Talent

"Should we create a grotto-heaven on Buzhou Mountain and establish a branch palace of Lingxiao Palace?"

Xie Yusheng looked at Chao Jiuyin, who brought the news, with undisguised joy in his eyes. "Everyone, as long as they have talent and pass the assessment, can join the Lingxiao Palace and receive intensive training. Those who perform exceptionally well can even be sent to the Lingxiao Palace headquarters to cultivate into Saints or True Immortals, enjoying a lifespan of five hundred years, or even living for a thousand years!"

"That's right. We have already sent people to Buzhou Mountain to survey the terrain and select a location for the cave heaven. Out of respect for the sovereignty of Blue Star, we're letting you know in advance."

Chao Jiuyin nodded.

"I will report this news to the head of the True Immortal Research Institute immediately."

Xie Yusheng immediately replied.

In the past two years, the True Immortal Research Institute, or rather, the people of the entire Blue Star, have tried more than once to enter the Realm of Immortality, preferably to join the Lingxiao Palace, in order to seek the hope of eternal life.

However, the fear brought by the arrival of the Palace Master of Lingxiao Palace was still vivid in their minds and had not completely dissipated even after more than two years. Under such circumstances, although they tried every means to test the attitude of Lingxiao Palace in order to obtain a spot to go to the Longevity Realm for further study, they did not dare to act rashly because there was no response from them.

Currently, Lingxiao Palace is willing to open a branch palace at Buzhou Mountain and recruit disciples from Blue Star. Those who perform exceptionally well can even go to the main palace for further study...

He could almost foresee the extent of the True Immortal Research Institute's surprise and delight once the news spread.

"As a disciple of the Palace Master, you should naturally shoulder the corresponding responsibilities. Theoretically, you should serve as the Palace Master of this branch palace. However, considering the inconvenience of your status on Blue Star, and the fact that you have not been cultivating for long, we will appoint Su Nanxing, Leng Tianfeng, and Gu Qingmei as the Palace Master and Deputy Palace Master, and appoint you as the Branch Palace Elder to preside over the first batch of disciple assessments. The first batch of disciples will have 800 places. We will set up an array for preliminary screening, and you will be responsible for conducting the second round of assessments for those who pass the preliminary screening."

Chao Jiuyin Dao.

This is the meaning that has been conveyed Gu Jinlai.

Since Xie Xiaowan, he has only taken on two disciples.

One is Leng Tianfeng, who has an amazing talent for cultivating the Eternal Furnace and has mastered it in just over ten years. The other is Xie Yusheng, who came about by fate.

As for the remaining Su Nanxing, Gu Chaoyang, and others, they are all capable of handling things on their own.

This time, he appointed Su Nanxing the Palace Master of Lingxiao Palace, with Leng Tianfeng and Gu Qingmei assisting him.

Leng Tianfeng has mastered the Eternal Forging Technique, making him incredibly powerful, especially in an environment like Blue Star where spiritual energy is scarce, where he can always maintain his full combat strength.

The remaining Gu Qingmei followed the path of martial arts.

In addition, with the help of Tian Qingzi, Dan Chenzi and others, Duanmu Chengyun and others have recently perfected the cultivation of the Human Immortal Path. Relying on this newly opened path, she has already cultivated into a Human Immortal.

This level of strength might not be impressive in the Xuanxian Realm, but on Blue Star...

It is powerful enough to intimidate the entire world.

The three of them were sufficient to handle the physical force; Xie Yusheng, the remaining officer, didn't need to be sent into battle.

"This... the authority to conduct the first batch of disciple assessments might be..."

Xie Yusheng felt this was a bit too high-profile.

Chao Jiuyin knew what he wanted to say and was worried that someone would try to use connections and he would be unable to refuse, which would result in some people who did not meet the selection criteria getting into the Lingxiao Palace branch.

She immediately said, "It's alright. Palace Master Su will arrange for some more people to cooperate with you. You are just one of the six assessment elders."

"That's good."

Xie Yusheng nodded. "I will go and inform the True Immortal Research Institute right away."

And just as he had guessed.

When this news was announced, the entire True Immortal Research Institute, and even the top echelons of the Blue Star Security Council, were filled with mixed joy and surprise.

Although some people realize that Lingxiao Palace's establishment of a branch palace on Blue Star is tantamount to indirectly completing its colonial rule over Blue Star.

