196: Uninvited guests and the crushing force of "rules"

The initial success of the "star sea sandbox" was like lighting a bright lighthouse on the ship of "Homeland" as it sailed into unknown deep waters, greatly boosting the morale of all members of the research institute. The joy of success and visions for the future permeated every corner of the "Star Sea Research Institute." People felt as if they could already see the door leading to the mysteries of the deep universe being slowly pushed open, leaving a small crack.

However, as the old proverb goes—the tree craves stillness, but the wind will not subside. Just as all of "Homeland" was immersed in the joy of breakthroughs in internal exploration, a new external force, entirely different from those before, sent a signal for contact to "Homeland" through an extremely secretive channel that even carried a sense of ancient ritual.

The visitor this time was neither a predatory and aggressive guest like the "Prophet Foundation," nor a sinister inspector cloaked in bureaucratic garb like the IPPA. The message sent was phrased elegantly with profound meaning, carrying an air of detachment from the world. The other party claimed to be the "Children of the Stars"—representatives of an ancient practitioners' association almost unknown to secular society. They claimed their group had guarded ancient knowledge regarding the mysteries of the starry sky and the essence of consciousness for generations. Recently, through their inherited secret methods, they had clearly sensed the subtle fluctuations of spiritual energy permeating the world triggered by the awakening of the "planet core." Furthermore, they had perceived the emergence of Excellence, a "Chosen One" burdened with incredible potential. Therefore, they had come specifically with the intent of "discussing the Dao" and "forming a bond."

Only one envoy came. He was an elder named Jingyun. When he was led into the high-tech reception room of the "Star Sea Research Institute" after undergoing strict security checks, his image and temperament formed a sharp contrast with his surroundings. He wore a simple and elegant long grey robe; his hair and beard were completely white, his face lean, and his eyes were as clear as a newborn baby's yet as deep as if they contained the entire starry sky. He walked with composure and long, steady breaths, his entire body seemingly enveloped in an invisible, gentle aura. As he moved, he seemed to blend perfectly with the surrounding light and airflow; were he not visible to the naked eye, one could almost fail to notice his presence. This level of near-perfect control over his own life energy and presence caused the perceptive security and reception personnel on-site to be secretly alarmed.

Jingyun's attitude was peaceful and detached, his words lacking any hint of arrogance or utilitarianism; he seemed more like a scholar from afar wishing to discuss academic matters with peers. However, the method of "discussing the Dao" he proposed caused the experienced Wang Jianguo and the intuitively sharp Evelyn to immediately sniff out the hidden verbal traps and risks.

He did not ask to share specific scientific data or technical details, nor did he suggest a physical contest. He proposed a "sparring match at the level of consciousness." Specifically, each side would send a representative into a neutral meditation space constructed by special methods, discarding the interference of the physical body to exchange and verify using only the purest consciousness and energy bodies, aiming to explore the essence of energy, the source of consciousness, and the ultimate truths of the universe.

This sounded noble, filled with philosophical speculation and mysticism. But Wang Jianguo and Evelyn immediately realized that this seemingly pure "literary battle" that did not involve material interests was, in fact, the highest level and most dangerous kind of probing! What it compared was not brute force, but the depth of understanding of the essence of energy, the degree of condensation of consciousness, and the level of spiritual realm! This was tantamount to directly investigating the core foundation of "Homeland" in the supernatural field and the true potential of Excellence, the "Chosen One"! If they performed poorly in this "discussion of the Dao," showing signs of cowardice or shallowness, there was no guarantee that this seemingly detached "Children of the Stars" association wouldn't immediately change their attitude from potential "Dao-discussers" to dangerous "coveters," or even develop contempt, leading to unpredictable trouble and threats. It was like two peerless masters meeting; they might not need to clash with swords, but a collision of aura and intent would be enough to decide the victor and influence the subsequent situation.

The Youth Accepts the Challenge: Confidence Through "Reason"

"I'll go." Without any hesitation, after hearing Elder Jingyun's proposal and Wang Jianguo's concerns, Excellence calmly raised his hand. His eyes were clear and firm, carrying an introverted confidence born from being tempered a thousand times over. By now, he was no longer the child who needed to be strictly protected and who would feel uneasy when facing the strong. The honing from crisis after crisis, especially the establishment of "Energy Programming" thinking, had allowed his cognition and control of his own abilities to reach a brand new height.

