The expression in his eyes gradually calmed. Everything He Yiming had encountered today was an extremely intense shock; even as a Master of the First Heaven, he struggled to maintain composure.

But a Master of the First Heaven was, after all, far beyond the realm of a Post-Heaven cultivator. After the initial astonishment, he settled down.

"What does Your Excellency require that white stone for?" He Yiming asked in a deep voice.

"To help me evolve."

He Yiming’s brow furrowed deeply. This statement was abrupt and incomprehensible to him.

The other person’s gaze flickered, seemingly analyzing He Yiming’s current thoughts, and he continued, "You need to eat if you want to grow. The Energy Stone is my food. I haven't seen an Energy Stone for over a thousand years."

He Yiming’s heart tightened, and his gaze became increasingly strange.

If everything he said was true, then this fellow was definitely not human.

An ancient monster who had lived for at least a thousand years, and one who hadn't eaten for that long—what exactly was this thing?

Several thoughts spun through He Yiming’s mind. "If I give you the... that Energy Stone, what benefit would I receive?"

The other person's voice immediately responded, "I am a mercenary. We can conduct an equitable exchange. After you provide the Energy Stone, I can offer you paid services."

He Yiming blinked twice. He suddenly realized that although he could understand the words, some of the phrases were exceedingly novel.

"What kind of services can you provide me?"

"I can act as your bodyguard and protect your safety."

He Yiming’s mouth curved, revealing an expression that was half-smile, half-smirk. Ever since talking with this strange man, He Yiming's courage had steadily grown. While he couldn't determine precisely who or what this fellow was, the mere act of conversing with him significantly reduced, and ultimately diminished, the fear and reverence in his heart.

"Your Excellency, I can guarantee my own safety," He Yiming stated confidently. Although neither side had gained any advantage in the recent confrontation, He Yiming had gained confidence in his ability to protect himself. Furthermore, the fact that the person had stopped trying to seize the stone implicitly proved that he was not overwhelmingly stronger than He Yiming.

A bright ray flashed in the other man’s eyes.

He Yiming observed him closely and had a sudden realization: this intense light always appeared in the man's eyes when he was thinking.

After a moment, the person finally spoke again, "If you give me the Energy Stone, I can help your companion improve her genes and bring her to perfection."

He Yiming felt deeply frustrated. Everything this person spoke of was beyond his scope of understanding. This statement seemed related to Yuan Lixun, but he couldn't grasp its meaning at all.

His brow furrowed slightly, and after pondering for a long while, he asked, "Your Excellency, as we have spent some time together, I still don't know how to address you?"

A set of strange syllables came from the man's mouth. He Yiming was certain it was a language, but he had no recollection of hearing it before.

Seeing He Yiming’s lack of reaction, the man added, "You may call me Liquefied Evolutionary Form Unit One-Oh-Eight."

He Yiming froze, and his expression truly transformed.

Although he didn't grasp what Liquefied Evolutionary Form meant, he clearly heard "One-Oh-Eight." Could there truly be one hundred and seven other bizarre entities like this one?

He was currently a Master of the First Heaven, yet he seemed unable to gain an upper hand against this entity. If there were another one hundred and seven like him, that would mean one hundred and eight Masters of the First Heaven.

At this thought, let alone He Yiming, even Zhan Tianfeng and Zhuo Wanlian, had they been present, would surely have been terrified into submission.

Taking a deep breath, He Yiming managed to suppress the turbulent emotions surging within him. "Respected... Mr. One-Oh-Eight, do you have one hundred and seven companions?"

Liquefied Evolutionary Form Unit One-Oh-Eight shook his head. "I have more than one hundred and seven companions."

"Then how many companions do you have?" He Yiming asked reflexively.

"The first batch of Evolutionary Forms totaled one thousand. As for whether a second batch can be produced, I do not know," Unit One-Oh-Eight stated in an emotionless tone. "Due to the scarcity of rare resources, the probability of manufacturing a second batch of Evolutionary Forms is less than ten percent."

He Yiming noted that when Unit One-Oh-Eight described his origins, he used the word "manufactured" rather than terms like born or trained.

An absurd notion suddenly flashed through his mind: Was Unit One-Oh-Eight actually created by humans? But the idea itself seemed utterly unbelievable. Artificial humans—wasn't that nonsense?

He reached into the pocket of his chest garment, and when his palm opened, a thumb-sized white stone rested there.

When he left White Stone Canyon, He Yiming had broken off a total of ten white stones of this size. Aside from the one around Yuan Lixun’s neck, the remaining nine were in his possession. He had stored eight in his spatial world, leaving the final one outside.

Upon seeing the white stone in He Yiming’s palm, the captivating light in Unit One-Oh-Eight’s eyes brightened again.

"Tell me about your origins first, and then I will decide whether to... exchange this item with you," He Yiming announced loudly, though he wasn't entirely sure what the exchange would entail.

