Spirit Qi Cultivation Association Voluntarily Ceased Its Surveillance, Favorability +1

High-rise apartment, entryway.

Fang Yi took off his black raincoat and hung it on the coat rack by the door.

He lowered his head and looked at the surging thunder charges in his right hand, thinking of the increasingly frequent anomalies of late.

There is less than a year until the official Spirit Qi Recovery, yet the Great World Change is already underway, with anomalies emerging everywhere.

Strange weather, the lightning atop Jade Emperor Peak, the lava flowing through the Underground River... the Pioneers have already set foot on the path of cultivation of their own accord.

After opening the connection between their bodies and the world of spirit qi, they can sense changes between heaven and earth more keenly than ordinary people. Take that group at the Underground River, for instance—they sensed the anomaly nearby and went looking for it themselves.

Now—

The Pioneers had all embarked on the path of independent cultivation.

Those Pioneers without official recognition had generally already reached the level of Divine Axe First Star.

That meant—

The Pioneers were actively and eagerly searching for these openings of heaven-and-earth spirit qi to increase their strength.

Those people at the Underground River were the best proof.

For now, this is still a relatively stable exploratory stage. Most Pioneers are seeking out the Great World Change to strengthen themselves, the appearance of anomalies remains within the state's control, and no major conflicts have arisen between Pioneers.

At the national level, the Spirit Qi Cultivation Association has already been established openly. Although its identity has not yet been publicly revealed, that official seal makes things very clear.

The Spirit Qi Cultivation Association.

Fang Yi had already confirmed that it was Xia Kingdom's doing.

Clearly, Xia Kingdom was extending goodwill to the unaffiliated Pioneers while also offering them some guidance.

But in my view...

The problem lies precisely with the state and the Spirit Qi Cultivation Association.

The state clearly established the Spirit Qi Cultivation Association, yet it has not made its existence public. Instead, it allows it to develop freely while offering support from the shadows. This shows that the state has no plans to reveal all of this for the time being.

Fang Yi pondered.

He thought of what had been in the news lately.

Ever since that opening appeared, terrifying changes had begun erupting everywhere, and unknown forces had been awakened.

Mysterious cracks often appeared in the sky; mind-bewitching songs drifted up from the ocean; terrain across the world suddenly warped; islands swallowed by dense fog vanished from maps... This information was mixed into the everyday news, as though opening the door to another world for ordinary people.

Whenever he walked down the street, he could hear people constantly discussing the hidden dangers in their surroundings.

Anomalies, changes, the future...

The world seemed to have suddenly become fantastical, filled with uncertainty everywhere.

It was obvious.

The state was doing everything it could to warn ordinary people, protecting them while trying to make them understand the crisis that was about to arrive.

But amid this wave of Spirit Qi Recovery, the greatest problem lay right there.

In truth, the state lacks the confidence to directly usher in an era of universal cultivation.

Fang Yi rubbed his fingers together.

Xia Kingdom had a massive population. Once the information was made public, the first consequence would be the collapse of order and internal unrest.

Chaos was something no country could bear.

Spirit Qi Recovery comes with far too many dangers. Once it is made public, the first thing to face will be widespread death.

Anomalies and abnormalities are everywhere. Not only must ordinary people be protected from death, but those trying to get themselves killed must be protected as well. Under such circumstances, many people may risk everything to become Pioneers, gambling on that sliver of possibility. They are the most troublesome group to deal with.

Of course, there will also be cowards who feel that the world's order is about to change and that money and power will no longer rule. They may then do foolish things like robbery and kidnapping to challenge the state's authority.

All these factors fell within the state's considerations. Opening cultivation to the entire population would only create greater chaos.

That was why Fang Yi could understand Xia Kingdom's adoption of such a gentle approach.

The human heart was more terrifying than ghosts and gods. There was no need to test it.

What was more—

The abnormalities bred by the Dark Attribute are an extremely terrifying threat, whether to ordinary people or Pioneers.

