For all these years, the Relevant Department and the various organizations on New Star had unearthed strange objects from Old Earth before, but golden bamboo a meter thick in diameter was unprecedented.
It had been split open and fashioned into a small boat. Even in the Pre-Qin era, that must have been a grand undertaking!
The major institutions of New Star had once fought tooth and nail over just a few Golden Bamboo Slips. Now, living bamboo brimming with vigorous life force had appeared.
More than a dozen branches still rested on the bamboo boat, leaves attached. From time to time, they scattered a rain of golden light that fell upon the Female Daoist practitioner, who lay silent as though asleep.
The female researcher from New Star explained that the bamboo branch brought to the surface earlier had been cut from the little boat.
"You mean she might still come back to life?" The man in black-rimmed glasses introduced himself as Qian Lei and carefully sought to understand the situation.
The people above attached great importance to this place. Anything involving longevity was a major matter. Not only did New Star's financial magnates care about it; Old Earth was no different.
"There is no possibility. She died thousands of years ago. Her self-awareness, the most fundamental trait of a human being, has long vanished, and the bioelectricity in her brain has dissipated."
As one of the people in charge of the project, Zhou Yu knew better than anyone that the Female Daoist practitioner had been dead for at least three thousand years. The only puzzling thing was that the vitality of her flesh remained.
After testing and analysis, they unanimously concluded that this was connected to the golden boat and her own supernatural power.
"Tell me in detail." Qian Lei asked for guidance. He needed a thorough understanding; Old Earth would certainly be taking part in the follow-up research at this underground experimental site.
Several researchers from New Star explained, broadly introducing everything from the discovery of these underground ruins to the direction of their research in recent years, as well as the preliminary results they had now achieved.
Zhou Yu, one of the project leaders, added further details. She knew exactly what some people from Old Earth cared about most.
"Tests indicate that her physiological age before death was around twenty-five."
"So young?" Qian Lei was startled. Working in a special department, he knew far more than ordinary people about Pre-Qin Daoist practitioners. To become one of the foremost Daoist Masters in her twenties was unheard of.
"No. More precisely, twenty-something was merely the age indicated by her bodily vitality. After testing and analysis through multiple methods, we scientifically calculated that her actual age at death was around two hundred and thirty. It is truly astonishing. From the number of cell divisions to telomere consumption, every one of her indicators far surpassed those of ordinary people."
To remain young at such an age made Qian Lei's expression exceptionally grave. He adjusted his glasses and asked, "Can the data be trusted?"
Zhou Yu knew what he—or rather, those behind him—were hoping for. From ancient times to the present, longevity had always been an unfading, most mysterious topic.
Countless people had sought it. From the Pre-Qin era until now, they had endlessly repeated the old tales of the past, truly making countless heroes bow in rivalry.
The financial magnates of this era, however, were more direct. They had made it public, poured in vast resources, and already achieved preliminary results.
Zhou Yu said, "The cause of her death is unknown, but it definitely was not natural death. Judging by the vitality of her body, she theoretically could have lived to at least seven hundred. Her upper limit was around nine hundred and fifty."
Qian Lei's heart was far from calm. He knew what this meant. Once it was reported upward, this underground experimental site would become one of Old Earth's most important laboratories from this day onward, and its security would be raised to the highest level.
Several researchers from Old Earth flipped through data reports, nodding continuously. They were quite excited. This underground experimental site had already conducted many experiments using the Female Daoist practitioner's blood, bone marrow, muscle fibers, and more. The data was detailed, and the conclusions credible.
Wang Xuan listened and observed attentively. A Female Daoist practitioner two hundred and thirty years old had still retained the bodily vitality of someone in her twenties. It was indeed astonishing. He knew well that a Daoist Master who had reached such heights must have entered the Inner Scenery Realm.
"Her telomeres are far longer than those of ordinary people. This means that, in theory, her maximum lifespan was greatly increased."
The several Old Earth researchers' eyes burned with envy. They wished they could join this project immediately.
Zhou Yu said, "We extracted a miraculous substance from the Female Daoist practitioner's blood. It can extend an ordinary person's life by a certain amount."
Qian Lei's expression turned solemn. "Do you have any phased results? I mean clinical trials and the like. Are there actual cases? How much longer did they extend a normal person's lifespan?"
"Yes. On New Star, we have a very important client, also one of our investors. Thirty percent of this underground experimental site's funding was provided by him. We injected him with the active substance extracted from the Female Daoist practitioner's blood. After more than two years of follow-up observation, we found that although he originally had little life left, he could theoretically live another fifteen years or more."
As soon as Zhou Yu said this, the people from Old Earth were utterly shocked.
Even Wang Xuan secretly marveled. The Female Daoist practitioner had been dead for more than three thousand years, yet part of the attributes of longevity remained hidden within her body. She was truly extraordinary, practically like Tang Monk's flesh.
