Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 867
After all his adventures in the three Sectors, Li Yao had made a lot of friends, old and new. Many of the seniors were already old right now, and they could not enter hibernation for the next hundred years because they would have to actively participate in the great development of the New Federation. They might not be able to live another hundred years.
The farewell was probably the last reunion for them, so their feelings were understandably confused. However, the destination of all Cultivators was the sea of stars. Departures were nothing too emotional for them. Therefore, they simply discussed the future over delicious wine and bade each other farewell after they enjoyed themselves.
During the three months while Li Yao was having the special training, the testing of the Heaven's Artillery and Spark was completed, and the magical equipment that he would be taking, such as the star beacons, was all prepared. The final launch date was set to be ten days later.
It was the moment when the only moon of the mother planet in the Heaven's Origin Sector was closest to her and when the tidal bore was the strongest.
At that time, a great explosion would erupt deep below the Heaven's Artillery in order to trigger a man-made earthquake. The most violent power of magma would flood upward into the Heaven's Artillery.
By combining the methods of spiritual energy absorption of both the Eye of Blood Demon and the Heaven's Artillery, and fully exploiting the potential of the space jump array on Spark itself, the tiny ship would be able to break the invisible, unpredictable barrier between the three-dimensional world and the four-dimensional world.
Five days before the launch, in Sunrise Village next to the magical equipment graveyard in Floating Spear City, an important town for training in the southeast of the Star Glory Federation in the Heaven's Origin Sector…
It was Li Yao's hometown and where his dream began.
He had spent his past five years there in the company of his childhood playmates and seniors, especially the lovely old men who had once helped him.
He had once been kicked out of the door by the Crimson Nimbus No.2 High School before the College Entrance Exam. It was the Miners' High School which took him in later.
After he rose to fame, the Miners' High School in Floating Spear City had become well-known, too. It had also been invested in by Li Yao's tremendous resources and manpower and developed into one of the most reputable high schools in the federation.
The Miners' High School today was sort of a private school co-funded by Li Yao and the Glorious Sunlight Group. It had also established a partnership with the Grand Desolate War Institution and was some sort of affiliated school to the Grand Desolate War Institution now.
According to the leadership of the school, the name of the school could have long been changed into 'Li Yao High School' or 'Glorious Sunlight School'.
However, at Li Yao's insistence, the original school name was kept, and the policy that most of the admitted students should be from the middle and bottom level of society was not changed, a gesture to show that he did not forget where he came from.
Li Yao had spent a lot of time in the Miners' High School in the past five days, too, and taught the poor children who commuted all the way there from the magical equipment graveyard, the slums, the orphanages, and the dilapidated buildings. He saw much of himself in the hotblooded, hardworking, and persistent teenagers and felt quite emotional watching them.
Right now, the young people were still unattractive seedlings if not weeds, but would they grow into prospering trees that could support the sky on their own by the time he returned a hundred years later?
What drastic changes would the Star Glory Federation have been through by then?
Was it possible that he would be a completely outdated 'old man' by then?
The feeling of 'one day for me and a thousand years for the world', and knowing that it would happen for real, led to slight changes in Li Yao's mindset.
He suddenly found Gui Suishou and his people's perseverance more or less understandable.
Compared to the rise and decline of a whole civilization, an individual's endeavors and efforts were truly nothing worth mentioning!
His new feeling was maximized when he met his three disciples.
In the past five years, Li Yao's three disciples had distinguished themselves in their respective fields.
They were now scattered in the three Sectors and busy doing their own business. It was not easy for them to find time to meet each other.
It was their last meeting with their master for a long time. Naturally, they were all weeping, unwilling to let him go.
Just like Ding Lingdang, Wu Mayan had participated in the strengthened soldier training on Kunlun. However, he was a qi-trainer, and his path of training was different from that of the common Cultivators. After only three years of training, he felt that his progress was slower and slower. Therefore, he chose a different approach and returned to Iron Plateau, his hometown.
In the two years that followed, just like Yan Xibei, the previous best expert on Iron Plateau, he trained himself alone on the dark continent on Iron Plateau while he cooperated with Xiong Wuji and the Glorious Sunlight Group on the great development of Iron Plateau.
Today, he was still a young man in his twenties, but he had secured accomplishments that were far more shocking than the achievements of Yan Xibei and Xiong Wuji by reaching the unprecedented, unbelievable 300th level of the Refinement Stage!
Of course, by the criterion of the qi-trainers, an increase of every meter in the diameter of the range of one's spiritual gas meant one level-up. It did not seem very convincing.
However, it was also a fact that the general Cultivators in the Core Formation Stage often could not sustain one minute under the crazy bombardment of Wu Mayan in the 300th level of the Refinement Stage.
Iron Plateau today looked like the opposite of what it had done a dozen years ago. As one of the few habitable planets in the three Sectors, it was a natural paradise that boasted even more resources and denser spiritual energy than the Heaven's Origin Planet and the Blood Demon Planet did before the apocalypse.
But after the apocalypse, the Flying Star Sector fell apart. With the serious contradiction between the spacers and the homers, it was impossible for the planet to be developed.
