"Mo Xuan? Is he the 'star spirit', the new-generation spectral Cultivator who lives in liquid metal and a firm advocate of the grand-unified Spiritual Nexus?" Long Yangjun pondered for a moment.
"Wait. You are not concerned about the threat of the 'virtual life', are you? Let's prioritize. With the technology of the crystal processors and the Spiritual Nexus of the Federation right now, even if virtual life is really produced, it will take at least tens of thousands of years. But the threat of the expedition army of the Imperium is real!"
"No. I was trying to investigate Lu Qingchen in the beginning."
Li Yao finished the noodles and the last drop of the sour soup. Tapping the table with his fork, he said, "I always felt that something was very wrong with Lu Qingchen. His' 20 theories of the Immortal Cultivators' gave me quite a shock and creeped me out! I met the guy when he was a teenager. He was mature and shrewd, and he was certainly not a man who was willing to bow to somebody else. I was worried that Jin Xinyue would not be able to control him and might be swallowed by him.
"Therefore, when I was free, I studied the trajectory of his life, especially the collapse of the Virtual Spirits Sector that led to his complete metamorphosis into an Immortal Cultivator.
"As it turned out, I found that there were few descriptions about the collapse of the Virtual Spirits Sector on the Spiritual Nexus. Even the so-called 'in-depth reports' were often understated and did not mention the real cause and effect.
"It did make sense. At that time, the 'grand-unified Spiritual Nexus' that crossed multiple Sectors was being built at a high speed. If the news about the death of the experimenter was hyped, people would've doubted the security of the Spiritual Nexus. Besides, Su Chang, who was killed, was an Immortal Cultivator of the Imperium. His position in the Federation was rather awkward in the first place. The incident did not raise much trouble and passed by just like that. Everybody forgot about the 'Virtual Spirits Sector' together.
"But I felt that it did not make sense. However close Lu Qingchen was to Su Chang, his teacher's death was an accident after all. It was unlikely that he would hate the Federation so much that he surrendered to the Imperium, right?
"What exactly happened in the 'Virtual Spirits Sector' years ago? Why did Su Chang die? Why did Lu Qingchen change? Why did my teacher, Professor Mo Xuan, give up the studies of 'virtual life'?
"My master has always been the most determined man. Even though he was turned into a 'Phantom Entity' because of the big explosion and spent quite a few years in a half-dead state, he never gave up his dream of refining after he was resurrected. Even the greatest failure should've made him braver and braver!
"It doesn't make sense. None of it makes sense!
"As I continued my search, I discovered that the 'Virtual Spirits Realm experiment' was carried out in the Hundred Flowers Sector.
"At that time, Hundred Flowers City had just been established. All the crystal processors had been relocated from the Heaven's Origin Sector, the Flying Star Sector, the Uranian Ring Sector, Kunlun, and other places for complicated assembly and debugging. According to the public reports, something went wrong in the debugging of the computation center nearby, which affected Professor Mo Xuan, Su Chang, Lu Qingchen, and the mainframe crystal processor of the 'Virtual Spirits Sector' research team, and that was why the 'Virtual Spirits Sector' collapsed.
"To this day, the relics of the 'Virtual Spirits Sector' in the past should still be hidden in Hundred Flowers City. The research and control center of 'Computational Illumination' should be here, too. Although my teacher left the research team of 'Civilization' and gave up the Virtual Spirits Sector, he was still stationed in Hundred Flowers City to manage other research projects."
"Therefore, you were trying to find Professor Mo Xuan to learn the truth about the collapse of the 'Virtual Spirits Sector' in the past so that you could determine whether or not there was anything wrong with Lu Qingchen?"
"That's what I thought at first."
Li Yao said, "But after careful study, I found a new clue. As it turned out, other than Lu Qingchen, all my teachers were seriously problematic!"
Long Yangjun was slightly dazed. Subconsciously lowering her voice, she leaned forward and asked, "What was the problem?"
Li Yao narrowed his eyes and said, one word after another, "He was divorced!"
"…" Long Yangjun.
Li Yao bashed the table hard. "He was divorced. Also, it was because he cheated on his mistress and was discovered by his wife, Professor Yuan Manqiu of the Refining Department of the Grand Desolate War Institution. That's why they divorced!"
"Excuse me," Long Yangjun said. "It suddenly occurred to me that I have to go now. Why don't you continue your noodles?"
"Don't be like that and listen to my explanation," Li Yao said. "Professor Mo Xuan and Professor Yuan Manqiu, my two teachers, were very close to each other and supported each other for more than a hundred years. How could Professor Mo Xuan have an affair with his mistress and divorce her?"
"Freedom of marriage is none of your business," Long Yangjun said. "My patience is limited, and it was already exceeded when you were eating your third bowl of noodles!"
"No," Li Yao said. "Trust me. Come to think of it, it happened not long after the collapse of the 'Virtual Spirits Sector'. Do you not feel that the timing is too coincidental and weird?"
Long Yangjun took a deep breath, only to discover that her nose was filled with the smell of sour soup. Fanning herself in disgust, she managed to think for a moment and nodded. "Now that you mention it … it is indeed weird. Isn't your teacher a spectral Cultivator? Why did he cheat on his mistress?"
"That's not a problem."
Li Yao said, "He is made of liquid metal, which can change into any shape. Technically speaking, he could've made as many of them as he wanted. Also, even for regular spectral Cultivators, the Federation's artificial limb industry is quite advanced right now, and there are artificial limbs of that kind. How should I put it? It's like the so-called 'Mr. Horn', 'Dr. Pestle', and 'Lady Clam' in the Ancient Sages Sector. You are a eunuch. Shouldn't eunuchs like you know such things best?"
