Helping each other with countless me.

Chapter 519 Ten Modification Surgeries

"Spiritual roots are a special kind of virus."

Zhang Daoling stepped out of the testing device and listened to what the scientist beside her was saying.

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that the so-called spiritual root is actually a special kind of RNA or protein. We can't be sure of the specifics yet, but we already know the general principle."

"In short, this virus can fuse with the human body during the embryonic stage, and those who successfully fuse with it will possess spiritual roots."

"So, this thing is actually like a parasite? The so-called Nascent Soul is just a giant parasite? No wonder it can possess other bodies."

"Your Majesty, that's not how it is."

The scientist waved his hand with a wry smile.

"To be more precise, they have merged together, leaving a part of themselves permanently within the human body, which is the spiritual root. Once it receives stimulation from unique spiritual energy, it will be activated and become a spiritual energy circuit."

"In fact, this symbiotic relationship is very common in our bodies. For example, the eyes are actually foreign. They were fused with human genes millions of years ago to give us eyes."

"I see."

Zhang Daoling nodded.

"Does that mean that we can already mass-produce people with spiritual roots if we want to?"

"Yes, but there are two limitations."

The scientist held up two fingers.

"First, the modification must be carried out at the embryonic stage."

"Secondly, the outcome of the modification is uncertain. The growth of this virus in the human body is full of chaotic systems, which cannot be interfered with by current technology."

"That's fine too."

Zhang Daoling waved her little fist.

“Popularize it among the general public, let people cultivate first to increase their foundation, select geniuses from among them, and transform them. In an instant, the problem of personnel composition of the extraordinary army can be solved.”

“But, Your Majesty, that will take at least twenty years.”

"Don't worry, space travel is never an easy thing."

Zhang Daoling waved her hand.

"The arrival of the next wave of aliens is inevitable, but it shouldn't be a big problem for at least the next twenty or thirty years. I'm talking about the main force. After all, my father has erased all coordinates in this area. As for sporadic accidental space jumps that arrive here, the current Earth is more than capable of handling them. Go ahead and do it."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"By the way, how is the gentleman?"

"It has already been immersed in the modification chamber, but the modification process has not yet begun."

The scientist glanced at the monitor in his hand and spoke.

"why?"

"Prepare enough materials. The body of a Nascent Soul cultivator is far tougher than we imagine. We need to prepare enough surgical tools."

"Let's go, I'll go take a look too, I'm really curious."

A laboratory deep underground.

This is the underground laboratory where modern modifications are being carried out.

The reason it is built underground is to avoid all external interference, such as cosmic rays.

The most vulnerable time for cultivators in the present era is during the transformation process. This vulnerability is not only reflected in the individual's strength, but also in the surgical procedure itself, where not a single mistake can be made.

"Your Majesty, everything is ready."

"Okay, let's begin."

Through the observation cabin, Zhang Daoling could clearly see Li Zhongren naked. His perfect figure was as if he had stepped out of the world of architecture and sculpture. Even though he was naked, all she could feel was one word: beauty.

It is not the beauty of men and women in the ordinary sense, but a beauty that conforms to the rules of heaven and earth, a perfect beauty.

"The ten reform surgeries of today's law shall officially begin."

With a cold, detached voice, the entire underground base began preparations, and cold, mechanical equipment approached Li Zhongren.

The first procedure: the planetary energy pump.

The surgery begins.
A drill-like instrument approached Li Zhongren's chest and began to spin wildly. What should have been an instant piercing of flesh and blood instead sparked like metal clashing against stone.
"Incredible! Is this the physical condition of a Nascent Soul stage cultivator?"

In the observation room, the chief scientist couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

"This was kept by the gentleman."

Zhang Daoling said with a smile that she could feel Li Zhongren's nascent soul right next to his body, controlling it not to resist. Otherwise, instinct alone would be enough to shatter these things in an instant.

Fifteen minutes later, after changing seven drill bits, they finally broke through Li Zhongren's chest cavity and inserted a planetary energy pump whose exterior was etched with psionic circuits. Its function was simple: as the central transfer station for psionic energy within the body of a cultivator, the psionic energy from the star torches outside would be transferred here and then supplied to the entire body.

