Zhang Yu's gaze shifted slightly upon hearing Daoist Wan Ming's account. He asked, "Why do you say that, sir?"
Daoist Wan Ming said, "Does the Profound Rectifier know of created humans?"
Zhang Yu said, "Of course. I serve as an instructor at Kaiyang Academy, and there are two created humans at my side. There are many such created humans within the Academy as well."
Daoist Wan Ming nodded. "Most of these created humans are not a problem. They were regarded with vigilance from the moment they appeared, fitted with many shackles, and given identifying markers in conspicuous places. The troublesome ones are that batch from several decades ago."
Zhang Yu said, "Fellow Daoist Wan Ming, please explain in greater detail."
Daoist Wan Ming said, "The created humans we see today appear to have many flaws, but in truth, more than sixty years ago, the Celestial Mechanisms Bureau's techniques for creating humans had already become highly mature.
"They could live like people, grow like people, and even cultivate the Dao like people. Apart from being unable to reproduce, they were in fact not much different from humans.
"I do not know why the Celestial Mechanisms Bureau created these humans back then. Originally, they were kept under strict control. Every one of them had records on file, and they were destroyed at fixed intervals. But after the Turbid Tide arrived, things changed..."
Zhang Yu listened intently. He could sense that what Wan Ming wished to discuss this time was far more than Hui Yuanwu alone; it involved a deeper secret.
Daoist Wan Ming continued, "When the Turbid Tide first arrived, the Great Azure Banyan that sheltered us had not yet been raised. There was no protection across the continent, and with unrest breaking out within, the two Protectorates suffered immense casualties. Many