The Boat of Guidance

"Eleven Domain Lords?" Jiang Yao asked in surprise. "An elementary universe civilization has eleven Domain Lords? Even if this elementary civilization is larger than most, that seems a bit much."

Normally, one Domain Lord emerged for every thousand galaxies.

"But it's not quite as outrageous as it sounds. Of the eleven directors, seven are figureheads. Only four actually run things. Those seven figureheads are disciples of Yinhu Island, a Sacred Land in the Kasolo Empire that's as renowned as our Main Sect.

"After all, even disciples of a Sacred Land never turn down more resources. The slave trade is one of the most profitable industries in the universe, so it naturally needs powerful backers. Disciples of major powers sometimes need to earn a little extra money and collect offerings, too. Lending their names to a company so it can throw its weight around is nothing unusual. And Domain Lord-level cultivators are at a stage when they consume a great deal of resources.

"The reason Longshan Company's slave production and sales business grew so large isn't that those Domain Lord directors are especially powerful. It's that others show Longshan Company some respect because of Yinhu Island's reputation.

"But we're not afraid of them. We're a branch of Jiuyuan Holy Land. When it comes to our ties to the Sacred Land, Longshan Company can't compare."

Jiang Yao nodded. In the end, it all came down to whose backing was stronger. Longshan Company was far more powerful than their Yanhe Lingtong Race, but their backers were evenly matched, so neither side could do anything to the other. They could only remain locked in a stalemate.

"If we'd just kept to our own business, we could have turned a blind eye to Longshan Company's slave trade. But not long after establishing their country, they tried to act like an overbearing dragon crossing the river and bully the local snake. They even captured members of our Lingtong Race and enslaved them!"

As Prose spoke, Kuman, who had been silent beside him, couldn't help but show a chill in his eyes.

Jiang Yao's expression turned grave. For a bloodline race like the Lingtong Race, having its people captured and enslaved was absolutely unforgivable.

"Of course, they didn't dare capture anyone themselves. Instead, they ordered scattered slave traders to do it. They even attacked one of our planets where we raised young children and took every child on it!"

Jiang Yao was shocked. The mother planet where he'd been born and raised was just such a place. At thirty, when they came of age, or before twenty-five if they broke through to Planetary Level, they left the cradle of their home planet and entered Lingtong society.

"But we never caught them red-handed. They pinned all the blame on independent slave traders, so we disguised ourselves as space pirates. Every time our people were captured, we raided one of Longshan Company's slave transport fleets. We even attacked its planets.

"So the two sides kept trading blows in secret. Longshan Company has quieted down over the past few epochs and hasn't dared make any more moves. Maybe it's because our Main Sect has kept up the pressure. After all, the Main Sect absolutely cannot tolerate members of the Lingtong Race being enslaved.

"But our people, including those in the Main Sect, suspect that Longshan Company is still secretly raising members of our race. We just can't find proof or catch them in the act. And with Yinhu Island protecting them, the Main Sect can't act against them directly."

Jiang Yao asked, puzzled, "How can we not find proof? They raise slaves to trade them. If members of our race showed up on the market, wouldn't that be proof?"

"The problem is that no members of our race have ever appeared on the market." Prose paused, his expression turning grave. "Still, your clearance has now been raised to Elder level, so you can look into certain things yourself. Have you heard of Eternal Love?"

Jiang Yao nodded. "I have. They say it can transform the body into an Eternal Body. Apparently, they extract a strange genetic substance from those born with an Eternal Body, then preserve it in cold silver."

Prose sneered. "Extracting it from an Eternal Body is difficult, but there are plenty of similar secret techniques for extracting bloodlines or strange genetic substances from races with special abilities."

"You mean..."

"Exactly. Although our Lingtong Race has a low Gene Level and our bloodline rank isn't high, the inherited talent, the 'Lingtong,' is rather distinctive in the universe. Races like ours, with bloodline-inherited abilities, are common victims of these bloodline-extraction techniques."

Seeing Jiang Yao fall silent, Prose assumed he was growing worried and hurried to reassure him. "That's only speculation by a few people. It doesn't mean Longshan Company really has the nerve to do it. There's no need to be afraid.

"By the way, this is the secret technique our Spirit Reader lineage uses to break through to Stellar Level."

