"Oh my, you, such an important person, still remember a lowly person like me."
Before long, Liu Shinian was already sitting in Li Xingkong's so-called laboratory, looking around at the place.
This was actually her first time in this place, and researching this kind of thing really had nothing to do with an ordinary person like her.
"Keep being sarcastic."
Li Xingkong and tossed her a few mission tokens.
"Hey, go ahead and assign tasks if you want to do them. As for rewards, we'll take them from our lab funds."
Liu Shinian's eyes lit up as he picked up the sign that Li Xingkong had thrown to him.
"Hey, isn't this the sign for posting tasks? FrogFun, you're really something."
"Don't mess things up. Once the mission is complete, you can do whatever you want with the rest. If you don't complete it..."
Li Xingkong believed that this guy wouldn't do anything reckless, but in any case, he still had to make a prior statement.
"I understand, I understand. Besides, I don't want to be just a pretty face. What kind of help do you need me for this research? Just tell me."
Liu Shinian put the token away, then asked with a serious expression.
"Hmm, I don't have any ideas for now, how about... you go and get me some Calamity Ash?"
Li Xingkong, and realized that the first step in studying the Calamity Ash was to get some back.
"Me! A dignified Dao Immortal, and you want me to gather Calamity Ash for you? Isn't that something I can just do by going out and grabbing a shovel!"
Liu Shinian felt that he was being looked down upon.
"If you're going to make a contribution, just tell me if you're interested."
At this moment, Li Xingkong looked exactly like a rich second-generation heir squandering his family's wealth, but what could he do when he had secured a substantial amount of experimental funding?
Having connections in high places makes things convenient.
"Forget everything else, let's go!"
Without saying a word, Liu Shinian got up and ran.
This idiot is throwing money around, why should we care what he does?
Before Li Xingkong could even state his requirements, she had already dashed out of the logistics wing and disappeared.
After taking a couple of steps, Li Xingkong reached the laboratory door, shook his head, and had no choice but to send her a message.
I need a large quantity, and the collection should ideally be distributed widely!
Left with no other option, I could only send her a message.
"This young man is quite energetic, is he your girlfriend?"
Just as Li Xingkong was delivering the message, the old man who had been watching the show came out again.
"What? It's a fellow cultivator who came here to do the mission with me."
"Oh, so you're just a fellow Daoist. Young friend, you still have much to learn."
The old man was twirling two beads in his hands, speaking with a grin on his face.
What are you talking about?
Li Xingkong glanced at the old man, whose eyes were full of anticipation for their pairing.
"I'll kneel down for anything, please, just do something worthwhile!"
The old man glanced at Li Xingkong and a smirk twitched at the corner of his mouth.
"What's wrong with shipping couples? What do little kids know?"
This was the first time Li Xingkong had ever been criticized for being too small.
"Hey, old man, you might not even be as old as me, so who's calling younger?"
"When I came to this military base to conduct research, you were probably just a little kid, tsk."
Turning the beads in his hand, Li Xingkong finally recognized them as the eyes of a demon beast.
"Old man, what exactly are you researching?!"
Although Li Xingkong had killed countless demonic beasts, he didn't actually have a penchant for playing with their corpses.
"This old man is not very talented; what he studies is precisely the physical structure of other races."
The old man spoke of this with a certain arrogance.
"Where do you think those commonplace cultivation techniques and information about alien races came from? They're all the result of the old man's research."
As he spoke, the old man suddenly opened the eyeball in his hand and shot a beam of light at his head.
Although he wasn't injured, he had lost a significant amount of his beard and hair.
"Pah, you beast, still so arrogant even in death."
He didn't even seem to use much force, yet his eyeball was crushed.
Looking at the old man's appearance, Li Xingkong found it quite amusing.
This guy's research is indeed very resource-intensive, no wonder he's conducting research on the front lines at Flying Cloud Pass.
"What are you researching, kid? Judging by your appearance, you're not some War Immortal, are you?"
"Me? I just research some gadgets."
Li Xingkong shook his head; the Calamity Ash were really nothing rare.
"They're here! They're here!"
Just as the two were chatting for a few minutes, Liu Shinian ran back from outside.
She was carrying a large, sack-like thing on her back, as if she were carrying a giant balloon.
Upon landing in front of him, Liu Shinian saw the old man beside him.
"Hello, sir! I'm Xiao Li Li's assistant!"
He greeted them and tossed the bag to Li Xingkong.
Is this enough?
Li Xingkong opened it and looked inside; the scattered Calamity Ash floated out.
"More or less."
"Oh? So you're researching these Calamity Ash. Good, good, this stuff needs to be dealt with."
Although the old man was old, his eyesight was still sharp, and he recognized the object in Li Xingkong at a glance.
"It's just a small thing, nothing to worry about."
Li Xingkong received the necessary research materials, said hello, and then got up and returned to the laboratory to begin his research.
What about me? What about me?
Liu Shinian had only run an errand, but he still wanted to find something else to do.
"Experiment in progress, please do not disturb!"
Li Xingkong didn't say anything, but the laboratory door slammed shut, and then a sign appeared.
"Frog Fun, you bastard!"
This guy completely changes when he talks about research.
"Hey, hahaha, he's an honest guy!"
The old man saw this and chuckled.
"These bookworms, that's just how they are. When it comes to something important, they don't care about anything else. Come on, I think you're a good girl, let me teach you a few tricks..."
He beckoned Liu Shinian to sit down over there, and the old man produced several secret manuals in his hand.
"Do you want to learn the complete recipes for the Demon Clan cooking, or the recipes for the Spirit Clan snacks...?"
Looking at the strange and unusual manual in front of him, Liu Shinian fell silent for a moment.
Is this thing even legitimate?
Meanwhile, inside the laboratory, Li Xingkong had already begun his operation. Under the manipulation of his Immortal Power, the Calamity Ash transformed into a long thread that floated out of the bag and circled around Li Xingkong.
The chaotic rules within these Calamity Ash merely appeared here, yet they Distortion the space within the laboratory. Only with the support of Immortal Power did they not cause any damage to the surrounding environment.
If you asked Li Xingkong up with a use for this thing, Li Xingkong really couldn't think of anything.
It's chaotic, utterly chaotic, a jumbled mess. The rules existing within each Calamity Ash are completely different, making it impossible to deal with them using a single, unified theory.
Each piece of Calamity Ash was different, and Li Xingkong found it difficult to find any commonalities among them.
It won't work for alchemy; even if it were made, no one would dare to eat it. In fact, even if it could be made, the medicinal properties of each pill would be different.
It's a bit difficult to make any material from it. The reason why the Calamity Ash are counted in pieces is because, apart from its own structure, it's difficult for the Calamity Ash to interact with other substances in the outside world.
It's as if nothing can activate its properties.
Li Xingkong felt that this thing was like an inert element, completely impervious to reason.