Forty millenniums of cul.., p.1111
Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 1111
Also, 'Ling Xiaole' who was sitting in the front and 'Long Yangjun' who was sitting next to him both lunged at him with hideous countenances on their faces.
Their killing intent immediately drowned the tiny shuttle like the seawater at ten thousand meters deep!
Li Yao's first reaction was to unleash his maximum strength and counterattack.
However, his doubts about Professor Mo Xuan in the beginning and his new discovery that this place was still a virtual world kept part of Li Yao's soul awake.
Why is Professor Mo Xuan doing this? What can he possibly get by attacking me here?
It's impossible. There's no reason to attack an unimportant person like Lin Jiu, who is nobody but the captain of Team Red Lotus, when so many federal soldiers and agents from the Secret Sword Bureau are monitoring everything from the outside!
If the federal government intends to attack, say, because Speaker Cui Lingfeng regretted his decision for some reason and informed the federal government of the truth that we are from the 'Red Lotus Sector', there is still no reason they should attack us in a virtual world. There are too many uncertainties in this place after all. They can totally besiege us in the real world. This is the territory of the federation after all!
It will be even more ridiculous if they take us for spies from the Imperium. The identities that we have fabricated are absolutely not worth their trouble!
In the moment before 'Long Yangjun' and 'Ling Xiaole' lunged at him, Li Yao and the mental devil reached the same conclusion.
It was a test, designed to find out if he was really in the beginning level of the Nascent Soul Stage as he told everyone.
Of course, under the collective attack of six super crystal cannons, if he revealed certain magnificent strength that far exceeded the beginning level of the Nascent Soul Stage, or if he performed a certain unknown technique, it would be possible to distinguish his real identity from all the traces!
Even if this place was a virtual world, if the intensity of his soul was enlarged ten times or a hundred times in the moment, the sign would still definitely be captured precisely.
It was time to take his chances!
Li Yao had already lowered his wariness and was preparing to tell Professor Mo Xuan his real identity, but he changed his mind at this point. He simply allowed the two virtual puppets made of runes and numbers to jump onto his body and turned a blind eye to the spiritual waves coming at him that seemed to contain destructive force.
Because he knew that they were just special 'mental attacks', which were nothing but illusions that some crystal processors sent into his brains.
Even if he lost the gamble, the attack of illusions of such a degree were still bearable for him.
Therefore, Li Yao simply activated the spiritual shield of the beginning level of the Nascent Soul Stage before he jumped to his feet, pretending to be surprised. "You—"
BOOM!
Six balls of light consumed the shuttle like supernova outbreaks and seemed to be completely melting Li Yao in the next second.
Li Yao controlled the activity of his soul precisely within the beginning level of the Nascent Soul Stage.
Suddenly, he felt his body turning light. The feelings of being burnt, stung, and torn apart were all gone. The previously vivid world no longer existed, either.
Li Yao fell into a silver world. There seemed to be flowers, grass, hills, and rivers in the world, too, but all of them were silver and glowing in cold brilliance. They were all made of liquid metal!
In front of him, the liquid metal slowly wriggled, spreading out rounds of ripples. Soon, it condensed into a shape of a human in silver.
It was Professor Mo Xuan, who bowed at Li Yao to express his apology.
Wiping his face that was soaked in cold sweat, Li Yao burst into fury. "Professor, what's the meaning of this?"
"I am very sorry, Representative Lin," Professor Mo Xuan said expressionlessly. "It was not part of my plan but done at the Secret Sword Bureau's request. They hoped to run another security test on you with the specialness of the Spiriters' Realm. After all, you will jump to the Heaven's Origin Sector and meet most of the leadership of the Federation, even including the Speaker himself, very soon.
"The Secret Sword Bureau is not suspicious about the sincerity of our ally. However, the spies of the Imperium are truly everywhere nowadays. If they swapped the real 'Team Red Lotus' at a certain procedure and sneak into our capital city, how much trouble would be caused?
