

When she finished healing him, he would ask.

Later, Lian walked through the quiet corridors of the ship with Lirien beside him. The soft hum of the vessel’s systems filled the air. The robots continued their silent work in the distance, repairing the last remaining damage. Elara was elsewhere, training in her own way.

This was his chance.

He turned to face Lirien, ready to speak, but she spoke first.

“Can you help me?”

The exact words he had been about to say.

Lian’s eyes narrowed slightly. Can she read minds? The thought was unsettling. That would be truly terrifying.

Lirien looked up at him with her calm violet eyes.

“Yes, I will,” she said simply. “You are my Master, and my goal is to help you become the strongest. I cannot have a weak master.”

She paused, then tilted her head slightly.

“Master... when are you going to show me your crown?”

Lian took an involuntary step back.

How did she know?

He understood immediately what she meant. The Mindweaver Crown. The rare artifact he had found among the scavenged rings after the battle on Vorthex Prime. The one that connected to the Eternal Archive and allowed access to techniques and legacies of long-dead masters.

“You are wondering how I know,” Lirien continued, her voice soft and almost amused. “Do not be so surprised. The rings you both wear are Grade B. Powerful beings can see inside them. I simply looked.”

Lian’s expression remained carefully controlled, but his mind raced.

Lirien continued without waiting for a response.

“I just want to see it. It is a rare item in this era. But I know who owned it... or rather, who created it.”

She corrected herself gently.

“Wait. Let me correct myself. It was not owned by one person. It was created for the sole purpose of leaving teachings and techniques inside it, and also for learning from past masters. You learn from them, and you leave your own knowledge behind. Not just that — it is powerful enough that masters can leave fragments of their souls within it.”

Lian’s throat tightened.

“It is also a dangerous thing,” Lirien added. “If you offend any Master whose soul fragment remains inside, and they decide to kill you... you die for real. There is no second chance.”

Sweat beaded on Lian’s forehead. He swallowed hard.

Lirien’s eyes met his.

“It can also affect reality. If a Master passes down a weapon or an item through the crown, that item becomes real. Tangible. Permanent.”

She paused, letting the weight of her words settle.

“I think that is the answer to your question.”

Power Scale / Cultivation Realms (Quick Reminder)

Foundation Realm (Layers 1–9): Body forging, no external Qi.

Circuit Awakening Realm (Early–Peak): First Qi loop, internal bursts.

Core Condensation Realm (Early–Peak): External Qi release, short flight.

Stellar Circuit Realm (1–9 Stars): True flight, Qi armor, energy projection.

Nebula Dominion Realm and higher: Domain control, galaxy-level power, etc

Power Scale Reminder

Lian Yu: Stellar Circuit Star 1.

Elara Voss: Core Condensation Middle

Keep it as reminders

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