Achievements

In the laboratory.

Gu Jinlai, people have looked out of their office windows at the busy people coming and going outside.

Compared to when he took over the laboratory three months ago, the number of laboratory staff has now increased significantly.

Not only did it include two more highly qualified scholars, Zhang Chaoyang and Shao Fuyou, but six more scholars joined afterward.

These people, when compared to those on Blue Star, are basically associate professors or professors in top-tier academies.

However, they do not reach the level of first or second-level professors among bachelors.

In addition to these scholars, dozens of secondary and higher education students were also busy with various tasks.

As the top academy in Tianxiang Prefecture, every student at the Energy Academy is carefully selected and undergoes rigorous examinations, overcoming numerous obstacles to become a member.

The entire Tianxiang Prefecture has a population of tens of billions, with four to five hundred million candidates over the years. However, the number of those who can be admitted to the first energy academy, the first mecha academy, and the first cultivation academy in Tianxiang Prefecture is probably no more than tens of thousands.

It is no exaggeration to say that the students who are admitted to these top academies are one in ten thousand.

Most ordinary students do not have the opportunity to be promoted to intermediate students, and intermediate students are not necessarily able to become advanced students.

Even so, even an ordinary student who graduates will be sought after by countless large companies and powerful organizations. They may not become high-ranking figures like mid- to high-level pilots, but without exception, they will all become elites in society.

If this is the case for ordinary students, then the importance of students in middle and higher education is even more self-evident.

But now...

The tasks are all assigned based on the Gu Jinlai.

Even as they are busy with various aspects of life, they have a sense of broadening their horizons Gu Jinlai.

Although the Energy Academy's research on nuclear reactors is mainly focused on countering the Devouring Dao, its power and stability far surpass those of any reactor installed on the Shadow-Bearing Mech Gu Jinlai.

Not to mention the Cheng Ying mecha that Xie Yusheng created, even the Tianjun mecha used by Zhou Yi, Chao Jiuyin, Zhang Lihuo, Zhang Yukun and others only have nuclear reactors that are at most equivalent to the first generation level here. They barely reach the power of a second-generation reactor by relying on their large size advantage.

Currently, Gu Jinlai, who is in the Energy Academy, is not only researching third-generation nuclear reactors, but also optimizing the structure of mature third-generation nuclear reactors.

If he could transmit all these technologies back to Lingxiao Palace, with the energy output of the third-generation nuclear reactor and various supporting weapons, each mech would probably have the combat power to rival a true immortal.

"If the third-generation nuclear reactor is already this powerful, how much more powerful must the annihilation reactor be? After the upgrade, and with the development of matching weapons, wouldn't each mech possess combat power comparable to a Celestial Immortal, or even a Mystic Immortal?!"

It Gu Jinlai.

However, although the Xuanhuang Immortal Dynasty has mastered annihilation energy technology, its application level is not high.

Furthermore, each annihilation reactor is incredibly large and can only be installed on those massive warships.

Ordinary mechs are simply unusable due to size limitations and the need for agility.

This can be considered a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

If the use of annihilation energy has become widespread in the Xuanhuang Immortal Dynasty, then he, who has not yet come into contact with this power, should not even think about obtaining the status of a scholar in the Energy Academy.

Thinking it over, Gu Jinlai opened a document on his desk.

The document is a detailed description of a fourth-generation nuclear fusion reactor.

He knew that the fourth-generation nuclear reactor research group led by Tianxiang Xingjun was still in the research and development stage, but he knew nothing about the research direction or progress.

It was only recently, after the third-generation nuclear reactor optimization project he led got on track and he proposed some feasible optimization schemes, that he was able to apply for preliminary data for this research project directly under the jurisdiction of Tianxiang Xingjun.

After flipping through it for a short while, Gu Jinlai frowned.

"This idea... a black hole reactor?"

Tianxiang Xingjun's vision for the fourth-generation nuclear reactor has actually deviated from the foundation of miniaturized heavy nuclear reactors and directly landed on the concept of a black hole reactor.

In other words, this reactor has gone directly from "burning rocks" to the point where it can convert everything into energy.

This step...

That was too big of a jump.

No wonder that even with the elder Tianxiang Xingjun in charge and countless research and development funds invested, there has been no progress at all over the years.

