by <unknown>
While Li Yao was studying in the Grand Desolate War Institution, the two of them went to the Undead Academy that the federal government specially established for the spectral Cultivators to learn how to live as ghosts.
They'd kept in touch all that time. Li Yao had been discussing with Ding Yin about the art of refining. Sometimes he read Wei Qingqing's latest literary works too. Their friendship had been growing.
One year after joining the Undead Academy, Ding Yin and Wei Qingqing had graduated and gone their separate ways.
Ding Yin joined the 'Ghost Legion' of the federal army which was a special troop of spectral Cultivators. He became a military refiner and helped the spectral Cultivators of the Ghost Legion maintain their bodies.
Wei Qingqing also realized her dream of being an elementary school teacher.
It was not an ordinary elementary school. All the students of the school were children who had passed away.
When one died, it was like a light that had been shut off. Not everyone had the opportunity to become a ghost.
The Cultivators whose souls were stronger were most likely to turn into ghosts after they died. For ordinary people, their odds of turning into ghosts were little to none.
However, there were certain kinds of ordinary people that were more likely to become ghosts than others were.
For example, those who were born or passed away at a certain time and location; those who were in red when they died; those who were dogged or had a lot of hatred.
Another kind of such people would be children who died too young.
Children's fire of life only just started burning. Their souls were less worn and purer than those of the adults, so it was more likely for their souls to stay intact when they passed away.
In the ancient Cultivation world, souls of the children who died too young had been the best materials for Cultivation.
Some crazy Cultivators even tormented and killed children brutally on purpose to get souls of hatred which they would refine into malicious magical equipment.
Things were completely different in the modern Cultivation world.
The Star Glory Federation had paid as much attention to ghost rights as it did to human rights, if not more.
For the protection of young ghosts who had died before the age of eighteen, the Star Glory Federation issued 'Juvenile Ghosts Protection Act', stating that all adolescents, be they humans or ghosts, had equal rights and obligations to receive education.
The elementary school that Wei Qingqing went to was a special one for the little ghosts.
She had sent a group picture of her students and herself to Li Yao before.
Of course, it was not a picture of hollow clothes. The picture had been taken in a darkroom with the help of phenotypic rune arrays by special crystal cameras.
In the picture, Wei Qingqing and the children looked like diamond statues. They were life-like and smiling happily.
Li Yao felt happy for her from the bottom of his heart.
With two such friends, Li Yao was not a stranger to ghosts, nor did he reject them.
But the translucent fireflies inside the crystal reactor did not look like ghosts from whichever angle.
"Phantom Entities are not normal ghosts. You may understand them as ghosts in a lower dimension, specifically, ghosts that are in the two-dimensional state," Yuan Manqiu said.
"Two-dimensional ghosts?"
Li Yao found himself hardly able to process the information.
"That's correct. Ghosts are not bound by bodies. They still possess their self-awareness. So, they know who they are and most of what happened in their life.
"However, such status can't last long.
"If they can't find a suitable body to reincarnate, or can't digitalize themselves to hide in metal puppets, or don't know any Cultivation techniques of ghosts, they will break down, melt, and collapse like snow under the sun.
"During the process, their self-awareness will be the first thing to disappear. They'll no longer know who they are.
"Then, they'll lose their memories of the past.
"Eventually, they'll lose their perseverance, the thing that they thought to be unforgettable.
"When the perseverance is gone, the force that pushes them to linger on will be no more, and they'll be gone forever."
Chapter 293: Let's Fight Side by Side! |
Pausing for a moment, Yuan Manqiu said thoughtfully, "No wonder we never found any ghosts after the big explosion. The staff and students at the time were all at the high level of the Refinement Stage or even the Building Foundation Stage. Some of their souls should've been strong enough to survive the explosion.
"Based on your discovery, I assume that the blast was so intense that most of the souls were vaporized instantly. But some of them were too obsessed and thus turned into Phantom Entities.
"At that time, the spiritual energy inside the crystal reactor had all leaked out. The center of the explosion was the warehouse of crystals nearby.
"The crystal reactor itself was meant for the storage of spiritual energy. It was very solid, which made it the best shelter after the explosion.
"So, the Phantom Entities hid themselves inside, until they're discovered by you today."
Li Yao said in great joy, "Professor, do you mean that the professors and my senior brothers are still alive in a different form, even including Professor Mo Xuan?"
With a bitter smile, Yuan Manqiu answered, "Li Yao, Phantom Entities are different from ghosts.
"Although ghosts have lost their bodies, their self-awareness and memories are well kept. They know where they come from and where they're going to. They can be observed and perceived by us in various ways. They can interact with us, too.
"Once a ghost enters a metal puppet, they will be like humans who have artificial head, artificial torso, artificial limbs, and all the other artificial body parts. In that case, they will be no different from any other disabled person.
