After they had walked a long way, Xiao Wu finally moved closer to Yu Yan and asked in a low voice, "That ugly crystal was the reason you came all the way to Suotuo City?"
"Yes."
He hadn't told Xiao Wu earlier because he was afraid she might give something away and Flender would refuse to sell them the plank crystal gold filament.
Now that the plank crystal gold filament was in their hands, Yu Yan no longer saw any need to keep it secret.
"Does it have some miraculous property?"
"Too many eyes and ears here. I'll tell you once we're back at the inn."
Burning with curiosity about what was special inside the dirty crystal, Xiao Wu lost all interest in window-shopping; she dragged Yu Yan straight back to the inn.
Back in the inn, with the door firmly shut, Xiao Wu took the head-sized plank crystal gold filament from her necklace and set it on the table.
"Tell me quick—what's so magical about this crystal?"
"Don't rush me; let me collect my thoughts."
Yu Yan thought back over everything he had read about plank crystal gold filament, then began under Xiao Wu's expectant gaze.
"When a naturally formed crystal is affected by outside forces under certain conditions, strands of golden filament appear inside. This filament is called crystal hair or gold hair, meaning it's like hair growing within the crystal."
"So you're saying this is a gold hair crystal, but I don't see any golden strands at all. Did you read some fake book?"
At Yu Yan's explanation, Xiao Wu lifted the crystal to the sunlight, trying to find the golden threads he had described.
All she saw, however, were clumps of dark-gold matter; no silky strands at all.
"Don't be impatient—I haven't finished."
Taking the plank crystal gold filament back, Yu Yan continued his lesson on how it formed.
"Ordinarily the gold hair inside a gold hair crystal is sparse and tangled. But in crystals of great age, when the quantity of gold hair reaches a certain level, it clumps together into a sheet-like mass. At that stage it's called plank crystal. Forming plank crystal takes an extremely long time, so it's considered the finest grade of gold hair crystal."
"Look carefully at the dark-gold clumps inside—doesn't it match exactly what I just described?"
Having finished his explanation, Yu Yan handed the crystal back so she could examine it herself.
Accepting it, Xiao Wu inspected it with great care.
After a thorough check she confirmed Yu Yan had spoken the truth.
"According to you this thing is precious, but what exactly is it good for?"
More than its value, Xiao Wu wanted to know what the plank crystal could actually do.
"Let me keep you in suspense a moment longer; I'll show you directly."
Taking the crystal, he set it on the floor, closed every door and window, then summoned his Ice Fish Spirit and used a Spirit Ability to coat both of them with Frost Scale Armor for protection.
Drawing a deep breath, he channeled his spirit power and smashed the crystal with all his might.
Under the full-force punch the crystal shattered into fine powder.
At the instant it disintegrated, countless golden motes burst out, tinkling as they struck the walls and furniture, bathing the room in a hazy golden glow.
Yu Yan bent down, picked up one tiny golden grain, and handed it to the stunned Xiao Wu. "This is the real reason I came to Suotuo City—the great Opportunity I mentioned."
Taking the grain, Xiao Wu squeezed it hard; it was slightly soft yet springy, and even her strength couldn't flatten it.
"So you still haven't said what it's actually for?"
After testing a few grains she asked the crucial question again.
"The gold hair inside a gold hair crystal is a naturally formed weapon."
While explaining, Yu Yan picked up another grain and injected his spirit power into it.
The spirit power cultivated by the Mysterious Heaven Skill could activate naturally formed gold hair.
Because Meditation Technique is the prototype of skills like the Mysterious Heaven Skill, spirit power produced by ordinary Meditation Technique could likewise activate the gold hair.
Under the spirit power's urging the tiny grain slowly lengthened, and in moments became a filament as fine as a hair.
The three-inch-long strand floated above Yu Yan's palm.
——void clarity jade core——
Origin: When the Lake of Life reaches an extreme state of stillness—utterly waveless and "empty"—pure life energy deep in the lake's heart condenses, shedding all Impurities to form this crystal. It symbolizes life's Origin in its purest, most Dao-like state.
Form: Suspended in the deepest center of the lake, unaffected by currents. A flawless column of warm white jade about half a foot long and the thickness of an infant's wrist, radiating soft, serene light that calms the mind; nearby, stray thoughts fade as if the Soul were washed clean.
Core Effects
Spirit Purification/Sublimation (evolutionary core): Does not alter form directly; rather, it purifies Impurities, hidden injuries, and the "murky breath" accumulated through Acquired cultivation within a Spirit's Origin, returning the Spirit to its purest, Innate Awakening state.
Manifest effects: Vastly improved Spirit control; Spirit Abilities release more smoothly and with greater focused power; hidden rise in Spirit grade (e.g., low to mid, or mid toward high); shatters potential shackles caused by faulty early cultivation or old wounds, laying a perfect Foundation for future high-level evolution such as a second Awakening.
Special: Best suited to Spirits that value purity and control—Spirit, elemental, or light-attribute—possibly granting add-ons like Elemental Affinity or Mental Clarity.
spirit power Refinement/Barrier Breakthrough (stable Breakthrough): Provides supremely pure, easily absorbed life-Origin energy. Its role is not to supply vast spirit power but to refine the user's existing spirit power to the extreme and, gently yet relentlessly, scour any Bottleneck. Progress is slow (days), yet once the Breakthrough succeeds the spirit power becomes mercury-dense and the Foundation incomparably solid, far surpassing peers of the same rank. Ideal for Spirit Masters stuck at key great Bottlenecks—levels 50, 70, 90.
Great Cost/Limitations
Demands extreme Heart-Nature: During refinement the user must maintain absolute "void clarity"; any stray thought, greed, or killing intent will taint the jade energy, sharply reducing effect or even triggering a backlash of pure energy that scorches the Soul. Only those of pure Heart-Nature and unshakable will can use it safely.
Grants no shape-shifting: Cannot bestow entirely new forms or attributes; focus is optimization and Foundation-building.
Slow growth/harsh environment: Requires the lake's heart to remain absolutely calm (no powerful Spirit Beast conflicts, no energy storms) for gradual condensation. Only one rod may form in a cycle.