Picking up the holographic projector Yan Qing had left behind, Xia Li carefully examined this small mechanical device.

  But after having the Heaven Chip scan it...

  【Non-electronic mechanism, not a traditional spirit artifact. This device combines characteristics of both, with an upper-grade spirit stone inside for power.】

  【For detailed function detection, please disassemble and continue.】

  The holographic projector Yan Qing left could be described as a "quasi-spirit artifact"—it should be considered early-era Spirit-Tech.

  "What exactly was the trigger mechanism for those Infant Demons..."

  Xia Li's heart was filled with curiosity right now. Yan Qing had already been ahead of many people back then. After all, she was a formidable person who'd been researching spiritual energy since 2030.

  She was a pioneer of that era, an undisputed visionary sage.

  Unfortunately, she hadn't met a good end.

  Without further ado...

  Xia Li followed Yan Qing's message, prying open a floor tile in the room and extracting a mechanical briefcase. This was also a quasi-spirit artifact.

  But its main function was temperature preservation.

  Because the briefcase felt extremely cold to the touch, indicating that whatever was being preserved had very strict environmental requirements.

  "So the suppressant is in here... Lin Ge might be saved."

  Xia Li was quite concerned about Lin Ge's situation, both because she was the daughter of an old friend, and because Lin Ge's grandfather was basically his major backer.

  Then there was everything that had happened here...

  Xia Li could now almost certainly conclude it was Yan Qing's doing. Otherwise her preparations wouldn't have been so thorough. But why had she chosen to act at that particular moment...

  Actually, Xia Li had already vaguely arrived at an answer in his heart.

  Because of Yan Qing's promise to Xia Shu.

  She'd promised to protect him.

  Therefore, when faced with a laboratory that wanted to use her for experiments, Yan Qing had chosen to directly destroy this place. This place should have also held meaning for her at the time.

  After all, she could have fully demonstrated her abilities here.

  Yan Qing had the capability. If not for him, if she'd truly achieved something here...

  What would the future have looked like?

  And then there was his sister, Xia Shu.

  If she hadn't stolen the Source Core and made it public back then, what would the world have become?

  He had already become intertwined by fate-like karma with two people who could have changed the world.

  "This is..."

  As Xia Li was preparing to leave the room, he noticed something inside the split desk's hidden compartment that he'd cut open. He picked it up to look...

  It was a photo frame.

  Inside the frame was a photo of Xia Shu and Yan Qing in white lab coats.

  Their expressions were proud, their eyes giving off an indescribable sense of wisdom. Even with gray hair at their temples, it didn't diminish their elegance in the slightest.

  "May we reunite soon."

  Xia Li put away the photo frame and left Yan Qing's room, then headed straight for the storage vault.

  The storage vault was at the very back of the laboratory, protected by steel doors and walls half a meter thick. Yan Qing hadn't mentioned in her holographic message how to open it.

  But this didn't stump Xia Li. Opening this door was perhaps a test—a test Yan Qing had deliberately left.

  Even if one of the three types of people she'd mentioned arrived, trash didn't deserve to obtain the key to divine ascension.

  Taking a deep breath...

  Xia Li threw a punch at the all-steel security door!

  "Collapsing Star Fall!"

  This was from his prosthetic, the combat technique inherent to his Arm of Steel-Severing. The fist force was extremely fierce—not suited for striking softness, but suited for crushing steel!

  The harder the target struck, the more outstanding the effect!

  With a tremendous boom...

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  The half-meter-thick all-steel door was blasted away by Xia Li's single punch. But from deep within the dark storage vault...

  Starlight suddenly lit up!

  Glaze-colored starlight flickered on and off. Something could be seen jumping, awakening in the darkness.

  The spherical holographic projector in Xia Li's left hand vibrated twice at this moment.

  Yan Qing's holographic image emerged again.

  "That you can see this message means the key's guardian has awakened. It seems you came too late..."

  "If no one comes to claim it for an extended period, then the key belongs to the guardian."

  "But you can't say you're completely late. It's still here, which means the key is still here too. You just need to engage in a small battle."

  "Quite interesting, isn't it? Just like a BOSS guarding treasure in a game."

  "I call it the Beast of Alaya. It's not easy to deal with—it's very gentle and won't try to kill you."

  "But that's all!"

  "If you absolutely refuse to give up and get seriously injured, don't blame me."

  With that...

  The holographic image disappeared. Xia Li cautiously approached.

  The all-steel door he'd blasted away was suddenly lifted by some force, suspended in mid-air...

  Then liquefied!

  Rapidly reshaped into the form of a demon. That beautiful glaze starlight immediately contracted into the liquid metal.

  "What bizarre techniques..."

  Seeing this, Xia Li also felt his scalp tingle slightly. The existence before him was by no means any conventional "creature."

  The liquid metal demon was silent for a moment...

  Then launched a sudden assault.

  "Sheathed Draw!"

  Xia Li directly activated Sheathed Draw—this was the best counter against an enemy's active close-range attack.

  Just as the opponent was about to bite him...

  The blade emerged, directly cutting the opponent in two. But at that very instant, without even needing the Heaven Chip's warning, Xia Li himself sensed something was wrong.

  The severed liquid metal demon immediately split into two, and Xia Li this time directly punched, his fist crackling with electricity as he struck with a thunderous blow.

  But it only barely forced the opponent back.

  The Heaven Chip immediately began scanning, detecting, and calculating the opponent's information.

  【Should be a quasi-energy being. Physical attacks are not very effective.】

  "I understand... Divine Sense Intrusion!"

  Xia Li fully activated his divine thought. Divine Sense Intrusion could attack the Heaven Chip, and of course could also directly attack the opponent's soul, exerting influence on energy beings.

  But after releasing his divine thought to invade the liquid metal's interior...

  Xia Li's entire being was suddenly dumbfounded.

  Like an information explosion, endless incomprehensible information flooded into his mind, instantly blanking out his cognition.

  【Beginning emergency reset...】

  The Heaven Chip detected Xia Li's abnormal state. Xia Li's brain regions were stuffed full of various unanalyzable garbage information, to the point of crowding out Xia Li's cognition of self.

  But because there was too much garbage information, by the time the Heaven Chip finished deleting it, it was already too late.

  That thing had already pounced in front of Xia Li, sharp steel fangs hovering just above his head.

  Then...

  It bit down gently.

  Then retreated to a safe distance and stopped moving.

  After Xia Li recovered his senses, he also understood what that thing meant.

  Point made, no further action needed...

  He had just "died" once.

  "This thing is clearly more adept at countering mental attacks..."

  【Sincere apologies. No obvious mental structure was detected in this creature. Now recorded.】

  Even the Heaven Chip had misjudged, thinking the opponent might be a soul-form spirit creature like a spectral ghost.