The starry sea stretched vast and boundless, phantom light flickering.
Countless motes of light drifted nimbly among the Spirit Essence Crystals, dancing like fireflies. As though driven by curiosity, they landed upon the visitors' shoulders and hair, brushing against them lightly.
Long before this, Lou Feng and Lou Yanyue had instinctively restrained their own spirit essence. On one hand, it was a family tradition, meant to prevent abnormal spirit essence fluctuations from damaging delicate instruments. On the other, these tiny lights of spirit essence were simply too fragile. Even the slightest touch might shatter them.
Yet when countless fragments of light gathered together, the minute circulation of spirit essence between them vaguely formed a magnificent composite so vast it was suffocating.
Unlike the activity of those scattered lights, the composite itself seemed to be asleep and chaotic, not yet fully manifested. The flickering of countless motes alone formed a grand, sweeping rhythm of breath.
The instant he gently reached out to touch one, an illusory chorus of meows sounded beside his ear.
It was as though he had accidentally barged into a huge cat nest, where newborn cubs that had yet to open their eyes crawled everywhere, climbing over his shoes, trouser legs, shoulders, and head.
"Heh, these little things are pretty cute."
Lou Yanyue's eyes lit up. She quickly sensed the chirping of those faint intelligences. Like spirit sprites naturally born from lightning and flame, she skillfully scattered a handful of thin spirit essence, immediately luring over a great number of meowing intelligences. They danced like fireflies.
As for Lou Feng, he had already begun instinctively analyzing the phenomenon before him.
A thief wasn't stealing, a glance wasn't looking—so what was wrong with taking a look? That Ji guy had invited me here himself, and even flirtatiously told me