Chapter 103 - 100: Magic Energy Crystal
It wasn’t just Gou Junbao who found Qin Xiaoxia to be mysterious; Qin Xiaoxia himself felt he’d been treating Gou Junbao unfairly.
Whether for the sake of secrecy or as a perk for being his friend, he couldn’t just forget about Brother Gou. He had to save a spot for him in Dawn, if only to give him some standing in front of South Wind.
Gou Junbao might be straightforward, but he wasn’t stupid. If this kept happening, he’d eventually get suspicious, and it would be bad if the secret got out through him. That said, back when Old Qin was still around, he used to occasionally play the part of a hidden master to tease Gou Junbao, tricking him out of a bottle or two of good wine. That had given Gou Junbao a certain immunity to this sort of thing.
’I should find a chance to lay my cards on the table with him. If he overreacts, I can just try using a Technique derived from Magic Power and hypnosis to make him forget our conversation.’
With that matter settled for the time being, Qin Xiaoxia and Doudou turned their attention back to the Tree Shepherd.
Unsure of how to help it recover, Qin Xiaoxia buried a large portion of the Thorns in the soil. He then ran out to a farmer’s market, hoping to buy a bag of the legendary "Golden Fertilizer." Unfortunately, despite its fame, he couldn’t find any and had to settle for some ordinary fertilizer.
He buried it, applied the fertilizer, and watered it. Then, he lifted the light restrictions in the Secret Realm to let natural sunlight stream in. For an even better effect, Qin Xiaoxia even dug up a large amount of real soil from the fields outside and brought it into the Secret Realm.
Then, he and Doudou simply waited by the side, staring blankly at each other.
All the crucial tasks required waiting, so the two of them were rather idle at the moment.
They knew this sort of thing couldn’t be rushed, but after more than an hour passed with no change, both Qin Xiaoxia and Doudou were getting bored.
Fortunately, they could also recover their Magic Power while they killed time.
Doudou went as far as to bring over a couple of chairs, one for himself and one for his big cousin. He even used a stool as a table, setting down a plate of apple slices, and they started playing a versus game together on their phones.
Partway through, Doudou suddenly thought of something and excitedly made a suggestion to Qin Xiaoxia.
"Big Cousin, maybe we’re using the wrong method? For example, instead of that synthetic fertilizer of yours, shouldn’t we be using some natural fertilizer?"
Doudou popped a White Rabbit creamy candy into his mouth. He’d browsed all sorts of random things online, so he knew a surprising amount.
"You’re just trying to say ’shit,’ aren’t you..."
’I can’t tell if that’s a genuine suggestion or if Doudou’s inner prankster is just acting up again,’ Qin Xiaoxia thought. ’Probably the latter. If it were me being saved like that, I think I’d rather just stay dead.’
"If you want to use natural fertilizer, fine. You go get it. But aren’t you afraid it’ll get revenge on you?"
Doudou immediately fell silent. He picked up the bag of fertilizer next to his chair and scampered back to the Thorns to pour another round.
The Shadow of the Red Demoness stood quietly behind them, its gaze fixed on the spot where the Thorn Child was buried. Occasionally, it would glance over at Qin Xiaoxia and Doudou.
Qin Xiaoxia glanced back at her more than once.
’Are all Shadows of the Secret Realm like this?’
He knew it was born from his desire for a guardian, but ever since the Statue of Comir had successfully taken form, he felt that both it and the Shadow of the Red Demoness had undergone an unusual change.
They sometimes gave off a "vivid" feeling, and Doudou, being the half-baked expert he was, had never seen another Secret Realm, let alone different types of Shadows of the Secret Realm.
After finishing with the fertilizer, Doudou sat back down in his chair and offered another ridiculous suggestion.
"How about we activate the Statue of Comir?"
Qin Xiaoxia’s eyebrow twitched.
"Sure. You go this time. I’ll save you at the critical moment."
Doudou was horrified.
"No way! My head will get blown off the second I go up there!"
Qin Xiaoxia just chuckled and gave him a rap on the head. He still hadn’t forgotten about Doudou’s unauthorized theatrics from this morning.
It wasn’t as if the two were *only* watching over the Tree Shepherd.
Compared to the Thorn Child, the changes in the nearby Crystal Ore were far more exciting.
