Ink-Clad Creator

The Earth's core fell to the ground, cracks spreading like a spider web.

Huang Yan's body sat cross-legged before the stone platform, his face serene as if asleep, but devoid of any life. His withered hands remained in the hand seal position, the fingertips still bearing the lingering yellow glow—the covenant between the last guardian of secrets and the earth, forged over three hundred years, was slowly being dissolved.

Xiao Lingshan was the first to kneel down. She didn't cry, but gently pressed her forehead against the cold ground. The Green Wood Token hummed softly in her arms, as if resonating with the land in mourning. Peng Shitao's eyes reddened, Bing Lan turned her face away, and Bing Wei silently walked to the rock wall, looking at the ancient patterns that were gradually fading.

Li Xian stood rooted to the spot, clutching the scroll of "The Earth's Carrying Power" tightly in his hand. The animal hide was warm, like the lingering warmth of Huang Yan's body. He closed his eyes, the old man's last words flashing through his mind:

"Children...remember...the earth is so generous, it sustains all things...do not fail it..."

"Click."

Another crisp sound rang out. The crack in the Earth's core deepened, and a wisp of pure, earthy-yellow energy escaped from the fissure, transforming into specks of light in the air before slowly settling and merging into the ground. With each wisp of energy that dissipated, the crystal's luster dimmed a little more.

"It is... returning to the earth." Xiao Lingshan raised her head, tears finally sliding down her cheeks. "The thing that our predecessors protected with their lives is completing its final mission."

Li Xian took a deep breath and squatted down in front of the crystal. He stretched out his hand, his palm covering the surface of the crystal. Orange-gold energy surged from the mark between his eyebrows, flowing into his palm along the meridians, attempting to inject it into the crystal's interior—not to prevent it from collapsing, but to make its "departure" more stable.

The moment the orange-gold energy came into contact with the crystal, a sudden change occurred!

"Buzz—"

The crystal trembled violently! All the cracks simultaneously lit up with a blinding yellow light! A phantom figure rose from the crystal—not Huang Yan, but the silhouette of an old man in a simple robe with a blurred face. His attire bore a striking resemblance to the "wise man" in the rock carvings, but was even more weathered.

The phantom spoke, its voice seemingly coming from an extremely distant place, carrying an echo:

"Those who come after... and whoever manages to access this seal must have already received the transmission from the keeper of the secret... Listen carefully..."

The five people held their breath.

"The three pivotal points of the earth's veins are: earth at the center, wood for growth, and water for circulation... However, the water vein has been lost, and the three elements are out of balance... To restore balance, we must find the 'Mysterious Water Crystal' in the eye of the North Sea and the 'Origin of Geng Metal' in the marrow of the Western Mountains..."

The phantom paused, then continued:

"The cultivation methods of the mainland all originate from the 'Theory of Energy Origin Vibration Frequency'... All things vibrate, and all vibrations have power... Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth are not physical objects, but manifestations of the five origin vibration frequencies... Harmonizing the five elements is actually harmonizing vibration frequencies..."

Li Xian was jolted. Energy vibration frequency! This was the scientific explanation for the energy system of this other world! The "string theory" taught by Boltzmann's brain was a more fundamental truth of the universe, while the people of this world had already summarized the applied "vibration frequency theory" through practice!

Before the words were finished, the phantom image disintegrated into points of light.

The Earth's core finally reached its limit—with a muffled "bang," it exploded into dozens of fragments of varying sizes. Most of the fragments instantly transformed into pure energy, merging into the earth. Only three core fragments, each the size of a fingernail, remained solid and rolled to Li Xian's feet.

He picked up the fragments. They felt warm to the touch, no longer gleaming, like three ordinary pieces of yellow jade, but within them he could vaguely feel an extremely faint, extremely deep pulse—like the heartbeat of the earth.

The five men carried Huang Yan's body away from the underground hub and found a sheltered sand dune on the edge of the oasis to prepare for his burial.

Just as they were digging the grave, three figures emerged from behind a sand dune in the distance.

