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Xiao Yun simply smiled faintly and slapped the formula onto their faces.

In an instant, gasps of astonishment rose from all sides, almost turning the entire research institute into a vacuum.

The group of old scholars who were just clamoring instantly saw the gap. Although they were still somewhat indignant, seeing that even Xiao Yun's mentor, Master Kong, was willing to assist him, they did not dare to be stubborn and focused on cooperating with Xiao Yun's research.

Outside, the storm of reality and illusion disrupted all exploration plans, but also brought a rare period of calm.

During this time, Xiao Yun reorganized the research institute and, leveraging his newfound prestige, abolished some outdated rules and promoted many young but talented alchemists.

Moreover, Xiao Yun not only researched the use of magic, but also publicly shared the latest version of "Survival Guide to Another World," thus opening up more new research directions.

Under Xiao Yun's leadership and with the help of senior scholars such as Jiang Shangzhen, the research quickly got on track, and the method of using magic to replace electricity soon took shape.

A few days later, at the research institute.

Surrounded by onlookers, Xiao Yun looked at the engine-like machine in front of him, took a deep breath, and channeled a bit of magic power to activate the entire mechanical structure.

The machine started up, its hoarse roar filling the air.

The surrounding air flows silently, surging into the machinery, circulating and changing in complex loops.

The mechanical whirring went from its initial awkwardness to its smoothness, and finally, it resonated like the sound of a clear spring.

Xiao Yun, however, noticed even more—

In his perception, mysterious substances smaller than molecules, escaping from the air, converged and transformed under the roar of machinery, from individual particles to wisps.

Soon, a ball of pure magical power slowly appeared in the mechanical energy storage structure.

Then, the magical power burst forth and slowly flowed into the energy-gathering ring along the wire.

buzzing-

The coiled energy ring trembled slightly, as the magical power gradually increased and the temperature gradually rose. Finally, the entire energy ring burned bright red.

Xiao Yun placed a beaker filled with water on the table, and within minutes, the water in the beaker was boiling.

Amidst the rising steam, many shed tears.

At that moment, Jiang Shangzhen, who had been recording the entire process, spoke up and announced the experimental results:

The initial version of the "Source Energy Machine" had an energy production efficiency of 90%, an energy conversion efficiency of 70%, and an output power equivalent to approximately 2000 watts of DC power.

"Based on the current verification results, the magical energy produced by the source energy machine is pure and stable, and can replace electricity as the main energy source for daily use. In the future, its performance can also be improved by inscribing rune arrays and replacing them with more advanced materials."

Xiao Yun nodded, looked around at everyone, his face filled with barely suppressed excitement:

"Thanks everyone, we succeeded!"

As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted in the room.

They had only boiled a cup of water, but a group of senior scholars were incredibly excited. They hugged each other, and their cheers shook the entire research building.

The elderly principal, with his gray hair, and Professor Kong, along with a group of other seniors, were also extremely excited, constantly wiping away tears and clapping until their hands were red.

Outside the crowd, Gu Shen watched this scene, his eyes flashing:

"The first step of civilization..."

Even after watching it many times, this scene is still deeply moving.

After success, a celebration is of course indispensable.

The food served at the celebration was very simple – hot pot.

The group sat in a circle on the open ground below the dormitory building. A large, steaming pot sat on the magical stove in the center, filled with a rich broth made from chicken carcasses and wild boar bones. Ingredients were laid out around it.

Tender cabbage, vibrant green lettuce, fresh, sun-kissed pea shoots, refreshing tomatoes, sweet pumpkin...

Chicken, fish fillets, pork tenderloin, and even beef and lamb rolls.

Many of the ingredients were found by Xiao Yun based on the information released in the preview.

Because of the raging storm of illusion and reality, many wild beasts hidden in the misty wilderness fled to nearby areas in search of shelter.

Not far from the north gate of the Ideal Country lies a mountain shrouded in mist. The Heavenly Feather Golden Eagle and the Howling Moon White Wolf originally lived there, and this storm of illusion and reality has forced even more animals to migrate there.

Although the arrival of wild beasts brought some trouble, overall the benefits outweighed the drawbacks.

At least, without their sacrifice, we wouldn't be able to have this hot pot today.

"Tsk, this hot pot that's supposed to burn magic energy just doesn't feel like it has any real fire or soul."

Wang Tianyuan sighed, while Huang Haoran rolled his eyes at him and said quietly:

Love science fiction? Come discover more exciting content!

