The weapon refiner is not doing her job properly

Chapter 129 Promotion
Catching a glimpse of the strangely shaped fish-lipped robot out of the corner of her eye, Tong Zi couldn't help but wonder if this thing was monitoring everything around it.
The fish-lipped robot stood there quietly, its arms hanging naturally at its sides.

Just as Tong Zi's gaze lingered on it, it seemed to sense her attention, and its head slowly turned towards Tong Zi, giving her a very slight, human-like nod.

At this moment, Tong Zi's heart tightened suddenly. Could it be that someone was manipulating things behind the scenes beneath that comical appearance?
Ordinary service and security robots would never behave in such a proactive manner, so closely resembling human social etiquette.

They are either motionless like sculptures, or doing their work, or even waving in a stylized manner.

A sense of unease swept through her heart. If it weren't for the fact that the sacred artifacts were impossible to purchase through other channels, she should be with Zhaopiku and the others right now...

Thinking about these things now is useless. She knows full well what her mission is: to protect Su Ninglong's life.

Tong Zi forced her gaze away from the fish-lipped robot, no longer delving into its abnormality.

But out of caution, she whispered a warning: "This robot's behavior is too human-like. Be careful that it doesn't get targeted by the 'anti-artificial superintelligence organization' and be taken away for dismantling and inspection."

"It's alright, I don't have a soul." The fish-lipped robot suddenly spoke without warning.

The clear, synthesized electronic sound echoed in the air.

The people and dogs present all focused their attention on it; it turned out it could talk.

No, why should it answer the question of whether or not a soul exists?

Lei Qingya was filled with dread as he pondered the matter, and a bold yet absurd guess slipped out: "Are you Su Ninglong's master?"

Praising Lei Qingya's imaginative idea, Su Ninglong, who had walked away, smiled slightly, rubbing the ring on her thumb, and distractedly commanded the fish-lipped robot to answer: "You can call it that. This body is just a vessel for my spirit."

Lei Qingya's pupils contracted slightly, and his heart was filled with shock. Could it be that those medicinal formulas and the unheard-of cultivation methods were all provided by the master in front of him?
A wave of regret washed over her. She shouldn't have been so careless. The fish-lipped robot had been right under her nose for two days, and she only just realized that the robot's core was not the same as the one Lian Xinyi had ordered.

"How should I... address you?"

The fish-lipped robot opened and closed its thick, fleshy lips, emitting a steady electronic voice, "I also share the surname Su, just call me Master Su."

The robot's reaction surprised Xingyuan. Xingyuan's heart stirred slightly. He was originally certain that Su Ninglong had modified the robot.

After all, he had almost never let Su Ninglong out of his sight for too long.

I knew she could forge weapons, and I also knew many of her secrets.

Therefore, he prejudicially believed that the girl had deliberately created this so-called "master" version of the robot to create a sense of mystery, intimidation, or for security, in order to bluff.

Now it seems that such a master really did exist.

A faint smile appeared on her lips. Indeed, no matter how talented her child was, it was impossible for him to digest and master such a vast and profound subject as artificial intelligence in a short period of time.

Then another guess came to mind: Su Ninglong's persistent research and modification of robots may not be rooted in his own interests or technological exploration.

Rather, it was to create a physical medium for her mysterious "master" to communicate and speak with the outside world.

So, what is the true state of her master? Is it some kind of soul entity that cannot manifest independently? Or is it that the fish-lipped robot carries a shard of her master's consciousness?

Su Ninglong did not fully digest all the knowledge in the artificial intelligence sector, but she took a different approach and cleverly integrated puppetry techniques, almost domineeringly forcibly infusing and controlling the core with her own divine consciousness.

It's as if she has two robotic clones that are completely obedient to her.

The manufacturing process and materials used for these two robots were better than those of the armed robots she had seen before.

Otherwise, Su Ninglong wouldn't have gone to such lengths to put two clones onto the robot.

When I have more money in the future, I will definitely customize a robot that matches my temperament and has an equally exquisite and beautiful appearance.

As for the fish lips and gorilla head... they both have a deliberately attention-grabbing, comical feel to them, so she shouldn't take them out too often.

Returning to her senses, Su Ninglong walked to the edge of the warning tape and gently touched it with the Secret Agent's Token, causing the tape to retract automatically.

Su Ninglong weighed the Secret Agent Token in her hand.

The Secret Order was empty, with no secret spirits sealed within, yet it continuously emitted an ominous aura.

It's hard to imagine that such an item could contain powerful four- or five-star spirits.

Aside from the three Dominators, the Dominators are not creatures that can be contained.

