Chapter 5 Star Card Skills

Su Yuan's eyes lit up. Since it was about decomposing star cards, the resulting material was very likely the Stardust required by the system.

If it really turned out to be Stardust, this would become the second way to obtain it apart from natural growth over time—and an approach that he could actively control!

With Stardust, star cards could be enhanced, which meant higher skill proficiency levels!

"It's a shame I don't have any other star cards on hand to try it immediately."

"And then there's card extraction. Star Card Masters inherently have the ability to extract star cards from Star Beast star cores, but I wonder what the system's version of this function does."

"No matter what, I need to test these two new features as soon as possible, especially card decomposition. It could determine whether I can quickly improve the star card skills embedded in my Star Power vortex."

Su Yuan mulled over his thoughts briefly and quickly made a decision.

"I'll act tomorrow. For now, let me test out the Azure Sky Phoenix's Space Movement!"

Su Yuan set aside his thoughts, raised his head, and let a faint ripple of silver light shimmer in his eyes. His vision instantly shifted, transforming into a transparent, three-dimensional black-and-white world.

All unblocked areas turned white, while occupied spaces like the desk and wall turned black.

At the moment, there were two humanoid black forms in the living room and kitchen.

From their physical features, it wasn't hard to deduce that the living room figure was his father, Su Yang, watching TV and the kitchen figure was his mother, Tang Shiyang, washing dishes.

Su Yuan glanced toward the kitchen. With a thought, Star Power surged from his body, forming flowing silver light around him. A flicker later, he disappeared from his original spot.

In the kitchen.

Tang Shiyang had just finished washing the dishes and tidying up the tableware. She opened the warming cabinet and glanced at the plates of stir-fried green peppers with pork and tomato scrambled eggs.

"Winter really makes food chill quickly—putting it in a warming cabinet hardly helps," Tang Shiyang shook her head, lifting the two plates out. "Little Yuan's been cultivating for so long. It's already past nine, and he still hasn't come out yet. I'll reheat these dishes."

At that moment, silver light flickered in the kitchen, and Su Yuan appeared out of thin air behind Tang Shiyang.

Watching her place the dishes on the table, Su Yuan softly called out, "Mom~."

"Ah!"

Even though Su Yuan lowered his voice, the abrupt greeting still startled Tang Shiyang, making her shudder. Luckily, she had already securely placed the plates, or they might have fallen.

Tang Shiyang quickly turned around. "You scared me, Little Yuan! How did you..."

Before Tang Shiyang could finish her sentence, she noticed Su Yuan's silver eyes and froze momentarily. Realizing what had happened, she swiftly covered her mouth, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Little Yuan, did you… did you awaken?" Tang Shiyang's voice trembled slightly.

In Great Flame Country, non-black pupil colors almost always signified awakening. Although Guangchuan City was a remote third-level city, it still had its fair share of Star Card Masters. Tang Shiyang had seen others with non-black pupils before.

Su Yuan nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Mom."

If not for Su Yang and Tang Shiyang exhausting their savings to support his former self, Su Yuan would never have awakened today. It was heartfelt gratitude from him.

"That's wonderful!" Tang Shiyang exclaimed as she hugged Su Yuan tightly. "Son, you finally awakened! Brother Yang, come look—our son has awakened!"

"Awakened?!"

Su Yang, a robust man with thick eyebrows and a solid build, jumped up from the couch upon hearing the news and strode over in just a few steps.

After carefully examining Su Yuan, Su Yang enthusiastically slapped his son's shoulder a few times. "You really did awaken! Good, good! You truly are my son! The Su Family is about to have a Star Card Master! Hahaha!"

Feeling the force of his father's slaps, Su Yuan secretly winced.

Su Yang's strength wasn't mild. If Su Yuan hadn't already awakened as an Eighth Stage Star Apprentice, enduring those slaps would have been tough.

But Su Yang's excitement had a clear motive.

In Great Flame Country, who didn't dream of becoming a Star Card Master?

Su Yang did, too!

But Su Yang's situation was worse than Su Yuan's awakening failures—he couldn't gather Star Power at all, rendering him unable to even step into the Star Apprentice Stage.

