“All right.”
The discussion continued for several minutes before Director Bai interrupted: “Since Kong Ji proposed it, I do believe him. We might really be able to develop Pills. However, this matter is significant, so let us have everyone vote.”
“Raise your hands if you agree.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Director Bai was the first to raise his hand.
Immediately afterward, people in several Screens gradually raised their hands as well.
“Very good. It has passed by a wide margin.”
“It seems everyone agrees.”
Director Bai lowered his Right Hand. “Very good. As for the exchange matters, I will find a Method to communicate with the people from Country M. Also, Professor Li, notify Kong Ji and have him Prepare to begin the Pill Refining matters.”
“The Director approved it?”
Kong Ji had not expected things to go so smoothly after receiving the Message.
“I thought it would be delayed for some time.”
“Nothing related to the White Mist can be delayed.” Li Dingyuan waved his hand. “However, the reason this was approved so quickly is also because of you. Although everyone does not understand Alchemy, they are willing to support you.”
“I know.”
Kong Ji’s expression was solemn.
If someone else had submitted a report on Alchemy that seemed almost like child’s play, it probably would not even have needed to be discussed at a meeting. It would have been rejected immediately, and might even have incurred punishment.
“It is good that you understand.” Li Dingyuan said, “The notice will be issued soon. The Base will Prepare all the necessary Supplies, and people from Country M will also be sent to negotiate. The exchange should succeed.”
“Though there is no guarantee. The people from Country M might stubbornly refuse to agree.”
“Regardless, the Bureau strongly supports your Alchemy experiments. You should make your preparations. Even if it does not work this time, there will always be another opportunity.”
Kong Ji replied, “All right.”
Immediately afterward, he turned around and picked up a sheet of blueprints from the table behind him.
“I have already finished drawing the blueprints for the Alchemy Furnace. Once they are approved, we can begin immediately.”
Three days later.
At that moment, the area around the Black Hole at the center of the Kunlun Base had clearly become a construction site. Several excavation Tools were working at full power inside the glass room, their drilling sounds resounding without end.
“It’s loose! It’s loose!”
Someone suddenly shouted.
Kong Ji hurried over.
He saw that, after several hours and three damaged drill bits, the roughly Per square meter patch of land around the Black Hole had finally cracked open.
On both sides of the crack, a ring of yellow, transparent Matter could be seen extending downward. Its appearance resembled yellow jade, but its texture was many times harder—harder even than diamond.
“Good. It’s finally loose!”
Kong Ji let out a long sigh of relief.
They had known that this White Mist land was extremely hard, but they had not expected it to be this hard.
Even with the hardest drill bits, after drilling for several hours, they had only managed to create a single crack. No one knew how long it would take to excavate an entire piece.
“Does the Alchemy Furnace really need something this precious?”
Dong Dingguo stepped forward, his eyes filled with reluctance.
The entire Kunlun Base had only this one patch of land altered by the White Mist, and countless experts and Professors were Staring at it. Every attempt to take even a little for research required passing through numerous procedures. Yet Kong Ji now intended to excavate such a large piece to create an Alchemy Furnace. It was like carving flesh from his heart.
“It would be best to use it.” Kong Ji smiled. “Captain, you do not need to be reluctant. Although this patch of land is not large in area, it is quite deep, extending at least beyond Twenty meters underground. I will excavate at most a few dozen kilograms, so it will not take much.”
Dong Dingguo said regretfully, “I just feel reluctant. Such a precious thing, and the higher-ups actually agreed to let you use it to create an Alchemy Furnace. This land is no longer ordinary soil. It is genuine Yellow Crystal!”
Yellow Crystal.
That was the new name for the land before them, and it was an exceptionally vivid description of its appearance.
The similarly mutated glass around it had also been renamed White Crystal.
These two types of Matter were the only two White Mist Creations in the Kunlun Base.
“Do not worry, Captain. The material will not disappear; it is merely changing the way it exists.”
