Lin Yi's gaze fell on Edith's outstretched palm.
Ash from the Crystal Core fragments clung to her fingertips, like faded streaks of blood.
He immediately grew serious and asked in a low voice, "How long has this been happening? What exactly does it feel like?"
Edith withdrew her hand and absently rubbed the ashes between her fingers.
The gray dust sifted through them, swirling into tiny vortices in the light.
She watched the falling dust and waited two seconds before speaking.
"If I really had to trace it back..." She paused, her voice turning distant with recollection. "There were signs about two hundred years ago."
Edith raised her head, her gaze somewhat unfocused, as if she were looking through the air at something far away.
"Back then, whenever I absorbed Source Essence Crystal Cores, I'd occasionally feel a slight discomfort in my soul."
She lifted her left hand and gently pressed a fingertip to her temple. "It didn't hurt or itch. It was just a very faint feeling of fullness. Like I'd eaten until I was seventy or eighty percent full. I could keep eating, but my body already knew I'd had enough."
"But I didn't pay any attention to it back then."
Edith lowered her hand. "As you know, the effects of using many high-tier treasures in succession can diminish. They can even cause resistance or side effects. Compared with the improvement in my comprehension brought by Source Essence, this slight discomfort in my soul didn't amount to anything."
As she spoke, a helpless smile tugged at her lips.
"So I ignored it. I kept absorbing Source Essence and kept cultivating. After all, the rate at which I converted Source Essence hadn't dropped, and my comprehension had continued to improve at a steady pace."
"But that feeling of fullness