Right now, after the tremendous resources of the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector were invested and the tough, physically-strong demons were deployed for the development, the infinite potential of Iron Plateau was immediately activated. The exchange of techniques and the resource deals were flourishing.
Most of the business was controlled by the Glorious Sunlight Group.
The Glorious Sunlight Group had accumulated a lot of wealth through the business, which was later invested back into the development of Iron Plateau.
Iron Plateau was no longer a land of primitive barbarians like a dozen years ago. Even many of the underground shelters and cities established by the Flying Star Coalition Government before the apocalypse had been excavated. The relics and legacies inside were yet another great boost for the development of the New Federation!
Right now, the leader of the six tribes on Iron Plateau was still Xiong Wuji.
After his body was completely destroyed in the battle versus Yan Xibei, he had been able to focus his full attention on the art of the deal. Iron Plateau was ordered and flourishing under his management.
Wu Mayan was his foster son and Li Yao's disciple. Even the Glorious Sunlight Group was in fact run by the Wu family. Naturally, he played an important role on Iron Plateau.
Iron Plateau's potential had yet to be fully exploited. In the next hundred years, it would very likely be restored to its former glory from five thousand years ago and grow into one of the most important planets in the three Sectors.
It was within everyone's expectation that Wu Mayan's position would definitely soar, and he would be one of the most powerful men in the New Federation.
Jin Xinyue, on the other hand, was no less influential than Wu Mayan.
Jin Tuyi, her father and the previous dominator of the Blood Demon Sector, was already too sick to be treated. He had undergone the rapid freezing procedure and been confined in the most mysterious war prison in hibernation.
However, Jin Xinyue had inherited all of Jin Tuyi's methods, and she was a smart person herself.
Although she was merely in the Core Formation Stage, she had a great reliance named Li Yao behind her back. With the support of Skyfire and the Fire Ant King, she had cleverly taken advantage of the original conflicts among the four main demon clans and the power vacuum after the scourge of the Demon God Virus through diplomatic tricks in the past five years. Finally, she was able to reunite the demon clan. Then, throwing out the resource planets at the edge of the Flying Star Sector and the resources on the dark continent on Iron Plateau as bait, she successfully hooked a large batch of middle- and bottom-level demons who pledged their loyalty to her.
At this point, her place as the Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens in the Pantheon of Demons was more than stable.
After absorbing the technology left by Elder Nether Spring to build the Nether World Watch and raising a batch of personal troops who were loyal to her, she was no longer scared of the betrayal of any demon emperor now.
In fact, after learning of the existence of the Alliance of the Holy Covenant, and some of the demons paid a visit to Kunlun and witnessed the Thunder Striker troop—a primeval demon force who fought side by side with human beings—the theoretical grounds for any conflict between demons and human beings barely made any sense now.
Human beings and demons were both descendants refined by the Nuwa Clan. The two parties were essentially the same and simply served as different units in the army. So, what contradiction could be absolutely irresolvable between them?
Human beings boasted independent spirits, emotions, and will, and so did demons. To embrace the Path of Ultimate Benevolence and turn into existences who had no feelings or will and knew nothing but obedience was something unthinkable for every demon emperor.
The discovery of the Covenant Alliance significantly accelerated the integration of the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector.
Today, a lot of capital from the Blood Demon Sector had flowed to the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Flying Star Sector along with the demons who went out to collect resources. Human beings and demons established a lot of joint ventures to push forward many super projects.
As a leader of the demons, Jin Xinyue would certainly play a vital role in the federation in the hundred years to come.
Also, different from Wu Mayan, she was not interested in the improvement of her personal combat ability but strode to master the entire world.
She had never hidden her goal of turning into the Speaker of the Federation one day from Li Yao.
With the support of the entire Blood Demon Sector and Li Yao's tremendous resources, it was indeed a dream that could become reality.
Seeing Jin Xinyue, who was even more vigorous, aggressive, and like her father than five years ago, Li Yao could not help but have a lot of thoughts.
Would it be possible that a hundred years would have passed after a sleep in the hibernation cabin and that his disciple would already be commanding the heroes of the world as a Speaker of the Federation when he announced his return?
Chapter 1330: See You in a Hundred Years! |
"Master…" Xie Anan was weeping, her apple-like face red.
Of the three disciples, her aptitude and Cultivation were the lowest. Li Yao had only recruited her as a disciple for her determination.
Li Yao was more than satisfied that she could participate in the research programs of some of the high-end magical equipment. He was not expecting her to become someone great.
Working in the field to one's liking and finding and surpassing one's limits were already good enough.
As a refiner, it was actually Xie Anan who had spent the longest time in Li Yao's company in the past five years.
Her level was the lowest, and her emotions were the most obvious of all. Her affection and unwillingness written all over her face, she sobbed. "Master, are you really leaving just like that?"
"Rest assured. I'll be back one day!" Li Yao felt somewhat heavy himself, but he pretended to be smiling. "In a few decades, or a hundred years at most, I will certainly announce my return. You will only be in your a hundred and twenties by then. For a high-level Cultivator, it is just the beginning of your golden years. We can always reunite again!
