"Yes, Grand Patrol Envoy."
A mixture of joy and bitterness appeared on Chris’s face.
The past six months had been incredibly difficult. His daily meal was the heart of a White Dragon Whale, and now, even the smell of it was enough to make him gag. But thankfully, after all the suffering, a new dawn had finally arrived!
’I’ll never have to eat that damned thing again!’
It wasn’t just Chris.
The former crew members of the *Dayun* who followed Shi Ming, Stone Pillar and Lin Hai, had also perfectly mastered the power of S-rank sea beasts. After their long-awaited reunion, Shi Ming was very pleased with the progress of his old crew and had brought back special products from the cosmos for each of his subordinates.
The "special products" he delivered to the Xirang Research Institute, however, were even more precious: technology from advanced civilizations and the crucial materials needed to turn the research on the Unceasing Water from theory into reality.
...
...
...
Soon, 38 research scholars from every sea region gathered at the Xirang Research Institute.
Also in attendance were the captains of the major royal ships.
This was perhaps the most high-profile symposium ever held, a conference that would go down in history for overcoming a major crisis of the Wandering Era!
"Grand Patrol Envoy,"
"Regarding the Unceasing Water crisis, we have completed preliminary tests on Plan A, Plan B, and Plan F. All show a high degree of feasibility."
"Plan A, ’Xirang Seal,’ showed particularly promising results in medium-scale sample testing. The only things missing were tests on the Source Water itself and a highly concentrated, high-intensity energy source. Thanks to the Patrol Envoy’s help, this problem has now been properly resolved. The 1,000 Cosmic Crystals from space are more than enough to support the immense energy consumption."
"Plan A is now viable."
"Plan B, using marrow fluid from the Nether King’s Broken Bone, is also effective. However, the amount of marrow fluid is limited, and completely covering the Source Water would require extensive cultivation. With Plan A now viable, this can serve as an alternative."
"..."
"In summary, we believe the problem of the Unceasing Water will be solved with ease and become a thing of the past."
"However, the environment within the Earth’s Lung is harsh—a place known as a dead zone. Even with the help of the wonder, Jade Sea Cangwu, an ordinary S-rank Awakened would struggle to remain there for long. The actual execution of the plan will require the Patrol Envoy to take action personally."
Shi Ming nodded.
He was quite pleased with these research findings. His original plan to use the Starry Sky Specimen to move the Unceasing Water had been a last resort. He never expected that in just six months, the Institute’s researchers would find three better, viable solutions. Although they had drawn inspiration from the technological knowledge Shi Ming occasionally sent back from space, such efficiency was truly remarkable!
In terms of intelligence and potential, Earth was not inferior to any advanced civilization!
No, strictly speaking,
Earth, with its Nirvana Powerhouse, could already be considered an advanced civilization!
"Resolving the issue of the Unceasing Water is our common goal. I can provide a large supply of the high-intensity energy for Plan A. These Cosmic Crystals from space have an energy density 11 to 13 times that of Pure Dome Crystals, which is enough to create suitable testing conditions."
"I agree,"
"The plan is viable."
"The problem of the Unceasing Water will become a thing of the past!"
Applause thundered through the research institute.
The scholars were fired up with emotion.
Under the circumstances, Shi Ming did not tell them about the Creation Star Core. Once the problem of the Unceasing Water was resolved, the issue with the Creation Star Core would also be solved. This was a moment to celebrate their achievements, not to be overshadowed by one crisis after another.
...
...
...
Above the Earth’s Lung, the dense fog that had been briefly dispersed during the last promotion to a Star-rank Drifting Ship rose once again.
The *Sheri*, loaded with heavy equipment, slowly descended into the depths of the Earth’s Lung, while the *Dayun* remained steady on the ocean’s surface, not diving in directly.
Plan A was called "Xirang Seal."
Essentially, it used a method of energy transition to forcibly strip away a portion of the Unceasing Water’s violent power, then used Xirang to fill in and neutralize the void. This counteracting process would neutralize the Unceasing Water’s volatility, halt its proliferation, and force it into a state of dormancy.
The transparent container in Shi Ming’s hands held the man-made wonder, Xirang.
It was the crystallization of human wisdom.
[Xirang]
[A man-made wonder capable of calming violent waters. Though its name contains the word for soil, it is not soil in the traditional sense.]
