To say there was no involvement would certainly be a lie.
Tiangong Group was renowned for its mechanical equipment. In high school, Huang Xiu had once learned of this.
However, it was only after becoming an Awakened individual that she realized Tiangong Group was also deeply involved in Void Artifacts and Void Energy instruments.
Indeed, these two areas constituted their primary business.
Their other industries were merely a public facade for the company, though this facade had grown remarkably extensive.
Upon hearing this, Xiao He smiled, a hint of pride coloring their face.
They then began to explain Tiangong Group’s main operations within the Awakened community to Huang Xiu.
From wholesale Void Energy instrument materials to custom Void Artifact manufacturing—all fell under Tiangong Group’s purview.
As their conversation flowed, Huang Xiu’s tension eased, and she felt herself relax considerably.
“Fifteenth floor.”
The floor announcement sounded, and the elevator doors slowly parted.
This floor appeared to be Tiangong Group’s storage level, with the familiar green industrial flooring stretching out before them.
The floor seemed sparsely populated.
Guided by Xiao He, Huang Xiu walked along the corridor, venturing deeper into the floor, yet encountering only a few people.
The intensity of the security checks, however, progressively increased.
“We’re here!” Xiao He stopped before a formidable iron door.
Huang Xiu raised her head to observe it.
The iron door was flawlessly integrated into the wall, leaving almost no visible seams. At its center, a basketball-sized red disc was embedded.
Large white characters were painted across the door.
“Confidentiality Level 4,” Huang Xiu murmured softly.
Before her words fully faded, the red disc suddenly began to spin, revealing a faint white glow beneath its crimson surface.
A wave of invisible fluctuations emanated from it, she sensed.
They pulsed against her body, one after another.
The fluctuations were highly intrusive, attempting to penetrate her form, but Huang Xiu instinctively resisted, keeping them at bay.
Though she could sense no harm in the waves, perceiving them as merely a type of Void Art.
“Huang, please relax,” Xiao He instructed. “This is a Void Energy instrument designed to dispel camouflage-type Void Arts.”
“This area is quite important, so this procedure is necessary.”
‘When visiting someone else’s territory, it’s natural to abide by their rules,’ Huang Xiu thought. ‘She wasn’t some naive hothead.’
She nodded, releasing her resistance to the invisible fluctuations, allowing them to pass through her body.
Approximately two seconds later, the red disc ceased its rotation and turned green.
Huang Xiu turned to Xiao He, about to speak, when the massive metal door silently glided open to the right.
Huang Xiu looked inside.
Numerous display stands, enclosed in glass, were meticulously arranged within, creating a museum-like setup.
A mature woman in a suit and black stockings stood with her back to them, leaning over the central display stand.
Hearing their arrival, the woman turned around.
Her beautiful face, lightly made up but still striking, beamed with warmth and enthusiasm.
“Welcome, Huang Xiu,” she said softly.
“Huang, this is Minister Ye Ya, whom I mentioned to you earlier. Please speak with her at your leisure; I’ll take my leave,” Xiao He stated.
“Thank you.”
Huang Xiu turned slightly, nodding in gratitude, and stepped inside. Behind her, the metal door silently slid shut.
“When was the last time Tiandu University produced an S-rank Awakened individual? Let me think.”
Ye Ya strolled closer.
“If I recall correctly, it was about ten years ago.”
“But even then, they didn’t display the same level of talent and dominance as you do. On the contrary, their true potential only began to unfold after reaching the Gold Rank.”
“Greetings, strongest freshman in a decade.” She extended her right hand, her fingernails painted a vibrant crimson.
Huang Xiu lightly clasped her hand. “Hello, Minister Ye.”
“Before we discuss official matters, let’s select a Void Artifact,” Ye Ya said, her smile utterly devoid of pretense. “Huang, have you considered what type you’d like these past few days?”
“No, Minister Ye. Do you have any suggestions?”
Huang Xiu had actually asked Yun Ning for advice a few days prior and received some recommendations, but she still wanted to hear Ye Ya’s opinion.
“Is that so…” Ye Ya mused for a moment, then asked, “I heard from your teacher that your combat style leans towards ranged attacks, utilizing remote-controlled plants?”
Huang Xiu nodded. “That’s correct.”
“I suggest you choose a Void Artifact that prioritizes defense or possesses displacement capabilities,” Ye Ya offered.
“Displacement?” Huang Xiu’s interest piqued. “I’m quite interested in that type. Could you tell me more?”
“Of course. The reason I arranged to meet you here is because this is Tiangong Group’s Void Artifact exhibition hall.”
Ye Ya smiled. “Normally, when someone wishes to customize a Void Artifact, we also have them come here to view the actual items first.”
