Forty Millenniums of Cultivation
chapter-649

An hour later, in a special ward of the No. 1 hospital of Flying Star University, Xie Anan watched the summit confrontation of two refiners, one old and the other young, in complete bewilderment.

Li Yao and Xue Yuanxin each had a light beam floating in front of them. They were elaborating on their theories while they drew structural designs and equations on the light beams without halting to contemplate at all, as if the models and formulas had been stored on their fingertips, waiting to spurt out, since a long time ago!

Xie Anan blinked hard and tried to follow their conversation, but however hard she listened to them, the only thing that she could be sure of was that they were talking about issues regarding refining.

As for what the issues were exactly, she did not have the slightest idea.

What are they talking about?

Xie Anan was confused. She felt that she was five years old again, when she had listened to the seniors of her family discussing the arts of refining at dinner table.

Tilting her head and biting her fingers, she failed to figure out why things ended up like this after she went to the bathroom.

"I failed."

Li Yao took a long breath in relief and said sincerely, "Master Xue Yuanxin, you truly deserve your fame. You have a profound understanding about the minimalization of power rune arrays at ten times sonic speed. The plans you proposed are more mature, reliable, and… elegant. Yes. That's the word. The distribution of your power rune arrays is very elegant!

"Taking this round into consideration, I lost eight of the ten questions. Master Xue, you have my admiration!"

It was not until Xie Anan heard it that she realized the two of them had debated with each other on ten conundrums about the arts of refining.

Not expecting that Li Yao could win two of them, Xie Anan bulged her big eyes and gazed at Li Yao in disbelief like a squirrel that had seen a pineapple.

Xue Yuanxin's head was buried in bandages, which made his head even larger. His long and narrow neck almost couldn't support the head any longer and was shivering.

He observed Li Yao carefully again and said after a long sigh, "Other than the few old monsters in the circle of refiners, it's been a long time since I exchanged my ideas and thoughts with someone else. It is true that the new generation will invariably surpass the old!

"Don't presume that I did not see through your plan. Your proposal of the power rune arrays at ten times sonic speed looks simple, rough, and somewhat against common sense, but such a distribution could boost the utilization rate of crystals allowing the speed to be accelerated to maximum instantly!

"If super high-quality crystals with a purity more than 99% are used as the fuel, I estimate that your power rune array can accelerate to more than twelve times the speed of sound from zero within ten seconds!

"Our plans are based on different designing principles. My plan is thorough and rational, and your plan is radical and even somewhat insane.

"Although I don't think that ordinary crystal suits and Exos can withstand such a high acceleration, since we said that we were merely talking about theoretical possibilities with no consideration for practical implementation, we drew even with each other in the last round. You don't need to flatter me!"

Li Yao was quite startled hearing that.

Minimalizing the large-scale power rune arrays that were suitable for crystal warships so that they could be applied to crystal suits was his specialty.

This power rune array that had been crazily modified with a low reliability and yet could burst into thirteen times the speed of sound in a moment was a design tailor-made for himself and prepared to be installed on the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit in the future.

The materials of common crystal suits were too weak to withstand fierce battles at such a high speed; they would likely break apart in midair.

Common Exos could not withstand the tremendous counterforce, either. The brain would lose a lot of blood, resulting in the potential loss of their sight or even the constriction of their cerebral vessels, which might lead to a coma!

However, such a design was not a problem for the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit, refined out of the body tissues of Skeleton Dragon, and Li Yao, who was half a body practitioner and had been Cultivating with the Thousand Tempering Hundred Refining technique.

It was his own reserved design. He did not expect that Xue Yuanxin could see through it after such a short time and inferred the maximum performance based on the structural designs!

This unattractive old man was really scary!

Seeing that Li Yao did not object, Xue Yuanxin burst into laughter. But a while later, he suddenly changed his face color and started cursing. "Damn you, Wei Wenyao. Due to his inconclusive investigation, I almost thought that you were really an idiotic magnate and missed out on meeting a genius!

"How about this, Little Sand?"

With a sunny smile, Xue Yuanxin moved his giant head close. "You said that you haven't picked a main research field in Flying Star University. Are you planning to join a laboratory or to do pure theoretical research?"

Li Yao replied frankly, "I haven't decided the specific direction yet. But I'm mostly interested in solo combat magical equipment. Besides, as you witnessed just now, I'm better at practical work than theories. Therefore, I will probably join a laboratory, that is, if anybody is willing to accept me."

Xue Yuanxin found it amusing. "With your expertise, you're worrying that nobody is going to accept you? Forget it. Just come to my Ares Laboratory! As I've told you just now, I have two projects at hand. One of them is the refinement of the special material 'Super Bendable Steel', and the other is its application to a new Ares Extension in order to craft the best Ares Extension in the Flying Star Sector—the Unparalleled Extension!