"The Heavenly Star Lord's goal is exceptionally high: a black hole reactor, converting everything into energy... This..."

Gu Jinlai this, I suddenly understood something.

His mental energy penetrated the void, and he quickly sensed the omnipresent devouring power.

"Devouring the Great Dao!"

Gu Jinlai me. "The inspiration for Tianxiang Xingjun's black hole reactor comes from the Devouring Dao. He wants to integrate the power of the Devouring Dao into the reactor... If he can really achieve this goal..."

Level 9 mechs equipped with third-generation nuclear reactors will no longer be the limit for pilots.

Level 10, 11, and 12 mechs will probably be produced soon.

What does that mean!?

This means that the mental and spiritual advantages of a Great Dao Golden Immortal will be released through a reactor.

Even without the mental and spiritual realm of a Great Dao Golden Immortal, the combat power that a level nine pilot can unleash while piloting a mech equipped with a fourth-generation nuclear reactor will far surpass that of a level nine pilot.

In addition, Energy Star Palace possesses advantages in technology and materials...

Perhaps a level nine pilot piloting a new type of mecha could directly confront a first-order Golden Immortal like Bi Yuan.

This will result in a geometric increase in the overall combat strength of the Xuanhuang Immortal Dynasty.

But then, Gu Jinlai felt something was amiss.

Does the Xuanhuang Immortal Dynasty really need such powerful weapons of war to deal with the rebel forces?

What they really need to do is develop more advanced detection systems to find the deeply hidden resistance forces, right?

Based on his understanding of the relative strengths of both sides, once the resistance forces are exposed...

Even the stronghold of the resistance forces—the Myriad Realms Alliance—was easily crushed by the Xuanhuang Immortal Dynasty. Under such circumstances, wouldn't the research on the fourth-generation nuclear reactor be redundant?

"Perhaps these members of the royal family are just bored, or perhaps... they're just preparing for the future."

Gu Jinlai said, "What if the resistance forces also master the third-generation nuclear reactor technology? Wouldn't the Xuanhuang Immortal Dynasty's advantage in pilot equipment be gone?"

As he was analyzing, Shao Fuyou strode in from outside, his face beaming with excitement. "Scholar Gu, the new model you provided has passed the calculation. The special 'fuel' produced using this model, combined with the reactor structure you hypothesized, can improve reactor stability by 96% and increase power output by 22%."

"Did it pass?"

Gu Jinlai nodded, not surprised.

This fuel and structure were "replicated" by him based on the fourth structural form of the Great Sun Eternal Law.

His Great Sun Eternal Law has made breakthroughs time and time again on the basis of perfection. In fact, it is a series of optimizations of the Great Sun core. Now it is being used to optimize the third-generation nuclear reactor, which can be regarded as a perfect match for his expertise.

In addition, given his extensive knowledge of nuclear energy, it was not difficult for him to present these findings in a way that Shao Fuyou and others could understand.

"Then let's conduct the simulation as soon as possible."

Gu Jinlai stood up and walked towards the operations room.

"Clear."

Shao Fuyou said excitedly.

With accurate data available, the simulation process proceeded smoothly.

When the simulation results came out, the entire laboratory erupted in barely suppressed cheers.

"First simulation complete! We succeeded! The results are almost exactly the same as the data we calculated!"

Shao Fuyou couldn't help but say.

"Okay, let's repeat the simulation and prepare for the next step of actual optimization."

Gu Jinlai, pausing for a moment, "Send this simulation data to the Academic Association. The first batch of funds is only enough to supplement some equipment to start the project. The second batch of funds has been almost used up as personnel and materials have been supplemented. The third batch of funds should be coming in soon."

"A good bachelor's degree."

Shao Fuyou agreed and quickly went off to get busy.

Gu Jinlai did not return to his office, but continued to stare at the simulation calculations.

The Energy Academy also reacted extremely quickly.

Less than an hour after the simulation data was sent out, Zhou Yueming, the president of the Academic Association, along with several senior members, rushed over.

"The simulation is already complete?! How could it be so fast?!"

Zhou Yueming was already impressed by him when he was testing Gu Jinlai, but he never expected that he would produce results in just three months.

This is practically like having a cheat code.

