Cosmic Demon

Chapter 274 Winning the First Prize, an Echo of History!
The changes in the rankings of the black stone tablets were faithfully recorded.

The Summit of Stars has always been an important observation unit in the Eastern Xia Dynasty.

One-third of the Supreme Research Institute’s annual budget is allocated to the Observatory.

There is a space telescope there, built during the Imperial era at great expense of manpower and resources, which can allow our gaze to travel across infinite light-years to reach this place.

To date, the newly established Dongxia has never been able to reverse engineer this incredible "tool".

This is also the reason why many "extreme ascendants" who follow the mechanical approach advocate opening up the imperial heritage.

They believed that as long as they fully absorbed and digested the golden technology of the Eastern Xia Empire, the newly reborn Eastern Xia would inevitably take another step forward and usher in a tremendous leap forward in development.

However, for some reason, the council tacitly maintained a conservative attitude and was unwilling to easily unlock the imperial legacy held by the newly established Eastern Xia.

"The standings for the Star Cup have changed."

When the name Qin Shi appeared on the black stone tablet, after a long transmission of about half a cosmic day, the information finally reached the highest research institute in the capital city.

Observers at the Central Astronomical Observatory copied down the ancient symbols, which were then deciphered by specialists, resulting in the characters "Qin Shi" (秦時).

"From being at the bottom of the junior group, he quickly climbed into the top 100, and he is another supernova."

The observer remarked.

As observatory staff, he and his predecessors have witnessed the birth of countless legends.

He still remembers admiring the wall of honor in the lobby before he joined the company, where the names of the first ten outstanding individuals were prominently displayed.

Surprisingly, the legends of Qi Wuxiang and He Lanchan are not located at the very center or at the very top.

Because before them, there were Yan Haishan and Ning Yuanhai.

These martial gods, who illuminated the entire era and the entire galaxy, had also climbed to the pinnacle of the stars, burning their mortal bodies and unleashing their talents, all for the sake of leaving their names on the monument and earning the qualification for the Heavenly Path.

"During the Qin Dynasty, a young prodigy from Hengzhou... his score has risen so quickly, what great thing must he have done?"

The specialist delivered the updated rankings to the station director's office.

Qin Shi, who climbed at a rapid pace, was highlighted and circled in red.

Station Director Ai Xiangqian noticed this and went to check Qin Shi's files, only to find that he had been denied access.

"what."

Ai Xiangqian was slightly taken aback. Within the system, most of the archival content of various departments and units could be shared through data sharing by the active consciousness entities, enabling mutual communication.

But that's just the most basic personal information. You have to submit an access request to see more in-depth information.

If a rejection is made directly, it means that the other party is at a very strict level of confidentiality.

"Interesting. They don't even have the authority to do that."

Ai Xiangqian adjusted his reading glasses, pulled them up slightly, and did not initiate another access request.

He highlighted the key points from the Qin Dynasty and then sealed them in the archives.

When the Star Cup is officially announced, it will enter the public eye.

The specific data on these ranking changes will be made into a video and uploaded to the official website of the Wushu Association headquarters for viewers to discuss.

"Xiao Yu is still far ahead of the competition, leading the way."

Ai Xiangqian reads the monthly report compiled by the observatory.

The competition among the bottom fifty in the junior group was fierce, with rankings constantly changing hands and creating quite a spectacle.

However, the top 30 are relatively stable, especially the top 10, which are basically unchanged and always the same names.

"Yu Li, Long Danzi, Zhu Yun, Zhu Xu... all came from the capital or Haizhou."

No wonder there are complaints elsewhere, saying that the Star Cup slots are being monopolized, turning it into a channel for young masters from the capital and wealthy families from Haizhou to gain prestige.

Ai Xiangqian sighed. It was an indisputable fact that talent was concentrated in top-tier administrative planets like the Imperial Capital and Haizhou.

As the newly formed Eastern Xia has entered its ninth millennium, all the major administrative planets are desperately competing for talent, striving to increase the enrollment quotas of the four major national universities and the eligibility to implement various national-level projects.

But for the young prodigy, the psychic genius, and the mechanical saint, the most attractive places are still the capital and the sea.

Over time, this led to the formation of two distinct factions within academia: the Imperial Capital School and the Haizhou School.

"If this year's competition can produce a few rising stars from remote planets and create a new generation of top ten..."

Ai shook his head, dismissing the unrealistic idea.

Educational resources and upward mobility in remote planets lag far behind those in top-tier cities.

Even if you start on the same footing, it's hard to catch up, let alone those privileged individuals who are already far ahead and have every opportunity.

"Xiao Yu's score is far ahead, and he is steadily increasing by about 10,000 points every day."

Xiao Long is a bit worse, only achieving an average daily growth of 7,000 points.

Zhu Xu and Zhu Yun have recently surged in popularity; I wonder what extraordinary encounter they've had, as their skill level has increased from four thousand to six thousand, and continues to rise…

Ai adjusted his glasses, then took out his terminal and started placing bets.

"Since Xiao Yu is so steady, we can add more shares."