Thus, Su Yang repeatedly emptied his savings to buy Soul Awakening Cards for Su Yuan. Supporting his son aside, it also carried his own unrealized dreams.

Now, seeing his son succeed after setbacks and hardships, Su Yang's joy was immeasurable...

Tang Shiyang released Su Yuan and wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes. "Little Yuan, go sit in the living room. The food has gone cold; I'll reheat it right away, and we'll eat first."

Su Yang realized his earlier reactions were overly exuberant. He stopped slapping and massaged Su Yuan's shoulder with a laugh. "Yes, yes—you just awakened, so your energy reserves are probably low. Eat first!"

Looking at the two people who were genuinely happy for him, Su Yuan felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

He hadn't just inherited this body—he'd inherited its memories. And blood remains thicker than water; the bond through bloodlines cannot be severed.

These two people before him were his parents—and the only two individuals in this world he was determined to protect!

At seven the next morning.

"Mom, I'm heading out!"

"Little Yuan, be very careful! Don't go too deep into the wild. Shouldn't you reconsider and find some classmates to join you?"

"Don't worry, Mom. I've got it all planned."

"Make sure to call me after you come back!"

"Got it!"

Su Yuan slung a black nylon backpack over his shoulder, gripped a long bag with his left hand, shouted a response, and left home.

On the light rail heading for the eastern part of the city, Su Yuan pulled out the book Evaluation of Low Stage Star Beast Skills and skimmed through his marked selections.

"Small Fireball from the Green Flame Wolf, Open and Close Slash from the Saber Lying Grasshopper, Steel Flame Finger from the Rock Melt Beast—these are all Star Beasts found in the Great Barbarian Mountain Area."

"It's a pity I can't deal with Flying Demon Beasts; otherwise, Lightning Raid from the Thunder Falcon would be quite nice. Among White Card skills, it's considered quite exceptional."

"Additionally, beyond these dozen offensive skills I've selected, the Sky Binding Net from the Earth Cave Spider is also a very strong control-type skill—if only I could encounter one..."

Indeed, Su Yuan's goal for this trip was to venture into the wilderness to hunt Star Cards.

One objective was to validate the system's two new features, and the other was to quickly improve his strength.

Su Yuan understood that, despite awakening with a Master Grade Soul Card, he was almost a year behind those who had awakened on time.

In terms of realms, having just broken through to Eighth Stage Star Apprentice, he could barely keep up.

But for a Star Card Master's strength, it wasn't just about Star Power Realm.

The Star Power Realm was the foundation. Beyond that lay another critical component: skills!

For Star Apprentices, successfully awakening a Soul Card not only granted one Soul Card skill but also established a core within their Star Power vortex, enabling them to embed additional Star Card skills.

By embedding Star Cards, a Star Card Master could access the skills within those cards, thus amplifying their Star Power and unleashing its full potential in combat.

Without Star Cards, they could only release Star Power in the most basic and inefficient manner—like a clawless beast.

This was why the upcoming inter-high school trial during next semester was limited to students who had successfully awakened for the Star Apprentice Class.

Students who hadn't awakened lacked the amplification effect of Soul Cards and didn't even have a single skill. Fighting Star Beasts, who naturally possessed inherent skills, would be pointless.

Thus, Su Yuan urgently needed a few practical Star Card skills to bolster his combat strength.

On Blue Sea Star, the most common way to obtain Star Cards was by hunting Star Beasts!

Star Beasts were biologically distinct from humans—they naturally possessed Star Cores and skills.

After killing a Star Beast, a Star Card Master could use their spiritual power to extract a randomly skilled Star Card from the Star Beast's Star Core.

Although the cheapest White Cards could be purchased on the market for just a few thousand dollars, the Su Family's finances were already strained. Su Yuan didn't want to ask them for money again.

Furthermore, having now awakened and reached Eighth Stage Star Apprentice, his strength had greatly improved. This was the perfect opportunity to gain real combat experience.

Compared to other Star Apprentices, Su Yuan's Azure Sky Phoenix Soul Card came with the skill Instant Movement—a highly versatile ability.

With Instant Movement at his disposal, he could advance or retreat freely. As long as he didn't encounter a Bronze-level Star Beast adept at speed, he should be able to ensure his safety.