Douluo Continent: Martial Soul Young Gilas, Sandstorm King!

Chapter 162 The Power of Stars... Why is there such an anomaly?
After finishing the last bite, Lin Xia licked her lips with a lingering sense of satisfaction. Seeing Zhu Zhuqing's blank expression, as if asking, "Who am I? Where am I? What happened?", she couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Lin Xia walked up to Zhu Zhuqing, squatted down to be at eye level with her, and then reached out and gently stroked her smooth black hair.

"scared?"

Lin Xia's voice was filled with laughter and a sense of reassurance.

Zhu Zhuqing nodded stiffly, her eyes still blank. She pointed at him, then at the ore fragments on the ground, as if she wanted to ask something but didn't know where to begin.

"Zhuqing, don't be afraid."

Lin Xia's smile faded, and his expression turned serious. He pointed to his mouth and teeth.

"See, I'm fine, and I didn't break any teeth, right?"

Zhu Zhuqing's gaze involuntarily fell on Lin Xia's teeth.

Those two rows of teeth were white and neat, and even had a faint, warm luster under the starlight in the mine. They were not cracked, not even scratched!

This undoubtedly deepened her confusion.

"That's because my body... well, it's a bit special."

Lin Xia carefully chose her words, trying to explain in a way that Lin Xia could understand.

"Do you remember my martial soul? Young Giras. It was born with the ability to feed on various ores, drawing energy from them to grow and evolve. And I..."

He paused for a moment, then decided to reveal part of the truth.

"I seem to have inherited, or rather, acquired, a similar ability. My body, like a little guy, can directly absorb the essential energy contained in ores and transform it into my own power. To me, these ores containing powerful energy are like..."

Lin Xia thought for a moment, then picked up a smaller, shimmering fragment of the Illusionary Star Glass and waved it in front of Zhu Zhuqing.

"Just like the precious herbs and pills you usually eat to replenish your soul power and strengthen your body. Except, my 'pills' are these stones."

"Eat...stones...to become stronger?"

Zhu Zhuqing finally managed to process this unbelievable concept, her little face filled with disbelief.

She looked at Lin Xia, then at the young Gilas who was happily eating, and then at the boundless "stone" in front of her. An even more terrifying thought popped into her head uncontrollably.

Her face turned pale instantly, her eyes filled with terror and a sense of absurdity at being tricked by fate, and her voice trembled slightly.

"Then...then in the future...I'll also have to...eat stones to become stronger?"

The thought sent a wave of nausea and panic through her. Imagining herself, like Lin Xia and Young Gilas, crunching and gnawing on a hard, cold stone… the image sent chills down her spine!
Seeing Zhu Zhuqing's frightened little face and her eyes that were about to cry, Lin Xia was stunned for a moment, then burst into a hearty laugh.

He laughed so hard that tears almost came out, and he vigorously rubbed Zhu Zhuqing's head.

"Silly girl! What are you thinking about!"

Lin Xia suppressed a laugh.

“This is my special ability! It’s unique! Others, including you, can’t eat ore like this. If an ordinary person tried to eat it, let alone become stronger, they would probably immediately experience a surge of soul power, broken meridians, or even… well, just like you’re worried, breaking teeth would be the least of their worries.”

Lin Xia pointed to the small wound on Zhu Zhuqing's fingertip, and then to the incredibly hard cave wall.

"Look, even your hand got cut by it." Zhu Zhuqing looked down at the blood droplets on her fingertips, then at Lin Xia's intact teeth, and finally let out a long, relieved sigh, her pale face regaining a little color.

Thank goodness... she doesn't have to eat stones... this is the best news she's heard all day!

Although Lin Xia's brother's method of becoming stronger by eating stones still struck her as incredibly amazing and awe-inspiring, at least she didn't have to go through that terrifying "cultivation method".

Seeing that she had relaxed, Lin Xia's gaze softened, and she added:
"So, Zhuqing, you don't need to worry about that. Your cultivation path is different from mine. You have your own talent, martial spirit, and path. Finding a method that suits you and constantly refining and improving is the key."

Lin Xia spoke earnestly.

"Just like this piece of illusory star glass, it is 'food' to me, but poison to you. Everything has its use; the key is how to use it."

Zhu Zhuqing nodded as if she understood, but the fear in her eyes had completely disappeared, leaving only amazement at Lin Xia's special abilities and curiosity about this magical star mine.

She carefully reached out her finger again and gently touched a smaller piece of the Illusionary Star Glass, feeling the gentle yet powerful energy contained within it.

"Alright, now that we've found it, we can't waste it."

Lin Xia stood up, looking at the priceless mineral vein before her, her eyes gleaming.

"Little guy, stop worrying about eating and get to work! Dig out the best quality core mineral crystals with the most concentrated starlight! Be careful not to break them!"

Lin Xia was in command of the young Giras.

"Yoji!"

Upon receiving the order, Young Gilas immediately became energetic, its little paws waving even faster, like the most efficient pickaxe, precisely and efficiently peeling off large, core pieces of the top-grade Illusion Star Glass, carefully piling them at Lin Xia's feet.

Lin Xia also took action himself; his strength, combined with his precise perception of the ore's structure, resulted in equally astonishing efficiency.

Chunks of ore, shimmering with dreamlike starlight, were rapidly mined and piled up, gradually forming a small mountain that emitted astonishing energy fluctuations.

Inside the mine, starlight flowed and energy swirled, like a dream.

Zhu Zhuqing stood quietly to the side, watching Lin Xia and Young Gilas busy themselves.

The gentle starlight from the mine bathed her, dispelling some of the lingering gloom in her heart. She silently kept Lin Xia's words in mind.

"Find a method that suits you, and keep refining and improving... Everything has its use..."

Perhaps Lin Xia's brother was telling her that even when faced with the cold fate of the Zhu family, she should still find her own power and path to break the rules.
Her small hands unconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes, and besides amazement, there seemed to be a hint of contemplation in her eyes.

And deep within the Star Luo Empire's imperial palace, in the Star Crown Hall, a symbol of supreme power.

Emperor Dai Tianxing of Xingluo, who was cultivating with his eyes closed, suddenly frowned slightly.

The massive cultivation array beneath him, constructed from countless rare gems, had its silver runes representing the power of stars flicker almost imperceptibly, as if a nearly invisible pebble had been thrown into a calm lake.

Dai Tianxing slowly opened his eyes, and a very subtle doubt flashed in the depths of those eyes that contained endless majesty and vicissitudes.

His fingers unconsciously traced the cold metallic patterns on the throne armrest, his gaze seemingly piercing through the palace walls and reaching towards the distant northern lands.

"...Why is the power of the stars acting strangely?"

(End of this chapter)