Chapter 94

The "spark" dug out from Brother Ze's chest, though it could add talent in the Mechanical Field, was not a must-have for the current stage.

If this drew the attention of the Four Pillars, skimming some benefits would be worthwhile.

No matter how he thought about it, it was quite a bargain!

After learning from the Dao Nature Avatar how to perform esoteric rituals, Qin Shi began to act.

He didn't even need to exit the Thinking Hall; on the contrary, staying here was safer.

According to the Dao Nature Avatar Super Xiao He, the Netherworld was a Virtual Number Ocean overlapping with reality.

It contained the consciousness of all life in the Great Universe, bore endless Spiritual Radiance, yet was still filled with cold darkness.

Even a Great Master of spiritual cultivation, completely letting go of his spirit, burning himself, turning into a bright torch, at most illuminated only one corner.

"The Thinking Hall is like a safety airbag; even if the ritual goes wrong and summons something unclean, it can block one or two."

Through the Dao Nature Avatar Super Xiao He, Qin Shi learned that building a Consciousness Space required at least over ten points of Spiritual Field Power.

He was basically using cheat codes, directly generating it via Achievement Traits, far ahead of his peers.

"Building a Consciousness Space is like establishing a firewall; it can cut off interference from the Netherworld, block tempting whispers, and incidentally prevent psychic attacks from Espers."

"If he ever encountered a big shot from the Esper Field in the future, hehe!"

Qin Shi pondered while busying himself with the esoteric ritual.

Fortunately, he didn't need to enter a strict place like a washroom; he only needed to simply draw the Symbolic Emblems of the Four Pillars, walk four steps backward, and chant the names.

The matter was done.

"The process is nearly complete. The sacrificial item is the 'spark' left behind by the Electronic Demon; as for the sacrificial target, just check all four: Taiyi / Celestial Human / Divine Machine / True Dragon!"

"Whichever big shot is in a good mood, hurry over and take a look at me!"

Qin Shi held the paper document projected by the Dao Nature Avatar, filling it out like a college application, handling each item step by step.

Finally choosing the sacrificial target, he listed all Four Pillars as "first choice" in one go.

The Dao Nature Avatar Super Xiao He, in the image of a white-haired boy, though still expressionless, spoke up on his own initiative for once:

"You only prepared one table of food and invited four people to eat... very easy to capsize."

Qin Shi himself was full of confidence:

"Hoping the Four Pillars look favorably upon him and gain Their response is itself like buying a lottery ticket. Since that's the case, the probability of four winning tickets is definitely higher than one, right?"

The Dao Nature Avatar Super Xiao He shook his head:

"Actually they're all the same, infinitely approaching impossibility. The probability formula is the number of favorable combinations divided by total combinations. Your sacrificial item is the energy source spark of mechanical life, which has slightly more attraction for Divine Machine, but the chances of the other three Pillars casting Their gaze upon you are negligible."

That said, Qin Shi, adhering to the principle of "it doesn't cost much anyway, believe a little, and it's harmless to seek good luck," still silently checked all Four Pillars.

There was no reason for a supreme Divine Spirit of order to be thunderously furious just because a tiny ant prayed to heaven and chanted a few more names, right?

They weren't in opposing hostile camps.

"Naive."

Super Xiao He had a stiff expression, like a paralyzed face, and lightly uttered two words.

He clearly didn't think highly of Qin Shi's actions.

How could Pillar-level beings have such shallow eyelids?

Summoning all the tiny ants.

That would be too cheap.

"Besides the spark, I will also sacrifice my passion for martial arts, my infinite future, and possible future bad luck like wisdom teeth, appendicitis, eating instant noodles without seasoning packets..."

Qin Shi chattered on for a long string, and even his own Dao Nature Avatar Super Xiao He couldn't listen anymore, helplessly interrupting:

"Are the Four Pillars garbage scavengers who collect trash?"

Who knows!

Qin Shi slandered them in secret.

Who could say what the tastes of Pillar-level big shots were?

Relying on his experience as a fishing bum in his previous life.

He firmly believed that as long as he baited the nest hard enough, a big catch was within reach!

"Sacrifice, activate!"

Qin Shi's eyes were full of expectation and longing, looking up at the profound void at the highest point of the Thinking Hall.

A few minutes passed.

Complete silence.

"No way! At least give some reaction..."

Qin Shi was stunned.

Was he being disliked?

Not even a response from a single Pillar-level big shot?

The Dao Nature Avatar Super Xiao He was not at all surprised; such supreme existences as the Four Pillars, even if the most devout believers performed sacrifices or prayers, might not be willing to pay attention.

They were essentially the most basic framework and most fundamental laws of the Great Universe; Their gaze was everywhere, yet nearly omnipotent.

