Chapter 70: Continuous Decay

In an absolutely silent chamber, all four walls were made of special alloy half a meter thick, isolating all external interference. At the center stood only a simple mat; Qin Feng sat cross-legged upon it, before him floating the strange crystal known as "Star Marrow." It was no larger than a fist, its entire surface a deep, profound blue, within which nebulae seemed to swirl, emitting a soft and pure Life Energy.

Yet Qin Feng's condition was far from good. His left arm was braced in a fixed splint, the stitched wound on his temple throbbed faintly, and more importantly, the Decay, the cold, sinister aura originating from the Curse Key, clung to him like a persistent parasite, continuously disrupting the flow of his Life Energy, making it hard for him to focus, let alone guide energy to absorb the Star Marrow.

The effects of this "continuous Decay" extended far beyond the earlier car accident.

Within the mere minutes before he entered the chamber and began absorption:

The chamber's constant-temperature system malfunctioned for no apparent reason; the temperature dropped several degrees, making his already low body temperature from the curse even more uncomfortable.

When he attempted to communicate with the Star Marrow using his Spirit, the chamber's specially designed energy stabilizer—supposedly flawless—suddenly emitted a loud overload hum, released a wisp of blue smoke, and completely failed.

Even worse, just as he finally quieted his mind, eliminated distractions, and was about to touch the energy vibrations of the Star Marrow, a piercing air raid siren test blared from outside the safehouse (later confirmed to be an unauthorized, unannounced municipal test that coincidentally covered this area), instantly shattering his meditative state.

These trivial, coincidental yet precisely timed "accidents" kept arising without end.

This Decay seemed to possess some malevolent will—not merely lowering luck, but precisely obstructing every single step of his recovery and strengthening!

Qin Feng opened his eyes; a flicker of irritation flashed in their depths, but more dominant was an icy, ultimate calm born from being relentlessly harassed by ants. He had never so desperately wanted to crush something.

"System, is there any way to temporarily shield or suppress this curse force?" he asked inwardly. With conventional methods, under this constant interference, he could not absorb the Star Marrow properly.

【Ding! Detected continuous erosion by the Ancient Evil Will Curse. Conventional methods cannot shield. Recommended solution: Spend 5000 points to acquire "Spirit Barrier" (Temporary), which will greatly weaken curse effects for one hour, but cannot eliminate it entirely.】

5000 points! That was nearly half his remaining points! The cost was enormous.

But Qin Feng did not hesitate.

"Exchange!"

【Points deducted successfully. "Spirit Barrier" (Temporary) activated.】

A cool, solid force, like an invisible armor, instantly enveloped Qin Feng's core consciousness. The trivial noises outside, the irritation from equipment failures, and the cold erosion of the curse within—all were reduced by more than half. Though he could still sense their presence, they could no longer easily shake his mental composure.

Indeed, System products were always top-tier. This point expenditure was worth it!

Time was precious—only one hour!

Qin Feng wasted no more time. He closed his eyes again, his powerful Spirit extending like tentacles to carefully envelop the floating Star Marrow.

This time, without those annoying disturbances, the process became far smoother.

The instant his Spirit touched the Star Marrow—

Boom!

A vast, pure, vibrant energy brimming with stellar radiance surged into his body like a dam breaking, flowing along his spiritual link!

This energy was so powerful, so pure, far exceeding any energy source he had ever absorbed before! It flowed through his limbs and organs, scouring every meridian, every cell. The fractured left arm tingled with itchiness, healing visibly before his eyes; the wound on his temple rapidly scabbed and peeled away; the internal tremors and hidden pains from the accident and the curse were swiftly soothed by this Life Energy.

Even more astonishingly, this energy resonated powerfully with the Life Matrix Optimization already underway within him! The previously slow-forming, obscure matrix runes, infused with Star Marrow energy, sprang to life, spinning faster, glowing brighter, becoming more complex, more profound!

He clearly sensed his body undergoing a profound transformation! Strength increased, perception sharpened, and even the boundaries of his lifespan seemed to subtly loosen!

Yet the cold curse of Decay had not vanished entirely. Protected by the "Spirit Barrier," it could no longer directly interfere with Qin Feng's absorption, but like a venomous snake lurking in shadows, it persistently tried to erode the vast Star Marrow energy, diminishing its effectiveness, and stubbornly clung to key nodes of the Life Matrix, obstructing perfect optimization.

Qin Feng sensed that the originally projected 95% optimization progress might now only reach around 92% due to this stubborn resistance.

"Hmph! Remnant filth, dare to block me!" Qin Feng snorted inwardly, focusing all his will to channel even more furious Star Marrow energy, like crashing waves, repeatedly striking and cleansing the nodes infested by the curse!

This was a tug-of-war—a battle between the force of life evolution and the Ancient Evil Will!

Inside the chamber, Qin Feng's skin began emitting a faint stellar radiance; his entire body seemed wrapped in a hazy halo of starlight, sacred and majestic. Within him, an invisible war raged fiercely.

Time passed second by second.

The duration of the "Spirit Barrier" was about to expire.

Just before the barrier's effect vanished, Qin Feng suddenly opened his eyes; within them, stars seemed to be born and die!

The last stubborn strand of curse Decay, under the combined assault of the vast Star Marrow energy and his unyielding will, let out a silent cry of anguish and was finally forced back, suppressed into a corner—though not eradicated, it could no longer obstruct the construction of the Life Matrix!

Hum—

An invisible wave spread outward from Qin Feng; the chamber seemed to ring with a clear, resonant tone.

Life Matrix Optimization complete! Progress: 92.3%!

Though not reaching the ideal state, the enhancement was still immense!

Qin Feng slowly rose, flexing his newly healed left arm, which now felt even stronger than before, feeling the surging power and sharper perception within him, he exhaled a slow, impure breath.

That exhaled breath carried a faint trace of lingering decay-curse aura.

He gazed at the faint, almost invisible Decay in the air, his eyes cold.

"Wait. When I complete my upgrade… it will be your end."

Continuous Decay? Merely dust on the path to my ascension—soon to be utterly swept away.

Now, it was time for the final step—the most perilous one—injecting massive resources to trigger system upgrade!