Seeing this, Kong Ji said with amusement, “Besides, creating an Alchemy Furnace requires more than just Yellow Crystal and White Crystal. Fire Crystal from the Qinling Base must also be sent over, and they are not nearly as reluctant.”
The three great Crystal Stones.
These were three of the White Mist Creations Kong Ji needed for this Pill Refining.
The Yellow Crystal and White Crystal came from the Kunlun Base. Their original forms were a patch of mountainous land and a sheet of glass.
These two Crystal Stones possessed not only the properties of hardness and memory, but also heat resistance. They could endure several hours in Flame thousands of degrees hot without melting.
After melting, they could be mixed together to form an entirely new Matter that possessed all the characteristics of both Crystal Stones at once. It was simply inconceivable.
The other Fire Crystal came from the Qinling Base.
Its original form was a small, shallow coal deposit beneath the location of the Black Hole at the Qinling Base. It had no real development value, with reserves too small and transportation too difficult, so no one had ever mined it.
After being affected by the White Mist, however, some of the coal Ore in the deposit unexpectedly underwent a mutation.
Its exterior changed from its original black color to a Flame-like orange, and it became resistant to burning, smokeless, and capable of reaching extremely high temperatures.
Once a piece of Fire Crystal was ignited in a White Mist environment, its temperature could easily exceed five thousand degrees. It could continue burning for twenty-four hours, which was simply unimaginable.
For this Pill Refining, Kong Ji intended to use the three great Crystal Stones: the White Crystal and Yellow Crystal to create the Alchemy Furnace, and the Fire Crystal as the Flame for Pill Refining.
With the three great Crystal Stones assembled, the preliminary preparations for Pill Refining were finally complete.
“Forget it. Since the higher-ups have already approved it, there is nothing I can say.” Dong Dingguo shook his head helplessly. “I do have another matter I would like to ask you about. How has your recent Cultivation of the Zhou Tian Chun Yang Gong been?”
The Zhou Tian Chun Yang Gong had become the new Cultivation Method practiced by everyone in the White Mist Investigation Bureau.
Kong Ji was also pretending to cultivate it.
However, for most people, the Zhou Tian Chun Yang Gong was not as simple and easy to practice as the Thirty-Six Orifice Technique. This Cultivation Method placed great demands on Talent and Comprehension. Some people were unable to enter the threshold even after a long time, some progressed slowly, and others advanced smoothly, though none could compare with Zhang Zhaoyang.
Most people were still at the initial stage.
“It is going all right. Why?”
Kong Ji asked.
Dong Dingguo said, “This Cultivation Method is too profound. Quite apart from the many concepts that are difficult to understand, even after understanding them, there are still many difficulties in practicing it. I wanted to ask Zhang Zhaoyang for help, but he is confused himself. When will you, its founder, have time to explain it to everyone?”
“Where would I find the Time?”
Kong Ji shook his head helplessly.
There would be no problem with guiding them. With Perfect Grade Cultivation Power within him, he could answer any question related to the Zhou Tian Chun Yang Gong effortlessly and resolve it with ease.
However, the Pill Refining plan had only just begun. He truly had no Time, and would not be free in the short term.
Seeing the Disappointment on Dong Dingguo’s face, Kong Ji thought for a moment before suggesting, “How about this, Captain? Have everyone write down the questions they have encountered during Cultivation and hand them to me. I will answer them one by one when I have the Time. That should not cause too much delay.”
“That works.”
Dong Dingguo readily agreed.
He knew Kong Ji was not making excuses, but was genuinely overwhelmed with matters, so he could understand.
As the two were having their Conversation, the sound of the drilling machine in the distance finally stopped.
Immediately afterward, someone shouted, “We finally dug it out!”
Kong Ji hurriedly turned to look. He saw a Yellow Crystal the size of something that could be held in both arms, weighing over a hundred kilograms, being carried out of the pit.