But...

On the one hand, Lingxiao Palace granted the people of Blue Star great autonomy, which hardly shook their rule. On the other hand, it brought some hopes that they dared not hope for in ordinary times—immortality.

Secondly...

The technological gap between the two sides is far too large.

It is so large that it cannot be described in words.

It's like an impoverished ancient person suddenly arriving in the modern world. All they need to do is work hard to earn money to live in a clean room, wear neat and warm clothes on a boat, and eat meat-based meals that they would never dare to dream of in their daily lives. In that case, they would be happy to work ten, twelve, or even fourteen hours a day, let alone eight.

Under these circumstances, the upper echelons of society sprang into action at an extremely rapid pace.

Especially when everyone learned that Xie Yusheng had entered the Lingxiao Palace branch and become a member through his connection with Lu Ya, the Qianxing person.

That's not all.

Because he was a Blue Star person, and considering that he should have a good understanding of Blue Star people, the Lingxiao Palace branch temporarily gave him the position of elder, specifically in charge of disciple assessment.

Once this assessment task is completed and eight hundred qualified elite disciples are selected for the branch palace, he, as the temporary elder, will have the opportunity to become a full-fledged member and a high-ranking member of the Lingxiao Palace branch palace.

After the news spread, everyone went into a frenzy.

Zhao Tianfeng immediately brought his granddaughter over and arranged for her to become Xie Yusheng's personal assistant.

Others also tried every means to place people around him.

In just three days, more than 90% of his assistants, drivers, and entourage were replaced by young women.

Moreover, he receives countless invitations every day, and without exception, all of them are figures with great global influence.

Presidents and kings from various countries even flew from their own countries with their children and princesses, just to have dinner with Xie Yusheng.

Even though Xie Yusheng had been mentally prepared for this change, he was still somewhat overwhelmed by it.

There has been little interference in this matter throughout Gu Jinlai.

At this moment, he was walking on the streets of Nankai City in his avatar form, watching the figure appear in the distance.

Although he was just an avatar, with his current mental state, material reorganization was not difficult for him, and ordinary people could not see anything unusual about him.

And this exposes the problem...

It's not that bad.

He "transmigrated" into the body of an elder of the Purgatory Demon Sect, and looked completely different from the "Gu Jinlai" of this world.

On the contrary, his name is quite distinctive and easily attracts the attention of those with ulterior motives.

But this isn't a big problem.

There are at least eighty or a hundred people in this world who are called " from Gu Jinlai," and even if these people really make some kind of connection, they would absolutely not dare to take the risk.

Especially now...

He intends to provide them with another layer of identity protection.

"With three of the eight hundred disciple slots allocated to my Gu Clan, it shouldn't attract too much attention."

Gu Jinlai looked at his father, Gu Kaiyuan, and mother, An Li, who were with their granddaughter, and gestured with his hand.

A beam of spiritual light directly entered their bodies.

With these two beams of inspiration, the two of them, as well as Gu Jinzhao, whom Gu Jinlai to arrange later, will definitely stand out in the first round of the "cultivation talent" assessment.

However, when the two beams of spiritual light he had condensed actually entered the two people's bodies, he suddenly discovered that his father, Gu Kaiyuan, was absorbing this power at a much slower pace...

Extremely fast.

It was more than ten times faster than Anli.

This change startled Gu Jinlai slightly, and he then began to investigate carefully.

With his current level of cultivation, he can clearly perceive a person's physical condition at the cellular level.

As he observed more closely, he soon began to notice the differences between Gu Kaiyuan and An Li.

In layman's terms, Gu Kaiyuan is more "talented" than An Li.

"Talent..."

I couldn't help but think of something I mentioned when I was talking to Chao Jiuyin and others Gu Jinlai.

Over the years, it wasn't just a couple hundred people on Blue Star who, by fortuitous opportunity, due to various reasons such as death or other factors, had their souls leave their bodies and happen to fall into the Realm of Immortality.

After all, more than 50 million people die on Blue Star every year.

However, only those with "talent" can complete this "reincarnation"-like rebirth process.

After sensing the differences between Gu Kaiyuan and An Li, Gu Jinlai used his divine sense to probe the others again.

Result...

More than 99% of people have no "talent" whatsoever.

