The Function of the Magic Crystal Core

The morning sunlight spilled into the living room through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the entire space in a bright, warm glow.

Lin Yun sat on the sofa, holding a bowl of millet porridge, sipping it while reflecting on last night's cultivation. The cultivation level of a High-Level War General and the peak Spiritual Force of an intermediate War God—this result was even better than he had anticipated. Although he knew that his first time cultivating Genetic Origin Energy would bring a significant boost, jumping an entire realm still caught him by surprise.

It seems the overlapping effect of the Dual World Resonance is even stronger than I imagined, Lin Yun thought to himself.

After finishing the porridge, he tidied up the bowl and chopsticks, told his grandfather he was heading up, and returned to his room.

Closing the door, Lin Yun sat on the edge of the bed and pulled the dark silver Space Ring from his pocket.

He had obtained this ring from the Necromancer Morton, and he had kept it hidden on his person at all times, never daring to show it to anyone. A Space Ring was a rare treasure in the Yulan Continent, let alone on Earth. If it were discovered, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Lin Yun projected his Spiritual Force into the ring, his consciousness sweeping across the storage space, which measured about a hundred meters in length, width, and height.

Gold coins, magic books, various magic materials, spare black robes, bottles and jars... and—beast cores.

A massive quantity of beast cores.

Lin Yun carefully took inventory, a sense of satisfaction welling up in his heart.

These beast cores came primarily from two sources. The first was the month or so he spent training in the Magic Beast Mountain Range, where he had hunted a large number of magic beasts, ranging from level three to level seven. He had meticulously extracted the cores from every beast, and they had accumulated into over a hundred pieces. The second source was the real jackpot—Morton's Space Ring. As an eighth-level necromancer, Morton had lived for hundreds of years, and the wealth he had accumulated was beyond Lin Yun's imagination. In terms of beast cores alone, there were over a thousand piled up in the ring.

Among them, level three and level four cores were the most numerous, with two to three hundred of each; there were also quite a few level five and level six cores, with over a hundred of each; there were fifty or sixty level seven cores; and nearly thirty level eight cores. Beyond those, there were a few cores that emitted an exceptionally powerful aura, radiating a heart-palpitating fluctuation—these were the cores of level nine magic beasts, Morton's personal collection from when he was alive, each one worth a fortune.

"In the Coiling Dragon World, these beast cores are used to craft magic items and exchange for gold coins," Lin Yun muttered. "But in this world, they might be the best cultivation resources."

He took a level three magic beast core out of the ring.

The core was only the size of a fingernail, pale green throughout, and emitted a faint life aura. This was one of the first cores he had obtained, back when he hunted a Wind Fox in the Magic Beast Mountain Range. At the time, he had simply thought, maybe these will be useful later, and tucked it away. Later, after successfully transporting a few cores to the Swallowed Star World via the Small Bronze Tripod and finding the process went smoothly, he had gradually transported a whole batch over.

Now, it was time to see what they were actually good for.

Lin Yun held the core in his left palm, closed his eyes, and used his Spiritual Force to carefully perceive the energy structure inside the core.

The energy within the core was somewhat similar to the cosmic energy that permeated the Swallowed Star World, yet it was also quite different. Cosmic energy was more "primitive" and "neutral," requiring refinement by cells before it could be converted into Genetic Origin Energy; whereas the energy in the beast core was more "vibrant," carrying a distinct life aura, as if the life essence of an entire magic beast had been condensed within.

Let's see if I can absorb it, Lin Yun decided.

He sat cross-legged on the bed, held the core in his left palm, closed his eyes, and began to circulate the Five Hearts Toward Heaven Cultivation Method.

The centers of his palms, the soles of his feet, and the crown of his head—all five points began to absorb cosmic energy simultaneously. This time, however, he deliberately guided the path of absorption, aiming his left palm at the core to try and "draw" the energy out of it.

At first, the core showed no reaction.