The Mysterious Decree had little effect on Su Ninglong. She casually put the Mysterious Decree into her pocket and walked straight to the spacious eaves of the visitor center without stopping.

Through the transparent glass doors, the scene inside the visitor center is clearly visible.

The interior furnishings were not dilapidated, but thick dust covered every part, giving the entire space a sense of deathly desolation.

The clock hanging on the wall of the hall was still ticking, the only evidence in this deathly silence that time was still passing.

The resort had previously hired a hunter to cleanse the area, but the hunter failed to solve the problem and instead suffered a terrible backlash, contracting a persistent, mind-eroding nightmare disease.

The medical report stated that the disaster was suspected to have been caused by someone carrying the sacred artifact, and that a parasitized human was helping the mysterious spirit, making it quite difficult to deal with.

The resort owner gave them three months to handle it, and this month is the last month. If they handle it well, they will receive a reward of 300,000 Star Coins.

Su Ninglong felt a little guilty, hoping that the boss wouldn't be shocked by the final result.

She leaned closer to the door and listened; there was only a faint sound of wind, no strange summoning noise.

I tiptoed and opened the door. Instantly, a musty, stale smell hit me, and the parasite that had been lurking in the shadows looked up.

He was lost, wandering around the visitor center day after day.

He had been hungry for so long that he had forgotten his hunger and followed the aroma of food.

The mysterious spirit controlling the parasite was unaware of the impending calamity. Its transparent tentacles were connected to the top of the parasite's head, guiding it towards the door.

It is inherently greedy, seeking to expand its pollution range, absorb more energy from the surrounding space, and even devour human souls...

Dark clouds gathered rapidly over the resort.

Lei Qingya looked up at the sky, "Was this commotion caused by the Mystic Spirit?"

Tong Zi shook his head. "It's difficult for a Mystic Spirit to influence the weather unless it has already brought the entire planet under its control." In the Star Alliance's territory, no Mystic Spirit can be considered a "god-like" being.

"This is my apprentice's tribulation." The fish-lipped robot blinked its dead fish eyes. "You should stay further away, or you might be affected." With that, it backed away.

Even though the fish-lipped robot was made of metal, it couldn't withstand the lightning strike. That wasn't just lightning; it was also a test of the Great Dao, and perhaps even a magnetic storm contained within the universe.

Su Ninglong's aura surged, and the dense spiritual mist in her dantian, which was so thick that it could not be rotated, began to turn into water droplets and drip into her dantian.

One drop, two drops... As the number of water droplets increased, a lake of spiritual energy formed in the dantian, rippling and being drawn into the meridians. The dark clouds turned into black clouds, swirling high in the sky like a rare weather phenomenon.

Lei Qingya's teeth chattered, but she still raised the screen recording function on her bracelet. Above the clouds, a power that made her heart tremble was brewing.

Su Ninglong folded up her umbrella, used it as a cane to support herself on the ground, closed her eyes, and focused her spiritual energy, allowing it to circulate more rapidly.

When the last bit of spiritual energy in the dantian is compressed into liquid and drips down, the spiritual energy that has circulated once in the body returns to the dantian, slowly swirling and forming a ring-shaped liquid sphere.

What is this ring-shaped band?
Su Ninglong had no time to investigate; once her foundation-building was complete, heavenly lightning struck.

The parasites and spirits that came in search of food were terrified, especially the spirits, which wanted to retreat back into the subspace, but they could only enter and exit the subspace by controlling the parasites.

The heavenly thunder didn't give it a chance at all.

"Boom, boom boom..."

Thousands of silvery-white lightning bolts concentrated and struck the visitor center. With just the first strike, all the glass shattered, the parasites froze, and the mysterious spirit emitted a mournful cry that could be transmitted to the soul.

Another large-scale lightning bolt struck the sky, boom boom boom.

Su Ninglong was struck by lightning twice, but she felt alright. Watching the electric snakes roam around, sweeping away all the foul air and ominous aura, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This proved that the universe also rejected the Mystic Spirits, and she was at most the second to be rejected by it.

Spiritual energy circulates, repairing the body.

The lightning struck repeatedly in the same spot, knocking off the lightning rod at the visitor center, which couldn't withstand so much lightning.

The walls were completely charred black and emitted a strong burnt smell.

Gradually, Su Ninglong couldn't hold on any longer.

When Su Ninglong endured the seventh heavenly lightning strike, she spat out a mouthful of blood. Every pore of her body was bleeding, and the spiritual energy in her dantian was almost depleted. On the verge of collapse, she had no choice but to clench her bracelet tightly and convert all the spiritual energy she had painstakingly absorbed into her own.

