A Mu squatted beside the hourglass, his fingertips gently touching the sand crystal shell—a faint vibration emanated from within, like trapped energy struggling. The fragment of the Child Crystal Core at his waist suddenly heated up, the red light from the sword scabbard brightened, and the sand crystal block in the hourglass even trembled slightly. "Energy has nowhere to go, that's why it condenses!" A Mu suddenly understood, "We can't just guide the energy of the Child Crystal Core; we also need to bring the sand crystal to 'come alive'—it needs its own energy to flow in order to receive the energy of the Child Crystal Core."
The elder of the Sand-Whisper Tribe nodded. "You're referring to ' Sand Whisper Awakening.' Our tribe's Sand Whisper Ritual can awaken the activity of sand crystals through the frequency of striking the sand staff, but right now the sand crystals are too hard, and the power of the ritual isn't enough—it needs the energy of the Child Crystal Core fragments as a 'catalyst' to open up the gaps in the sand crystals."
The group immediately divided the tasks: A Sha and the Sand-Whisper Tribe members formed a circle, holding Sand Language staffs, ready to perform the Sand Whisper Ritual; A Shi used a sand board to record the location of the sand crystals in the hourglass, marking the cracks that were easiest to clear; A Ya mixed the sand-lubricating powder into a paste and applied it to the cracks in the hourglass shell to prevent the sand crystals from cracking during the ritual; A Mu held a fragment of the Child Crystal Core (this time he chose the most gentle Forest Heart Crystal Fragments ), stood next to the crack on the front of the hourglass, and prepared to inject the fragment's energy into the sand crystals when the ritual began.
As the Sand Whisper Ritual began, the sound of the sand staff striking the sand gradually became rhythmic—first a slow, deep "thump-thump," like the heartbeat of the sand sea, then the frequency gradually increased, becoming a "thump-thump-thump-thump" rhythm, and the sand crystals on the sand surface began to move accordingly, and the blue light on the hourglass shell gradually brightened. "Now!" the elder shouted.
A Mu quickly placed the Forest Heart Crystal Fragments onto the crack in the hourglass, gathering a wisp of gentle ice and fire power at his fingertips—not by forcibly injecting it, but like a "fuse," gently guiding the energy of the fragments into the sand crystal block. Miraculously, when the fragment energy touched the sand crystal, the tapping sound of the Sand Whisper Staff suddenly became clearer, and tiny cracks began to appear on the crack in the sand crystal block, with the sand crystal fragments inside slowly beginning to flow.
"Give it another shot!" A Sha shouted, increasing the frequency of the Sand Whisper Staff. Sweat beaded on A Mu's forehead; he could feel the sand crystals "absorbing" the energy of the fragments, while also slowly softening—like ice melting in warm water. A Ya quickly sprinkled some of the sand-moistening powder into the hourglass shell. The liquid seeped in along the cracks, making the sand crystals even more fluid.
Suddenly, a soft "whoosh" came from the hourglass—the solidified sand crystal block cracked open, and the sand crystal fragments inside flowed down the crack like a thin stream. Although it was still slow, it had begun to flow. "Success!" A Shi quickly recorded on the sand board, "The sand crystals have started to flow, and the sand needle grass on the outside of the hourglass is reacting!" Everyone looked to the side and saw that the sand needle grass, which had been wilted just now, was slowly standing up, emitting a faint green light.
Before everyone could rejoice, the sand in the hourglass began to slow down again—the energy of the Forest Heart Crystal Fragments was almost exhausted. "Change to Molten Fire Crystal Fragments!" Loran shouted, "The energy of the Molten Fire Crystal is warm, which will make the sand flow faster!" A Mu quickly replaced it with Molten Fire Crystal Fragments. This time, he didn't stick it directly to the crack, but held the shard above the hourglass, letting the power of the flames transform into tiny threads of light, gently landing on the flowing sand—as soon as the threads of light touched the sand, the speed of the sand flow immediately increased, like heated water flowing down the hourglass's channels.
As the sand crystals in the hourglass began to circulate again, the sunlight in the desert suddenly softened, casting a faint rainbow across the hourglass. The Sand-Whisper Tribe people cheered, raising their sand-speaking staffs; the sound of striking them mingled with the gurgling of the flowing sand crystals, like a song of the desert. A Ya took out her paintbrush and painted this scene on the sandboard—the flowing sand crystals, the people striking their sand staffs, the upright sand needles—and added a note beside it, "Sand Sea Energy Hourglass, requires a dual compatibility of sunlight and Child Crystal Core energy; its activity is awakened periodically through Sand Whisper Ritual."
The elder of the Sand-Whisper Tribe held A Mu's hand and handed him a small sand crystal. "This is a 'living sand crystal,' which can sense the energy changes in the sand sea. Take it with you when you adjust it in the future; it will help you find the state of the sand crystal." A Mu took the sand crystal; it was slightly warm in his palm, forming a gentle resonance with the fragment of the Child Crystal Core at his waist.
Suddenly, a beam of light emanated from the sand crystal at the top of the hourglass, condensing into a line of words on the sand surface. "Next adjustment point, Mist Swamp." Loran stared at the glowing words, lost in thought, "The swamp's energy should be related to water vapor. The energy of the Child Crystal Core might react with the marsh gas; we need to prepare in advance."
On the return journey, the setting sun dyed the desert sands a golden-red, and the blue light of the hourglass cast long shadows on the sand. Icefield Wolf carried a newly revived sand needle in its mouth, tiny sand crystals still clinging to its blade, like a souvenir from the desert. A Mu touched the living sand crystal in his palm and suddenly understood: balance isn't about one side yielding to the other, but about two energies finding their own rhythm, just as sand crystals need sunlight and Child Crystal Core; neither can be missing.
As night deepened, A Mu placed the "Adjustment Records" of the desert into the guardian bookshelf—the title page of the records depicted a cycle of Energy Hourglass, with the words "Balance is a two-way adaptation" written beside it. The eighteen records on the bookshelf, from "Activating Vitality" to "Maintaining Balance" and then to "Two-way Adaptation," each refreshed the understanding of "guardianship." Moonlight shone through the gaps in the tent onto the records, reflecting off the living sand crystals and sand needle grass beside them, as if telling a story: true guardianship is not about forcibly changing things, but about finding the "adaptation point" between different energies and different lives, allowing them to thrive and regenerate in a cycle.
The story of " The Qilin of Falling Maple " is now heading towards the Mist Swamp with its understanding of "mutual adaptation." There are no thrilling battles, only the awakening of sand crystals, the coordination of rituals, and the exploration of mutual balance—these seemingly ordinary actions, like the Energy Hourglass of the Western Territory Sand Sea, are slow yet steadfast, gradually weaving a "net of balance" covering the continent, protecting every life that needs mutual adaptation.