Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

Long Yangjun seemed to have foreseen that Li Yao would ask the question. Sitting on the bed cross-legged, she finished the apple one bite after another unhurriedly. “I don’t know any more about the question than you do. In fact, you should even be more knowledgeable than me.

“You were born in a modern Cultivation civilization after all, and you have been to Kunlun, where you studied the war between Pangu and Nuwa profoundly.

“But until I went into the depths of the Nuwa warship, I had always been a common… ancient Cultivator and a cursed eunuch who caused trouble in the court.

“It was not until I stood in front of the mainframe crystal processor of the Nuwa warship, and even not until you said something to me, that the dream that lingered in my head became more real. It was almost like… almost like I was only born as ‘Long Yangjun’ at that moment.

“One might even say that I am just a one-year-old infant at this moment in my new life. Perhaps, in the near future, I will remember a lot more things, and I may recollect my real identity and my destiny. But right now, I really don’t know the first thing about it.

“Perhaps, that is exactly the purpose for which I have followed you to the Star Glory Federation. I’m here to get in touch with the world, to observe civilization, and to recall more things.”

Long Yangjun looked at Li Yao honestly, her eyes glittering.

Li Yao wiped the apple that Long Yangjun had thrown at him with his clothes. He knew that Long Yangjun’s words could be half true and half false, but she was certainly not going to tell him anything more. Thinking for a moment, he changed a different angle. “Alright, let’s leave ‘parent civilizations’ aside and talk about ‘child civilizations’. What’s your opinions on the succession of civilization, virtual life, rebellious mischievous child, and all the relevant theories? Do you think that the Spiritual Nexus can really grow independent and govern human beings instead?”

After finishing the apple, Long Yangjun manipulated the core of the apple to swirl slowly above her palm. “To age and die is a law of nature. Viewed from the scale of billions of years or even longer, every civilization is bound to decline. Even the universe itself will perish and be reborn. Since the civilization of mankind is but a grain of dust in the universe, of course it will die, and it is certainly a possibility that it will die because of its child civilization.

“But the conclusion is as meaningless as stating that ‘every person passes away eventually’. Nobody will stop working hard for a better life just because they are destined to die one day, right?

“Therefore, the more meaningful topic at hand is whether or not your Spiritual Nexus can grow independent and develop a virtual, intelligent life form that is entirely beyond mankind and yet hostile to mankind, in a time scale imaginable for human beings, say, the next millennium or the next ten millenniums. That is what you are concerned about, right? Assuming that the Spiritual Nexus does not grow independent for a hundred thousand years, it will not be a problem that we should be worried at all. Our offspring will have their own solutions, and it is impossible for us to take care of the issues that will only happen in a hundred thousand years, right?”

Li Yao pondered for a moment and nodded heavily. “Yes. Let the people in a hundred thousand years worry about what will happen in a hundred thousand years. We are not capable enough to see that what will happen so far in the future is taken care of properly. Only a psycho would think that he is such a god. I am referring to the short term—the next decades or hundreds of years.”

Long Yangjun smiled and said, “Then, my answer is the same as Professor Mo Xuan’s after the collapse of the Virtual Spirits Sector. It’s impossible. Absolutely impossible!”

Li Yao’s eyes were glowing. “Do you have any basis?”

“Of course,” Long Yangjun said unhurriedly. “Professor Mo Xuan himself is a star spirit, a marvelous life form that is between a real entity and a virtual life form. Speaking of which, wasn’t it you who came up with the name together with him? His studies on virtual life must be among the best in the federation.

“Even he asserted that real virtual life with independent will cannot be born in the next five hundred years without the interference from a higher level after the collapse of the Virtual Spirits Sector. He was even so frustrated that he devoted himself to other research projects…”

Li Yao frowned. “But if it is only because of Professor Mo Xuan’s judgement—”

“No. What I really want to say has nothing to do with Professor Mo Xuan.” Long Yangjun laughed. “I never thought that you would fret to such an extent. This must be why they say spectators see more than players. In my opinion, the problem that worries you does not exist at all, at least not for the next thousand years. The reason is simple—the Pangu Clan and the Nuwa Clan had crystal processors, too.”

Li Yao was slightly dazed. “So what?”

“Their crystal processors were much more advanced than yours,” Long Yangjun said. “You saw the effect after the arrayed pillar crystal processors in the Nuwa warship were activated with your own eyes. You have to admit that their computational ability must be higher than any existing super crystal processor in the federation, right? There are also the Colossi. Every Colossus contains the tactical crystal processors passed on from the primeval era, and you are not even able to duplicate them right now. As a result, the federation, the Imperium, and the Covenant Alliance can only assemble and modify the Colossi but cannot craft new Colossi from scratch, right?”

Li Yao furrowed his brows hard but had to admit that Long Yangjun did have a point.