"Are you sure? It sounds so mysterious, could there be danger?" Su Mu was still a bit worried and asked in a low voice by his ear. She always maintained vigilance toward these types of contests that sounded very "metaphysical."

Excellence turned his head and gave Su Mu a reassuring smile, one tinged with the unique cunning and confidence of a youth. "Class Monitor, don't worry. When it comes to a real fight with weapons, I might need more practice. But when it comes to 'playing with energy' and explaining the 'reasoning' behind energy flow..." The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and a light flashed in his eyes like a top mathematician facing a complex formula, eager to try. "I've really never feared anyone. It just so happens I can use them to test if the 'Energy Grammar' and 'Optimization Algorithms' I've recently puzzled out are effective. Just consider it... a high-level 'stress test'." His tone was relaxed, yet it contained a powerful foundation.

The Peak of Consciousness: Science's Dimensional Strike Against "Metaphysics"

After cautious negotiation and preparation, this unique "consciousness sparring" was arranged to take place in a specially made meditation room capable of maximizing the shielding of external physical and energy interference. The interior was extremely simple, with only two opposing cushions, and the air was filled with a faint sandalwood scent that helped focus the mind. The surrounding walls and ceiling were equipped with the most sophisticated bio-electric wave and energy field monitoring equipment, with Evelyn personally overseeing the monitoring to ensure immediate intervention in case of an accident.

Excellence and Jingyun sat cross-legged on their respective cushions. As Elder Jingyun formed an ancient hand seal and chanted low, profound syllables, a strange energy fluctuation rippled out with him as the center. Gradually, both their bodies seemed to enter a state of deep meditation, their breathing becoming imperceptible. In that invisible "neutral space" supported jointly by the consciousness energy of both parties, a silent clash had already begun.

Jingyun, worthy of being a representative of an ancient association, struck first. In this void space, his consciousness body suddenly transformed into a vast, boundless ancient star map dotted with stars! This star map was not a simple image, but an energy field that contained a unique sense of vicissitude and oppressive rhythm! The flickering of the stars and the flow of the galaxy all coincided with some unspeakable heavenly principles, carrying a majestic spiritual will. Like the power of the universe itself, it shrouded and swept toward Excellence's consciousness body! It attempted to fundamentally assimilate and overwrite his consciousness frequency, making him collapse without a fight. This was precisely the "Starry Universe Soul-Suppressing Technique," passed down for a millennium within the "Children of the Stars" association and kept secret, aimed at establishing an unshakable advantage at the spiritual level. Ordinary superpowered individuals under this technique often couldn't even condense their consciousness and would instantly get lost in this spiritual sea of stars.

However, facing this ancient secret technique capable of making a normal person's spirit crumble, Excellence's reaction completely exceeded the expectations of Jingyun and even Evelyn outside, based on all known models!

Excellence's consciousness body did not evolve a similarly grand or more aggressive image to counter as Jingyun had expected. On the contrary, the moment his consciousness body touched this spiritual sea of stars, it suddenly became extremely condensed and pure, as if shedding all emotional impurities and formal constraints, transforming into an absolutely rational and objective "observer" and "analyzer." In his "eyes," it seemed as if countless tiny cursors representing data streams were flashing rapidly, instantly performing an unprecedentedly detailed and hair-raisingly precise scan and analysis of the energy structure, information encoding method, and wave frequency characteristics of Jingyun's "Starry Universe Soul-Suppressing Technique"!

After a brief silence, Excellence's calm, wave-less consciousness fluctuation, sounding like an electronic synthesized voice, rang out clearly in this void space. Every word was like a cold scalpel, precisely cutting into the core of Jingyun's secret method:

"Energy structure modeling complete. The structural pattern is ancient, borrowing from some natural constellation gravitational perturbation models, possessing certain aesthetic value and historical reference significance." His tone was like a professor critiquing a student's course design. "However, the energy circuit operation efficiency is low, with redundancy measured as high as 37.4%, and there is a large amount of ineffective energy dissipation. A logical paradox exists in the energy rotation node of the third quadrant, leading to a 15% decrease in energy flow stability in that area. The entropy value of the seventh sequence information-bearing module is too high, the information density is low, and the anti-interference capability is weak, making it the weakest link in the overall structural stability."

He wasn't attacking; he was merely stating the facts he "saw." However, the moment he finished speaking, his intent moved slightly, as if he were merely brushing away a speck of dust from a painting. Following the "grammar" he had optimized himself, which better conformed to the fundamental laws of energy operation, he performed minor "corrections" and "optimizations" on several tiny energy nodes in Jingyun's vast star map that he had pointed out as problematic.

