New concept of the mysterious way to ascend to immortality

Chapter 178 Let's happily collude in evil!
The boy from a third-tier city followed behind Meng Xiyue, admiring the bizarre and wonderful [skull servos]. Each of these servos, which were displayed to the public, had an extraordinary origin and contained extremely high levels of technological sophistication.

Mengxi's endless introductions and praises broadened his horizons and gave him a deeper understanding of the "School of Knowledge".

The [Mechanical Magic Network] is merely the initial, core, and foundational part of the 'Knowledge School'. Building upon this foundation, the school actively incorporates research into various 'sources of pollution' and releases a large number of [Spell Models] with different pollution attributes and logic.

Beyond the traditional [Magic Network], the academy provides external [Mechanical Magic Network Framework] and 'engineers' to offer 'personalized customization services' to clients from different backgrounds, including but not limited to [Root Server, Local Area Server Magic Network, etc.].

His current collaboration with Meng Xiyue in the [Foam World] is the latter. He betrays the interests of the 'Shadow Demon God' behind him, offering the [Shadow Dream Hole, Shadow Domain]; Meng Xiyue, representing her mentors, provides personalized services, blazing a trail in the underground world!
Yuan Zhu: "I'm happy to cooperate, but which mode should we choose?"

After a two-hour visit, Yuan Zhu gained a basic understanding of the diverse types of "personalized, customized root servers" and the various cooperation models tailored to different situations. However, to build a true "root server," a top-tier head is still needed.

Only the skulls of gods and demons can bear the [Local Contamination Magic Network].

"Don't panic about that. Although I'm just a novice apprentice with limited experience, your [Law Domain] is pitifully small as well. A typical [Insect City] has at least five or six Dream Holes, while you only have one. So don't be picky, and let's not complain about each other. Forget about those mature [Network Architectures], entrust your trust to me, and let me customize a brand new [Shadow Magic Network] for you, how about that?"

Yuan Zhu's expression gradually turned cold: "After all that talk and showing you this incredibly sophisticated [High-End Skull Servo], you're telling me our collaboration has nothing to do with them, and that you're the one designing it all?"

This is like taking me to a car show, showing me all the top-of-the-line sports cars, and then suddenly wanting to buy an electric, eco-friendly old man's car. If that's the case, why bother showing me all the worldly glamour?
Meng Xiyue declared confidently, "If I don't take you to visit the experimental building, how will you know the profound foundation and great power of my [Knowledge School]? Only by witnessing these diverse and high-end [Contaminated Version. Skull Servo] will you understand the heaven-defying improvement that my Knowledge School can bring to your small Dharma Domain!"

Yuan Zhu rolled his eyes: "That's easy for you to say. I have confidence in the [School of Knowledge], but not in you!"

"Do I only represent myself? I represent the academy and mentors behind me. Otherwise, what qualifications does your small domain have to engage in high-level cooperation with the [School]? Even if you can afford the money, you can't bring anyone into the [Bubble World]."

"Ah, so that's where you were waiting for me. So I had no choice."

Yuan Zhu finally understood that Meng Xiyue's move was clearly a case of a sect's academically challenged saintess with less-than-ideal exam results randomly calling on professors and mentors to summon the top talents of her sect to provide her with remote technical support in order to complete her own 'graduation project'.

Only by letting Yuan Zhu see the formidable strength and promising future of the [Knowledge School] beforehand will he wholeheartedly cooperate and jointly invest in the [Shadow Domain] instead of just going through the motions.

While Yuan Zhu verbally expressed his dislike, he secretly longed for the [Skull Server] to be installed as soon as possible so that he could monitor, spy on, and replicate its secrets through the [Shadow Domain]. He reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"Alright, I've seen it all, and I think adding a 'magic net' to the [Law Domain] is a good attempt. When we return to the Bubble World, I'll transfer as much of my access to the [Shadow Dream Hole] as possible to you. But don't go too far; ruining the [Law Domain] won't benefit anyone."

Meng Xiyue nodded happily: "I know, I know, I will take good care of your little baby."

"I'm puzzled. Why are you, a mere apprentice of the Knowledge School who hasn't even reached the Seed level, so concerned about personally leading the construction of a Polluted Magic Network? Do you even have the ability? Don't try to take advantage of me."

Meng Xiyue hummed unhappily twice, moved closer to him, and whispered, "It's about time I revealed some inside information to you."

Yuan Zhu pricked up her ears, feigning curiosity, and drawled, "Oh...?"