Prose felt that his warnings about the danger had worked and that he'd fulfilled the Patriarch's instructions. He took out a small gray metal plate and handed it to Jiang Yao. "The secret technique recorded here has two parts. The first is the Guidance Secret Technique, which guides you to the source of your bloodline. The second is the Wall-Breaking Technique, which breaks through the bloodline barrier and lets you reach Stellar Level.

"As for the final part, the technique for cultivating a Bloodline Divine Ability, Elder Luo has it. Once you've mastered the first two techniques and reached Stellar Level, you can go to the central island and find him."

Jiang Yao took the gray metal plate and eagerly began probing it with his mental power. Prose couldn't help smiling. "Don't underestimate these two techniques. They're much harder to master than the Seven Turns of Heaven's End. In the past, even Planetary Level Ninth-Rank cultivators who'd cultivated the Seven Turns of Heaven's End to its peak needed at least a hundred or two hundred years to master both techniques."

"A hundred or two hundred years?" Jiang Yao was astonished.

"Of course. It takes 150 years to forge the Boat of Guidance and 50 years to master the Wall-Breaking Method. Spending 200 years breaking through the barrier and reaching Stellar Level is already considered fast.

"As members of the Lingtong Race age, the source of their bloodline gradually closes. It's completely closed by around the age of 300. So, if it takes 50 years to master the seventh turn of the Seven Turns of Heaven's End and 200 years to master the two techniques, that's 250 years in total to reach Stellar Level. There isn't much time to spare. That's why our people push the Spirit Reader lineage's Planetary Level geniuses to cultivate the Seven Turns of Heaven's End as hard as they can.

"A thousand-year lifespan doesn't mean you have a thousand years to break through to Stellar Level.

"Of course, you have a Domain, and your mental-power burst is far beyond the seventh turn of the Seven Turns of Heaven's End. You could skip the Wall-Breaking Method.

"But there's no shortcut for the Boat of Guidance. You have to master it so your soul can swim upstream and find the source of your bloodline."

Prose laughed heartily. "But I have faith in you. You mastered five turns of the Seven Turns of Heaven's End in a year, which shows that your talent for comprehending mental-power techniques is astonishing—perhaps even unprecedented. The fastest person in our race's history to master the Boat of Guidance took 96 years. I believe you can do it in 19.

"If you can master the Boat of Guidance within 19 years and reach Stellar Level, you'll be able to go with us to our Main Sect, Jiuyuan Holy Land. The Genius Tournament is approaching, and our Main Sect has released quite a few secret techniques and treasures. I've even heard there are fourth- and even fifth-tier mental-power weapons, along with techniques for controlling them. With your talent, if you arrive early, there'll definitely be one for you."

"Good!" Jiang Yao declared. "Since you have so much faith in me, Big... Brother Prose, I can't let you down. I'll do my best to master it within 19 years and go to the Sacred Land with you!"

After the Xu Yuan Opening, and with his experience cultivating the Seven Turns of Heaven's End, Jiang Yao was now quite confident in himself. His soul had indeed undergone a qualitative transformation. He didn't think it would be all that difficult to accomplish in 19 years what took others 150.

Prose smiled and accepted his promise. Whether or not Jiang Yao could achieve it, he was pleased by the young man's confidence. "All right. Kuman and I will take our leave. We'll be staying with Elder Luo for a while to cultivate and strengthen our Lingtong abilities. If you run into any difficulties while forging the Boat of Guidance, you can come to the island and ask us."

"Do you really believe this kid can master the Boat of Guidance in 19 years?" Kuman asked once they'd left the quiet room. It was rare for him to speak up.

Prose smiled. "You took more than 110 years to master the Boat of Guidance, didn't you?"

Kuman's expression turned cold.

Prose paid him no mind. After spending more time with Kuman, he'd realized the man was actually quite simple-minded. Of course, that was only because Prose was a genius of roughly the same caliber. Otherwise, the blond young man wouldn't have spared him a glance.

"Have you ever heard of anyone at Planetary Level mastering the fifth turn of the Seven Turns of Heaven's End in a year?"

Kuman said nothing.

Prose shook his head. "You can't judge this kid by ordinary standards. Besides, with his talent, even if he doesn't master it in 19 years, 50 years will be enough. He'll still make it in time."