Qian Lei's facial expression changed at once. "Do you have other clients like this? Exactly how much of that active substance have you extracted from the Female Daoist practitioner?"
Zhou Yu replied, "Other major clients are still waiting for our samples, but we do not wish to drain the pond to catch all the fish. Over the years, we have kept trying to artificially cultivate the Female Daoist practitioner's cells, but the results have been unsatisfactory. For example, her blood contains supernatural power. Once it leaves her body, its properties become extremely unstable, and there have been many laboratory explosions."
"We have another experiment. We are preparing to upload the thought memories of a volunteer from New Star into the Female Daoist practitioner's brain, reactivate the bioelectricity in her brain, and take a look at whether her immensely powerful bodily vitality can allow another person to be reborn."
"No!" Qian Lei grew anxious and directly shouted his opposition, somewhat losing his composure.
Wang Xuan was stunned as well. There was actually such an experiment?
"On New Star, this kind of technology has already accumulated to a certain degree. In the eyes of us researchers, people are no different from mechs. We are merely more delicate. The thought activity of the human brain is also just a set of complex programs and can theoretically be replicated."
Qian Lei said in a deep voice, "Suspend that experimental project. You cannot do this."
Then he asked, "Who is the volunteer?" He felt that an ordinary person could never obtain such an opportunity. This was an attempt to revive within the Female Daoist practitioner's body and live for centuries without dying.
"It is the founder of our Origin Life Research Institute—Ms. Zheng." Zhou Yu calmly informed him. Sixty percent of the funding for this underground experimental site had come from Ms. Zheng.
Qian Lei said, "Since we are going to cooperate, we need to work out the most secure plan. Your experiment is too risky and should not be carried out at this stage."
"Actually, I personally do not support reviving another person's thought memories within her body either. I lean more toward a later plan: comprehensively dissecting the Female Daoist practitioner, using New Star's most advanced life-science instruments to record and decipher the genetic information in her body, then fundamentally analyzing and compiling the microscopic structure of this kind of person who broke through humanity's ceiling of life..."
Wang Xuan was rendered speechless upon hearing this. He silently mourned the Female Daoist practitioner. She had been dead for thousands of years and still could not rest in peace—frequently having her blood drawn, and now she was even going to be dissected.
Qian Lei was startled. This quiet, refined woman was actually so crazy. He hurriedly said, "Do not act rashly. Some experiments must be put on hold until our plan is ready for discussion. Since we are cooperating, it naturally needs to be a win-win arrangement."
"This bamboo contains supernatural power and possesses extremely powerful vitality. After refining it, we discovered that the life factors it contains are no fewer than those in the Female Daoist practitioner's body."
When the thick bamboo that had been made into a little boat was mentioned, the female researcher Zhou Yu became spirited again.
After listening for a while, Wang Xuan could not help asking a researcher beside him, "Were there no other discoveries in these underground caverns, such as bamboo slips? Such a powerful Female Daoist practitioner could not possibly have left nothing else behind, could she?"
That researcher shook his head. "No. When we entered, these underground stone caverns looked as though a massive explosion had occurred. Many places were charred black. Even if there had been bamboo slips, they had turned to ash."
After he described the scene, Qing Mu, the two experts from Old Earth's military, and even Qian Lei, who was formidable himself, all wore extremely grave expressions.
Qing Mu said in a deep voice, "From what you describe, it sounds very much like something recorded in the bamboo-slip notes left by other Pre-Qin Daoist practitioners."
"That's right." One of Old Earth's military experts nodded. "It sounds very much like the descriptions of a great explosion caused by failed Ascension to Immortality."
Regarding Ascension to Immortality, later generations had always debated it. Some believed that walking that path meant knowing one was about to die and using supernatural power to burn oneself away.
Others believed that Ascension to Immortality was the sign of impending immortality, pushing one's life level to its utmost limit and thereafter truly attaining eternal life.
Unfortunately, throughout the long years, there had been no verified successful cases. Everyone connected to Ascension to Immortality had been confirmed dead when discovered.
New Star's financial magnates had even sent out "archaeological teams" that excavated humanoid ashes of such people on Old Earth. Their deaths had not been particularly dignified.
This woman had been mentioned in other Pre-Qin Bamboo Slips. She was believed to be one of the foremost Daoist Masters, with aspirations toward the ranks of the Transcendent Immortals. Naturally, she would have taken the path of Ascension to Immortality.
Unfortunately, it seemed that she had failed as well. That explained why she had died while she still had many years left to live.
From the perspective of scientific testing, no injuries could be found, and the cause of death remained unknown.
But if it was demonstrated through the path of Old Arts, that is, her spiritual will had been scattered and utterly ground away. Such a person could not possibly come back to life.
Wang Xuan listened, engrossed. Another case of failed Ascension to Immortality!
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