24: Innate nourishment and reciprocation

Two months passed quietly amidst the systematic operation of the Star Rail Headquarters.

For most people, these were just two ordinary months.

However, for Su Wan, these two months were like experiencing a dual storm of Soul and body.

After the first month of morning sickness and physical discomfort passed, she discovered that her body was undergoing some incredible changes.

The Universe energy she drew in through deep meditation and energy guidance increased as the embryo she was carrying matured.

When the embryo took shape today, and she guided the Universe energy into her body to Circulate Through the Meridians, a jaw-dropping scene occurred—the surrounding Universe energy no longer gathered in trickles, but surged into her body like a breached flood, wildly and almost violently!

Its speed and total volume far exceeded what she, an Elementary War God with SSS-Rank Affinity, could normally absorb by more than a hundredfold!

The energy torrent washed over her Meridians, nourished her Battle Body, and even her previously stagnant Cultivation Bottleneck began to loosen under this violent energy infusion!

"What... what is going on?!"

Su Wan was shocked as she looked inward at the surging river of energy within her, finding it almost incomprehensible.

This energy absorption efficiency was completely illogical! Unless... a piece of obscure knowledge about the gestation of those with Innate Aptitude, buried deep in her memory, flashed across her mind—Innate Nurturing Feedback!

According to extremely sparse records in the Federation, when a female expert is pregnant with a fetus possessing Innate Aptitude, during the stage when the fetal life embryo initially forms and the Innate Aptitude begins to manifest, its powerful Innate life magnetic field unconsciously produces a massive, positive energy attraction and feedback effect on the mother!

The mother is briefly able to share the fetus's terrifying absorption efficiency, which perfectly aligns with the Universe's Origin!

This is the Universe's reward, and the rule, for mothers who nurture great existences.

Historically, many fortunate female experts, by carrying an Innate Martial Body or even an Innate Star Body, seized this once-in-a-lifetime Opportunity to instantly Break through a Bottleneck that had troubled them for years, stepping from War General Rank into War God Level. There was even one mother at War God Peak who, by carrying an Innate Star Body, managed to glimpse a trace of the Planetary Level mystery and ultimately achieved Breakthrough!

However, her current energy absorption speed far exceeded the amplification recorded for carrying an Innate Martial Body!

The answer was obvious!

Star Body!

At least an Innate Star Body!

Teacher Qin Qingxuan's conjecture... that absurd mission she viewed as a humiliation... had actually... succeeded?!

An extremely complex emotion instantly overwhelmed Su Wan.

There was shock at the Aptitude of the unknown child, a strange excitement that the Federation might gain a Star Body expert in the future, and an unspeakable sense of absurdity and humiliation!

However, the Martial Artist's instinctual desire for power and longing to Break through to a higher Realm quickly overcame these conflicting emotions.

She was currently an Elementary War God, possessing a thousand-year Lifespan.

But Cultivating at the War God Level became increasingly difficult the further she progressed.

Breaking through every minor Realm required a long time and enormous resources.

Normally, she might only reach War God Peak in her entire life, let alone glimpse the Planetary Level.

But now, a massive Opportunity lay before her!

According to records, the gestation period for an Innate Star Body is typically one year and ten months. For the remaining one year and eight months, aided by the "Innate Nurturing Feedback" from the fetus, her Cultivation speed would remain at this incredible Peak state!

This was her only shortcut to Breaking through to the Planetary Level!

The immense temptation echoed in her heart like the whisper of a devil.

Su Wan decided to find Qin Qingxuan, her teacher, for more guidance.

Inside the office, Qin Qingxuan looked at her Disciple, whose aura was distinctly different and whose energy fluctuations were unusually active, even somewhat uncontrolled. A flash of understanding and irrepressible excitement crossed her eyes.

Without Su Wan needing to say much, her powerful Planetary Level perception had clearly captured the surging energy tide and, at its core, that single point of pure Star Radiance that was being nurtured, causing her heart to tremble!

