Ancestor Minghe's words were like a basin of icy water poured over the burning hearts of all the great powers.
Yes, no matter how advanced the technology or how powerful the network was, who would hold control over it?
If this "Primordial Heavenly Net" were controlled by the human race, wouldn't that mean all their communications and every deployment of their forces would be monitored by humanity? That was even more terrifying than having no Heavenly Net at all. By then, everyone would be standing naked before them. What secrets could remain?
For a moment, the atmosphere of cooperation that had just arisen in the hall turned strange once more. Suspicious and wary gazes fell upon Chen Ran again.
Faced with this question aimed directly at the heart of the matter, Chen Ran showed no surprise whatsoever. He seemed to have expected someone to raise it.
He gave a slight bow in Ancestor Minghe's direction, showing his respect.
"Ancestor, your concerns are entirely reasonable. In fact, this was the issue I considered most when I first conceived of the Heavenly Net."
"A powerful tool without corresponding restraints will inevitably bring disaster."
Chen Ran's candor made quite a few great powers nod inwardly.
"That is why the Primordial Heavenly Net I designed was never intended to be a centralized system controlled by the human race."
He turned and manipulated the light screen once more.
The enormous diagram of the Primordial World's network changed. The lines originally linked to the human ancestral land, the City of Origin, began to reorganize. In the end, they formed relatively independent "local networks," each centered around a major faction.
Mount Kunlun was one core, Golden Ao Island was another, and Mount Sumeru was another. The Heavenly Court, Wuzhuang Temple, the Netherworld Blood Sea... every force guarded by a Quasi-Saint power was marked as a primary node. These primary nodes were then connected by thicker lines, forming a vast decentralized network.
"Everyone, please look. In my design, the Primordial Heavenly Net uses a distributed framework."
"Every major power will possess and independently control its own primary node. Your internal communications will circulate solely within your own local network and will not pass through any other node. This fundamentally guarantees your privacy."
"As for information sharing between nodes, both sides must activate the channel at the same time before it can proceed."
This design made the great powers present brighten. With this arrangement, security would indeed be greatly improved.
But Ancestor Minghe remained relentless. "That sounds nice enough. But what about the core hub that maintains the entire Heavenly Net's operation? There has to be something like a central processor, doesn't there? Who controls that?"
"An excellent question." Chen Ran snapped his fingers.
The image on the light screen changed again, revealing an incomparably complex sphere composed of countless runes and array lines, yet filled with a strange, harmonious Dao resonance.
"This is the core that keeps the entire Heavenly Net functioning. I call it—the Array Spirit."
"The Array Spirit?" The term struck everyone as novel.
"Yes, the Array Spirit." Chen Ran's tone carried a trace of a creator's passion. "You may understand it as an Artifact Spirit jointly created by all of us, one without self-awareness, which manages the Heavenly Net only according to the rules we establish."
"This Array Spirit is not a physical entity, but a... logic. A core program founded upon the Primordial Great Dao, with protecting the Primordial World as its highest directive."
"All its standards of conduct will be formulated jointly by us. For example, 'No unauthorized communication may be eavesdropped upon,' 'No interference may be made in the internal operation of any node,' and 'When an extraterrestrial invasion is detected, the highest-level alert shall automatically be issued to all nodes,' among others."
"And the ones who create and supervise this Array Spirit will not be the human race, nor any single person present."
Chen Ran's gaze slowly swept across the six Saints seated at the highest places.
"It will be all of you Heavenly Dao Saints."
This proposal was earth-shattering!
Have the Saints join hands to create a "program" to manage the Heavenly Net?
This was no longer merely a matter of technology. It was the creation of an entirely new Dao!
Primordial Heavenly Venerate and Lord of the Heavens, the two Saints with the deepest attainments in arrays and artifact refinement, both erupted with astonishing divine light in their eyes.
From the Array Spirit's structural diagram Chen Ran had displayed, they saw an entirely new possibility: the perfect union of artifact, Dao, and law!
This was not simply refining an Artifact Spirit. It was using laws and logic to "create" an absolutely rational, absolutely fair, never-betraying administrator!
"You mean..." Even Grand Supreme Elder's voice carried an almost imperceptible ripple. "The Dao of this Array Spirit will be inscribed jointly by us Saints?"
"Exactly." Chen Ran answered respectfully. "Grand Supreme Saint, your Dao of non-action can become the Array Spirit's law of balance. Primordial Saint, your Chan Sect doctrines can become its law of order. Lord of the Heavens Saint, your ideals of the Jie Sect can become its law of operation. The compassionate Dao of the two Western Saints can become its law of protection. And Empress Nuwa's Dao of creation can grant the Array Spirit an unceasing 'life.'"
"An Array Spirit created jointly by six Saints will surpass every Dharma treasure and every living being in the history of the Primordial World in both fairness and security."
"Before it, no scheme or trickery can hide. For it is itself the embodiment of the Great Dao."
His words set everyone's blood racing. A superintelligence jointly created by six Saints, with the Great Dao as its standard!
Who would dare distrust such a thing? Who could possibly refuse to trust it?
Chen Ran's proposal not only perfectly resolved the issue of trust, but also brought every Saint aboard his chariot, deeply binding their interests to the Primordial Heavenly Net project.
"Wonderful! Truly wonderful!" Grand Supreme Elder clapped his hands in praise. Even his tranquil state of non-action had been stirred by this entirely new Way of the Array Spirit.
"In that case, it truly is a foolproof plan." Though Primordial Heavenly Venerate still wore a stern expression, his tone had eased considerably. He was an exceedingly proud Saint, and his interest in creative work capable of opening an entirely new field even exceeded his prejudice against Chen Ran.
"Hmph, it sounds somewhat interesting." Lord of the Heavens was even more direct. "Tell us how to do it, and we'll get started!"
Chen Ran knew that the most difficult hurdle had already passed.
"It is very simple." He smiled. "The human race is willing to establish a Heavenly Net Technology Committee and make all related Rune Technology available to everyone. I invite all Saints to send your disciples most proficient in arrays and artifact refinement to study and develop it together with the human race's engineers."
"This is both a collaboration and an exchange. I believe that when humanity's technology combines with your immortal arts, it will surely spark even more brilliant flames of civilization."
At those words, Primordial Heavenly Venerate's eyes lit up.
He had been worrying over how to uncover the principles behind the human race's bizarre Rune Technology. Now they were actually taking the initiative to invite him to send people to learn it?
It was like being handed a pillow just when he was sleepy!
"Good." Primordial Heavenly Venerate made the decision at once. "Among my Chan Sect disciples, Guang Chengzi and Chi Jingzi are both skilled in this field. Let them join this committee."
He was already making calculations. As long as the Chan Sect mastered this technology, they could build an even better Heavenly Net themselves. Then who would still need to look to the human race?
Before you continue