The second procedure: nano-vibration gold bone graft layer.

The surgery begins.
This time, it took even longer than the first time, requiring thirty-seven pinhole drills to create thirty-seven holes in Li Zhongren's bones. At the same time, nanorobots were injected into Li Zhongren's bones. With sufficient energy, these nanorobots were able to reconstruct the human skeleton.

"It really hurts, it looks painful. How did I endure it back then?"

"Your Majesty possesses extraordinary talent."

"Hmph, can our nanobots even penetrate the bone marrow of a Nascent Soul cultivator?"

"Of course it's possible, but normally a maintenance agent is registered every six months. But for this person, it would need to be injected every three days, otherwise the nanobots would be killed by the Nascent Soul stage cultivator's own immune cells. That's terrifying."

"Of course, there are advantages as well."

Looking at the experimental data, the chief scientist beamed with joy.

“This transformation, which would normally take six months, can be completely altered in a week at most.”

The third procedure: superconducting muscle fiber bundles, beginning.
Li Zhongren ignored the outside disturbances and began to look at his surgical list, following the order of the surgeries.

The third surgery was even more gruesome. After using up a considerable number of scalpels, Li Zhongren's skin was directly peeled off, and superconducting muscle fibers were reprogrammed into his muscles. Finally, the skin was restored. The fourth surgery: Artificial Blood Circulation, begins.
"Oh, I see. In other words, it means replacing the main blood vessel with a biosynthetic conduit, with built-in sensors monitoring the balance of spiritual energy/stardust energy."

The fifth procedure: The Zhou Tian Circulation Engine, commencing...
"Lung removal? Or replacement with a special lung?"

After a moment's hesitation, Li Zhongren assisted in completing the task. Otherwise, given their technological level, removing his own lungs wouldn't have been easy. After all, the lungs belong to the metal element, and in a sense, they were the most powerful part of his body. His ability to spew sword energy was no joke. But since they were researching modern techniques, it didn't matter.
The sixth procedure: Spiritual Vein Connection Array, commencing.
In an instant, Li Zhongren felt nineteen wounds drilled into his spine, with various pathways connecting to them. The artificial spiritual veins burrowed into these wounds, climbing and growing within his body, eventually merging with the planetary energy pump in his chest.
The seventh procedure: Rapid Reproduction Rune Patch, commencing.
An array of regeneration runes is etched onto the surface of the liver, which, when activated, can draw upon stardust energy to accelerate cell division.

The eighth procedure: elemental lysis of the gastric sac, beginning.
A bioreactor implanted above the stomach can break down any foreign substance into energy, including various toxins.
The ninth procedure: Spirit Root Resonator, commencing.
A psionic analysis module is implanted in the spinal cord to regulate the body's internal psionic energy distribution.
The tenth procedure: Stellar Core Resonator, commencing.
Finally, the surgery reached its last stage.

The so-called Star Core Resonator is a second energy source besides the planetary energy pump in the chest. In Li Zhongren's view, this thing is somewhat similar to a hybrid car in the old technology.

As is well known, hybrid vehicles consist of two parts: an electric motor and an engine.

Low-speed electric motor, high-speed engine.

The same principle applies here. The planetary energy pump manages the body's internal energy, and its control over energy is more stable and precise.

However, when it comes to battles requiring overclocking, the planetary energy pump falls short.

At this point, the stellar core resonator will be activated.

This thing can resonate with 36,000 starbursts on Earth, manipulating that violent power outside the body to destroy everything in sight.

Yes, it's the ultimate annihilation, without any tricks.

The previous emperor of the Central Plains Empire used this very tactic to destroy the alien fleet's flagship and its captain.

Of course, in the end, due to excessive overclocking, his body was severely damaged, and he passed away not long after making his final arrangements.
After the surgery.

Li Zhongren was transferred to a nutrient tank.

This place is also filled with nutrient solution, which is teeming with nanomechanical insects.

They accelerate their internal transformation around the clock, day and night.

Simply put, it's about making your body more harmonious.

In reality, there are far more than ten surgeries, but some surgeries are really unnecessary, such as replacing hands or feet. Li Zhongren chose the core of the current method, which means that there is a boundary between his physical body and the technological part. These nanomechanical insects are blurring this boundary.