If the Vast Star Sea were regarded as a boundless house, then Pillar-level beings would be its most important roof beams; once removed, they would cause huge turmoil and increase the risk of collapse.

They didn't need disciples' faith at all; rather, believers needed Them to support their spirits.

"Failure is normal; out of a hundred people holding esoteric rituals hoping to gain the attention of the Four Pillars, often not a single one succeeds."

Possibly because he had communicated with Qin Shi a lot, the Dao Nature Avatar Super Xiao He gradually wasn't so stiff, and actually knew how to comfort people.

"Moreover, your sacrificial items are too shabby."

Were Pillar-level big shots also this realistic!

Gods don't save poor wretches?

Qin Shi felt a bit discouraged; that spark was already the limit of what his finances could bear.

He couldn't really sell himself as a sacrifice, could he!

"Why not use the 'Xu Kong Meditation Method' as the sacrificial offering?"

The Dao Nature Avatar Super Xiao He made a suggestion.

"Anyway, you've already mastered it; it's etched in your mind."

Qin Shi shook his head; this was his growth progress charging treasure.

He directed his gaze at the Dao Nature Avatar Super Xiao He; this thing was born from the Thinking Hall accommodating the Martial God's Qi Rhyme, a product of coincidence.

Since there could be a first one, who knows, there might be a second.

"You're truly ruthless. Sacrificing me — what's the difference from sacrificing yourself? I am He Lanchan's Dao Nature, condensed with your true self."

Super Xiao He calmly stated the facts.

"Leaving aside whether it can win the Four Pillars' favor, He Lanchan's martial Dao Qi Rhyme isn't infinite; use a bit, lose a bit.

Having me serve as a search engine, an idle tool-man consumes little, but condensing another avatar might not be enough."

Qin Shi sighed, suddenly feeling that learning from his predecessor He Lanchan, writing flattering little essays every day to try to move the Four Pillars, might not be a bad idea either.

To earn the gaze of such magnificent existences — the difficulty is truly boundless!

"Family assets too thin, no way out... wait, I don't seem that poor after all!"

Qin Shi was ready to give up, planning to chat properly with Lao Liang another day and ponder other paths for Spirit Gate Limit Breaking, when a flash of inspiration struck.

"What the Four Pillars favor, appreciate, recognize, and crave are living beings themselves. Performing 'deeds' that conform to Their Domains can attract Their Arrival.

The Divine Machine's Dao, innovation creates Saints? Then let's try the 'Electronic Mind' — perfect fusion of carbon-based and silicon-based!

The True Dragon's Dao, endless proliferation? How about the crazy eat-eat-eat 'Overgrowth'!

The Heaven-Man's Dao, forbidding external methods... The Taiyi's Dao, eternal constancy... Never mind all that, put 'Deep Sleep', 'Muscle Memory', 'Super-Sensory Perception', 'Worker Warrior' all up there!"

Qin Shi seemed to realize; the stela achievements he had painstakingly grinded for, pouring sweat into, weren't they the most attractive "offerings" to draw the Four Pillars?

Boom!

Great sound is inaudible!

The instant this thought rose in Qin Shi, he heard a grand and solemn inquiry, like ten thousand bronze bells striking, solemn and vertical.

"What dost thou seek?"

Four crowns, each dazzling like a star, blazing like fire, yet surging like waves, manifested faint outlines.

Beneath them seemed to be a vast and heavy gaze, like a galaxy pouring down, slowly flowing, landing on Qin Shi performing the Esoteric Ritual.

The Four Pillars!

All descended!

"Got it wrong, right?"

On the Dao Nature Avatar Super Xiao He's stiff poker face, an unmistakable look of shock emerged.

"Taiyi, Heaven-Man, Divine Machine, True Dragon — all gazing upon the same person?"

What kind of treatment is this?

Chosen Son of Heaven?

Taian Metropolitan Area, a heavily guarded martial law zone.

A massive building complex stretched out, like a prehistoric giant beast crouching in slumber.

Four hundred meters underground lay the Netherworld Research Institute.

Many graduates from First-Rank Academies, majoring in Shen Neng Xi and Mechanical System, high-caliber talents in white coats, moved in and out.

A middle-aged man of utterly ordinary appearance, with a slight paunch, stepped into the Core Area; in a spacious room the size of a football field, all kinds of instruments were packed tight, their surfaces engraved with Divine Machine Emblems glowing brilliantly, binding Electronic Fluctuations within a certain range.

"Another peaceful day."

The middle-aged man carried the night snack and put it in the Conference Room.

"Who ordered the roast chicken? Eating this greasy stuff so late at night, aren't you afraid of clogging your arteries!"

