Chapter 3473: Absorbing The Dragon Pearl Lin Mu layered formation upon formation, each serving a specific purpose. One to stabilize spatial fluctuations. One to regulate elemental overflow. One to isolate the inner courtyard entirely from the outside world. And finally, a silent formation that would redirect excess Water Dao into the surrounding ocean if it exceeded a certain threshold, preventing pressure buildup. And this was on top of multiple barrier arrays. Only when everything was complete did he sit down at the center of the courtyard. The sea breeze drifted in gently, carrying with it the faint scent of salt and moisture. Above him, the sky was clear. Beneath him, the island hummed softly with restrained energy. Lin Mu closed his eyes. He began with the Calming Heart Sutra. For one full hour, he did nothing else. His breathing slowed, his thoughts emptied, and his consciousness settled into a deep, tranquil stillness. Each circulation of the sutra washed away lingering tension, aligning his mind and body into perfect harmony. When he finally opened his eyes, they were clear and steady. Only then did he take out the Flood Dragon’s pearl. It rested in his palm, cool and heavy, its surface shimmering with layered hues of deep blue and pale cyan. Within it, Lin Mu could sense the echo of a mighty life, a creature that had once ruled the waters and stood on the threshold of dragonic ascension. He stared at it for several seconds. Not in hesitation, but in acknowledgment. As if paying his respects to the fallen Flood Dragon. Then, without ceremony, he activated the Omnicore Ascendancy Technique. Hummm The effect was immediate. Deep within Lin Mu’s body, the Water Core responded as if awakened from a long slumber. It began to spin, slowly at first, then faster and faster, radiating an intense hunger that rippled through his meridians. SHUA SHUA SHUA The Dragon Pearl trembled. Cracks of light appeared on its surface as it began to disperse into pure Water elemental energy. That energy flowed into Lin Mu’s palm like liquid starlight, slipping into his arm meridians and surging downward through his body. His meridians expanded instinctively to accommodate the influx, reinforced by years of refinement and his Burdenless Dominator Physique. The Water Core absorbed it greedily. Lin Mu could feel it growing. The change was subtle, but unmistakable to him. At ninety eight point nine percent completion, the remaining space within the core was small, yet the refinement required was immense. The Dragon Pearl’s energy filled the gaps carefully, layer by layer, as if sculpting something precise rather than simply adding mass. Time passed. When Lin Mu opened his eyes again, two hours had gone by. Roughly half of the Dragon Pearl’s energy had been absorbed. The Water Core now pulsed with a deeper, richer presence, its completion climbing to ninety nine point five percent. The increase was significant, yet the process had slowed noticeably. Lin Mu frowned slightly. The remaining half of the pearl did not rush in as before. Instead, it flowed more cautiously, as though meeting resistance or hesitation from the core itself. For the first time, doubt flickered in Lin Mu’s mind. What if it was not enough? What if the Flood Dragon’s pearl, powerful as it was, still fell short of completing his Water Core? He dismissed the thought almost as soon as it arose. If it was not meant to be completed now, then so be it. He would not force it. Lin Mu steadied his breathing and continued. Hour after hour passed. The process grew increasingly slow, almost painstakingly so. The Water Core’s rotation decreased, shifting from ravenous absorption to something more deliberate. The energy from the pearl circulated through Lin Mu’s meridians instead of being immediately drawn in, flowing through his limbs, organs, and bones as if saturating every part of him. By the time the Water Core reached ninety nine point nine percent, nearly twelve hours had elapsed. The Dragon Pearl itself had fully dissolved, yet its essence still lingered, cycling through Lin Mu’s body in vast, gentle currents. The Water Core slowed further, its spin almost leisurely now, as though waiting. Waiting for what, Lin Mu did not know. The night passed. Morning light filtered through the formation barrier, casting a soft glow across the courtyard. Still, nothing happened. Lin Mu remained seated, unmoving, his focus unwavering. He could feel the Water energy continuing to circulate, refining his body, his meridians, his very blood. It was as if the Water Core had decided not to rush the final step, choosing instead to let the energy ferment, mature, and integrate completely. Then, as the next afternoon arrived, everything changed. WOOOOOM~ Without warning, the Water Core surged. Its spin accelerated to a blinding speed, faster than Lin Mu had ever felt before. The circulating Water energy was violently yanked inward, compressed and drawn into the core in a single overwhelming pull. HONG LONG. HONG LONG. Strange, deep sonorous sounds echoed from within Lin Mu’s body, resonating outward through the formations. The sound was not destructive, but profound, like the distant roar of a primordial tide. The core expanded. Then it compressed. Then it stabilized. The Water Core slowed once more, its rotation smooth and steady, radiating a sense of completeness that Lin Mu had never felt before. Deep within him, something settled into place. The Water Core was complete. A minute later, Lin Mu finally felt it. At first, it was subtle. A faint tremor ran through his body, like the surface of a lake disturbed by a single falling drop. The Water Core, which had been calm and complete just moments ago, suddenly pulsed once. Then it pulsed again. And on the third pulse, all restraint vanished. WHOOOSH A colossal wave of Water elemental energy erupted from Lin Mu’s body. It was not a simple surge. It was a tsunami. The energy did not flow outward gently. It expanded in a perfect circular wave, layered and dense, carrying with it the authority of a fully completed Water Core that had been refined through Omnicore Ascendancy and empowered by the comprehension of a near True Dragon. The first tsunami slammed into the formation arrays Lin Mu had personally set up. For a fraction of a second, the formations held. KACHA Then they shattered. Not failed. Not cracked. Shattered.