His divine sense enveloped Nankai City, and he quickly located his younger brother Gu Jinzhao, as well as his uncle Gu Kaishan and other Gu Clan.

The results showed that every member of the Gu Clan possessed that special talent.

It's simply a matter of high or low.

Gu Jinlai, through tests using a wisp of spiritual light, even those with the lowest aptitude have absorbed spiritual light two to three times more efficiently than ordinary people. Gu Kaishan and Gu Jinchao, however, have absorption rates of sixteen times and thirteen times respectively.

Gu Jinlai some thought, I sensed that Zhao Jiuyin, Zhao Yushu, and Jin Sixian, who were also on Blue Star, were all talented. Their absorption of spiritual light was thirteen times, twelve times, and ten times respectively.

"My father, Gu Kaiyuan, is better than Chao Jiuyin, so how much 'talent' do I have?"

From Gu Jinlai, they have murmured to themselves.

Unfortunately, he had no idea where his "corpse" was located, and according to his investigation, it seemed that his "corpse" was not left behind when he traveled through time, and it was not brought to the world of immortality.

Nine out of ten...

It was used up by Green Lotus as "fuel" for her time travel.

"Let me see what they can achieve after entering the Lingxiao Palace."

The Gu Jinlai once again infused the group with some spiritual light, and they transformed into beings who silently lay in wait.

The construction of the Buzhou Mountain Grotto Heaven is in full swing.

In just one year, the cave was successfully completed.

During this period, the Lingxiao Palace in the Changsheng Realm was also developing vigorously and had poured a lot of resources into the Lingxiao Palace on Buzhou Mountain.

With these resources, the eight hundred disciples who entered Lingxiao Palace after passing numerous tests grew at an extremely rapid pace.

And their lives underwent a dramatic change from that point on.

They observed it briefly Gu Jinlai, but did not intervene significantly.

At this moment, he once again summoned Zhou Yi, Zhang Lihuo, Xia Zhongyuan, Chao Jiuyin, and Xie Yusheng to upgrade and forge the advanced version of the Cheng Ying mecha—the Star Destroyer mecha.

Compared to Xie Yusheng's concept of the Star Destroyer, this Star Destroyer mech not only has a lot of technical support from the Xuanhuang Realm, but its engine has also reached the peak of the third generation. Its power is no less than that of the Great Sun Eternal Law, which has been running at full power for six times in the Gu Jinlai.

The reason for using only the power of the sixfold perfect Great Sun Eternal Law is not because, Gu Jinlai, only the third generation of nuclear reactors can be optimized to this extent.

Over the course of a year, by using the Light of Purification to enhance the Eye of Thunder Punishment to perfection, he had completely purged the Realm of Immortality and the Realm of Mysterious Immortals.

Whenever someone commits an act that incurs divine wrath and public resentment, thunder will descend to judge their sins.

As a result, almost no cultivators from either realm acted recklessly during that year.

Even if cultivators have a life-or-death feud, they dare not fight each other in the city, for fear of harming innocent people and accumulating Karma that would bring down a lightning tribulation.

The mass killing of a large number of cultivators not only cleansed the atmosphere of the Immortal Realm and the Profound Immortal Realm, but also accumulated a great deal of pure light for Gu Jinlai.

At this moment, his Great Sun Eternal Law has been raised to the ninth level of perfection.

In other words, he could actually optimize the third-generation nuclear reactor to a higher level.

However, the power of his nuclear reactor ultimately comes from the Xuanhuang Realm.

Although there is no interference from the Great Dao in the outer perimeter of the Xuanhuang Realm, the reactor still needs the assistance of mental power in many aspects in order to operate smoothly.

The 3.6 generation nuclear reactor requires a minimum mental capacity of seven levels, which is equivalent to a level seven pilot.

Aside from those Gu Jinlai, only three people from the Xuanxian Realm and the Changsheng Realm meet this standard: Luo Jiuxiao, Zhao Xi, and Wang Xuanjing.

In this situation, there is naturally no need to produce reactors with higher power output.

"This is no longer a mecha, it should be called a space battleship, right?"

Xie Yusheng looked at the initial model of the Star Destroyer mech and couldn't help but say something.

Zhou Yi, Zhang Lihuo, Xia Zhongyuan, Chao Jiuyin, and others who had a concept of spaceships also nodded in deep agreement.

Because the Star Destroyer mech that appeared before them was so large that it almost pierced the clouds.