The researchers guarding the computer screens, closely monitoring all readings, crowded into the Conference Room like a black mass, looking exactly like starving students who, the moment they hear the dismissal bell, swarm to the canteen.

"I ordered the roast chicken!"

"Smells amazing!"

"Long live the Boss..."

The researchers were generally young, lively personalities, and the atmosphere was very cheerful.

The Netherworld Research Institute is not the high-pressure environment outsiders imagine; because they face absurd and bizarre supernatural events every day, everyone is silent and reserved, mentally tense, as if living on a horror movie set, liable to lose their lives at any moment.

In fact, placed in Hengzhou where Electronic Blockade and Energy Confinement levels are quite high, it basically counts as the top choice for slacking off, lying flat, supporting the elderly, and mixing seniority!

Daily work is making data charts, making data charts, making data charts... Due to Hengzhou's excessive safety, the Netherworld Depth Value overlapping with reality is very average, even field duty opportunities are rare.

Just need to record the value fluctuations on the big screens in detail by the hour, compile them into volumes, and that's it.

With such workload, enjoying bianzhi benefits, five insurances and one fund, weekends off, regular psychological counseling, ten years' tenure gets allocated car and housing... If openly recruiting, the titanium alloy threshold would be trampled flat.

The middle-aged man laughed hehe:

"These few days you'll have to work a bit harder; a Red Alert event of an Electronic Demon attempting to spread was discovered in Dangyang East Suburbs, the Netherworld Depth Value overlapping with reality deepened by 0.5, we must brace ourselves and stay vigilant for follow-up effects."

The Netherworld Research Institute is mainly responsible for monitoring anomalies, cosmic disaster forecasting, issuing high-risk warnings, organizing and guiding disaster prevention and mitigation.

Roughly similar to the Meteorological Bureau.

The Netherworld is a Virtual Number Ocean invisible to the naked eye; it coincides with reality in one place, like overlapping layers of the same photograph.

Many scholars believe that if the Material World is viewed as a massive island, either reality sinks and is swallowed, or the sea level rises and covers the highest peak.

This is a relatively pessimistic doomsday theory.

It is not authoritative in itself, nor has it gained unanimous recognition.

But based on this type of theory, Dongxia still established many Netherworld Research Institutes to prevent the Virtual Number Ocean and the Material World from overlapping too deeply, which would then cause Reality to suffer Erosion and abnormal events to occur.

"As long as the Boss is willing to treat us to extra food! We're willing to work Overtime every day!"

The researchers shared the roast chicken, their Enthusiasm high.

"Alright, I'll get you guys a whole roast lamb tomorrow......"

The middle-aged man's surname was Ma; he was the Section Chief of this Monitoring Chamber, had deep Seniority, and a rather amiable personality, always able to get along swimmingly with his subordinates.

Beep beep beep beep beep——

He had just thought about paying out of his own pocket when a piercing bee-buzz rang out across the huge Room, vast as a football field.

Ma Kezhang's Facial Color changed, and the rest of the researchers likewise revealed shocked expressions, hurriedly putting down the food in their hands and rushing quickly to their own Workbenches.

"Boss, the Netherworld data Wave Fluctuation is very intense!"

"Three Minutes ago, the Depth Value surged by 5 points!"

"It's already at 10 points! Approaching the critical point that triggers Reality distortion!"

"Is it a Foreign Race Divine Spirit invasion?"

"No......"

"Pillar-level! Arrival!"

"Which ones?"

"Just the ones we deal with the most, our Dongxia's......"

Ma Kezhang practically threw himself at the Screen, staring at four continuously enlarging "giant Tai Yang" spreading out ring after ring of brilliant ripples.

"My dear mother! Four Great Pillars Arriving simultaneously, who has that kind of massive fortune?!"

Has Hengzhou produced a Four-Pillar Chosen One?

"You——Have——What——Request?"

The grand inquiries intersected and overlapped, like a ten-thousand-zhang peak being uprooted and smashed into the Ocean, stirring up furious raging waves.

The Thinking Hall made cracking sounds, tottering on the verge of collapse, as if it would collapse and shatter at any moment.

Before Qin Shi could make a reply, the Four Great Pillars seemed to discover each other.

Thereafter, time and space seemed to freeze.

"What is this feeling of being caught with a foot on four boats! The Four Pillar Bosses wouldn't put a little shrimp like me in their eyes...... right?"

Getting his wish, Qin Shi, receiving the gazes and favor of the Four Great Pillars, felt his throat roll, only sensing the pressure was profound and heavy.

If not for the Thinking Hall acting as a buffer, he would nearly have knelt down on the spot, prostrating himself fully.

Thump thump thump thump!

