Chapter 4

For some unknown reason, when Yu Linghe's gaze fell upon the animal chess, the other items slowly faded away, eventually leaving his field of vision. Although he knew these things still existed, he could no longer see them.

In this magical space, Yu Linghe held the animal chess, looking utterly bewildered.

However, if anyone else were in his position, they would likely have the same expression.

After an unknown amount of time, Yu Linghe's spiritual consciousness finally withdrew from this mysterious space and reattached to his physical body.

He took a deep breath and immediately felt that his body seemed different.

This feeling was very strange, as if he had previously been wrapped in a thick, heavy cotton coat, making any movement difficult and awkward. But now, that innate heavy coat was gone, or rather, the force that had been restraining him had miraculously disappeared.

Yu Linghe stood up, stretched his arms and kicked his legs, moving around for a while. Although his strength had not increased and his movements were not more agile, he could feel that he was indeed different.

Yu Ziyuan was a genius in cultivating star power. Even at a young age, she could independently draw star power into her body and received divine favor, thus making rapid progress. It was precisely because of this that she could support the family at such a young age.

As a genius's younger brother, Yu Linghe was not unfamiliar with how to cultivate star power.

Both his sister and Shen Sheng had great hopes for him and had taught him how to draw and absorb star power with great effort. However, no one could have imagined that although Yu Linghe could sense the existence of star power, he could not draw it into his body, let alone accumulate it.

After countless failed attempts, even if they were unwilling and disbelieving, they found the reason.

Yu Linghe's meridians were congenitally blocked, making it impossible for star power to pass through.

If this had happened to an ordinary family, there would be nothing to complain about. After all, the number of people who could cultivate star power was extremely small, and having one in ten people was already quite good.

However, as Yu Ziyuan's younger brother, it was a different story.

Perhaps, Yu Linghe could not bear the blow of this matter, which led to his growing depression. Eventually, when his sister disappeared and he was bullied by thugs, he chose to escape, allowing this outsider to take control of his body.

Of course, this was all his speculation. More importantly, from that day on, he was Yu Linghe.

All the memories flashed through his mind like a galloping horse, and slowly, Yu Linghe calmed his mind and carefully sensed everything around him.

In this world, there was an endless supply of power.

According to the knowledge Yu Linghe had, this power came from countless deities in the starry sky. Each deity was a generous and lofty existence, continuously pouring their power into the world for people to absorb and cultivate, granting them incomparable strength.

If he had a connection with a certain deity, he could sense the deity's existence and visualize it in his mind. During visualization, he could absorb star power, which would be slowly refined in his body, eventually being digested and absorbed, becoming his own strength.

Although Yu Linghe was rather dismissive of this idea, if he wanted to gain enough strength to protect his sister, he had to complete the next step.

Sense and visualize a certain deity, and absorb star power into his body, continuously growing stronger.

If one day his star power could surpass his sister's, he could truly become her protector.

After a moment, Yu Linghe immediately sensed the boundless power permeating the infinite void. This feeling was not strange; every time he tried before, he could sense this magical scene.

However, sensing it was one thing, and whether he could absorb it into his body and accumulate it was another.

Previously, whenever Yu Linghe tried to do this, he would experience unbearable pain. Even if he gritted his teeth and persisted, the result was always the same: he would faint on the spot.

But this time should be different. After taking the Star Marrow Pill, his meridians were unblocked, and the feeling of unburdening was so obvious. Therefore, he was full of confidence in absorbing star power this time.

In the void, the types of power were endless and countless, making Yu Linghe feel a bit overwhelmed.

Yu Linghe carefully sensed for a moment and finally chose a certain type of star power, as it was undoubtedly the thickest among the many types.

Although Yu Linghe did not know which deity's power it was, the strongest one was enough.

As if responding to his call, that strand of star power immediately surged toward his body. In just a moment, the star power reached his body.

Yu Linghe immediately became tense. Previously, he had countless experiences where the star power would hover around his body, refusing to advance any further. Although he knew that taking the Star Marrow Pill would make a difference, he was still anxious.

