Ascension Failure

For many years, various organizations, including government departments and New Star, have unearthed strange artifacts from Old Earth, but a golden bamboo slip with a diameter of one meter was unprecedented.

It was split in half and made into a small boat, which would have been a significant undertaking even in the Pre-Qin period!

In the past, major New Star institutions had fought fiercely just to obtain a few golden bamboo slips, and now a living bamboo with vibrant life force had appeared.

There were also more than a dozen branches on the bamboo boat, all with leaves, and from time to time, a shower of golden light would fall, landing on the female Daoist practitioner who was as quiet as if in a deep slumber.

A female researcher from New Star explained that the bamboo branch brought to the surface earlier was a segment cut from the small boat.

"Are you saying she still has a chance to come back to life?" asked the man with black-rimmed glasses, who introduced himself as Qian Lei, as he carefully and meticulously inquired about the situation.

The higher-ups attached great importance to this place. Anything related to longevity was a major matter, not only important to the New Star Zaibatsu but also to Old Earth.

"There is no chance. She died thousands of years ago. Her self-awareness, the most essential characteristic of a human, has long since vanished, and the bio-electricity in her brain has dissipated."

As one of the project leaders, 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 her physical vitality was still present.

Later, after testing and analysis, they unanimously agreed that this was related to the small golden boat and her own supernatural power.

"Explain in detail," Qian Lei requested. He needed a thorough understanding, as Old Earth would definitely participate in the follow-up research of this underground testing ground.

Several New Star researchers explained, roughly outlining the discovery of this underground ruin, their research direction in recent years, and the preliminary results they had achieved.

Zhou Yu, one of the project leaders, added supplementary information, knowing well what some people from Old Earth were most concerned about.

"According to the tests, her physiological age before death was around twenty-five years old."

"So young?" Qian Lei was startled. As someone in a special department, he knew far more about Pre-Qin Daoist practitioners than ordinary people. To become a top expert among Daoist practitioners in his twenties was unheard of.

"No, to be precise, her twenties was just her physical vitality age. Through various testing and analysis methods, we scientifically calculated that her actual age at death was around two hundred and thirty years old. It must be said, it's astonishing. From the number of cell divisions to telomere consumption, her various indicators far exceeded those of ordinary people."

Maintaining such a youthful state at that age made Qian Lei's expression extremely serious. He adjusted his glasses and asked, "Is the data reliable?"

Zhou Yu knew what he, or rather, the people behind him, were hoping for. From ancient times to the present, longevity had always been an unfading topic, the most mysterious.

Many people were searching for it, repeating past events from the Pre-Qin period to the present, truly making countless heroes strive for it.

It was just that the Zaibatsu of this era were more direct, making it public, investing massive resources, and achieving preliminary results.

Zhou Yu said, "Her cause of death is unknown, but it was definitely not natural. Based on her physical vitality, theoretically, she could have lived at least seven hundred years, with an upper limit of around nine hundred and fifty years."

Qian Lei was deeply unsettled. He knew what this meant. Once reported to the higher-ups, this underground testing ground would become one of Old Earth's most important laboratories starting today, and security would be raised to the highest level.

Several Old Earth researchers were looking through data reports, nodding continuously. They were quite excited. This underground testing ground had already conducted many experiments using the female Daoist practitioner's blood, bone marrow, muscle fibers, etc. The data was detailed, and the conclusions were credible.

Wang Xuan listened and observed attentively. A female Daoist practitioner who died over three thousand years ago still maintained the physical vitality of a twenty-something. It was indeed astonishing. He knew very well that any Daoist practitioner who achieved such a feat must have visited the Inner Scenery Realm.

"Her telomere length far exceeds that of ordinary people, which theoretically greatly increases her lifespan limit."

The Old Earth researchers were envious, wishing they could immediately participate in this project.

Zhou Yu stated, "We have extracted a miraculous substance from the female Daoist practitioner's blood that can extend the lifespan of ordinary people to a certain extent."

Qian Lei's expression turned solemn upon hearing this and he asked, "Do you have phased results, I mean clinical trials, are there real cases, and how much has the lifespan of normal people been extended?"

"Yes, we have a very important client from New Star, who is also one of our investors. Thirty percent of the funding for this underground testing ground was provided by him. We injected the active substance extracted from the female Daoist practitioner's blood into him. After more than two years of follow-up observation, it was found that he, who was already nearing the end of his lifespan, could theoretically live for more than fifteen additional years."

Zhou Yu's words shocked the Old Earth personnel.

Even Wang Xuan secretly marveled that the female Daoist practitioner had been dead for over three thousand years, yet her body still contained some attributes of longevity. It was truly extraordinary, almost like the flesh of Tang Monk.

