...
{3rd Pov}
Astreo would openly admit, without even trying to defend his pride, that the Star Element was by far the hardest Element he had encountered in his entire cultivation journey.
Compared to other Elements where the path was relatively straightforward—forming Star Tracks, Star Constellations, Star Nebulae and following the strict layered cultivation system—this new Star (Astral) Element had absolutely nothing resembling the conventional structure.
There were no Stars, no Tracks, no Constellations, no Nebulae, not even scattered particles that could be formed into patterns later on.
It was as if he was trying to practice magic using an empty void.
Even though he understood that Primal Magic or an Element like Astral Element was bound to be fundamentally different from the Star Magic System invented by the Holy City, and that the cultivation methods humanity used were simplistic replicas compared to true primal concepts, Astreo still didn't expect the difficulty gap to be this massive.
The sheer difference felt as if he had gone from solving arithmetic to suddenly being asked to calculate advanced quantum physics without any formula sheet.
He experimented with multiple methods to cultivate the Astral Element—trying to infuse mana, trying to stimulate the Spiritual Sea, attempting spiritual compression techniques, attempting synchronization with normal Star Magic, and even trying to resonate with external elements outside of the Astral Element's Stardust Cloud.
Despite all his attempts, cultivation progress in the Astral Element remained nonexistent, utterly refusing to function like a normal magic system.
However Astreo did not give up.
Hardship, lack of progress, and difficult systems were not enough to discourage him. H
is mentality was simple: if something refused to be trained through effort and conventional methods, then he would simply approach it the way he approached everything else in his life.
If brute force cultivation failed, then he would resort to the one method he specialized in more than anything else.
Which was, without shame or hesitation—
Cheating until you made it.
He quickly ordered the system to categorize and separate the raw materials taken from the Astral Plane and to provide him with one specific resource that was confirmed to be safe for direct consumption by humans.
The system instantly obeyed, and soon enough an odd-looking herb materialized in front of him.
It was purple in color and shaped in a very strange and unfamiliar manner.
Instead of normal leafy structures, the plant had thin jelly-like protrusions dangling from its sides, wobbling slightly as if they were alive.
The stem was a bright blue, unnaturally smooth and glossy, looking more like a polished gemstone than anything that normally grew on a plant.
[Master, I have analyzed the herbal composition thoroughly. Based on biochemical and magical analysis, it contains no toxins, no corrosive properties, and no component that could be lethal or harmful to a human body. It is safe for consumption.] the system reported, its tone neutral and confident in its findings.
Astreo did not hesitate to trust the system's words, because frankly speaking, every accomplishment, every leap in strength, and even the comfortable situation he was in right now existed because of the system's presence.
If he could not trust the system after all of that, then he might as well dig himself an early grave, as it would save him the effort of suffering through paranoia and wasting time preparing for betrayals that would drag over a hundred chapters of his story for no meaningful reason.
Ahem
As Astreo bit into the strange herb, a bizarre fusion of flavors erupted across his tongue.
It was sweet like honey yet simultaneously bitter like lemon, creating a confusing clash that made his taste buds jolt in protest.
Refusing to dwell on the flavor for even a second longer, he simply continued chewing vigorously and forced the herb down his throat.
The moment it reached his stomach, a sudden surge of refreshing, almost electric sensation erupted throughout his body.
His skin prickled, goosebumps rising across his arms as his mind abruptly emptied of all unnecessary thoughts.
In the blink of an eye, he found himself pulled back into his Spiritual Sea. B
efore him surged a pure white river of condensed energy—released directly from the unique Astral herb he had consumed.
The river moved smoothly yet aggressively, slamming into his floating stardust directly like a flood bursting through a dam.
The Astral river enveloped the empty space surrounding the dust cloud and began circling it at an astonishing speed, spiraling around and around as if attempting to forcefully ignite something.
Under the river's aggression, Astreo's stardust began to spin with increasing intensity, accelerating until it resembled a small whirlpool of glowing particles.
The dust cloud slowly moved toward its designated sphere within the Spiritual Sea, as if being guided into position by the Astral current.
And then—
Boom!
A star ignited.
Instantly a blinding radiance erupted forth, so intense that it overshadowed every other star in Astreo's Spiritual Sea regardless of whether they belonged to the Super Tier or lower tiers.
Although the collective luminance of all his other stars combined still surpassed the Astral Element star, not a single one of them individually could compete with the sheer brilliance of the Astral Element's newly born lone star!
