Let's not delve into too much detail for now.
When that peculiar sensation entered Lin Xiao's Sea of Consciousness, it felt as though thousands of voices were speaking to him simultaneously. The sounds overlapped, sometimes booming like a bell, other times as faint as a whispering thread.
Instinctively, Lin Xiao tried to discern the meaning behind each voice, but his spiritual awareness quickly became overwhelmed. A wave of dizziness and nausea swept over him, and the world seemed to spin violently. Alarmed, he immediately stopped trying to make sense of the voices, instead blocking them out entirely.
Once he regained his composure and realized that the voices seemed to carry no malice, Lin Xiao allowed himself to relax completely, placing his spiritual sense in a state of absolute calm. He surrendered to the flow, no longer forcing himself to understand or listen. Instead, he allowed himself to drift among the myriad sounds.
Gradually, in this half-conscious state, a single ethereal voice seemed to break through the noise and resonate directly with his heart:
"Destruction is the negative force of the universe. Yuan is the positive. When Yuan transforms into a shield and merges with its source, yin and yang will intertwine, neutralizing the negative force."
Just as Lin Xiao tried to focus and understand more, his awareness abruptly snapped back to full consciousness. The voice faded entirely, leaving no trace or echo behind. The chaotic voices that had once filled his Sea of Consciousness vanished as well, transforming into the radiant light of the starry expanse within his consciousness. The only indication that they had ever been there was the intensified brightness of his Sea of Consciousness.
Shaking his head to clear the lingering dizziness, the only thing that remained vivid in Lin Xiao's mind was that mysterious phrase.
He gazed at the national seal in his hand, inspecting it closely for any further oddities. Finding none, he tucked it into his private storage.
However, as soon as the Huan You Kingdom's National Seal entered his private storage, the system suddenly sprang to life:
[Ding! The host has temporarily acquired the Huan You Kingdom National Seal. Unlocking the sect-building side quest: Establish Diplomatic Relations (1) – "A successful sect must establish connections throughout the world. Host, please negotiate with Huan You Kingdom and successfully set up an officially recognized sect outpost in their capital."]
Surprised by this sudden quest, Lin Xiao couldn't help but be taken aback.
"Handling a national seal triggers a mission like this? Does that mean if I want more of these diplomatic missions, I'll have to borrow other countries' national seals and stash them in my private storage for a bit?" he muttered to himself, amused by the thought.
The system, as always, ignored his internal complaints and went silent after delivering the mission prompt.
Looking at the body lying on the ground, Lin Xiao thought for a moment before storing the corpse as well. If his guess was correct, and this man was indeed the former king of Huan You Kingdom, one of the key figures responsible for the Destruction Stone incident, then he couldn't just let the man die quietly here. Bringing the body back would provide closure and justice for many.
With that resolved, Lin Xiao turned his thoughts back to Yuan Jinsheng, who had entered the Destruction Stone Mines, and the matter of his missing son. Without delay, he headed back to the place where Yuan Jinsheng had gone into the mines.
By now, the message Lin Xiao had sent to the allied forces should have reached them, and they should be on their way. To facilitate their arrival, Lin Xiao modified the sealing formation, opening a concealed entrance for them. He then sent out a message, informing the allied forces of the entrance's location.
He figured that since they would likely send someone capable of maintaining contact with him, the message would help speed things along.
Despite the fact that some remnants of the Destruction Stone incident had managed to sneak past the formation, Lin Xiao wasn't reckless enough to dismantle the formation entirely. The fact that they had entered undetected meant they had some unique method or technique, but Lin Xiao guessed that it wasn't something they could easily replicate.
The sealing formation, produced by the system, remained a formidable barrier. If it had been easy to bypass, the enemies would have acted long ago, and the remnants wouldn't have dwindled to just a couple dozen people under the pressure of the allied forces' pursuit. This indicated that the formation still presented a significant obstacle to them.
Thus, Lin Xiao left the formation intact. For now, those hiding within the Destruction Stone Mines were like trapped turtles in a jar, with no way out.
While waiting for the allied forces, Lin Xiao couldn't help but mull over the phrase from the National Seal that had stuck with him:
"If Yuan forms a shield, merges with the source, and yin and yang intertwine…"
He sat down to meditate, focusing on the meaning of these words.
"Yuan forms a shield…"
He summoned his spiritual energy, forming a protective shield around his body.
"No, this isn't right…"
It was just an ordinary spiritual shield. It wouldn't be able to fend off the destructive effects of the Destruction Stones.
"Yuan… what is Yuan?"
Could it be related to the "Yuan" in his Ben Yuan Heart Sutra?
Yuan represented the origin, the foundation of everything.
But what was the origin or foundation being referred to here?
Contemplating this, Lin Xiao closed his eyes and let his awareness sink deeper into himself. In that moment, the starlight within his Sea of Consciousness surged, stretching out toward his core, linking directly to his Golden Core and resonating with the energy inside.
It felt as though his soul, spiritual awareness, and energy were all being drawn together, merging at his dantian.
Could this be the essence of what the mysterious voice had meant by "Yuan"?
Lin Xiao didn't resist the process. Unconsciously, his Ben Yuan Heart Sutra accelerated, enhancing the integration of these energies.
Time seemed to blur—whether moments or years had passed, Lin Xiao couldn't tell. Eventually, a single drop of something without color or form coalesced in the fusion of his consciousness, energy, and soul.
Though it was colorless and shapeless, Lin Xiao could clearly sense it.
Within that drop was the essence of boundless vitality.
As it merged with his dantian and touched his Golden Core, Lin Xiao felt the spiritual energy of the world rush toward him, flooding into his body in torrents.
With a mighty crack, his Golden Core split, shattering into countless pieces.
Yet, he felt no discomfort.
Beneath the fractured surface of his core, a tender, pristine new core emerged. It was as pure as new life, delicate and radiant.
It seemed fragile, as though it might crumble at the slightest touch, but in the next moment, waves of brilliant light burst forth from within the core. These lights burned like flames, enveloping the surface of the core, refining it.
As the layers of light and flame dissipated, the once-fragile core now gleamed with a translucent, divine sheen, like a piece of immortal jade.