Supreme Electromagnetic Tyrant-Chapter 476 - 322: Ether Energy Gathering Room

"Follow me,"

Yan Wenxu immediately stood up, leading Ji Xinghuo out of the minister’s office.

As soon as they exited, two secretaries followed them.

One was Yu Lu, and the other was a man in his thirties whom Ji Xinghuo had not seen before.

After coming down from the elevator, they walked out of the Star Realm Department office building and, after a few minutes by foot, arrived at a nondescript, squarely shaped three-story building. It was unimpressive in appearance but covered a broad area, resembling a factory.

The sign "Star Realm Department Ether Research Institute" hung outside the gate, where armed mutants guarded the entrance.

Yan Wenxu explained, "The Ether Research Institute is a directly subordinate unit under the Star Realm Department, specializing in ether energy technology research."

Ji Xinghuo nodded.

The most important aspect of a mutant’s evolution is the absorption and conversion of ether energy; this institution’s research into ether energy must inevitably include cultivation.

"Minister!"

A researcher in a white lab coat hurried out to greet them.

Ji Xinghuo observed the newcomer, who appeared to be over fifty and was only an intermediate-level mutant, yet Yan Wenxu treated him with great respect.

"Xinghuo, let me introduce you," Yan Wenxu stated seriously. "This is Ke Mingshan, the director of the Ether Research Institute. Director Ke is one of the top authorities on ether energy, not only domestically but globally."

Ji Xinghuo greeted him respectfully, "Director Ke, it’s a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh, I don’t deserve such praise," Ke Mingshan replied modestly.

Then Yan Wenxu said to Ke Mingshan, "This is Ji Xinghuo. Director Ke, you might have heard his name."

"The first on the Heavenly Ladder," Ke Mingshan’s eyes brightened, a hint of envy on his face, "I’ve seen your videos. Young people these days are truly incredible. Welcome to the Ether Research Institute; please, come inside."

The group followed Ke Mingshan inside.

Ji Xinghuo’s electromagnetic induction had already scanned the interior. The Institute’s security was rigorous; in total, there were over a thousand people, the majority being guards with only three to four hundred actual researchers, scattered across various labs.

However, a research team of several hundred people was already a considerable size.

Ke Mingshan led them to his office, where the two secretaries stayed outside. It wasn’t until then that Yan Wenxu revealed their purpose, "Old Ke, Xinghuo is the deputy director of Sword Bureau, a Xuanyuan Swordsman, and a key national talent specially approved by the leader for training. You know what to do."

Upon the mention of the leader, Ke Mingshan’s expression immediately turned serious, and he nodded, "Yes, I’m aware."

Then, turning to look at the young Ji Xinghuo, he sighed, "Director Ji is truly accomplished for one so young."

The first on the Heavenly Ladder, deputy director of the Sword Bureau, specially approved by the leader—with any one of these titles, he would be a heavyweight figure.

Yet now they were all held by a man in his twenties.

It was truly astonishing.

"Director Ke, you flatter me too much. I hope for your guidance in the future," Ji Xinghuo responded without a hint of arrogance.

He had once dreamt of becoming a scientist as a child. As he matured, he realized that path was not meant for him, but he always held science in high esteem.

"Just call me Old Ke," Ke Mingshan said with a smile. "Come, let me show you around."

Yan Wenxu added, "Xinghuo, go ahead. Swing by my office later."

"Of course."

Ji Xinghuo knew he had to go back and arrange his other resources.

After Yan Wenxu left, Ke Mingshan started showing Ji Xinghuo around. The first stop was the "Ether Energy Gathering Room." It was on the ground floor of the Institute, a vast hall spanning tens of thousands of square meters, divided into hundreds of smaller cultivation rooms of varying sizes and functions by thick alloy walls.

Ji Xinghuo’s electromagnetic induction revealed that only a small portion of the cultivation rooms was occupied.

Most of the occupants were legendary figures or Heavenly Kings.

He refrained from prying into others’ cultivation practices, listening as Ke Mingshan explained, "Our Institute was established over seventy years ago, with countless funds invested. To date, we have built 108 Ether Energy Gathering Rooms, divided into three levels based on the differences in ether energy density."

"There are 50 First Level Ether Energy Gathering Rooms, increasing the energy density by about 50%, with an improvement in cultivation efficiency of around 20%, varying from person to person."

"There are 45 Second Level Ether Energy Gathering Rooms, which near double the energy density, leading to approximately 50% efficiency in mutant cultivation."

"There are only 13 Third Level Ether Energy Gathering Rooms, which triple the energy density, boosting cultivation efficiency by over 100%."

"Each Ether Energy Gathering Room can only enhance the cultivation of one mutant at a time during the same time slot."

While talking, the two entered a central control room.

Two researchers responsible for the room quickly stood up and greeted, "Director."

"Please continue with your work," Ke Mingshan graciously responded, skillfully operating the control console. A wall in the room transformed into a large screen, showing the current usage of all the Ether Energy Gathering Rooms.

At the moment, 36 Ether Energy Gathering Rooms were in use.

Most were in the Second Level rooms, and only three people were in the Third Level rooms—all of them Heavenly Kings.

Ji Xinghuo had seen two of them before, Huo Keji and Xing Lie.

The third Heavenly King, though Ji Xinghuo had not met him, was a well-known figure named Li Xuan, ranked 47th on the Heavenly King list and known as the "Thousand Illusion Swordsman", also the youngest Heavenly King on Earth, having just turned 50 this year.

