Phenomenon

There was only one week left before the trial started and by now, Mu Shen had already gotten himself prepared, both mentally, spiritually and physically for the ordeal. He also wanted to break through and become a Melder so that he could be much stronger during the trial. 

The thing is— 

Those locks that sealed his cultivation was the only thing he worried about. Now, there are nine of them left. The tenth seal had broken when he became a Sentinel and that was with the help of the black clad figure. If that figure had not come, Mu Shen would have likely failed and that would spell doom for him.

He was afraid. And at the same time, he wants to attempt a breakthrough. 

Sighing, he entered his room and brought out almost six hundred star crystals, crushing all of them in an instant. The air was suddenly filled with a mist of essence which drifted around, forming a small vortex around Mu Shen as he absorbed it rapidly.

Absorption of the essence from star crystals was a slow process, but Mu Shen was rapidly absorbing it which was very strange. 

Mu Shen did not mind his strange behavior, at least no other person would know about the strange thing that he was doing behind closed doors.

In the next two days, eight hundred crystals were exhausted and Mu Shen was not yet at the peak. 

With a sigh, he got up and stepped out of the room only to suddenly bump into Zhao Ran. 

The girl's eyes widened seeing him. 

'What in hell? He had clearly abandoned the spacecraft. How had he gotten here before me?' 

She was surprised that she could not keep to her stoic expression. 

"Remember your statement, the first shall be the last and the last shall be the first! You were the first to leave, but I arrived before you." Mu Shen was greatly pleased with himself that Zhao Ran found it annoying.

"When did you arrive?" Mu Shen could not help but ask and Zhao Ran sighed.

"This morning! We would have come three days ago, but we were alerted of what happened so we delayed our arrival. Did you witness what happened to the two Neohumans?" 

Mu Shen's eyes widened. 

"You know about them too?" 

Zhao Ran's eyes rolled. "As the princess of the Zhao's clan I am entitled to whatever information that I am entitled to knowing and of course, the Neohuman Alliance is not an exception." 

Mu Shen sneered. "Zhao's clan princess. Do not turn a blind eye. It is everyone for themselves, your Zhao clanmates wouldn't always be there for you, so why cling to them like a cloaca?" 

Zhao Ran was suddenly infuriated. "And what makes you think so? My father and mother would not abandon me for any reason." 

Mu Shen scoffed. 

"You claim to be a princess and get the necessary information that is essential for your safety. But did your clan tell you that cultivation is a journey for oneself? Humans are a bunch of liars, only created to bring people down and everyone one of such humans are strictly carved out of my life unless I find them useful." 

Zhao Ran sneered. "You are an orphan Mu Shen, you will never understand the love of families. Maybe you do not understand that they always come through for you." 

"My foot! I'm not in the mood for these baseless arguments. The trial is in five days, I have to prepare myself for it. Arguments change nothing. You'll only become lonely in the future once they all leave you behind. Reflect on it!"

With that, Mu Shen turned his back and simply walked away.

Zhao Ran stood at her position, unmoving. Her face displayed an expression of anger, surprise and reflection almost as if she was unwillingly considering what Mu Shen had said. 

Some things that he had said were true. Putting too much trust on family and clans would end up either not being sufficient or disappointing her. She needed to stand on her own and keep family as second so that when they disappoint, it would not hurt too much.

***

Mu Shen meanwhile walked into the chambers of authority. This was the room that a certain man had asked him to come into whenever he needed the guidance of the supervisors. 

There's a feeling that if Mu Shen absorbs more essence from star crystals, he would be able to reach the peak, so he needed someone much more powerful that would help him break the seal once it appeared.

Mu Shen was surrounded by darkness, but the darkness was suddenly chased away by light and a man in pure white garment stared at him from the other end. 

"How may I help you?" He asked.

Mu Shen did not need to say more. "I want to break through and become a Melder, please I need your help." 

The man did not say anything else as he simply watched. 

Mu Shen sat on the floor and brought out another six hundred star crystals and crushed them…

This one took three days and eight hours until Mu Shen felt it. The feeling of being overflowing with energy, the feeling to compress It all together and release a crippling blast that would change his body's components, anatomy and vitality. 

This is the feeling of breakthrough.

He immediately brought out a level three Formcast model from his cosmic ring and decided to erupt. 

Space suddenly trembled as Mu Shen attempted his breakthrough. 

The man in white garment was shocked, his eyes widening. What the hell, he is only a Sentinel becoming a Melder, why was it affecting space?

The void warped and space shook, causing a powerful force to rise and fall, completely shattering Mu Shen's body. Mu Shen's eyes turned red as he experienced that excruciating pain once again. Immediately he placed the level three Formcast model into his already melted body and it turned into liquid. Then, it started to repair his body slowly and steadily.

Mu Shen's face was covered in sweat from head to toe, and all of a sudden nine locks appeared around him, forming a powerful rune that simmered instantly suppressing his breakthrough at that moment. 

The man in white garment was horrified. He noticed that Mu Shen's aura had dimmed and he immediately took action. He appeared before Mu Shen in an instant and observed the glowing nine locks which bind the young man in captivity. He moved to touch the locks but he was filled with boundless sadness, misery and grief. At this moment, he experienced Mu Shen's past life that Mu Shen had already forgotten. He had experienced everything in a single breath.

"Poor kid, binded by the shackles of the past. I'm sorry you have to go through a lot." He immediately raised his hands and landed it smack on the ninth lock and due to his unfathomable strength, it shattered completely.