"Therefore, in the modern Cultivation world, we acknowledge the fundamental rights of ghosts and view them as humans of a different form, or a special kind of disabled people.
"But Phantom Entities are different.
"Their memories lost, their consciousness withered, their thinking ability gone, the Phantom Entities are just scraps of souls or even reflections of souls.
"If we get to the bottom of it, Phantom Entities are just a kind of mental existence.
"If a ghost can be compared to a bonfire burning in the middle of darkness, then a Phantom Entity is nothing but a sparkle which floats out of the bonfire.
"Most Phantom Entities are short-lived. No matter how determined they are, without the support of a body and a soul, they will disappear gradually within several months.
"It is already a miracle that these Phantom Entities could be perceived by you after hiding here for over a year.
"But as you said, their light is getting duller now. Maybe it won't be long before they're completely gone.
"So, don't understand Phantom Entities to be living in a different form. They're just the last radiance of a perished life.
"It's like you and your photo. However similar a 3D photo of you looks, it is not you after all."
Li Yao was quiet. He was starting to understand why his professor looked so lonely.
He thought that he had found Professor Mo Xuan's soul. But in the end, it was only a 'photo' of it.
Of course his professor felt sad seeing the image of old times.
"More importantly, Phantom Entities can't be perceived by everyone."
Taking a deep breath, Yuan Manqiu spoke, her voice shivering, "Phantom Entities are pure mental beings resulting from strong obsessions. 99.99% people can't feel their existence.
"For people who shared the same obsession with them, it still requires a lot of time to stay close to the Phantom Entities before they rhyme with the spiritual palpitation of the Phantom Entities and perceive their existence."
Li Yao felt he had underst
ood something.
He touched the cold shell of the crystal reactor with his fingers.
There was a sharp pain coming from his fingertip, as if the crystal reactor had been boiled by an ineffaceable mental power.
"Is this the reason why you are lingering on in this world?
"You don't want to see the fall of the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit, but its rise and glory?
"Even without your bodies, even without your souls, your spirit has still been burning, shining, and waiting. You tried your best to talk to me and teach me your insights and ideas so that the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit could be reborn from ashes!"
Li Yao finally understood everything.
Phantom Entities were the fruits of human spirits and willpower, the dogged determination that even death couldn't not obliterate.
And the dogged determination of the staff and students of the Refining Department would be the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit.
Since he had been pondering about the Refining Department and the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit beside the statue, his passion had reverberated with the spiritual palpitation of the Phantom Entities.
It probably had something to do with the fact that his brain had been possessed twice, too.
His brain was unique in the entire Heaven's Origin Sector.
Today, awed by the Tiger King Battlesuit, his eagerness for victory had been set alight. His obsession and hope for the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit were stronger than ever. Also, he happened to have made the decision to dismantle the crystal reactor and study its inner structure.
All the coincidences combined together resulted in his startling discovery of such vivid Phantom Entities.
Although Yuan Manqiu was equally determined for the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit to succeed and her Cultivation was much deeper than Li Yao's, she did not have the habit of contemplating beside the statue, nor had her brain been weirdly developed by a double possession. Therefore, she wasn't able to feel the existence of the Phantom Entities.
Seeing Li Yao's enlightened face, Yuan Manqiu said, "It seems that you've got it. Those who can see Phantom Entities are called 'Observers' in the Cultivation world.
"You are the Observer of the hundred Phantom Entities here.
"According to your description, you can see their visualization, hear their sighs, and even perceive their past and learn from them.
"It means that your observation level is very high; you are a strong Observer.
"Such a strong Observer is rarely seen. I'm afraid you might be the only one in the world that can feel their existence now."
Li Yao finally understood Yuan Manqiu's lonely expression.
Even though they were just pieces of their previous souls, it would still be a great comfort if she could feel their existence.
However, failing to perceive the last bit of Professor Mo Xuan's spirit, his professor had to learn everything by Li Yao's paraphrase knowing that it was there.
It wouldn't feel good.
Li Yao clenched his fists. In the quietness of the park, his bones were cracking loudly, as if two crystal bombs had been crushed in his hands.
"Professor, you said that Phantom Entities are ghosts who lost themselves in a lower dimension. Then, is there any way that we can…"
Li Yao pause, then continued to ask carefully, "…let them return to the higher dimension and find the memories that they lost so that they can be restored to who they were?"
Yuan Manqiu was dazed for a moment. She found herself hardly able to keep her eyes open under the invisible flames burning in Li Yao. A while later, she said, "It would be very difficult.
"In the history of the Star Glory Federation and the books of the Star Sea Imperium, thousands of Phantom Entities have been observed. But most of them sank into oblivion within one year after they were observed.
"Odds are low that Phantom Entities will be able to regain their memories and self-awareness and return to the ghost state.
