The silvery glow of the full moon bathed the Permafrost Icefield in a soft white. The Youth Guardian Camp stood before the crystal dome, seven fragments of Child Crystal Core ( Star Core Fragments shimmering silver, Forest Heart Crystal Fragments shimmering green, Molten Fire Crystal Fragments shimmering orange, Moonheart Crystal Fragments shimmering white, Marshheart Crystal Fragments shimmering brown, Water-Ripple Crystal Fragments shimmering blue, Wood-Spirit Crystal Fragments shimmering cyan) glowing faintly in their palms. The Origin Key hung in the center, echoing the pale blue patterns sealed on the dome. The golden figure of the Icefield Wolf crouched at A Mu's feet, its nose gently sniffing the air—the sound of light footsteps approached from afar; the guardians of various races were arriving.
"We're late!" A Lu, the Morning Shepherds, held up the Dew Crystal Staff of the Morning Dew Spring, followed by Mist-Dwelling Bird; A Wu, the Marshspeech Tribe, carried a pottery jar filled with the juice of the Marshheart Sac, with a reed mist-drawing tube hanging from her waist; A Yan, the Fire Language Clan, held a fire-drawing staff inlaid with Fire-Dwelling Butterfly scale powder, the sparks at the staff's head echoing the Molten Fire Crystal Fragments; A Jing, the Mirror Water Clan, wore a water-patterned totem pendant and held an ice crystal formed from the Mirrorheart Dew in her hands—they had come from all over the continent following the faint light of the Origin Key, forming a circular protective circle around the crystal dome.
An elder of the Ice Spirit Clan approached, leaning on her ice crystal staff. The staff's tip lightly touched the ground, and pale blue sealing patterns unfolded before the dome, forming a Big Dipper-shaped magic circle. "The time of the full moon at midnight is when the Mother Crystal Core's energy is weakest, and also the best time for anchoring. However, the seal has three trials. If you fail, the fragments will suffer a backlash, even affecting the continent's energy cycle." She pointed to the seven stars of the magic circle. "The first trial, the 'Energy Synchronization Trial,' requires embedding the seven fragments into the magic circle according to the Big Dipper positions, ensuring their energy frequencies are of the same origin as the Mother Crystal Core —you have previously adjusted the energies of various races; this is your test."
A Mu took a deep breath and placed the Star Core Fragments in the Tian Shu position, A Ya placed the Forest Heart Crystal Fragments in the Tian Xuan position, A Shi placed the Molten Fire Crystal Fragments in the Tian Ji position, Loran placed the Moonheart Crystal Fragments in the Tian Quan position, A Lu placed the Marshheart Crystal Fragments in the Yu Heng position, A Wu placed the Water-Ripple Crystal Fragments in the Kai Yang position, and A Yan placed the Wood-Spirit Crystal Fragments in the Yao Guang position. As soon as the fragments were embedded into the magic array, they emitted their own light, but the light was sometimes bright and sometimes dim. The frequency of the Star Core Fragments in the Tian Shu position and the Moonheart Crystal Fragments in the Tian Quan position was obviously out of sync, and even small cracks appeared in the magic array patterns.
"The frequency difference is too great!" A Shi quickly flipped through the crystal pattern record book. " The Star Core Fragments has the strongest energy, while the Moonheart Crystal Fragments is the gentlest. We need to use the fragment in the middle as a 'bridge'!" A Jing suddenly stepped forward and placed the Water Pattern Totem Pendant in the center of the magic circle. The blue light emanating from the pendant acted as a link, guiding the energy of the Water-Ripple Crystal Fragments to the Star Core Fragments, and then guiding the energy of the Moonheart Crystal Fragments to the Wood-Spirit Crystal Fragments. The Icefield Wolf also stood up, and a golden light enveloped the magic circle. The light of the fragments gradually became uniform, and the cracks slowly healed—the first trial was passed.
As the magic circle patterns lit up, the second "Memory Resonance Trial" began. Scenes were projected onto the surface of the dome: the activation of the Star Core in Starfall Canyon, the purification of the spirit mist in Mist-Hidden Forest, the symbiotic repair of Dawn Grassland, the energy channeling of Resonance Valley, the initial exploration of the seal on the Permafrost Icefield Plains, the hourglass adjustment in the Western Territory Sand Sea, the swamp sac repair in the Mist Swamp, the Cold-Heat Transformative Fusion in the Flamelight Cave, the key tracing in the Crystal-Word Ruins, the reunion of the fragments in Mirrorwater Lake... Each scene was a moment of protection between the Youth Camp and various races, and one could even hear the songs of the Mist-Dwelling Bird, the flapping of the wings of the Fire-Dwelling Butterfly, and the soft rustling of the Marshheart Sac in the images.
"Don't get caught up in it! This trial is testing your resolve!" shouted the Ice Spirit Clan elder. A Mu looked at his own panicked self in the image, caused by the loss of energy, then at his companions and the guardians of various races beside him, and suddenly clenched his fist. "We are not alone in protecting you!" As soon as he finished speaking, all the guardians in the image turned to them, revealing smiles, and the image receded like the tide—the second trial was over.
Midnight has arrived, the full moon hangs high overhead, its silvery light bathing the magic array, and the third level of the "Trial of Unity and Anchoring" begins. The crystal dome trembles violently, a dark red Backlash Layer glow emanating from the inner seal, the faint light of the Mother Crystal Core flickering deep within the dome. "We need everyone's primal energy!" Loran raises the Origin Key, " The Youth Camp will use the energy of ice and fire, symbiosis, and recording; each race will use your primal energy, together guiding it towards the Mother Crystal Core!"
A Mu planted the New Sprout Sword in the center of the magic circle, and the Ice-Fire Entwining Pattern shone with seven-colored light, echoing the seven fragments; A Ya tied the Symbiotic Fiber to the weapons of the guardians of each race, forming an energy net; A Shi unfolded the crystal pattern record book, and all the diagrams on the pages glowed, coinciding with the patterns of the magic circle; A Lu, the Morning Shepherds, raised the Dew Crystal Staff, and the energy of the morning dew turned into silver threads; A Wu, the Marshspeech Tribe, poured out the juice of the Marshheart Sac, and brown light merged into the energy net; A Yan, the Fire Language Clan, struck the Fire-Inducing Staff, and orange-red flames resonated with the Molten Fire Crystal Fragments; A Jing, the Mirror Water Clan, placed the Mirrorheart Dew Ice Crystal next to the key, and blue light reinforced the energy bond; the golden light of the Icefield Wolf soared into the sky, gathering all the energy into a pillar of light that rushed towards the crystal dome.