"I had already done detailed research on this project beforehand. What I'm doing now is just taking out some things that were originally computational and theoretical. As long as my research at the time was not wrong, there will naturally be no other problems."

Gu Jinlai explained with a smile.

In fact, if he weren't worried about attracting too much attention, he could have produced this data and completed the simulation within a month.

"Great! Great! Great! This is wonderful!"

As Zhou Yueming spoke, he said impatiently, "If the final actual results are exactly the same as the data you obtained from the simulation, this will be an unimaginable achievement. It will be no problem for you to be promoted to Grand Scholar based on this achievement."

There are only a few dozen people of the Grand Scholar level in the entire Energy Academy.

Within the territory of the Xuanhuang Immortal Dynasty, there are hundreds of billions of people, but only a little over a thousand Grand Scholars.

Even those senior pilots are not as important as a Grand Scholar.

This shows the high value of the title of Grand Scholar.

"We'll soon know the actual results."

This Gu Jinlai.

"Alright, I'll get all departments to provide full assistance right away. With this achievement, our Tianxiang Energy Academy will definitely take the top spot among all energy academies in the Immortal Dynasty on this year's contribution value evaluation list."

Zhou Yueming said.

Those who hear this Gu Jinlai are deeply moved.

The contribution points reward for the annual crown is considerable.

He just didn't know if he could exchange it for a mental cultivation technique that would satisfy him.

With Vice Palace Master Zhou Yueming accompanying them throughout, all departments gave them the green light.

Soon, the laboratory reactor was modified according to the structural data provided by Gu Jinlai, and special fuel was being refined.

In just half a month, the preliminary preparations were completed.

During this period, the achievements from Gu Jinlai were disseminated in a small-scale manner in the energy field. When the day it was officially put into operation, not only people in the energy-related fields of Tianxiang Prefecture, but also people from other prefectures came to observe.

The final result did not disappoint Zhou Yueming and the others.

The newly designed third-generation reactor not only has significantly improved operational stability, but its output power has also increased considerably.

Conservative estimates suggest that if all future mechs were to be equipped with this new type of reactor, the mechs' performance would increase by 80%, and the pilots' overall combat effectiveness would increase by 13% to 16%.

This result caused a huge sensation in the energy sector.

Gu Jinlai, this name has spread at an extremely rapid pace, once becoming a top seller in all news media.

Various invitations, academic conferences, and seminars followed one after another.

In order to ensure that he could be successfully promoted to Grand Secretary, he selectively attended a few highly authoritative meetings, while declining all others.

After all, his real purpose in making such a commotion was to meet Tianxiang Xingjun and see if he could obtain the method to fight against the evil god from him; he did not really intend to develop in the energy field.

"Single-handedly creating a storm in the field of nuclear energy! An even more powerful mech is about to emerge!"

"The 3.5 generation of nuclear fusion reactors is coming! Let us all give thanks to the scholars of Tianxiang First Energy Academy, Gu Jinlai!"

"This is a completely new technological improvement! This is a great technological innovation! Tianxiang First Energy Academy has once again stood at the pinnacle of the nuclear energy field."

At this moment, in the Immortal Shadow Society, the president, Mu Wuying, and vice presidents Bi Yuan and Xuan He, among others, were all silent as they watched the news being pushed to them by the reading device.

The atmosphere in the room seemed somewhat oppressive.

After a long pause, Vice President Zhuge Jing finally spoke, "Perhaps this Gu Jinlai is not the same Gu Jinlai left our Immortal Shadow Society a few months ago..."

Unfortunately, his words received no response from others.

Along with the news, images from ancient and Gu Jinlai were also pushed to the screen.

They may have the same name, but their appearance...

Okay, appearance can also change, but the possibility of that is too low.

"Perhaps... this is another conspiracy by the garrison? Their aim is to clear Gu Jinlai's name?"

Another vice president said.

"This..."

Just as President Xuanhe was about to say something more, Mu Wuying seemed to have received some information and quickly set up a shielding device, forming a more secretive communication channel.

Once the communication channel was established, a beam of light was projected directly from the instrument, revealing a figure clad in golden armor, looking majestic and awe-inspiring, like a golden war god.

"Dragon Ang Divine General".