Xirang could be infinitely upgraded once using the Infinite Brain.
But there was no need.
At its current stage, the Xirang was sufficient to complete its mission through a leverage effect. Any stronger or weaker, and it might disrupt the delicate balance achieved through the Institute’s experiments, introducing unforeseen complications.
Every field has its experts.
Shi Ming excelled at combat,
but not at research.
Without a warning from the Eye of Destiny, he preferred to trust the results of these researchers rather than make his own assumptions.
The *Sheri* descended through the turbulent undercurrents of the Earth’s Lung, finally reaching the area most abundant with the energy of Sea Crystal Stones. The Source Water of the Unceasing Water was here, gurgling and flowing, endlessly precipitating a dense, liquid form of Pure Dome Crystal. It was the power source for many of the drifting ships in the Endless Ocean, but it was also the beginning of the disaster. Rui Liang, who had triggered all of this, was already dead. This remaining "bomb" needed a proper resting place.
Like a surgeon about to perform an operation, Shi Ming’s Spiritual Power tensed.
The heavy equipment loaded onto the *Sheri* began to operate. A beam formed from a grid of energy probed into the spring’s eye, then slowly and quietly expanded within the Source Water.
The man-made wonder, Xirang, was placed at the core of the device and began its mission.
Bail it out, or plug it up.
Ultimately, they had chosen the second path.
A brilliant Wishing Star appeared on the seabed.
"Wishing Star of all worlds, I wish for everything to proceed smoothly."
The Wishing Star pulsed with light.
This was its response.
The violent power was temporarily transitioned away. A heavy earthen power was slowly injected into the Source Water of the Unceasing Water via the device. Using earth to counter water—wisdom from humanity thousands of years ago—resounded powerfully once more in this age of technology.
Shi Ming, standing by, did not let his guard down.
Although the Unceasing Water was only ranked second on the list of wonders, both it and the Creation Star Core were leagues beyond the third-ranked wonder. Shi Ming often speculated that Earth, possessing the eight Holy Hall Origins that could combine into ’Zero’, the treasures of the Creation Star Core and the Unceasing Water, and even hosting the Eye of the Divine—chief among the four great remains—must still hold undiscovered secrets.
Perhaps when the Eye of Destiny truly evolved into the Eye of the Divine, everything would become clearer.
The undercurrents of the seabed were silent.
Shi Ming’s eyes were fixed on the Xirang Device, his right hand holding the Starry Sky Specimen and the Miniature Wormhole, ready to deal with any potential anomalies.
But fortunately, everything was normal.
After the last wisp of Xirang was injected into the Unceasing Water’s spring eye, the volatile, chaotic, and ever-expanding water finally came to a halt. The spring eye no longer bubbled with liquid Energy Stones.
At that moment, water and earth reached a perfect reconciliation.
Shi Ming let out a sigh of relief.
Information from the Eye of Destiny flickered into view at the perfect moment, as if also celebrating the resolution of a difficult problem.
[Congratulations!]
[The Unceasing Water has entered a dormant period.]
[Many a little makes a mickle. When an individual’s power cannot find the perfect answer, the power of the group can offer a completely different approach.]
[It can be moved, transferred, and utilized. The abnormal seawater in the Endless Ocean has lost its source; its energy will slowly dissipate and vanish. This may take a very, very long time, but one day, true land will once again emerge from the sea.]
Problem solved!
As for any regrets... Humanity is highly adaptable. They would blaze a trail, starting from nothing. Whether it was the wilderness, the land, the sea, or the sky... they could always conquer it, and they always would!
Shi Ming’s Spiritual Power reached into the slumbering Source Water, using the Starry Sky Specimen to completely extract it from the Earth’s Lung.
The Source Water was dormant and no longer tried to escape on its own.
The Starry Sky Specimen had become a suitable container. Shi Ming’s plan was to take it to the Earth Core and use it as a material for an infinite upgrade to repair the Creation Star Core. This would resolve the mysterious crisis within the Creation Star Core and release the ’Purification’ Origin!
Once he had the ’Purification’ Origin, ’Zero’ would merge once more!
He would also obtain his second Nirvana skill—and his second numbered Nirvana skill at that!
’I wonder what number ’Zero’ will be?’