Awakening successful!
Zhang Xiaoman let out a long breath.
When all the brilliance had dissipated, the stone platform that had the Enlightenment Array engraved on it had returned to its previous state; the intricate and beautiful pattern of the Seven-pointed Star had vanished without a trace as if it had never existed.
Zhang Xiaoman walked over and gently lifted the girl’s right hand.
Inside the palm, the mark representing the Star Alliance had already been engraved.
This was, apart from himself, the third person to receive this mark.
At the same time, she was also the first person to have the Eye of the Starry Sky imprinted through Awakening.
Zhang Xiaoman still remembered that the Star Alliance mark on his and his mother Pei Lingsu’s hands had been imprinted using an "extractor" purchased from the store back then.
It was something similar to a decal, which disappeared after imprinting the pattern and was a one-time use item.
However, now, after the renovation by the Sect Establishment Order, the "extractor" was no longer being sold in the store. From now on, any Star Alliance member who wanted to acquire this mark must do so through the Enlightenment Array.
"How do you feel? Is there any discomfort?" asked Zhang Xiaoman.
The girl wiped her eyes and smiled, "No, Brother Xiao Man, thank you. We should have succeeded. I can feel that strange energy around me, and it seems I can control them at any time."
"It’s good that you succeeded," Zhang Xiaoman nodded and then focused his gaze on the little girl, as an attribute panel about her appeared before his eyes:
"Indeed, she has Dark Energy now and, like me, is an Awakener," Zhang Xiaoman noted as he glanced at her brief attribute panel and made a quick analysis in his mind.
"Awakeners are divided into three stages, from low to high: ’Enlightenment’, ’Control’, ’Transcendent’. Based on this girl’s attributes, it seems like the base Dark Energy for all stages is fixed at 100 points..."
"This means that if one wants to continue to increase the limit, they must do so through other means."
Thinking of the new method he had discovered to increase the Dark Energy limit, Zhang Xiaoman felt somewhat reassured.
"This is good. Although increasing the limit has become a bit troublesome, at least new members who have awakened won’t be without Dark Energy to use their abilities."
Lin Sisi was still experiencing the new changes that came with her Awakening. She now felt an additional, peculiar sense within her, as if it was an instinct she was born with, allowing her to freely mobilize Dark Energy.
When she had observed the grey world through the Spirit Detection Technique before, she could only watch as an observer, unable to influence it.
But now, after she had awakened to Dark Energy, she could clearly sense the traces of Dark Energy, feeling as distinctly as water touching skin.
With every move she made, ripples would be stirred as if she was creating waves on a calm surface of water.
To put it simply, after Awakening, she could interact with the Dark World.
"By the way, Sisi, what exactly did you see during your Awakening? What did it feel like?" Zhang Xiaoman asked, voicing his curiosity.
The formula for the Enlightenment Array had only mentioned that Awakening would be accompanied by a slight pain, but it did not account for the situation that had just transpired; he needed to understand more.
"I saw my dad and mom just now. It was a year ago, on the day of our car accident..."
Lin Sisi slowly told Zhang Xiaoman what she had seen in the illusion.
"I’m sorry... that was just too real..."
"At the beginning, I could remember that I was undergoing Enlightenment, but as time went on, I seemed to have forgotten what I was just doing. It was as if my memory was obscured, and it wasn’t until you called out to me that I remembered..."
Zhang Xiaoman listened to her words and couldn’t help but frown in thought.
It seemed that the Enlightenment Array was not just a little painful during the Awakening, as the formula extracted by the System also appeared to be incomplete in its annotations, leaving much to be explored on one’s own.
As he thought about this, he suddenly recalled the scene at the cultivation exchange conference where Ye Cang had ignited the Dragon Sleep Stone.
At that time, many people around him had fallen into an incredibly realistic illusion just like Lin Sisi had just experienced, which immediately led him to connect the two events.
"It seems that this illusion must be the effect caused by the Olharast Rock... This is a point worth noting for future reference when others are Awakening, to remind them."
"Alright, Sisi, the Awakening is complete. From now on, you are a member of the Star Alliance."
Zhang Xiaoman’s gang list had been updated with Lin Sisi’s information.
It was clear that the young girl was happy; ever since she had been able to interact with the Dark World, she had been attempting to manipulate the Dark Energy Particles in the space around her, creating ripples one after another.
The sadness on her face had faded, replaced by a smile once more.
In the following time, Zhang Xiaoman confirmed with her the extent of her ability to control Dark Energy.
To his surprise, Lin Sisi didn’t have the permission to convert the Active Dark Energy Particles from sequences 109-216 as he had imagined. Instead, it was a blank slate.
In the girl’s own words, she seemed to be able to sense the presence of these sequence particles but was unable to convert them directly. Instead, she needed to establish a connection and familiarize herself with them through communication to unlock the usage rights of a certain sequence.
In gaming terms, she needed to earn "Skill Points" through practice before she could use them to unlock skills.
This was unknown to Zhang Xiaoman, as the "Speak and Follow" effect had directly made him a Third "Transcendent" Stage Awakener after his Awakening.
He had also unlocked the usage rights to all the sequences of Active Dark Energy Particles at once, unlike Lin Sisi, who awakened through normal means, so he was unaware of this.
With Zhang Xiaoman’s current ability, he could even sense the Dark Energy Particles of the First Sequence, but because of insufficient Dark Energy limits, he could not convert them. The only limitations for him now were the blue bar and the Skill Formula.
"Okay, now that you’re a member of the Star Alliance, I will give you these two items first," he said.
Speaking, Zhang Xiaoman bought two items from the store and handed them over, which were the basic set he equipped for Star Alliance members.
The two items were a first-tier Star Stone and Daring Clothes.
The Star Stone needs no introduction; it’s essentially the same as the old hearthstone and required 5 points to purchase.
As for the Daring Clothes, they should be strictly considered a set of Armor, also priced at 1 Star Dust, somewhat similar to the Polar Star Robe—it’s a set prepared in the Gang Store for members of the Star Alliance.
When purchasing the Daring Clothes, Zhang Xiaoman had to input the size on the virtual interface to prevent buying something that wouldn’t fit.
Of course, he had already asked about the size of the clothes Lin Sisi wore beforehand.
The Daring Clothes came in three colors: light green, pure white, and deep black, each corresponding to one of the Three Great Sanctuaries—the Forest Guardians, Guardians, and Trackers.
The outfit Zhang Xiaoman bought for Lin Sisi was the pure white one belonging to the Guardians.
The Daring Clothes also had an attribute panel, but perhaps because this was a basic model, they didn’t offer any attribute enhancements.
Zhang Xiaoman’s eyes focused on it, and the attribute information materialized before him:
Environment Adaptability: 10
Made from Spirit Spider Silk, it is comfortable and soft, warm in the winter and cool in the summer, able to resist some environmental effects.
——Guardians style, basic model.