Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

by <unknown>

  Commissioner Li took off his sunglasses, revealing a pair of spiritual prosthetic eyes that shone in a red aura from the depths of his eye sockets.

  Enunciating word by word, he said, "I should have told you that in the past I had lost both my eyes in Demon Beast Wasteland. I am also a member of the Disabled Servicemen Association. Now that I am off duty, I need to quickly leave and participate in the victory parade. Goodbye!"

  "Swish!"

  The hologram went pitch black, as the opposite party had simply cut off the connection.

  In the darkness, Zhao Shude’s facial muscles began to twitch uncontrollably. His lips quivered for a long time as if he wanted to say something; however, in the end, not one word came out.

  Outside the window, everything was shrouded in a deathly silence. The disabled veterans, as if assimilating into the darkness of the night, looked from afar, giving off an appearance akin to a giant black beast that was trying to thoroughly devour Zhao Shude’s soul.

  "Beep Beep Beep!" The mini crystal processor on his wrist started vibrating.

  Zhao Shude was already scared out of his wits. He simply wasn’t in any state to care about it; however, the caller seemed to be very stubborn, as the mini crystal processor kept on ringing.

  Just as he was about to curse, lowering his head to look at the crystal processor, his entire body was struck by a chill.

  He suddenly jumped up. First and foremost, he sent everyone out of the principal office and locked the door. Only then did he respectfully receive the call as he bowed and said in a flattering tone, "Elder Zhou, how are you doing!?"

  Zhou Yin seemed as if he had aged by a dozen years. He very gloomily stared at Zhao Shude for a while before speaking slowly:

  "What do you think!? In just a short span of one hour, the shares of our Crimson Nimbus Sect fell by more than 4 points—and it still has not shown any signs of stabilizing! Do you know what this means? Do you know how much money had been burned off?"

  Zhao Shude's whole body started shaking.

  With a completely deadpan look, Zhou Yin continued, "In addition, I had recommended a Core Formation Stage cultivator's wife to invest $200,000 in Crimson Nimbus Sect's shares just yesterday. This cultivator has quite a bit of influence in the northeastern region. I have already been communicating with him for over two years, and it was highly possible for me to persuade him to heavily invest in our Crimson Nimbus Sect, or perhaps even join our Crimson Nimbus Sect as an Interim Elder. It would have helped the Crimson Nimbus Sect to disseminate its influence in the northeastern area. Now, he is telling me that he wants to reconsider the whole investment plan—tell me, how do you think I should be feeling?"

  Zhao Shude face completely went pale; he was almost about to faint.

  He was extremely angry to the point that he was ready to do anything. While gritting his teeth, he said, "Elder Zhou, after all is said and done, it was all that little bastard's, Li Yao's, fault. He brought such big trouble to the Crimson Nimbus Sect. We must definitely kill him!"

  "Alright, go ahead and kill him," Zhou Yin coldly said.

  "Me? Elder You, as you know, I'm just a teacher; I am not a battle-type cultivator..." Zhao Shude stammered as he was taken back for a moment.

  "Oh, so you were a teacher. But from the way the Slaughter Qi that keeps pouring out of your mouth, I thought you were the boss of some triad... Zhao Shude, do you even have a brain!?"

  Zhou Yin stared at him and even furiously roared, "Who do you think you are!? Do you think you some ancient cultivator from forty millenniums ago!? Do you think you can kill anyone at the drop of a hat? Don't you know about the federation's laws? Don’t you know the punishment for a cultivator is even more serious than a normal criminal? Don't you know how many eyes are watching our Crimson Nimbus Sect? Don't you know the Crimson Nimbus Sect has eight Elders, seven of which are just waiting for me to make a fool of myself? If truly something happens to Li Yao, there will be no need for a police investigation—even an idiot would know that it was us! Do you want to completely destroy me and the Crimson Nimbus Sect, ah!?"

  Zhao Shude was frightened out of his wits from his scolding; he did not dare to reply with even one word.

