[Please recruit your required team members as soon as possible.]
A system prompt sounded.
With practiced ease, Qin Feng opened the Fearless Warband’s internal recruitment channel and immediately posted the mission he had just accepted.
At the same time, he also set the minimum standard for applications.
—Vitality Index: no lower than 1,500 points.
Having done all this, Qin Feng leisurely leaned back in his chair and waited quietly.
He was confident that with the mission’s generous rewards, it wouldn’t be long before suitable, powerful teammates started applying.
The mission was posted, but Qin Feng didn’t remain idle. As he waited for suitable teammates to apply, he found himself growing curious about the mission he had just accepted.
’Primordial Acupoint...’
He silently mulled over the word.
He knew that when a Martial Artist of the Acupoint Opening Realm had opened all their Acupoints to Perfection, they could then attempt "Acupoint Merging."
It was the process of merging the independent Acupoints through a profound method, unifying them to ultimately form a stable and powerful Energy Core within the body.
This Energy Core was what was known as a Primordial Acupoint.
’But why would the Empire go to such great lengths to retrieve a Primordial Acupoint left behind by a fallen Martial Artist?’
’Could it have other uses?’
A flicker of doubt crossed Qin Feng’s mind, and he immediately issued a command to his Intelligent Assistant.
"Hammer, look up information on ’Primordial Acupoint retrieval’."
He paused, then added another question.
"Also, if I were to unfortunately fall during a future mission, would my Primordial Acupoint also be retrieved by the Empire in the same way?"
[Command received. Searching the Imperial Forum... Permissions confirmed... Searching...]
Hammer’s reply was almost instantaneous.
A stream of curated and summarized information quickly materialized before Qin Feng’s eyes.
[Regarding the significance of "Primordial Acupoint retrieval," there are two main points:]
[First, strategic value. For a Martial Artist who cultivates a Top-grade Acupoint Opening Technique and successfully merges their Acupoints, the Primordial Acupoint formed within their body possesses extremely high research and replication value.
If the Primordial Acupoint remains stable after the Martial Artist’s demise, through some stroke of luck, the Empire’s Supreme Science Institute can use cutting-edge android technologies like "bio-cloning" and "Spiritual Energy grafting" to quickly replicate a Sixth-Level Soaring Martial Artist who also possesses that same Primordial Acupoint.]
[Although this android would lack the original owner’s combat experience and Will, its fundamental hardware would be completely identical to the original’s.
With the infusion of the Empire’s vast resources, it would only take several hundred years for it to successfully break through the four great limiting thresholds of the vitality index and become a true Planet-level Strongman, capable of roaming the Star Sea.]
[Second, humanitarian value.
The Empire’s Supreme Science Institute possesses "memory upload" technology.
If, after a Martial Artist’s fall, the memory data stream stored in their brain can be promptly extracted and fully uploaded to the Subspace Network cloud, then combined with the android technology described in the first point, it is theoretically possible to achieve a "conceptual Rebirth" for that Martial Artist.]
Upon reading this, Qin Feng’s pupils constricted violently. A storm raged in his mind.
’Rebirth?’
’That word, something that only existed in myths and legends, could actually be made real by the Empire’s technology?’
"Hammer, are you sure?" he couldn’t help but ask. "It’s just a stored memory data stream. Can a replica, one with the exact same memories and body, truly be equated to ’Rebirth’? Is it still the same person?"
The question seemed to touch on a deeper, more fundamental boundary of philosophy and techno-ethics.
Hammer, who was usually so fluent, experienced a rare lag that lasted for over ten seconds.
Qin Feng could clearly ’see’ it in the Subspace Network’s backend. His S-class Intelligent Assistant was using a staggering amount of processing power, frantically sifting through and cross-referencing oceanic volumes of data. It was scouring the Empire’s various public and encrypted forums for topics like "soul," "consciousness," and "Rebirth."
Countless viewpoints, theories, and debates clashed violently within its data core.
After a long moment, Hammer finally replied. Its voice seemed to hold a hint of uncertainty that wasn’t there before.
[Master, there is no standard answer to your question.]
[From a purely technical standpoint—in terms of "data streams," "atomic structure," and "Spiritual Energy structure"—the answer is yes. The Empire can achieve a 100% perfect replication. Neither the body nor the memories would have any difference from the original. On that level, it could be called "Rebirth."]
[However...]
There was a distinct shift in Hammer’s tone.
[From the perspective of higher dimensions, such as the "Spiritual Power Origin" or the "Subspace Soul Projection," a replica is ultimately just a replica.
It possesses everything the original had, except for their one-of-a-kind "soul."
So, from that perspective, it is not the same person.]
[In summary, life remains precious. Death remains irreversible. At least, that is the case within the known bounds of current technology.]
After hearing Hammer’s nuanced explanation, Qin Feng slowly nodded. The shock in his heart gradually subsided.
’In the end, this so-called "Rebirth" was nothing more than a replica.’