Zhou Yi looked at the burly man in front of him.

"According to the identification by our company's phototrope staff, I'm sorry to inform you that your [Light Absorbing Monster Collector] cannot cultivate phototropes."

"The reason for this is..."

He briefly explained the principle behind it.

Ye Si immediately took out a stack of bound paper and began to take quick notes with a charcoal pencil while listening.

This made Zhou Yi recall the first enhancer he had eliminated after coming ashore, who was named Yang Si, a member of the Alchemist Association. Among his belongings were similar bound paper and charcoal pencils.

"Are you an Alchemist?"

"Yes."

Ye Si's hand moved swiftly. When Zhou Yi finished speaking, he had already finished writing down the key points and vocabulary in real-time notes.

Zhou Yi asked curiously, "Does the Alchemist Association issue this type of paper and charcoal pencils uniformly?"

"Yes."

"No wonder all the Alchemists seem to carry this kind of paper and pencil."

The other party smiled somewhat embarrassedly, "Actually, this paper and pencil are of a slightly inferior quality to those sold outside. The paper is relatively thin and soft, and sometimes the charcoal pencil doesn't write smoothly. But anyway, they are free tools distributed every year, so there's nothing much to complain about."

"Alchemists have large expenses, so we save wherever we can. As far as I know, most Golden Seal Alchemists use the same paper and pencils as we do."

Zhou Yi nodded.

I see, indeed.

The Silver Seal Alchemist in our company, Octopus Brother Bi Qi, is also very frugal in his daily life. It seems to have become a professional habit, with an instinctive tendency to reduce unnecessary expenses.

"But I still believe that my method can yield a phototrope."

Ye Si insisted, "I'm not denying the judgment of your company's phototrope staff, but the evolution of the Light Absorbing Monster into a phototrope occurs through the accumulation from quantitative to qualitative change."

"Whether a phototrope is a single Light Absorbing Monster that undergoes metamorphosis or is formed by the aggregation of many Light Absorbing Monsters into a stable entity remains undetermined."

"However, the fact is that I have not been able to reproduce a phototrope that can stably exist."

"But I will continue to try in this direction."

Zhou Yi felt admiration.

Many seemingly impossible tasks are accomplished in this way.

One must believe in oneself and persist to have a chance of success.

"Although the ability to cultivate phototropes has not yet been proven, the [Light Absorbing Monster Collector] is a useful tool for the daily maintenance and enhancement of our company's two phototropes."

Zhou Yi said straightforwardly, "Our company is very interested in this and would like to purchase this technical patent from you."

Ye Si was already packing his equipment when he was taken aback and then overjoyed, "You think my invention is good, right? I knew it would be very useful!"

The burly man thought for a while, "Then, how about 300 Light Seeds plus a 5% share?"

"No problem."

Zhou Yi nodded directly, "Or you can choose to join our company. The company will provide funding for you to continue your research in this direction."

"The money will still be given to you."

Ye Si shook his head, "Thank you for the invitation. I don't like being constrained by too many regulations, and I don't want to move. The Alchemist Association is very close to my home, just opposite, and there's not much work. Although my salary isn't much, it's enough for meals. I've been used to life in the Heavenly Kingdom since I was little... You won't change your mind, will you?"

The burly man looked a bit uneasy.

Zhou Yi laughed, "Of course not. Everyone likes a job with few tasks and close to home; it's human nature."

"If you have any new developments in the future, you can contact our company by logging in to 'Wasteland Information.' You can find me there. We will also contact you through this platform. Register an account there and check the backend regularly."

"Sure. Actually, I'm already a user of yours. I also hope my invention can be promoted by you! The Wasteland Development Company has a great reputation for new inventions!"

The other party immediately breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

Ye Si took out his notes and began the technical scan with the Red Kestrel. He explained the physical tools, their principles, limitations, manufacturing materials and processes, and various usage notes patiently.

The entire process lasted for two hours.

Before he left, Zhou Yi asked, "By the way, you look quite fit. Are all Alchemists in the Heavenly Kingdom this strong?"

The young burly man grinned, "The older generation is actually quite normal."

"The explosion in Fengdu City mainly caused everyone to focus on exercise. Otherwise, they would regret it when trying to escape."

"Anyway, the younger generation pays great attention to physical fitness, not limited to enhancements, but also continuous post-operation body training. At least in the Heavenly Kingdom, regardless of gender, fitness has become a part of daily life for Alchemists. Otherwise, it would be hard to sustain high-intensity experiments and writing reports."

Zhou Yi understood.

The explosion in Fengdu City killed 3,000 people and left over 27,000 people on lifelong medication to suppress physiological changes, ultimately destroying the entire city.

The reason was the secret "Light Burst Experiment," which, once leaked, the resulting radiation shock destroyed the city.

The young Qian Su, as a result, had become an Iron Head Girl with prosthetic limbs.

Octopus Brother Bi Qi nearly met the same fate, being thrown into the Dead Sea with his boat for writing a whistleblowing letter.