Its height reached an unprecedented kilometer.

On that massive chest, a super-large reactor with a diameter of over two hundred meters was operating at full power, releasing unparalleled and terrifying energy. The sheer fluctuations emanating from this energy sent a shiver down the spine of Luo Jiuxiao, who was also watching from the sidelines and had already broken through to the fifth level of the Xuanxian realm.

He was absolutely certain that if this mech fired just one shot, even a Five Heavens Immortal like himself would be reduced to ashes.

"In terms of energy reaction intensity, this mech has actually surpassed the Nine Heavens Mystic Immortal. Its power is enormous among level nine mechs, and it could perhaps be called a level ten mech. Moreover, it can be piloted by level seven pilots. Even in the Xuanhuang Realm, very few can achieve this. To some extent, the technology used in this mech has caught up with the top level of the Xuanhuang Realm, and we have achieved this in just one year."

This Gu Jinlai.

His words invigorated Zhou Yi, Zhang Lihuo, Xie Yusheng, and others.

But then, Gu Jinlai changed his tone. "However, this is of no use."

He stated frankly, "If we want to manufacture mechs with high technological content, we can just go to those technologically advanced civilizations. The mechs they produce are much more powerful. Some mechs can destroy a star with a single shot. However, the larger and more complex the mech, the more fragile it is. Even a little interference can render it unusable. Therefore, what we need to do next is to miniaturize and simplify this mech."

Zhang Lihuo nodded and asked, "Just like those mechs from the Xuanhuang Immortal Dynasty, the larger the size, the greater the likelihood of them becoming targets and the more interference they will be subjected to. Anything that can be done by human power should not be done with the help of mechanical instruments?"

"Yes, for us cultivators, we ourselves are the foundation of everything. The path of relying entirely on external things has been proven to be undesirable. The right way is to combine the two, with ourselves as the main body and external things as the supplement."

This Gu Jinlai.

Luo Jiuxiao, in his transformed form, nodded. "Cultivators have always adopted this philosophy. It's like having a celestial artifact that allows one to unleash the power of a Nine Heavens Mystic Immortal versus a pill that grants one the cultivation of a Nine Heavens Mystic Immortal. Anyone would choose the pill over the celestial artifact without hesitation."

That's exactly right.

He said with a smile, "Gu Jinlai."

"If these mechs can be further miniaturized and simplified, I don't know what the point of us continuing to cultivate would be. We could just focus on cultivating our mental strength, and our own cultivation could be completely compensated by a mech."

Zhao Xi, who was also observing the mecha's operation, remarked with admiration.

Wang Xuanjing, Luo Jiuxiao, and the others standing to the side nodded in deep agreement.

"They're different, they're worlds apart."

Gu Jinlai: "Not to mention that essence, qi, and spirit are an integrated whole, if you want to cultivate your mind and spirit without completing the stage of Qi Refining into Spirit Transformation, it is simply a pipe dream. Even if you cultivate into a true immortal and get rid of the physical body's shackles of birth, aging, sickness, and death, your understanding of the Great Dao is still crucial. Firstly, it is related to longevity. A being that can live for 100,000 years will definitely have stronger mental and spiritual power than those beings that can only live for a few thousand years. Secondly... you have what I do not have in the cultivation of the Heavenly Dao and the Great Dao. In the life-and-death struggle, you will be at an absolute disadvantage."

After saying that, he added, "The greatest significance of these weapons of war, such as mechs, is simply that they save us from having to spend too much energy cultivating Immortal Method and secret arts on our cultivation path."

"Or rather, these mechs can be seen as a kind of Immortal Method or secret art, but others have helped us 'refine' them, so that we have more time to temper our minds and make them stronger. In turn, we can use the advantage of a strong mind to drive the improvement of our cultivation level, and thus make rapid progress."

Zhao Xi seemed to be deep in thought.

"Yes, Qi Refining Spirit Transformation. Since we know that the ultimate goal of cultivation is to strengthen the mind and spirit, why not use the mind and spirit to nourish cultivation when conditions permit?"

As the saying Gu Jinlai, "The purpose of starting a business is to make money. If you already have a lot of money, the probability of making money when starting a business is much higher than that of someone who starts from scratch."

Chao Jiuyin and Xia Zhongyuan, both born on Blue Star, deeply agreed with this analogy.

