Graduate Student

Du Ke was unaware that Professor Tao Xun had already decided to take him on as a graduate student. He was currently preoccupied with how to write his third paper well. Simply writing it well wasn't enough; he also needed to embed genuine secrets within the substantial content.

In other words, his research on electron flow theory would have to be presented in a veiled manner.

The core elements would be concealed, but the necessary parts would still be revealed. Without revealing anything, how could he attract investment? His plan was to first write the papers, then use them to register patents, and finally negotiate with large companies like BYD to invest in building a factory for Long-Haired Batteries. He estimated that the investment and production costs for Long-Haired Batteries would be substantial, starting at least at one billion yuan. Earning the money himself to fund the investment was unrealistic.

"I've been fully researching the theoretical support for electron flow theory during this period, and my head feels like it's grown a size bigger. Doing scientific research truly isn't something just anyone can handle. If I didn't have the Mind Armor supporting me, I wouldn't be willing to do this research... Once the laboratory is built, I'll just provide the samples and ideas, and let the researchers handle the rest. Being a boss suits me much better."

Despite saying this, he still had to do the research himself. Otherwise, the secret of traversing worlds would be exposed sooner or later.

He conjured a notebook and began to summarize his work from the past period and look ahead to the next phase. As he wrote, he eventually reached the comprehensive development plan for Long-Haired Batteries.

"1. Propose the electron flow theory."

"2. Decipher the structure of Cell Chain."

"3. Design the new structure of Long-Haired Batteries."

"4. Solve the production process."

"5. Attract investment and build the factory."

This was the five-step plan for Long-Haired Batteries. Of course, he himself only needed to be directly involved in the first three steps. The fourth step could be placed after the fifth, where he would collaborate with experts to research and establish a feasible production process.

"Points to note during the process: 1. The energy density of the Long-Haired Battery needs to be reduced to ensure its safety. 2. The structure of the Long-Haired Bomb must be hidden to prevent its military application. The new structure should be continuously simplified to achieve a safe usage level. 3. Patent rights must be clearly defined and remain in my hands." The true Long-Haired Bomb must never be exposed.

Because there would always be clever people who could reverse-engineer things, if too much was revealed, they might deduce the structure of the Long-Haired Bomb. Then, if the Long-Haired Bomb became widespread, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Even if the Long-Haired Bomb wouldn't explode due to the lack of a certain substance on Earth, the high heat energy released in a short period could still cause immense damage. A Long-Haired Bomb the size of a caterpillar's hair could melt glass. If it were manufactured to the size of a missile, wouldn't it melt through the Earth's crust? Perhaps that was an exaggeration, but Du Ke did not want such a possibility to arise.

After finishing his notes and summary, he saved the document. Instantly, the laptop disappeared, with all its data stored within the Mind Armor.

At this moment, the Mind Armor was like a microscopic, condensed Ocean of Mind.

Du Ke sat cross-legged on the sofa, closed his eyes, and silently contemplated various issues. This allowed him to solve practical problems as well as cultivation problems, continuously increasing his Mind Power.

"Compared to last year, the growth rate of my Mind Power has slowed a bit. I might have to wait until May to accumulate enough energy for a trip."

He cultivated for an hour.

Reaching the cultivation limit for the day, he habitually walked out of the villa and stood by the wall of the adjacent villa. He activated his Mind Power and released his Touch of Mind ability. His mental energy instantly extended forward like tentacles, passing through the wall to search within the villa. He then locked onto the pampered beauty inside. Today, the beauty was still encased in a spiky shell.

However, Du Ke could now skillfully find the gaps and extend his mental tentacles inside, sensing her thoughts.

Boom!

Countless distracting thoughts rushed at him.

Du Ke quickly mobilized his mental energy to resist, blocking them all before they could suffocate him. He then carefully sensed the clear, stable thoughts, perceiving the mundane concerns of a young woman: "bored," "lonely," "hungry," "but I need to lose weight." He touched each one with his Touch of Mind, trying to find a way to respond.

This was a task he had been diligently working on. He always felt that the Touch of Mind wasn't just a one-way reception of the other person's emotions; there absolutely had to be a way to send his own information through it.

Once the Touch of Mind gained two-way communication capabilities, he would be able to communicate with the natives of the Fantasy World.

Just thinking about it, what would the Mushroom People tell him?

Would they talk about the history of the Great Blue Forest, local customs and traditions, or what powerful beasts inhabited the forest? And if the Mushroom People also knew magic, could he learn it?

"Magic!" Du Ke exclaimed with intense emotion.

Suddenly, a strong emotion within the beauty's thoughts caught Du Ke's attention. This emotion actually contained the meaning of "what magic." This surprised him greatly, followed by delight. This was clearly him, through his Touch of Mind, transmitting the concept of "magic" to the beauty, which had elicited a reaction. However, this emotion containing "what magic" quickly faded.

The beauty continued to have scattered thoughts like "I'm so hungry," "Maybe I should order takeout," "No, I need to lose weight."

Du Ke withdrew his Touch of Mind, a realization dawning in his heart: "It seems that the two-way communication of the Touch of Mind is more dependent on myself. It's my Mind Power that isn't strong enough to transmit information. Just now, I poured a lot of emotion into 'magic' for a moment, which is why the Touch of Mind barely managed to transmit it... You have to be strong yourself to forge iron. I need to continue cultivating my Mind Power."

"Little Du, are you home? I need to talk to you about something."

"I'm out right now. What is it? If it's important, I'll rush back tonight. If not, we can do it tomorrow." Du Ke had just taken on a private job outside, and the client was paying too generously for him to refuse.

"We'll talk when you get back."

The next day, Professor Tao Xun invited Du Ke to his home for a meal. Professor Tao Xun's wife also enthusiastically poured him drinks. When the meal was nearly finished, Professor Tao Xun said, "Are you willing to be recommended for my graduate program? No exams, no classes. You'll just need to prepare one SCI paper... It doesn't need to be better than these three papers you have; just passable is fine... Graduating from Xiake University is quite easy."

Graduating from the main campus of Xiake University was difficult. However, due to collaborations with various institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on Science Island in Luzhou, they recruited many graduate students. Therefore, compared to the academic value of an undergraduate degree from Xiake University, the value of a Xiake University graduate degree was relatively low.

"There's such a good thing? Then I'm willing! Just one SCI paper, I can write that easily." Du Ke had had a bit too much to drink and was feeling a little bold, not being humble enough. "Professor Tao, do I really not need to attend classes? I might be quite busy in the second half of the year and really won't have time to attend school. I wouldn't want to fall behind in the graduate courses and then not be able to graduate, that would be awkward."

"Don't worry. If you're my graduate student, whether you graduate or not is my decision. Come, drink. It's settled then."

Professor Tao's wife added, "Little Du, you graduated with a major in Polymer Materials and Engineering. My Old Tao supervises the Materials Science and Engineering department. Your major is a perfect match. My Old Tao values talent, and you, Little Du, are talented. It's perfect for you to become master and apprentice."