Chapter 376: The Great Wizard's Appreciation

This Great Wizard had long ago abandoned the limitations of a flesh-and-blood body; his Void Skeleton projection presented a perfect metallic structure.

His silver-gray torso was as regular as a precision instrument, and his facial lines were so rigid they possessed almost no human characteristics.

Most unsettling of all were his eyes.

A pair of pure silver orbs of light, devoid of pupils, yet capable of making one feel a bone-chilling cold as if pierced through by magic beams.

Facing Luo En's observation, Vinad did not even lift his head to look at him.

He was merely focused on flipping through the technical data in his hands, his silver eyes reflecting dense formulas.

Occasionally, he would swipe his metallic fingers through the air, leaving glowing calculation trajectories in the atmosphere.

"Another little brat pushed up by the Conquest Faction..."

Vinad's voice was like metal grinding, every syllable carrying a tone of mockery:

"But since you were able to come here, at least you won't be like those brutes who only know how to slaughter, unable to even figure out basic rune structures."

Alicia Brown, sitting in the Vice-Chair position, was another kind of extreme, terrifying existence.

Her Dark Sun-level Void Skeleton projection made it impossible for her to maintain a complete humanoid form, appearing only as a mass of constantly shifting deep-red flames.

Occasionally, a graceful female silhouette would flash within the flames, but more often, it was a twisted face of rage and a roaring beast-like form.

It is said that she completely burned her own flesh during the construction of her Void Skeleton and now exists only in a form of pure magic.

"Tsk tsk. Another wet-behind-the-ears little lamb?"

A harsh female voice emanated from the flames:

"These young people lately, each one more arrogant than the last, thinking they can change the world just by writing a few pretty papers.

Kid, I hope your results are worthy of the honor of having us old folks gather together, otherwise..."

She did not finish her sentence, but the flames suddenly turned an eerie green, and the smell of scorched flesh permeated the air.

Calvin Jones's left sleeve hung empty, with three abyss tentacles extending from the stump.

He kept scrutinizing the young man before him with his gaze: "I heard you encountered an Apostle-level threat in the abyss?"

Calvin's voice was as hoarse as sandpaper rubbing:

"I don't know if it's real ability or just good luck, but academic research is not like the battlefield; there are no luck factors—if you can't do it, you can't do it."

Minie remained in that same state, unchanged from last time, only her eyes clearly carried a deep exhaustion.

"Lecturer Ralph, we meet again."

Her tone was the friendliest among those present: "I hope this time you can still demonstrate ability consistent with the rumors."

Augu White was a gaunt old man; he said nothing, merely nodding at Luo En.

Luo En walked toward the chair in the center of the defense platform, an eerie seat carved from abyss obsidian.

The surface of the chair was engraved with wriggling True Word runes, crawling everywhere.

They were ready at any moment to amplify the defender's voice while faithfully recording every subtle change in their mental state.

The moment he sat down, he felt a cold touch travel up his spine.

It was as if countless invisible hands were stroking his nerves.

Vinad finally looked up, the impatience in his tone obvious:

"This time, Senior Youteer specifically put in a good word for you, which is why I came specially to listen to your nonsense."

His tone was as cold as midwinter:

"But let me state this first: my time is very precious.

If your so-called 'research' is just a show of old wine in new bottles,

then I will leave immediately and, by the way, mark 'intellectual deficiency' on your academic file.

Now, briefly state your core research concept—why do you believe it is necessary to improve technology that has been in service for over two hundred years?"

Facing such obvious hostility, Luo En maintained his signature calm.

He took a deep breath and launched into his carefully prepared response:

"Respected jury, my research originates from a simple observation..."

His voice became exceptionally clear under the effect of the True Word runes:

"The fundamental flaw of traditional simulation devices lies in their attempt to use orderly methods to simulate a disorderly environment.

This is like using a static sculpture to represent a rushing river—it resembles the form but lacks the spirit."

Alicia's flames flickered violently:

"All newcomers love to criticize the work of their predecessors! Do you think the researchers of the past few hundred years were all fools?"

"Of course not." Luo En responded neither humbly nor arrogantly:

"I respect the efforts of all my predecessors. But technological progress itself is a process of constant transcendence. The limitations of two hundred years ago should not become the shackles of today."

He stood up and walked toward the holographic projection device in the center of the conference room:

"The essence of the abyss is chaos, and the characteristic of chaos is unpredictability.

When we attempt to simulate this unpredictability through fixed programs, a fundamental contradiction arises."

The projection device activated, and the detailed structural diagram of his simulation device appeared in the air.

It was an extremely complex bio-mechanical fusion, every component exuding an eerie and dangerous beauty, like the organs of some ancient alien god.

Vinad's silver eyes finally began to observe the projection with focus, and his metallic fingers stopped tapping:

"An interesting design concept... continue."

"My method is not to eliminate chaos, but to learn to coexist with chaos, and even utilize the power of chaos."

Luo En's voice became more confident:

"By fusing living neural networks, adaptive rune arrays, and chaos energy regulation systems,

this device can truly 'understand' the changing laws of the abyss environment and perform real-time adaptive adjustments."

