Matrix Survival: I Get A Random Chest Every Day

Chapter 1148 - 848:

"Are all three factors present?"

Li Zheng pondered and nodded: "But we’ll still need some experiments as references. I know you’re in urgent need of spirit stones, so I’ll give you a few. Let me know after you’ve tried them."

Yan Jinjin surely had plenty of secret techniques and cultivation methods in his mind. Previously, he had been coerced by Li Zheng into handing one over, but for some unknown reason, it couldn’t be cultivated.

To uncover why his cultivation progress didn’t match the description in the manuals, he could only let the only experienced cultivator become his control group. If Yan Jinjin successfully cultivated the previous techniques and consumption increased.

That would prove his situation was reasonable and everything was normal.

Under Yan Jinjin’s fervent gaze, Li Zheng raised his hand and tossed him ten exquisitely small spirit stones, then turned to leave.

Holding the spirit stones, Yan Jinjin felt the pure energy inside them, his hands trembled, and tears welled up in his eyes: "Finally... I can cultivate again!"

Pioneering a new cultivation path ultimately wasn’t his field. Yan Jinjin still yearned to return to the Immortal Cultivation System; that was his home ground.

Leaving behind all matters at the Basic Research Institute, he eagerly slipped into an empty laboratory, sat cross-legged holding the freshly obtained spirit stones, and began channeling his heart method.

Utilizing his previous foundation, Yan Jinjin quickly sensed the familiar energy within the spirit stones.

A suction force appeared in his palm, like a traveler on the brink of thirst in a desert, he hungrily and fiercely drew the abundant spiritual qi contained within the stones.

Due to the lack of a lower dantian, Yan Jinjin had been researching alternative methods involving the middle dantian in recent days, and it came in handy now as he nearly instantaneously regained the cultivation of the Immortal Cultivation System.

"Qi Refining First Layer!"

"Breakthrough!"

"Qi Refining Second Layer!"

"Breakthrough!"

"Breakthrough!"

"Breakthrough!!"

After all, with extensive cultivation experience, upon returning to the Immortal Cultivation System, Yan Jinjin relentlessly consumed all the spirit stones, breaking through realms continuously, and when he came back to his senses, he was already at Qi Refining Ninth Layer, just a step away from reaching the perfection of the Qi Refining stage.

"They’re all used up?"

Yan Jinjin looked down at the dry shell of spirit stones before him, a dazed look flashing in his eyes: "The spirit stones the master gave me were of good quality; ordinarily, they would be enough to break through to Foundation Establishment, but now they only lasted until Qi Refining Ninth Layer?"

He suddenly stood up: "Although the consumption has a significant discrepancy with the description by the master, at least one of the master’s theories is confirmed. I should report back first."

Li Zheng had just returned home when Liu Qi suddenly came to find him.

"Old Li, there might be something that requires your effort."

Liu Qi got straight to the point: "Earlier, a few members of Nine Heavens went to the Sin Domain, and it’s been days without any news back. I’m worried they ran into trouble. You’re more familiar with the environment of the Sin Domain than us, and you’re stronger too, so could you..."

"Members?" Li Zheng shook his head, realizing that Liu Qi didn’t even remember the head of Nine Heavens, mistakenly thinking that it was just a few members of Nine Heavens that went to Sin Domain: "I have been to several Sin Domains, but the rules in each are different. I can’t just roam around blindly. And we don’t even know which Sin Domain Nine Heavens went to, searching aimlessly would be like finding a needle in a haystack. It’s better to respect others’ fates and let them be."

When the first batch of Blue Star players entered the Outer City, he had warned them that the Sin Domain was extremely dangerous. Without enough strength and confidence to protect themselves, they shouldn’t venture out recklessly.

The head of Nine Heavens did not listen to this advice, insisting on leading people into potential danger, and seemed keen on not being found, leaving no trace or information.

They clearly had some unspeakable secrets and objectives.

"This..."

Liu Qi’s mouth opened, but he hesitated to continue.

"What’s wrong?" Li Zheng asked: "Speak your mind, or are you hiding some secret from me?"

"It’s not exactly a secret," Liu Qi said with a slightly embarrassed expression: "But you could say it is a military secret."

"Military secret?" Li Zheng wasn’t interested: "If it doesn’t help in countering the calamity ahead, then there’s no need to tell me, I don’t want to know."

He only wanted to find an effective way to completely resolve the upcoming Emotional Storm.

"It’s somewhat related," Liu Qi said seriously: "In fact, records about the Matrix have existed in the upper echelons for a very long time, but the Matrix in those records is not quite the same as the Matrix we’ve experienced."

"Such as?"

Li Zheng grew curious, prompting Liu Qi to continue.

"For instance, the Matrix in those records was not initially called Matrix; it had another name that was somehow erased, so no one knows it in our era," Liu Qi said slowly: "And also, when the Matrix descended upon Blue Star back then, it appeared in the form of a game, but that game was different from now; the main focus wasn’t combat, but intellectual contest."

"Intellectual contest?"

"Yes," Liu Qi replied: "However, the records indicate that the Matrix back then only stayed for a little over a month, and then all the players recruited were released back, having lost almost all memory of the Matrix. The records we have were pieced together from fragmentary information that surfaced in the dreams of some who participated in the Matrix Game."

"Oh?"

Li Zheng felt intrigued: "Could it be that Nine Heavens might have some information that even you don’t know, which is why they went to Sin Domain to do something unknown?"

"Yes," Liu Qi replied solemnly: "I have such suspicions. But since Nine Heavens is on our side, I don’t think they’d do anything to harm humanity. Nonetheless, the secret they’re hiding, we must know it, otherwise it could also become a threat."

"I understand,"

Li Zheng said after a moment of contemplation: "In that case, I will head to the Seven Great Sin Domains as soon as possible to search for those from Nine Heavens."

Nine Heavens was keeping some secret, and perhaps this secret could assist them in dealing with future calamities. If the head of Nine Heavens perished in the Sin Domain, failing to pass on the secret, it would be incredibly foolish.

Li Zheng decided that once he found them, he would beat them up before anything else.

"Thank you," Liu Qi nodded and left.

As soon as he left, Yan Jinjin arrived right after.

Upon entering, Yan Jinjin couldn’t wait to report his findings to Li Zheng in detail: "From this, we can see that the anomaly in Master’s cultivation is indeed a result of the combination of the three factors, and it’s a normal phenomenon, so there’s no need to worry excessively."

Yan Jinjin’s conclusion wasn’t important to Li Zheng; he merely sought reassurance.

After all, aside from the discrepancy with the description, his cultivation hadn’t caused any substantial harm to his body and had even slightly enhanced his overall strength.

Randomly pulling out ten spirit stones, he tossed them to Yan Jinjin: "You’ve done well with this matter. Keep working hard, and rewards and incentives won’t be scarce for you."

"Thank you, Master!"

Yan Jinjin, holding the spirit stones, expressed gratitude, then hurried back.

The current body wasn’t his; reaching Qi Refining Ninth Layer was satisfactory. He would await a new body before investing more spirit stones to officially resume his cultivation journey.