23: Law and Art

The starship landed, and the defensive field enveloping it gradually shut down.

The hatch opened, and a gangway extended out, connecting to the ground.

As the hatch opened, Yan Gaoyuan and the others went to greet it.

Looking out, the first person to emerge from the starship was a middle-aged man with a touch of white frost at his temples.

He was tall and straight, wearing sunglasses and a black trench coat, exuding an extraordinary aura.

Above his trench coat, strange patterns resembling runes were embroidered with silk thread.

Behind him followed dozens of people, each performing their duties; some were fully armed, while others wore casual clothing.

Leather boots clattered on the gangway, making a dull sound as the man in the trench coat stepped down onto the soil of the Mining Star, removed his sunglasses, and looked around.

His face was plain and weathered, but what was striking was that his right eye did not have a normal pupil, but rather a black-gold five-pointed star.

The man in the trench coat waved his hand slightly, and half of the large group behind him immediately departed.

The direction they headed was precisely the exit of the New Sheep District barrier.

At the front.

Yan Gaoyuan and the others had already come forward to greet him.

"Senior Chu."

After getting closer, Yan Gaoyuan's voice sounded.

This was precisely the Spiritual Energy User senior Yan Gaoyuan had mentioned to Qin Jin.

His name... Chu Tianyi!

Hearing the address, Chu Tianyi's gaze turned to him, a smile appearing: "Little Yan."

"It's been a long time since I've seen you."

"The environment on this Mining Star is harsh; it must be difficult for you to stay here for so long."

"Have you found a candidate for the spot I gave you?"

"Senior Chu, I have."

Yan Gaoyuan replied, "My own daughter is not up to par, so the person I'm recommending to you this time is the child of an old friend of mine."

"My old friend's name is Qin Luo; you know him too."

"Little Qin, yes, I remember him."

Chu Tianyi's gaze swept behind Yan Gaoyuan: "Where is he? If he's sending his young one to me, isn't he going to show his face?"

Hearing this, Yan Gaoyuan was silent for a moment before speaking: "A few years ago, he and his wife got lost while exploring the star sea and their whereabouts are unknown."

Lost in the star sea—that's a polite term.

The actual situation was clearly understood by everyone present.

Hearing his explanation, Chu Tianyi shook his head: "What a pity."

He reached out and patted his shoulder, saying in a deep voice: "Since he is the son of an old friend, I will treat this little fellow well."

"Even if he ultimately can't help me, I will still cultivate him diligently."

After speaking, Chu Tianyi looked forward, his expression slightly solemn.

"Let's go."

The five-pointed star in his right eye slowly rotated as he looked forward: "Everything needs to start being prepared."

...

The Great Wilderness.

The Deep Driller cruised along the route Qin Jin had set.

Inside the cockpit, Qin Jin was multitasking, using a small portion of his mental power to maintain the connection with the mining machine, while his attention was focused on what was in front of him.

Before him were three crystal cores offered by the Si Huo Tribe.

These three crystal cores differed in color and shape, containing different elemental powers.

There was water, a deep and tranquil dark blue; earth, a thick and stable yellowish-brown; and a fiery crystal core, which Qin Jin had encountered before, intensely hot and surging.

"According to Qi Chuan, the Sacrificial Spirit, Stone Saint, really likes these crystal cores."

"The Stone Saint is an evolved strange stone, inherently peaceful and steady. For it to show obvious signs of liking them, the greatest possibility is that these types of crystal cores are helpful to it as a Sacrificial Spirit."

As thoughts flickered, Qin Jin's mental power, protected by the surrounding power of vows, approached one of the crystal cores.

Now, he was gradually getting on the right track; even if he damaged a crystal core during an experiment, he could bear the loss, so he directly acted according to his thoughts.

He chose the water-attribute crystal core, which had a gentler power.

The moment his mental power approached, the crystal core's light intensified, and a sense of obstruction came over him.

Qin Jin used his mental power to wear away the obstruction, and before long, the space before him cleared, and his mental power successfully entered the crystal core.

The moment he entered, a sense of sluggishness came over him.

He slightly closed his eyes, sinking completely into it, perceiving with his spirit.

Inside the crystal core was a dense water-attribute spiritual energy, gathered together like a surging tide, constantly churning, which caused the sluggishness.

Compared to the spiritual energy in the world, the water-attribute spiritual energy here was purer and had been refined.

"This should be one of the methods for extraordinary beings to improve in the Great Wilderness."

"Fierce beasts with crystal cores collect spiritual energy of their corresponding attribute from the world, integrate it into their crystal cores, and continuously refine it to enhance their power."

"Fierce beasts that haven't developed crystal cores, like the Twin-Horned Giant Rhino, perhaps directly integrate spiritual energy into their physique, just like when I practice the Breathing Method."

As he continuously perceived, Qin Jin made deductions in his mind.

Inside the crystal core, apart from water-attribute spiritual energy, there was nothing else.

After a careful exploration, Qin Jin no longer focused on the spiritual energy within, but shifted his attention to the crystal core itself.

His mental power moved along the inner wall of the crystal core.

As he advanced, at a certain moment, his mental power stopped.

In his perception, at this spot, there were uneven patterns on what was otherwise a smooth inner wall.

These strange patterns intertwined on the inner wall, forming a special design.

"What is this?"

Upon perceiving this, Qin Jin had some guesses in his mind. He stopped his actions, withdrew his mental power, disconnected from the Deep Driller, and leaped out of the cockpit.

Taking this water-attribute crystal core, Qin Jin distanced himself from the Deep Driller before continuing his attempts.

His mental power entered again.

After confirming the positions of the various patterns, Qin Jin used his mental power to guide the pure spiritual energy within the crystal core, drawing it towards the special pattern formed by the textures on the inner wall.

The moment he completed all of this, Qin Jin's mental power withdrew from the crystal core, and he looked down.

The crystal core in his hand glowed brightly at this moment, and amidst the power fluctuations, faint blue spiritual energy emerged in the void, transforming into a water curtain that enveloped him, as if forming a defensive water shield to protect his body from attacks.

"This is..."

"Treasure Technique."

Qin Jin was deep in thought.

He expertly re-entered the crystal core with his mental power, beginning to block the spiritual energy from flowing into the inner wall pattern.

The crystal core's light receded, and the water shield that had formed around him, now without power support, gradually dissipated.

The spiritual energy within had been somewhat consumed.

"How truly marvelous."

"Fierce beasts often act on instinct, and for unknown reasons, they condense crystal cores. This crystal core seems to be the crystallization of their [Law], and the wondrous evolution within the inner wall should be the [Technique] formed during the continuous refinement of spiritual energy, allowing them to exert greater effects from their spiritual energy."

"The geniuses among the Great Wilderness human race who can condense Treasure Techniques are very likely able to do so because the beast blood contains imprints left by [Techniques]. Talented humans, when undergoing medicinal baths and body tempering with beast blood, unconsciously absorb those imprints and manifest them within themselves."

"If the human body could also condense an energy storage core similar to a crystal core, then in the Great Wilderness, one could absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for one's own use."

"That would be equivalent to pioneering an entirely new path of evolution!"