"Who's a eunuch?"
Long Yangjun slapped the table hard, leaving a deep mark on it. She gnashed her teeth and said, "Since there is no problem technically, isn't it perfectly normal? Both a spectral Cultivator and a star spirit are human beings, and human beings have feelings and desires. As the saying goes, 'Seven Years Itch' is already unbearably itchy after seven years. Two people have been together for seventy years. Won't they scratch each other's bodies until they are bleeding?
"Think about it. Your teacher, Professor Mo Xuan, is responsible for the development of the game 'Civilization' in the Hundred Flowers Space Zone and the 'Virtual Spirits Sector Project', while your other teacher, Professor Yuan Manqiu, is responsible for the Refining Department of the Grand Desolate War Institution in the Heaven's Origin Sector. The two of them must've spent more time apart than time together!
"In the past, they were both engaged in the research of Crystal Suit. They could support and communicate with each other in their careers. But after Professor Mo Xuan turned into a star spirit and his computational ability soared, he gradually changed his career path to the Spiritual Nexus. Then, what common topics did the two of them have?
"At that time, the 'Virtual Spirits Sector Project' that Professor Mo Xuan devoted himself to failed and even caused the death of a researcher. It is needless to say that he must've been frustrated and frustrated.
"If a charming fairy or a female researcher who is also involved in the research of the Spiritual Nexus and crystal processors took advantage of the situation and extended her hand into his liquid metal to comfort his heavily wounded heart … Would it have been strange?"
Li Yao scratched his chin hard. "Now that you mention it, it does make sense. According to the gossip at that time, my teacher's mistress seems to be a female researcher in the 'Grand-Unified Spiritual Nexus Computing Center'. It is said that she is an experienced algorithm specialist or something." Long Yangjun was taken aback.
"Then, it's settled!"
Li Yao shook his head hard. "No. I have to figure it out. It won't take long anyway. While our starship is being maintained and refilled with fuel, I'll go and meet Professor Mo Xuan. If my teacher is fine with it, I can tell Ding Ling Dong and Jin Xinyue that I'm back through him. I don't feel reassured even if I ask somebody else."
Pondering for a moment, Long Yangjun said, "That does make sense. It's true that we should reach out to Ding Ling Dong and Jin Xinyue first so that we can work together in case there are any misunderstandings.
"Then, what project is your teacher responsible for right now in the Hundred Flowers Space Zone? Where can I find him?"
Li Yao tapped on a light beam softly. "Well, the 'Tinder Plan' originated from the 'Monument Plan' proposed by 'Gui Suishou', the oldest demon emperor of the Blood Demon Sector, more than a hundred years ago for the purpose of passing on our civilization. Later, the Glorious Sunlight Group, the Double Dragons Union, the Federation, and a lot of other sects invested in the plan and helped it realize. Because 'monument' was not a very auspicious word, it was renamed the 'Tinder Plan'.
"After the collapse of the Virtual Spirits Sector, Professor Mo Xuan was frustrated. He abandoned most of the work in the game 'Civilization' and the grand-unified Spiritual Nexus and devoted himself to the Tinder Plan as the person in charge. With his participation, the progress of the Tinder Plan has been significantly accelerated. Right now, the first batch of 'tinder' has been produced and can be projected into the sea of stars.
"As a matter of fact, because the Black Wind Fleet is approaching, nobody knows when they will suddenly march out. Therefore, the first 'tinder' will be launched tomorrow.
"It was exactly because I learned of it from the news that I specifically asked our starship to come to the Hundred Flowers Space Zone today and apply to visit the project team of the 'Tinder Plan' so that we can communicate with Professor Mo Xuan and learn more about the legacy of our civilization. The authorities have already approved it. It will only take half a day. Our journey will not be delayed."
Long Yangjun narrowed her eyes and browsed through the news quickly. "The first deep-space exploration starship that carries the tinder of the civilization of the Xing Yao Federation will be led by 'Wei Qingqing', a famous theorist and educator of the Federation. Professor Wei will be the first person in the history of the Federation who is likely to hibernate for tens of thousands of years and go to the distant future to pass on our civilization? Professor Wei … Wei Qingqing … Oh … I get it now! "
Li Yao blinked his eyes hard. "What do you get?"
Long Yangjun looked at him thoughtfully. With a vague smile, she said, "So, you are not talking to Professor Mo Xuan but to meet your old flame after all that nonsense!"
Li Yao's face immediately turned pale. "What old flame? This is already my wife's territory. Don't talk nonsense! "
"Isn't Wei Qingqing the girl who stood out and sacrificed herself valiantly to save you on the train north to the Grand Desolate War Institution before your spiritual root was awakened? She's a writer, too!"
Long Yangjun chuckled. "It is said that it was under her encouragement that you established the lofty goal of becoming a Cultivator. For you, she is almost like … a glorious and sacred big sister.
"Don't stare at me like that. I didn't say that. I've read more than ten biographies of yours, and they all said the same thing!
"That explains a lot. I completely get it now! The big sister who saved your life years ago and encouraged you to embark on the path of Cultivators will embark on the journey to a hundred thousand years later tomorrow, and you will never see her again. Now that you have learned such a piece of shocking news, it is only natural that you want to meet her. After all, your business and your personal affairs are not in the way!
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