"I was not in favor of it when they proposed to do such a thing with the help of the 'Spiriters' Realm', but the Secret Sword Bureau said that it was for 'national security'. I couldn't find a reason to reject them.
"So, do forgive me, Representative Lin."
Li Yao thought quickly whether or not Professor Mo Xuan was speaking the truth, but he simply sniffed on the surface and said, "Then, have you found anything after your 'test'?"
"That's not my job," Professor Mo Xuan replied. "I merely constructed such a special Spiriters' Realm as per the Secret Sword Bureau's request. In fact, this is a virtual world riddled with flaws and loopholes. I believe that Representative Lin must've seen it a long time ago.
"As for the test result, you can ask the staff of the Secret Sword Bureau after you return to reality."
After offering a perfectly logical explanation, Professor Mo Xuan bowed again to express his apology. Then, he turned into a cluster of shapeless liquid metal and melted into the entire silver world.
Li Yao was pushed out of the silver world again by a gentle force and sat up from the scarlet nerval interaction liquids that were as warm as amniotic fluid.
It seemed to be the hall from which he entered the virtual world. The hundreds of virtual cabins that looked like metal coffins nearby were identical to just now.
Wei Qingqing, Long Yangjun, and Ling Xiaole were all staring at him.
Wiping his face, Li Yao jumped out of the virtual cabin. Before Wei Qingqing said anything, he snatched Long Yangjun and dragged her to a corner without caring about the astonishment of all the bystanders.
"What's wrong with you?" Long Yangjun blinked quickly and spoke in a low voice without moving her lips. "Do not do such things in public, alright?"
"Cut the cr*p. Answer my questions!" Li Yao stared at Long Yangjun aggressively, as if he were determined to have a fight with her if anything went wrong. He replied through private talk. "Give me my three nicknames, pseudonyms, or aliases, now!"
Frowning, Long Yangjun looked at Li Yao strangely. "Monster Li, Master Spiritual Vulture, dominator of three Sectors… What's the meaning of this?"
"Keep going. Tell me your last pseudonym and false identity!"
"Well, Wang Xi, a eunuch."
"Hu…" Li Yao was greatly relieved. It was not until then that his tightened muscles finally relaxed.
Long Yangjun narrowed her eyes and observed, "You must've experienced some horrible things in the 'Spiriters' Realm' to be so scared."
"Not horrible, but weird. Openly weird!" Li Yao said. "There are too many eyes and ears here. I'll tell you more when we return."
"Greetings…" Wei Qingqing walked close and asked caringly, "Is there anything wrong?"
"No." Staring at Wei Qingqing, Li Yao asked, "Miss Wei, did we say goodbye just now?"
Wei Qingqing was confused. "What do you mean? Weren't you in the virtual cabin the whole time? I was talking with Representative Lin and interpreting many details of the 'Tinder Plan' for her. Before that… I don't remember bidding each other farewell. Did we?"
Li Yao understood everything.
Wei Qingqing who said goodbye to him just now was false. Or rather, the entire scene was false and created by Professor Mo Xuan.
"Then, see you," Li Yao said with mixed feelings.
"Hehe. It will be difficult for you to see me again. After all, I'm going to millions of years in the future tomorrow. But it's hard to say. The universe is such a vast place. Life is full of wonders. Perhaps there will be a day when we will meet again, right?"
Wei Qingqing smiled and waved at Li Yao.
Li Yao's heart sank slowly to somewhere very, very deep.
Wei Qingqing's reaction for his farewell was almost identical to Professor Mo Xuan's simulation.
It was quite understandable.
Wei Qingqing was a member of the 'Tinder Base'. Professor Mo Xuan, or other creators of the Spiriters' Realm, had a lot of time to observe her in secret and analyze her behavior or even mental state. That way, they would be able to simulate a 'Wei Qingqing' that was very close to the one in reality.
Li Yao did not like the feeling at all.
If life could be 'copied' in such a way, would it be creating a new life, or would it simply be blasphemy?
