"Astral energy is much different than mana. With mana, you need to use it and then take more mana in to expand your mana pools. This is a slow process and takes a long time. And then there is the condensing of mana and forming a core in order to evolve to become even stronger. Astral energy is different. It is something that will naturally absorb into your body and expand the amount you can use at a time over time. But to expand the amount of astral energy you can hold faster, you can use a bit of a trick.