This time, the Awakening Incense did not burn rapidly as it had done before, but maintained a normal burning rate.

In the Fixed Realm, He Kao seemed to either see or somehow know the birth process of this mythical pearl. All pearls have a nucleus; typically, when a foreign object enters the body of a river clam and cannot be expelled, it becomes layered with nacre secreted by the clam, forming a pearl.

Nacre is also the main component of the clam's shell, material that carpenters refer to as mother-of-pearl.

However, the reason for this mythical pearl's formation was an abnormal secretion of nacre. Instead of forming the clam shell, nacre inexplicably appeared at the clam's flesh, becoming the nucleus around which a pearl with a diameter of one centimeter grew.

This was the Divine Thought He Kao received, seemingly originating from the figure in the painting.

The Divine Thought included information about the environment in which the pearl grew, and He Kao's perspective was very unique. It was as if he had become Xue Guanghan itself, enveloped in clam flesh, swiftly experiencing years of climate and seasonal changes...

Of course, a pearl has no consciousness, and He Kao was merely a passive observer of it all from the pearl's perspective.

The Divine Thought conveyed not only the growth environment of Xue Guanghan but also hydrological data of the river, along with the process of the pearl being discovered and harvested, with He Kao himself as the harvester.

He Kao never imagined that he could interpret his own curiosity, surprise, and other emotions from the pearl's viewpoint.

The Divine Thought did not specify what this pearl should be named. Through He Kao's interpretation, it was called Xue Guanghan, and its properties were similar to what Uncle described, yet even more detailed than what Uncle explained.

Uncle had mentioned that Xue Guanghan should not be pierced to make a string, as its crucial properties are derived from its holistic structure. Various methods of refining and processing Xue Guanghan were detailed in "Tan Xian's Walking Stick Painting."

For instance, nurturing it with Divine Sense, interacting with Mystical Objects, and then applying different refining techniques for varying wondrous effects.

Some of the content was within He Kao's current grasp, while other parts he could understand but not yet master, as his cultivation had not reached that level.

As for the content he couldn't understand at all, he simply couldn't receive it!

Xue Guanghan truly was a treasure, albeit with relatively mild spiritual effects, requiring accumulation over time to manifest, yet its continuous existence would ultimately prove beneficial... He Kao thought of finding more opportunities to look for it.

Upon leaving the Fixed Realm again, the three sticks of Awakening Incense had burned out, and two hours had unknowingly passed, but the two candles remained lit, only burning down a small section.

The candles He Kao made hardly produced any smoke and burned very cleanly, with each capable of burning for almost twelve hours.

He stood up reluctantly, but suddenly his body gave out, and he fell backward onto his backside. It wasn't because his legs were numb from kneeling too long, but because his arms were weak even when supporting himself on the ground.

Only then did He Kao realize that his Divine Qi was completely depleted, leaving him feeling like a dried-out sponge, not a drop remaining!

Not only that, but his head began to feel numb, as if losing consciousness, feeling extremely fatigued. It was like an ordinary person kicking several soccer matches continuously, then spending half a day failing to solve a math problem, both physical and mental strength reaching their limits.

It seemed that consulting the "Immortal Tan" in the painting consumed not just the Awakening Incense but also the sorcerer's own Divine Power.

He had known of the word "mana" for some time, but experiencing it was still unfamiliar, perhaps becoming clearer only after breaking through Tier Four. With his divine power fully exhausted, his physical and mental stamina also reached their limits.

Regarding this Xue Guanghan, the information given by "Tan the Immortal" still corresponded to He Kao's cultivation and knowledge, even if there was excess content, it was somewhat understandable by him.

Even so, the Divine Thought information exceeded He Kao's limit of endurance. And precisely when the limit was reached, the excess parts were automatically ignored... If not for that, He Kao might have been injured.

Thus, burning those three sticks of Awakening Incense mainly served to protect He Kao's Primordial Spirit, while activating the painting to exert its "identification" magic required the expenditure of Divine Power.

Since he could remember, He Kao had never felt so weakened, not even after cultivating successfully. He didn't even have the strength to immediately leave the Gu Mountain Secret Mansion; instead, he consumed a Jade Phoenix Tree Seed on the spot to stabilize and recuperate...

In the early hours past one, He Kao slipped under the covers, and in his sleep, Gao Xue'e, without opening her eyes, sensed him and naturally embraced him.

To her surprise, He Kao was unusually well-behaved, not reaching to switch on the bedside lamp, and after a gentle and affectionate moment, he quickly fell asleep, leaving Gao Xue'e slightly unsettled.

When was he not lively and vibrant; why today did he really seem like a little puppy?

At daybreak, Gao Xue'e awoke to find He Kao still sleeping soundly, curled in her arms, somewhat restless, like a baby sucking its thumb...

It took two days for He Kao to fully recover, yet he felt even more curious and excited, like a child with a new toy, unable to resist trying again.

In the Gu Mountain Secret Mansion, he performed the same ritual as last time, lighting candles, burning incense, and chanting verses in homage. This time, what was placed on the incense table was not some offering of fruit or Treasures of Heaven and Earth, but his usual smartphone.

He Kao was a tech enthusiast, often conducting various tests within his daily work. Today, he used this painting for testing, curious about what kind of identification conclusions it could draw... harboring a mischievous playful mindset.

Then everything went dark as if a heavy blow struck his forehead, and he fainted on the spot.

Typically, when one's forehead is struck, the body senses it first, then the brain processes the awareness. If nothing like this actually happened, yet the brain produced such an awareness, it could inversely cause the body to sense it as well.

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