In fact, Lin Yuan had already felt something faint when he first came into contact with Astral Realm Shards a few days earlier.
But that sensation had been too faint for him to notice at the time. Only today, after learning what made Astral Realm Shards valuable, did he suddenly realize it.
The discovery delighted him.
"On the market, a single Stellar Force Potion sells for ten million Azure Coins..."
"According to some of the insider information Captain Gu shared, making one Stellar Force Potion requires the shattered Astral Realm Shards of roughly three Star Beasts, refined together with other supplementary materials."
Lin Yuan silently worked out the numbers.
"The Astral Realm Shards of One-Stripe Rank Common-Rank Star Beasts aren't worth much, since they contain so little star power... probably only five hundred thousand Azure Coins. They wouldn't even fetch one Contribution Point."
Three sets of Astral Realm Shards would only cost one and a half million.
But once made into a Stellar Force Potion, their resale value multiplied seven or eight times!
One could only imagine how enormous the profit was.
If Mortal Transcendence Realm warriors cultivated solely by purchasing Stellar Force Potions, how staggering would their expenses be...?
"You could say Stellar Force Potions are the biggest everyday expense for Mortal Transcendence Realm warriors."
Lin Yuan sighed.
After all, natal stellar force was their very foundation.
Refining one more strand of natal stellar force not only greatly increased their strength, but also brought them another step closer to the Second Realm.
Only through constant cultivation and breakthroughs could they gain longer lifespans and enjoy more benefits.
So even knowing how expensive the potions were, they had no choice but to find every possible way to obtain more resources for their Dao Path.
And now, Lin Yuan could completely eliminate what was the greatest expense for ordinary Mortal Transcendence Realm warriors!
Moreover, the effects of the "swallowing the starry sky" talent trait far exceeded his expectations—
"Whew..."
A bright moon hung high in the night sky.
The Goddess Luo Squad had also found a safe place to rest and recover.
At night, the starry-sky energy between heaven and earth was more active, making it more suitable for practicing the Breathing Technique and slightly improving the efficiency of refining natal stellar force.
So none of the women wasted any time. Each found a suitable spot, sat cross-legged, closed her eyes to settle her mind, and began her daily cultivation by circulating the Breathing Technique.
Lin Yuan was no exception.
He sat cross-legged atop a tree's crown. Looking up, he could see the bright moon hanging high, its silvery light spilling down like watery mist and bringing rich starry-sky energy.
In his palm, he tightly gripped two Astral Realm Shards—the shards of the one-stripe Common-Rank Star Beast he had cleaved apart with a single sword strike.
While circulating the Breathing Technique, Lin Yuan silently activated his innate talent trait, "Swallowing the starry sky."
Immediately, something happened that filled him with delight—
"My cultivation speed..."
He could not help opening his eyes and looking down at the Astral Realm Shards glowing with a soft blue light. Faint wisps of star power drifted out of them and were absorbed into his body!
His already rapid refining speed climbed even higher with the help of the pure star power within the Astral Realm Shards.
Even Lin Yuan himself was astonished.
"So fast!"
He could not hide the shock in his eyes.
His cultivation speed had already been impressive. Thanks to "martial prodigy," he cultivated at the speed of a true genius.
An ordinary person might need a year, or even several years, to refine a single strand of natal stellar force.
A true Martial Prodigy, however, needed only around two months!
And that was without using any resources, relying purely on their own talent.
When using cultivation resources such as Stellar Force Potions, Star-Martial Prodigies could refine a strand of natal stellar force in just a month, or even less!
That was the gulf between geniuses and ordinary people.
And what about Lin Yuan?
"I feel like..."
"I won't need a month, or even half a month, to refine my second strand of natal stellar force."
He carefully gauged his current refining speed, and the conclusion left even him feeling dazed.
It felt a little like a dream.
Two weeks to refine one strand of natal stellar force?
Even Star-Martial Prodigies need a month, yet I can refine two strands in a month. I'm twice as fast as they are!
"Am I..."
"Really this strong?"
Lin Yuan was a little dumbfounded.
But he soon came to his senses. It was not that he was strong—it was that his talent traits were too powerful!
The "swallowing the starry sky" trait already greatly accelerated his cultivation. Now that it could also extract pure star power directly from Astral Realm Shards, his cultivation speed had increased again.
Those two boosts, combined with the top-tier cultivation speed of "martial prodigy," had made Lin Yuan what he was today.
"With a setup like this, even a pig could take flight..."
He could not help muttering, his heart brimming with joy.
Without further hesitation, he immediately threw himself wholeheartedly into cultivation.
In fact, this was still nowhere near Lin Yuan's limit.
Just seven days later, he successfully refined his second strand of natal stellar force!
"Counting those earlier days... ten days!"
"Ten days to refine one strand of natal stellar force!"
Lin Yuan's face was expressionless, but inside, he was laughing heartily.
A trace of unrestrained exhilaration shone in his eyes.
As for why he had been even faster than expected, the reason lay in another talent trait—
His sixth talent trait, devouring vitality!
Back in the Body Tempering Realm, Lin Yuan had been able to rapidly replenish his stamina by devouring large quantities of Fierce Beast flesh, and even increase his strength and physique.
And now, after becoming a Starry-Sky Warrior, the "devouring vitality" trait was still working its magic!
Eating Star Beast flesh not only rapidly restored his depleted star power, but also replenished his stamina.
Even the faint star power contained in Star Beast flesh could be absorbed completely, further accelerating his cultivation progress to a certain extent.
"All I have to do is eat, eat, eat, and I'll get stronger..."
Lin Yuan pondered the description of the "devouring vitality" talent trait. The more he looked at it, the more absurd it seemed.
Unassuming as it appeared, its actual effects were incredibly powerful.
It had cut the refining time from roughly fourteen days down to ten!
This made Lin Yuan immensely grateful that his earlier month of hunting in the Wilderness Zone had not gone to waste.
Every one of his eleven talent traits had become an indispensable part of the deep foundation supporting his progress!
He could not help looking at his personal panel—
Player: Lin Yuan Level: 11 Experience: 581/2048 Lifespan: 502 years (302 years plundered) Talent traits: "Swordsmanship Mastery," "Martial prodigy," "Immunity to all poisons," "Late-blooming greatness," "Heaven-defying earth-shaking," "Devouring vitality," "Transcendent comprehension," "Infinite Space," "Invincible golden body," "Life plunder," "Swallowing the starry sky"!
It had been a long time since Lin Yuan had last looked at his complete personal panel.
Looking at it now, he felt utterly secure.
His eleven talent traits gave him the unwavering confidence and courage to face any difficulty.
Over these ten days, he had slain twenty-nine Star Beasts.
All had been one-stripe common grade beasts, earning him 580 experience points.
Along the way, he had also plundered nearly three hundred years of lifespan, officially pushing his total lifespan past five hundred years!
"Things are really starting to fall into place..."
"If I work hard, I should be able to reach level 12 this month."
"And welcome my twelfth talent trait!"
Before you continue