"Anan, while I'm away, you must train with the techniques I've left for you. Do not be left behind by them too much. Got it?"
"Rest assured, Master. I'll certainly try my best!"
Biting her lips softly, Xie Anan clenched her fists.
However, her face collapsed again after being 'resolute' for only half a second. "Master, I really can't bear to let you go. I really don't understand why you are making such a choice! You already have everything in the Star Glory Federation. Position, power, money, and strength. You can whatever you want easily. Are they not attractive enough for you to stay?"
"The things you mentioned are exactly why I must leave."
Pondering for a moment, Li Yao stared at his three disciples with his sparkling eyes and said solemnly, "Anan, did you ever do 'role-playing' when you were little or simulation board games such as 'Monopoly' with your playmates?"
Dazed for a moment, Xie Anan nodded. "Of course I did."
Li Yao smiled and continued, "When you were role-playing, you must've played a lot of roles, even including princesses, didn't you? When you played 'Monopoly', you must've earned a lot of money in the game and become a billionaire before, right?"
Xie Anan nodded in a daze again.
Li Yao looked at her and said, "Then why did you stop playing such games?"
Xie Anan frowned and blurted out, "Do—do I need a reason? It's because I outgrew the games. They were no longer as interesting to me as before."
"If I tell you that, for me, the titles such as Ultra-Level Federal Hero are like 'Your Highness' when you were playing role-playing as a little girl, the tremendous assets brought to me by the Glorious Sunlight Group, the Double Dragons Union, and Skyfire are like the cash you earned while playing games such as 'Monopoly', will you find my decision more comprehensible?"
Xie Anan was lost for words for a moment. She, Jin Xinyue, and Wu Mayan all fell into deep thought.
After a long sigh, Li Yao said slowly, "People say that Cultivators have no desires and choose to pursue the unpredictable, ultimate truth instead of enjoying all the temptations of the mortal world!
"When I hadn't reached the level yet, I had exactly the same questions and thought that the so-called 'unearthly' is just bullsh*t. If a Cultivator does not know how to appreciate the beautiful world but simply throws away fame, fortune, and entertainment as if they are well-worn shoes, what's the difference between such a Cultivator and a eunuch?
"It was not until my Cultivation reached such a level that I began to realize that Cultivators do not 'have no desires'. On the very contrary, our desires are hundreds and thousands of times stronger than ordinary people's. We are essentially so 'horny' and 'lustful' that we want to pursue, swallow, and burn with everything we have!
"However, our desires can no longer be satisfied by the wealth, entertainment, and power of the mortal world, just like your desires cannot be satisfied by the title of 'Your Highness' while you are role-playing or the vast wealth in a game of 'Monopoly'!
"If a bunch of three-year-olds invite you to role-play, saying that they are willing to crown you with the most fabulous titles such as princess, queen, fairy… and if they play 'Monopoly' with you, offering you all the cash and real estate, I'm afraid that you will still be too bored to play the games with them, right?
"In the eyes of little kids, you are someone with no desires because what they cherish and pursue is not worth mentioning at all from the bottom of your heart.
"But you know that you have long surpassed the level of the little kids. Of course, you have your desires, your goals, and your dreams, but they are things that can never be gratified by role-playing and Monopoly.
"Even the greediest bandit will not fight for the toy cash in a game of Monopoly with little kids, right? It's the same!"
"How can they be the same?" Xie Anan said in a hurry. "Role-playing and Monopoly are both false, but the world that we are living in is real! How can becoming a 'queen' in role-playing and becoming a… let's say, Speaker of the federation in the real world be the same?"
"They are the same, in that they equally cannot satisfy my appetite and desires." Li Yao smiled. With the greediest brilliance beaming out of his eyes, he mumbled, "What about Speaker of the Federation?
"The federation has been established for five hundred years. There have already been almost seventy Speakers, and there will be another seventy in the five hundred years to come.
"Even turning into the Speaker of the Federation only means that you are just one of the hundred and fifty people.
"The Star Glory Federation, on the other hand, is just an insignificant country in a remote area in the sea of stars. How many Speakers, prime ministers, presidents, and even emperors have been out there in the three thousand Sectors over the past ten thousand years?
"Thousands? Tens of thousands? Hundreds of thousands?
"Becoming one of the hundreds of thousands people and repeating the 'great accomplishment' that hundreds of thousands of people have achieved… can I be satisfied by such a life? This is a great joke!"
Xie Anan, Wu Mayan, and Jin Xinyue were all greatly moved.
They never knew that their master's ambitions were so huge!
"Then, what is it that you are pursuing?" the three of them asked respectfully at the same time.
A hint of confusion flowed out of Li Yao's eyes at first before it turned into intense excitement. He said with a smile, "I don't know. The sea of stars is a vast and splendid place. Even I don't know what kind of wonders and interesting beings are lying in wait in the universe! Therefore, I can't say for sure what I'm pursuing after right now. The best I can do right now is broaden my horizons, step by step, know myself, and understand what it is that not I'm pursuing."
