314: Chapter 315 Phoenix Feather Awakens

*Crack...*

A faint but incredibly clear crisp sound came from the fiery-red phoenix egg protected by a special formation in the center of the room.

Lin Muyang and Ao Qingyan turned their heads simultaneously to look. They saw a tiny, spiderweb-like crack spreading across the surface of the phoenix egg, which was radiating heat and life fluctuations! This was followed by a second, then a third... The cracks spread rapidly, and the red light inside the shell became increasingly dazzling, as if lava were flowing within. A majestic and ancient life Aura, accompanied by a scorching heat wave, surged out from the fissures!

The Nirvana was over!

The two exchanged a glance, seeing the expectation and joy in each other's eyes. They stopped talking and stood side by side, their gazes locked onto the phoenix egg that was about to shatter. Lin Muyang could clearly smell the faint, refreshing fragrance coming from the Dragon Girl beside him—like a snow lotus from a cold pool—mixed with the increasingly rich scent of fire and rebirth in the air. He reached out and naturally took hold of Ao Qingyan's slender yet supple waist, drawing her slightly closer to him. Ao Qingyan's body stiffened for a moment before she relaxed, a nearly imperceptible blush appearing on her cool side-profile, showing no resistance.

*Crack, crackle...*

The sounds of the eggshell cracking grew more frequent until it finally burst open! Dazzling golden-red firelight instantly filled the entire room, and the temperature soared, only to be quickly neutralized and absorbed by the room's pre-set protective formation.

Within the firelight, a figure slowly unfurled.

It was a curled-up blonde girl. Amidst the warm, non-harmful golden flames, she looked as if she were wearing the most magnificent garment of fire gauze. Her brilliant long golden hair was like flowing molten gold, draped behind her and shimmering with the luster of life within the flames.

The flames slowly withdrew, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, quickly sinking into the girl's body. Her long eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.

The initial confusion in her eyes quickly dissipated. Her gaze shifted, first seeing Lin Muyang close by and Ao Qingyan, whom he was holding.

"Sister Qingyan~" Feng Ling's voice carried a hint of the laziness and huskiness of someone who had just woken up, yet it was filled with heartfelt joy. She seemed completely unconcerned about her current state, a bright and radiant smile blooming on her face like the rising sun, instantly dispelling the last trace of heat in the room and leaving only warmth.

She pushed off the ground with her hands and stood up gracefully from the broken eggshell.

"Here, put some clothes on." Although Lin Muyang appreciated the beautiful sight before him, he didn't forget the business at hand. His expression was normal, his gaze clear and without a hint of profanity, filled only with pure appreciation and care. With a thought, he took out a pre-prepared snow-white dress of simple and elegant design from his storage space. Using invisible force, he supported it and sent it in front of Feng Ling. He had prepared many such dresses in various styles and colors for emergencies.

"Thank you, Master~" Feng Ling smiled with a slight bashfulness, two faint red clouds drifting onto her cheeks. However, she wasn't awkward; she naturally took the dress and gave her slender hand a light wave. The white dress seemed to come alive, automatically fitting itself to her body and appropriately outlining her proud curves, losing a bit of the heart-pounding intensity from before while gaining a touch of celestial grace and elegance.

Having dressed, Feng Ling stepped onto the smooth floor with her small, fair bare feet and walked over to Lin Muyang and Ao Qingyan. She seemed to remember something important; the relaxed smile on her face faded, replaced by a look of gravity on her pretty, perfect face.

"By the way, Master, Sister Qingyan." Feng Ling's voice became serious. "After this Nirvana, I've awakened some new memory fragments... they're about the plane core!"

"The plane core?" Lin Muyang's spirits lifted; this was one of the things he was currently most concerned about! Ao Qingyan also listened intently.

"Yes." Feng Ling nodded, organized her thoughts, and spoke slowly: "According to the inherited memories, the plane core is located at the most central, most primal position of every world. But it doesn't exist in the physical spatial dimensions as we usually understand them."

She held out both hands. One glowed slightly with a faint golden warmth, representing 'Yang'; the other was shrouded in a very thin layer of dark Aura, representing 'Yin'. "It exists at the intersection of Yin and Yang, the source core that harmonizes, balances, and nurtures all the energy and rules of a world! You can think of it as... the heart and soul of a world."

"An energy source at the intersection of Yin and Yang?" Lin Muyang mused, immediately thinking of the power originating from the underworld that the Yama Maiden, Gui Wanwan, possessed. "Do you mean something similar in nature to the underworld energy Xiao Wan controls?"

"Exactly!" Feng Ling confirmed. "The underworld energy Sister Xiao Wan controls is Yin in nature, and of an extremely high level and absolute purity. Theoretically, with the help of her power, we could try to open a passage to the intersection of Yin and Yang, helping us locate and approach the plane core."

But then, her tone shifted, becoming even more solemn: "However, in my memories, reaching the plane core is by no means easy, nor is it something that can be attempted at just any time."

