Chapter 242: Silent Rivalry

With that, Ji Tianqing leaped into the Well of Stars and began to refine the primal crystal. Having gone through this once before, her progress was much faster this time, and in no time, she had drawn the star power from over a dozen small stars. After a series of flickering, two medium-sized stars also began to spew their star power, channeling it into the Heavenly Wind Cloud Smoke Pearl.

A single glance revealed that Ji Tianqing had harnessed more star power than Luo Le, and of a higher quality. However, at the same level of cultivation, the total amount of original force for humans was inferior to that of the dark races, and spider demons were known for their robust bodies and abundant original force. Thus, it was uncertain whether the quality of the primal crystal Ji Tianqing would produce could surpass that of Luo Le’s blood essence.

After Ji Tianqing descended into the well, Li Kuanglan said, “My family, the Tang Li Clan, has many unique insights into the Well of Stars. Although our cultivation methods may not be as refined as Tianqing’s, the primal crystals we can refine won’t be inferior to hers. If you find her method unsuitable, you can also use our family’s techniques.”

With that, Li Kuanglan recited a set of essential instructions.

Both Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan were targeting Zhao Yuying and Wei Potian, who had never been to the Well of Stars. In comparison, it was a bargain for the few imperial powerhouses. However, with the dark races also vying for the Well of Stars, any additional help was welcome.

In less than an hour, Ji Tianqing emerged from the well, holding a primal crystal. This crystal was of much higher quality than her first one, nearly matching the one refined by Qian Ye, and both were considered top-grade.

By the time Ji Tianqing returned, the sky had already grown dim. Both parties returned to their camps to rest.

Edward and Anwen walked side by side, with Anwen explaining the key points of extracting blood essence without any reservations. Edward listened attentively, occasionally offering his own opinions. Upon returning to camp, Anwen asked, “How do you feel?”

Edward replied slowly, “Tomorrow, I should be able to produce a drop of marquess-level blood essence.”

Anwen nodded, “If you can draw more star power from those crucial stars, you might even surpass the marquess level.”

Edward shook his head, smiling bitterly, “I’m not strong enough.” Though Edward was usually arrogant, he wasn’t blind to the true gap. Anwen pondered the character of this vampire scion and set it aside. If the young leaders of the vampire race were wise, it would not be a bad thing for the demonkin.

In the imperial camp, most of the powerhouses were meditating, but Song Zining sat by the campfire, deep in thought. Suddenly, he stood up, patted Qian Ye, and said, “Accompany me to the Well of Stars for a look.”

Qian Ye looked at the Heavenly Wind Cloud Smoke Pearl that Song Zining had been playing with, saying, “You’re not planning to refine a primal crystal now, are you? It’s not quite the night of cold desolation, but the night still diminishes our vital original force.”

“Relax, I won’t go down; I just want to take a look.”

Since he said so, Qian Ye had no objection and accompanied him to the Well of Stars. The imperial camp was a bit far from the well, and Qian Ye was genuinely worried that the sorceress might attack Song Zining again if he went alone.

Upon reaching the well, Song Zining leaped up and hovered above the Well of Stars, gazing intently at the sparkling stars below, lost in thought.

After a moment, he returned to Qian Ye, asking, “Did you notice anything?”

Qian Ye had also been staring at the well, feeling something amiss in the vast starry sky, but he couldn’t pinpoint what. He had thought it was a delusion, but since Song Zining asked, there must be something wrong.

Song Zining didn’t beat around the bush and pointed, “Do you see those stars? They are the ones whose star power Ji Tianqing drew. And there, and there. That one too.”

Pointed out by Song Zining, Qian Ye realized what was wrong: “The star power of those stars hasn’t recovered!”

“Exactly. A considerable amount of time has passed, and they haven’t changed at all. If this continues, they likely won’t recover anytime soon.”

The number of stars in the Well of Stars was in the tens of thousands, with the majority being faint, twinkling stars, the easiest to sense and draw star power from. Refining a primal crystal or blood essence usually required the power of several small stars, and even someone like Qian Ye, who could draw a significant amount of star power, only did so compared to the well’s myriad stars. Without careful observation, the difference was imperceptible.

However, the fact that the drawn star power hadn’t recovered suggested something more significant. This contradicted the empire’s previous understanding of the Well of Stars. The quick compromise between the empire and the Evernight factions was due to the belief that star power was infinite, and having a few more people descend into the well wouldn’t matter.

As Qian Ye pondered, Song Zining had an idea, saying, “The bottom of this well is not a real starry sky!”

“What is it then?”

Song Zining shook his head, “I don’t know either.”