(A/N: Throughout Stardusts and Nebulae, I alone am the Lone Star!)
'System Sensei, explanation please?' Astreo demanded mentally as he examined the single newly formed star that was shining so absurdly bright that it looked like the main character of a third-rate cultivation novel whose plot armor was thicker than his skin.
The star practically screamed "MC privilege" as it burned like a miniature sun in the center of his Spiritual Sea.
[Master, it seems that this star has been formed by merging the Spiritual Essence provided by the Astral Herb with the original stardust particles of the Astral Stardust Cloud. In simpler words, it is equivalent to a Strengthened Star that has been empowered using the quality of a Servant Tier Spiritual Core.] the System explained with its usual calm tone, as if everything happening here was normal and ordinary.
'Okay, I get that much,' Astreo replied while rubbing his forehead in frustration, 'but why the hell is it shining so ridiculously bright?! It looks like it is trying to blind the rest of my Spiritual Sea and declare itself the strongest star among them for no reason!'
He stared at the Astral Element's sole star speechlessly, unable to understand how it could glow so intensely and dominate the entire environment as if it was the center of Astreo's personal Spiritual Universe.
After all, every single star in Astreo's Spiritual Sea had already been strengthened to a considerable degree.
Many of them had been fortified not only with the Spiritual Cores of Servant Tier Beasts, but even with Spiritual Cores from higher-ranked monsters such as General Tier, Commander Tier, Monarch Tier and even the precious Emperor Tier Spiritual Cores!
And yet, despite all that absurd high-end reinforcement, not a single one of those strengthened stars emitted even half the radiance that the Astral Element's newly formed first star was showing off right now.
In comparison they looked completely ordinary and dull, almost like background extras meant to make the protagonist shine even more
'Don't tell me this is what Young Masters among the Elemental Stars look like,' Astreo muttered internally, his lips twitching in annoyance as he continued staring at the overly radiant star.
The star looked as if it possessed a ridiculous level of arrogance, something comparable to a stereotypical young master from cultivation stories who believed the entire world revolved around him and him alone.
Thankfully the System provided a more reasonable and technical explanation rather than letting him spiral into nonsense.
[The most probable outcome is that since it is the Astral Element, its stars naturally shine the brightest among all elemental stars. Other distinctions could not be analyzed by the System at the current level. It is recommended that Master upgrade the System for further detailed analysis and data accuracy.] the System responded with its usual neutral voice.
Astreo stared at the Astral star for a few more seconds and then just accepted the situation for what it was, because he truly had no mental energy to argue with reality anymore.
Since there was no sign that the star was about to explode or do something insane, he silently concluded it was fine.
As for upgrading the System?
'That is future me's problem,' Astreo decided shamelessly, pushing the responsibility onto his future self like a pro procrastinator who had mastered the art of delayed suffering.
He shifted his focus back toward the Astral Element and attempted to direct the newly-formed star.
Without any surprise at all, the star fell under his control almost instantly, reacting even faster than his Novice Tier elemental stars, which still required at least a few seconds to respond despite his current Spiritual Attainment being Level 7.
This immediately confirmed something very obvious yet extremely disturbing: his affinity with the Astral Element wasn't merely "high," or even "extremely high."
No, it was at the absurd level where the so-called Calamity Bearers could be considered ordinary people in comparison.
It was ridiculous enough to make Astreo genuinely pause and reconsider his existence.
After all, an entire dimension had actively chased after him just to hand him a completely new Element on a platinum platter.
Should he feel proud of such a development, or should he be more worried about the consequences and the unknown attention this might bring?
At that moment Astreo genuinely didn't have an answer for himself.
'Anyway, System, were you able to analyze a method of forming a star for this Element?' Astreo finally asked, deciding to push aside the philosophical crisis for later and focus on practical matters instead.
Astreo considered the System's explanation and admitted to himself that it made sense.
Even if the Astral Element eventually generated stars similar to the conventional Star System Magic used throughout the human world, it was still fundamentally not the same magic at all.
Astral Element was its own independent and entirely different Magic System, and the only reason it even manifested "stars" was because it was literally the Astral Element, with its origin tied directly to the Astral Plane which literally had 'Stars' in its name rather than the Holy City's artificially standardized Star Magic.
So Astreo decided to experiment further.