They were three men dressed in coarse, earth-yellow cloth, around thirty years old, with dark skin, large hands, and simple, honest eyes like those of the sea buckthorn in the desert. They each carried shovels on their shoulders and water bags at their waists, clearly residents of the oasis.

The man in the lead saw the fragment of the Earth's core in Li Xian's hand, and then saw the tomb they were digging; his expression changed drastically.

He threw down his shovel, ran over, and collapsed to his knees before Huang Yan's body. The two men behind him followed suit, their foreheads touching the ground, their shoulders trembling slightly.

"Master..." the leading man said hoarsely, "This disciple... is late..."

Li Xian exchanged glances with the four women and waited quietly.

The three men kowtowed nine times before rising. The leader wiped his face and looked at Li Xian: "You are... the last people Master saw?"

Li nodded and briefly recounted what had happened—from being chased by pursuers, to meeting Huang Yan, to setting a trap to turn the tables, and finally Huang Yan's death and the collapse of the Earth's core.

The three men listened silently without interrupting. Only after Li finished speaking did the leader let out a long sigh of relief.

"My name is Shi Jian." He pointed to himself, then to the two people behind him. "These are Shi Lei and Shi Yan. We are both orphans adopted by our master, and are the thirty-eighth generation disciples of the Earth Sect, although... we have only learned a little bit."

His gaze fell on the animal-skin scroll of "The Earth Carries All Things" in Li Xian's hand, his eyes filled with complex emotions: "Master passed on his legacy to you."

"This was entrusted to me by my senior before his death." Li Xian handed over the animal skin scroll. "This belongs to the Earth Sect and should be returned."

Shi Jian didn't answer. He shook his head and gave a bitter smile: "The three of us brothers are dull-witted. After twenty years of cultivation, we haven't even mastered the first level of the 'Hou Tu Zai Wu Jue'. Our master said that if someone can inherit his legacy after his death, that person will be the new guardian of the Earth Sect."

He took a step back, clasped his hands and bowed: "In accordance with our master's last instructions, the Tu Sect disciples Shi Jian, Shi Lei, and Shi Yan pay their respects to the new Guardian of Secrets."

Shi Lei and Shi Yan also bowed.

Li Xian was stunned: "This... is inappropriate. I am not a disciple of the Earth Sect, and..."

"Master's judgment of people is never wrong." Shi Jian straightened up, his gaze firm. "You were able to gain Master's approval in dire straits, you were able to come out alive with the fragments of the Earth's Core, and you are someone we brothers are willing to submit to—you are that person."

He paused, then added, "Moreover, Master said that the mission of the Earth Sect is to 'protect the earth's veins and bring peace to the four directions.' Now that the core of the earth has shattered and the desert hub no longer exists, it's time for us to leave this oasis and fulfill a new mission."

"What mission?"

"We'll follow you," Shi Jian said matter-of-factly. "Wherever you go, we'll go. The Tu Sect may be small in number, but we're skilled at all sorts of odd jobs: digging tunnels, identifying mineral veins, stabilizing foundations, sensing earthquakes..."

Looking at the three simple, unassuming men, Li Xian felt a mix of emotions welling up inside him. He turned to look at the four women. Xiao Lingshan nodded gently, Peng Shitao's eyes were filled with expectation, and Bing Lan and Bing Wei also nodded slightly.

"Okay." Li nodded emphatically. "From today onwards, we are partners."

The three Shi brothers grinned, their smiles honest and sincere.

For the next three days, the group rested in the oasis.

The three Shi brothers knew the oasis inside and out. They led Li Xian to a hidden "earthfire spring"—not real magma, but a hot spring formed by the mixture of earth vein energy and groundwater, with extremely high temperature and rich minerals.

"Use this for quenching, it's the best." Shi Jian pointed to the bubbling spring water.

He then brought out several pieces of dark gold ore from a cellar deep within the oasis: "This is 'Breath Soil Gold,' which my master discovered many years ago. This stuff is very strange; it softens when heated to a certain degree and can be shaped, but it becomes incredibly hard when cooled, and it also has a very good affinity for energy."

Li Xian's eyes lit up. This was exactly the material he needed to repair the drone!

