Source Energy Inflow

Deep within the abandoned factory, in the corner where Lin Xiao resided.

The heavy scent of rust, machine oil, and damp mold formed the eternal backdrop.

The sole "light source" was a dim, flickering mining lamp powered by a salvaged car battery, casting huge, distorted shadows on the oil-stained walls.

Lin Xiao sat cross-legged, leaning against the cold, scratched metal wall. The wounds on his right shoulder and back throbbed with a deep, marrow-piercing itch, a sign of flesh and blood struggling to regenerate under the continuous nourishment of the Su family's "Jade Marrow Muscle Growth Powder."

But at this moment, all his senses, all his will, were locked onto the unremarkable, even ugly stones lying on the ground before him.

Five of them.

Varying in size, the largest no bigger than a fist, the smallest just like an egg.

Their surfaces were pockmarked, covered in grayish-black stone skin and dirt, devoid of any luster, like ordinary rocks picked up by a riverbank.

Only upon closer inspection could one faintly sense an extremely weak, mixed, and chaotic energy fluctuation beneath the stone skin, like the intermittent breaths of a dying person.

These were the "essence" from the initial extraction of the "Wild Dog Mine's" low-grade Energy Stones, obtained at the cost of his life.

Meager, pathetic.

Compared to the price he paid, they were utterly insignificant.

[Source Energy Points: -2.23]!

In his mind, the azure light screen had fallen into complete, deathly silence.

No longer flickering, no longer fluctuating, it was like a completely frozen polar tundra, crisscrossed with deep, spiderweb-like cracks.

The alarm for core depletion had long since fallen silent, replaced by a suffocating sense of utter void.

His soul felt hollowed out, leaving only a cold, heavy husk. Each breath sent a hollow, extreme pain originating from the depths of his consciousness.

The physical injuries were infinitely magnified against the backdrop of this depleted soul, each heartbeat like a heavy hammer striking his fragile nerves.

The dangers of the black market, the humiliation of the auction, the devastating consequences of forcibly overdrawing his core to interfere with Ah Qi's terminal… all of it was for these few stones before him!

Lin Xiao extended his left hand.

This hand, with its distinct knuckles, trembled slightly, his fingertips ice-cold.

He picked up one of the smallest Energy Stones. It felt heavy, rough, and cold in his grasp, carrying the earthy scent unique to underground mines.

Without hesitation.

He closed his eyes, channeling all his remaining mental focus, like the most devout pilgrim, pressing it fiercely towards the silent, cracked ice field in his mind – the azure light screen deep within!

[Target Locked: Low-grade Energy Stone (ID: YD-1)]

[Detecting low-purity, high-impurity, mixed-attribute primitive energy aggregate…]

[Energy extraction and conversion efficiency estimate: Extremely low… requires core guidance…]

[Proceed with forced absorption? Warning! Current core is on the verge of collapse! Forcibly guiding external energy surge carries the risk of complete annihilation!]

The cold prompt was as faint as a candle in the wind, carrying a sense of dying weight.

"Absorb!" Lin Xiao's will roared silently in the desert of his soul, like a dying beast!

There was no retreat!

Only by using this mixed energy could he impact and fill that bottomless abyss of depletion!

Buzz—!

The instant his will confirmed!

The silent, cracked azure light screen violently trembled!

As if a sleeping behemoth had been forcibly awakened, it let out a pained and furious roar!

A weak, chaotic energy flow, rough as gravel, was painstakingly extracted from the low-grade Energy Stone in Lin Xiao's palm, flowing against the meridians of his arm!

This energy was incredibly mixed, carrying the heaviness of earth and stone, the sharpness of metal, and even a trace of cold resentment. It felt like countless rusty steel needles piercing his already damaged and sluggish meridians!

"Urgh!" Lin Xiao grunted, his body shaking violently!

Large beads of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead!

The pain of his meridians being forcibly torn, mixed with the hollowness of his depleted soul, almost made him faint!

The stone skin on the palm of his left hand visibly turned gray and lost its luster at an alarming rate before finally shattering with a "crack" into several lifeless pieces of ordinary gravel!

[Low-grade Energy Stone (YD-1) absorption complete… Energy conversion rate: 11.2%… Source Energy Points gained: +0.3…]

[Source Energy Points: -2.23 + 0.3 = -1.93!]

A faint, almost negligible warmth, like a wisp of moisture seeping from a desert, painstakingly permeated that depleted ice field.

The black lines on the light screen, resembling abyssal cracks, infinitesimally… seemed to have closed by a minuscule amount?

The dead coldness of his core seemed to melt away by a tiny bit from this faint heat!

Effective, but too slow! Too weak!

Lin Xiao panted heavily, sweat soaking through his tattered clothes and clinging stickily to his wounds.

He looked at the lusterless fragments in his palm, his eyes showing no hesitation, only a deeper madness!