He took out a Servant Tier Spiritual Core from his storage and attempted to assimilate it into the Astral System.
The moment the core reached the stardust cloud of his Astral Element, the dust reacted violently and began spinning at high speed, almost as if it was devouring the Spiritual Core like a starving parasite.
Not long after that, a new star was born within the Astral Element's cloud.
'So for the Astral System I actually need to create my own stars manually? Huh… how ironic,' Astreo muttered internally with a deep frown on his face, unable to decide whether the development was exciting, troublesome, or both.
Without hesitating any further, he took out several more Servant Tier Spiritual Cores and fed them into the Astral System one after another.
As each core dissolved into the swirling dust, they were forcefully converted into additional stars, increasing the count within the Astral cloud rapidly and expanding the entire structure of the Element.
However, Astreo soon discovered something unexpected.
Even after the Astral Element produced seven stars — which would normally complete the structure of a Novice Tier magic system — the stars continued forming without stopping.
They only halted once a total of nine stars were created, matching precisely the number of Servant Tier spiritual cores he had assimilated into the Astral Stardust Cloud.
Curious and slightly excited, Astreo wondered what would happen if instead of Servant Tier cores, he used a more potent core.
To test this, he summoned a General Level Spiritual Core and guided it directly into the Astral System.
The change was immediate and dramatic.
The stardust cloud wrapped around the General Level Core and pulled the previously-created stars into its orbit.
The entire structure began rotating in a synchronized pattern, as if the Astral System had suddenly become a miniature solar system.
After several moments of rotation, the General Level Core compressed and formed into a new star.
This star possessed a deeper colour compared to the ones before it, and the most shocking detail was that the nine earlier stars began revolving around it in a circular formation.
The phenomenon looked similar to a constellation with a central sun and orbiting planets.
This was incredibly unusual, since in the traditional Star System magic, all stars were considered equal in construction.
While strengthening stars with spiritual cores did make them brighter or thicker in mass, they never developed hierarchical structure, nor did they revolve around each other in an orbital pattern around a star.
Astreo observed the development with widened eyes and keen interest, his mind already racing with new possibilities and theories.
Without even realizing it, he began experimenting further and started throwing one Spiritual Core after another into the Astral System as if he were playing ping pong with priceless resources.
The more he witnessed, the more fascinated he became, and the less willing he felt to stop the process.
...
After spending several hours conducting repeated testing and observation, Astreo finally managed to gain a rudimentary understanding of how the Astral System functioned.
The first major discovery he made was that, unlike the standard Star System magic, the Astral System did not possess any fixed tier structure such as Novice, Intermediate, or Advanced.
Instead, the power level depended solely on Astreo himself and on the quantity and quality of the stars he could create within the Astral Stardust Cloud.
In fact, when he used a General Level Spiritual Core to form a star, he realized that the newly created star already possessed an energy density comparable to the Nebula level.
However, despite having this Nebula-like density, the overall system was still significantly weaker in power output due to lacking a sufficient number of stars to reinforce the structure and multiply the energy.
Even so, when Astreo attempted to channel magic through the incomplete Astral System, the result was astonishing.
The Astral Energy surged into his physical body, reinforcing his muscles and bones to the point that his physical strength temporarily reached the level of a Lesser Warrior.
Following that enhancement, he succeeded in projecting a rudimentary form of Astral Magic — a simple energy blast that contained unstable but destructive power.
Now Astreo attempted to use another General Level Spiritual Core in order to form an additional higher-tier star within the Astral System, however this time the Astral Stardust Cloud outright rejected the Spiritual Core as if refusing to incorporate it.
After several more failed attempts, Astreo switched strategies and fed multiple Servant Level Spiritual Cores into the system.
These Spiritual Cores successfully formed weaker stars, and only after their total number reached eighteen did the Astral System finally allow the formation of a second General Level Star.
This discovery led Astreo to a sudden and somewhat unpleasant realization — each succeeding tier of star required a foundation of nine stars from the previous tier.
This revelation stupefied Astreo to the point that he had to pause and do the math.
If one calculates the number of stars needed under this rule, then in order to achieve something comparable to a Complete Intermediate Level magic, he would need a whopping eighty-one stars just for the Servant tier foundation alone, and that calculation did not even include the number of General Tier stars stacked above them.
Furthermore, the number continued to multiply by nine with each advancing tier, meaning the complexity became more extreme the further he progressed.