"According to the experts in Phantom Entities, it has to do with both the Phantom Entities themselves and their Observers.
"If the Phantom Entities wander in wilderness for too long and gradually lose their consciousness and memories under the effect of electromagnetic storms and cosmic radiation, they will be unrecoverable because their past has been erased for good."
Li Yao couldn't help but interrupt her. "Professor, the Phantom Entities of our Refining Department should be different. They were transformed by the intense spiritual tides into Phantom Entities instantly after the big explosion, and since then, they've been hiding in the crystal reactor, which should be thick enough to hold back the electromagnetic interference and cosmic radiation.
"Therefore, there's a good chance that their memories have not been wiped out but live on in a manner than we can't comprehend!"
Yuan Manqiu hesitated for a moment, but she nodded her head.
"What you said is possible. After the big explosion, all the high-level Cultivators of our school were engaged in searching for survivors, but not a single ghost was found, which indicated that they were evaporated into Phantom Entities momentarily.
"However, it's extremely difficult to bring back their past even if it still exists. Actually, we don't know how to do it at all.
"Based on previous cases, there are only two things that we know about.
"Firstly, by keeping in touch with the Phantom Entities, the Observers can slow down the speed of their extinction.
"Secondly, by following the Phantom Entities' will, fighting in their spirit and finishing what they've been longing for, there will be harmony between the Observers and the Phantom Entities, which could increase the power of the Phantom Entities significantly.
"Chances are that they might be able to find their memories and self-awareness again and return to the three-dimension if their power is strong enough."
Li Yao's eyes were beaming keenly in the darkness.
Holding the crystal reactor closely in his arms, he felt that a wildfire was burning its way from his stomach up through his throat to the top of his head where it broke out and pierced into the sky!
"Do you mean that if we can successfully refine the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit and make it the best MP crystal suit of the Star Glory Federation, the professors and my senior brothers might be able to return to themselves?"
Li Yao muttered to himself, "Good.
"When I first came to the Refining Department, there were nothing but ruins here. I dug out many ragged jade slips of the professors and my senior brothers from the ruins, which has been a great help to me in my studies.
"I've always respected them very much and feel sorry that I can't learn with my senior brothers from the professors.
"Now, we have an opportunity to fight side by side and let the world to be impressed by the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit. The mediocre crystal suits such as the Tiger King Battlesuit will be beaten to ashes!"
"One day, you will wake up from the nightmare of chaos and witness your triumph and glory with your own eyes!"
He then turned to Yuan Manqiu. "Professor—"
He lit up an empty light beam with his crystal processor and drew a blueprint on it quickly with his telepathic thought. Then he said, "While I was communicating with the professors and my senior brothers, an inspiration that could possibly solve our current problem about the crystal reactor occurred to me."
Chapter 294: Amazing Idea |
Half an hour later, in the conference room of the Refining Department.
The remaining grassroots professors and experts were in a heated discussion.
Most of them were fond of Li Yao, whom they thought was a promising young man of the grassroots refining ideology.
Not only had he learnt the basics of refining well, he was also familiar with the elite refining ideology and its secret techniques. Moreover, he was a self-taught expert in ancient refining techniques in which he had showed great talent.
What's more, since he had grown up in the magical equipment
graveyard, he had a natural instinct for the maintenance and modification of magical equipment.
Although he was not good enough in the advanced theories of refining compared with the experienced experts of the trade, his manual ability was as good as the skilled refiners who had been doing their job for years, if not better.
Many professors and experts were willing to let Li Yao be their assistant and help with the refinement and polish of the key components.
His crazy, sometimes even insane, modification plans and conceptual designs were always big eye-openers for the grassroots refiners who had been somehow calcified because of decades of routine work.
For example, a week ago, Li Yao had proposed a plan named 'Modular Architecture', which meant developing the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit into two kinds of sub-models: the primary model and the derivative models.
The primary model was just a framework and the simplest plate armor, together with a Spiritual Storm Bolter and a chainsword. By doing so, its general cost could be reduced to below 80 million. Its operations were much simpler, too, so that it could be handled by the main troops and the low-level Cultivators who had never received formal crystal suit training without any trouble.
With three to five days of urgent training, most of them would be able to wear such a crystal suit.
Based on the primary model, all kinds of extensions could be developed, such as the melee extension, the heavy firepower extension, the sniper extension, the special extension for underground use, the special extension for undersea use, the special extension for the demonic-energy-corrupted environment, and so on.
In a battlefield, the soldiers could replace the extensions of the battlesuit at their will according to different conditions and purposes.
Not only had such a design significantly improved the combat ability and survival ability of the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit, it also allowed more flexible tactics to be carried out.
In Li Yao's plan, the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit should be the most adaptable crystal suit in the Star Glory Federation. Or rather, the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit would be a platform on which every Cultivator was free to use whatever they wanted.