The Secret Realm had stripped away all the body and Magic Power from the disintegrated Tree Shepherd, which had now flowed into the veins of the Crystal Ore, becoming a key catalyst for its growth.
This wasn’t just any "nutrient matter." It came from a precious Tree Shepherd—the bodily tissues of an "Elf"—and was unquestionably a high-quality material.
In stark contrast to the half-dead Thorn Child, the Crystal Ore was growing like crazy, as if it had been fed Golden Fertilizer.
Although it wasn’t visible from the surface, the ore vein underground had begun to expand from its cotton-candy-like state and was starting to show signs of crystallization.
The Mother Crystal Ore within was even beginning to emit a faint, purple glow.
Qin Xiaoxia was starting to understand what was going on.
The growth of the Crystal Ore vein reminded him of creating Shaping Material. It also required his personal Magic Power to regulate it and needed special ingredients. The main differences were the addition of the Mother Crystal Ore and the much higher-quality materials required. Of course, the final purpose was different, but the process felt remarkably similar.
By this point, however, the Crystal Ore’s growth had slowed, as if it were running out of steam.
Qin Xiaoxia had poured a lot of his Magic Power into it recently, so he could tell it wasn’t a lack of Magic Power. Not knowing when an opportunity like this would come again, he immediately broke off a quarter of the half-"Emerald" he was carrying and tossed it into the ore vein.
At the nearby burial spot of the Tree Shepherd, a few more Thorns crumbled away because of his action, scaring Qin Xiaoxia into immediately abandoning the thought of breaking off another piece.
But thanks to that small piece of "Emerald," the growth rate of the ore vein instantly kicked up another notch.
"HOLY SHIT, HOLY SHIT! Doudou, we have to move! Quick, quick, quick!"
The two of them, one big and one small, grabbed their chairs and stool and quickly evacuated their spot, which was about to be overrun by the encroaching crystals.
They even dug up the half-dead Tree Shepherd again and moved it to a new spot, where they resumed watering and fertilizing it.
Heaven have mercy. It was a good thing the Thorn Child wasn’t a real seedling, or it would have surely been tormented to death by now.
Another half hour passed, and Qin Xiaoxia truly began to appreciate the concept of growth in the supernatural world.
As if unleashing all its accumulated power at once, the ore vein swelled to more than ten times its size in a short period. Above ground, translucent, man-high Crystal Pillars sprouted one after another.
Captivated by the transformation, Qin Xiaoxia and Doudou forgot all about their game, watching the entire process from beginning to end with expressions of curiosity and awe.
As a result, a corner of the Secret Realm was no longer a rice paddy but had become a small Crystal Forest.
It was a beautiful and colorful sight.
"Doudou, these can’t be Magic Energy Crystals, can they? There are way too many!" Qin Xiaoxia said jokingly.
Of course, these couldn’t be Magic Energy Crystals. Apart from being pretty, they didn’t emit any special energy fluctuations.
However, he was sure it was now capable of producing true Magic Energy Crystals.
Now that the thought had occurred to him, he had to give it a try. Qin Xiaoxia stood up from his chair and walked into the Crystal Forest.
Thanks to the connection between the ore vein and his own Magic Power, it wasn’t difficult to figure out the principle behind it.
He placed his hand on one of the Crystal Pillars and felt as if he were in contact with the entire ore vein.
A rhythmic pulse of energy traveled from the vast ore vein into his palm.
He felt it! Following that sensation, he applied a bit of force with his palm.
Then, with a CRASH, a man-high Crystal Pillar toppled over, revealing a slightly thicker cluster of crystals at its base.
And in the center of the base, a single, rhomboid-shaped, special Crystal emitted a hazy halo of light.
It illuminated Qin Xiaoxia’s curious face.
"Big Cooousin~~ How’s it goooing~~"
Doudou yelled from outside, his voice a mix of anxiety and anticipation.
Qin Xiaoxia ignored him, reaching out to pinch the Crystal. With a slight tug, it came free.
He placed it in his palm to examine it closely.
It was about the size and shape of an olive pit, but with sharp, distinct edges. It was brilliantly clear, its color shifting fantastically between a faint purple, a pale green, and a light yellow.
Though just a tiny grain, he could feel the surging, active energy within. It felt a little like Doudou’s wish-based Magic Power, yet different. It was just that its potential for being shaped was incredibly high.