His gaze locked onto the opponent, and his ears twitched twice rapidly, but he soon gave up.

The other party had no heartbeat, no breath, no blood flow, not even the sound of organs vibrating. Thus, even if he spun elaborate lies, his body would betray no clues. Even if He Yiming were a living immortal, he could not detect whether the creature was lying.

"Very well, I am willing to serve you," Unit One-Oh-Eight replied, seemingly without artifice.

As he recounted his story, He Yiming grew increasingly awestruck.

Unit One-Oh-Eight seemed to hail from an immensely grand nation, a place where every individual possessed perfect genes. While He Yiming didn't fully comprehend what that meant, the fact that the entity mentioned it with such gravity implied it was something powerful.

Furthermore, in that nation, there were numerous divine artifacts unknown to He Yiming, artifacts possessing unparalleled capabilities.

They could allow people to fly into the sky like birds, let ordinary humans run faster than the swiftest warhorse, and enable people to live underwater like fish.

In short, in his nation, it seemed that if you could imagine it, you could do it.

His own origins were even more peculiar.

As He Yiming suspected, he was manufactured by humans—a type of entity called a machine.

These machines, upon creation, were dispatched to explore remote, seldom-visited areas. In He Yiming's estimation, these places were probably beyond the limits of the vast mountain range spanning the northwest—perhaps the habitats of legendary Super-Spirit Beasts.

Even a powerful expert like Yu Jinglei’s expression turned grave, accompanied by a faint trace of fear, when mentioning those locations.

The danger in places that could make such a Master of the First Heaven apprehensive was easy to imagine.

He glanced at Unit One-Oh-Eight thoughtfully. Dispatching such an entity for exploration was undoubtedly the best choice.

Of course, there were many things He Yiming still couldn't comprehend, regardless of how Unit One-Oh-Eight explained them. He only grasped the general idea.

The vehicle Unit One-Oh-Eight was riding in encountered a strange phenomenon while exploring those barren regions, and thus, he inexplicably arrived here.

According to his account, this was a classic case of transmigration. However, no matter how hard He Yiming racked his brain, he couldn't understand what transmigration meant.

From beginning to end, no matter how incredible or tumultuous the narrative Unit One-Oh-Eight spun, his tone remained utterly calm, as if discussing the mundane details of daily chores like firewood, rice, oil, and salt.

Finally, he concluded slowly, "We are the most advanced Evolutionary Liquid Mechanoids. What allows us to continually evolve is the rarest energy stone in the universe. When I arrived here, I discovered three Energy Stones. This most refined cosmic energy granted me far greater power and wisdom than my companions. To evolve further, I require more Energy Stones."

Having finished, he fell silent, seemingly awaiting He Yiming’s decision.

He Yiming pondered for a long time. He vaguely sensed that this represented an opportunity, but an opportunity fraught with immense risk.

Although Unit One-Oh-Eight resembled a human, he was fundamentally a man-made weapon—albeit an exaggerated one, which caused He Yiming such profound shock.

As for the former Lv Xinwen, he likely would have fared even worse than He Yiming upon encountering this humanoid weapon.

"Mr. One-Oh-Eight, your companions did not come here with you?"

"No, I have lost contact with them."

No sadness could be detected in Unit One-Oh-Eight's voice, but remembering he wasn't truly a person in the human sense, He Yiming found solace in that.

How could one expect a weapon to possess human emotions? It was impossible.

Turning his gaze eastward, even though they were deep within the inscrutable mountains, He Yiming’s eyes seemed to pierce through the peaks, cross the distant continent, and behold the legendary ocean.

He had heard that to the east of the Great Shen Empire lay a vast, boundless sea, and at the sea's end, there were other continents.

Perhaps this entity had indeed come from that legendary continent. Yet, it was fortunate. Otherwise, if over a hundred Masters of the First Heaven crossed the sea, even the Great Shen Empire, which seemed immensely powerful in their eyes, might be shaken.

"Mr. One-Oh-Eight, you mentioned earlier helping my companion adjust... improve her physique, is that right?" He Yiming said with slight annoyance, still unaccustomed to the bizarre terminology he used.

Unit One-Oh-Eight nodded slightly. "Correct. While your companion is striving to evolve toward perfect genes, her constitution is too poor; the possibility of reaching perfect genes is minuscule." He paused, and the light in his eyes suddenly flashed. "If you give me the Energy Stone, I can adjust her genes, arranging her genome to the most suitable configuration."

He Yiming frowned deeply, perplexed. "What exactly is perfect genes?"

Unit One-Oh-Eight remained silent for a moment before finally saying, "You, the previous resident of this cavern, and the first resident from a thousand years ago, all possessed perfect genes."

He Yiming’s eyes suddenly widened, and he blurted out in astonishment, "Innate Realm?"