"Teacher,"

Su Wan lowered her head, her voice dry,

"I... I want to resign from my teaching position. I... I don't know how to face Chen Xi and the others... and the energy in my body... I need to focus entirely on secluded Cultivation..."

Qin Qingxuan slowly stood up, walked over to Su Wan, extended her hand, and gently pressed it above her abdomen.

A stream of pure energy probed inward, then retracted moments later.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and when she opened them again, they were filled with brilliant light!

"Indeed... indeed it is an Innate Star Body! Such pure and powerful Star Radiance Origin!"

Her voice carried a hint of imperceptible tremor, a sign of extreme excitement,

"Wan'er, your feeling is correct! This is your great Opportunity! And even more, it is a great fortune for the Federation!"

She looked at Su Wan, her tone more solemn and fervent than ever:

"An Innate Star Body, even if it doesn't Cultivate at all, relying solely on instinct to absorb Universe energy, can naturally grow to Planetary Level Peak over ten thousand years! And you are an Elementary War God, possessing the ability to actively guide and refine energy! By utilizing the power of this 'Innate Nurturing Feedback,' you absolutely have the chance to Break through to the Planetary Level in the remaining time! It's even possible to reach the Intermediate or Advanced Planetary Level!"

"I will immediately arrange for someone to take over your teaching duties. Your primary task now is secluded Cultivation! Focus all your efforts on assaulting the Planetary Level! I will open the Headquarters' highest-grade Cultivation Chamber for you and allocate all the resources you need!"

Qin Qingxuan gave the order decisively. This investment was crucial to her, to Star Rail, and to the Federation.

"Thank you, Teacher."

Su Wan responded softly, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

After sending away the complex-minded Su Wan, Qin Qingxuan stood alone before the star window, the turbulence in her heart refusing to subside.

Su Wan's successful verification completely confirmed the terrifying value of Chen Jun's "Special Physique"!

This value even far exceeded her initial estimate!

Her mind raced at an unprecedented speed, re-evaluating everything.

"Aptitude and the window for Breakthrough..." This concept became increasingly clear in her mind.

Martial Artists' Cultivation depends not only on Aptitude but also on timing!

Just like building a house, the foundation must be laid at the optimal time; once missed, it cannot be remedied.

DCB-Rank Aptitude Breaking through to Warrior Rank (200 Lifespan): The best Breakthrough window is before age 20. After age 20, the Mortal Body solidifies, making further Breakthrough nearly impossible, requiring vast resources and having an extremely low success rate.

AS-Rank Aptitude Breaking through to War General Rank (500 Lifespan): Must Break through to Elementary War General Rank before age 50. Missing this means no hope of War General Rank for life, let alone Intermediate or Advanced War General Rank.

SS and SSS-Rank Aptitude Breaking through to War God Level (1000 Lifespan): Must Break through to Elementary War God before age 100. After a hundred years, War God Level is hopeless, let alone Intermediate to Peak War God Level. Their greatest goal is to Break through to the War God Level. Planetary Level is only something an Innate Martial Body can consider, as they need time to accumulate energy and Awaken the Acquired Martial Body. However, the Innate Martial Body is different; it can accumulate energy faster and has the qualification to glimpse the Planetary Level Barrier.

Innate Martial Body Aptitude Breaking through to Planetary Level (10,000 Lifespan): Must condense the "Acquired Star Body" before age one hundred! One hundred years is a Natural Chasm; once missed, no matter how peerless a Genius you once were, you will never have the possibility of condensing the Acquired Star Body and achieving the Planetary Level! In the history of the Federation, countless astonishingly talented War God Peak experts regretted their entire lives because they were stuck before the century mark, unable to condense a Star Body, eventually exhausting their thousand-year Lifespan. But once the Acquired Star Body is successfully condensed and the Planetary Level is reached, the sky opens up, granting a ten-thousand-year Lifespan!

