138: Stardust's Initial Formation and the "Dandelion" Project

The development of "spirit awakening stardust" was more difficult than anticipated.

It was not just a technical issue, but more like walking a tightrope—one had to ensure the information was transmitted effectively without leaving any traceable marks, while also being able to stir the mind without becoming a harmful evil art.

Senior Brother Zhang and Ying worked almost without sleep, repeatedly adjusting the energy structure and information encoding of the "stardust."

They failed time and again; either the disguise was insufficient, or the information transmission was ineffective.

"This won't work. Using the redundant fluctuations of the 'spirit net' as a disguise is still too risky. If it gets scanned deeply, it will likely be exposed," Senior Brother Zhang said, rubbing his throbbing temples, as he overturned his previous plan.

"Perhaps... we should change our approach."

Wen Youyi looked at the latest failed prototype and mused, "Instead of pursuing a perfect disguise, we should pursue the ultimate 'ordinary' and 'natural'."

He picked up a failed piece, which still had extremely faint energy fluctuations remaining on it: "Look, what if we abandon complex disguises and make the 'stardust' just like the most ordinary Spiritual Qi dust between heaven and earth, with no special fluctuations at all, but... simply hide an 'information Seed' encrypted with Star Core Power inside it?"

"The most ordinary... Spiritual Qi dust?"

Ying said, lost in thought, "This means it would be almost impossible to detect actively and could only be passively attached. But how do we ensure it can be 'absorbed' by the target?"

"By quantity, and a little bit of... luck."

Wen Youyi's eyes flashed with a programmer's cunning, "We create a massive amount of nearly invisible 'stardust', like real dust, and scatter it out through the 'star chain' channel, letting it drift with the wind and attach to Spiritual Qi currents, Magical Artifacts, or even the robes of Cultivators."

"They are harmless in themselves and can even be naturally absorbed. Only when their core 'information Seed' senses specific, intense mental fluctuations (such as the birth of a Heart Demon, an Epiphany, extreme anger, or fear) will it be 'activated,' using the energy of the fluctuation itself to instantly decrypt and present the information, then dissipate on its own."

"This way, the 'stardust' itself is almost impossible to track, the activation process leverages the existing force, and it leaves no trace after the information is transmitted. It's like... like dandelion Seeds, drifting with the wind, only sprouting when they land on suitable soil."

This line of thought made Senior Brother Zhang and Ying suddenly see the light!

That's right, why pursue elaborate disguises? The Dao is simple! Transforming oneself into the most inconspicuous dust and using natural laws to transmit information—this is the most brilliant form of concealment!

The research direction was adjusted immediately.

No longer pursuing complex energy structures, they turned to pursue the ultimate "minuteness" and "ordinariness."

Senior Brother Zhang, using his deep understanding of energy matter, began trying to compress and wrap the Star Core Power and information Seed into an "inert shell" with almost no energy reaction.

Ying was responsible for designing the trigger mechanism for the information Seed, ensuring it would only instantly decrypt and burst using that external force when it sensed mental fluctuations that met the criteria, like a precision psychological induction bomb.

Wen Youyi optimized the "star chain" channel, enabling it to stably and continuously "blow" these special "dandelion Seeds" outward.

After dozens more days and nights of hard work, the first batch of experimental "spirit awakening stardust" was finally completed!

They were packed in a special jade bottle capable of isolating detection.

When poured out, it was just a small pinch of powder shimmering with extremely faint starlight, with almost no detectable weight or energy fluctuations; once mixed into the air, it was instantly indistinguishable.

"It's done!"

Senior Brother Zhang looked at the seemingly ordinary powder, his hands trembling with excitement.

"Next is testing the effects."

Wen Youyi took a deep breath, "We need a suitable 'testing ground'."

Naturally, they dared not test it within the Shelter.

Finally, they selected a location far from the Shelter, near a small marketplace for Loose Cultivators.

Wen Youyi, through the "star chain" channel, silently scattered a very small amount of "spirit awakening stardust" into that area, just like real dust.

These "stardust" particles would drift with the wind, attaching to passing Cultivators or mixing into the Spiritual Qi of the marketplace.

Would they succeed? Would they be activated? Could they awaken even one lost Soul?

No one knew.

This was like sowing Seeds, scattering the Seeds of hope into the wilderness; whether they would take root and sprout required time, and also luck.

But regardless, the "dandelion" project had begun.

The prelude to the counterattack was quietly unveiled by these insignificant stardust particles.

Starlight Sanctuary, this small, isolated island hidden in the cracks of the rules, finally blew the first breeze carrying truth and hope toward the world outside, which was shrouded in shadows.

(End of chapter)