Strange Era: An exclusive talent every month.

This structural diagram is more intuitive and detailed than the descriptions I heard in the comments before!
Chen Yeqiang noted down the key information in the structural diagram, especially the location of the Star Key socket and the markings of the Fallen's Nest.

Then, he looked at the dark silver metal disc. A ring of fine Holy Spirit Clan script was engraved around the edge of the disc, and in the center was a groove, the shape of which… bore a striking resemblance to the design on the "Ring of Watchfulness" in Chen Ye's hand!

He carefully picked up the disc; it was cold and heavy to the touch. He placed the "Ring of Watchfulness" close to the groove in the center of the disc.

hum-

A faint silver sheen appeared on the disc's surface, subtly resonating with the ring. Simultaneously, a stream of information flooded Chen Ye's mind:

"Star Key Resonance Disc: Can sense the energy fluctuations of Star Key Fragments (Fragments of the Heart of the Holy Spirit) within a certain range, and perform preliminary detection and guidance on known Star Key sockets. Requires 'Watcher' privileges to activate."

"Current status: Severely low energy; Sensing range: within a radius of 10 miles; Detection function: Partially available."

Great stuff! Although it's currently low on power and has a limited sensing range, it at least provides a tool for finding debris and locating sockets!

Finally, Chen Ye looked at the ancient bronze lamp. The lamp looked the least conspicuous, and the wax inside had long since dried.

He tried to touch the ancient lamp with the power of his holy blood, but there was no reaction. He then tried to inject a faint "light of enlightenment".

This time, the gray wax stain at the location of the ancient lamp's wick flickered extremely faintly! It was like a spark about to go out, struggling to survive.

At the same time, a fragment of extremely obscure, dreamlike thought came intermittently:
"...Light...needs light...real light...to ignite..."

"...Wisdom...is not memory...it is understanding...it is creation..."

"...The riddle...the answer...lies in the question itself..."

"...The Starry Sky Corridor...is not a road...it's a mirror..."

The information was fragmented and ambiguous. But Chen Ye's heart skipped a beat. This seemed... related to the "Starry Sky Puzzle Corridor"? Could this ancient lamp be some kind of clue or aid for passing a trial of wisdom?

He carefully put the three items away. Although he didn't know exactly how to use the ancient lamp, it was better to keep it for now.

"Thank you for the gift, Your Majesty Odin!" Chen Ye bowed deeply to the stone coffin.

The stone coffin remained silent, but Chen Ye could sense that the calm and wise aura around it seemed to have become even gentler.

Leaving Odin's stone palace, Chen Ye continued forward.

The feeling of time passing became increasingly apparent. He could sense that the starlight in the mausoleum was dimming at an extremely slow but undeniable pace, as if reminding him that his time was running out.

He dared not delay any longer, quickening his pace as he passed by tombs, his eyes scanning the inscriptions, searching for information that might be directly related to the "Trial of Wisdom" and the "Corridor of Starry Sky Puzzles".

Finally, he stopped in front of a special area near the deepest part of the mausoleum, surrounded by countless chains of starlight.

This area contains only one tomb, yet it occupies a vast space. It is a phantom structure entirely composed of flowing, silvery-white data streams and constantly appearing and disappearing runes, its shape constantly changing, sometimes resembling a tower, sometimes a labyrinth, and sometimes an open giant book.

The tomb has no stele, only a line of text made of starlight floating in the air:
"Sophia, the Wise Sage, and Logic"

"Designer of the Starry Sky Puzzle Corridor, founder of the Holy Spirit Clan's advanced logic and deduction techniques, and one of the creators of the original template for the artificial intelligence 'Protoss'."

"There is always one more answer than question. If you find all the answers, then you must have asked the wrong question."

The designer of the Starry Sky Puzzle Corridor!
Chen Ye's spirits lifted, and he immediately walked to the edge of the area surrounded by starlight chains. He could sense a powerful energy barrier preventing outsiders from approaching the tomb of Sage Sophia at will.

He bowed respectfully and said loudly, "Junior Chen Ye pays respects to Sage Sophia. I am about to head to the Corridor of Starry Puzzles to undergo a trial of wisdom, and I humbly request your guidance!"

The flowing data stream and the birth and death of runes suddenly accelerated! The entire illusory building seemed to come alive, with countless streams of information separating from it, converging and combining in front of Chen Ye, and finally transforming into an extremely complex three-dimensional maze model made of light points—a microcosm of the Starry Sky Puzzle Corridor!
A calm, rational, and emotionless female voice, yet carrying a strange rhythm, rang out:
“Requester detected... Inheritance sequence confirmed... Qualified to receive 'preview'.”