Meng Xiyue looked around, then went to the lounge area on the 13th floor of Yuanzhu and ordered two drinks. She sat down in a booth with a soundproof field activated, admiring the scenery outside the window, and whispered, "There are three reasons why I'm so proactive. The most important one is that when I returned to [Happy Home] last time, I had a conversation with the captain. After we completed the mission, the captain also went into the [Underground World] to investigate, and then he contacted me, expressing some interest in the [Skull Servo] I developed."

Yuan Zhu, who originally only wanted to learn about the 'Skull Servo and Magic Network System' through Meng Xiyue using the [Shadow Domain], suddenly realized after hearing that the captain was also interested in it that the pink-haired boy's [Skull Servo] might be extremely valuable and have untapped potential, which had attracted the captain's attention?
Yuan Zhu: "The captain has taken a liking to your [Skull Servo]?"

"uh-huh!"

"What's there to be so arrogant about? The captain even has his eye on my [Pastoral Village]!"

Meng Xiyue: "Just kidding. After the captain finished his inspection, besides being optimistic about the insect cultivators' breeding of 'caterpillars' which could produce a large amount of [uniform raw materials], he was also very interested in the 'moon worship ceremony' of the surface world. Then he took a liking to my modification of the 'Qi Refiner's head' and proposed a cooperation proposal. He is prepared to invest in me on behalf of the [Cat King] to create a [Skull Servant] that is compatible with moonlight and can communicate with the [Moon] during the 'Moon Worship Ceremony' using the heads of local Qi Refiners."

"???" Yuan Zhu was completely confused. "What does this have to do with anything?!"

He had also participated in the Moon Worship Ceremony. Every time there was a full moon in the Bubble World, the 'withered branches of the Immortal Tree' remaining on the surface could draw in the moonlight projected by the 'Astral Layer. Moon', absorbing the energy containing 'soul attributes' to empower the 'True Qi' within his body and the 'spiritual insects' fed with True Qi, increasing their spiritual essence.

But what does this ritual have to do with the skull? ...Hmm?

"Your [Knowledge School] attributes also lean towards the soul. The captain's investment in your [Insect Cultivation Server] is to exploit the 'spirit and soul' represented by the [Head], as well as the affinity between local Qi cultivators and the [Moon Worship Ritual], to massively draw in moonlight, even resonating with the [Moon]? Wait! Is he planning [Ascension]?" From the information he obtained from [Cicada City], insect cultivators' [Ascension] has two different types. The most common and universal method now is to use the [Dream Hole] to explore the Nightmare World, eventually finding an escape route, then donning armor in their true form, escaping the [Dream Hole] to ascend and travel to other 'bubble worlds'.

In addition, there is an even less common and extremely unlikely method. That is to use the monthly "Moon Worship" to continuously elevate one's spiritual consciousness. With the help of the moonlight, the consciousness rises in reverse to the "Sea of ​​Consciousness (the Moon)," and from a higher-dimensional perspective, perceive the path from the "Nightmare Bubble Layer" to the "Astral Layer," thus completing the ascension.

The difficulty of this path to ascension far exceeds finding a way out of the Nightmare Layer and leaping to other 'bubble worlds'. But the possibility is not zero; the Eggplant Clan of the Little Red Realm fled here from the Astral Layer.

The captain's investment in Mengxi Yue is precisely about utilizing the residual "moon-worship affinity" in the skulls of indigenous people to significantly stimulate the "spirituality" within those skulls. It's about using a "knowledge school style" that's not based on the "Qi cultivation system" to reverse-engineer the "moon."

Meng Xiyue nodded: "My initial thoughts were similar to yours, but I understand the style of the [Knowledge School] better. What you see is only the most superficial layer. There is a bigger purpose hidden behind it. Although I don't understand it, as an investor and a technology supporter, I must participate in it and seek benefits from it."

"The local skull servo, the modification of the moon worship ceremony on the ground, and the reverse link to the moon involve a lot of hidden knowledge. The captain has to teach me all of this, and I also need to integrate it with the [skull servo] to form a unique skill. Not only will the captain achieve his goal, but I will also benefit from it."

"Secondly, the 'Qi Refiner Servant' I brought back is also attracting a lot of attention from the mentors. They will use me as a 'communication medium' to cooperate with the captain remotely, providing advanced knowledge of the [Knowledge School] to meet the captain's needs. The most unavoidable part for me is that I will inevitably be passively instilled with knowledge until I fully comprehend it and can manually create advanced 'servants'. I'm going to benefit from both ends! I must prosper, my mental strength will skyrocket, my soul will transform, and I will establish a deep connection with the [Mechanical Magic Network]."

