"Major progress?"
"What major progress?!"
Lu Li's voice was faintly excited.
He knew it. Every time he contacted the nation, he was in for a surprise.
It hadn't been long at all, yet the nation had made progress again.
Wang Zhiwen's voice was excited too.
The research team had repeatedly worked through their theories and even used a quantum computer to run supercomputer simulations.
After building one experimental model after another,
they had found that producing Azure Gold Spirit Liquid was highly feasible.
The machine's schematics were now being finalized.
Once it was manufactured and assembled, they could give it a try.
He spoke up urgently.
"Comrade Lu, we have a new approach to refining Azure Gold Spirit Ore."
"The relevant equipment is being manufactured on an expedited schedule, and we urgently need some Spirit Ore samples."
"Rest assured, our research team will never waste your Spirit Ore samples lightly!"
"Good!"
Lu Li asked no further questions after hearing the reply.
Trusting the nation was instinctive to him.
Besides, he was the greatest beneficiary of everything the nation was researching.
Naturally, he would give it his full support.
"Hum~!"
He increased the flow of spiritual power slightly.
The jade pendant lit up.
The next second,
a full hundred pieces of Azure Gold Spirit Ore had been sent over.
A small pile of Azure Gold Spirit Ore appeared on the metal table.
Everyone watched with burning eyes.
They admired Lu Li all the more.
He had been willing to send so much Spirit Ore at once.
At the back of the crowd, Zhou Mingyi witnessed the wondrous sight with his own eyes. His mouth fell open in shock and stayed that way for a long time.
Although he had already gone over the mission background countless times,
actually seeing it dealt his entire worldview a tremendous blow.
Wang Zhiwen's voice trembled a little with excitement.
His palm was covered in sweat as he gripped the microphone and hurriedly replied.
"Good, good, good! Comrade Lu, rest assured."
"With this batch of Spirit Ore, I believe the refining research will yield results very soon!"
Lu Li trusted the nation so much.
There was no way he could let Lu Li down.
He now felt the pressure as well.
"It's all right, Elder Wang. You don't need to feel too burdened."
"I believe the nation will find a way. I'll wait for your good news."
After replying politely,
Lu Li took a sheet of paper from his robes, on which he had recorded his insights from cultivation over the past few days, and sent it back as well.
Then he voiced what was on his mind.
"Director Li, I have a request. I don't know if the organization can agree to it."
"Go ahead, Comrade Lu Li. As long as the organization can do it, we won't let you down."
"Mm, Director Li, could the organization tell my parents that I haven't gone missing?"
"Something along the lines of the nation having called me away."
"Tell them not to worry, that I'm doing fine, but I can't come home for a while, or something like that."
Lu Li only gave a rough account, but Li Yuanchao understood.
For the nation, a request like this was naturally nothing.
"Comrade Lu Li, I'll have someone take care of your request right now."
"I guarantee your parents will believe it. Don't worry."
"Mm, then that's it. If there's nothing else, this communication..."
"Wait..."
"Who's there?!"
Just as Lu Li was about to end the communication, he suddenly heard faint footsteps from the mine tunnel behind him.
The sound was quiet, but he caught it nonetheless.
He hurriedly put the jade pendant away and turned around.
A menial disciple dressed in the same gray cloth robes appeared.
"Junior Brother Lu, who were you talking to just now?"
The newcomer was called Ma Liu, and he shared a menial disciples' wooden hut with Lu Li.
He had been very lucky in the mine this time, finding a loose pocket of ore before long and meeting his quota.
So he had thought he'd walk around and look for Lu Li, perhaps curry favor by lending him a hand.
That way, he could also ask him for guidance on the Intermediate Five Elements Instruction.
He had never expected that, after winding through the tunnels, he would accidentally stumble upon Lu Li talking mysteriously to himself.
"Senior Brother Ma?"
"When did you get here?"
The moment Ma Liu appeared, Lu Li's heart suddenly began to race.
Thump!
Thump!
His heart pounded so hard that the blood throughout his body grew hot.
Yet his hands and feet were icy cold.
The thing Lu Li feared most had happened after all.
Without a doubt, this was the closest his secret had ever come to being exposed.
But in an instant, Lu Li's eyes turned cold.
With tremendous self-control, he forced down the panic in his heart and put his hand behind his back.
"Me? I just got here, just got here."
"I was going to help the other junior brothers look for Spirit Ore."
"Since you're here, Junior Brother, carry on. I'll have a look somewhere else."
Ma Liu abruptly changed tack. His eyes darted about as he took a step, preparing to leave.
He was certain he hadn't misheard just now. Lu Li had definitely been talking to someone.
That's right! This Junior Brother Lu must be up to something!
I clearly saw him holding something in his hand. It looked like a jade pendant.
No, I have to go back and think this over carefully.
If he really does have some treasure, even if I don't report him, I could still squeeze some benefits out of him.
If Lu Li doesn't know what's good for him and refuses to comply, I'll report him straight to Senior Brother Bai! Whatever treasure it is, he'll have to hand it over!
If I can't have it, he can forget about keeping it!
Ma Liu thought as he turned away.
He was very cautious and didn't rashly bring the matter into the open.
He planned to work out the details after returning before deciding what to do.
But before he had taken two steps, he heard Lu Li's voice again.
"Senior Brother Ma, wait!"
"You came at just the right time. I just picked up a strange object in the mine, but I don't know what it does. Could I ask you to take a look, Senior Brother?"
Hmm? A strange object? What does he mean?
Is he getting ready to bribe me?
This Lu Li knows what's good for him?
Ma Liu halted.
He turned around, his eyes full of wariness.
He believed he had caught Lu Li with something he could use against him, and he had already put his guard up.
Even though his cultivation was slightly higher than Lu Li's, having reached the Third Layer of Qi Refining,
he didn't let his guard down.
Though he had stopped, his feet didn't move at all.
Instead, he subtly widened the distance between them to a full seven or eight meters.
If anything happened, that would give him enough room to retreat.
"Whatever strange object you have, Junior Brother Lu, just toss it over."
"If I can make sense of it, then what happened today will stay between the two of us."
"We can discuss everything and come to an agreement."
"Of course, I also know a little about jade pendants, so don't forget to toss that over too, Junior Brother!"
Ma Liu's voice turned cold. He had laid his cards on the table.
As he spoke, the spiritual power within him began to surge.
He stared fixedly at Lu Li, fully on guard.
But to his surprise,
Lu Li paid no heed to his threat.
Without a word, he simply felt around behind his back.
Before long, he had a strangely shaped black iron object in one hand and a black iron tube as long as his palm and as thick as his thumb in the other.
"What's that?"
"It really is a strange object! But why does it feel like a mortal object? There isn't a trace of spiritual essence in it."
Ma Liu stared at the unusually shaped iron object, stunned.
He was about to ask more, but saw Lu Li deftly screw the black iron tube onto the front of the object.
Then Lu Li raised it straight up and aimed it at his forehead.
"Please take a look, Senior Brother."