The moment Lin Yi opened the book.
His vision turned pitch black, and his body felt as if it were floating in a void.
Endless darkness enveloped him.
Dread and unease filled his heart.
A few seconds later, Lin Yi gradually grew accustomed to the darkness.
Slowly, he discovered that it wasn't completely pitch black.
Faint points of light flickered in and out of existence around him.
Perhaps they were too far away for their light to reach him fully.
"Where am I…"
Lin Yi started to panic. He was in a completely unfamiliar environment.
The network of alleyways was gone.
Even Lei Hu had silently vanished.
The only feeling the place gave him was that of being inside the vast Xinghai.
And here, he was but a tiny speck of dust.
But it was as if all the stars were shrouded by something.
They looked hazy and dim…
Lin Yi stared around in horror.
"This is just a worthless book! It's useless!"
A voice jolted Lin Yi back to his senses, pulling him out of the Xinghai.
The scene before him returned to what it was moments ago.
Although it was dark, he could faintly make out his surroundings within a few meters.
Lei Hu was still kneeling on the ground in front of him.
He was still muttering complaints nonstop.
"Worthless book?"
Lin Yi glanced down at Lei Hu. 'I just opened the first page and was transported into the Xinghai.'
'And you're telling me this is a worthless book?'
Lei Hu nodded. "That's right. An old beggar gave it to me. I think it's called the Star River Qi Transformation Technique or something. It doesn't even have a cover…"
"An old beggar?"
Lin Yi stared intently at Lei Hu.
'Could it be that the book didn't do the same thing for him?'
'Otherwise, he'd never call it a worthless book.'
'It seems the book's wonders aren't something just anyone can access.'
'Maybe it's related to one's comprehension? Or perhaps talent?'
In any case, what was a worthless book in Lei Hu's eyes was a miraculous tome to Lin Yi.
He had only just entered that Xinghai.
He hadn't yet grasped its meaning. He would have to spend more time studying it later.
"Yeah, and he scammed me out of eight hundred and eighty yuan… He went on about how it wasn't about money, it was about 'affinity.' An eight-hundred-and-eighty-yuan affinity…"
When Lei Hu finished speaking, his eyes were full of resentment.
Lin Yi almost laughed out loud. "So, you spent eight hundred and eighty on a worthless book like this?"
"Yeah! That old beggar… If I ever see him again, I'll…"
Lei Hu gritted his teeth in hatred.
To him, he'd just been scammed out of eight hundred and eighty yuan.
All he got was this worthless book.
But this book, worthless in his eyes, was a priceless treasure to Lin Yi.
"Back then, the old beggar also tried to sell me another book, called Corpse Collection or something… The price for that one was even more ridiculous. He wanted eight thousand, eight hundred and eighty yuan for it! Tch…"
Lei Hu wouldn't stop complaining, wishing he could curse the old beggar's entire family line back eighteen generations.
Just then, a few bills were tossed on the ground in front of Lei Hu.
The cursing stopped abruptly.
Lei Hu looked up at Lin Yi, confused. "What… what's the meaning of this?"
"Nine hundred yuan. Sell me the book.
Also, if you ever run into that old beggar again, let me know!"
Lei Hu stared at Lin Yi, dumbfounded.
He'd been in the mugging business for a little while now.
Not long, just a few months.
But he'd never seen a victim offer to buy something from their mugger.
Especially since this kid had clearly won the fight.
If he wanted to take the book, Lei Hu wouldn't dare say a word.
But he was actually paying for it? Lei Hu was completely baffled…
"Oh, right. Next time we meet, bring me your Golden Light Fist. I won't pay you for that one. Consider it compensation for my trouble!"
Lin Yi added before he left.
Lei Hu could only nod dazedly, watching until Lin Yi's figure disappeared from sight completely.
After a while, Shengzi and Daqiang, who had been knocked unconscious, slowly started to come to.
They stumbled over to Lei Hu.
"Boss, where's the kid?"
"Boss, why are you kneeling?"
Lei Hu glanced at them and was about to stand up.
But his expression changed slightly. "Give me a hand. My legs… my legs are numb…"
Shengzi and Daqiang supported Lei Hu, one on each side, and helped him up.
When they saw the nine hundred yuan on the ground, their eyes lit up.
"Boss, did you get this from that kid?"
"I knew our boss was tough! Taking care of that kid was a piece of cake, right? But isn't this a little… low? I saw him turn in a mission. The money in the reward pouch was definitely more than this…"
Shengzi and Daqiang chimed in, one after the other.
Before they could finish, Lei Hu shot them a fierce glare.
"Cut the damn crap. We're lucky to even have these few hundred. Let's go find a place to eat. I'm starving!"
Shengzi and Daqiang hurriedly nodded.
They quickly followed Lei Hu out of the alley.
…
By the time he got home, it was already 1:48 AM.
Lin Dazhi and Liu Hongmei were already fast asleep.
Lin Yi first changed his clothes and took a shower.
After returning to his room, he took out the Star River Qi Transformation Technique.
The whole way home, Lin Yi had been suppressing an urge.
He was just waiting to get home so he could study the book properly.
That feeling of being in the Xinghai had been incredibly real.
It deeply tempted Lin Yi to enter the Xinghai again and explore it thoroughly.
Having changed his clothes, Lin Yi sat cross-legged on his bed.
He opened the book once more…
In an instant, his vision went black.
When he opened his eyes again, he was once more in that vast Xinghai.
But this time, Lin Yi didn't feel the same dread and unease as before.
Instead, he looked around with curiosity.
Suddenly, in the void directly in front of him,
a dim point of starlight began to brighten.
The light spread and grew, bit by bit,
until a star leaped into Lin Yi's view.
But this star wasn't whole.
It had five points, four of which were already bright, with only the last one remaining dim and lifeless.
'This star is so strange. Why are four points lit up, but one isn't?' Lin Yi stared at the star, his curiosity growing.
Suddenly, from the dark void,
a rune shot straight toward Lin Yi.
Lin Yi was terrified. He instinctively tried to dodge but found his body was no longer under his control.
When the rune drew near, it gave off a celestial melody.
It was as if a Daoist was giving a sermon from a dais.
As Lin Yi watched in horror, more runes appeared from all directions.
And the sound of the sermon grew louder and clearer.
Golden runes swirled around Lin Yi's body.
Then, one by one, they rushed into his body and vanished.
Even more bizarrely, the star with the missing point hanging in the void before him…
…its dim point was slowly being filled with light,
until the entire star was completely lit.
BOOM—
Lin Yi clearly felt a massive surge of energy explode within his body.
It spread rapidly through him like a ripple…