Innate Star Body Breaking through to Stellar Level (100,000 Lifespan): Must condense the "Acquired Moon Body" before age one thousand! The difficulty of this is ten thousand times greater than an Innate Martial Body condensing the Acquired Star Body! All Stellar-level Experts currently existing in the Federation are beings who condensed the Acquired Moon Body before they reached a thousand years of age! After a thousand years, Stellar Level is hopeless!

This is why the Federation places such great importance on "Innate Aptitude"!

Because Innate Aptitude means an absolute guarantee of the lower limit and infinite potential for the upper limit!

An Innate Martial Body, even if they slack off, can reach War God Peak when their Lifespan is full! If carefully nurtured, and helped to condense the Acquired Star Body during their Golden Period, they can Break through to the Planetary Level!

An Innate Star Body, even if they slack off, can reach Planetary Peak when their Lifespan is full, which is around ten thousand years old! If they are fully nurtured during their golden millennium, there is hope of helping them condense the Acquired Moon Body and Break through to the Stellar Level!

And if it were the legendary Innate Moon Body... its starting point guarantees reaching Stellar Level Peak when its Lifespan is full. If it condenses the Acquired Sun Body during its ten-thousand-year Golden Period, it is a certainty that it can glimpse the Star Arm Level (Lifespan of one million years)!

Of course, F-Rank Aptitude also has a near-zero chance of becoming Star Arm Level. If an F-Rank can condense the Acquired Martial Body before age 20 to become a Warrior Rank Martial Artist, become War General Rank before age 50, become War God Level before age 100, and simultaneously Break through to the Peak, condense the Acquired Star Body to become Planetary Level, condense the Acquired Moon Body before age one thousand to become Stellar Level, and condense the Acquired Sun Body before age ten thousand, they can become a Star Arm Level existence!

However, this is inherently a fallacy. The cost of nurturing someone without talent is too great. Forget F-Rank; even nurturing an SSS-Rank to Stellar Level might exceed the massive resources the entire Federation can afford, let alone those with lower Aptitudes.

What was in Su Wan's abdomen was an Innate Star Body!

This means the Federation is guaranteed to gain a Planetary Level Peak expert in the future, and possibly even the hope of a Stellar Level expert!

And Chen Jun is the existence capable of reliably "producing" this hope!

A more insane and tempting thought uncontrollably emerged from the depths of Qin Qingxuan's heart:

"What if... what if the mother who combines with Chen Jun is herself an 'Innate Star Body'... would the offspring conceived be... the legendary 'Innate Moon Body'?"

This thought made her breathing rapid! Her heart pounded violently!

Innate Moon Body!

In the Federation's history of one hundred thousand years, there is only one clearly documented existence!

That is the ultimate strategic force that suppresses National Destiny!

She is the greatest Martial Artist!

She is also the greatest leader!

And the greatest scientist!

If Innate Moon Bodies could be born continuously... why would the Tristan Empire be worth fearing?!

Her first thought was to find an existing, young, female Innate Star Body to serve as the mother.

But she quickly dismissed the idea!

How rare are Innate Star Bodies?

Each one is a closely guarded treasure, and their Family and forces would absolutely not agree to let them become an "Experimental Subject."

Moreover, whether they would be willing to combine with someone like Chen Jun, who looks like an old man, is an unknown factor.

Furthermore, an Innate Star Body existence is at least a Planetary Level existence, or even a Stellar Level existence. Their status is not lower than hers—it might even be higher!

Then, she thought of herself.

She was an Innate Martial Body. Relying on her exceptional talent and Family resources, she successfully condensed the Acquired Star Body in her thirties, allowing her to Break through to the Planetary Level and reach her current Planetary Level Peak.

She knew clearly that her Acquired Star Body was inferior in potential compared to a genuine Innate Star Body.

(She did not know the absolute guarantee rule of Chen Jun's System, where the mother's Physique, whether Acquired or Innate, was irrelevant.)

She was now over a thousand years old, having long missed the optimal age window for condensing the Acquired Moon Body and Breaking through to the Stellar Level (before age one thousand).

What if... what if she, this "Acquired Star Body," were to combine with Chen Jun? Could she conceive an Innate Moon Body?