Li Xuan held no official title and was not a person designated by the leader.

He was an ordinary citizen politically, focusing mainly on running his own social media accounts, publishing videos and articles—in other words, an internet celebrity.

Ji Xinghuo exclaimed in surprise, "The Ether Energy Gathering Room is also open to the public?"

"As long as you are a citizen of our country, you can apply, but you must pass the Star Realm Department’s review and pay the costs yourself," Ke Mingshan said with a smile.

Ji Xinghuo guessed some of it, "Is the review very strict?"

"Yes," Ke Mingshan nodded, "The most basic requirement is to be within the top 300 of the rankings, top 100 on the Legendary list, and there are no restrictions for Heavenly Kings."

"The cost is very high?" Ji Xinghuo asked, a bit curious.

"Extremely expensive. Even billionaires would feel the pinch," Ke Mingshan responded with a smile as he opened up a list of fees.

After taking one look, Ji Xinghuo also began to feel the pain.

The Ether Energy Gathering Room charged by the hour, with the lowest First Level Energy Gathering Room costing one million Ya Yuan per hour. If one trained for ten hours a day, that would be ten million, not including the cost of wearing cultivation equipment and consuming potions, which was extra.

The Second Level Ether Energy Gathering Room cost two million Ya Yuan per hour.

And the most expensive Third Level Ether Energy Gathering Room shot up to five million Ya Yuan per hour!

"Damn it!"

This price was too outrageous.

During the cultivation period, the Ether Energy Gathering Room was not necessary every minute, only used during the process of Star Power recovery after its consumption, which accounted for about one-third to half of the total daily training time and could save quite a bit of money.

Even so, the charges were outrageously high.

Calculating at eight hours a day, the Third Level Ether Energy Gathering Room would cost 40 million Ya Yuan, amounting to around 14.5 billion for an entire year of cultivation!

First Level and Second Level were not cheap either.

Moreover, having money was not enough, the Star Realm Department’s review requirements were too high.

Being able to afford it, having enough talent and being politically reliable—there were not many people in the entire country who met these three conditions simultaneously.

Therefore, the majority of those who could train here were Mutants from government departments or the military, who had made significant accomplishments, contributed greatly, and were extremely talented, recommended by their unit or department, and could use Ether Energy Gathering Room for free.

Very few people actually paid themselves.

"This is way too expensive," Ji Xinghuo shook his head and sighed.

Ke Mingshan said, "It’s a necessary measure, we can’t manufacture Ether Crystals ourselves; the ones we use come from the Star Realm and are very rare. We can only use them sparingly and give priority to the official Mutants."

The Ether Energy Gathering Room not only consumed a huge amount of Electric Energy, the maintenance of various equipment was also very expensive, and Ether Crystals were a must.

Hearing this, Ji Xinghuo had a thought.

"Director Ke, can Ether Crystals be used to pay the fees?" he asked.

"Of course," Ke Mingshan immediately nodded, "Not only can they be used to pay, but also, there are significant discounts. One Ether Crystal is valued at 20 million Ya Yuan. When used for payment, the price is only half."

Ji Xinghuo quickly did the math.

If he used the Third Level Ether Energy Gathering Room for eight hours a day, he would just need to hand over one Ether Crystal.

He still had nearly 500 Ether Crystals in his possession.

He did not need to pay, but he could let his second brother Zhong Ming come, and Man Ying too. It would be tough for his eldest sister, though; even if she became a Mutant, the chances of passing the review were very low unless he made a special request on her behalf.

Seeing Ji Xinghuo’s expression, Ke Mingshan guessed, "Do you have Ether Crystals?"

"Some," Ji Xinghuo nodded, then asked directly, "If I use Ether Crystals to pay the fees, can I apply for an Ether Energy Gathering Room for someone else’s use?"

"That would be up to Minister Yan," Ke Mingshan laughed, "The control over the reviews is in his hands. The cultivation rooms of our institute are often empty, which is a bit wasteful. It would be great to earn Ether Crystals, of course."

Ji Xinghuo understood.

He didn’t speak further on the matter, and after visiting the institute with Ke Mingshan, he asked to try out the effects of the Ether Energy Gathering Room.

Ke Mingshan readily agreed and arranged a Third Level Cultivation Room for Ji Xinghuo.

The Cultivation Room included three parts.

A service team, exercise equipment, and the most important Ether Energy Gathering Room.

Changing into a set of training clothes, Ji Xinghuo entered the Cultivation Room and was immediately approached by a team of three scientific researchers, asking if he wanted to use any Auxiliary Potions. He thought about it and decided not to use any that day.

He had used "Ether Refining Solvent" while in the Star Realm, which would still be effective for another couple of weeks.

The effects of many potions could not be stacked, so there was no need to waste them.

Moreover, he wanted to eliminate other factors and make a comparison to see if the Third Level Ether Energy Gathering Room’s effects were more significant compared to Sister Ren’s Qingkong Forest.

Upon entering the Cultivation Room, Ji Xinghuo immediately felt the gravity weighing down on him. The room had artificial gravity similar to that on a warship. Training in a high-gravity environment allowed for faster depletion of Star Power and was safer too.

He glanced at the wall screen, which indicated the current gravity level was five times normal.

Then, he reclined and tried a 20-ton barbell bench press, found it somewhat light, and said to the staff outside, "Increase the gravity."