Even with the absurdly high affinity Astreo possessed towards the Astral Element, and despite how easily he could control the stars compared to ordinary elemental magic, he soon discovered that successfully casting magic required far more than merely having the stars present.
The stars needed to spin in a synchronized orbit, and not in a loose or chaotic manner, but in a very specific orbital pattern where each star influenced the others and connected into a stable chain of energy.
In simple words, every star had to revolve in a precise orbit that not only affected the entire group, but also linked them together into a functioning Astral construct.
Through further analysis Astreo determined that the system likely required him to form an actual spell model while the stars were spinning in orbit, which added yet another unavoidable layer of complexity.
The problem was not just cultivating the Astral stars, but cultivating them in a functional, organized system that obeyed specific rules and sequences.
First he needed to make the stars spin in orbit, and after that he had to individually focus on each star in order to form the necessary "tracks" that would allow the magic to be cast properly.
If not for the simple fact that Astreo's Spiritual Attainment was already at Level 7, it would have been extremely difficult—almost borderline impossible—for him to achieve even this level of precision and control over the Astral System.
And this was only with eighteen total stars.
Since the Astral Element was a completely new element with no prior foundation, Astreo would have to design and construct his own original spell models from scratch.
After all, magic—no matter the element—was ultimately just elemental mana being manipulated in a specific methodical pattern in order to produce a specific effect.
If the pattern was incorrect or unstable, the spell would either fail to activate or explode in his face.
Now while the Astral System did not show much versatility for the moment, at least in its current incomplete state, Astreo noticed a major advantage during testing.
Whenever he utilized Astral Magic—even at its most basic level—the Astral Energy temporarily amplified his physical strength to that of a General Level Warrior, which was no small feat.
In fact it was an incredibly valuable trait, because weak physical bodies were the main reason why humans were categorically weaker than Demons.
Demons were born with monstrous physiques and could use magic as well, yet humans relied solely on magic, making any enhancement to physical strength extremely beneficial.
The System had also analyzed that whenever he used Astral Magic, even if the increase was extremely small, his body's physical parameters improved permanently.
Meaning that little by little—step by step—he would eventually reach the same level of physical prowess as a General Level monster.
This was a huge deal considering that despite already being a Super Tier mage, Astreo's physical strength in his young body was only comparable to an Advanced Tier Servant Level monster, which honestly was laughable all things considered.
If not for his special Divine Armour—which temporarily boosted his physical stats to that of a Supreme Monarch rank as long as it continued to devour Spiritual Cores—Astreo would never have even dared to recruit Qin Yu'er in the first place.
A single direct hit from her and one small mistake on his part would have been more than enough to kill him outright.
This just proved how desperately Astreo needed a reliable method to improve his physical body without depending on his armour as a crutch.
Originally he had thought about awakening the Poison System at Forbidden Tier and using various venom and toxins to strengthen himself, since after a few years his body would reach the perfect age—not too young and not too old—to adapt to the poisons properly.
But now with the Astral Element providing a safer and much more efficient path of physical enhancement, Astreo could discard that idea altogether without feeling any regret.
'Damn! I was only pretending to be Star Emperor for intimidation, and now it seems I might actually end up becoming a real Star Emperor!' Astreo couldn't help but think to himself, feeling a mixture of disbelief, amusement, and a hint of dread.
Was this what people called fate?
Or was it the universe playing some elaborate joke on him?
First, his name literally meant Star in Greek.
Then, he just so happened to be practicing a magic system that revolved around stars and constellations.
And now he awakened a magic system referred to as Astral, which was essentially the same thing but even more primal and ridiculous.
There could only be so many coincidences before they stopped being coincidences and started looking more like a narrative railroading him into becoming some cosmic chosen one.
Astreo began seriously wondering whether there was some old man, some omnipotent geezer, or worse—a bored yandere goddess—secretly grooming him from behind the scenes.
Maybe she was the one who gave him the system, opened all these ridiculous paths, and was now sitting somewhere with popcorn waiting for him to ascend into the role of Star Emperor for real.
Just thinking about that possibility made him uneasy, because Astreo had seen enough novels to know that having a yandere goddess for a patron was not necessarily a blessing; in many cases it was a nightmare wrapped in affection and obsessive possessiveness.
Astreo shrugged as he thought about it.
In the end, it didn't matter whether all of this was just a chain of coincidences or some cosmic plan arranged by a hidden old monster or goddess.