She was unsure.

Theoretically, Chen Jun's "Physique" seemed to prioritize the partner's current "Life Level and Aptitude," rather than its Innate Origin.

But there was ultimately a difference between an Innate Star Body and an Acquired Star Body.

However, if the offspring conceived was only an Innate Star Body, it would not help her Break through to the Stellar Level much, as she already possessed an Acquired Star Body. Furthermore, the Federation needed an Innate Moon Body more.

The thought of becoming the mother herself was incredibly tempting!

If successful, she might be able to rely on the "Innate Nurturing Feedback" provided by carrying an Innate Moon Body—an energy torrent far surpassing Su Wan's current experience!

She might be able to shatter the Age Barrier in one fell swoop, condense the Acquired Moon Body, and glimpse the coveted Stellar Level Dao!

The cost was that she would have to submit herself to the aging Chen Jun, and if only an Innate Star Body was conceived, the Federation would lose what might be its only chance to obtain an Innate Moon Body.

Just imagining the scene of submitting herself to Chen Jun, even with Qin Qingxuan's Planetary Level state of mind, she felt a strong wave of rejection and discomfort.

This was not just physical disgust, but a psychological barrier stemming from the immense disparity in status, strength, and aesthetics.

She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing this restless thought.

"No... I cannot take the risk. If only an Innate Star Body is conceived, it won't help me much, and it won't have a decisive effect on the Federation."

Rationality regained the upper hand. She could not let the Federation lose this precious Opportunity just because there was a possibility of her becoming a Stellar Level expert!

"Su Wan's example proves that an Innate Star Body mother is viable. We should prioritize finding an Innate Star Body target. My Acquired Star Body... the uncertainty is too great; I cannot waste this precious Opportunity."

"The most pressing matter is to stabilize Chen Jun!"

Her gaze sharpened.

Chen Jun's physical condition was extremely poor, with severe Life Overdraft.

Previous assessments showed that forcibly assisting him in the Awakening of the Acquired Martial Body had a success rate of less than ten percent, and the risk was extremely high.

Before, she felt that rather than using resources to gamble on a ten percent success rate, it was better to maximize his utility and squeeze out his last bit of value.

But now, Chen Jun's value had been infinitely elevated!

He could conceive an Innate Star Body, and possibly even an Innate Moon Body!

He had become the Federation's most precious "Strategic Resource"!

Therefore, maintaining his life and extending his "Service Life" as much as possible became crucial!

Even if there was only a ten percent success rate, it was not worth the gamble!

If the gamble succeeded, Chen Jun could not only extend his Lifespan but also improve his physical condition, perhaps allowing him to endure more "procreations"!

If they won the gamble, the Federation might gain multiple Innate Star Bodies, or even an Innate Moon Body!

If they lost the gamble, the Federation might lose the precious Opportunity to give birth to an Innate Moon Body!

Calculating this balance, she became hesitant... Lin Wei's matter must be arranged quickly.

Only by placating Chen Jun and letting him see hope could they get him to "cooperate" better.

Helping Lin Wei Awaken safely was both fulfilling part of a promise and a form of appeasement.

Thinking this, Qin Qingxuan immediately pressed the Communication Button, her tone reverting to its usual decisiveness and efficiency:

"Notify the Biomedical Department to immediately establish two highest-priority project teams."

"Team One, Target: Lin Wei. Mission: Spare no expense, use the highest safety standards to formulate and execute the 'Acquired Martial Body Awakening Plan,' requiring a success rate of 99.99% or higher. Necessary resources are to be drawn from my special authority."

"Team Two, Target: Chen Jun. Mission: Completely re-evaluate his physical condition, concentrate all cutting-edge medical and life technology, and formulate a controllable-risk 'Life Extension and Potential Awakening Feasibility Plan.' Even if there is only a sliver of hope, try your best! I want to see a preliminary plan within three days!"

Having issued the orders, Qin Qingxuan looked toward the starry sky again, a light flickering in her eyes.