“Void Artifact exhibition hall? Are all these display stands filled with Void Artifacts?” Huang Xiu turned, looking around with a hint of surprise in her eyes.
There were easily forty to fifty display stands in the hall. This meant that Tiangong Group internally had at least forty to fifty types of Void Artifacts that could be mass-produced.
And these were just the ones on display.
Ye Ya turned, pointing to the display stand she had been examining earlier. “It’s quite a coincidence, actually. This display case contains a Void Artifact with displacement capabilities.”
“Oh?” Huang Xiu’s expression shifted, and she walked over.
The display stand held a wooden box draped in red cloth. Inside lay a fingernail-sized jade tablet covered in intricate carved patterns.
A thick glass dome, shaped like the jade tablet, covered the wooden box, clearly a visible protective measure in Huang Xiu’s eyes.
‘It seems if I remove the cover, I can take this Void Artifact?’
Yet, she wasn’t so naive as to believe that such an important place would lack other protective measures beyond the iron door.
“This is a pure displacement-type Void Artifact, modeled after a very powerful Source Item called the Minor Teleportation Token. It allows the user to displace themselves within fifty meters, as far as their line of sight extends,” Ye Ya explained.
“There must be limitations, right?” Huang Xiu asked, her voice tinged with suspicion.
She didn’t believe the Minor Teleportation Token could be used an unlimited number of times; otherwise, it wouldn’t be a Void Artifact, but a true Source Item.
Moreover, it was improbable that Tiangong Group would place such a formidable Void Artifact here for unaligned Awakened individuals to choose from!
“Of course there are limitations,” Ye Ya chuckled. “All Void Artifacts are imitations of Source Items, and even Source Items have their restrictions. Void Artifacts’ limitations are only greater.”
“This Minor Teleportation Token can only be used three times a day, and each use causes the user to lose a certain degree of spatial awareness.”
“Spatial awareness?” Huang Xiu didn’t quite understand; the term felt somewhat abstract.
“Yes, it means you’ll become disoriented. The more you use it, the harder it becomes to distinguish left from right or remember paths you’ve taken,” Ye Ya clarified.
“Can it be restored? This spatial awareness?” Huang Xiu was already tempted. Despite the numerous restrictions, this was undoubtedly an extremely powerful Void Artifact.
“It can, but it takes a long time. Essentially, one use requires at least a week to recover. The more frequently it’s used in a short period, the longer the recovery time becomes.”
Ye Ya gently lifted the glass dome, placing it aside, then picked up the jade tablet. “Furthermore, after three consecutive uses, each subsequent use carries the risk of permanent loss of spatial awareness.”
“So, it can’t be used more than three times in a short period,” Huang Xiu murmured, touching her chin as her gaze fell upon the jade tablet in Ye Ya’s hand.
It truly seemed as though there were no other protective measures here; one could simply lift the glass cover and take out the Void Artifact to use it.
“Would you like to try it, Huang?” Ye Ya offered. “A single use won’t have much of an impact.”
Since it would recover in a week anyway, and the other party had said the impact was minimal, Huang Xiu couldn’t help but swallow.
“Then… I’ll try it?” She took the jade tablet.
“Do you know how to use a Void Artifact, Huang?”
“I do,” Huang Xiu nodded.
She had learned this knowledge.
It was available on the Void Web, and teachers had also explained it in class!
The usage of Void Artifacts and Void Energy instruments was similar, both relying on Void Energy for activation.
The only difference was that Void Energy instruments generally contained an internal Void Energy source, while Void Artifacts did not, requiring the user to continuously supply Void Energy.
Huang Xiu subtly tightened her grip on the jade tablet with her right hand.
She turned her head, looking towards the front-right corner of the Void Artifact exhibition hall.
It was about fifty meters away and devoid of display stands, making it an ideal spot for displacement.
“Infuse Void Energy…”
Huang Xiu cautiously infused Void Energy into the jade tablet in her hand.
The surface of the jade tablet glowed faintly white.
She immediately perceived a subtle, ethereal connection between herself and the jade tablet.
“Displace!” She activated the Minor Teleportation Token.
Fearing she might displace to the wrong location, throughout the entire process of activating the Void Artifact, Huang Xiu stared intently at the front-right corner, not daring to even blink.
Her left palm vibrated slightly.
The distant corner now appeared less than a meter in front of her.
“This… it’s done?!”
Huang Xiu hadn’t even processed what happened.
But the next second, a dizzying sensation washed over her, as if someone had struck her on the back of the head.
She instantly lost her footing, quickly bracing herself against the wall to prevent a fall, then slowly crouched down.
“Ugh!”
Huang Xiu let out a painful whimper, crouching against the wall with her head in her hands, resembling a mushroom.
“It’s normal to feel dizzy the first time you use it. You’ll get used to it with more practice,” Ye Ya’s voice drifted from a distance.
