A muffled groan of extreme pain escaped through Lin Xia's tightly clenched teeth.
He could feel the edges of his vision beginning to darken, his consciousness flickering like a dying candle in the wind, ready to go out at any moment.
But he could not stop!
This was the core foundation of his future mecha, the key that would lead him to greater power!
If he missed this opportunity for such profound insight, who knew how many years it would take before he could once again so clearly grasp the complete essence of the Stellar Link Matrix!
"Hah…!"
Lin Xia suddenly let out a low roar, like a mortally wounded beast unleashing its final cry.
He forcibly squeezed out the very last trace of Spiritual Power remaining deep within his sea of consciousness. Brilliant Soul Power erupted from his fingertips like the finest engraving blade as he carved the final few crucial circuits into the very core region of the floating matrix!
Buzz——!
The moment the final thread of Soul Power perfectly connected, the entire floating Soul Power matrix projection trembled violently!
All of the energy nodes lit up simultaneously, and countless streams of energy seemed to come alive, flowing, converging, and resonating along their mysterious predetermined paths at incredible speed!
A vast and pure aura of power, as though connected to distant stars, instantly filled the entire quiet chamber. Though it was nowhere near one ten-thousandth of the true Star Radiance Crown itself, its core structure had already been perfectly replicated!
Success!
That thought descended like sweet rain, instantly extinguishing the final shred of willpower Lin Xia had been forcing himself to maintain.
The taut string finally snapped.
The light in his eyes faded away like a receding tide, and his pupils instantly lost focus.
With a dull thud, Lin Xia's body collapsed forward like a puppet with all its bones removed, crashing heavily onto the cold floor as he completely lost consciousness.
"Larvitar!!!"
Having been nervously guarding him the entire time, Larvitar suddenly let out a shrill cry distorted by panic!
It transformed into a dark-red blur and instantly rushed to Lin Xia's side.
The little Pokémon anxiously nudged Lin Xia's cheek with its hard little head. When its cold armor touched Lin Xia's burning forehead, it became even more frantic.
"Larvi! Larvitar!"
It carefully stretched out a tiny claw to check Lin Xia's breathing. Only after sensing that his breath, though weak, was still steady did its tense emotions relax slightly.
Even so, it continued pacing anxiously in circles, its crimson eyes filled with overwhelming fear and helplessness.
What should it do? Call someone?
Larvitar anxiously looked toward the tightly shut door before glancing back at the unconscious Lin Xia on the floor.
Instinctively, it resisted letting outsiders see its master in such a weakened state.
It remembered Lin Xia saying that this place was not completely safe.
After hesitating for a moment, the little Pokémon ultimately chose to trust its own judgment, its master's breathing and heartbeat were weak, but his life was not in danger.
It seemed more like excessive exhaustion?
Larvitar forced itself to calm down.
Instead of leaving, it curled up tightly against Lin Xia's body like the most loyal guardian.
It mobilized the faint power within itself that originated from the god-level dragon bone. The dark golden dragon-pattern mark on its chest emitted a soft and warm glow, like a tiny furnace, slowly channeling that warmth filled with the aura of life and protection into Lin Xia's cold body, trying to dispel the chill caused by his excessive depletion.
Its little ears stood upright as it vigilantly listened for any unusual sounds both inside and outside the chamber. Its crimson eyes never blinked as they remained fixed on its master's face, while low, continuous whimpers came from its throat.
"Larvitar… Larvitar…"
Time slowly passed amidst the deathly silence and Larvitar's anxious vigil.
The sunlight outside the window shifted from blazing brightness to dim yellow, then sank into darkness before finally being replaced by the light of dawn once again.
An entire day and night passed.
When the first ray of morning sunlight once again shone through the window lattice, casting mottled shadows throughout the quiet chamber.
Lin Xia's eyelashes trembled ever so slightly.
Larvitar sensed it instantly!
The little Pokémon abruptly raised its head, and its crimson eyes burst with joy!
"Larvitar!!"
Lin Xia's consciousness slowly struggled upward, as though rising from the depths of the sea.
His heavy eyelids felt as though they had been filled with lead; every attempt to open them was extraordinarily difficult.
Sharp pain and intense dizziness still lingered in his mind, as though countless needles were repeatedly stabbing into it.
He breathed with difficulty, feeling as though his entire body had fallen apart. Even moving a single finger required immense effort.
"Li…ttle guy…"
Lin Xia's voice was so hoarse it was almost unrecognizable, his throat dry and aching.
"Larvitar!"
Seeing its master awaken, Larvitar wagged its tiny tail frantically in excitement, continuously rubbing its head against Lin Xia's cheek. Its cold armor carried the overwhelming joy of having regained something precious.
Lin Xia forced out a reassuring smile and with great difficulty raised his heavy arm, gently patting Larvitar.
"I'm fine, You worked hard…"
Struggling with all his strength, he propped up his upper body and leaned against the icy wall behind him.
The dizziness surged over him again like a tidal wave. He had to close his eyes and pant for quite a while before barely suppressing the nauseating urge to vomit.
When he opened his eyes again, his gaze immediately landed in the center of the quiet chamber.
There, the suspended Soul Power array projection still existed steadily!
The Star Link Matrix, formed from countless threads of Soul Power, was slowly revolving along flawless trajectories, emitting faint yet genuine energy fluctuations that perfectly matched the structure engraved within his mind.
An indescribable sense of satisfaction and accomplishment instantly swept away the exhaustion in his body and the stabbing pain in his mind!
Success!
He had truly perfectly replicated that absurdly complex soul tool array!
The corners of his mouth curled upward uncontrollably, forming a pale yet incomparably radiant smile. His eyes brimmed with ecstasy and indescribable pride!
With this, his mecha was finally no longer just a castle in the air!
Its core power transmission and coordination system now possessed the firmest theoretical foundation possible!
However, after the joy came the cold return of reality.
The Star Link Matrix was complete, but the core needed to drive it, that Star Gem that made even his soul tremble was still embedded within the Star Luo Empire's national treasure!
"Switching the beams and replacing the pillars…"
Lin Xia muttered softly, his gaze turning sharp and profound.
The core of the plan was now clear, but the most crucial step, how to create an opportunity to approach that gem and find the right moment to replace it had become the greatest problem.
Although Dai Tianxing had handed the crown over to him for "research," there was no way he would allow Lin Xia to keep it indefinitely, much less permit him to dismantle the core at will.
Ask for it directly?
That would be nothing more than a fool's dream and would immediately bring catastrophic disaster upon him.
He needed a perfect excuse.
An excuse that would allow him to legitimately access the Star Luo Empire's core resources and even make "material requests" openly!
An excuse that would allow him to temporarily leave Star Luo Imperial City and head to the Silent Desolation Mountain Range in search of Illusory Star Glazed Crystal as a substitute!
Lin Xia's gaze slowly shifted toward Larvitar, who was currently holding a piece of Solar Essence with its tiny claws and earnestly trying to feed it to him in an attempt to help him "recover energy."
The little fellow's crimson eyes were filled with pure concern.
Looking at Larvitar, the outline of a bold plan rapidly began taking shape in Lin Xia's mind.
"Repair…"
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