"Every world will resonate with a certain tide or rhythmic rule in the universe at a specific relative position and time node. This brief moment is called the Time of Yin-Yang Convergence. Only at that precise moment, by going to the planet's true core and using special powers and methods, is it possible to open a window to the space where the plane core resides. If you miss that moment, or if the location is slightly off, success is absolutely impossible."

Feng Ling spoke with a certainty derived from her ancient bloodline inheritance. This information wasn't speculation; it was knowledge deeply rooted in the soul of the Phoenix Heavenly Maiden clan, gradually awakening as she underwent Nirvana and her bloodline continued to purify.

To Lin Muyang, this was undoubtedly extremely important and critical information! He had always known of the plane core's existence and that it might hold the secret to breaking through God-tier talent, but he had been completely lost on how to find or approach it. Feng Ling's memory was like lighting a lamp in the mist, pointing out the direction and method.

"So, besides potentially upgrading talent, does this plane core have other effects?" Lin Muyang suppressed his excitement and pressed further. If the plane core's energy was so miraculous, perhaps it could also provide some unexpected benefit or sublimation for his own already God-tier Aura talent?

"That... I don't know." Hearing this, Feng Ling shook her head self-reproachfully, her golden eyes filled with apology. "In the memory fragments I've awakened, the only specific effect mentioned regarding the plane core is a vague description: its primal energy has a very low probability of helping those compatible with it break through talent shackles to touch the Divine Realm. As for what effect it has on those who have already reached the God-tier, there's no information."

"It's fine, this is already a very precious lead." Lin Muyang reached out and gently patted her shoulder, comforting her warmly. Knowing the method and conditions had already solved the biggest mystery. As for whether it would be useful to himself, that was a matter for later exploration.

"Oh, and there's another very important restriction!" Feng Ling suddenly remembered something else, her brows furrowing again as she added solemnly, "To use the plane core's energy to break talent limits, there is an extremely strict prerequisite—"

She said word by word: "Only the natives of that world, those whose soul origin is bound to that world, are eligible to receive the baptism and gift of that world's plane core energy."

"What?" Lin Muyang's eyebrows shot up; this restriction was somewhat unexpected. "You mean, for example, since Lilia is from her Elf World, the plane core energy of Blue Star would be useless to her? And the plane core energy of the Atlantis World would only give a native like Alice a chance to charge for the God-tier?"

"Yes, Master." Feng Ling nodded firmly. "This is a protection and screening mechanism of the world itself. For beings not of this world, their soul frequency cannot resonate with the plane core. Forcing contact would not only yield no benefits but could also result in rejection or even backlash from the world's primal power."

With Feng Ling's detailed explanation, Lin Muyang's understanding of the plane core deepened. But that wasn't all.

"Also..." Feng Ling's voice dropped, carrying a trace of heaviness, "The primal energy accumulated by a world's plane core is limited. After successfully guiding its energy to elevate a being's talent to the God-tier, the plane core enters a long period of dormancy and recovery. According to my memories, this recovery period usually takes hundreds of years to re-accumulate enough energy for another God-tier enlightenment."

"In other words, a world can, on average, produce at most one God-tier talent powerhouse every hundred years." Lin Muyang summarized slowly, his expression turning grave. This restriction meant that God-tier slots were incredibly precious, and competition would be unprecedentedly fierce.

"In that case..." Lin Muyang's face darkened further as he recalled another piece of information Feng Ling had revealed before—the plane core energy of her Phoenix Heavenly Maiden world hadn't just been used once; it had been almost entirely exhausted and stolen away.

"Master~" Seeing Lin Muyang's grave expression, Feng Ling stepped forward and took his hand, looking up with a warm and determined smile blooming on her face again. "It's okay. We are one with Master. As long as you are strong enough to protect us and lead us forward, what does it matter if we can't all reach the God-tier? Being able to follow Master, be with everyone, and keep getting stronger is enough for me."

She saw things clearly and wasn't obsessed with having to achieve God-tier. For her, following Lin Muyang and fighting alongside her sisters was the greatest happiness and meaning.

Ao Qingyan, standing to the side, was also lost in thought. The Eastern Fantasy World she came from had long entered the Age of Dharma Decline; the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was thinning by the day, and powerhouses were becoming increasingly rare. Was the root of this decay also related to the plane core being excessively drained or damaged?

"Since we now have a preliminary understanding of the plane core situation," Lin Muyang suppressed the chaotic thoughts in his heart, his gaze turning sharp and determined again, "the priority is to start preparing. We need to calculate the specific time points when the next Time of Yin-Yang Convergence might occur for each relevant world."

He began to quickly sort through and tally the list of worlds that needed attention in his mind.

"Looking at it this way, four of us come from different magic world backgrounds." Lin Muyang looked at Ao Qingyan and Feng Ling. "Lilia's Elf World, Seraphina's Night Elf World, Kelly's Fairy Magic World, and Jialiya's Necromantic Magic World. Although they are all magic worlds, their rules, environments, and civilizations are likely quite different, and their plane cores must be independent."