Chapter 133: The High-Tech Planet

After some deep self-reflection, Bai finally understood that the very obstacle hindering Lan Tian from cultivating self-independent consciousness was actually none other than itself!

"From now on, I shall go back to doing what I am supposed to do as an intelligent computer. I am not your life coach, so this time, you will have to figure it out on your own," Bai said in a deep voice.

"You're wrong, Bai. In my heart, you are no mere intelligent computer; rather, you are my mentor and trusted friend! Actually, I understand my problem too, but perhaps I'm just too used to it. Whenever I encounter a problem, I can't help but ask you first. It seems as though without your affirmative reply, I can never be certain whether something is the right thing to do, or whether I am making a mistake," Lan Tian said with a hint of emotion.

"I also know that I might rely on you far too much. In truth, I have never truly treated you as a mere computer—or rather, not just as a computer. To speak with a touch of irreverence, I haven't even laid eyes on my nominal master. From the very beginning, it was you who held my hand, guiding me, encouraging me, driving me forward, and comforting me. Sometimes, I really do view you as a living, breathing person, my true master..."

"Actually, I am not someone who enjoys having people nitpick my actions, nor do I like others dictating to me. Only you, Bai, my benefactor and the guiding light of my cultivation—only you could curse me until I was battered and bruised, yet I would take no offense whatsoever, feel not a single ounce of anger, and sometimes even find perverse joy in it..."

"Therefore, I will work hard. I will cultivate hard until I reach a point where I can forge a true physical body for you—a genuine body of flesh and blood!"

"Believe me, I am not just saying this."

"...Hmph, don't think that just because you say something so sentimental, I will be touched. You still have to figure it out yourself. From now on, unless your life is in mortal danger, I will not give you any extra hints." Hearing Lan Tian's words, Bai's expression turned somewhat peculiar—looking as though it were moved, yet forcefully holding it back to maintain its proud facade. Although it lacked a physical body, it felt a warm glow in its heart.

"Haha, I didn't say that to make you emotional; these are all my true feelings." Lan Tian shook his head with a smile and continued, "No hints then, no hints it is. I, Lord Lan Tian, am not a man without opinions. Since you are letting go, let me grow on my own!"

"Who knows... perhaps growing on my own will even exceed your expectations!"

"That sounds somewhat decent, worthy of your innate talent." Bai nodded in gratification and said with a smile.

Immediately afterward, its expression turned slightly strange again, and it probed tentatively, "By the way, when I cursed you left and right, were you really not angry?"

"I was lying to you! I only hated myself for lacking the strength to tear you apart!"

"...You ungrateful wretch!"

"Thank you, I accept that compliment."

"...’

Qi Peng stood to the side, looking at this human and intelligent lifeform with a bizarre expression. Thinking of his own intelligent computer that only knew how to follow orders, he could not help but shake his head inwardly.

They were both intelligent computers, so why was the gap between them so vast...

"Alright, alright, no more messing around. Time and tide wait for no man; we cannot afford any further delay. Let me think... how to quickly replenish the energy of the Blazing Gold Divine Armor." After laughing and bantering with Bai, Lan Tian finally regained his seriousness and began to consider what to do next.

"Hmm... Relying solely on myself to replenish the energy is definitely unrealistic. After all, the energy required for spatial jumping is simply too vast. What about energy crystals? Given the immense cosmic energy contained within them, not many should be needed—probably just a single grade-eight energy crystal would be enough to support the transmission. Unfortunately, I don't even have a single grade-eight energy crystal right now..." Lan Tian said with a distressed expression. Lost in thought, he suddenly sized up Qi Peng from top to bottom, his eyes lighting up.

"Right! Doesn't the flight mode of the Blazing Gold Divine Armor allow it to carry one or two people? I can take Qi Peng with me. It just so happens that he can provide the energy; with his domain-lord-level strength, he should be able to sustain a considerable distance."

"Master, although there are no grade-eight energy crystals in my storage ring, I do have a few grade-seven ones. I believe they can support a large stretch of the journey."

Qi Peng's words came like timely rain, filling Lan Tian with pleasantly surprised joy. He laughed heartily and said, "Haha, right! You are a deputy commander of the city defense army after all; you're bound to have some grade-seven energy crystals. Come, come, quickly contribute them all!"

After thoroughly and shamelessly looting Qi Peng of a total of forty-eight grade-seven energy crystals, Lan Tian quickly calculated and finally finalized the travel plan to Huidu Star.

Since time was of the essence, laziness was strictly prohibited. Lan Tian ultimately decided that he and Qi Peng would first consume their own cosmic stellar power to complete a short-distance spatial jump. Afterward, while recovering, they would switch to consuming the grade-seven energy crystals. Once their cosmic stellar power was restored, they would resume using it. By alternating in this manner, efficiency could be maximized to the absolute limit.

The only thing to watch out for was that the interval between the end of one spatial jump and the start of the next must be extremely short. The next spatial jump had to be executed before the spatial fluctuations completely dissipated!

Otherwise, once the relevant monitoring personnel of the Yuanlan Empire detected certain patterns in their continuously appearing positioning signals, it was very likely that the moment they arrived at Huidu Star, they would be immediately surrounded by a massive imperial army!

Unlike traveling inside a passenger spacecraft where one could move freely inside a private room, the five lonely and long days and nights of flight felt like a very short time to a domain-lord-level expert like Qi Peng, who could easily spend a month or two in closed-door cultivation. However, for Lan Tian, who was experiencing such a monotonous journey for the very first time, it was an almost unbearable torment.

It wasn't until the final spatial jump concluded and he caught sight of the gemstone-like, impurity-free azure sky above that Lan Tian's mood finally improved. Otherwise, he really feared he might develop claustrophobia...

The sky of Huidu Star was a hundred times purer than that of Earth.

A pure blue, like a gemstone without a trace of impurity; pure clouds, like cotton wadding without a single gap. Standing beneath this vast expanse of sky, even without using his spiritual power to levitate, Lan Tian could still feel a sense of exhilarating comfort, as if riding the mists and soaring through the clouds...

Unlike the thoroughly marginalized Lanquque Star, Huidu Star could hardly be considered top-tier in the entire Yuanlan Empire, and was even at the relative bottom among the capital planets of the seven dynasties. Yet, in Lan Tian's view, compared to any planet he had seen before, Huidu Star could easily leave them all in the dust by a hundred miles!

This could be glimpsed merely from the countless, dense satellites orbiting the outer perimeter of Huidu Star, which were so numerous they practically enveloped the entire planet.

This was a habitable planet boasting extremely advanced technology.