The restoration work began in a corner of the underground space. The three Shi brothers were responsible for smelting the Breath of Gold and forging the outer shell; Li Xian used Orange Gold energy as a guide to precisely connect the new outer shell with the remaining internal structure of the drone.

This process is full of the fun of mixing "hard science fiction with rudimentary steelmaking".

"The temperature is right! Hurry up and take it out!" Shi Lei shouted, using specially made stone tongs to pick up the red-hot Xirang gold nugget and place it on the stone anvil.

Shi Yan swung his sledgehammer and began hammering, each strike precise and powerful, sparks flying. The Breath of Gold gradually stretched and deformed as it was hammered, eventually forming curved armor plates that conformed to the contours of Superman's body.

On the other side, Li Xian sat cross-legged on the ground, his hands resting lightly on the remains of Superman. Threads of orange-gold energy flowed from his fingertips, seeping into the machine's interior, carefully reconnecting broken circuits, calibrating misaligned sensors, and repairing the damaged core processor.

Xiao Lingshan used the Green Wood Token to maintain the energy stability of the environment, Peng Shitao prepared a medicinal mist with calming and restorative effects, while Bing Lan and Bing Wei were responsible for guarding and assisting.

Daya and Erya's energy cores have been recharged and are now floating to the side, chattering as they "watch":

"Wow, Brother Shi looks so impressive forging iron!"

"Er Ya, look! Lord Li's fingers are glowing! Like he's embroidering!"

"Idiot, that's micro-level energy connection!"

Three days later, the first drone was repaired.

Superman slowly ascended into the air, his brand-new dark gold shell gleaming with a calm luster in the sunlight. The surface of the shell had fine, natural patterns, like cracks in the earth, which were formed naturally when the Breath of Gold cooled, adding a touch of weight to it.

"System self-check in progress..." Superman's electronic voice sounded, slightly lower than before, with a strange sense of "reassurance". "The integrity of the machine is 92%, the power system has recovered 85%, the sensor array has recovered 78%, the computing core... the damaged data cannot be fully repaired, but the basic logic and memory module are intact."

It descended slowly, its robotic arm gently touching its new outer shell: "This material... is exceptionally sensitive to ley line vibrations. I think... I can 'hear' the activity of the earth's crust deeper inside."

Shi Jian grinned: "The Breath of Earth Gold grows from the earth's veins, so of course it's compatible with the earth."

Next up were Batman and the Dark Knight. Their repairs were more complex because the damage from their self-destruction was greater. But with the experience of repairing Superman, progress was much faster.

Batman's new shell emphasizes streamlined design and stealth. Shih Ken specifically hammered a fine, scale-like texture onto the surface—he said this would better refract light and enhance nighttime concealment. The Dark Knight, on the other hand, has enhanced protection for the optical sensor area; the Breath of Gold has been forged into a multi-layered composite structure that is both strong and lightweight.

On the evening of the fourth day, the last piece of the outer shell was installed.

Five drones—Superman, Batman, The Dark Knight, Arya, and Arya—flew in formation over the oasis, conducting acclimatization tests. Their dark gold fuselages and pink rotors created a striking contrast against the setting sun, and their buzzing startled several sand foxes on the distant dunes.

"How is the function being restored?" Li asked.

Superman circled halfway around and reported: "Overall combat strength has recovered to 65% to 75% of its peak. The physical defense of the Breath of Earth Gold Shell has increased by about 40%, but its resistance to high temperature and corrosive attacks has decreased. In addition, we have established a new 'Earth Vein Resonance Communication Network' among the five machines—as long as they do not leave the ground by more than 100 feet and the distance does not exceed 30 miles, they can communicate directly without relying on external media."

"Effective range of thirty miles?" Bingwei raised an eyebrow. "That's much better than a communication talisman."

"It's the earth that's helping us send signals," Superman explained. "The golden shell of the earth creates a faint resonance between us and the earth's veins. As long as we're standing on the same land, energy vibrations can be transmitted through the earth's crust."

