Ashes of the star forge

Lian absorbed everything Lirien had told him about the Mindweaver Crown.

The treasure was truly powerful — far more than he had initially understood. A vessel for the knowledge and even soul fragments of long-dead masters. A tool that could turn teachings into real weapons and techniques. And a double-edged blade that could kill him if he offended the wrong spirit within it.

“I didn’t use it or show it because I was afraid they would be able to sense it,” Lian admitted quietly. “I told you about what happened after the fight... but I left out some of the details.”

Lirien nodded once, her silver-white hair shifting gently. “So you want to be as far away as possible before using it, to avoid any issues.”

She turned away for a moment, thinking. After a few quiet minutes, she looked back at him.

“This ship can mask its presence,” she said. “You do not need to worry about that. But if Master wants to be especially careful, you can wait until we leave this place and reach the exospace. There, the interference will be minimal.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

They began walking through the long corridors toward the control room. Soft lights lined the walls, and the faint hum of the ship’s systems filled the air. Lirien’s small hands were already on a holographic screen the moment they entered, typing with precise, rapid movements. Lian settled into the commander’s chair, the seat adjusting automatically to his form.

As they passed one of the training rooms, Lian caught a glimpse of Elara.

She was deep in practice. Her movements were fluid, almost like a dance — precise, controlled, without a single wasted motion. Her thunder blade cut through the air in graceful arcs as she flowed from one form to the next. She was completely in the zone, so focused that the outside world no longer existed for her. Time and surroundings had faded away. Only the blade and the rhythm of her body remained.

Lirien noticed his gaze.

“That is the zone,” she explained quietly. “When someone trains or fights with complete focus, they enter a state where nothing else exists. Time passes differently. Distractions thoughts disappear. It is rare for someone at her level to achieve it so consistently.”

Then she added something that genuinely shocked him.

“If you were to fight her right now, Master... you would lose.”

Lian’s eyes widened slightly. He said nothing, but the words settled heavily in his mind.

Lirien returned her attention to the screen.

“Master, the ship is at ninety-eight percent. By tomorrow we will be ready to leave.”

Lian nodded. He was tired of staying here. The broken planet held too many memories of death and desperation. He needed to explore the lower universe while there was still time — before the Kharvax Rift opened and the real trials began. His eyes drifted to Lirien. With her by his side, he no longer felt completely alone. For the first time in a long while, he believed that nothing would happen to him as long as she remained.

A repair robot approached Lirien and reported something in a low, mechanical tone. According to the unit, they had found a strange rock stuck to the outer hull of the ship.

Lirien followed the robot without a word, leaving Lian alone in the control room for a few minutes. When she returned, there was a faint spark of interest in her violet eyes.

“Master, you are lucky.”

Lian looked at her, confused. “What are you talking about?”

She continued, “The rock was not ordinary. It is made of a special material called Astral Heartforge Alloy. It is not man-made. When a star is about to die, it explodes and releases fragments of this substance — but only a Celestial Voidforge Primordial Star can produce it. It seems the material became stuck to the ship when it originally crashed here, and has remained attached ever since.”

Lian’s interest sharpened. “Where is it?”

“It is in my storage ring.”

His eyes moved to her small fingers. For the first time since meeting her, he noticed the thin, elegant ring she wore. He looked puzzled.

Lirien sensed the question before he asked it.

“You do not need to worry about it right now,” she said calmly. “You cannot use it for anything yet. You will need to find a skilled blacksmith to forge it into a weapon. It may sound like a big deal in the lower universe, but in the higher universe it is not considered rare. You would be surprised at what they use it for there.”

Lian’s curiosity about the higher universe grew stronger. How small he truly was in the vastness of existence. The realization should have been heavy, but instead it made him smile.

He could not wait.

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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