Four glorious crowns seemed like colliding stars, each squeezing, each vying, then erupting with terrifying Yuan Bo beyond imagination.

"What are they doing! Why are they fighting...... My dear mother, the Depth Value is about to break Twelve Points...... Bosses, rein in your divine abilities!"

Ma Kezhang of the Netherworld Research Institute was so scared his legs went soft, his Facial Color deathly pale, wishing he could press his hands together in worship and prayer.

Once the Virtual Number Ocean and the Material World overlap excessively, regional distortion will occur.

Either a part of the Netherworld's rules covers Reality, triggering bizarre Absurd supernatural Phenomena; or a region of Reality gets dragged into the Netherworld, forming a rift space that cannot be speculated by common sense.

Whichever it is, it's no Good Deeds!

"Dead mouth! Hurry up and open your mouth for me!"

Qin Shi really wanted to loudly make a wish, such as "Obtain Martial God Talent Ranking", "Break open the Seven Great Limits of the Flesh", "Xinling Xiuxiu surges and breaks through to Manifest Saint"......

But he just couldn't open his mouth.

Every time a thought Flashed, it was suppressed down by vast boundless mighty power, thoroughly scattered.

Those four Pillar-level Bosses seemed to treat him as a competition arena for vying and contesting victory.

In just the blink of an eye, Qin Shi made seven or eight wishes.

The result was that each time one Great Pillar responded, the other few Pillars vetoed it.

Back and forth, endlessly entertaining!

Anyway, if I can't get it, you don't get it either!

"Tired, let it be destroyed......"

Tossed back and forth repeatedly, Qin Shi felt life was not worth living, his face numb.

Like the lottery jackpot numbers right before his eyes, yet separated by a layer of frosted glass, viewing flowers in the fog, unable to see clearly no matter what, unable to remember.

Thump!

Another boom resounded, silent and Invisible.

Apart from Qin Shi, no one could hardly hear it.

He raised his head; the four glorious crowns were faintly visible, the grand Gaze hidden beneath them slowly withdrawing.

Huh?

Has a victor been decided?

Who won?

Hurry up and let me make a wish!

In the profound void at the highest point of the Thinking Hall, vortexes formed one after another, Condensing into four different Symbolic Emblems.

An Eternally Burning Furnace, a Giant Tree dividing Tian Di, a Gear cracking from within, a Dragon Eye containing the Sun and Moon.

Immediately after, four Symbolic Emblems crashed into Qin Shi all at once, imprinting themselves deep within his soul.

The next moment, the glorious crown vanished completely — it came fast and left just as fast.

The ripples instantly settled, the raging waves returning to quiet.

The Four Pillars seemed as if they had never appeared at all.

Hundreds of meters underground in the Netherworld Research Institute, the blaring alarms that had been buzzing nonstop came to an abrupt halt.

The Depth Value, which had been climbing steadily and was about to trigger a major upheaval, plummeted in an instant, like a stock hitting the daily limit down in a freefall.

"Hey! Let me make a wish before you go! Taiyi Bro? Heavenly Man Bro? Divine Machine Bro? True Dragon Bro? At least leave one of you down here!"

Qin Shi was dumbfounded — what kind of response was this?

His sacrifice hadn't been sent out, and he hadn't gotten any Divine Blessing.

Only four Symbolic Emblems, branded deep into his palm.

Overlapping each other, interlocking.

Forming a single unique trace!

【Junior Achievement - Order Activated】

【Junior Achievement - Breaking Conquest Activated】

【Junior Achievement - Hundred Refinements Activated】

【Junior Achievement - Dragon Breath Activated】

The Stele Panel popped up four lines of text in succession, barely comforting Qin Shi, who felt like he'd lost hundreds of millions.

That official car with the Heng-A license plate entered Old Factory Street again; dawn was already breaking.

Secretary Huo parked the car at the Alley Entrance, quickly walked around to the back seat and opened the door.

Chen Ruofu, who hadn't slept all night, happened to run into Qin Shi heading out to buy breakfast; he waved, calling him over.

Not long after, this Tai'an Urban Circle's top leader stood dumbstruck, his eyes full of disbelief.

Chen Ruofu completely forgot his teachings to his daughter, throwing "maintain composure in major events" to the back of his mind, and muttered:

"You entered He Lanchan's 'Xu Kong Meditation Method' in one night?"

"Mm."

"And then casually drew the gaze of the Four Pillars?"

"Mm."

"All four Pillar-level figures came together?"

"Mm."

"They even left behind their exclusive Symbolic Emblems?"

"Mm."

Chen Ruofu subconsciously took the soy milk Qin Shi handed over, took a slurp:

"My brain's a mess right now, let me sort this out... are you He Lanchan reincarnated or what? Ah!"

(Chapter End)