Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 81 Sustainable Development

Under the watchful eyes of Nie Chang, Ren Yinuo, and all the officers and soldiers who were quietly observing, Lin Yi raised his hand and precisely grasped the seven-colored spiritual crystal.

At the same time, a short piece of information surfaced in his mind as if by instinct, clarifying the specific "contents" of the crystal.

The information was brief, yet it clearly revealed the name and function of the substance contained within the crystal.

【'Vortex' Type I Deep Space Energy Condensation Instrument】

Lin Yi silently recited the name in his heart, and a complex and indescribable emotion quietly arose.

It really is this thing.

The true foundation for development in energy-poor regions.

After all, even in energy-poor areas, there is no absolute vacuum; there is still a sparse amount of energy, only the concentration is so low that it is almost unusable.

The purpose of the 'Vortex' Type I deep-space energy condenser is precisely to solve this problem.

Its function is very simple, yet incredibly powerful.

Once set up and activated, it will directly extract extremely scarce energy from a very long vertical range, up to the uninhabited deep space.

Just like its name suggests, it forms an invisible energy vortex, forcibly drawing in and condensing the faint energy scattered throughout the vast space into a specific area on the Earth's surface.

Ultimately, within its sphere of influence, an area with a source energy concentration far exceeding natural levels was artificially created.

Within this region, cultivators will no longer rely on source energy crystals and can directly absorb the relatively abundant free source energy in the environment for cultivation, just like on planets with abundant source energy.

This method of extracting and condensing deep-space energy using specialized equipment is the normal way for civilizations to continue and develop in energy-poor regions.

Of course, it is technologically advanced and extremely expensive, beyond the reach of rudimentary civilizations.

Therefore, this device was designated as a strategic support device by the Human Council, and planets of "administrative stars" or higher in the barren zone are eligible to apply for its provision free of charge.

Thinking of Blue Star's past life, Lin Yi couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion.

In their previous life, the Blue Star people destroyed many nests during the assessment period, obtained various types of deep space energy condensation devices, and thus enjoyed a cultivation treatment similar to that of a "pseudo-administrative planet" for hundreds of years.

Unfortunately, due to various reasons, the civilization's overall assessment only reached Level 2, and it failed to obtain formal administrative star status.

As a result, all the energy condensation devices were eventually taken back by the Star Alliance, thus losing the foundation for sustainable development.

The hardships involved are beyond what outsiders can understand.

These thoughts flashed through Lin Yi's mind. He calmly held the crystal in his hand and turned to face Nie Chang and the camera.

"Click."

Ren Yinuo pressed the shutter at the opportune moment, capturing this historic moment.

The young hero, holding the glittering crystal representing hope and victory, stands behind a formidable position where the smoke of battle has not yet cleared, and countless cheering soldiers.

Nie Chang smiled with satisfaction, about to say something more. But Lin Yi's smile quickly vanished, and he said to Ren Yinuo, who was still faithfully taking notes, "Captain Ren, please turn off the camera. I have an important matter to report to Commander Nie."

Ren Yinuo was slightly taken aback. Seeing the expression on Lin Yi's face, she immediately realized that things were not simple. She nodded, neatly turned off the camera, and said, "Do you need me to leave?"

"No need. You listen too, we might need to take notes later." After Lin Yi finished speaking, he handed the seven-colored spiritual crystal in his hand to Nie Chang. "Commander Nie, take a look at this crystal."

Seeing Lin Yi's serious expression, Nie Chang knew this was no small matter, so he quickly took the crystal with both hands, his expression also becoming tense.

However, after a few seconds, he looked up at Lin Yi with a somewhat bewildered expression, as if asking, "And then? What happened to this crystal?"

Lin Yi was stunned for a moment when he saw his confused look, and then he suddenly realized what he meant and couldn't help but laugh.

"I almost forgot. At this point in time, the official team hasn't even fully mastered the most basic 'Source Energy Basic Guidance Technique,' so it will take even longer to promote it."

"The Nie Chang in front of us has not even truly entered the field yet. He cannot actively sense and absorb source energy, so naturally he cannot understand the desperately scarce source energy in the natural environment of Blue Star."

"They may have subconsciously become accustomed to the idea that cultivators use source energy crystals for cultivation and recovery, just like how instruments use crystals to operate."

"After the misunderstanding, they may not have fundamentally realized that the 'sensing and absorbing source energy for cultivation' described in the guidance technique does not refer to sensing the source energy in the crystal, but rather to the free source energy in the surrounding environment."

Having figured this out, Lin Yi could only explain it concisely to Nie Chang from the perspective of a "source energy cultivator":
“Commander Nie, you may not be able to perceive it directly. To put it simply, based on my judgment using the basic guidance techniques and the knowledge from the Ninefold Origin Method, normal source energy cultivation should not require crystals; simply absorbing source energy from the environment should be sufficient to meet daily needs.”

"But I discovered that the concentration of free energy sources in the natural environment of our blue planet is extremely poor and scarce, almost non-existent."

Lin Yi pointed to the crystal: "According to normal cultivation methods, we have no way to directly absorb enough energy for cultivation from the air. This is the fundamental reason why all my cultivation and recovery must rely on the source energy crystal."

Upon hearing this, Nie Chang frowned deeply. Although he could not sense the source energy, Lin Yi's logic was very clear, and he realized the seriousness of the problem in just a few words.

This means that the Source Energy Cultivation System is built on consumables and lacks sustainability.

Lin Yi continued, "Commander Nie, the information in this crystal mentions that the energy environment it creates can fully meet the daily cultivation needs of Stardust-level cultivators and barely meet the daily cultivation needs of Star Core-level cultivators."
"Now you should know what this means."

Nie Chang's pupils suddenly contracted, and he immediately realized what was happening.

"This is simply..."

He knew very well that this meant a sustainable cultivation environment, the possibility of breaking free from absolute dependence on source energy crystals, and a shift from a hunting-based approach of obtaining crystals from abyssal beasts to a more controllable farming approach.

This is a strategic cornerstone that is enough to change the entire survival mode of human civilization.

Lin Yi wasn't finished speaking when he dropped an even more bombshell conjecture: "Furthermore, Commander Nie, this reminds me of something. I suspect that perhaps there exists equipment that can utilize the environment to create source energy crystals?"

This is certainly not a guess.

Lin Yi knew very well that such basic source energy crystal manufacturing equipment usually had a chance of dropping from white-quality spirit crystals. The official authorities had most likely already obtained it, and might even have already begun secret research and trial production.

However, given the environment on Earth, the authorities will soon be disappointed with it.

(End of this chapter)