Later, Anda brought out the modified carriage, and the two of them stayed inside since Leyvi wanted to continue watching the merging process for a much longer time.
Anda was curious about the process as well, so Leyvi tried his best to describe it to her both verbally and visually. He simulated what was happening by conjuring a core and a simple representation of the Sea of Consciousness using his Qi. Although it was far from the real thing since this was not his specialty, it was enough for her to understand the concept.
"I see... no wonder the Nascent Soul breakthrough takes a while. What else have you noticed?" Anda asked.
"What else? Hmm... aside from it being slow, time-consuming, and mysterious, I can't really notice much else. I'd have to observe more. Maybe there's some kind of pattern in the merging process," Leyvi replied.
"Alright then. Take your time," Anda said with a nod.
Leyvi continued observing Dastan for several more days. Although he was fascinated by the process, he failed to notice any clear pattern. The dots seemed to enter the core at random as it slowly rotated. Perhaps there was a hidden rhythm, but if there was, he would need to watch for a much longer time—something he could not afford right now.
In the end, Leyvi decided to give up. He figured he could simply ask Dastan later about his breakthrough experience and what preparations were necessary. For now, it was far more important for him to focus on improving his Spiritual Touch mastery.
As he was about to leave, Leyvi suddenly remembered something.
Oh right. I'm still curious why that hill is devoid of spiritual energy. There must be a reason, he thought.
He expanded his Spiritual Sense to cover the entire hill, examining every layer inside it. Yet, aside from the usual minerals and ores he often encountered, there was nothing unusual to be found.
Not satisfied, he decided to probe deeper beneath the hill. As his Spiritual Sense slowly descended, he detected something familiar about a hundred meters below the surface. The layer of earth there was packed with countless small crystals.
Void Crystals! So many of them! Leyvi exclaimed inwardly, his expression lighting up with excitement.
How could he not be thrilled? These Void Crystals were the exact same material used to power his combat glove, Scary Void.
After he had used it to defeat the rock monsters last time, the Void Crystals embedded within the glove shattered, leaving it as nothing more than a sturdy piece of armor. He had thought he would not be able to use Scary Void again anytime soon, but who would have expected that he would stumble upon such an abundant supply here?
Once he harvested them all, he would have more than enough to keep Scary Void functioning for a long time. Even if the crystals shattered again, it would no longer be a problem.
Hahaha! Hahaha! Welcome back, Scary Void! Leyvi laughed inwardly, his excitement almost impossible to contain.
Suddenly, something clicked in his mind.
Wait... don't tell me all of these Void Crystals are the reason this area became devoid of spiritual energy? Yup, no doubt about it.
Void Crystals naturally possess the ability to absorb spiritual energy and Qi. So all of those crystals buried underground must have been drawing in the surrounding energy, creating an environment that lacks spiritual energy. And since there were so many of them gathered close together, each crystal could only absorb a small amount at a time, preventing them from triggering their special suction effect.
Hahaha! Let's go harvest now!
But his body stopped in place.
Leyvi's heart sank as he imagined the consequences of harvesting the Void Crystals now. The moment he extracted them, spiritual energy would flood back into the area, a tidal wave of power rushing to fill the void. Dastan, deep in his delicate Nascent Soul merging process, would be overwhelmed. The sudden influx could shatter the balance of his core and Sea of Consciousness, causing a catastrophic failure. Leyvi pictured Dastan's silvery core fracturing, the ethereal mist scattering chaotically, and the crown prince's body going still—his breakthrough ending in death.
Hmm... if I want to harvest these Void Crystals, I must wait for Dastan to finish his breakthrough first. Otherwise, I might accidentally kill him.
Wait...
An idea suddenly came to Leyvi's mind.
Does that mean I use them for the same purpose later? A safe spot for the Leyan Family members to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm!
No, no, I can't be stingy. I'll allow the citizens of Bara City to enjoy this benefit too. With both an Array Formation and this Void Crystal-induced environment, Bara City's Core Formation Realm cultivators will be able to safely ascend to the Nascent Soul Realm in the future. Once we produce Nascent Soul experts one after another, maybe we won't be the weakest cultivator city anymore.