  The more Zhou Yin spoke, the angrier he got. If he could come out of the hologram, his finger would have already come out and pressed down on the tip of Zhao Shude’s nose. "At least use your f**king brain! Our Crimson Nimbus Sect is an honest and upright sect who respects justice and abides by the laws. There is still room to salvage our current predicament; however, the moment we are associated with murder or have murdered a member of the Disabled Servicemen Association, then it will be beyond redemption! Murder… If you like to kill so much, then why didn't you join some devil path sect and become a devil cultivator? Tell you what, if killing someone was not a crime, then the Sect Master and the other Elders would have already killed me. Before they could kill me, I would have first chopped a pig like you into pieces!"

  "I, I—" Zhao Shude looked mournful as if he was in bereavement; he didn't know what to do.

  Zhou Yin glared at him with a gaze that was as fierce as a tiger’s.

  His gaze seemed to be able to penetrate space and directly pierced two holes in the pits of Zhao Shude's stomach.

  Only having stared for a full minute did he finally speak while gritting his teeth, "Forget it. This is not going to help us in any way. In short, someone has to take the fall for such a big incident. Who do you think should be responsible for this incident? You, me, or Helian Ba?"

  Zhao Shude was stunned for a moment before quickly replying:

  "Elder Zhao, in fact, I know little of this matter. The whole thing was orchestrated by Helian Ba behind my back. As you also know, the Helian Family's influence in Floating Spear City is not small. Although he is just a trustee, many people are very much willing to give him face. It is easy for him to go behind my back and do some shady dealings. Additionally, since you, Elder Zhou, have to deal with thousands of problems every day and are busy with work, it is quite possible for you to hoodwinked by him once."

  Zhou Yin's complexion finally eased up a little. He nodded his head and said, "En, this is reasonable. It would be better for you to think it over and give me the specifics. I will also go to Sect Master and explain it to him. Are you clear? Right... Old Ding of the Seventh Primary School affiliated with our Crimson Nimbus Sect is going to be retiring in a month. After his retirement, you are going to take over his position as principal!"

  "Ah?"

  "Why, don't want it? There is also a kindergarten. The Ninth Kindergarten is lacking a vice principal, do you want to go?"

  "No no no, the Seventh Primary School... the Seventh Primary School is ok!"

  Zhao Shude turned pale with fright as he stammered before taking a look at the hologram once more. However, by the time he looked up, he had discovered that Zhou Yin had already cut the connection.

  Zhao Shude was frozen for a moment. The gloomy look on his face suddenly changed as he ruthlessly stomped and broke seven or eight tiles.

  "Helian Ba, Helian Lie—you father and son can both go to hell!"

  ...

  Most of Floating Spear City had been shocked by the victory parade. As far as the instigator of the entire situation, Li Yao, was concerned, he was totally oblivious to the whole thing, as if he was in the eye of the storm.

  In an open space just outside the low-rent residential area—the "Morning Sun Village", Li Yao was surrounded by many people. If one were to take a look from the sky, the dense crowd of people would give off the impression of a vortex of humans.

  Not everyone here was a journalist or a government official; there was also a bunch of recruitment staff from the "Nine Elite Universities".

  Floating Spear City was an important cultivation city in the federation. Every year during the college entrance examination, the "Nine Elite Universities" would send a bunch of recruitment staff to be stationed here.

  However, in the recent years, these people
had it easy because most of the good seedlings with potential would have already been unearthed during the "Limit Challenge Competition", and they would have already signed a contract with one of the "Nine Elite Universities" in advance. After the college entrance examination, they would then just have to complete the formalities of the contract, that's all.

  In contrast to the previous year, an earth-shattering miracle had occurred this year. Li Yao, a dark horse, suddenly leaped out of a corner, and in one fell swoop, he sat on the throne of Floating Spear City's champion of the college entrance examination. And to the surprise of these recruiters, Li Yao had yet to sign a contract with any of the universities.

