Douluo Continent: Martial Soul Young Gilas, Sandstorm King!

Chapter 146 Substitutes!
Lin Xia's eyes became unusually calm, all hesitation and doubt were suppressed, leaving only a resolute determination to go all in.

"For the sake of the mechs, for the sake of... truly taking control of my own destiny in the future, and protecting those I want to protect, I have to take a gamble!"

Without further hesitation, Lin Xia immediately took out the thick, almost worn-out "Complete Illustrated Guide to Rare Minerals of the Continent" from his soul tool.

This book includes almost all the known high-grade minerals in the Douluo Continent, with illustrations and even simple descriptions of their energy properties.

Lin Xia sat cross-legged, ignoring the still throbbing pain in her brain, which felt as if it had been hollowed out, and forcibly concentrated her remaining mental energy to quickly flip through the illustrated guide.

His gaze swept across the pages of illustrations depicting various rare and exotic treasures, like the most sophisticated scanner.

"Stardust... its energy is too scattered, it won't work!"

"Moonstone... its properties are more feminine, lacking the vastness of stars..."

"Celestial River Crystal... its energy level is sufficient, but it's too domineering and unsuitable for precise magic arrays..."

“Star marrow… it’s close, but natural star marrow is extremely rare and tiny, it can’t possibly reach this level…”

Time passed by, and Lin Xia flipped through the pages faster and faster, her brows furrowing more and more tightly.

Many of the top-tier gems listed in the encyclopedia are either incompatible in terms of energy properties, too small in size, or so rare as to be impossible to find. Gems that match the vastness, purity, stability, and spatial fluctuation characteristics of celestial gems are almost nonexistent!
The young Gilas lay down beside it, its little head close to the picture book, its scarlet eyes fixed on the pictures. Occasionally, it would stretch out its little paws and point, seemingly helping its owner to select the best ones, making "yo-yo-yo" sounds as if to say, "This won't do, that won't do either."

Just as Lin Xia was about to finish reading the entire illustrated book and his heart was gradually filled with disappointment, his gaze suddenly fixed on a legend or anecdote in the last few pages.

"...According to fragmentary records in the ancient scroll 'Starry Sky Records,' a strange stone once fell from the heavens in the far west of the continent. At its core lies a 'shard of a star core,' deep blue in color, containing a vortex of galaxies, with energy as vast as the sea, pure as a mirror, and even containing a trace of the power of the origin of space, seemingly formed from the origin of stars... However, this object exists only in legends, and no concrete evidence has appeared in the world for thousands of years, or it may have been lost to the annals of history..."

"A fragment of a star core?!"

Lin Xia's eyes suddenly burst forth with an astonishing light!
This description... these characteristics... are exactly the same as those of the Star Gem! It might even be more fundamental and more powerful!
"Could it be... that the core of the Starry Crown is a 'shard of a star core'?!"

This thought exploded in Lin Xia's mind like a thunderclap, making him so excited that he almost jumped up!

If that's the case, then the value of this gem is simply immeasurable!
But after the excitement came a deeper sense of powerlessness.

Star core fragments?

That's just a vague and unfounded legend!
Where to find it?

Even if it exists, it is certainly beyond his reach at present.

However, this record gave him a clear direction—to find top-grade minerals containing the power of the stars' origin!

"We can't find the star core fragments... but we might find a high-level alternative containing similar power!"

Lin Xia's fighting spirit was rekindled.

He no longer limited himself to the illustrations and began frantically searching his mind for all the knowledge about celestial ores he had encountered in the Blacksmith's Guild in this life, based on his memories from his past life.

"Starstone Marrow? It's rumored to be the core essence of a Starstone vein, with extremely high energy purity and containing stellar power... but it's usually not very large in size..."

"Nine Heavens Profound Iron? It is born from the core of extraterrestrial meteorite iron, and it has its own stellar magnetism and spatial fluctuations... but its properties are too hard and sharp, and its energy is not restrained enough..."

Names flashed by, only to be rejected by him. Suddenly, Lin Xia's breath caught in his throat; he remembered a place Master Lou Gao had inadvertently mentioned during a drunken night!
"Seven hundred miles southwest of Gengjin City, deep within the desolate mountains, lies the abandoned ruins of the ancient sect 'Starfall Pavilion'... It is said that the core of its protective array used a strange stone called 'Illusory Star Glaze'... This stone can attract faint starlight, transforming into countless forms, possessing a gentle yet vast energy attribute, and inherently having a spatial illusion effect... Unfortunately, with the destruction of the Starfall Pavilion, the mineral veins have long since dried up, and the ruins have become a dangerous place..." "Illusory Star Glaze!"

Lin Xia clenched her fists tightly, her eyes flashing with a sharp light!

Its energy is gentle and vast, possessing a spatial psychedelic effect and the ability to draw in starlight!

Although it is not as good as the star core fragment, it is definitely the closest and most likely top-tier alternative that can be found based on known information!
Furthermore, Master Lou Gao mentioned "the depletion of mineral veins," indicating that they once existed and were not entirely nonexistent!

Has the ruins become a dangerous place?

What is a dangerous place for others may not be so for Lin Xia!

"That's it!"

Lin Xia slammed the illustrated guide shut, her eyes gleaming with the light of a lone wolf.

"The Desolate Mountains, the ruins of the Starfall Pavilion! I must go!"

He quickly took out paper and pen and began to record in detail the "Star Link Matrix" structure diagram that he had just forcibly memorized.

The excruciating pain from the depletion of his mental energy still felt like steel needles churning in his brain, but he gritted his teeth and strived for precision in every stroke.

With each complex circuit I drew, I felt my soul being torn apart, and sweat dripped continuously onto the paper.

Young Gilas watched with concern, yet dared not disturb him.

This magic array is the key to his plan and the cornerstone of his future mecha; it cannot tolerate the slightest mistake.

At the same time, the plan to find the Illusionary Star Glaze must be put on the agenda immediately.

The "leisurely" time at the Zhu residence is probably coming to an end.

Lin Xia sat cross-legged, her face as pale as paper, her forehead covered with fine beads of cold sweat that slid down her temples and gathered into drops on her chin.

His spiritual power was like a dry well that had been completely drained. Every slight movement of his soul power brought a needle-like pain, and his temples throbbed wildly, as if they were about to explode at any moment.

But his dark golden eyes shone brightly as he stared intently at the massive three-dimensional magic array projection floating in mid-air, drawn with pure soul power.

This is the core he forcibly copied from inside the Starry Crown—the Star Link Matrix!
Countless fine lines, composed of pure soul power, intertwined, coiled, and rotated in the void, creating a complex three-dimensional structure that was dizzying to behold.

Each energy node shimmers with a faint light, and the flow of countless energies follows an unfathomable rhythm, forming a microcosm of a precisely operating energy universe.

Lin Xia's fingertips trembled, each slight stroke feeling as if she were burning her own soul.

He needs to perfectly replicate every detail, every turning point, and every rhythmic flow of energy that has been forcibly imprinted in his mind!
This is no longer just an output of soul power, but also an extreme test of willpower.

"Uh……"

(End of this chapter)