An incense stick's worth of time passed.
Despite Li Shuang's utmost concentration and the incredibly brilliant starlight in the sky, she still couldn't sense even a trace of stellar power. Let alone capture it into her body.
Li Shuang wasn't in a hurry. This cultivation method wasn't supposed to be easy; otherwise, despite its long existence, only ten people would have reached the second stage by now.
One must remember that even in the Central Continent, most rogue cultivators and those with mediocre aptitudes couldn't gain entry to Myriad Law City. To be able to enter Myriad Law City already marked one as a genius. The fact that so many geniuses had attempted this cultivation method, one after another, yet none had reached the end, sufficiently proved its difficulty.
Half an hour passed.
An hour passed.
Li Shuang kept trying to sense it but gained nothing.
Li Shuang opened her eyes, a hint of bewilderment flashing in their depths. Could it be that she truly had no talent for this cultivation method?
Compared to others, she had the Heaven and Earth Smelting Furnace, which might allow her to forcibly sense stellar power with its aid.
But if she needed the Heaven and Earth Smelting Furnace's help just to sense stellar power, how many resources would she consume over the years? Such consumption would far exceed her capacity.
Tonight, the stars twinkled, but night always passes. In another hour at most, the sky full of stars would fade, and she would have to wait until the next night.
No wonder Su Mu advised her against trying this cultivation method. If even the first step was so difficult, she might spend years, even decades, and still not be able to sense stellar power. If she used that time to cultivate other soul techniques, she might have already achieved something significant.
What good was a powerful cultivation method if one couldn't successfully cultivate it?
Thoughts flashed through Li Shuang's mind, but with the Grand Forgetfulness Art operating, she didn't feel particularly anxious.
She looked up at the starry sky. Tonight's sky was exceptionally brilliant, with specks of starlight embedded in the Milky Way. Vast and boundless.
The starry sky was distant and dazzling, its stars twinkling freely, as they had for eons.
Li Shuang was momentarily captivated. She forgot about sensing stellar power. Like a child, she lay flat on her back, gazing up at the myriad points of light pouring down.
At this moment, she seemed to forget the many goals she had set for herself. What Nascent Soul stage, what Soul Transformation stage, what sect competition, what hidden dangers of Ye Zhaozhao, what future of the sect.
At this moment, all were temporarily cast aside.
As a child, when she wandered alone in the wilderness, she had also looked up at the starry sky like this. Life was hard then, but the starry sky allowed her to briefly forget everything.
Since embarking on the path of cultivation, her strength had grown, but she had never again purely admired her surroundings with such appreciation.
"Holding the moon and bearing the wind, such is life."
A smile slowly appeared on Li Shuang's lips.
The moment she forgot about cultivating, the myriad stars seemed to receive guidance, slowly surging towards her. These stars were pure, brilliant, carrying a glorious power, gently washing over her soul.
This sensation brought no pain of cultivation; Li Shuang only felt her entire body being cleansed, an incredibly refreshing and pleasant experience.
She slowly sat up cross-legged.
This time, with just a thought, all the myriad stars were within her perception.
The surging starlight consisted of scattered, fragmented stellar light, not primordial stellar light. Although it had a soul-cleansing effect, the effect was quite ordinary.
To truly cultivate this secret art, one needed to choose a star as their primordial star.
Li Shuang's gaze immediately fell upon the full moon hanging high in the sky.
The Lunar Star was also a star. It was just too unique, too powerful, making it almost impossible to choose as a primordial star in the first stage.
However, if she could choose the Lunar Star as her primordial star from the very beginning! Then it would be one step fast, every step fast!
A strong ambition flickered in Li Shuang's eyes. Even if there was only a sliver of possibility, she had to try. With a wondrous item like the Heaven and Earth Smelting Furnace in hand, if she didn't even dare to have a little ambition, wouldn't she be squandering this opportunity?
"Heaven and Earth Smelting Furnace," Li Shuang called out in her mind, "How do I choose the Lunar Star as my primordial star?"
She had already learned the first transformation secret art of the Rebirth Art, which meant the Smelting Furnace had also learned it. After analyzing the secret art, with the Heaven and Earth Smelting Furnace's capabilities, it should be able to provide an answer.
Indeed. After collecting 300 value points, the Heaven and Earth Smelting Furnace provided the answer.
"The Lunar Star's light is powerful. To choose the Lunar Star, three wondrous items are needed for assistance. First is the Star Fruit, a seventh-grade treasure that can temporarily grant the cultivator the power of cultivation, reducing conflict with the Lunar Star. Second is the Ninth-Grade Green Lotus, which has the effect of purifying the mind and cleansing, allowing the Lunar Star's light to be absorbed by the body. Third is the Soul-Solidifying Pearl, crafted primarily from the soul core of an eighth-grade Split-Soul Beast. This pearl can stabilize the soul, enabling it to withstand the impact of the Lunar Star's light."
"With all three items, the probability of successfully choosing the Lunar Star as the primordial star is one-tenth."
The mechanical voice of the Heaven and Earth Smelting Furnace sounded.
Li Shuang's pupils constricted. These three items were all difficult to obtain. Yet, even with all three, the success rate was only one-tenth!
Among them, the most difficult to obtain should be the Ninth-Grade Green Lotus. Fortunately, her Foundation Establishment item was a Ninth-Grade Lotus Seed, which should be able to substitute for it.
As for the other two materials, with her current wealth, she could exchange for them three times. This meant she had three chances.
Li Shuang couldn't help but take a deep breath.
The Star Fruit and the Soul-Solidifying Pearl were both recorded in the Compendium of Wondrous Items. These two items were not of extremely high grade but were very rare. The Star Fruit, in particular, had long been extinct! Only the Heaven and Earth Smelting Furnace could seize the creation of heaven and earth, manifesting such an existence from nothingness.
In this world, if anyone could choose the Lunar Star as their primordial star, it would only be her!
What was there to hesitate about? She would take the risk!
Li Shuang first confirmed with the Smelting Furnace that her lotus seed power had completely integrated into her Golden Core and could indeed replace the Ninth-Grade Lotus Platform. This way, she only needed to exchange for the other two items.
Li Shuang first exchanged for one of each.
She looked up at the Lunar Star. Then, she directly consumed the Star Fruit and the Soul-Solidifying Pearl.
Subsequently, Li Shuang's soul power directly and forcibly drew in the Lunar Star's radiance.
As if sensing that a tiny human wanted to borrow its light, the Lunar Star's radiance flickered, and a vast power poured directly towards Li Shuang.
Without the aid of the Star Fruit and the Soul-Solidifying Pearl, and the cleansing power of the lotus seed, Li Shuang would have likely exploded and died the moment the light entered her body.
With the help of the three wondrous items, she felt extreme pain, but the three wondrous items protected her soul.
As long as she broke through this pain, perhaps she could successfully choose the Lunar Star!