In any case, Li Yao did not want to spend one more second in the Tinder Base. He only wanted to get out of the place and run as far away from the Hundred Flowers Space Zone and Professor Mo Xuan as possible!
On the way back home, it was still the reversed time channel, in which the scenes where humans turned into monkeys, monkeys to reptiles, and reptiles to fish were played.
Li Yao retrieved a scale that felt particularly rough from his Cosmos Ring and touched it inside his palm secretly.
It was a scale from the 'Red Haired Dragon', a unique beast of the Ancient Sages Sector. The stripes of the scale of such a beast were unique and complicated and could even be perceived by fingers. One could not find a similar item in the entire federation.
The subtle feedback reminded Li Yao that it was the real world.
Li Yao asked Ling Xiaole to drive at a slow speed before he told Long Yangjun his entire experience in the Spiriters' Realm, including the 'second Spiriters' Realm' that he was caught in, carefully without leaving out any word or any detail in private.
He believed that Long Yangjun might be able to figure out something that he had neglected with her keenness and wisdom.
"I feel that something must be wrong with Professor Mo Xuan, but I can't figure out where exactly the problem is," Li Yao said. "Now that I think about it more carefully, there is really no place that calls for suspicion at all. Everything that the professor did has been done openly and frankly.
"Also, it is just a cutting-edge theoretical study conducted under the supervision of the major institutions and government departments. Even the 'second Spiriters' Realm' was constructed at the Secret Sword Bureau's request. I've confirmed it through Ling Xiaole. The Secret Sword Bureau expressed their apologies, too. Their explanation is identical to the professor's.
"But why do I feel so uncomfortable about everything?"
Chapter 1719: Absolute Peace! |
"After you entered the 'Spiriters' Realm', I chatted with Wei Qingqing for a long time," Long Yangjun said. "I also examined some of the Professor Mo Xuan's papers on the Spiriters and videos during the academic seminars. Your professor did not lie. It is true that he released his thoughts to the public decades ago. At least, there were small-scale discussions in every university and research institute back then.
"Besides, from a pure theoretical point of view, I don't think that his ideas have any major shortcomings. As crystal processor technology and the Spiritual Nexus develop, the virtual world will feel more and more real. So, it is inevitable that more and more ghosts and people who suffer too much pressure in reality will choose to live in the virtual world.
"Even now, a lot of people often spend a few months at their home in the company of the crystal processors. Aren't they the prototypes and backup army of the 'Spiriters'?
"This is a trend that cannot be stopped. You may feel uncomfortable about it, but there is simply no stopping it, unless you ban the crystal processors and the Spiritual Nexus from upgrading, or issue harsh laws that dictate a daily quota of online time for every person in the federation, who will have to receive mandated therapy or even be sentenced to prison if they surpass the limit. But is it possible?
Pondering, Li Yao slowly shook his head.
"That's right. Professor Mo Xuan wasn't wrong at all," Long Yangjun said. "The birth of a brand-new virtual life and the virtualization of human beings are unstoppable!
"Perhaps not everybody is glad to witness such a change. But if one percent of the people volunteer to live in the virtual world, or if the lack of resources and the harsh environment force people to hide in the virtual world and build a tiny paradise there, is there any reason other people should change and even destroy the lifestyle they have chosen?
"Professor Mo Xuan does not need to play any tricks and ploys at all. The Spiriters will eventually be born. It is only a matter of when and how many.
"Since the Spiriters will inevitably be born, as an important member of the academic field of the federation and the 'human-shaped crystal processor' with the highest computational ability nationwide, Professor Mo Xuan has begun explorations and studies on the 'Spiriters' with everyone's future in mind. What's wrong with that?
"Even if you do treat the Spiriters as a certain 'disease' of the civilization of mankind, you cannot just ignore it because you don't like it. All the more reason you should analyze and study it carefully in order to find a cure. Isn't this what Professor Mo Xuan is doing right now?"
Li Yao nodded quickly. "I understand all the logic, but I still feel quite weird."
