Ashes of the star forge

Three days passed in the controlled quiet of the ship.

Lian spent most of that time in deep cultivation, seated cross-legged in the main training room while the vessel remained docked at the trading hub. The healing chamber had restored his body, but the deeper work of stabilizing his foundation could only be done through careful, deliberate effort. He circulated his Qi slowly, reinforcing the damaged pathways, forcing the black liquid to integrate more cleanly with his core. The cold presence inside him responded with less resistance than before. It still had a will of its own, but it no longer fought him as strongly.

Lirien observed in silence for long stretches. When she spoke, her corrections were precise.

“Your circulation still spikes under residual stress. Slow it further.”

“Do not force the liquid. Guide it.”

“Again.”

Elara trained in a separate chamber. She had not spoken much since the near-fatal match. The tension between them remained, quiet but present. She still refused to step into the arena herself, but her own practice had grown sharper, more intense. There were moments when Lian passed the observation panel and saw her moving through forms with a focus that bordered on obsession.

On the third day, Lian opened his eyes and stood.

His body felt whole again. The lingering phantom pain had faded. His Qi flowed more evenly. The foundation was still incomplete, but the worst of the cracks had been sealed.

Lirien stood near the entrance of the training room, waiting.

“You are stable enough to resume controlled matches,” she said. “If that is still your intention.”

Lian looked at her for a long moment.

“We stay a little longer,” he said. “But the matches will be chosen carefully. No more opponents with heavy combat experience until my foundation can handle them. I need wins that reinforce, not losses that break.”

Lirien nodded once. “Understood.”

Elara appeared in the doorway, having clearly overheard. Her expression was unreadable.

“You’re going back in,” she said. It was not a question.

“Yes.”

She was quiet for a few seconds. Then she said, “Then I’m coming with you to the arena. Every match. If something goes wrong again, I want to be close enough to do something about it.”

Lian met her eyes. He saw the fear she was trying to hide, and the stubborn resolve underneath it. He did not argue.

“Alright.”

They returned to the underground levels of the trading hub that evening.

The arena was the same as before — dim red light, thick air, the constant roar of the crowd, the smell of blood and ozone. Fighters moved in and out of the pit. Bets changed hands. Information whispered through the shadows.

Lirien registered Lian under a new alias and selected a carefully matched opponent: a mid-level fighter with solid technique but limited real battlefield experience. The kind of match that would test Lian without pushing him to the edge of death again.

As Lian waited for his turn, he stood at the edge of the upper walkway, looking down at the bloodstained floor below.

If you’re enjoying the novel and want to see more consistent updates or mass releases, your support through stones really helps a lot. The mass release period has now ended, but we can do new mass releases every Monday based on the following:

stones = 3 Chapters

stones = 5 Chapters

stones = 9 Chapters

Every stone counts and motivates me to write more. So if you’re enjoying the story, please consider dropping some stones to help us continue with bigger updates.

Thank you again for reading, for your patience, and for being part of this journey with me. I’ll see you in the next Chapter.

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

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!