He grabbed another slightly larger low-grade Energy Stone!

Gulp!

Hummm—!

The familiar, tearing pain surged through his entire body once more!

His meridians felt like they were being repeatedly scraped by coarse sandpaper! His soul was being forcibly ripped apart!

Crack!

The second stone shattered!

[Gained Source Energy Points: +0.5!]

[Source Energy Points: -1.93 + 0.5 = -1.43!]

The warm current grew slightly stronger! On the barren, frozen plain, it was as if an extremely faint fluorescence flickered deep within the cracks!

Not enough! Far from enough!

A third stone!

Gulp!

Agony! Tearing! The soul's lament!

Crack!

[Gained Source Energy Points: +0.5!]

[Source Energy Points: -1.43 + 0.5 = -0.93!]

This time, the incoming warm current was noticeably stronger!

The silent light screen in his mind, like an ice lake with a pebble tossed in, rippled with an almost imperceptible wave, struggling to spread outward!

The desperate, desolate feeling at his core felt like a tiny hole being chipped into solid ice, allowing a faint but real "vitality" to begin a difficult revival!

The black cracks that covered him seemed to be closing just a tiny bit faster!

Lin Xiao's breathing grew heavier, his body spasming slightly from the intense pain and energy surge, but his eyes shone with astonishing brilliance!

Like seeing the first glimmer of dawn in an endless night!

A fourth stone! The largest one!

He cupped the fist-sized stone in both hands, feeling the comparatively "richer" and more chaotic energy within.

This time, he wasn't passively enduring; he was actively guiding!

His will was like a ravenous Taotie, fiercely seizing the energy!

Boom—!

A more violent, more chaotic torrent of energy rushed into his meridians!

The pain it brought also doubled!

Lin Xiao gritted his teeth, his gums starting to bleed!

All his muscles trembled uncontrollably, veins bulging like coiled dragons beneath his skin!

Crack crack!

The large Energy Stone rapidly cracked and disintegrated!

[Gained Source Energy Points: +0.5!]

[Source Energy Points: -0.93 + 0.5 = -0.43!]

The warm current was like a small stream!

On the barren, frozen plain, the cracks began to close at a visible rate!

That azure light screen, no longer a silent darkness, finally, faintly, struggled to emit a sliver of azure light!

Though still dim, though cracks still covered it, the light itself represented the hope of "life"!

At his core, the heart-stopping, destructive wail finally ceased!

It was replaced by an incredibly faint, yet immensely determined "pulsing" sensation!

Like the very first beat of a revived heart!

The last stone!

Lin Xiao grabbed the final egg-sized low-grade Energy Stone, his eyes burning with an almost sacred light!

This wasn't a plea; it was a celebration!

A celebration of this new life, clawed back from the brink of hell!

Gulp! The energy surged in!

The pain remained, but this time, the pain carried a sense of "fulfillment"!

The meridians, under the scouring of the rampaging energy, where stagnation had set in due to depletion, were like river channels forcibly cleared. Though agonizing, it brought a long-lost sense of "flow"!

Crack!

The last stone turned to dust!

[Gained Source Energy Points: +0.33!]

[Source Energy Points: -0.43 + 0.33 = -0.1!]

Buzz—!

A stream of warmth, far clearer and more soothing than before, surged into the depths of his soul like a sweet spring!

The azure light screen in his mind flashed brightly for a moment!

Although still cracked, the fissures now seemed plated with a flowing, faint light. They were no longer hideous but resembled mysterious patterns!

At the core, the faint yet steady pulse became clearer and stronger!

A long-lost sense of solidity, belonging to existence itself, washed over Lin Xiao like a warm tide!

[Warning Cleared! Core depletion significantly alleviated! Stability restored above critical safety line!]

[Source Energy Points: -0.1 (mild overdraft)! Core functions partially restored! Basic scanning, low-energy modifications (below 0.1 points) can be cautiously used!]

The prompt still carried a hint of weakness, but it was no longer a death rattle, more like the whisper of someone recovering from a serious illness.

It was over.

Five unremarkable, low-grade stones had dissolved into a pile of debris and dust.

Lin Xiao slowly, deeply exhaled.

The breath was long and profound, as if expelling the accumulated gloom, despair, and agony of many days from his chest.

He remained seated cross-legged, but his entire demeanor had undergone a seismic shift!

Though his face was still pale from blood loss, the deathly pallor and ashen hue had receded, replaced by a warm, lustrous sheen like jade.

The cold sweat on his temples vanished, and his tightly furrowed brow relaxed.

His spine, previously slightly hunched from intense pain and depletion, now stood straight and tall, like a pine tree standing firm after snow, exuding a resilience and composure that had been refined by hardship.

His eyes, bloodshot from optimization and overdraft, had largely cleared, their gaze deep, bright, and sharp, like cold stars wiped clean of dust, re-emerging with a restrained yet captivating brilliance!