"So here comes the third point. You also said that my strength hasn't crossed the threshold of [Seed] yet, right? So my opportunity is coming soon. Once the connection between my soul and the [Magic Network] breaks through the critical point, I will face a breakthrough. And within our [School of Knowledge], there are two paths to advancement: the traditional one and the special one."

"Traditional advancement is a step-by-step process. Under the distortion of the [Magic Network], the soul shows signs of 'contamination' and is no longer a simple ordinary person who relies on the [Skull Servo]. Even after leaving the servo, the skull itself begins to gradually mutate, and it generates the characteristics of a small local magic network."

"Special promotion, on the basis of traditional promotion, involves choosing an additional 'power of contamination', which involves a 'private server LAN' that is detached from the [Mechanical Magic Network], and extracting a set of [Inert Knowledge. Contamination Code] that has never appeared before, and integrating it into one's own head."

"You understand the difference between the two advancement paths, right? The latter not only possesses everything of traditional advancement, but can also unlock the [Contaminated Magic Network Form], taking its own [Contaminated Code] as the core, and embarking on a path similar to the [Rat King]. It can not only connect with the [Magic Network] and obtain higher ranks from it, but it can also break away from the Magic Network and construct its own [Magic Network God] system."

Yuan Zhu: "So, you want to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have your cake and eat it too. While completing the task assigned by the captain, you'll immediately use this freshly produced and valuable [Contaminated Code] on [Shadow Demon Realm] to create a second [Contaminated Code]?"

According to Meng Xiyue's description, she is just a 'mascot' who connects the two sides (the Happy Home and the School of Knowledge), but she has to passively accept the knowledge transmitted from both sides, integrate it into one person, and realize the expected plan.

However, given the extensive experience of the [Knowledge School] in providing customized solutions, the ownership of this collaborative [Inert Knowledge. Pollution Code] must be transferred to Party A ([Happy Home]).

Meng Xiyue is merely a tool, not entitled to possess everything, yet she still profits immensely. If handled properly, she can take the freshly baked 'advanced knowledge' and, within the [Shadow Demon Realm], recolor it, systematically delete and extract a portion of the core, and reconstruct a low-end, basic, incomplete, shadow-colored [new.polluted code], which she can then use for foundation building (condensing the [seed]).

She could have easily carried out these methods right under the captain's nose. What's wrong with her own employee, working so hard, stealing a page or two of confidential company documents?
Judging from Zhou Chu's experience of constantly shouting "Beware of the Mao Mao King's trap" without being killed, he himself would not be killed either, and might even get help from the captain.

Then, she will achieve an unprecedented promotion! Becoming a genuine [Sect Saintess].

Meng Xiyue: "So, now you know why I'm so proactive, right?"

Yuan Zhu: "Don't worry, I will do everything I can to help you realize your dream!"

He was practically itching to use the [Shadow Domain] to prove his Dao. He could freely observe the pink-haired boy's advancement methods, which would make him very happy. If conditions allowed, he would even add more [Data-Driven Shadow Pollution Resources (Rare and Precious Treasures)] to help the boy soar even higher!
Meng Xiyue: "I knew I wasn't wrong about you, you really are a good brother."

Yuan Zhu thought for a moment and said, "That's strange. I went back to Happy Home this week, but I didn't hear anything about the 'Moon Worship' plan."

Regarding the establishment of the space anchors for [Happy Home] and [Foam World], the captain has already taken away the right to use [Shadow Dream Hole] from him.

The passage connecting the two spaces in the future will inevitably open within his [Pastoral Village]. Even [Happy Home's] numerous investments in the Bubble World will be placed in the 'Shadow Domain'.

To put it another way, [Pastoral Village] is the flagship store, base, and even [Happy Home]'s own [Insect City]. But his [Pastoral Village] seems to have nothing to do with the 'investment' in Meng Xiyue.

Mengxi: "It's obvious that this is putting eggs in two baskets. My project is on the surface, and your project is underground. My project uses the [Moon Worship Ritual] to explore the outer universe. Your project relies on the [Shadow Dream Hole] to develop towards the [Nightmare Layer]... However, we will cooperate and form an alliance to share intelligence and information. Moreover, my path to enlightenment will also be placed on your territory."

Yuan Zhu: "Do you think Zhou Chu might also have a mission?"

"Absolutely not. She's a staunch anti-Maoist leader. The captain went crazy and gave her extra responsibilities. Rather than believing her, we should believe that the black man has been given a secret mission."

(End of this chapter)