One day he would find out the truth anyway, and when that day came, let it be known that if he was truly someone's puppet, he would rather die fighting for his freedom than spend his life dancing on invisible strings.
Whoever dared to invest in him as a puppet could cry over their failed investment while he showed them a middle finger with pride.
But for that to happen, he first needed the most basic requirement: overwhelming strength. Without power, even rebellion would be nothing but a fantasy.
With that thought settled, Astreo exited his Dimensional Space, satisfied with the gains he had made from his mana cultivation.
The moment he teleported back into his room in the mansion, his eyes fell on a neatly placed letter on his bed.
It was from Lisa.
The letter stated how she was currently working at the company she had started according to his orders.
She explained she was organizing procedures, resources, and manpower under the banner of his Clan, establishing the infrastructure necessary for the upcoming growth he had envisioned.
Even in the letter her tone showed her diligence, as if she wanted to ensure every detail was handled properly without giving him any reason to worry.
Yes, Astreo had made up his mind to form an organization that would function as a Clan, and the company would act as the external shell used to purchase properties and build influence within the human world.
The Clan itself would be used to gather manpower, talents, fighters, servants, and those who held magical value.
This structure wasn't random.
In fact, it was similar to how all the major clans operated—each of them had companies or businesses under their banner that generated wealth, influence, and legal power.
However, unlike those clans, Astreo did not require a company to acquire resources, because thanks to his System he possessed practically infinite resources already.
Instead, he was considering keeping both the company and the Clan completely separate, each functioning as an independent force.
His goal was to form two pillars under one banner, and neither of the two would interfere in the other's domain.
The company would control wealth, land, commerce, and the livelihoods of normal humans.
The Clan would control magical power, cultivation, soldiers, and extraordinary talent.
People often underestimated the obvious fact that in this world nearly 95% of the human population still had no magic at all.
They were normal humans—ordinary people who lived, worked, ate, and suffered under normal societal structures.
Controlling them through the company would give Astreo control over cities, influence over economies, and indirect dominance over governments.
Meanwhile the Clan would remain focused on the supernatural side, dealing exclusively with magicians, cultivation materials, spiritual resources, and the hierarchy of magical forces.
In this sense the company side would control the mundane layer of the world, while the Clan side would rule the magical side of world—balancing both like two wings of the same body.
Astreo continued reading the letter and discovered that there was a major broadcast currently being aired on multiple TV channels regarding what the media was calling the "great depletion."
Curious and slightly confused, Astreo put the letter down, reached for the remote, and turned on the television.
Very quickly a National News Channel appeared on screen, the reporter speaking with urgency while a large banner scrolled beneath him summarizing the crisis.
"As we have repeatedly reported, all of this is a direct result of the SSS-Tier Criminal Qin Yu'er from China who openly colluded with monsters and participated in the destruction of the city of Venice!" the reporter announced in a dramatic tone that clearly tried to stir public sentiment rather than present facts calmly.
"Due to these events, China will be forced to hand over seventy percent of its natural magical resource production to foreign countries for the next five years! Yes, you heard that correctly—five entire years of resource tribute! And according to official sources, the effects of this decision have already begun to impact the entire nation!"
The broadcast then transitioned to a different anchor who gave an economic breakdown with animated charts behind her.
"The price of Spiritual Cores has tripled just within the last twelve hours. Spirit-Grade elemental resources have quadrupled in cost, while higher grades are expected to skyrocket further. Meanwhile local merchants and Magical Markets are already restricting sales to prevent hoarding and black-market speculation…"
Astreo watched silently as segment after segment described rising resource prices, foreign pressure, angry protest footage in various Chinese cities, and debates from so-called experts blaming Qin Yu'er for everything.
When Astreo finally understood what was really happening a slow and amused grin surfaced on his face.
He realized that humanity itself had chosen to destroy its own economy and cripple its own cultivation development just to save face and shift blame outward—something that benefited him far more than they could ever imagine.
Apparently China had been forced to surrender a massive portion of its magical resources as "compensation" to the International Magic Community, all because Qin Yu'er happened to be from their nation and was now publicly labeled as the greatest criminal in modern history for allegedly destroying the City of Venice by betraying mankind and "colluding with monsters."
It was ridiculous propaganda at its finest, but the world was eating it up as if it were the absolute truth.
Astreo knew the entire narrative was nonsense.
