Apex Star

As if it was a mirage, the little tremors brought by Nova's breakthrough instantly calmed down, and the remaining population thought it was a misconception by their part.

When Nova thought he was the strongest person on Earth, something in his Apex Bloodline clicked ,perhaps waiting for this moment to of his breakthrough to completely manifest.

Nova felt a warm current flowing in his entire body that continued to grow so strong it made him feel as if on fire. He closed his eyes and tried to see inside his body.

What he saw shocked him, because his red blood actually started to gain a pale golden color. The bones were growing a little and became even tougher than they had already been.

Feeling the power coursing through him, Nova had a sensation that he transcended being a human and attained something even higher.

Maybe it was a misconception from him, or maybe it was something he would find out in the future, only time could tell.

It was only half an hour later that the transformation brought by his bloodline came to an end. What first came to Nova's mind was the word 'tempered' because that's what he felt during this time.

Every single cell and veins,droplet of blood to even his bones and skin, was tempered to an extreme degree. Most likely because of the 'Apex', if he has to say so.

When he tried to stand up, the ground under his foot cracked because he couldn't control his power. After adjusting himself for a while, he started to get a grip over how monstrously his body currently was.

Making sure he had the spatial ring on his finger, Nova tried to teleport only to find it incredibly smooth for his to do so and appear over 100 kilometers away.

The first time he teleported, he felt like trying to swim in a muddy swamp. Now, he felt like a bird who learned how to fly.

'This feeling is like being released from chains that tried to keep me locked in the place only to find the key and unlock myself. I feel like i could even try teleporting 500 kilometers just for using a little more space energy.' Thought Nova.

That's what he did. After another smooth teleportation, Nova was surprised to see how easily it suddenly became. With a thought, he appeared in Pearl City, which was still over 800 kilometers from Metropolitan City.

Spreading his senses across the city, almost instantly, he found Juan and Maria waiting for him in front of their old apartment building.

In a few seconds, he appeared beside them like a ghost.

"Oh shit, it's a ghost! Maria, stay behind me." said a panicked Juan who failed to notice that the 'ghost' was actually Nova.

"Relax, it's just me." Chuckled Nova.

"Oh my god, Nova, is that really you?" said Maria with her mouth wide open, seeing the currently handsome Nova.

Nova just smiled and didn't say anything, but it was enough for the two of them to calm down a little after the initial shock.

"Did you just get handsome again? And how come i didn't even see you sneaking around?" Juan was the first to open his mouth.

"It's caused by my rapid growth and bloodline. Also, I actually casually walked here, but I probably was too fast for you to see." Nova once again laughed at the two of them.

"You got so strong after only a few days? What Rank are you 3 or maybe even 4?" The couple was incredulous, seeing how fast Nova was.

"Currently, I'm at Peak Rank 9." said Nova, feeling a little smug inside and wanting to flaunt his strength to someone he knows. When in the dungeon, who could he brag to about how fast he advanced? To the mindless beasts inside?

Juan and Maria were both stunned for a while, not knowing how to react to Nova's words.

"You're surely kidding. If you don't want to tell us, then it's okay." Said Juan not knowing if to laugh or cry at Nova's answer.

To this, Nova only raised his palm and smashed it to the trees around him, making them slowly disappear out of existence. The duo was once again shocked by Nova.

"You.. You're not kidding.." said Juan, trying hard to hide his gulping.

After a few minutes, Nova explained to Juan and Maria what he encountered in his journey,not mentioning anything about Imperia or his parents.

For a moment, the duo was at a loss, not knowing what to do or say.

It was only after Nova opened his mouth that they somehow reacted.

"I think I'm gonna leave Earth to find a Stage 2 World so i could continue cultivating. The energy is too scarce on Earth, and I'm missing something very important at the moment, and i feel that i should get it as soon as possible."

"What you're leaving Earth?!" Asked a shocked Maria.

"Indeed , I don't have many challenges here, and most probably won't have any in the future. So, instead of wasting my time I should go and explore the universe." Nova lamented how quickly he got too strong to stay on Earth anymore.

"Are you sure about that Nova? It feels as if you're a bit too rushed." said Juan

"It's okay. I already thought about this for some time. At the rhythm that I'm growing I need some action." said Nova, not revealing his true motives to the two of them.

Not because he didn't trust them , in fact, besides his parents, he only had a couple of friends and not close friends but at best acquaintances. Juan and Maria, despite being his neighbors, had actually invited him a lot to dinner, and were the things he could feel were the most appropriate for being his friends.

After a few more words, the three of them parted ways with Nova going in his old room to take a few photos and memories before leaving Earth.

He didn't know why ,but he had a good feeling about his next destination which he picked by using a treasure depicting a map of the Milky Way left by his mother and father in the spatial ring.

He was about to go to a planet that experienced intense spatial fluctuations, which could speed up his already fast cultivation. The said planet didn't have a name ,he only knew it was located in the next solar system from Earth.

Of course, he can't teleport all the way there. That's why his parents left him a treasure capable of teleporting to the saved coordinates . The treasure was charged by two Rank 9's energy, so it's almost impossible to be depleted in a 1st Rank Realm.

After Nova finished his preparations, he took the treasure out from his spatial ring. It was a silver bracelet with something that resembled a screen made of diamonds with crypted green letters that didn't make any sense.

Knowing what to do, he guided his energy to enter the silver bracelet and choose the planet he wanted to go. With a ~shiing~ sound, Nova disappeared from his spot and appeared one solar system away.

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At the same time, two silhouettes that walked the cosmos stopped in their tracks.

"Did he just instantly change his position by a quadrant?" The one who asked was precisely the young man and woman who wanted to invite Nova to their sect.

"It seems so." As stoic as ever, the young woman responded.

After a few seconds, the two of them once again started walking, more precisely almost passing a few quadrants every second in Nova's direction.