The most obvious change was the aura surrounding him.

Before, it was decay, depletion, like a candle in the wind.

Now, a condensed, powerful, and enduring aura, as heavy and deep as the earth, naturally emanated from within him!

Although the intensity still hovered at the threshold of a One-Star Martial Artist, the solidity and the inherent vitality far surpassed his previous state!

It was like a complete rebirth!

The True Qi of the Surging Waves Art, which had been sluggish like a small stream due to the mixed and depleted meridians, now flowed slowly but surely through the repaired channels like a thawing spring river!

With a hint of watery attribute's persistence and stamina, it nourished his damaged muscles, bones, and flesh.

The terrifying claw marks on his right shoulder and back, deep enough to expose bone, felt a cool, soothing itch under the dual nourishment of the Jade Marrow Muscle Growth Powder and the newly formed True Qi, their healing accelerating noticeably!

Strength!

A long-lost sense of power surged through his limbs!

Though far from his peak, the feeling of escaping the abyss of depletion and regaining control of his own strength made Lin Xiao want to roar to the heavens!

He slowly raised his left hand, fingers spread, then slowly clenched them.

His knuckles cracked crisply, and a surge of power, far greater than before, condensed in his fingertips.

No longer the trembling of weakness, but a firm grip filled with control!

"Heh..." A low chuckle escaped Lin Xiao's throat.

It wasn't wild joy, but a profound emotion of surviving a disaster and seeing the clouds part, tinged with a cold killing intent.

Scarface Qiang... Ah Qi... Blood Wolf Gang...

And the Shadow Alliance, which left the pupil-less eye mark, hiding in the shadows...

The pain and despair you inflicted, I, Lin Xiao, will repay a hundredfold!

His gaze fell upon the remnants of the shattered Energy Stones before him, his eyes sharp as knives.

This absorption, while pulling him back from the brink of depletion, also exposed a significant problem: the conversion efficiency of low-grade Energy Stones was too low! Too many impurities!

The absorption process was painful and fraught with hidden dangers!

The mild overdraft of [-0.1] remained a concern, and the core's cracks had not completely vanished, requiring continuous energy nourishment.

He had to find a higher quality energy source!

He had to repair the core as soon as possible! He had to become stronger!

Outside the factory, the dead silence of the abandoned industrial zone was broken by the faint, beast-like roar of motorcycle engines in the distance.

The sound was wild, violent, carrying undisguised killing intent, rapidly approaching the abandoned factory where Lin Xiao was hiding!

Amidst the roar of the engines, arrogant whistles and the clang of metal could also be heard.

Scarface Qiang!

Lin Xiao's ears twitched slightly. His enhanced hearing clearly picked up that familiar, hoarse roar, like sandpaper grinding against rust, mixed in with the engine noise!

"Search! Find that little bastard for me! I'll chop him up and feed him to the dogs!"

Scarface Qiang's furious roar carried on the night wind, filled with rage and madness!

Clearly, Ah Qi's failure at the "Weasel's Den" and the bizarre destruction of the terminal had completely enraged this wounded beast!

A cold glint flashed in Lin Xiao's eyes, and the corner of his mouth curved into a chilling, cruel arc.

Perfect timing.

He slowly stood up, his movements steady and powerful, no longer the slightest bit unsteady.

He walked to a pile of discarded oil drums and rusted steel frames in the corner, his gaze sweeping over the twisted metal and residual chemical stains.

In his mind, the azure light screen, though still cracked, was stable, and its core pulsed with firm strength.

[Environment scan initiated...]

[Targets: Discarded oil drums (flammable residue), rusted load-bearing steel frame (structural weak point), suspended pipeline (loose connection point)...]

[Modifiable items: ...Fine-tune stress concentration coefficient of rusted steel frame G-point (+5%)... Required Source Energy Points: 0.05...]

The prompt was clear and steady.

Lin Xiao felt the power flowing through him again, the modified core in his mind that had "come alive" again, and the increasingly close, killing intent-filled clamor outside the factory.

He slightly rotated his neck, his joints cracking.

The wound on his right shoulder blade sent a dull ache through him with movement, but it felt more like a reminder before battle than a restraint.

"Scarface Qiang..." Lin Xiao muttered to himself, his voice like the scraping of cold metal, "This time, it's my turn... to prepare a 'big gift' for you."

His figure flickered, like a leopard melting into the shadows, and he silently disappeared into the complex steel jungle deep within the abandoned factory.

All that remained were the scattered remnants of Energy Stones on the ground and the faint fluctuations of power recovery that had yet to dissipate in the air.

Outside the factory, the blinding headlights of motorcycles tore through the darkness like a beast's pupils. Accompanied by Scarface Qiang's violent roars and the shouts of his subordinates, they drew closer and closer.

A new hunt was about to begin in this steel wasteland.

Only this time, the roles of hunter and prey had silently, subtly shifted.