"Are you interested?"

Standing aside, Xie Anan was dumbfounded. She was shouting in her heart, Master Xue is inviting Sand Scorpion to join his projects!

Everybody in the Refining Department of Flying Star University knew that, although Master Xue Yuanxin was approachable in daily life and never refused the questions of students even if they were just in the freshman year, the Ares Laboratory was his most precious treasure. Every researcher in the laboratory had been carefully selected and screened. They were the best elites in the field of refining.

Many researchers in the laboratory had the ability to conduct their own research independently. But they were still willing to work under Master Xue Yuanxin so that they could learn more from him.

But today, Master Xue was extending an invitation promptly. That was quite new!

Seeing that Li Yao did not give any response, Xue Yuanxin thought that he had other ideas and continued. "Truth be told, the thing I like most about you is not your theoretical background, but your skill in real operations based on natural instincts! None of my disciples foresaw the possible explosion of the venomous dragon bone marrow and Heavenly Fire Crystals. You were merely passing by from outside and yet you could locate the problem!

"Such intuition cannot be taught in a school. One can only expect to slowly accumulate it after thousands of instances of actual refining work. I have no idea how you got such instincts. You are truly an out-and-out monster!

"I am too old to conduct the lengthy refining jobs in person right now. I had a disciple whom I'd taught for more than twenty years, but he passed away unfortunately in the riot of the Temple of Immortals.

"If he were alive, the purification of the Green Hellish Ancient Bronze would not have gone wrong.

"If you are willing to join the Ares Laboratory, you will be asked to be in charge of the crucial work in either the Super Bendable Steel project or the Unparalleled Extension project, and you will be the third refiner, or even the second refiner, only below me, of the entire project. How does it sound?"

"I'm afraid that you misunderstood me, Master Xue," Li Yao said. "I am rather willing to join the Ares Laboratory, but I've made a deal with Hou Zitao, Long Yunxin, and a few young refiners in the department, and I will probably spend some of my time on their projects.

"Moreover, my own personal laboratory is under construction at present, and I will probably carry out a few minor projects in them. I'm afraid that I won't be fully dedicated to the development of the Super Bendable Steel and the Unparalleled Extension. Do you mind, Master Xue?"

Xie Anan's heart was beating fast. She did not know that Sand Scorpion was planning to build his own laboratory at such a young age!

Xue Yuanxin smiled and said, "That is not a big deal. We are in the middle of a crisis. Every refiner has a handful of projects to take care of. Even I have to guide the work of another six laboratories other than managing the Ares Laboratory.

"Your personal laboratory? Sounds interesting. Just tell me if you ever need anything, and I'll see if I can help."

Li Yao was overjoyed.

What he hoped to establish was the most advanced refining center. The experimental facilities and magical equipment in such a refining center were sometimes unpurchaseable even if one had enough money.

Over the last couple of days, he had asked Lei Dalu, the Wu family, and the Sha family to buy the equipment through their connections. But since they were not in the circle of refiners, it was not easy for them to find the best place for the purchase.

"Sure," Li Yao replied quickly. "If Master Xue trusts my ability, I will definitely live up to your expectations and do my best in the development of the Super Bendable Steel and the Unparalleled Extension!"

"Excellent!" Xue Yuanxin's face was beaming with joy. "If so, it is very possible that we will succeed in completing the two projects before the Edge Sharpeners' Meeting in half a year's time and awe every one of them there!"

Li Yao raised an eyebrow. "Edge Sharpeners' Meeting?"

Xue Yuanxin nodded his head. "The Edge Sharpeners' Meeting is a gala of refiners in the Flying Star Sector that is held every five years. All the renowned refiners will participate. They will comment on the latest magical equipment developed over the past five years and discuss the possibilities of future magical equipment.

"The Edge Sharpeners' Meeting this year will be even more unique. It will be the largest one over the recent hundred years.

"The scourge of space pirates and the rise of the Temple of Immortals have terribly affected the entire Flying Star Sector. Every trade has been considering the solutions to the hazards. Of course, the refiners are no exceptions.

"That will be theme of the Edge Sharpeners' Meeting this year. We will discuss what kind of magical equipment can potentially contain the Temple of Immortals and annihilate the space pirates lurking on Spider Den!

"It is said that several refining proposals on a planetary-level, or even quasi-stellar-level, will be put forward in the meeting. The representatives in the circle of refiners and the delegates from the six sects of Heavenly Saints City and the other important sects will gather together and discuss the feasibility of the proposals. Then, after the most excellent proposal is selected, all the resources of the Flying Star Sector will be devoted to it!"

"Quasi-stellar-level magical equipment!" Li Yao gasped and swallowed hard.