"The Starry Sky Puzzle Corridor is a maze without a fixed path. Its essence is the embodiment of 'logic' and 'rules' under the laws of the stars. Each time you enter, the corridor's structure, the puzzle content, and even the basic rules may change due to the entrant's cognition, state, and the star phase at that time."

Therefore, there is no fixed strategy or standard answer.

"However, the essence remains the same. All mysteries are based on three core laws: the laws governing the movement of stars, the conservation and transformation of energy, and... logical self-consistency."

"Rehearsal begins. Simulation environment: Standard star map mode. Please solve the first level of basic logic puzzle."

As soon as he finished speaking, the three-dimensional maze model in front of Chen Ye suddenly enlarged, "swallowing" him. He found himself on a constantly rotating platform made of starlight. Around the platform, hundreds of "stars" of varying sizes and brightness floated, moving slowly. Each star was engraved with a basic rune or numerical symbol of the Holy Spirit Clan.

Meanwhile, at the center of the platform, several lines of questions composed of starlight appeared:
"Known: The Tian Shu Star rune represents 'aggregation', with an energy value of 7; the Tian Xuan Star rune represents 'separation', with an energy value of 3; the Tian Ji Star rune represents 'stability', with an energy value of 5."

"Rule: Adjacent star runes can interact with each other, and the result of the interaction must conform to the rune logic and the law of conservation of energy."

"Objective: Through no more than five effective interactions, the total energy of the central triangle region (composed of the three stars marked with red asterisks) reaches 20, and the rune logic chain forms a closed loop."

Chen Ye observed intently. He discovered that the "stars" were not stationary, but rather moving slowly along specific, complex orbits, their distances and angles constantly changing. Each "interaction" required not only considering the meaning of the runes and energy values, but also calculating the trajectories of the stars, and acting at the instant they became "adjacent." This was not merely a logic problem, but also a dynamic problem of spatial geometry and timing!

Fortunately, Grand Scholar Hermes had just solidified his knowledge of stellar runes and energy structure analysis. Chen Ye quickly analyzed:

"Aggregation (7) and separation (3) interact adjacently. Logically, separation weakens aggregation. The possible result is that the energy of aggregation decreases, and the energy of separation disappears or is transformed? No, energy is conserved, and the total energy remains unchanged, but the form and logic will change..."

"Stable (5) participation is required to form a closed loop... Stable runes may serve as a balancing or transforming hub..."

"The three stars in the central triangle region currently have energies of 4, 6, and 2 respectively, totaling 12. This needs to be increased to 20, which means at least 8 points of energy need to be introduced from the outside, while simultaneously adjusting the internal logic chain..."

His brain was working at an unprecedented speed, combining newly acquired knowledge with predictions of dynamic trajectories, and his finger hovered in the air, attempting to "interact".

First interaction: Choose a star with energy of 4 (representing "flow") and a star with energy of 6 (representing "amplification").
At the moment their trajectories intersected, Chen Ye focused his mind and simulated the command for "interaction".

hum!
The two stars trembled slightly. The star representing "flow" dimmed slightly, and its energy value dropped from 4 to 2; while the star representing "amplification" brightened slightly, and its energy value rose from 6 to 8. At the same time, a pale blue energy connection line appeared between the two stars, forming a simple "flow-amplification" logical chain.

“One effective interaction, four remaining.” Sage Sophia’s calm voice rang in Chen Ye’s mind, devoid of any emotion.

Chen Ye didn't pause, his gaze sweeping over the moving stars around him. He needed to interact the adjusted "Amplification" star (energy 8) with another suitable star, introducing its energy and logic chain into the central triangular region.

His gaze locked onto a star with an energy level of 5 and the rune "Conduction". This star was slowly approaching the edge of the central triangular area along an arc-shaped trajectory.

The “conduction” rune means that it can transmit energy and logical relationships, and is one of the key nodes in building complex logical chains.

"Now!"

Just as the trajectories of the "Amplification" star and the "Transmission" star were about to overlap, Chen Ye issued another interaction command.