“Therefore,” Long Yangjun said slowly, “if the Pangu Clan and the Nuwa Clan, with their profound expertise in crystal processors, failed to create brand-new, virtual intelligent life, what makes you so arrogant that you think mankind will be able create an unbelievable ‘mischievous child’ in the next thousand years?

“Besides, the birth and evolution of life are terribly long. The carbon-based life such as Pangu, Nuwa, or human beings all took billions of years before they arrived at the peak of evolution. The birth and evolution of the virtual, intelligent life may be fast, but how much faster can they possibly be? It won’t be too late to worry about it when the most primitive virtual life is detected!”

“What you said does make sense. Why did I fail to think of it earlier? Yes. The technology of the Pangu Clan and the Nuwa Clan on crystal processors far exceeded the technology of mankind. If even they did not create virtual intelligent life, it seems unnecessary for us to worry about the problem, at least for the next ten thousand years…” Li Yao felt that he was greatly enlightened, but on second thought, he raised another question. “But wait, there is another possibility. What if the Pangu Clan or the Nuwa Clan created a virtual intelligent life a long time ago, but we haven’t learned anything about it? It means—it means that we are not talking about our ‘child civilization’ but a ‘sibling civilization’ that is parallel with mankind!”

Long Yangjun rolled her eyes and remarked, “Oh? Then, where is this virtual intelligent life and mankind’s ‘sibling civilization’, created by the Pangu Clan or the Nuwa Clan? Why has it never been seen or heard in the past hundred thousand years?”

“Well, it must be hiding and accumulating its strength in the darkness. When the time is appropriate, it will jump out and conquer the three thousand Sectors.”

“Fair enough,” Long Yangjun said. “As expected of the dominator of three Sectors. Your imagination is truly marvelous! Even such a great scheme of the virtual intelligent life and our ‘sibling civilization’ has been seen through by you. You are so awesome! So, what are you planning to do now that you’ve seen through the plot?”

“…There doesn’t seem to be anything I can do.”

“Don’t underestimate yourself,” Long Yangjun said. “I have every faith in you. With the identity and position of Monster Li today, as soon as you reveal who you are and make a public speech to dissuade all the people of the Star Glory Federation from using crystal processors and the Spiritual Nexus with the unparalleled prestige of the ‘dominator of three Sectors’, is it going to be a big deal at all? Rest assured. I’m definitely on your side. After all, people from the Ancient Sages Sector don’t use crystal processors or surf on the Spiritual Nexus.”

“I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please show some respect for the dominator of three Sectors and forget my poppycock just now.”

“That’s right. Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator or not, we are still adults. Adults should talk about more practical, constructive, and realistic questions. Such mystical questions of the middle school level should be left for middle school students to consider, which I believe there are plenty of in the federation! The situation is so tense right now, and our eyebrows are about to be burnt. Yet, you are considering things that will happen in tens of thousands of years. That’s really—”

“Our eyebrows are about to be burnt?” Li Yao narrowed his eyes. “What have you figured out?”

“Nothing in particular.” Long Yangjun jumped up from her bed and opened the window, letting some fresh air into the room. Squinting, she sniffed hard. “I merely have smelled the scent.”

Li Yao’s eyes were glittering. “What scent?”

Without turning back, Long Yangjun said, “The scent of an upcoming storm. The Black Wind Fleet is about to show up.”

“How so?”

“Two reasons.” Long Yangjun extended two long, narrow fingers. “Firstly, the Star Glory Federation is having the fiercest election for the Supreme Speaker in decades. The two candidates as well as their supporters are at loggerheads. The situation is rather intense.

“According to the confession of Ding Zhengyang and other Immortal Cultivators, the Black Wind Fleet has sent a lot of spies into the federation, which means that the Black Wind Fleet certainly has up-to-date intelligence and knows that this is the most unstable moment of the federation.

“After everything is settled and the new Supreme Speaker is elected, either Ding Lingdang’s prestige or Jin Xinyue’s cunningness will be enough for one of them to completely stabilize the situation in only a couple of months, allowing the federation to be united and enter the highest warring state. The military power of the country will greatly soar!

“Come on, Monster Li. If you were commander-in-chief of the Black Wind Fleet, and you were well aware of the situation, when would you launch the attack?”

Li Yao narrowed his eyes, cold brilliance shooting out of his dark eyes. “Right now. Even if my fleet was not entirely prepared yet, I would not allow the new Speaker of the Federation to get used to her chair, and I would not allow the federation to enter the highest warring state comfortably!

“Now is the best opportunity. If we miss out, the capabilities of the federation and the prestige of its leader will rise in the years to come, and the war will become more and more difficult for us!

“My fleet has drifted in the sea of stars for a hundred years. The resources on the starships are running low. The magical equipment on-board is greatly worn. The warriors are all simmering with impatience and anxiety. In the middle of nowhere, we cannot get too many supplies. I cannot dawdle anymore, and I cannot wait another decade. I must finish the war quickly!”