Her tone was calm, but Huang Xiu couldn’t shake the feeling of faint schadenfreude within it.
After about a minute, the dizzying sensation slowly receded.
Huang Xiu shook her head, stood up, and took a few steps while bracing against the wall. Only after confirming she wouldn’t fall did she release her hand.
“Are you alright? Do you need help?” Ye Ya walked over, a look of concern on her face.
“The initial loss of spatial awareness can sometimes cause falls.”
“I’m fine! I feel very steady; I won’t fall.” Huang Xiu shook her head, declining the offer, and handed the jade tablet back.
“How do you feel about it?” Ye Ya took the jade tablet. “Do you want to choose this one?”
“Let me look around more, let me look around!” Huang Xiu quickly waved her hand.
Though she said this, in her heart, she had already removed the Minor Teleportation Token from her list of potential choices.
While it was true that frequent use could overcome the dizziness, it was still a side effect.
With two side effects combined, the cost-effectiveness was simply too low.
“Alright.” Ye Ya nodded, quickly walked over, and placed the jade tablet back on the display stand, covering it with the glass dome.
Huang Xiu, seeing this, quickly followed.
But as she walked, after only two steps, her mind suddenly went blank. She didn’t even know what had happened; her left foot, which was supposed to step forward, became her right foot.
Then her left foot instinctively stepped out.
Because the stride was too wide, she immediately tripped over her right foot.
She completely lost her balance and fell with a loud thud.
Fortunately, just as she was about to hit the ground, Huang Xiu finally snapped back to reality, cushioning her fall by bracing her right hand against the floor.
Otherwise, she would have hit her head directly.
Even so, she took a considerable tumble.
Not only did her knees hit the green industrial floor hard, but her right hand also took a heavy impact.
While Huang Xiu was accustomed to the stinging pain of knife wounds, the pain of her knees hitting the ground was genuinely intense, and a different kind of pain altogether.
Compounded by the suddenness of it, she curled up on the ground in agony, her moist eyes instantly reddening, nearly shedding tears.
Huang Xiu silently sniffled twice. “That seriously hurts!”
At this point, Ye Ya, having heard the commotion, rushed over. She quickly bent down to check Huang Xiu’s injuries.
“Are you alright? Can you stand up?” she asked, leaning over.
“Wait, let me rest a bit.” Huang Xiu shook her head, lying on the ground for a while before finally managing to get up.
“I’m truly sorry.”
Ye Ya’s face was filled with apology. “Huang is a distinguished guest of our Tiangong Group… I should have been more careful.”
“Minister Ye, it’s my own fault,” Huang Xiu replied, shaking her head.
The other party had warned her; she simply hadn’t listened. Now that she had fallen, she couldn’t blame anyone else.
“Would you like to see other Void Artifacts?” Ye Ya inquired.
“Yes! Since I’m already here, I can’t just leave after one fall. What kind of logic is that!”
Ye Ya led the way to the right side of the exhibition hall, introducing Huang Xiu to several other displacement-type Void Artifacts along the way.
For instance, there was a Shadow Cloak that allowed one to displace through shadows when worn. While it had no usage limit, the more it was used, the more light-sensitive one became, eventually turning into a nocturnal creature.
There was also a bone called the Pangolin’s Fury.
Carrying it allowed one to move through earth. However, it only worked in soil, not concrete or rock, and one couldn’t breathe while underground, requiring them to hold their breath.
This might have been somewhat useful in ancient times.
But in modern society, with reinforced concrete everywhere and cables and water pipes running underground, there was a constant risk of hitting something and suffocating.
In short, Huang Xiu wasn’t satisfied with any of these Void Artifacts. Their side effects were either too severe or their effects too poor.
“Minister Ye, I’m not very satisfied with these Void Artifacts,” she stated frankly.
“Then would you like to look at defensive Void Artifacts?” Ye Ya gestured to several display stands on the left. “They’re all over there.”
“No, thank you.”
Huang Xiu decided to follow Yun Ning’s advice.
“Minister Ye, does your Tiangong Group happen to have any storage-type Void Artifacts?”
If her reinforced plant project truly succeeded in cultivating a batch of powerful plants, she would need to use these reinforced plants in combat.
She couldn’t possibly run back to Tiandu University to mutate them on the spot, could she!
The solution Huang Xiu currently envisioned was to carry the seeds of the reinforced plants or a part of their bodies.
Upon reaching the battlefield, she would then mutate and cultivate them on-site to form combat power.
In this scenario, a storage-type Void Artifact would solve her issue of carrying capacity.
“Something like the storage rings in novels,” Huang Xiu said, looking at Ye Ya with eager anticipation. “Minister Ye, do you have anything like that here?”