Long Yangjun laughed. "Are you worried that Professor Mo Xuan is actually a supervillain who is pretending to be a good guy and that a great scheme has been hidden below the 'Tinder Plan', say, to make the Spiriters rule over the world and conquer all human beings?
"But I don't think it is plausible.
"I don't know much about Professor Mo Xuan. So, I don't know whether he is good or bad. However, he is the man with the highest computational ability in the federation after all, which is higher even than what is expected of the Divinity Transformation Stage. He is known as the 'super human-shaped crystal processor'!
"The thing about the crystal processor is that it is absolutely rational and calm. It will analyze everything carefully and will not consider short-term gains and losses. It is not as emotional as human beings!
"First of all, virtual life does not need the resources necessary for regular people at all. Professor Mo Xuan was right. There was no reason for them to fight humans and demons.
"Secondly, even if Professor Mo Xuan is a great supervillain whose ambition is to make the Spiriters to conquer mankind, with his computational ability above the Divinity Transformation Stage, it should be more than easy to figure out that the crystal processors and the Spiritual Nexus in the federation today are still too underdeveloped. Even the reproduction problem of the 'Spiriters' was not resolved yet. They are babies in the cradle right now. It is certainly not a good time to declare war on the 'old human beings'.
"Even if he does have a scheme, he should develop regularly first for hundreds more years until the technology is advanced enough and the population of the Spiriters soars. That's the only way to get a promising rate of success, right?
"In short, as long as he bears the fundamental interests of the 'Spiriters' in mind, he definitely won't activate his scheme, if he has one, at this point. It is too rash and hasty. Is it Professor Mo Xuan's style?"
"No. I found it quite odd, too." Li Yao frowned. "My professor is not such an unwise and reckless man. Even if he has other hopes for the future of the Spiriters, he should know that the rise of the Spiriters will not take place in the next hundreds of years!
"He said exactly the same things just now. I don't think that he was lying. Besides, I do not feel that professor was a super villain, either. Even in his most aggressive moment just now, I only felt that he was a bit mad, but I didn't feel any selfishness and evilness from him.
"How should I put it? I've met a few bad guys who pretend to be good guys before, such as Yan Xibei, Xiao Xuance, or Lu Zui. But professor is different from them. Professor is a good guy. I have no doubt in that!"
Long Yangjun changed the topic and suddenly asked, "If we are talking about suspicious points, I'm more curious about one thing. Why did Professor Mo Xuan talk so much with Lin Jiu, the captain of Team Red Lotus?
"Lin Jiu is not an important big shot, even with war between the federation and the Black Wind Fleet drawing close. You are just here for a visit. I think a brief small talk would've sufficed. Was it necessary for him to ignore all the celebrities of the federal army and the Secret Sword Bureau and talk so much to you?
"You spent two hours in the virtual cabin. He must've been quite eloquent!"
Long Yangjun was deep in thought. "Perhaps he was buying time for himself, but it still doesn't make sense. There was no reason to waste so much time on a second-rate person like captain of Team Red Lotus! You are at the beginning level of the Nascent Soul Stage at best. There are more than a thousand Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators in the federation. Even if a scheme was prepared, you couldn't have been qualified to be its target!"
Was I being too sensitive? Li Yao took a deep breath. "In any case, I'm thinking of leaving the Hundred Flowers Space Zone in advance and jumping to the Heaven's Origin Sector to find Ding Lingdang and Jin Xinyue sooner. After I find the two of them, I won't worry about the scheme that there may or may not be at all!"
Soon, the shuttle returned to the space port where the carrier was docked.
Since they were the special delegation, their starship had the privilege of being maintained and filled with fuel in advance. After a while, preparations for the jump were done.
Li Yao had planned to publicize his identity in the Hundred Flowers Space Zone, but he was in a hurry for the space jump. There would certainly be a lot of fuss if Yan Liren heard that he was actually 'Monster Li'.
Therefore, he might as well wait until he reached the Heaven's Origin Sector. Li Yao only wanted to get away from the Hundred Flowers Space Zone sooner.