Qian Lei's expression changed immediately. He spoke, "Do you have any other such clients? How much of that active substance have you extracted from the female Daoist practitioner?"

Zhou Yu replied, "There are still some major clients waiting for our samples, but we don't want to exhaust the resource. We have been trying to cultivate the female Daoist practitioner's cells artificially over the years, but the results have not been ideal. For example, her blood contains supernatural power, and once it leaves the body, its properties are extremely unstable, leading to several laboratory explosions."

"We have another experiment planned, which is to try uploading the thoughts and memories of a New Star volunteer into the female Daoist practitioner's brain and reactivating the bio-electricity in her brain, to see if we can use her incredibly powerful physical vitality to give another person a new life."

"No!" Qian Lei became anxious, raising his voice in protest.

Wang Xuan was also stunned, wondering if such an experiment was even possible.

"New Star has accumulated a certain level of technology in this area. In the eyes of us researchers, everyone is essentially no different from Mechs, just more refined. The brain activity of humans is just a complex set of programs, theoretically replicable."

Qian Lei said sternly, "This experimental project you mentioned is suspended. It cannot be done."

Then he asked, "Who is the volunteer?" He felt that ordinary people would absolutely not get this opportunity. This was an attempt to revive someone using the female Daoist practitioner's body, to achieve centuries of longevity without dying.

"It's the founder of our Origin Life Research Institute – Ms. Zheng," Zhou Yu replied calmly. Sixty percent of the funding for building this underground testing ground came from Ms. Zheng.

Qian Lei stated, "Since we are going to cooperate, we need to discuss the most stable plan. Your experiment is too risky and should not be carried out at this stage."

"Actually, I personally do not agree with reviving someone else's thoughts and memories in her. I am more inclined towards the latter plan, which is to fully dissect the female Daoist practitioner and use New Star's most advanced life instruments to record and decipher her genetic information, to fundamentally analyze and compile the microscopic structure of this person who has broken the ceiling of human life..."

Wang Xuan was speechless upon hearing this. He mourned for the female Daoist practitioner, who, even after thousands of years of death, could not rest in peace. She was constantly having her blood drawn, and now she was to be dissected.

Qian Lei was startled. This seemingly gentle woman was so insane. He quickly said, "Do not act rashly. Some experiments must be put on hold. We will discuss it after our plan is ready. Since we are cooperating, we naturally need a win-win situation."

"This bamboo contains supernatural power and has very strong vitality. After our extraction, we found that the life factors it contains are no less than those in the female Daoist practitioner's body."

When mentioning the thick bamboo that had been made into a small boat, the female researcher Zhou Yu's spirits were lifted again.

Wang Xuan couldn't help but ask a nearby researcher, "Are there no other discoveries, such as bamboo slips, in this underground cave? Such a powerful female Daoist practitioner couldn't have left nothing else, right?"

The researcher shook his head and said, "No. When we entered, this underground stone cave seemed to have experienced a major explosion. Many areas were scorched black, and any bamboo slips had turned to ash."

Based on the scene he described, the expressions of Qing Mu, the two experts from the Old Earth military, and Qian Lei, who was already very powerful, all became extremely serious.

Qing Mu said in a deep voice, "From your description, this is very similar to what is recorded in the handwritten notes on bamboo slips left by other Daoist practitioners from the Pre-Qin period."

"That's right," the expert from the Old Earth military nodded. "This sounds very much like a description of a great explosion occurring due to failed Ascension."

Regarding Ascension, there has been debate in later generations. Some believe that if one embarks on that path, when they know they are about to die, they use supernatural powers to immolate themselves.

Others believe that Ascension is a manifestation of nearing immortality, pushing one's life level to its extreme, thereby truly achieving eternal life.

Unfortunately, over the long years, no one has succeeded. Everyone associated with Ascension who was discovered was confirmed to be dead.

Even the "archaeological teams" dispatched by the New Star Zaibatsu have unearthed the human-shaped ashes of such individuals on Old Earth, and they did not die gracefully.

The woman before them was mentioned in other Pre-Qin Bamboo Slips and was considered a top expert among Daoist practitioners, aspiring to join the ranks of the Immortal Lords. Naturally, she would have pursued the path of Ascension to immortality.

Unfortunately, it now appears she also failed. This would explain why she died when her body still had a long lifespan.

From a scientific testing perspective, no injuries were found, and the cause of death was unknown.

However, when analyzed through the lens of the Old Arts, it means her spiritual will was scattered and completely annihilated at that moment. Such a person could not possibly come back to life.

Wang Xuan listened intently. Another failed case of Ascension to immortality!