Just to be on the safe side, Xiao Long also increased his holdings by two percentage points…

Ai, who looked to be in his sixties, poked and tapped his way forward, spending all of his monthly salary in just a few minutes.

Every year, a large number of betting odds are placed regarding the qualifying spots for the Star Cup and the direct qualification spots that lead to the pinnacle of the Star Cup.

Ai Xiangqian, adhering to the principle of "gambling for fun," poured his monthly salary into the bet and continued to increase his stake.

Anyway, as the director of the observatory, his food, clothing, housing and transportation are all provided by the government, so he doesn't have much to spend.

"Best Rookie"

Ai Xiangqian squinted, thinking of the name he had just seen, and then re-established his position, buying "Qin Shi".

The so-called "Best Rookie" is a new way of betting on the odds.

The supernova who rises the fastest in the rankings each month and has the greatest potential will be selected as a "potential star".

With a little while left before the end of the workday, Ai Xiangqian opened the [Capital Giants Group].

It has been observed that quite a few people are already discussing who will be this month's Rookie of the Month.

[Floating Profit Hermit: I've recently spotted a supernova on a remote planet, it has great potential, and I'm ready to go all in, betting on it to take off!]

[T-shirt expert: Who is it? Give me a sneak peek!]

[The "High-Buy, Low-Sell Master": This layman's judgment is off. He hyped up Zhou Yuanchen, that rising star from Hengzhou, to the skies! Turns out, nothing's come of it!]

[Floating Prosperity Hermit: That's incorrect! My previous misjudgment was due to insider information I received from Entropy Sea Bank. Zhou Yuanchen of Hengzhou had extraordinary potential, but I didn't expect his growth curve to suddenly plateau and only recently start to surge.]

[T-Trading Master: Don't keep me in suspense, explain in detail. The rankings for the Star Cup Junior Group are almost finalized. The top ten have low returns, so we still need to keep an eye on the players below them and buy/sell.]

[Fu Ying Jushi: Hehe, Yang Xiao from Yuanzhou is an illegitimate son of a branch of the Yang family from Hongzhou who has been living away from home. He has just returned to his ancestral home, so it's something to look forward to.]

Ai Xiangqian secretly breathed a sigh of relief; he had thought that Qin Shi was being targeted by this old guy.

He quickly stirred up trouble, typing in agreement.

[The True Lord of Eating Noodles in the Dark: Yang Xiao? That madman Yang Xiao who made it into the fourth battle group? I've heard of him; he performed exceptionally well on the front lines.]

[Floating Hermit: Not bad. True Lord is indeed well-informed. Yang Xiao is definitely the best rookie of the month. He just entered the Star Cup junior group; his future is promising!]

[The T-trading expert: Buying one lot to test the waters.]

Ai Xiangqian shut down the terminal, revealing a sly smile.

"Xiao Qin, you can't let me eat noodles anymore! Show some respect and keep Yang Xiao in check!"

……

……

"Have a bowl of noodles first, to fill your stomach? The cafeteria doesn't have anything else."

After defeating the final obstacle, Rengar, Qin Shi, carrying the injured Fu Lei and the high-ranking officers from the Huangquan Training Camp, successfully drove back to Baiyang Fortress City.

As for the support team of three, they have a "temporary base" provided by Xuyang Heavy Industry, so they do not need to enter Baiyang Fortress City for supplies.

As the jeep drove into the Yellow Springs Training Camp, the sun had already set, and the blood-red setting sun shone through the windows.

While eating his noodles, Qin Shi pondered how to report Jaina, arguing that a mere recruit like himself was not qualified to harbor a familiar creature.

"Why did I make you eat this?" Fu Lei, whose body was wrapped in bandages and looked like a mummy, sat down opposite Qin Shi.

To be fair, the physical fitness of professional athletes is indeed far superior to that of amateur athletes.

Despite the severity of his injuries, Instructor Fu was able to walk after soaking in nutrient solution for just twenty minutes.

"Lieutenant, allocate my food ration for this month to Xiao Qin."

Fu Lei spoke loudly and arrogantly.

"This kid saved my life, I have to repay him."

The adjutant nodded and quickly took out a special container from the cold storage and presented it to Qin Shi.

"This is 'high-energy food' specially supplied to the military."

Fu Lei explained:
"Don't be fooled by the small portion size; this food is specially processed and made with a combination of different ingredients."

This little bit contains nearly 100,000 calories, enough to burn off.

Qin Shi's throat moved slightly as he entered the professional level. Ordinary food could not provide him with a feeling of fullness; only the purest life force could sustain his mortal body's functions, and he activated his cultivation technique.

He picked up a slice of meat with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth; it was indeed extraordinary.

The taste was nothing special; it didn't have many seasonings added, and it was quite ordinary with nothing remarkable about it.

However, the heat it contains is extremely high, and it is greedily absorbed by every cell in the body as soon as it enters the mouth.

Qin Shi's chopsticks flew as fast as lightning, transforming him into a ruthless rice-eating machine, devouring food weighing no more than 500 grams in a special container in no time.

