The immortal is beside me

Chapter 57 Demon King Phoenix
Two days after the Yizhou incident, the Huazhong University of Science and Technology’s Extraordinary Research Institute.

At nine o'clock in the morning, Qin Jiajia arrived at the research group's office on time. As soon as she opened the door, she saw a group of people gathered around a table, chatting among themselves. The conversation was chaotic, but she still caught the three words "Tianjiyuan" from them.

Could it be that the previous archaeological research on Yuan Tiangang received a response from the Tianji Academy?

This was the first reaction that came to her mind.

Ever since discovering that the chess artifact was related to Yuan Tiangang, Cheng Xiaomeng had gathered the strength of the entire research team and took the lead in compiling a report and sending it to Tianji Academy.

Just as there are both favored and unpopular subjects in ordinary disciplines, so too is there a distinction between popular and unpopular research. As the nation's top existing Yishu cultivator, Yuan Tiangang's popularity is undoubtedly comparable to the core of the sun; any slight contact will send him soaring.

According to Cheng Xiaomeng, this report was the basis for everyone's performance rewards and job title selection. The entire team worked overtime for it, and the amount of hair falling on the laboratory floor increased significantly.

Fortunately, the research went smoothly overall. The only minor incident was when the Tianji Academy suddenly issued a Level 3 call for proposals for longevity extension methods. This shocked everyone and caused all sorts of speculation to fly. Fearing that the sun would suddenly go out, the research team was in a state of panic.

As a result, not long after, all the solicitations posted on the internal network were revoked. Although the people at the Transcendental Research Institute didn't know the details, at least the great man's life was not in danger for a while, and the report's value was preserved.

Qin Jiajia walked forward, squeezed into the crowd, and asked Zou Peng, the deputy head of the research group, who was sitting at the table, "Did Tianji Academy send a reply?"

"Yes, they confirmed the authenticity of the chess piece we unearthed. It really belonged to Yuan Tiangang, and it is said to be related to a monk friend of his."

Zou Peng sighed, "That thing should be in a museum now. A top-tier powerhouse is a top-tier powerhouse. Just having his name on it is already valuable enough."

This is naturally a good result for everyone in the Super Research Institute's research team. The efforts of more than half a month have finally not been in vain.

But the strange thing is that the deputy team leader in front of him did not have much joy on his face. Instead, he looked like he had a headache, as if he had just stepped out of the company gate after working overtime and found that his leader called again.

"The Tianji Academy also sent another letter, signed jointly with the Environmental Sanitation Bureau."

Zou Peng rubbed his temple. "They said they recently discovered a new cultivator. Both units have applied to nominate him as a strategic-level cultivator. They hope we can start a project to investigate him further. I guess I'll be assigned to the investigation team as well."

Qin Jiajia was slightly startled. She had heard of the term "strategic level" before and naturally understood its significance.

However, the recently discovered powerful cultivators, the Environmental Sanitation Bureau, and the Tianji Academy, combined with the recent incident with Yuan Tiangang...
Could it be him again?

"That's a great opportunity," she said, expressing her first thought. "Aren't those at the strategic level the most powerful cultivators? This project should be very valuable."

After she said this, Zou Peng glanced over, his eyes full of care for the ignorant child.

"Strategic-level is certainly powerful. But don't get it wrong; it's not a simple strength rating; it determines whether national public resources can be placed in the hands of a single individual. That's why the higher-ups are extremely cautious when distributing them. This is definitely not good news for researchers like us doing investigative work."

"Let's take a simple example. Is room-temperature superconductivity powerful? Is brain-computer interface powerful? Is graphene and perovskite powerful? If real results could be achieved, then of course they would be powerful, but the reality is that most researchers are wasting their time."

"Strategic-level investigations are the same. Every few years, a cultivator with significant contributions like this is nominated. I've participated in three of these assessments, and some have even dragged on for years. But no one has ever reached the institute's standards. It's a thankless task." Qin Jiajia blinked. She hadn't really thought about it this way before.

There are tens of thousands of cultivators in China, many of whom have profound cultivation, many of whom have mastered unique skills, and countless of whom have made great contributions to society. However, there are very few who meet all the conditions and have profound historical significance.

Throughout the ages, countless golden figures have been born on this land, and the history of China is magnificent.

It is indeed not an easy task to pick out the brightest and most meaningful ones from this magnificent history.

"Don't worry, Brother Zou. Maybe this guy really has something this time?" A researcher nearby comforted him. "If he can really produce a strategic-level artifact, then your entire investigation team will be rich. Maybe we can even use this to connect with the big boss."

"You told me the same thing the first three times." Zou Peng rolled his eyes at him.

Qin Jiajia pursed her lips and was about to say something when she heard a bang and the office door was suddenly pushed open.

Everyone turned around and found that it was the team leader Cheng Xiaomeng standing at the door, striding towards the direction of deputy team leader Zou Peng.

"Zou Peng! I have a business trip next week. Let's hand over the responsibilities. You can be the team leader and lead everyone for a few days."

"I'm about to be transferred too, so the timing might not match. You should find someone else first."

Zou Peng said, his eyes falling on the nameplate in her hand: "However, you are on a business trip at this time. Could it be that you have been selected to explore the Demon Country?"

The whole room erupted in an uproar. Everyone's attention was immediately drawn away from the previous conversation about Tianji Academy, and when Cheng Xiaomeng nodded in agreement, the uproar intensified.

"Exploration by a demon nation? Is it from the Qishan demon nation?"

"Qishan? Holy shit, in the past few years, only the heads of departments could go there. Sister Cheng, you're going to get a promotion this time!"

"So, will Sister Cheng be able to meet the Demon King this time? I'll definitely tell everyone about it when I get back."

Everyone was talking at once, each word filled with envy. Qin Jiajia, who was listening nearby, became curious and leaned over to ask, "What is the Qishan Demon Kingdom?"

"You don't know?" Cheng Xiaomeng turned around. "To put it simply, it's the largest existing cave in the country, and it's also where the demon tribe lives."

"I've never been there before, but it's said that the surface space of that cave is larger than the entire Shaanxi Province. It also contains countless smaller spaces, and there are millions of demons of different species living there."

"The ruler of the Qishan Demon Nation is also the only great demon to reach the level of Demon King in the past thousand years. Few people have seen its true form. All we know is that it evolved from a fire bird demon. Its intelligence level is no less than that of a cultivator, and it even has a mind that is no different from that of a human. We generally call it..."

"Demon Emperor Phoenix."

(End of this chapter)