  Li Yao was completely free; it was possible for him to choose any university!

  All the recruitment staff crazily rushed over. On one side, they were shouting at the top of their lungs for application to the headquarters of their respective school, while on the other, they staggeringly charged their way to Mining Clan High School and surrounded Li Yao. They were not willing to budge even an inch.

  How could they? Ever since the start of the cultivation era forty millenniums ago, the most important thing had always been cultivation talent!

  "Student Li Yao, please choose our Star Nebula University. I just got the approval from the university. All your tuition fee will be exempted!"

  "Student Li Yao, our university will not only exempt your tuition fee, we can also offer you with a premium scholarship!"

  "Student Li Yao, please consider our Federation's First Military College. As long as you enter our college, you will receive the status of an officer and can directly join the federation’s army once you graduate, acquiring the rank of at least major!"

  Looking at the fierce, cruel, and grim looks on every one of the recruitment staff, Li Yao started to have goosebumps all over his body. He incessantly said:

  "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sorry. Everybody's conditions are very appealing, please give me some time to consider it. Can't you give me a few days time for me go back and decide?"

  "Absolutely not!" All the recruitment staff shook their head.

  Are you joking with us? These people were all well experienced in this industry. They were all crystal clear of each other's shady dealings.

  Once Li Yao returned to his home, it was highly possible for someone to secretly sneak into his house in the middle of the night and make some private deal with him. They could possibly resort to some dirty tricks like sending a beauty.

  Li Yao was young and filled with passion. It was quite possible for him to lose his head in heat and lust, and he might very well agree.

  If so, then they might as well remain here and present generous conditions, competing fair and square.

  Li Yao was dumbfounded. He kept scratching his head as he didn't know how to get rid of these people.

  At this moment, a travel-worn and weary flying shuttle screamed its way here. Its door had yet to be open, but the strong imposing manner shocked everyone in the field.

  An expert has arrived!

  Once the door was opened, an old man dressed in a purple robe flew out and landed before Li Yao with an ashamed look on his face.

  It was Deep Sea University's expert refiner, Professor Xie Tingxian!

  Chapter 96: The Final Decision |

  "Professor Xie, why did you come? If you wanted to say something, you could have just sent me a spiritual crane message!"

  Li Yao was caught by surprise. Deep Sea University was about 500km away from Floating Spear City, yet Xie Tingxian had personally driven his flying shuttle at a lightning fast speed here—this was truly surprising.

  Xie Tingxian forcefully laughed. "How could I sincerely express my apology through a spiritual crane message? Student Li Yao, this time, you have truly given me a slap I won’t forget!"

  Li Yao immediately replied, "Professor Xie, you don't have to apologize for anything. I still highly respect you, truly!"

  Li Yao's conduct towards Xie Tingxian was clearly different than how he treated Zhao Shude.

  Although Xie Tingxian had retracted his offer, he at least had his reasons. Besides, within the Refining Department of Deep Sea University, Dean Chu Xiuhong was the one with the final say, thus there were plenty of things that were outside a professor’s control, which was what happened with Xie Tingxian.

  Once Xie Tingxian had even said that he would personally come and help him recover. Despite not carrying it out, he could not be blamed, as he was an expert who was busy with many things. In the end, what mattered was that what he had said had already greatly moved Li Yao.

  Xie Tingxian very sincerely said:

  "I know our Deep Sea University had wronged you. Our Dean Chu is someone who is obsessed with skill, and she is oblivious to the ways of the world. In the cultivation world, her hot temper is already well known. Additionally, in her eyes, the honor of Deep Sea University's Refining Department is above everything else. That day when you contacted me, she thought that you were trying to rely on our relationship to procure a seat in the Refining Department, so that’s why her tone was a little more harsh than usual."