"It's about time to start the third stage, which will last for a full fifty minutes."

Qin Shi roughly estimated.

The high-energy food provided by Fu Lei has a nutritional value that is comparable to highly concentrated level 5 or 6 energy liquids.

"Not bad, right? Once you reach my rank, you'll have a corresponding food ration every month."

Fu Lei was wrapped up like a rice dumpling, and spoke in a muffled voice.

"The transformation of vitality and the evolution of the mortal body make our metabolism much faster than that of ordinary people."

In particular, each battle consumes an enormous amount of calories.

Logistics are the most important aspect of war, so the Supreme Research Institute has developed high-energy food specifically for martial arts methods.

This stuff works much better than the ridiculously expensive energy liquid from United Pharmaceuticals.

Qin Shi agreed wholeheartedly, and he felt a little unsatisfied even after finishing his meal.

"You have successfully completed this exploration mission. Not only have you obtained the full amount of black medicine, but you can also exchange it for some other resources."

What area do you feel you are lacking in?

Fu Lei asked.

"Combat power, the way to transform potential into combat power."

Qin Shi replied.

"You kid..."

Seeing Qin Shi release heat like a steel furnace, Fu Lei couldn't help but sigh, "It's so good to be young."

After eating and drinking to their heart's content and sleeping soundly, their vitality surges dramatically, making middle-aged men with declining physical strength extremely envious.

"The resources of the Yellow Springs Training Camp are among the best even in White Poplar Fortress City. You can choose carefully later."

Hearing Fu Lei's words, Qin Shi inexplicably felt that this instructor from the Yellow Springs Training Camp seemed to have a deeper meaning.

"Does the instructor have any recommendations?"

he asked subconsciously.

Fu Lei's face was stern, his words righteous and indignant; even through the bandages, his seriousness was evident.

"Recruits exchanging resources in the training camp is a personal matter. How could I possibly give you a hint? That's cheating! It violates the rules!"

Qin Shi's lips twitched; Instructor Fu didn't seem like the type to follow the rules at all.

He lowered his head in thought, estimating that with the black medicine's ability to stimulate the activity of flesh and blood, it wouldn't be long before he could complete his fifth rebirth.

The cultivation resources are currently sufficient, and it is unlikely that the Yellow Springs Training Camp can provide any other useful items.

"However, there is one thing that is very dangerous. You must not exchange it rashly and risk your life."

Fu Lei solemnly instructed:
"Afterimage crystals! Those things are extremely dangerous, please be careful!"

After finishing speaking, the instructor stood up and had his adjutant help him leave the canteen.

"Instructor, what you're doing doesn't count as following the rules."

The adjutant sighed.

Such an obvious hint is obvious enough for even a fool to understand.

"Anyway, I issued the warning out of a sense of responsibility for the safety of the new recruits. If you insist that I leaked secrets, I won't admit it."

Fu Lei grumbled and mumbled to himself, thinking to himself:
"Those fragmentary crystals from the Yellow Springs Training Camp are all ancient relics."

I wonder if this kid will draw the 'prize' and pull out one of the original Ten Heroes?

……

……

After Qin Shi finished eating, his vitality surged like a tide, and he was at his peak.

He, along with Gao Pao and Zhao Su, who had just returned from the military hospital, completed the exploration mission and submitted the contaminated samples they had collected.

The staff in charge of the matter looked at the contaminated samples in the tactical backpack, each one more valuable than the last, including even creatures belonging to the third level of disaster.

"Did you raid the lair of the spider clan?"

He couldn't help but ask.

Gao Pao and Zhao Su exchanged a glance, then straightened their chests.

Following Brother Qin will make you look good!

"Your merit points have reached eighty. Besides the five jars of high-purity black medicine, what else do you need?"

Recalling Fu Lei's "hint," Qin Shi considered for a moment and made a decision:
"Is there an afterimage crystal?"

He flipped through the entire redemption list but couldn't find it.

"Wait a moment, let me check the inventory list."

The staff seemed to remember that the redemption list is updated every five years, so it's normal that some "old-timers" weren't on it.

He searched carefully and actually found the crystal with the image that had been kept hidden away.

"High-risk item, not recommended for new recruits..."

The staff member asked hesitantly:

Are you sure you want to redeem it?

"of course."

Qin Shi nodded.

"Sign here to show that this is a voluntary act and to acknowledge all responsibility."

The staff handed over the form, and I wondered to myself, how did the new recruit know about afterimage crystals?

This thing is indeed rare, but it's not very useful and has little practical value.

Otherwise, it wouldn't have been stored away in the warehouse.

"Afterimage crystals contain the spiritual imprints of martial artists at different levels. Before the technology of simulation was so advanced, they were the main items used for teaching."

Curious as to why Brother Qin would spend so many merit points to exchange for this item, Gao Pao leaned over to look at the "instruction manual".

"It is also known as 'Historical Echoes', and each fragment of the crystal image comes from the long corridor of past time and space."

Users can truly immerse themselves in history and listen to the teachings of their predecessors by sensing the spiritual imprint…

(End of this chapter)