To be honest, Li Zhongren found it quite interesting under the supervision of divine sense.

Based on the mysterious material discovered by the extraterrestrial civilization, it actually possessed the characteristics of flesh and blood, and it really grew together with his flesh and blood. Of course, since he was already in the Nascent Soul stage, accelerating this process consumed a lot of funds.

Seven days later.

Li Zhongren left the nutritional meal program.

His body has changed somewhat compared to before, but not much. After all, he was already powerful enough. This transformation was just his way of studying the fusion of modern and ancient methods.

"Sir, how are you feeling?"

Beside her, Zhang Daoling looked at Li Zhongren with curiosity, as if she had seen a novel toy.

During these seven days, Li Zhongren coordinated and pondered the ancient and modern methods here, and these insights were also transmitted to her mind through the Tongxin plaque.

However, those were ultimately just insights and ideas, and they weren't very useful to her now. Only when she could fully understand the cultivation method Li Zhongren gave her and master it, or find a way to cultivate ancient methods using modern methods, would these thoughts be of any use.

As the pillar of the Central Plains Empire, she didn't have the same reckless spending power as Li Zhongren.

"Very good, very good."

Li Zhongren clenched his fist.

Now, his body is filled with nanobots, or more accurately, most of his blood cells have been replaced with nanobots, and these nanobots have become a part of his body under the refinement of his divine consciousness.

These nanorobots act like an auxiliary system, capable of carrying out any command given, repairing all damaged organs in the body, including flesh and blood organs, and even reproducing and iterating themselves.

In a sense, his body has already achieved immortality.

The problem that had plagued Jinfa for many years was solved in an instant by him.

Furthermore, if Li Zhongren were willing to dissolve his nascent soul and allow it to reattach to his cerebral cortex, he could achieve a lifespan equal to that of the planet Earth.

Of course, he wouldn't do that, because for him, it would be tantamount to imprisoning himself.

The same applies to the law here today.

Zhang Daoling was aware of the changes in her body, but it was useless. They could control nanobots through computing power, and could control any number of them. However, those things were still just robots, while the nanobots inside Li Zhongren's body had already possessed 'life'.

This is what is known as the coverage of divine consciousness, which caused that unique alien material to undergo a fusion reaction with flesh and blood.

This kind of integration is something that modifiers like Zhang Daoling don't have. For Zhang Daoling, that material is simply something that doesn't have any rejection properties.

Only when fusion is achieved can the body's structure be completely altered.

Of course, only seven days have passed, and this is the result already.

Once the Academy of Sciences discovers the principles behind that metal with flesh-like properties, perhaps she too can achieve immortality. As for whether or not to leave Earth, that's not within her consideration. She is the Empress, and there's only one possibility for her to leave Earth: when she dies.

"Then let's go. Leave the research to them, and we'll go eliminate the traitors?"

"Ah."

Seeing Zhang Daoling's eagerness, Li Zhongren didn't discourage her enthusiasm; after all, she was just a twelve-year-old child.
-
"Therefore, the core of everything lies in this flesh-and-metal."

The research institute fell silent again, but the scientists' hearts were filled with fervor.

The biggest discovery of this modification experiment was this flesh-and-blood metal!
This is a fusion of alien technology, Earth technology, and ancient Earth methods—a trinity.

It has endless possibilities.

While it may not be as powerful as depicted in science fiction, where nanobots alone constitute a formidable force, reality is that each has its own specialization. For example, the core of a star needs to withstand extremely high temperatures and pressures, which are beyond the capabilities of flesh and metal.

However, it is the most crucial lubricant.

Once they can perfectly replicate this flesh-and-metal hybrid, it means that one of the biggest drawbacks of modern technology—lifespan—will no longer be an issue.

Unfortunately, they knew.

Your Majesty knows this even better.

His Majesty has always been very cautious about the Ministry of Science; after all, who can resist the temptation of power?

If these research findings were applied to them, would it cause cholera exceeding the normal range?
Therefore, they could only covet this flesh-and-metal mixture, and only after that person returned could they study it under his supervision.
However, among all these scientists, there was one whose eyes flashed with a scarlet light.
(End of this chapter)