After a brief thought, he added, “If that’s the case, we’ll need to change our strategy. Let a few of us go down first and exhaust the small stars’ star power, then when you go down, you’ll have a better chance of sensing the larger stars.”

Recalling his descent, Qian Ye realized it was indeed difficult to find those specific large stars amidst the vast sea of star power.

At that moment, Anwen and Aiden were sitting face to face, with Anwen explaining his new method for extracting blood essence to Aiden.

When Aiden finished listening, he asked, “Why help Edward and the others perfect their method of producing blood essence? Wouldn’t that just strengthen the vampires for nothing?”

Anwen smiled faintly, “It will indeed increase the vampires’ strength, but ours will increase even more. The gap between the vampires and our kind will only widen further.”

Aiden was skeptical.

Anwen smiled, “Don’t worry too much. After Edward, it will be your turn to go down, and I’ll check if the new method has the expected results.”

The next day, Edward entered the Well of Stars, with the demonkin powerhouses guarding the well and observing and learning. The imperial group stood on the hillside, looking down at the Well of Stars.

Edward, after all, was a vampire scion, having survived the burning blood punishment, and a touch of the great lord’s aura lingered within him. He refined the blood essence smoothly, even faster than Luo Le’s second refinement, ultimately obtaining a drop of marquess-level blood essence.

This result thrilled the Evernight powerhouses, and Anwen was also eagerly anticipating.

Unexpectedly, when it was the empire’s turn, the one who stepped forward was not Li Kuanglan or Zhao Yuying, nor Song Zining, but Wei Potian.

Wei Potian was known for his formidable defense, but his cultivation talent was clearly inferior. According to Anwen’s estimation, Wei Potian was barely on the edge of refining a primal crystal, and success was uncertain. Yet, for some reason, he was chosen.

As soon as Wei Potian entered the well, an image of towering mountains appeared around him, resisting the well’s suction. His expertise in defense proved beneficial, making it easier for him, and his original force consumption was not faster than Ji Tianqing’s.

Whether it was due to the characteristic of the Thousand Mountains or mere luck, Wei Potian quickly drew star power from numerous small stars, surprising everyone.

In the end, quantity prevailed, and Wei Potian obtained a primal crystal. Though the quality was average, it was still a gain.

Anwen watched the process from afar, deep in thought. At this point, Aiden had already descended, slowly sinking into the Well of Stars. Anwen set aside his concerns and focused on observing, as this was the demonkin’s first attempt.

Shortly after Aiden entered the well, dozens of stars began to spew their star power, continuously pouring into the blood prism in front of him. Among these, six or seven medium-sized stars were already close to Edward’s level, earning Anwen’s approval. He carefully observed and calculated, striving to perfect the method of refining blood essence.

As the blood essence neared completion, Aiden continued to explore, attempting to sense some of the larger, even dark, stars. However, until his magic power was depleted, he failed, and the final blood essence was of viscount rank.

Earlier, Edward had succeeded in communicating with a large star related to the vampires, creating a marquess-level blood essence. Although he communicated with the weakest star and had limited time, it still caused a qualitative change.

Aiden, however, was not far behind. The drop of blood essence he obtained was far better than a typical viscount-level one. With good luck, it could enhance a demonkin’s potential to the extent of a viscount.

After Aiden emerged from the well, Li Kuanglan descended. Her second descent was even more impressive than Ji Tianqing’s, rapidly drawing the power from dozens of small stars, which gradually increased to nearly a hundred. Although she only drew from two medium stars, the number of small stars she tapped into was far greater than Aiden’s, making it hard to say who performed better.

Moments later, Li Kuanglan successfully refined a medium-grade primal crystal, imbued with ample icy energy, much better than her first one, and just a little short of being classified as top-grade.

By now, it was dusk, and the starlight in the Well of Stars was chaotic, causing the suction to become disordered. Both parties retreated to rest and await the next day.

Anwen was calculating in the camp when he suddenly remembered something and rushed to the Well of Stars, peering down. His expression gradually changed.

“What’s wrong?” the sorceress’ voice echoed from the void.

Anwen’s face was grim, and he muttered, “I think we might have been duped.” He sighed, reflecting that the vampires and spider demons had somehow obtained the refinement method from the humans, but they couldn’t fully understand the secrets of the Well of Stars.

If he hadn’t been present, constantly calculating to surpass the vampires and spider demons, he might not have noticed the subtle differences. Even though Anwen was adept at calculations, he didn’t know that the star power in the Well of Stars, when drawn in such large quantities and high frequencies, would exhibit such anomalies, which was a rare exception.