Just then, Zhao Xi seemed to receive some information, and his brows furrowed slightly.

However, he quickly made the arrangements.

Judging from his appearance, it shouldn't be anything serious.

Seeing Gu Jinlai, Gu Jinlai casually asked, "Is there anything in the Immortal Kingdom that requires your personal attention now?"

"It's not a big deal."

Zhao Xi said, "In the Lingyu Cave area, a group has emerged... well, how should I put it, a group with progressive ideas? They believe that the human desire for freedom is innate and should not be constrained. Each person is solely responsible for themselves, and they feel that the rules implemented in the cities around Lingyu Cave restrict their desire for freedom. They are calling for the abolition of all rules that restrict human freedom..."

Those who heard this from Gu Jinlai looked somewhat strange.

"What is this? An awakening of free thought?"

"It wasn't originally a big deal, but it involved a lot of people, and Immortal Master Lingyu was worried it would escalate into a mass incident, so..."

Zhao Xi glanced at the Gu Jinlai.

It is known from Gu Jinlai that the Immortal Lord Lingyu was worried that if they forcibly rejected and suppressed these people, they would be burdened with Karma and thus be punished by lightning. Therefore, he specifically sent the message to Zhao Xi to inquire about his attitude.

What demands did these people make?

This Gu Jinlai.

Zhao Xi directly condensed a divine thought and gave it to him.

Gu Jinlai was speechless. "Free access to Cultivation Method? Free use of resources? People united, loving, and helping each other? Building a harmonious and beautiful world together?"

He knew that as the various rules and systems of Lingxiao Palace were implemented in various parts of the world of immortals, human rights would gradually awaken, but he never expected that these people would actually evolve into a world of great harmony.

If such a utopian world were to actually come to fruition, it would only lead to the destruction of civilization.

After all, as long as you're human, you'll have laziness and selfishness.

"The Immortal Lord of Lingyu is quite benevolent and lenient in managing the city. Because of this reputation and system, many people have been attracted to settle in Lingyu Cave Heaven over the years. There are more than a dozen cities centered around Lingyu Cave Heaven. The original plan was for a population of 180 million, but now it is almost over 300 million."

As Zhao Xi spoke, he also felt somewhat helpless. "Now, hundreds of millions of people are influenced by this ideology and are striving for a free and better life. The rest of the people, although they also feel that these ideas are somewhat unrealistic, cannot stand up and oppose them because their relatives and family members are also involved. Things have developed to the point where we have no choice but to take strong action..."

"Hundreds of millions of people?"

Gu Jinlai paused slightly, "Anyone with a modicum of rationality should know how unrealistic these demands are. How could they possibly affect hundreds of millions of people?"

"Firstly, the Immortal Master Lingyu himself doesn't have many constraints. Secondly... under the impact of the new thinking in Lingxiao Palace, many new ideas have emerged and succeeded. The most significant example is a verdict issued half a year ago, in which a commoner brought down a True Immortal. This made many people feel that the hope for equality for all and universal harmony is just around the corner. In addition, there is another point..."

Zhao Xi glanced at Gu Jinlai and said, "The Eye of Thunder Punishment makes many people hesitant to act, and they are bound to make more mistakes if they do more. It's better not to do it at all."

Gu Jinlai, he frowned.

The Eye of Lightning only judges those whose Karma is as black as ink, and reaching that standard is no easy feat.

However, he knew this, but others did not.

When people see those around them who acted arrogantly being killed by lightning, many of whom were high-ranking officials and dignitaries, they naturally become afraid.

Because they don't know if one day they might be suddenly struck by lightning for some reason.

Because of their indulgence, this group, which advocates freedom and yearns for harmony, has spread at an extremely rapid pace.

Having heard Zhao Xi's account, Gu Jinlai have vaguely sensed that something is amiss in this incident.

But he couldn't pinpoint the problem.

In the end, he could only say, "I'll go check out the situation at Lingyu Cave Heaven."

"Lingyu has discovered that there seems to be a force called the 'Church of Freedom' behind this matter. She plans to take action against them, but she is worried that it will attract divine punishment. It would be best if you could go and see for yourself, so as not to make a mistake."

Zhao Xi nodded.

Time Gu Jinlai of the essence, and they immediately rose into the air, heading towards the Spirit Jade Cave Heaven.