The injected energy had only reached halfway through the pattern when it suddenly stopped—a layer of gray light appeared on the stone surface, as if something was obstructing the flow of energy. "It's a 'barrier' formed during slumber." Lei Lin frowned, his golden eyes fixed on the stone surface. "It requires a stronger spiritual core resonance to break through." Loran suddenly stepped forward and affixed the Origin Key to the Bamboo Core Stone. The pale blue light of the key merged with Lei Lin's Golden Crystal Power, forming a golden-blue interwoven light blade that gently slashed towards the gray light barrier.
With a soft "crack," the protective barrier split open, allowing energy to flow freely along the patterns. The stone's stillness gradually faded, revealing a faint purple glow. The second step, " Spirit Core Summoning," required Lei Lin to directly communicate using the power of his transformed spirit core. He closed his eyes, the golden patterns around him lighting up and resonating with the purple light of the Bamboo Core Stone. He uttered extremely soft syllables—the "plant language" he could suddenly understand after transforming, as if saying to the bamboo spirit, "We're here to help you."
Everyone held their breath, waiting as the purple light emanating from the Bamboo Core Stone grew brighter and brighter. The surrounding Amethyst Bamboo began to sway gently, its leaves rustling as if responding to Lei Lin's call. Suddenly, a crack appeared in the center of the Bamboo Core Stone, and a pale purple ball of light floated out—about the size of a fist, containing a blurry bamboo silhouette, the " Amethyst Bamboo Spirit."
But as soon as the bamboo spirit floated out, it suddenly became unstable, the ball of light beginning to shrink, as if trying to retreat back into the stone. "The energy is insufficient!" A Mu suddenly shouted, "The ' United Heart Response ' in the fragment is a call for all of our beliefs to unite and infuse the bamboo spirit with the power to 'survive'!"
The third step, " United Heart Response," is activated. Loran grasps Lei Lin's hand, releasing all the energy of the key; A Mu draws the New Sprout Sword, its Ice-Fire Entwining Pattern radiating the strongest light; A Ya's Spirit-Guiding Rope lights up again, transforming everyone's beliefs into energy; A Shi raises the drawn Crystal Vein Map, its patterns resonating with the light cluster of the bamboo soul; even the surrounding Amethyst Bamboo begins to release energy, the frost on the bamboo leaves melting into tiny particles of light that drift towards the bamboo soul.
Lei Lin looked at everyone around him, then at Loran —her eyes reflected the purple light of the Bamboo Soul, yet she held his hand firmly. He suddenly recalled the scene of his transformation: in the Bewildering Crystal Mist, his only thought was "I can't let Loran get hurt," and it was this belief that allowed him to break through to the Spirit Core Transformation Realm. At this moment, this belief intertwined with the beliefs of everyone else, forming a warm energy flow that slowly poured into the Bamboo Soul's light cluster.
The ball of light gradually stabilized, ceasing its contraction and instead expanding, revealing a clearer bamboo shadow within—a tiny Amethyst Bamboo sapling swaying gently with the energy flow. The bamboo spirit's ball of light drifted before Loran and Lei Lin, speaking in a soft voice, "Thank you... The crystal veins have been in disarray for too long; I almost forgot how I woke up."
"It won't happen again," Loran responded softly, the light emanating from the key gently touching the bamboo spirit. "We will come regularly to calibrate the crystal veins, and we will no longer let you sleep alone." The bamboo spirit seemed to smile, and the ball of light floated towards the surrounding Amethyst Bamboo, distributing energy to each bamboo. Soon, the Amethyst Bamboo in the bamboo domain became even more upright, and the crystal light on the bamboo leaves became even brighter.
That night, the group set up camp in the Amethyst Bamboo Domain. The Bamboo Spirit floated by the campfire, telling them ancient stories: A thousand years ago, the Amethyst Bamboo Domain was the continent's "plant energy hub." Later, due to the splitting of the Child Crystal Core, the energy became unbalanced, and the Bamboo Spirit fell into a deep sleep. Lei Lin transformed back into his wolf form, curled up on Loran's lap, and listened to the Bamboo Spirit's stories. His golden eyes reflected the campfire, and he would occasionally rub against Loran's palm.
A Mu leaned against the Amethyst Bamboo, flipping through the Crystal Words Fragment, when suddenly his eyes lit up. "The fragments also say ' Southern Realm Ancient Tree Array, Companion of the Bamboo Spirit' -- it seems the Bamboo Spirit isn't alone; there are other plant spirits like it in the Southern Region!" A Shi immediately marked the direction of the Southern Region on the Crystal Vein Map, smiling as he said, "Next stop, the Southern Realm Ancient Tree Array!"
As night deepened, Loran sat beneath the bamboo, holding Lei Lin in her arms. The purple light of the bamboo spirit gently enveloped them, and the distant Amethyst Bamboo rustled softly, like a lullaby. Lei Lin nuzzled Loran's chin and whispered, "Wherever we go from now on, I'll be with you." Loran lowered her head and lightly touched the tip of his ear. The key on her fingertip and the golden crystal pendant around his neck lit up simultaneously, forming a warm arc of light in the night.
The path of protection for the Youth Camp continues; the bond between Loran and Lei Lin grows even stronger in this Amethyst Bamboo Domain. And the winds of the Southern Realm Ancient Tree Array have begun to carry a new call towards them.