The dedicated cultivation continued in the quiet sanctuary of the Silent Cloud Shrine.
Days melted into weeks, marked only by the subtle shifts in the elemental Qi flows emanating from the three Origin Kings. Lin Feng, focused and unwavering, was now tackling the difficult task of integrating his Void-Wood and Void-Water Cores—the essential combination for resilience, detoxification, and life-sustaining defense.
Lin Feng required the ability to instantly manifest restorative energy for himself and his allies during battle—a skill that demanded flawless synergy between the two life-sustaining elements. His early attempts were frustrating; the Wood Qi, which focused on structure and growth, fought against the fluid, formless nature of the Water Qi.
He sat for three full days, unmoving, attempting to run the Wood-Water Loop within his Domain. The goal was to create a continuous, restorative cycle: Water nourishing Wood, Wood strengthening the internal flow of Water.
He finally succeeded by channeling the Essence of Transcendent Insight to visualize the process on a microscopic level. He realized he couldn't force the harmony; he had to allow the Void to become the medium where both Laws recognized their mutual benefit. The Void wasn't a separator; it was the shared ground.
When he finally succeeded, the internal sensation was profound. A warm, vital energy flooded his meridians, instantly cleansing residual fatigue and minor injuries. He could now passively heal himself, and actively sustain the vitality of his allies, a defensive maneuver that elevated his tactical value immensely.
"The Void Wood-Water Loop is complete," Lin Feng announced, opening his eyes, which now held a flicker of deep forest green mixed with ocean blue. "It's stable. My internal defense is now impervious to most toxins and external wear."
While Lin Feng progressed in resilience, his attention was drawn to Wanying. Despite weeks of shared meditation and the stabilizing counter of Xia Qingwu's Phoenix Fire Array, Wanying's breakthrough remained perilously fragile.
During a routine joint cultivation session, Wanying lost control. The air around her did not merely cool; it crackled with unnatural energy. The temperature plummeted so violently that the very light in the chamber seemed to slow down and freeze.
"Feng! Qingwu! Back off!" Wanying cried out, her silver eyes wide with terror, not for her life, but for the potential harm to her allies.
Lin Feng and Xia Qingwu immediately pulled their energy back. They watched as Wanying's entire body was enveloped in a sheath of terrifyingly perfect, crystalline ice. This was the full, uncontrolled manifestation of the Primordial Ice Law.
Xia Qingwu, leveraging her alchemy knowledge, immediately analyzed the phenomenon. "The Ice is too pure! It's rejecting the local Qi! The Primordial Law of the Upper Realm is too potent for this plane, Wanying!"
Lin Feng, using his newly mastered Void-Wood/Water Loop, extended a stable, warm thread of restorative Qi toward her. The moment the thread touched the crystalline sheath, it instantly froze and shattered.
"It's not rejecting us, it's rejecting the Mortal Star Field's Qi itself," Lin Feng realized, his mind racing. "The Primordial Ice Law sees the common elemental Qi here as an impurity."
Wanying finally managed to suppress the explosion of power, collapsing against a cold stone pillar, shivering violently despite her Ice Physique.
"My weakness," Wanying confessed, tears welling in her eyes, freezing into tiny pearls before they could fall. "The Ice Empress Clan must constantly cultivate in the Upper Realm's purified energy. Here, the local Qi corrupts my core. If I absorb too much Mortal Qi, my Primordial Law will collapse and destroy me. I am constantly fighting my environment."
This was the devastating flaw in her unique power—the higher the quality of her bloodline, the more dangerous the Mortal Star Field became to her. She wasn't just exiled politically; she was exiled environmentally.
Lin Feng understood immediately. "Then we don't absorb the Mortal Qi. We use the Void to filter it."
He sat down immediately, drawing Wanying close. He channeled his Void Law, creating a dense, perfectly neutral vacuum around her Primordial Ice Domain. He didn't offer his energy; he offered his neutral space.
The effect was instantaneous and profound. Wanying's breathing calmed, and the icy sheen on her skin subsided. The chaotic conflict within her spiritual core ceased. The Void provided a safe, isolated environment where her Primordial Law could stabilize without reacting to the impure Mortal Qi.
"The Void... it's the only true sanctuary," Wanying whispered, leaning into his strength, her gratitude immense.
Xia Qingwu watched the scene, her expression complex. Lin Feng was the only cultivator in the Mortal Star Field who could provide Wanying with true safety. His unique power made him the absolute necessity for her survival and ascension. While a pang of possessiveness hit her, it was quickly superseded by a strategic appreciation of their combined power.
"We cannot stay here, Feng," Xia Qingwu stated, breaking the silence. "The constant need to suppress Wanying's core, even with the Void, is draining you both. The best long-term solution is to reach the Upper Realm's purified resources as fast as possible, but in the short term, we need a source of Pure Astral Essence—refined, high-grade spiritual material that Wanying's core won't reject."
Lin Feng agreed. The pace of stabilization, though necessary, had to accelerate the search for resources.
"Yin Xiu returns tomorrow. We will task her with locating the nearest source of Pure Astral Essence," Lin Feng decided. "Our Origin Domains are stronger now. We are ready for a calculated risk."