Finally, the star power reached his body. This time, after a brief pause, it did not leave again but slowly entered his body.

The heavy burden on Yu Linghe's heart was finally lifted. If he were not in the middle of cultivation, he would have burst into laughter.

He absorbed the star power with a hunger and thirst, wishing to absorb all the star power in the void.

However, after just a moment, he felt something was wrong.

Although he tried his best to absorb, the speed was too slow. It was not that his absorption speed was not fast enough, but that most of the star power was wasted. If only this much star power could be absorbed into his body, it would take an unknown amount of time to reach his sister's level.

He had heard his sister and Brother Shen Sheng talk about the two very important indicators of star power accumulation.

One was the speed of absorption into the body, but the difference in this aspect was not significant at the beginning of cultivation. The second important indicator was the proportion of star power absorbed by the meridians. If most of the star power entering the body could not be absorbed by the meridians, then even if one could cultivate, their future achievements would be limited.

Generally, those with good potential could have more than 30% of the star power entering their body absorbed by the meridians. As for geniuses like Yu Ziyuan, they could achieve an efficiency of 70%, 80%, or even 90%.

However, according to Yu Linghe's observation, the star power entering his body that could pass through the meridians would not exceed 10%.

This discovery and realization felt like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, instantly extinguishing his enthusiasm.

He could indeed absorb star power into his body, but with such a cultivation speed, it would be impossible to catch up.

The star power continuously entered his body, with most of it flowing out again, and only a small part entering the meridians. These forces slowly accumulated and stored in the meridians. Yu Linghe had a feeling that when these forces accumulated to a certain level, something magical would happen.

But with this rate of accumulation, even Yu Linghe did not dare to say when he could reach the day of mutation.

The reason for this result was only one: Yu Linghe had no connection with this deity, or rather, this deity did not consider Yu Linghe's physical condition good enough. Therefore, not only was it difficult to visualize the deity, but even absorbing its star power was a challenge.

Yu Linghe took a long breath and became dejected again.

At this moment, he finally fully understood the helplessness of the original owner of this body. Moreover, because he had suddenly had new hope, which was then shattered, the blow to him was even greater.

If the soul of this body were still the original one, the only thing to do now would be to completely give up hope and sink into despair.

But now, he was no longer the same person.

Numerous images flashed through Yu Linghe's mind. Since his parents' accidental death, Yu Ziyuan had supported the family as a child. Everyone said she was a cultivation genius and a favorite of the deities. But only her younger brother knew the great sacrifices she had made to maintain the family.

The Star Marrow Pill, this precious item, was incomparable for people like them.

To obtain this item, who knew what sacrifices Yu Ziyuan had made.

Thinking of the occasional heart-wrenching smile Yu Ziyuan showed, his heart tightened and became agitated.

This emotion originated from the original owner of this body, but for some reason, Yu Linghe completely inherited it.

No, I must become strong!

From the depths of his heart, a strong cry from his soul suddenly arose.

I must become strong, I don't want to be protected by my sister anymore; I want to protect her.

This cry grew stronger and louder. Initially, it was just one voice, but gradually, Yu Linghe's voice joined in, and the two voices became more and more synchronized, eventually merging into one, with no more divergence.

The two souls seemed to have fused into one because of the same wish.

At the same time, in a certain part of Yu Linghe's mind, the animal chess slowly opened. One of the pieces responded to their call, releasing a thread of strange power.

In the void, a certain type of star power began to surge, rushing into Yu Linghe's body like a tidal wave. This star power did not pass through the meridians but directly settled in his body.

As more and more star power condensed, the piece in Yu Linghe's mind gradually became more distinct.

Finally, when the star power accumulated to a certain level, the piece was completely lit up.

A vivid rat appeared in Yu Linghe's mind, its appearance so lifelike that it seemed no different from a real one.

PS: I humbly request the aid of all my fellow readers!