He could personally confirm that the only orders he had given to Xyra were to eliminate the mages who had come after Qin Yu'er.
The destruction that followed came from the Forbidden Tier Mage who attacked Xyra first.
And Astreo was not some delusional idiot who would jump in front of Xyra mid-battle and lecture her about "holding back for the innocent" just because he happened to be born human.
In his view, mankind had willingly provoked an Emperor—worse, a Dragon Emperor—and then cried foul when the consequences of that decision arrived.
Xyra showed them exactly what occurs when they treat her and Astreo as targets to kill rather than beings to negotiate with.
If they wanted to play with fire, then they could not complain about being burned to ash afterward.
Astreo's principles were simple: it never mattered whether the opponent was a man or a woman, young or old, human or monster.
If anyone attempted to kill him or someone under his protection, then they had forfeited their own right to live.
In this world, his fists were E-rated for everyone without discrimination or exception.
Ahem.
Now because of Qin Yu'er, whom Astreo had personally rescued, both she and the entire nation of China were being held responsible for the destruction of Venice.
Every National Team that had been annihilated during the World Tournament possessed powerful backing and political influence from their respective continents, and now all those factions had banded together to place overwhelming diplomatic pressure on China.
The result?
China was forced to surrender seventy percent of its publicly distributed magical resources as "compensation," or risk being completely excluded from the International Magic Community—a punishment that would cripple the country's future development and essentially condemn millions of its citizens.
This forced concession also created an immediate economic chain reaction: the prices of magical resources, cultivation materials, spiritual cores, herbs, elemental treasures and even low-grade awakening substances skyrocketed overnight, tripling or even quadrupling in value depending on rarity.
For China, the Great Depletion had officially begun, and it was shaping up to become a national nightmare that would drag on for years.
The general population, lacking the truth and blindly trusting the international news networks, chose to vent their rage on Qin Yu'er.
To them she was the sole cause behind their misfortune, their economic suffering and their humiliation on the world stage.
Not a single person bothered to consider the reality of what happened in Venice, nor did they question why the Holy Judgement Court and Heresy Judgement Court had been present in the first place, much less why a Forbidden Tier provoked a Dragon Emperor without hesitation.
The irony was so thick that Astreo could practically taste it—Qin Yu'er was merely the convenient scapegoat, while the true culprits who had escalated the conflict and provoked a calamity-level retaliation were none other than the Holy City itself.
Now the situation had become so dire that countless analysts and reporters, both foreign and domestic, were openly predicting that China would soon be forced to make several drastic decisions to cope with the aftermath of the "Great Depletion."
Among the rumored measures was an especially controversial proposal: conscripting all third-year high school students into the national military system for a full four-year term of compulsory service.
Although no official announcement had been issued yet, every sign pointed to that direction.
The logic behind the proposal was brutal but straightforward—if China was going to lose more than two-thirds of its publicly distributed resources and was simultaneously being crushed by international political pressure, then the only viable method to manage the rampaging monster populations in the wilderness was to increase the number of expendable foot soldiers.
In simple words: cannon fodder.
Military strategists on television spoke of this potential deployment as if it was some patriotic ceremony, but Astreo understood the true essence of it immediately.
The state was preparing to gamble the next generation's blood in exchange for breathing room.
And most terrifying of all, the public was already mentally prepared for it because the news media had successfully shifted the blame to Qin Yu'er, transforming her into the ideal scapegoat.
Once Astreo instructed the System to conduct an exhaustive analysis of China's internal political and economic situation—everything from population numbers, resource circulation, monster density distribution, clan structures, and the projected tension between government institutions and private factions—he finally understood the deeper reason behind these policies.
The large clans and family organizations had absolutely no intention of surrendering their private resource stockpiles.
Not a single gram of their cultivation materials would enter the compensation pool.
Instead, the resources that would be stripped away came directly from the national taxes the clans paid into the government each year.
In other words, the country would bleed while the clans sat safely behind their walls.
To make things even more absurd, the heirs of these clans would be exempt from the military conscription program entirely, protected under the justification that "future pillars of the nation" could not be wasted as disposable warriors.
So in the end, it would be the ordinary students—kids with no backing, no influence, and no ability to resist—that would shoulder the burden for China's humiliation.
The wealthy would keep their cultivation treasures, the clans would keep their rankings and status, and the government would keep its face.
