A day quickly passed, and Nong Zaitian opened his eyes and looked around. The flames were still burning, and the temperature around them was still high. He couldn't help but ask, "Hey, it's been a day. Why hasn't the fire extinguished yet?"
"I didn't do it, so how would I know?" Lu Yin replied.
Nong Zaitian was stunned, and then he raged, "You're messing with me!"
Lu Yin growled, "Shut up!"
Nong Zaitian was furious, and he wanted to kick this bastard, but he decided against it. Because he had absorbed star energy, a small storm had formed around him, and the high temperature had been greatly reduced. Nong Zaitian didn't dare to move, as he was afraid that the storm would disappear and he would be burnt to a crisp. He could only grit his teeth and continue waiting.
Another three days passed, but the flames still hadn't extinguished. All that could be seen from outside the furnace was darkness, as the void had been isolated. Nong Zaitian was now worried that even if the flames were extinguished, they wouldn't be able to leave.
The only way was to endure until the time limit was up, then disappear and leave the Daosource Sect ruins.
However, he calculated that there were still twelve days left before the time limit was up. Could he endure for twelve days?
He wasn't sure, so he looked at Lu Yin and rubbed his eyes. Was he seeing things? This guy seemed to be smiling.
Nong Zaitian wasn't seeing things, as Lu Yin was indeed smiling. In just four days, he had absorbed the amount of star energy that would normally have taken him several years to absorb, and his speed was still increasing.
This was unimaginable, as his star energy absorption speed was already dozens of times faster than a normal person's. Now, his current speed could no longer be considered fast; it was as if the star energy was pouring into his body like an avalanche. Based on his current speed, it should be 600 times faster than Lu Yin's Sirius Art.
In other words, Lu Yin's current speed could only be achieved by revolving more than 40,000 stars, which was 40,000 times faster than a normal cultivator's speed.
40,000 times! Lu Yin didn't even know if the Sirius Art could allow him to revolve more than 40,000 stars. This speed was definitely the best among his peers, but it was only for this moment. Once he left the furnace, there would be no flame to burn his natural treasures, and his speed would recover. Even if there was a flame, it would be useless if he didn't have enough natural treasures.
Lu Yin's eyes suddenly opened, and they lit up. He felt like he had discovered a shortcut to increasing his strength. Other people might lack natural treasures, but would he?
Impossible. With the die's 3 Enhance, any plant with spirituality could be upgraded to a level where it could avoid danger. Coupled with the high temperature of the flames and placed in a sealed environment, it was completely possible to recreate a similar cultivation scene, increasing one's cultivation speed by ten thousand times.
Lu Yin's breathing quickened at the thought of this. He did not want to train slowly. Even if the Sirius Art could increase his training speed by a hundred times, it would still be far slower than his current training speed.
That's right, that's what I'll do. After I leave, I'll speed up my search for natural treasures.
"Hey, how much longer until the flames extinguish?" Nong Zaitian hurriedly asked when he saw Lu Yin open his eyes.
Lu Yin casually replied, "Ask it yourself."
Nong Zaitian choked on his words. He felt that this guy was rather despicable. First, he had snatched his hoe, then followed him here. Not only that, he was even teasing him now. Was this the time for jokes?
While Nong Zaitian was sulking, Lu Yin was at a loss. He had forgotten that with the strength of his physical body, it would not be easy for him to find a flame that could threaten him. The reason he could absorb star energy so quickly was related to this flame, which had been left behind by an ancient powerhouse. Normal flames would not be able to threaten him, and they would not be able to burn natural treasures. They would also not be able to isolate the void.
This was troublesome, as he still had to find this flame.
Mr. Bai returned from outside the furnace. His clothes were neat and tidy, as if he had not fought at all.
He looked at the furnace that had been isolated from the void, and a look of pity appeared in his eyes. Even he did not dare to come into contact with such a flame, as those two were definitely dead. "Deaf-Mute Brother, farewell. What a pity." Mr. Bai then shook his head and left. It was unknown whether he felt pity for Lu Yin or for the many natural treasures that had been wasted.
There were many natural treasures within the furnace, and there was also a lot of star energy that appeared after being burned. Even with Lu Yin's speed of absorption, he still could not completely absorb all of it. Some of it was absorbed by Nong Zaitian, forming a storm that isolated him from the high temperature, allowing him to survive within the furnace. This continued for ten days, and the storm of star energy around Nong Zaitian's body gradually shrank.
Nong Zaitian panicked. "Hey, slow down! You've taken all of it!"
Lu Yin opened his eyes and glanced at him. "You've gained quite a bit, haven't you?"
"Not a bit, my ass! I don't want that sort of gain. Slow down a bit, and don't take all of the star energy!" Nong Zaitian hurriedly retorted.
Lu Yin did not want to harm Nong Zaitian. Although this person was from the Sixth Mainland, Lu Yin always felt that this person was his lucky star. Every time he saw Nong Zaitian, something good would happen. Thus, Lu Yin slowed down his absorption speed.
Nong Zaitian's storm of star energy continued for another two days. After two days, he laughed maniacally. "Time's almost up, so I'll be leaving first. Thank you, big brother. Without your reminder, I would have been reduced to ashes a long time ago. I hope that you can leave as soon as possible." He then disappeared and left the ruins of the Daosource Sect.
When he saw Nong Zaitian leave, Lu Yin sighed. His eyes grew cold, and he began to absorb the remaining star energy at full speed. He only had two days left before he would be able to leave this place.