"Do you know how much trouble it is to find firewood for cooking? It's not like you're doing it yourself. It's soulless and lacks any warmth. If you're going to complain, give me your piece of fatty beef."

As they were talking, Huang Haoran reached out his chopsticks to snatch it.

Wang Tianyuan chuckled, quickly dodged, stuffed a whole mouthful of fatty beef into his mouth, and ate until his mouth was greasy.

Amidst the rising steam, Xiao Yun gazed at those smiling faces and was momentarily lost in thought.

There was a time when they would fight to the death for a fruit tree, a few fish, or a rabbit. Huang Haoran even almost had an emotional breakdown because he hadn't eaten meat for several days.

But in just over a month, they were already enjoying a sumptuous hot pot in the other world.

"This is the meaning behind all our efforts..."

Xiao Yun sighed inwardly, chewing on the fatty beef in his mouth, a smile playing on his lips.

Just then, a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Ahem, don't get too excited yet, I have something to ask you."

Gu Shen leaned closer and asked in a low voice:

"It seems like this storm of illusion and reality is almost over. As for the Eternal Empire... what are you planning to do? Don't just focus on internal development and get ambushed again."

Xiao Yun's expression turned solemn, and he pondered for a moment.

He certainly always remembered this potential threat.

Shi Zhenshan said he was giving both sides a week to ease tensions, but no one is stupid. If it weren't for the obstruction of the real and the unreal storm, the other side would probably have already made a move within that week.

"I'm ready to take the initiative even without you telling me. I've just been waiting for tonight's weekly settlement, and for Zhong Mo and Chang Hao to advance to the eighth sequence."

"Oh? Everyone gets settled weekly. Just because we're developing here doesn't mean they're lagging behind. Besides, they have a centralized system where resources are more concentrated, and they do have professionals in the seventh rank."

Gu Shen's eyes flickered, while Xiao Yun simply smiled and patted him on the shoulder:

"Don't worry, we have Zhao Guolong as a hostage, which allows us to know the basic information about the other side in advance. Moreover, although they are all in the eighth sequence, there are differences between the eighth sequences."

"As for the seventh-sequence professionals, it's not like there's no way to deal with them."

"Wow, so confident? Well, let's make this clear: if you get completely humiliated, I won't be there to save you."

"You're not even a professional, so go cool off somewhere else."

Xiao Yun shook his head and chuckled to himself.

Gu Shen smiled slightly, but did not answer. He just lowered his head and ate his hot pot.

After the celebration, before dawn, Xiao Yun went to the Truth Bookstore and completed the fusion of the skill set he had conceived long ago.

One is the fusion of skills such as Mana Flow, Mana Shock, and Mana Barrier into a B-level skill – [Unlimited].

The new skill not only inherits the effects of the previous fusion skills, but also allows for casting without a medium (without a staff), and adds an even more explosive new effect.

【Infinite Solution】: Within a 100-meter range, you can freely release all 'mana manipulation' skills below this skill level. Skills can be combined arbitrarily, and the effects and power will be multiplied.

"The previous mana-based build was too skill-intensive; the current unlimited mana build is much better, with its beautiful numerical values."

Xiao Yun was very satisfied and looked at another new skill—

[The Art of Creation - Introduction]

Xiao Yun was somewhat bewildered when he first saw this new skill.

There are no levels, no effects, no instructions on how to use it, and it cannot even be upgraded.

Only at the very bottom can you see a brief description from the system that sounds like a rant:

Science no longer exists...

"I never expected that the combination of these miscellaneous knowledge skills, such as basic alchemy, basic material science, basic rune array science, and elementary mana manipulation, would actually produce something like this."

Xiao Yun's lips twitched slightly as he looked at the [Creation Technique] skill. After a long silence, he began to try it out.

But after trying for a long time, he discovered that this skill currently only has one effect—

The alchemy process using the [Hand of Embers] is now smoother, allowing me to create alchemical items of C+ grade, and even handcraft healing potions.

"Thank goodness, at least the money wasn't wasted."

Xiao Yun breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes gleaming as he looked at the words "Entry Level":

"You've only just begun, there's still a lot of room for improvement. Take your time, no rush."

After finishing his work, Xiao Yun looked through the books that [Truth Bookstore] had updated in the past few days and found that they were mostly in the humanities and social sciences.

Although it wasn't of much practical use, Xiao Yun still savored it, which he considered a way to cultivate his mind.

And before we knew it, the first week's settlement arrived.