Suddenly, a drastic change occurred! Jingyun's ancient star map, which had been running smoothly and containing a majestic will, was like a precision instrument that had a tiny grain of sand thrown into it, and it gave a sudden "stutter"! Several "stars" that had been running according to fixed trajectories suddenly dimmed, and their paths showed slight but clear deviations! The entire star map's integrated, oppressive ancient rhythm also developed an extremely piercing and discordant "noise"! Although this "noise" was quickly suppressed by Jingyun's powerful cultivation and the star map resumed its operation, that moment of stagnation and flaw was like a heavy hammer, smashing hard against Jingyun's mind!

"Ugh!" Jingyun let out a muffled groan, and the star map transformed from his consciousness shook violently, its light flickering uncertainly, nearly collapsing on the spot! The "look" with which he regarded Excellence's consciousness body was filled with unbelievable shock and horror! It was as if he were looking at a "monster" that completely exceeded his scope of understanding! The inherited secret method he had painstakingly cultivated for decades, which he took pride in and regarded as a treasure, was actually filled with low-level errors and room for optimization in the eyes of the opponent, like a child's carelessly doodled homework? This was no longer a simple sparring match; this was... a complete dimensional strike from a higher dimension! It was a fundamental crushing at the level of cognition!

"You... what kind of method is this?!" Jingyun's consciousness fluctuation trembled violently, no longer able to maintain his previous detachment and calm, filled with alarm and a sense of bewilderment from his worldview being impacted.

"It's not a method," Excellence's consciousness response remained indifferent, carrying the rigor of a scientific worker. "It's science. Energy operation and universal laws have their own inherent, superior mathematical logic and physical principles. Your inheritance has accumulated experience and seen phenomena, but it hasn't touched the bottom-level principles. Perhaps it's time to update your 'operating system' and 'basic algorithms'."

The Victory of Reason and Future Ripples

This "consciousness discussion of the Dao," which was originally expected to be a fierce and mysterious battle between dragon and tiger, ended abruptly in such an unforeseen, nearly comical, and one-sided manner. Elder Jingyun didn't even wait for the scheduled end time before actively cutting the consciousness connection. When he woke up from deep meditation, his face was pale, and his eyes were filled with complex and unspeakable emotions—frustration, shock, bewilderment, but more than that, a kind of unutterable awe and... urgency, as if he had seen the door to a new world. He didn't even engage in much small talk, only giving Wang Jianguo and Evelyn a deep look and leaving a sentence: "The Fellow Daoist's abilities are inconceivable; this old man must immediately return to the mountain gate to report," before hurriedly departing, his figure even showing a bit of panic.

Clearly, the terrifying understanding of energy operation laws and the "optimization" ability based on rational logic that Excellence displayed in this "literary battle," which transcended experience and pointed directly at the essence, completely shocked this ancient practitioner association that thought it had touched the edge of the Heavenly Dao. This was not just a gap in strength, but a generational gap in the dimension of cognition.

Inside the "Star Sea Research Institute," after Evelyn briefly reported the results of the sparring (omitting specific technical details), everyone was first stunned, then erupted into warm cheers and applause! Although they didn't fully understand the process, the result was obvious—their "Consultant Excellence" had once again used his unique way to crush ancient "arts" with absolute "reason" without shedding blood, easily resolving a potential crisis and once again defending the dignity and right to speak of "Homeland"!

Su Mu happily patted Excellence's shoulder. "Not bad! You brat! Now you can even talk someone into running away just by 'reasoning' with them! Should we give you the title of 'Chief Debate Officer' next time?"

Excellence smiled sheepishly and rubbed his somewhat swollen temples (the high-intensity computation at the consciousness level took quite a toll). "Class Monitor, stop making fun of me. Actually, that old grandpa's energy is very pure; it's just that their 'tools' and 'methods' are a bit outdated. If they are willing to communicate, we could actually learn a lot from each other."

Evelyn looked at Excellence, her eyes filled with wonder and relief. She knew that Excellence's performance today had a significance far beyond defeating a visitor. It marked that the path "Homeland" was taking—combining scientific rationality with supernatural abilities—possessed unimaginable potential and superiority. Future challenges might be even more severe, but with Excellence as this "stabilizing pillar," the pace of "Homeland's" progress would surely be more steady and confident. And this visit and setback for the "Children of the Stars" might just be a faint ripple prelude before an even greater storm arrives.