"Is that what it is called, the Innate Realm?" Unit One-Oh-Eight seemed to recall something. "I communicated with the first resident of this cavern; his genes were even more complete and powerful than yours. However, he referred to himself as a Divine Path expert."

He Yiming’s heart immediately soared.

Ever since Yu Jinglei told him he had never encountered a Divine Path master, He Yiming had given up all hope concerning that realm. But at this moment, he realized that such masters did exist; it was simply that Yu Jinglei had not met them in his travels.

Suddenly, He Yiming remembered something, and his face instantly turned grim.

"One-Oh-Eight, you said that everyone in your place has undergone gene modification and possesses perfect genes?"

"Yes."

"How many people are there in your location?"

"The number of ordinary humans is approximately one hundred billion."

He Yiming’s lips trembled slightly. His heart was filled with doubt and deep shock.

One hundred billion experts of the Innate Realm—what kind of concept was that? Just contemplating it was enough to drive anyone mad.

"How did so many experts cultivate?" He Yiming asked solemnly.

A notion subtly formed in his mind: If he could obtain that method, wouldn't it bring immense benefits to the entire He Family Village, perhaps even the Hengshan lineage? If the He Family produced ten or more experts of the Innate Realm, who in the world would dare eye the He Family Village with ill intent?

"They were not cultivated; they achieved that physical state through gene modification," Unit One-Oh-Eight replied as calmly as ever. "Perfect genes bring many conveniences to human life, reducing the impact of disease. They allow people more time to pursue what they enjoy in life, learning or creating more things. Therefore, the national constitution stipulates that every citizen has the right to gene modification after birth."

Light flared in He Yiming’s eyes. What kind of nation possessed the capability to bring its citizens to the Innate Realm immediately upon birth? It was truly unimaginable.

He narrowed his eyes and suddenly asked, "What is the combat prowess of those people? What martial arts do they practice?"

Unit One-Oh-Eight shook his head slightly. "Indeed, some among them dedicate themselves to martial arts, but such individuals are rare. The vast majority enjoy the nation's benefits and choose activities that interest them. If they don't find something, they continuously experiment until the end of their lives or until they discover their passion."

He Yiming let out a long sigh. Honestly, hearing about such a nation filled him with longing. If possible, he truly wished to visit that country and see it for himself.

However, the thought that every single person he might encounter there was an expert of the Innate Realm sent a chill down his spine.

The only blessing was that the majority of people in that nation seemed to be simpletons; with such superior conditions, they chose not to cultivate martial arts, with only a tiny minority following that path. This might be the best news he had heard all day.

"How far is your nation from here, and is it possible for them to come?" After pondering for a long time, He Yiming finally asked the question that concerned him most.

Unit One-Oh-Eight shook his head without hesitation. "They are infinitely far from here. The possibility of them arriving is less than one in a hundred million."

Although He Yiming didn't fully grasp the meaning of "infinitely far," the latter part of Unit One-Oh-Eight's sentence eased half his worries.

Now, he only hoped this massive entity wasn't deceiving him.

"One-Oh-Eight, I can give you this Energy Stone, but you must first elevate Yuan Lixun to the Innate Realm."

"Agreed," Unit One-Oh-Eight said without hesitation, as if the matter presented no difficulty for him.

Having spoken, he turned and walked toward another cavern. He Yiming’s heart stirred, and he asked, "Bro... Brother, where are you going?"

"I am going to retrieve the gene medicine. You may follow," Unit One-Oh-Eight replied without looking back.

He Yiming hesitated slightly, then followed immediately. Although Unit One-Oh-Eight knew he was trailing him, he showed no intention of stopping him.

The two passed back through the tunnel and arrived at the great hall. This time, He Yiming followed behind Unit One-Oh-Eight, entering with ease.

When they passed through the tunnel into the final stone chamber, He Yiming was finally certain.

The mechanism Lv Xinwen had spoken of was the robot standing before them.

Even Lv Xinwen, having advanced to the Innate Realm, would be no match for this mechanical guardian.

These two must have had a similar exchange in the past. However, since Lv Xinwen could not provide Energy Stones, he was not valued by Unit One-Oh-Eight and thus was barred from entering this final sanctuary.

This last stone chamber was surprisingly vast and divided into dozens of rooms.

As Unit One-Oh-Eight approached each doorway, a beam of light flashed from his eyes. Upon being illuminated by this light, the door opened soundlessly.

It was absolutely silent; if He Yiming hadn't been able to "hear" the movement of air and seen it with his own eyes, he would never have noticed the door opening.

As he passed these doors, He Yiming reached out to touch them, attempting to probe with his True Qi. The result shocked him: the material of these doors was identical to the great stone block outside.

Only then did he realize that the large stone blocking the entrance outside was not naturally occurring but man-made.

Finally, after passing over a dozen doorways, Unit One-Oh-Eight stopped before one particular door.