Calvin's tentacles suddenly twisted violently, and black liquid seeped from the tips of the bone spurs:

"Living neural networks? Kid, do you know what you're saying? That is a forbidden domain! How many researchers have gone mad or died because of such experiments?"

"I am certainly aware of the risks." Luo En calmly admitted:

"But the existence of risk is not a reason for avoidance, but a motivation for caution.

I used specially modified nerve fibers. These tissues are extremely sensitive to chaos energy while possessing sufficient stability."

The color of Alicia's flames also suddenly deepened:

"Are you saying you successfully domesticated abyss neural tissue? The corrosiveness of those things is something even we need to handle carefully."

"Through multiple safety mechanisms." Luo En pulled up a more detailed technical diagram:

"First is the mental shackle—implanting micro-rune chips into the nerve fibers, continuously emitting mental interference waves at specific frequencies to prevent neurons from forming complex connections."

His fingers outlined the complex structural diagram in the projection:

"Secondly, a periodic reset mechanism, clearing all memory traces every seventy-two hours.

Finally, an consciousness blocker; once the budding of autonomous consciousness is detected, the relevant neural pathways are immediately severed."

Vinad's metallic fingers began to calculate rapidly in the air, silver light trails weaving into a complex network of formulas:

"What is the frequency of the mental shackles? How is the power consumption of the rune chips balanced? How do you ensure core functions are not affected during the reset process?"

Three consecutive technical questions, each pointing directly to the core difficulties.

Luo En felt a bit excited; this Great Wizard had finally begun to take his research seriously.

"The frequency is 47.3 kilo-magm, which is the optimal parameter I determined through extensive experimentation."

He responded quickly:

"The rune chips adopt an 'energy-devouring circuit' design, drawing energy from the neural activity itself to achieve self-maintenance. The reset process uses 'hierarchical cleaning' technology..."

Over the next half hour, Vinad threw out more than a dozen technical questions, each more tricky than the last.

But Luo En's answers remained effortless.

A strange look appeared in Augu's pupils:

"You say that after applying your new device, there is a nearly one-third increase in survival rate? This number... if it is true..."

"We conducted rigorous comparative tests."

Luo En pulled up detailed experimental records:

"The exploration team conducted randomized grouping and controlled experiments.

The traditional group's survival rate in the second layer of the abyss was 73%, the third layer 61%, and the fourth layer 42%.

The corresponding data for the new device group: 89%, 78%, and 54%."

The data table unfolded in the air, with dense charts and statistical analysis clearly demonstrating the test results.

Every number had been strictly verified, and every comparison had detailed records.

Alicia's flames suddenly stilled for a few seconds, then emitted a crackling, popping sound:

"This level of improvement... if the data is true, it will change the entire exploration industry to a certain extent!

But I must ask—has your device caused any mental corruption to the users?

Don't try to fool me, kid; I can smell any abnormality in flesh and blood."

This question pointed directly to the greatest risk of the technology.

Any device involving abyss energy could cause irreversible mental damage to the user.

"There is indeed slight mental fluctuation." Luo En did not hide it:

"But it is all within the safe range. The average corruption index increased by 0.9 units, far below the safety threshold of 2.0. Moreover, this slight fluctuation actually helps the user adapt to the abyss environment."

He pulled up a detailed medical examination report:

"We conducted follow-up investigations on all testers.

Not only were no negative consequences found, but in subsequent actual explorations, these testers showed stronger abyss adaptability and keener danger perception."

Vinad's attitude had already undergone a significant change.

He no longer showed his initial impatience, but was fully focused on analyzing every technical detail.

"Chaos energy regulation system..." His voice began to carry obvious contemplation:

"This is the most core and difficult part of the entire design; tell me about your breakthrough."

"Traditional views hold that chaos energy is uncontrollable and can only be passively endured."

Luo En's tone became more confident:

"But I discovered that although chaos is unpredictable, it is not completely random.

It follows certain deep-seated laws, it is just that these laws exceed our conventional understanding."

Over the next two hours, the jury conducted an extremely detailed interrogation of Luo En's research.

From technical details to theoretical foundations, from experimental methods to safety measures, they asked almost every possible question.

But what left a deep impression on everyone was Luo En's clear understanding of the technical risks.

He never exaggerated his research results, nor did he avoid potential problems, but faced every challenge with the honest attitude a researcher should have.

Just as the atmosphere was gradually developing toward a harmonious state, Minie suddenly spoke, her voice carrying a certain probing tone:

"Speaking of the expansion of the simulation field... Lecturer Luo En, I remember at your last review meeting, you mentioned some interesting ideas about 'virtual worlds'?"

As soon as this question came out, the air in the conference room immediately became tense.

"Especially regarding those... deeper theoretical explorations in the notes of Alchemist Lans?"

Minie stared at him fixedly, as if trying to read the deepest thoughts in his mind:

"Those ideas about consciousness archiving and memory sharing, combined with your current chaos adaptation technology, seem capable of producing some... revolutionary possibilities?"