Meanwhile, the public would hate Qin Yu'er instead of questioning who truly profited from this disaster
It could now be clearly seen that the Clans across China had quietly formed a unified front to pressure the national government, ensuring that the consequences of the "Great Depletion" would be carried almost entirely by the common population and by mages who came from ordinary backgrounds without resources or backing.
To the average citizen, the Great Depletion was a complete national disaster.
It crushed the lower and middle class, suffocated small businesses, and made survival itself a tedious calculation.
However, for the Clans—not just the top ten, but nearly every medium to high-tier family organization—this crisis was not a disadvantage at all.
It was, in fact, the greatest opportunity presented to them within the last decade.
With the government forced to give up seventy percent of the public magical resources for five years, the entire resource circulation inside the country shifted.
Suddenly, joining a Clan was no longer about prestige, status, or having powerful elders—it became a necessity.
Commoners who previously refused to bow to the clans would now beg to join their ranks, because the Clans held the only consistent channels for cultivation materials.
Even something as basic as an Intermediate-Tier cultivation resource would become unobtainable without proper connections.
While prices at the moment had merely tripled or quadrupled, economic experts were already predicting that once these resources entered the private auction houses—especially those operated by the Clans—they would easily be sold at nine to ten times the original market price.
And that was only for Intermediate-tier goods.
For Advanced-tier resources such as Galaxy Veins, which were already rare and valuable even during peacetime, the projected price increases were absurd.
In fact, according to the System's analysis, the price index for Galaxy Veins had already risen several times over within just the first week of the Great Depletion.
At this rate, it wouldn't be strange if their value soared to a point where only the wealthiest Clans could afford to monopolize them entirely.
Therefore, while the nation suffered, the Clans prospered.
The Great Depletion was becoming a hunger game that would reshape the entire social structure of China's magical community, all while the common mages were left scrambling for scraps.
Astreo could almost picture the fate of the common population—struggling, scrambling, and suffering—while those who held power, status, and resources would barely feel the impact.
The Great Depletion would not only widen the gap between commoners and the prestigious Clan-born elites, it would turn that gap into a complete chasm.
It wouldn't even be an exaggeration to predict that in the coming years the arrogance of the so-called Young Masters would reach heights never seen before.
Previously their arrogance was merely based on wealth and privilege, but now it would be backed by pure cultivation power and exclusive access to resources.
A Young Master with both arrogance and genuine strength would become a force that commoners could not even afford to offend.
'And that is where I come in,' Astreo thought with a grin forming across his face.
The so-called "Great Depletion" was undoubtedly a nationwide disaster for ordinary citizens and low-level mages, but for Astreo—who was preparing to establish his own clan—it was nothing short of a golden opportunity.
Originally, he intended to distribute resources at incredibly low prices or even as goodwill benefits in order to attract manpower.
But that plan was made under the assumption that resources were easily accessible to everyone and the economy was stable.
Now that the entire resource network of China was collapsing and all major markets were suffocating under the pressure of foreign compensation demands, his strategy could evolve into something significantly more advantageous.
He no longer needed to sell cheap.
He could simply sell his resources at "normal" prices—prices that every common mage would consider dirt cheap in comparison to what the market and auction houses would demand during the Great Depletion.
Meanwhile, those who chose to officially join his Clan would not only receive these resources for free, they would also gain a stable supply through his channels.
Just imagining the desperation of the common population and the panic of independent mages was enough for Astreo to predict how rapidly both his Company and Clan would grow.
Recruitment would become effortless.
Loyalty would bloom naturally.
And prestige would follow automatically.
After all, he possessed what no other human force had: infinite resources.
He was a Versatile Mage with Infinite Resources.
And in an era defined by scarcity, such a combination was equivalent to absolute dominance.
Therefore, the Great Depletion did not merely alter his business strategy—it reshaped his entire long-term plan.
Instead of slowly building influence, he could now accelerate the expansion of his power by years or even decades.
Thus, this moment marked the single biggest turning point in his plans.
To be continued...
(A/N: I will upload daily this week as well, if we get good rankings then this get another week of un-interuppted updates, otherwise I will make it like once every a while. I have other fanfics to take care of as well, especially my Great Sage Fanfic. It's name is Re Zero: The Great Sage and I daresay it is better than this fanfic, Is it wrong to be an High-Elf in the Dungeon is also better than this and Fate/Poseidon is pinnacle of them all!)