Li Xian seemed to be deep in thought. This might be what Huang Yan meant by "the earth is virtuous and bears all things"—even something as small as communication, the earth is willing to help.

On the last day of their rest, an elderly shepherd from the oasis came to visit them.

The old man handed over a light blue silk handkerchief with a line of small characters written on it in delicate handwriting:

"Sister, if you see this handkerchief, it means I have already traveled to the capital with Aonan. I heard that the 'Wanxiang Academy' is expanding its enrollment this autumn, selecting the best talents from across the land. I intend to enter the 'Xuanshui Academy' to specialize in water-based magic, while Aonan wants to apply to the 'Bailian Hall' to learn weapon crafting. I hope to reunite with you in the capital. Sister: Shutao. Also: I heard that admission to the academy requires a letter of recommendation. If you also come, you can go to the 'Tingtao Pavilion' in the south of the city and find an old woman surnamed Xu. Show her this handkerchief, and she may be able to help you."

In the corner of the silk handkerchief, in even smaller print, was written: "Beware of the court's eyes and ears."

Peng Shitao held the silk handkerchief, her eyes reddening again, but this time they were tears of joy.

"My sister is going to the capital to take the entrance exam for the academy..."

Li Xian took the silk handkerchief and examined it closely. The handkerchief was made of a special material, cool to the touch, clearly treated with water-based techniques. The writing on it was done with some kind of water-based dye, which wouldn't dissolve in water; in fact, it would become clearer.

"Tingtao Pavilion... Granny Xu..." he murmured repeatedly, "It seems that this Granny Xu is one of Peach Blossom Village's secret agents in the capital."

Xiao Lingshan said softly, "Sister Shutao mentioned that the academy is expanding its enrollment this fall. It's already late summer, so we need to hurry."

The three Shi brothers had already packed their bags—actually, there wasn't much to pack: a few changes of clothes, tools, dry food, and some Tu Zong scriptures and mineral samples left by their master.

"We can set off anytime." Shi Jian patted his chest confidently. "We know an ancient trade route that crosses the desert. Although it's a longer route, there are wells and remnants of post stations along the way, making it much safer than crossing it directly."

On the morning before his departure, Li Xian found a natural cave deep in the oasis.

The cave was located deep within a rocky mountain, with a hidden entrance and a dry, spacious interior. He solemnly placed the three fragments of the Earth's core at the bottom of the cave, and then set up thirty-six layers of seals using the "Earth Vein Soul-Soothing Array" recorded in the "Hou Tu Zai Wu Jue".

When the formation was completed, the fragments glowed faintly, as if bidding a final farewell to this land.

"Senior, your mission is complete." Li Xian bowed to the cave. "The core of the earth will slowly release energy here to nourish the oasis, and will completely return to the earth after a hundred years. Rest in peace."

Finally, the group went to Huang Yan's tomb to pay their respects.

The stone tablet was carved overnight by the three Shi brothers. It is very simple: "Tomb of our revered teacher Huang Yan. The 37th generation guardian of the earth lineage, guarding the earth's veins for three hundred li and protecting living beings for sixty years. Respectfully erected by his disciples Shi Jian, Shi Lei, and Shi Yan. Autumn of the 297th year of the Gregorian calendar."

There wasn't much embellishment, but every word carried weight.

Everyone bowed in turn. Daya and Erya also lowered their altitude and slowly rotated their rotors to show their respect.

As we left the oasis, the sun was just rising. Golden sunlight streamed across the boundless sea of ​​sand, casting long shadows on the dunes. In the distance, several camels were leisurely grazing on sea buckthorn.

Li Xian turned around and took one last look at the ever-shrinking oasis and the lonely grave on its edge.

Then he turned around and faced north.

"Target: Wanxiang Academy in the capital." He paused, looking at his companions—Xiao Lingshan, Peng Shitao, Binglan, Bingwei, and the three Shi brothers, as well as the five drones hovering in the air.

"Set off."

Ten people and five machines embarked on the road to the capital.

The wind blew from behind, stirring up fine sand that quickly buried their footprints.

The desert remained silent, as if nothing had happened.

But the earth remembers.

(End of Chapter 53)