"Lu... Lu Li!"
"Lu Li! It's you!"
"H-how come you're suddenly contacting us by voice?"
Li Yuanchao jumped at the voice that suddenly rang out.
Not just him-the entire underground command hall of Group 749 fell silent the instant that voice sounded.
Wang Zhiwen was so startled that he bent his glasses in his grip.
"It's Comrade Lu Li!"
"Comrade Lu Li, are you safe now?"
"Or have you already advanced to the outer sect?"
"..."
Someone seemed to have guessed something, and their words filled everyone with joy.
Thunderous cheers erupted almost simultaneously.
As though they had won a battle, people streamed out of every laboratory, workshop, and corner of the base.
They all surged toward the command and control hall.
Li Yuanchao grabbed the microphone.
He urgently asked, his words tumbling over one another.
"Comrade Lu Li! How are you?"
"Can your personal safety be guaranteed now?"
"Is there anything you need the country to do for you right now?!"
Li Yuanchao's three questions in rapid succession left Lu Li stunned.
Before he could react,
the sound of someone adjusting the microphone came through the jade pendant.
Wang Zhiwen's even more excited voice reached his ears.
"Comrade Little Lu!"
"Our research team hasn't let your support go to waste. We've successfully purified azure gold spirit liquid!"
"The Spiritual Power within it is as high as eighty percent of that in the raw ore!"
"Huh? You succeeded?"
"You really did it!"
Lu Li was astonished. He had never expected such a tremendous surprise the moment he connected through the jade pendant.
"Whew..."
Taking a deep breath, Lu Li held back his emotion and carefully recounted every change he had undergone over the past six months.
"Don't worry, Director Li. I'm very safe at the moment."
"Following our original plan, I've now broken through to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer and successfully entered the outer sect."
"I've also learned a lot about the Azure Pool Sect's rules and the distribution of its factions..."
Besides his identity jade slip, Lu Li's Storage Bag contained several books of miscellaneous knowledge.
They broadly recorded the Azure Pool Sect's rules, its history, the distribution of its halls and affiliated peaks, and even the surrounding environment, local customs, and so on.
They were among the few ways newly admitted disciples could learn specific information.
"The Azure Pool Sect was founded several thousand years ago. Broadly speaking, it is divided into the inner and outer sects."
"The inner sect is the sect's core, divided into four peaks: Supreme Origin Peak, Supreme Azure Peak, Supreme Refinement Peak..."
"And Upper White Peak, which was only established six months ago."
"I don't know much about the inner sect, only that the masters of all four peaks are legendary Golden Core True Lords."
"But the information on the outer sect is much more detailed..."
"There are several thousand outer sect disciples... and various halls, including the Battle Hall, Artifact Hall, Pill Hall, and Soul Hall..."
"Disciples have to complete missions every month... and there are also opportunities to refine pills and artifacts, attend lectures, and study formations..."
Lu Li promptly updated them on what he knew.
He also carefully shared his cultivation insights from the past six months, especially his understanding of breaking through from Early Qi Refinement to the middle stage.
Everything he said filled everyone with excitement.
They hurriedly recorded his words in their files without missing a single one.
Now that they could finally communicate by voice, both sides enthusiastically exchanged a great deal of information.
Wang Zhiwen also had someone place ten portions of the azure gold spirit liquid they had purified long ago onto the metal platform.
"Comrade Little Lu, this is the azure gold spirit liquid we've purified. You can see how effective it is."
"All right!"
Lu Li stood on no ceremony and directly increased his Spiritual Power output.
He had been looking forward all along to seeing how effective the purified azure gold spirit ore would be.
Now that they had finally succeeded, there was naturally no reason to wait any longer.
"Hum!"
Amid flickering spiritual light,
ten small blue-green bottles of a novel design appeared in his hands.
"These little bottles are made from azure gold ore slag?"
"I didn't expect the country to have methods like this..."
As a cultivator, Lu Li could naturally sense the purpose of these little bottles.
Traces of spiritual potency wound through them.
That meant these were no longer mundane objects, but objects for cultivators!
"What does this count as... refining artifacts through technology?"
"That's certainly novel..."
Looking at the blue-green bottles, which resembled little medicine bottles, Lu Li sank into thought.
Meanwhile, Li Yuanchao's voice rang out again.
"Comrade Lu Li, the Battle Command Department has documented your latest circumstances and is conducting a strategic analysis."
"Please wait a little while."
"Sure, no problem. I have my own cave abode now, so I'm reasonably safe."
Lu Li replied, wanting to know how those exceptionally intelligent, top-tier compatriots would plan his next step.
"By the way, Comrade Little Lu,"
while they were waiting for the strategic analysis, Wang Zhiwen suddenly remembered something.
"We selected the finest soldiers in the military to try cultivating. Why can't they sense any Spiritual Qi at all?"
"Huh? Cultivation! The country... has already started organizing cultivation?"
Lu Li was astonished. He had never expected the country to move so quickly.
As for why there had been no response...
"Elder Wang,"
"cultivation requires two things: a Spirit Root and Spiritual Qi."
"A Spirit Root is an innate talent and requires a special Spirit-Testing Stone to detect. Spiritual Qi is an environmental condition, and I'm not sure whether it exists on Blue Star."
He paused, then added, "Spirit-Testing Stones can be bought in the sect. I can send one back later so you can give it a try."
That promise left all the researchers immensely excited.
It meant that Blue Star might also be able to usher in an age of immortal cultivation!
Just then, the strategy team's analysis report reached Li Yuanchao.
After quickly scanning it, he said gravely:
"Comrade Lu Li, based on the intelligence you've provided, we recommend that you focus on three objectives next:"
"First, carefully select safe missions within the sect. Prioritize 'turtling' and ensure your survival."
"Second, provided your safety is assured, put everything into improving your cultivation and obtaining cultivation resources. Ideally, learn the hundred arts of immortal cultivation you mentioned."
"Third, don't leave the sect lightly. The risks outside far exceed expectations."
Li Yuanchao's voice was particularly solemn.
"Remember, your safety always comes first."
"According to the Battle Command Department's virtual model analysis, if you turtle for ten years... improving yourself as much as possible and sending back immortal cultivation supplies throughout that time..."
"As long as we can produce research results, then according to the model's calculations..."
"In ten years, there is an extremely high probability that you'll be... invincible within the Qi Refinement Realm!"
"And..."
Li Yuanchao's voice paused briefly.
He seemed stunned by a passage at the end of the analysis report.
"And what, Director Li?"
Lu Li pressed him, his voice rousing Li Yuanchao.
His voice was slightly hesitant.
It slowly reached Lu Li's ears.
"Based on the information you provided, there's a seventy-five percent chance that something is off about that disciple named... Ye Chenfeng."
"Through the Battle Command Department's behavioral model analysis, and verification by the country's leading psychologists..."
"This person clearly displayed unusual behavior when alone, closely resembling an autistic child having imaginary conversations."
"But he cannot possibly have autism, which means... your guess was right!"
"He probably has an entity known as an 'old grandpa' with him!"