Just as she finished absorbing the energy, the eighth bolt of heavenly lightning struck down on her head, and endless pressure was applied to her entire body, causing Su Ninglong to kneel on one knee.

His raven-black hair faded, leaving only silver-white.

The dark clouds overhead, however, did not dissipate, but instead brewed even greater power.

The parasite had been shattered into dust, and the mysterious spirit had fled, but under the might of heaven, it became a lost wanderer.

The physical space has not yet formed a closed loop with the subspace.

Even if a closed loop is formed, it's useless. As long as the subspace is connected to reality, it cannot escape the calamity.

Without the protection of spiritual power, Su Ninglong was exposed to the mysterious spirit's vision. The mysterious spirit stopped, having lost too much power and needing to replenish it.

The person in front of me was breathing weakly and was motionless, clearly unconscious, making him the perfect source of energy.

Transparent parasitic tentacles silently extended, and Su Ninglong's limp hand somehow grasped a dagger. The dagger had a lava-like appearance, and when she slashed it forward, it automatically ignited a flame.

The transparent tentacles were cut off.

Secret Spirit: "..." Wasn't she unconscious?
Ignoring everything else, the spirit reached out again. Since it had many tentacles, it made this decision, and the spirit, whose name Su Ninglong couldn't recall, was struck by lightning.

It shouldn't have gotten close to Su Ninglong. Just now, the lightning only affected it, but now it's striking it as if it were Su Ninglong.

Both were extremely weak, and the spirit was the first to vanish into thin air, its spiritual power released in an instant.

Su Ninglong forcefully absorbed the spiritual energy, and her body and consciousness were finally nourished.

Her body automatically absorbed spiritual energy and slowly woke up. She glanced at the scene before her, but she was not surprised. Instead, she stood quietly.

After the lightning tribulation, a light rain mixed with traces of spiritual energy fell.

It's quite something. The force with which I struck was entirely a test for you. If you want spiritual rain, sorry, this place is barren.

The sparse and scattered manner seemed perfunctory.

Fortunately, Su Ninglong knew that this was how advancement would happen in places with scarce spiritual energy, so she found a "blessed land" in advance.

After the thunder, the resort area was transformed from its usual grayness, coming back to life with an indescribable freshness and vibrant energy.

On the contrary, Lei Qingya felt a heavy weight sinking in his heart.

The shock I felt was beyond words. Would my advancement be like this too? Would I be struck dead? What genius came up with this cultivation method?

She doesn't regret choosing this path, but she fears this calamity, a fear that is forcefully implanted deep in her mind.

Tong Zi's lips twitched, equally astonished, wondering which deity Su Ninglong had offended. She had never seen such a bizarre way of advancing.

Su Ninglong's ability to withstand the lightning was something no ordinary person could do; even Principal Yan and Yun Fei would definitely not be able to withstand more than a few hits.

Fifteen minutes later, Su Ninglong's injuries had healed. After peeling off the charred skin from her face, she looked like a snow-white fairy walking in the rain, her silver hair making her stand out.

"Very good." The fish-lipped robot nodded again in a human-like manner. "You can learn more about cultivation."

Su Ninglong stood opposite the robot, looking so pretentious. She wanted to laugh but couldn't, because she was the one putting on airs, but not the one speaking. She felt like a schizophrenic fool.

She was quite satisfied that she had passed the tribulation without any surprises. She had previously anticipated that some ill-intentioned people would see the commotion and come to watch the show, hoping to hinder her advancement.

As it turns out, this was just a paranoia that she had automatically developed in the cultivation world.

Nobody in this world knows about lightning tribulations, and they're not particularly interested in watching "natural disasters."

Xingyuan stroked the silver hair with pity. "I remember you said that your hair could become a vessel for your power. Did you use too much power? That's why it turned out like this."

"I'll recover soon, don't worry. Cook me some delicious food, eat more, and I'll get better."

Having just survived a life-or-death battle, she actually had the appetite to eat, leaving Xingyuan both amused and exasperated.

Lei Qingya draped a coat over her shoulders. The nanosuit Su Ninglong was wearing was completely destroyed. Even the highly defensive nanosuit was not as durable as the clothing Su Ninglong made herself.

To withstand heavenly lightning, one must possess a magical artifact of their own making.

With such a powerful lightning strike, it's hard to guarantee that the eventual formation of the Golden Core will be even more spectacular.

There are magical artifacts specifically designed to withstand lightning strikes. Now that we're advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage, we need to start preparing the necessary materials.

At this moment, Su Ninglong still had one thing to worry about: how to appease Zou Shuyi?
He scratched his face, thinking, "Let nature take its course. I doubt my godmother would resort to whipping me."