It seems this incident also prompted the Alchemists' self-rescue efforts and spurred a fitness culture.

Muscular Alchemists were becoming the trend.

...

The exhibition lasted for a week.

But Zhou Yi only stayed for a day, taking the Black Husband back to Sand Port that night.

Primarily because he received a message from the Cat God.

"Chairman, it's not good. The Big Buddha has been smashed again..."

I knew it.

Zhou Yi sighed deeply upon hearing this.

Though the Big Buddha's fighting spirit was commendable, facing the Dead Sea Master at this stage was a bit overambitious.

The Big Buddha was shattered.

Zhou Yi needed to check its current condition. There were no energy blocks left, and he was unsure if the situation was dangerous.

He flew back overnight.

"Zhou Yi, I'm fine. I'm holding on."

On the top floor of Jade City, only a pile of rubble resembling a tomb remained of the Big Buddha.

"... "

Zhou Yi coldly said, "Until there are energy blocks, do not leave Sand Port."

"Understood."

The Big Buddha had no objection.

Zhou Yi calmed down and asked, "How were you smashed this time?"

The Big Buddha recounted, "Zhou Yi, I was not unprepared this second westward journey. I observed and tested the Light Burst energy structure."

"The instantaneous explosive force of the Light Burst is incredibly powerful, but if you adjust your structure to behave like a fluid Light Soot structure, the impact force can be directed to the ground, greatly reducing harm. This is a principle I learned from nature."

"My tests showed good results."

"If you transform into a linear radiation fluid like underground Light Soot, the impact force can be dispersed by over 99%, with the remaining force passing into the earth's crust beneath the sea floor."

"I named this technique 'Radiant Fluid.'"

Zhou Yi's heart shivered.

This was leveraging existing abilities to develop new applications.

The Big Buddha's talent was truly extraordinary.

"Unfortunately, this time I encountered the Dead Sea Master's high-pressure field, amplifying to at least LV4-level pressure, completely crushing my body. I had no countermeasures."

"Fortunately, when I was crushed, the Radiant Fluid technique took effect, allowing me to slowly flow out of the high-pressure area to safety. Otherwise, I might not have made it back."

Leshan Buddha mused, "The Dead Sea Master is like a mountain; you don't realize its grandeur until you stand at its foot, feeling your own insignificance."

"Next time, I will make more thorough preparations. Whether dealing with Light Bursts, high-pressure, or rapids, I need response strategies."

The result of being pulverized was that even the Light Core was shattered, leaving only the consciousness intact.

Leshan Buddha said, "I'm sorry, Zhou Yi, but I might be out of action for a while."

"..."

Zhou Yi pinched his brow, feeling a headache.

The ancient wisdom holds: Poverty leads to literature, wealth to warfare.

Once you start leveling up and enhancing combat power, the consumption is immense.

Just like that, another energy block was lost.

The Big Buddha continued, "Now, I'm able to exist in a concept life form without relying on a physical body, like now. However, this state can't be maintained without reaching the Light Core Body stage."

"I've never attempted this form before, so I'm cautious about maintaining it long-term. I brought back part of the rubble just in case."

Zhou Yi was taken aback upon hearing this.

It sounded like the Big Buddha could fully transform into a concept life form?

The Big Buddha couldn't explain the specifics.

The Cat God's examination concluded, "Chairman, the Big Buddha's 'Lay down the Slaughter Knife' ability will continue advancing consciousness evolution. As the consciousness absorbs external powerful impacts, the thousands of consciousness entities within can move and reorganize better."

"These entities have reconnected and can, as a stable consciousness body, operate independently of a material vessel. Connecting with the Great Holy Spirit allows for manipulating this world's energy."

"However, it's not advisable to do this."

"Abandoning the body loses some autonomy, becoming highly dependent on the Great Holy Spirit and unable to leave this world for long, as the consciousness's intrinsic energy is limited. It's best for the Big Buddha to retain his body, enabling the consciousness to escape like this time if destroyed."

Zhou Yi agreed.

Matter and consciousness are two sides of the same coin.

Having both offers security.

He instructed the Big Buddha to rest on the rooftop.

Zhou Yi then swiftly piloted the Black Husband to send a prosthetic limb through the channel to the Mud Tree World.

This time he planned to switch tracks.

The nearby low-end resources were almost exhausted, and searching further was becoming time-consuming.

High-end searches had returned Cave People survivors.

This time, he'd try the mid-range!

Adjusting the varying search levels might shorten the cycle.

The Mad Traveler jumped into the black channel and vanished.

…

When he finished, dawn was breaking.

Through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Jade City, he could see the hazy Dead Sea with the orange sunrise slowly brightening.

Zhou Yi took out his diary.

—Develop a technology.

This was the only task not yet crossed off.

It was now completed, as the Electric Cat System and the Floating Heart had taken shape.

He crossed it off with a pen.

Next.

All foundational conditions were met now.

After a moment's thought, he carefully wrote.

—Transform the Dead Sea.

This was the next goal.

[End of Volume]

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