Upon seeing this figure, the group of people simultaneously perked up.

The divine general Long Ang.

They were none other than the garrison of the Myriad Realms Alliance in Tian Shu Prefecture.

It is said that not only is he himself powerful, but he also has a strong army under his command, consisting of only three hundred people, all of whom are high-level pilots.

Back then, the garrison of Tian Shu Prefecture mobilized twelve warships and an army of tens of thousands of mid-to-high-level pilots to besiege him, but he still managed to break through the encirclement.

"A deity has come in person; is there any important matter he wishes to discuss?"

Mu Wuying asked solemnly.

"I have come on the orders of Alliance Leader Haotianqing."

Long Ang said.

Haotianqing!?

This is one of the vice leaders of the Myriad Realms Alliance, who is specifically responsible for overseeing and handling all matters, large and small, within the alliance.

Although he was only the vice leader, he exercised the powers of the leader.

His words often represent the will of the Alliance of Myriad Realms.

"That scholar from Gu Jinlai at the First Energy Academy of Tianxiang Prefecture... is already a Grand Scholar. Once the Grand Scholar selection day arrives, he will naturally obtain the status of Grand Scholar. In the future, he may even have the opportunity to enter the cabinet and become a member of the royal family to participate in the annihilation energy project research."

Long Ang said quickly, "According to the information we have received, the Immortal Shadow Society once knew this Gu Jinlai scholar Gu Jinlai. Although there were some misunderstandings during that time, the favor is still there. Alliance Leader Hao hopes that everyone in the Immortal Shadow Society can get in touch with the ancient scholar as soon as possible. Whatever he needs, just ask and the Myriad Realms Alliance will provide it. In fact, the Myriad Realms Alliance will also provide substantial financial support for him to enter the cabinet."

"Connecting the Gu Jinlai..."

Xuanhe, Mu Wuying, and the others exchanged bewildered glances.

The Alliance Leader Haotianqing personally intervened in this matter and even approached them, all because of Gu Jinlai!?

After a moment, Mu Wuying said, "Isn't the alliance placing too much importance on this Gu Jinlai? Although he has considerable expertise in the field of nuclear energy, Grand Scholar should be his limit. As for entering the Inner Cabinet... would the Xuanhuang Immortal Dynasty allow someone of unknown origin like Gu Jinlai to enter the Inner Cabinet?"

After saying that, he seemed to think of something and added, "I don't believe that the Xuanhuang Immortal Dynasty would be unable to find out the identities of outsiders from Gu Jinlai."

Upon hearing Mu Wuying's words, Long Ang shook his head. "That ancient scholar is different from us."

He said directly, "Our world and sect heritage were all destroyed by the Xuanhuang Immortal Dynasty, so there are irreconcilable contradictions and hatred between us. But the Xuanxian Realm where he is located is not like that. Most of the more than 300 star gods in the sky are not native to the Xuanhuang Immortal Dynasty. The Xuanhuang Immortal Dynasty can even release such an important position as star god, let alone the position of Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet?"

"This..."

Upon hearing this, Mu Wuying and the others were speechless.

"Moreover, even if Scholar Gu cannot enter the cabinet to participate in the research of annihilation energy, his expertise in the field of nuclear energy alone is worth our great efforts to win him over! If we can get his help, the performance of the mechs used by our Myriad Realms Alliance will definitely be greatly improved, and it will not be difficult for us to compete with the mech pilots and mechs of the Xuanhuang Immortal Dynasty in the future."

"Dragon Ang said."

Mu Wuying and Xuanhe looked at each other in bewilderment.

At this moment, Bi Yuan suddenly said, "General Long Ang, has Gu Jinlai's identity really been investigated? Is he not a pawn that the Xuanhuang Immortal Dynasty is trying to infiltrate your Myriad Realms Alliance?"

"A pawn? After these past few months of investigation, can't we tell whether it's a pawn or not? Are you doubting the intelligence department of our Myriad Realms Alliance?"

General Long Ang chuckled, "Besides, who would be willing to let such a knowledgeable scholar go out and be used as a pawn?"

"Perhaps they're playing a trick on us, deliberately making us think that way?"

Bi Yuan continued.

"Playing along with their scheme? It's not as simple as you think."