Lin Yun did not rush. In cultivation, nothing was more detrimental than impatience. He had long since learned patience while practicing magic in the Coiling Dragon World. He continued to circulate his technique while simultaneously infiltrating the interior of the core with his Spiritual Force, attempting to establish a connection with the energy inside, just as he would perceive magic elements in the Coiling Dragon World.

Time ticked by, second by second.

After about a quarter of an hour, the core finally reacted—a wisp of warm energy slowly flowed out of the core, following the meridians in his left palm and surging into Lin Yun's body.

The moment that energy entered his body, Lin Yun's pupils widened sharply.

He could feel that this energy was completely different from cosmic energy. After cosmic energy entered the body, it required cellular refinement to be converted into Genetic Origin Energy; the process was a bit like smelting iron ore into steel, requiring time and effort. But the energy in the beast core required almost no refinement; it was absorbed directly by the cells! It was like a meal that had already been cooked and served, ready to be eaten.

Moreover, as that energy entered his cells, it carried a strange "nourishing" effect. It wasn't just strengthening the cells; it was repairing micro-damage within them and even enhancing the cells' ability to divide and regenerate. The feeling was hard to describe—it was like a parched riverbed receiving a gentle rain; every single cell was cheering and leaping with joy.

Is this... life energy? Lin Yun was shocked.

Magic beast cores were the crystallization of a magic beast's essence. Throughout their long lives, magic beasts consumed other creatures and absorbed the energy of heaven and earth, storing a vast amount of life essence within their cores. This life essence was the most precious nutrient for any living organism. In the Coiling Dragon World, cores were mainly used to craft magic items or embedded in weapons to increase their power; rarely did anyone absorb them directly—because the cultivation system of the Coiling Dragon World focused on comprehending laws and refining magic elements, and directly absorbing the energy in a core would actually interfere with the purity of one's magic power.

But the Swallowed Star World was different.

The Warriors here cultivated Genetic Origin Energy, which was essentially the act of absorbing external energy to strengthen oneself. The life energy in the beast cores was practically a tailor-made cultivation resource for Genetic Origin Energy!

Lin Yun suppressed his excitement and continued to absorb.

The energy from the core surged into his body continuously, and his cells devoured it frantically, like a beast that had been starving for a long time. After about half an hour, the core in his hand suddenly gave a "click" and a crack appeared. Immediately after, more and more cracks appeared, becoming denser and denser, until the entire core looked like a dried-up mud ball covered in spiderweb-like fissures. Lin Yun stopped absorbing and opened his palm; the core crumbled into powder at the slightest touch and spilled through his fingers.

The energy inside had been completely absorbed.

Lin Yun looked at the powder in his palm, remained silent for a moment, and then couldn't help but laugh.

"It really works," he whispered, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

He closed his eyes and carefully sensed the changes in his body. Although this absorption didn't bring about a qualitative leap like his first time cultivating Genetic Origin Energy last night, the improvement was still significant. His total amount of Genetic Origin Energy had increased by about one percent—this number didn't seem large, but one had to remember that this was only a level three magic beast core, and the absorption time was only half an hour. If he had spent the same amount of time absorbing cosmic energy from the world, an increase of one-thousandth would have been considered good.

In other words, the efficiency of absorbing the beast core was more than ten times that of absorbing cosmic energy.

Furthermore, the energy from the core could repair hidden injuries in his body and enhance his vitality, which was something cosmic energy could not do.

Lin Yun took a deep breath to calm himself down.

He began to plan the use of these cores in his mind.

The level three and level four cores were the most numerous and could be used as "daily rations," absorbing a few each day for steady improvement. The level five and level six cores had purer energy and could be used to push through bottlenecks. The level seven and level eight cores contained vast amounts of energy; a single one would last him a long time, so they could be saved for critical moments. As for those few level nine cores—those were strategic resources, and they would only be used after he broke through to the War God level or even higher.