As Lu Yin absorbed at full speed, the storm around his body grew even stronger. All of the star energy within the furnace's space gathered and poured into his body. He was like a monster that was madly devouring star energy.
When an ordinary person broke through to the Explorer realm, they would need to use up more than a hundred star essence to circulate their star energy, which was the equivalent of ten million star crystals. Lu Yin, on the other hand, needed 20,000 star essence, which was 200 times more than an ordinary person. It would take him a very long time to complete a single cycle, and it would take him even longer than an ordinary cultivator.
However, at this moment, with such a terrifying absorption speed, he had completed a single cycle in less than ten days.
When he completed a complete cycle, Lu Yin suddenly opened his eyes. Surging star energy swept out in all directions, causing the void around him to become unstable. The amount of star energy within his body had even surpassed that of an ordinary Hunter. Unless an Enlighter intervened, even a Hunter would not be able to suppress him in terms of star energy. In fact, they might even be suppressed by him.
This was the benefit of having more star energy. The more star energy one could circulate, the longer it would take to complete a cycle. However, at the same time, one's strength would also increase.
At this moment, Lu Yin did not need to use his universal armor, the Yu Secret Art, or even the Dream Finger to fight against an ordinary Hunter.
Generally speaking, a normal person's power level would increase by 10,000 after completing a single cycle. Correspondingly, if one wanted to complete a second cycle, they would need twice as much star energy and time. This was the same for Lu Yin. If he wanted to complete a second cycle, he would need twice as much star energy and time as the first.
Lu Yin exhaled. If he wanted to complete a second cycle, even with Sirius's hundredfold absorption speed, it would still take him several decades. He could not afford to wait that long.
After the second cycle, there would be a third, and he would only be able to complete his ninth cycle when he broke through to the Hunter realm. Above the Hunter realm, he would still need to absorb star energy to complete a cycle, and it would be the same when he became an Enlighter. This was a level of unlimited cultivation, and if he continued to absorb star energy at a hundredfold rate, he would not be able to live long enough. He needed to find another method, such as a powerful flame.
The scene in front of him suddenly blurred, and the time was up. Lu Yin relaxed, as he had not died, but it was a pity. If he had stayed here for a while longer and absorbed all of the star energy from the natural treasures, he might have been able to close in on completing his second cycle.
The scene in front of him changed, and Lu Yin returned to a secret room in King Zishan's palace. He cut a sorry figure, as not only were his clothes gone, but his skin had also been charred black by the flames, and there were even some burn marks in some places. The pike, the Enneadic Wings, and the Void Thunderbeast's flesh that he had brought with him were all gone. He did not know if this trip had been worth it, but it had definitely left a deep impression.
After experiencing two near-death situations, Lu Yin decided that he would not return for the time being. Regardless of whether he ran into the Ten Arbiters or the Realmlings, he would not be able to fight back unless he was absolutely certain that he could escape from them.
During this time, Zhao Ran was very vexed. She had been living in King Zishan's palace, and every day was very leisurely. His Highness did not show up much, and she did not need to do anything. However, ever since the Great Eastern Alliance had been established, she had been very busy. Congratulatory gifts had been sent to King Zishan's palace from all over the universe. These gifts were not for the Great Yu Empire, but specifically for His Highness.
Thus, there was a problem. There were so many congratulatory gifts that the storeroom could not hold them all. If it were just these gifts, she could slowly sort them out. However, the annoying part was that she would often forget things halfway through and then have to start over again. Along the way, new gifts would constantly be sent to her. Zhao Ran was very depressed, as it was so difficult to sort them out!
Right, couldn't she just have His Highness spend some of the gifts?
Zhao Ran's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly jogged to the living room to wait for His Highness.
Not long after, Lu Yin sent Gavin to King Zishan's palace to ask about the cooperation with the Nalan family over the past half a month.
Zhao Ran was already waiting in the living room, and she wanted to say something.
Lu Yin found it funny. "Zhao Ran, is something the matter?"
Zhao Ran nodded and looked at Lu Yin with wide eyes. Just as she was about to speak, her gaze suddenly became confused. "Who are you?"
Lu Yin was speechless.
After a while, Zhao Ran looked at the piece of paper that she had placed in front of her chest and suddenly remembered. "Ah, His Highness, you've come out of seclusion."
Lu Yin nodded. "Zhao Ran, amnesia is an illness. Has it been treated?"
"I'm out of stock, and there's no way to treat it," Zhao Ran answered seriously.
Lu Yin actually had no way to refute this. "Alright. What did you want to talk about?"
Zhao Ran thought about it. "Oh, right. I remember now. The storeroom is full."
"The storeroom is full?" Lu Yin did not understand.
Zhao Ran nodded. "Many people have sent congratulatory gifts to His Highness, so the storeroom is full. It's not easy to sort them out. You should spend some of them."
Lu Yin's eyes lit up. Right, he had forgotten that many powers that did not belong to the Great Eastern Alliance had sent congratulatory gifts during this period of time, including Shamrock Enterprises, Endless Borders, and so on. These gifts had been piled up in the storeroom and had not been touched.
Lu Yin felt an itch in his heart. Previously, he had rolled six pips on his die, and he had spent more than a hundred thousand star essence in one go. He had been worried about not having enough money, but now that he had discovered a way to rapidly absorb star energy, he needed a large number of natural treasures. His lack of money had become even more severe. "Let's go. Show me around."
Zhao Ran hurriedly led the way. She was very happy, as she finally did not have to tidy up the storeroom every day.