Hahaha!
Leyvi stood up. There was no reason to stay here anymore. He would return to harvest the crystals after Dastan finished his breakthrough.
"Come, Anda. Let's continue our sightseeing while I train. Or do you have something else you need to do? You can return first if so." Leyvi said as he exited the carriage.
Anda jumped down from a large rock nearby, landing gracefully beside him. While Leyvi had been observing, she hadn't been idle either — she was training on her own.
But all of a sudden, she made an aggrieved pose.
"Are you telling your wife to go away? Do you not want me here anymore? Oh, my life… being shunned by my husband. Sob, sob." Anda acted, pretending to cry dramatically.
Leyvi rolled his eyes. This panda… role-playing out of nowhere again.
But who was he? He was Leyvi. They had played along with each other countless times over the years, so naturally, he went along with it.
Let's see who wins this time!
"Hmph! This prince is tired of your clinginess. From now on, don't appear before this prince ever again! This prince has already found a new woman!" Leyvi declared with an exaggerated air, fully diving into the act.
"Pfft! Hahahaha! Hahahaha!" Anda couldn't help but spit, breaking her act. She then fell to the ground, laughing wildly as she rolled around. Their roleplay came to an abrupt end.
"This prince? Hahaha!" she kept laughing. Seeing Leyvi imitate Dastan's way of speaking was simply too funny.
"Hahaha! Yes, this prince! Any problem with that?" Leyvi laughed too, unable to hold it in as he watched his wife's reaction.
After laughing to her heart's content, Anda finally stood up. She used her Qi to clean off the dirt from her clothes and straightened her posture.
"Haha! I win this time, Anda. You broke character after just one line from me. Too easy," he bragged, grinning.
Anda pouted. She never lost this easily. It was all that crown prince's fault!
"Leyvi, you can't use this roleplay again. It's forbidden from now on!" she declared firmly. She couldn't help it—if he used it again, she would just end up laughing and losing every time.
Leyvi raised his hand and waved his index finger left and right with a smug smile. "No can do. We don't have a rule like that. Why? Afraid to lose? I don't make demands like this when I lose. Are you a sore loser, Anda? Hahaha!"
"Eiii… fine!" Anda stomped her foot with a pout and turned away, cheeks puffed slightly in defeat.
But a few moments later, Anda came close to Leyvi again and asked, "So, who's this new woman you found? Introduce her to me."
Leyvi staggered and almost fell. What the heck? That was a made-up situation. What did she mean by introduce?
He couldn't help but chuckle after a moment. His panda wife would never change.
"Right. Anda, I have some good news to tell you," Leyvi said, eager to share the news about the Void Crystals.
Anda's eyes brightened. "Good news? Does this woman you found have three boobs or something?"
Leyvi staggered again, nearly losing his balance. Three boobs? There's no woman like that! He couldn't help but imagine a woman with three breasts.
"Okay, stop, stop. There's no new woman, alright? No woman, no three boobs. Stop bringing it up," Leyvi clarified.
Anda giggled. Troll successful!
Leyvi quickly told her about the Void Crystals before she could start teasing him further.
As he had expected, she was extremely excited to hear about this, even more than him.
"Come on, Leyvi! Let's get all of them right away!" Anda grabbed his arm and pulled him along impatiently.
"Wait, wait, wait. Dastan is still breaking through over there. We should come later," Leyvi said, resisting her pull.
"Cheh. Who cares about him? Let's just take it," Anda continued tugging, but couldn't move Leyvi an inch. Only her legs shifted in place.
Leyvi rolled his eyes. This girl…
A smile formed on his face. He summoned his invisible hand and scooped her up.
"Alright! Leyvi Express is on the way again! Destination? Random!" Leyvi shouted as he picked a direction and shot off with Anda in his grasp.
"Ahhhh! Helpppp! I'm getting kidnapped!!" Anda screamed, exaggerating every syllable.
The couple started roleplaying again as they sped through the air.