The air in the Silent Cloud Shrine was charged with the silent tension of advanced theoretical work. Days were now measured not by sunrise and sunset, but by the progress in the mastery of the universe's most abstract concepts: time, space, and elemental harmony.
Lin Feng dedicated his entire focus to guiding the Infant Chronos Dragon, Siku, toward controlled application of the Law of Time. This was proving exponentially more difficult than spatial jumps. Space was structure; time was fluidity and consequence.
Lin Feng sat in deep meditation, holding Siku close. He used the Essence of Transcendent Insight to project a focused scenario into Siku's consciousness: a single drop of water falling, hitting the ground, and then—reversing course—returning to the air, perfectly dry. The essence of Temporal Regression.
The effort required was immense, taxing Lin Feng's soul far more than any physical combat. He wasn't merely guiding Qi; he was guiding a core concept of reality.
Siku whined, confused. When he tried to replicate the sensation, the effect was jarring. A vase of flowers near the altar did not rewind; it merely stuttered in time, flickering between two moments a second apart, creating an unstable, painful temporal echo.
"No, Siku, not a stutter," Lin Feng murmured, patiently channeling a continuous stream of stabilizing Void-Wood energy to soothe the creature. "Time is smooth, like a river. You must make the river flow backward, gently. Don't break the banks."
Lin Feng spent an entire week on this single exercise. He realized he couldn't teach the Law of Time by focusing on Time itself. He had to teach the Law of Consequence.
He decided to use his own unique, integrated elements as a teaching tool. He manifested a small, focused ball of Void-Fire in his palm, and immediately extinguished it with a counter-blast of Void-Water.
"The consequence of fire is ash," Lin Feng projected into Siku's mind. "To rewind time is to rewind the consequence. Revert the ash to fire."
Siku watched, his galactic eyes concentrating. He nudged the spot where the fire had been. A chaotic ripple erupted. The air did not revert; instead, the memory of the fire briefly imprinted itself as heat on the stone, followed by a sudden rush of cold. Failure.
Lin Feng sighed, exhausted. "The Law of Time will not yield easily. It demands perfect neutrality and complete understanding of causality."
Meanwhile, Xia Qingwu completed the integration of the Dimensionally Compressed Core into the casing of her new siege weapon. The casing itself was a marvel of alchemical engineering, designed to contain the catastrophic energies of the compressed core.
She brought the nearly finished weapon—a matte black sphere roughly the size of a fist—to Lin Feng, her amber eyes burning with determined ambition.
"The compression is stable, Feng. The density is catastrophic," Xia Qingwu reported, her tone proud. "But to complete the Three-Part Phoenix Bomb, I need the third component: the Catalyst Fuse. It must be a material capable of instantly neutralizing a high-level Origin Domain's defense, allowing the compressed core to detonate inside."
Lin Feng, recovering from his draining temporal lesson, looked at the weapon with professional respect. "What material possesses that kind of neutralizing power?"
"Only one known in the Mortal Star Field," Xia Qingwu stated, producing a detailed scroll.
"The Heart of Black Frost—a crystallized essence formed only in the coldest depths of the Northern Abyss, capable of instantly suppressing all elemental Qi upon contact. The Dynasty uses small amounts in its anti-magic wards, but a core piece would be necessary for my fuse."
Lin Feng immediately recognized the severity of the request. "The Northern Abyss is far past the Dynasty's main borders, and the Dynasty controls all access. This is a journey, Qingwu, and a resource that will be heavily guarded."
"Precisely," she countered, her voice firm. "My ambition requires me to become the master of siege alchemy. The Heart of Black Frost is essential. We have secured Wanying's future with the Astral Jade. Now we secure our tactical superiority."
Wanying emerged from her cultivation chamber, her Ice Empress Core radiating majestic, stable cold. She had overheard the exchange.
"The Heart of Black Frost will stabilize more than just a fuse, Feng," Wanying noted, her silver eyes thoughtful. "It is formed by extreme cold. Small chips of it could be integrated into my cultivation to further purify the Primordial Ice Law. It would be a benefit to both of us."
Lin Feng realized the implications. The need for the Heart of Black Frost served two independent, powerful ambitions: Xia Qingwu's alchemy mastery, and Wanying's continuous purification. His own desire to fully integrate his Void-Ice Core would also benefit.
He smiled, a slow, confident smile. "Then the Northern Abyss it is. We have the Astral Jade to process, Siku to train, and a new target to acquire. The Dynasty will never expect us to march toward their northern stronghold."
Lin Feng then turned his attention back to Siku, who was now nudging the spot where the failed fire had been. He hadn't given up.
No rush, little one, Lin Feng thought, channeling a steady, warm flow of Void-Wood energy. The universe has an infinite supply of time for us to master.