The golden crystal itself almost looked like a teardrop made of transparent ice. It was about eight to nine inches in size, just small enough to be held in one hand. Although its outer layer was transparent, the core was filled by a small bright yellow light that was the source of all the golden radiance.
Hao Xuan felt a strange type of hunger looking at it. A feeling of emptiness that had always been there suddenly became much more noticeable.
Hao Xuan could feel the weakness in his body, from his muscles to the bones, to every single nerve and cell, they were all crying out, begging for him to reach out. His stomach grumbled so loudly that it even startled him.
'Did it get left behind from the lightning strike? I can feel so much pure spiritual energy coming off of it!' Hao Xuan thought staring at this otherworldly object.
*Beep*
'You are correct. It is left behind from the lightning strike.'
Baracus spoke up, confirming Hao Xuan's hypothesis.
'It is a type of spirit stone created from the sudden compression of energy. By superheating the air and then cooling it down right after, it seals the excess energy within an ice crystal composed chiefly of nitrogen.'
'Due to their unique requirements, they can only be found in planets where the atmosphere is at least 2700 kilometers thick.'
'Note: The crystals are not stable and will not last for very long. 56 standard hours is the longest they can maintain their shape after which they either crack open and slowly release the sealed energy into the atmosphere, or explode.'
As soon as Baracus finished the explanation, an automatic warning popped on in Hao Xuan's vision in bright red color.
'Warning: Extreme Radiation Levels Detected.'
Hao Xuan could feel the heat coming off of the crystal. It felt so extremely comfortable that he almost forgot where he was, making him feel like he had been stuck outside in an ice storm for days and had finally found a warm cabin with a burning fireplace and a blanket waiting for him.
His entire body was tingling, crying to be fed. Hao Xuan wanted to just reach out and grab it but his rational mind prevented him from doing so.
'But isn't this too much radiation? Won't it be dangerous?' he sensibly inquired from Baracus first.
'Extremely. But your body is different, having undergone multiple evolutions and mutations. Although I have not observed the process myself, I believe there should not be an issue purely from a theoretical standpoint. You should try to absorb it.'
With Baracus's blessing, Hao Xuan slowly walked into the pit. The black, ash-like ground was so hot that he could feel it through his shoes. The golden teardrop was stuck halfway into the ground but it looked like a miniature sun whenever the light within it brightened.
As careful as he could be in this situation where it was basically raining death, Hao Xuan extended his hand and slowly grabbed the crystal.
The first sensation he felt was the numbness of its outer shell. Unexpectedly, it was neither cold nor hot to the touch. But then a moment later a burst of searing hot energy entered through the skin of his hand.
Hao Xuan's first instinct was to drop it and jump away but before he could, his eyes rolled back into their sockets while the muscles on his back suddenly tightened, arching his back.
Like a ravenous, out of control beast, his body did not even give Hao Xuan the option to chose as it did it for him. The light within the crystal pulsed constantly, getting faster and faster every time. But after each cycle it also became dimmer by several degrees.
It only took a little more than forty seconds for Hao Xuan's body to eagerly absorb every iota of energy within the crystal. His skin, flesh, and bone cells drank until they were about to explode.
Hao Xuan's emaciated figure returned to its original shape within the blink of an eye, his body overflowing with vigor. The hair on his head grew by an inch and a half, just like in some other places...
What little bit of spiritual energy that remained in the crystal went towards his meridians. The strand of Chaos Qi that had been circling throughout the network of nerves suddenly attacked this new energy.
Its color changed from light yellow to white and then grey, turning into a black fume by the end.
The teardrop crystal cracked and broke into small pieces by itself when the last grain of energy left its confines.
Hao Xuan slowly opened his eyes that were stained with tears. He stared at his hand in silence, speechless at what he had just gone through.
He felt embarrassed. This sensation, it was so overwhelmingly satisfying that he couldn't help but feel guilty for some reason.
It felt like he orgasmed for the first time in his life while devouring a heavenly meal.