With over a thousand cores, I have enough to last me for a very long time, Lin Yun thought to himself.

When he had first transported a core from the Coiling Dragon World, the light of the Small Bronze Tripod had dimmed significantly, consuming quite a bit of energy. But back then, he was only six years old, his soul power was pitifully weak, and the tripod's energy reserves were severely lacking. Now he was fifteen, and his body in both worlds was constantly growing stronger; his Spiritual Force, magic power, Genetic Origin Energy, and soul power—all these forces were nourishing the tripod. With his current strength, the consumption of transportation was no longer any burden to him at all.

Lin Yun touched the bronze tripod on his chest, feeling its warm, smooth texture.

This tripod was his greatest secret and his strongest trump card. By exchanging resources between the two worlds through the tripod, his path of cultivation was broader than anyone else's.

The magic, Battle Qi, beast cores, and magic materials of the Coiling Dragon World; the Genetic Origin Energy, Spiritual Force, high-tech weapons, and secret techniques of the Swallowed Star World—the essence of two worlds, gathered in one person.

As for the monsters in the Swallowed Star World, Lin Yun had long since learned from the Dojo's archives that they did not possess anything like beast cores in their bodies. The energy cores of monsters were dispersed throughout their cells, and upon death, they dissipated rapidly, making them unusable for humans. In this regard, they were completely different from the magic beasts of the Coiling Dragon World.

Therefore, the crystal cores in his hands were a unique resource. In the entire world, he was the only one who possessed them.

"It's a pity that every crystal core used is one less in existence," Lin Yun muttered. "But it doesn't matter; the Coiling Dragon World is full of Magic Beasts. Once my strength increases further, I will go back and hunt a few Saint Realm Magic Beasts to get some Saint Realm crystal cores. Those will be the true ultimate weapons."

Of course, that was a matter for the future. Saint Realm Magic Beasts required at least a level nine mage or even a Saint Realm mage to deal with. He was only at the peak of level eight, so he still had a long way to go.

Lin Yun tucked the Space Ring away again, stood up, and stretched his body.

After a night of cultivation and the absorption of the crystal core just now, not only was his body not tired, but it felt unprecedentedly relaxed and full of vitality. Genetic Origin Energy flowed slowly through his body like a warm spring, nourishing every single cell.

He walked to the window and pushed it open.

The morning sunlight spilled in, shining warmly on his face. In the distance, the detached villas of Bright Moon Residential District were arranged in an orderly fashion in the morning light, and the dew on the lawns shimmered with crystalline radiance. The spire of the Dojo of Limits glittered in the sun like a lighthouse pointing the way.

Grandfather was already busy downstairs; the sounds of pots and pans drifted from the kitchen, and the aroma of millet porridge filled the air. On the first day of moving into their new home, Grandfather's spirits were clearly much better, and he walked with a spring in his step.

"Yun'er, come down for breakfast!" Lin Guodong's voice came from downstairs, full of vigor.

"Coming, Grandfather!"

Lin Yun turned and headed downstairs with a light step.

The dining table was set with the usual millet porridge, salted duck eggs, and meat buns, but this time, Grandfather had specifically gone to the supermarket at the entrance of the district to buy a few side dishes, filling the table. The old man sat by the table, looking at the spread with a face full of satisfied smiles.

"Grandfather, it's just the two of us, why make so much?" Lin Yun said with a smile.

"To celebrate!" Lin Guodong grinned from ear to ear. "My grandson has become a Warrior and moved into a big villa; shouldn't we celebrate?"

Lin Yun sat down opposite his grandfather and picked up his porridge bowl, a warm current surging in his heart.

From today on, he would ensure his grandfather lived the best life possible.

As for cultivation—the road was long, no need to rush.

He had plenty of time, plenty of resources, and plenty of patience.

Two worlds, two bodies, one path to becoming stronger.

Lin Yun touched the Small Bronze Tripod at his chest.

The future was worth looking forward to.