Long Ang glanced at Bi Yuan, then, as if he had thought of something, he frowned. "You parted ways with that Grand Scholar Gu because you had doubts?"

Upon hearing this, Mu Wuying and Xuanhe couldn't help but feel somewhat embarrassed.

There was also a hint of guilt in her voice.

Bi Yuan smiled, a smile that held a mixture of helplessness and relief.

The words of this All-Worlds Alliance God General undoubtedly proved that his previous trust was not misplaced.

Upon hearing Bi Yuan's laughter, Mu Wuying and Xuan He felt utterly ashamed.

Ultimately, however, they could only turn their attention to Biyuan.

If there's anyone in the Immortal Shadow Society who could possibly bring back the Gu Jinlai, then it would undoubtedly be Bi Yuan.

Long Ang had obviously guessed this as well. He glanced at Mu Wuying and Long Ang, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to reprimand them. He simply said, "You... have wasted a talented person."

Although the Myriad Realms Alliance is the largest force of resistance, and other forces often seek their help and regard them as superior, they are not considered a superior force of the Immortal Shadow Society.

It can only be described as a loose alliance with a common goal.

"The talents and abilities displayed Gu Jinlai are too abnormal, we..."

Mu Wuying's expression was somewhat bitter.

"Top geniuses never act in a way that can be judged by common sense."

As Long Ang spoke, he was no longer willing to waste time on Mu Wuying. Instead, he turned to Bi Yuan and said sincerely, "After learning about Scholar Gu's matter, Alliance Leader Hao attaches great importance to him. If Scholar Gu is willing to rejoin our allied forces, Alliance Leader Hao is willing to treat him as a guest elder and grant him relevant rights. In addition, Alliance Leader Hao has prepared a generous gift for him, including a Myriad Spirits Divine Essence!"

"The Essence of All Spirits!"

Mu Wuying, Xuanhe, Biyuan and the others' pupils shrank.

This is an excellent treasure for breaking through mental barriers, and it has an almost immediate effect on breaking through from the Human Realm to the Earth Realm.

If Mu Wuying could obtain such a treasure, with his current perfected third-tier mental cultivation, stepping into the fourth tier would be almost a certainty.

"That's not all."

Long Ang continued, "If he is willing to infiltrate the Xuanhuang Immortal Dynasty as a member of the Myriad Realms Alliance and bring us information about the annihilation energy reactor, the Alliance Leader is willing to give him a top-grade immortal artifact."

"A top-grade immortal artifact!?"

Upon hearing this, Xuanhe couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

The supreme-grade immortal artifact already possesses a trace of the characteristics of an immortal artifact. As long as it is not activated, and is nurtured regularly, even the Great Dao cannot completely erase its divine power.

Even if activated, it still possesses extraordinary divine power. Most importantly, before it is destroyed by the Devouring Dao, it can almost completely resist the influence of the Devouring Dao on cultivators.

In other words, a top-grade immortal artifact is equivalent to a Golden Immortal of the Great Dao using their full power once.

In many critical situations, this is almost equivalent to having an extra life.

Right now, in order to win over Gu Jinlai, the Myriad Realms Alliance has actually brought out such a treasure. From this, we can see just how important Gu Jinlai is in their hearts!

For the first time, Xuanhe felt that his suggestion to the leader to test the Gu Jinlai times was somewhat reckless.

"I..."

Bi Yuan hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'll go to Tianxiang Prefecture and give it a try."

Long Ang nodded. "If you can accomplish this, you will also benefit from it within the alliance. Your mental cultivation level is still a bit short of the second level, right? I can promise you ten portions of Treasure Spirit Essence to help you."

Bi Yuan responded, but said without any certainty, "I can only do my best."

Almost at the same time that the Immortal Shadow Society was discussing this, Zhou Yueming excitedly found Gu Jinlai: "Scholar Gu, this is great news, a very good thing."

He said with a smile, "Your improvement of the third-generation nuclear reactor has been known to the Celestial Star Lord. The Star Lord is very pleased and has ordered that you be rewarded with a portion of the Myriad Spirits Divine Essence to help you make further progress in the path of the mind."

After saying that, he handed a jade box directly to Gu Jinlai: "Haha, don't let down the Star Lord's trust in you."