The two stars drew near, their light merging. The energy of the "Amplification" star (8) and the energy of the "Conduction" star (5) were not simply added together. Instead, based on the characteristics of the "Conduction" rune, a portion of the "Amplification" star's energy (3 points) was absorbed by the "Conduction" star, and the logical characteristics of "Amplification" were partially copied onto the "Conduction" star. After the interaction, the energy of the "Amplification" star decreased to 5, and the logical chain became "Flow-Amplification (Weakening)"; the energy of the "Conduction" star increased to 8, and it gained the "Amplification" characteristic.

At the moment their trajectories intersected, Chen Ye focused his mind and simulated the command for "interaction".

hum!
The two stars trembled slightly. The star representing "flow" dimmed slightly, and its energy value dropped from 4 to 2; while the star representing "amplification" brightened slightly, and its energy value rose from 6 to 8. At the same time, a pale blue energy connection line appeared between the two stars, forming a simple "flow-amplification" logical chain.

“One effective interaction, four remaining.” Sage Sophia’s calm voice rang in Chen Ye’s mind, devoid of any emotion.

Chen Ye didn't pause, his gaze sweeping over the moving stars around him. He needed to interact the adjusted "Amplification" star (energy 8) with another suitable star, introducing its energy and logic chain into the central triangular region.

His gaze locked onto a star with an energy level of 5 and the rune "Conduction". This star was slowly approaching the edge of the central triangular area along an arc-shaped trajectory.

The “conduction” rune means that it can transmit energy and logical relationships, and is one of the key nodes in building complex logical chains.

"Now!"

Just as the trajectories of the "Amplification" star and the "Transmission" star were about to overlap, Chen Ye issued another interaction command.

The two stars drew near, their light merging. The energy of the "Amplification" star (8) and the energy of the "Conduction" star (5) were not simply added together. Instead, based on the characteristics of the "Conduction" rune, a portion of the "Amplification" star's energy (3 points) was absorbed by the "Conduction" star, and the logical characteristics of "Amplification" were also partially copied onto the "Conduction" star. After the interaction, the energy of the "Amplification" star decreased to 5, and the logical chain became "Flow-Amplification (Weakening)"; the energy of the "Conduction" star increased to 8 and gained the "Amplification" characteristic, and the logical chain became "Amplification-Conduction".

Second effective interaction!
The "conduction" star has gained "amplification" properties, reaching an energy level of 8, and is moving towards the central triangular region. What Chen Ye needs to do is complete one more crucial interaction before it enters the triangular region, allowing it to establish a stable connection with a star within the triangular region, while simultaneously transferring the energy and logic chain into it.

His gaze swept quickly across the three stars within the triangular area: Energy 4 (Rune "Basic"), Energy 6 (Rune "Transformation"), and Energy 2 (Rune "Dissipation"). The current total is 12, indicating a loose logical chain.

"We need to connect the 'Conduction-Amplification' star with the 'Transformation' star!" Chen Ye made the judgment instantly. The "Transformation" rune has the ability to change the nature of energy and adjust logical relationships, and is the key to forming a closed loop.

The trajectory of the "transduction" star and the "conversion" star in the triangular region are about to intersect at a complex three-dimensional node. The time window is extremely short, and there are several other interfering stars moving along the path.

Chen Ye held his breath, concentrating intently. He not only had to calculate the precise spacetime point where the two stars would intersect, but also predict the trajectory of the interfering star to prevent the interaction from being accidentally interrupted or contaminated.

coming!

The "Conduction" star and the "Transformation" star trace two graceful arcs in three-dimensional space, about to converge at a single point! Meanwhile, a gray star representing "interference" is slanting in from the side, its trajectory passing precisely through the point of interaction!

The interaction must be completed before the interfering star arrives!
Chen Ye's mind was as sharp as lightning. At the critical moment, he precisely captured the fleeting pure window and issued the third interaction command!

hum!
The "Conduction" star and the "Transformation" star have successfully connected! A stable energy flow with an amplifying effect flows from the "Conduction" star into the "Transformation" star! The energy of the "Transformation" star surges from 6 to 14! At the same time, a clear "amplification-conduction-transformation" logical chain is established, connecting the triangular region to the outside world.

The interfering star, however, grazed the edge of the energy aftershocks following the interaction and failed to cause any impact.

“Three valid interactions, two remaining.” Sage Sophia’s voice remained calm.

Now, the energy distribution within the triangular region becomes: base (4), transformation (14), dissipation (2), totaling 20, which has reached the target energy value! However, the logic chain is not yet fully closed, and the existence of the "dissipation" rune (energy 2) may continue to consume energy and disrupt stability.

The "Dissipating" star must be dealt with! (End of Chapter)