  "Currently, she is reflecting on her actions, as she thinks that she had quickly jumped to a conclusion and made an arbitrary decision. She should not have spoken like that before the college entrance examination. It was also her who had exhorted me to come here to officially invite Student Li Yao to join our Deep Sea University's Refining Department!"

  Li Yao’s eyes shone brilliantly, much like fireworks; however, the brilliance was instantly extinguished.

  Xie Tingxian continued, "I know in your heart you are angry. It could only be blamed on Dean Chu and I for failing to see the treasure before our eyes. That's why, even if you do not choose to enroll in our Deep Sea University, I will understand and agree. However—"

  Xie Tingxian paused before he sincerely said in a trembling voice, "Student Li Yao, this is not the time for you to decide with your emotions. We are talking about your dream here! I know that it is your dream to become a great Refiner. You must not forget that our Deep Sea University has the strongest professional Refiners in the federation—we have even been granted the title of 'Refiner's Holy Land'!"

  "Only if you choose our Deep Sea University could you fulfill your dream!"

  "If you want to blame me or Dean Chu, we understand, but please don't take your dream as a joke. You will only be hurting yourself!"

  "As for the conditions for joining Deep Sea University, you completely don't need to worry about it. Not only will you be completely exempted from your tuition fees, you will also be provided with a premium scholarship. Moreover, we will treat you as an elite student, one of the most important students at our university. We will assemble a team of our most elite Refiners to be responsible for fostering you and ensuring that you will become a registered Refiner within three years. Your future will definitely be brilliant!"

  "Have you heard of 'Supernova Jiang Sheng'? He is the strongest newcomer who had been on the rise within the Refiners Community in the last decade. He is just thirty years old and had become an associate professor at our Deep Sea University's Refining Department. He is hailed as a leading figure who will be at the forefront of the Refiners Community for the next fifty years, and he was trained by none other than Dean Chu and I!"

  "As long as you join our Deep Sea University's Refining Department, I promise you that you will enjoy the same treatment that Jiang Sheng had once received. After a few years, you will then be the second 'Supernova'!"

  While speaking, Xie Tingxian swept through the entire field with a gaze as fierce as a tiger’s as he raised his voice to speak, "Ladies and gentlemen, you might be able to come out with better materialistic conditions than me; however, when it comes to refining, I'm afraid no other university has the qualifications to rival my Deep Sea University!"

  Everyone was rendered speechless as numerous recruiting staff members looked at each other.

  This fact was as plain as the nose on one's
face. No matter how artfully they put it, they would still not dare to shamefully say that their university was also the strongest in developing refiners.

  Even the Refining Department of the Federation’s First Military College, which ranked second, was far off from the Deep Sea University's Refining Department. It was like the difference between a mouse and an elephant; they were simply not at the same level.

  Over, it’s completely over. It seems that this genius is going to be taken away by Deep Sea University!

  Sure enough, the look in Li Yao's eyes gradually become as firm as a steel saber and as sharp as a sword. His gaze alone could cut off everything.

  Glancing around, Li Yao bent his waist as he gave everyone a sincere bow. He then solemnly said "I apologize to everyone for wasting your time. While everyone's university is the top university in the federation, and the preferential treatment conditions provided are very appealing, I have already decided which university I will be applying for."

  "It's over!"

  Many of the recruitment staff lamented and became dispirited.

  "I have already come to my decision. In order to not waste Professor Xie’s and everyone's time, I will simply fill in my matriculation from online now!"

  Li Yao started up the mini crystal processor and switched to spectator mode.

  A hologram that overflowed with colorful lights and displayed each character crystal clearly appeared in the air.

  By convention, from the moment the result of the college entrance examination was out, each examinee had 15 days to choose their desired university and fill in the matriculation form through the spirit net.

  Normally, the examinee would carefully research each university and compare their merits. Not only would he have to consider his subject of interest as well as the employment rates, he would also have to consider whether his score was above the cut-off mark or not.

  Thus, a majority of the examinees would fill in the matriculation form only in the last few days, as the application could not be changed once it had been filled in.