Nine Star Burden - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Silver Quality!
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Eight hours had passed in the natural cave and the two of them decided to take turns to keep a lookout. Jiang Xiao took the first shift while Xia Yan took the second.
At this moment, Xia Yan calculated the time and gently kicked Jiang Xiao, who had wrapped himself in the sleeping bag.
Xia Yan’s kick was gentle because she saw the waves of Star Power around his body. She knew that although he seemed to be sleeping, he was actually awake and had been absorbing Star Power.
Jiang Xiao opened his eyes and wiggled out of his sleeping bag, slowly stood up and shook his limbs and body.
He didn’t sleep too soundly and seemed to be half-awake the entire time, perhaps because he was troubled. An hour ago, Jiang Xiao decided not to sleep anymore and simply closed his eyes before starting to absorb Star Power.
However, he had no choice since his Star Power was still Stardust Stage Level 3.
No matter how much Star Power he absorbed, his total amount would no longer increase, but Jiang Xiao was not sick of it. He repeatedly replaced the Star Power in his body in a bid to agitate his Star Map, but he had no idea if it was working.
Since he couldn’t fall asleep, he had to find something to do.
Xia Yan carried the sword on her back and proceeded to add more branches instead of extinguishing the bonfire.
The two of them planned to continue staying there, which also meant that they had to go to a farther place to hunt. After all, the smell of blood would attract a large number of White Ghouls. That was not what they wanted.
This world had never changed in color.
When Jiang Xiao arrived for the first time, he was shocked and awed by the beauty of the bright galaxy in the sky, and he would marvel over the dreamy colors of the everchanging aurora in the sky.
However, Jiang Xiao began to miss daylight and the darkness of night after just one day.
People like Jiang Xiao, who came from Earth, could not get used to a world with limited light. 5
The two of them had covered a great distance and chanced upon a few White Ghouls. However, Xia Yan managed to split them with her giant blade and cover them in flames while channeling her Star Power. Hence, the White Ghouls that they encountered along the way did not choose to kill the two of them.
It wasn’t until the two of them traveled along the thick snow-covered snowfield for an hour that they truly began to get into hunting mode.
Xia Yan whipped out her dagger and spat out some white mist while making carvings on the trees along the way to remember the direction.
Suddenly, Xia Yan paused and her heart turned cold.
She heard a subtle sound, but what made Xia Yan even more shocked was that the sound was just beside her and was getting increasingly close.
It was a hunter that had fused with snow. They had no idea how long it had been laying in snow for and it formed an unassuming silhouette under the blowing wind.
Xia Yan held her dagger in her hand and slowly retreated before cocking her head sideways while staring at Jiang Xiao.
Jiang Xiao slowly put down the military backpack and looked in the direction of Xia Yan’s gaze, only to see a sly White Ghoul!
Xia Yan was almost reaching his face and yet, he remained still!
What kind of patience was that?
That was the patience of a good hunter. Its goal was definitely not to kill anyone, but to destroy both Xia Yan and Jiang Xiao by ripping them into shreds.
Or perhaps… it was just asleep?
Did Jiang Xiao overestimate it?
After thinking for a while, Jiang Xiao withdrew his dagger and slowly made his way forward to approach the blurry humanoid silhouette. Jiang Xiao’s heart began to pound rapidly.
Would this be his first actual kill? 1
Jiang Xiao held the dagger in his hand and stabbed it into the creature with all his might.
Bang!
The snow suddenly exploded and a ray of Green Glow flashed, causing the head of the White Ghoul to be blown off. 1
Indeed, the lack of sleep helped him perform well!
A good opponent… my foot, Jiang Xiao thought. He considered himself to have obtained victory because he could last a minute.
Xia Yan held the handle of her sword. She could feel the patience and skill of this White Ghoul and also knew that it should be stronger than it seemed on the surface. Hence, she kept her guard up.
However, Xia Yan discovered that the situation had changed this time.
Jiang Xiao’s mindset had changed, as well as his fighting style.
Jiang Xiao thought about his circumstances carefully when he was resting.
Yes, Jiang Xiao had given up plenty of ideas about killing the enemy, which would be impossible, and decided to provoke the enemy and lure it instead. He even adopted the strategy of defending.
Jiang Xiao discarded the dagger that would get in his way and lit up Green Glow in his fist before pulling away from the opponent again and again. It tried to stop the White Ghouls’ attacks as far as possible and paced around the snow in a chaotic manner while trying to evade. 1
Xia Yan’s eyes lit up slightly, and after focusing and staring at it for more than 20 seconds, she whipped out the military water bottle hanging on her waist and slowly began to drink it.
It seems that he’s great at adapting.
Jiang Xiao tried to retreat while multiple wounds formed on his body. His face had begun to bleed and he looked incredibly daunting.
A ray of Green Glow appeared and his fist finally hit the sharp claws of the White Ghoul, which then got shocked into retreating. Jiang Xiao finally got a chance to catch his breath again.
Seizing this opportunity, a white ray of light cast onto Jiang Xiao’s body and slowly healed his wound, restoring his vitality.
“Don’t get defeated, your IQ is higher,” Xia Yan said while holding onto the thermal flask. 3
Jiang Xiao was overwhelmed with shock and he suddenly covered his entire body in Green Glow, using all his might. He then charged towards the menacing and hungry White Ghoul.
Bang!
The blasting effects of Green Glow were truly divine. It was simple yet practical and could change the dynamics of the battle.
In the snow forest that was not considered too dense, there were plenty of small, empty spots and trees that were closely connected. If the battle were to go near the trees, it would be disadvantageous to Jiang Xiao.
Even if it were just a lone tree bark, the White Ghouls would have their way of playing tricks, for they were just like monkeys and humanoid apes.
“Stay on for another minute and I’ll reward you with water,” said Xia Yan, who finally smiled.
Jiang Xiao breathed heavily and staggered backward. A white ray of Blessing fell from the sky and he held onto a Star Bead in his arm at the same time, trying to absorb the Star Power.
A message popped up in his mind:
–
Star Technique Quality has advanced!
Green Glow, Silver Quality Level 1
Endurance, Silver Quality Level 1
–
Xia Yan smiled and said, “Xiaopi, I like heroic men, and I prefer men who fight with their brains.” 5
The White Ghoul was blasted out, and after tumbling nimbly twice, it held onto the tree trunk with one hand and swung itself up in one swift motion.
However, Jiang Xiao did not panic and took the opportunity to give himself plenty of Blessings.
The White Ghoul realized that persisting on did not seem like a good choice, perhaps because it could tell that its prey was manically improving in strength even though it had a low IQ. 1
Bang!
The White Ghoul’s foot hit the giant pine tree, resulting in a heavy and muffled sound. Thick chunks of snow fell and a white figure darted out amidst the heavy snowfall.
The pair of crimson eyes on the dark face stood out the most in the snow.
Jiang Xiao clenched his right fist tightly and the Big Dipper Star Map suddenly appeared. The second star slot suddenly lit up too.
Greatly taken aback, Xia Yan frantically yelled, “Dodge!”
She would have never imagined the reason for Jiang Xiao to return to his original state again even though he seemed to be very adaptable.
Facing the fierce White Ghoul that was leaping towards him, Jiang Xiao decided to switch tactics and sprung towards it. He yelled, “I love you too!”
Xia Yan’s eyes widened immediately as she saw his Star Map, on which the second star slot emitted a silver glow. 1
Bang!
Xia Yan dropped the military kettle on the ground, causing the hot water to splash all over the ground, melting the thick snow under her feet. 1