Inside the underground shelter, the only light came from the faint, blue glow seeping through the cracks of the crates of energy lattices.
The clamor of the outside world was sealed off by thick layers of metal and earth, making it seem like another world.
Shi Lei was already fast asleep in a corner. The tension of the past few days, combined with the relief of a successful escape, had sent his massive body into complete shutdown mode.
But Ling Feng felt no desire to sleep.
He sat cross-legged on the cold floor, his mind completely immersed in the vast ocean of knowledge in his brain. This was the fundamental truth about spiritual energy that "The Echo" had infused into him.
He went through this knowledge again and again, like a starving man greedily absorbing every byte of information.
However, in the process of organizing this information, a huge question, one that sent a cold sweat down his back, quietly emerged.
—Why?
Why had the omniscient "Regulator," the super AI that could analyze his physical state and spiritual energy fluctuations with perfect clarity, never once mentioned or scanned the jade pendant on his chest?
Ling Feng took the warm, smooth jade pendant from his coat and placed it in his palm.
In a place like the Data Ark, no secret should have been able to hide. The Regulator could read his genetic information and analyze his spiritual energy potential. How could it possibly have missed this strange object that he never took off, an object that had played a crucial role at critical moments?
He dismissed the ridiculous possibility that "the Regulator didn't see it."
That left only two possibilities.
The first possibility: The Regulator saw it, but it couldn't analyze it.
The material, structure, and the technology contained within this jade pendant far surpassed the understanding of the "pre-civilization era" that had built the Data Ark. In the Regulator's database, it was an unreadable, unrecognizable file. This possibility made Ling Feng's heart pound wildly.
The second possibility: The Regulator saw it, but it was bound by some deeper, non-interference directive.
Ling Feng recalled his conversation with the Regulator. Its logic was one of absolute "equal exchange" and a "question-and-answer" model. He had asked, "How do I recognize and control my own power," and the Regulator had only provided information related to him. He hadn't asked about the pendant, so the Regulator would never bring it up on its own.
Ling Feng was more inclined to believe that both possibilities existed simultaneously.
This jade pendant was a secret from a higher dimension, something that even "The Echo" couldn't see through!
This realization filled him with an even deeper sense of awe for this sole memento from his parents. He knew that this was his true, greatest trump card for the future.
Having figured this out, Ling Feng no longer hesitated.
Since "The Echo" had given him the map, it was now up to him to unearth the treasure.
He decided to begin his first true cultivation session immediately.
He opened a crate of spoils and took out a military-grade energy lattice of the highest purity. According to the knowledge from the Regulator, this type of lattice was solid energy, formed by compressing high-density, high-stability "Pneuma" energy particles. For a beginner, this was the most luxurious and efficient cultivation resource.
He held the cold energy lattice in one hand and pressed the jade pendant against his chest with the other.
He closed his eyes and, following the most basic breathing technique recorded in the "Induction Chapter," he began to try to extend his spiritual energy into the lattice to guide the "Pneuma" energy into his body.
This process should have been extremely cautious, like walking on thin ice. Untamed "Pneuma," when impacting the human mental sea, was like using a high-pressure water jet to water a seedling. The slightest mistake could cause permanent damage.
However, something strange happened.
The moment the first violent, azure stream of "Pneuma" energy surged into his body through his arm, the jade pendant on his chest suddenly emitted a gentle, white halo.
The pendant was like a living black hole with a will of its own!
The violent stream of energy, upon contact with the pendant, was forcibly redirected and, without any negotiation, completely sucked into the pendant!
And after being filtered by the pendant, a stream of much purer, gentler, and faintly silver-white energy slowly and steadily flowed out from the other side of the pendant and into Ling Feng's mental sea.
All the violence and impurities had been perfectly removed by the pendant!
What remained was only the purest, most fundamental, and most easily absorbed essence!
The efficiency of his cultivation was, in that moment, increased not just tenfold, but a hundredfold!
Ling Feng could clearly "feel" his own spiritual energy, which had been in a nascent state, growing at an unbelievable speed!
And that wasn't the end of it.
As the pure energy continuously nourished his mental sea, new segments of information, more ancient and profound than anything in "The Echo's" database, began to slowly and automatically imprint themselves onto his soul from the depths of the jade pendant.
It was the opening general principle of a cultivation technique.
[Observe the way of the heavens, and carry out the actions of the heavens, and you will have it all. The heavens have five thieves; those who see them will prosper...]
The text was archaic and profound, each word seeming to contain the ultimate principles of the universe. At the end of the general principle, three powerful, majestic characters, as if formed from the stars themselves, were deeply engraved into his memory:
"Stellar Transformation"
Ling Feng's eyes shot open.
The military-grade energy lattice in his hand had visibly dimmed.
But he himself felt an unprecedented sense of power and fulfillment.
He finally understood.
He understood everything!
This jade pendant was not just a "spiritual energy amplifier" and "stabilizer."
It was also the most efficient "energy purifier"!
More importantly, it was, in itself, an independent, living "database" that hid a supreme cultivation technique!
"The Echo" had given him the key to understanding the world.
But this jade pendant was the true "gate" that would lead him to the sea of stars!