Fang Yi thought of the two Dark Attribute abnormal creatures he had seen today.

Abnormalities were the most troublesome of all.

One Great Serpent, and one small beast that looked like a rat.

They should have been mutated products tainted by the invasion of the Dark Attribute.

Not only did these abnormalities exude a cold, evil aura from head to toe, they also liked to feed on humans.

The bodies of Pioneers, in particular, were potent nourishment to them.

It would have been one thing if they were merely savage Fierce Beasts, but they were clearly quite intelligent as well.

From what I saw today, they are extremely cunning. Who would have thought that two unrelated Dark Attribute creatures would join forces to set a trap for a Spirit Qi Cultivation Association squad, luring them into their territory to surround and kill them?

However, the Dark Attribute contained within that Black Mist is indeed troublesome. Not only can it help the Great Serpent hide itself, it is also the nemesis of Pioneers. Even the Spirit Qi Cultivation squad nearly suffered total casualties, and this was merely a sub-attribute of the Dark Attribute.

If Fang Yi had not gone there, that squad would likely have been doomed today.

And that had merely been a sub-attribute of the Dark Attribute.

This showed—

High-level Attributes were indeed incomparably powerful.

No wonder every High-level Attribute possesses such immense value. Its ability to suppress sub-attributes alone is powerful enough.

Fang Yi contemplated this.

The reason he had been able to easily kill those two abnormalities earlier was the extreme High-level Attributes he possessed.

The Yang Attribute burned like fire, allowing him to transform into a blazing sun and pass safely through any extreme celestial phenomenon.

The Thunder Attribute displayed a savage power that judged all things. When facing Dark Attribute creatures, it was utterly devastating, turning them to ash with a single palm strike.

And the Dark Attribute was even more terrifying, capable of creating creatures that could have an enormous impact on human society.

But so far, I don't seem to have seen any anomalies caused by the Dark Attribute.

Fang Yi gave it some thought.

He had not seen many abnormalities himself. Perhaps he simply had not encountered that sort of thing yet.

With my current two High-level Attributes and the strength of Divine Axe Three-Star, there should be very few Pioneers who can stand against me.

The suppressive force of High-level Attributes is too strong. Even someone of a higher realm than me may not be able to defeat me in actual combat, though I cannot rule out the possibility that others will obtain fortuitous opportunities.

But what I possess is not merely High-level Attributes—I also have matching Cultivation Methods.

The Golden Sun Breathing Technique of the Yang Attribute and the Divine Thunder Refinement of the Thunder Attribute... each is an incomparably powerful existence on its own. They were born from my Attributes and are one hundred percent compatible with them. That is my greatest advantage.

Fang Yi was very confident.

Even if other Pioneers obtained powerful fortuitous opportunities, they still could not compare with him.

Hm? That aura has disappeared.

Fang Yi's eyes shifted slightly.

He could no longer sense the force that had been monitoring him for the past few days.

Was it that woman from the Spirit Qi Cultivation Association?

She had left?

This...

He had to admit it.

His favorable impression of the Spirit Qi Recovery Association increased by one.

They had not pestered him relentlessly, had kept their distance, and had shown him sufficient respect. That was the bearing an official organization ought to have.

When Fang Yi used to read novels, he had hated those plots where some faction, in order to seize a protagonist with exceptional talent, would shamelessly cling to him—first polite, then forceful, and if they could not have him, they would destroy him.

To sum it up in two words:

Sick in the head.

With no more gaze watching him, Fang Yi immediately felt refreshed.

He sat down cross-legged and slowly exhaled toward the faint morning light.

After raining for so long, the sun was finally about to come out.

The weather forecast said today would be beautiful and sunny. He could once again breathe in and out while facing the sun to cultivate the Golden Sun Breathing Technique.

It has been a long time since I unlocked an Attribute. I wonder when another Great World Change will appear for me to observe...