Evolution - Chapter 160
Chapter 160
“Huh? Spiritual energy that enhances specific attributes? We’ve never researched that.”
When He Yi learned that her future research direction had already been decided—and that results from research that didn’t even exist yet had already been promised—her voice was filled with helpless confusion.
“What’s the big deal? Just teach them the method to increase spiritual energy concentration and let them figure it out themselves!” Chu Ci didn’t give it a second thought. She had only said they would research it later, not that they would definitely succeed!
“Huh? Is that really okay?” As a meticulous researcher, He Yi hesitated, trying to stop her righteous Big Sister from sliding into the abyss of deceit and trickery.
Doing the research was one thing, but using it to trade for money before it had even begun? That didn’t seem right.
Big Sister thought He Yi was a poor, sheltered little thing. Seeing her shocked expression, she patted her on the head and said dismissively, “It’s the same with alchemy, weapon forging, array creation, and talisman drawing. The person who wants it provides the materials and processing fee. If it succeeds, they take it. If it fails, it’s gone!”
So brazen, so straightforward.
“The Academy of Sciences has plenty of projects that get shelved midway through research, you know,” Yu Zhiyao calmly added her support. “Just because there are no results, does that mean the research funds have to be returned? Failure has its value, too.”
He Yi blinked, looking from her Big Sister’s casual “what’s the big deal” expression to Yu Zhiyao’s righteous “failure has its value” stance. The two powerhouses were completely unfazed, leaving her in the middle like a poor little thing being beaten down by society.
Her clever little brain wasn’t turned to mush by their persuasion, but she decisively gave up on trying to steer them back to the straight and narrow.
Even though it feels like something’s not quite right, it also seems to make sense? Fine, I’ll listen to you!
The others who had come from the Academy of Sciences couldn’t be bothered with all the drama and intricacies of the situation. They were about to pass out from sheer happiness!
The people from He Yi’s sect were so warm and loving. They answered every question, gave them whatever they asked for, served delicious meals every day, and even helped condition their bodies! They swore that even at the Academy of Sciences, they had never received such incredibly thoughtful treatment.
Faced with such divine treatment, the six of them wanted to shriek like delighted groundhogs in their hearts. The Alliance’s ABO system, the Academy of Sciences—they forgot all about it!
All they wanted was to work diligently for Big Sister!
They had thought that once the old “Poverty Alleviation and Wealth Accumulation Group” was fully assembled, their work would progress rapidly. But there was a small hiccup—Ji Changqing’s cultivation was barely at the Foundation Establishment stage, and that was with her never slacking on her daily training. He Yi, being a physically inactive researcher, was even further behind.
So, every day, the two rookies were dragged off to receive a beating from their once virtual and kind, but now real and vicious, companions.
However, He Yi’s main role for the time being was to hand over her past research findings. As long as she provided her systematic research notes and gave a few lectures, she wasn’t really needed for much else at the moment.
From the Seven Realms of Cultivation, the sects that had paid up began to arrive at Ten Thousand Swords Peak one after another, in order of the price they had bid. Each group arrived with solemn expressions but left with beaming smiles, as if they were now on the fast track to immense wealth.
These people were mainly divided into two groups. A small portion came to learn how to increase the concentration of spiritual energy, and they left as soon as they were done. They were impressed by the farming and animal husbandry demonstration bases on Ten Thousand Swords Peak, finding the combination arrays and large-scale joint harvesters quite remarkable. They placed many orders and returned fully loaded.
The other, much larger group consisted of people sent to be at Ten Thousand Swords Peak’s beck and call—no, that’s not right. They were sent for a work-study program, to act as assistants to the researchers and learn on the job.
This group was mostly made up of young disciples who were still naive to the ways of the world. Everything was new and exciting to them. They shopped until they dropped, and once their purses were empty, they had no choice but to join the construction crew, sweating to build up the peaks under Ten Thousand Swords Peak’s jurisdiction to earn funds for their next shopping spree.
They didn’t mind at all; in fact, they were having a blast.
They were technically on a sect mission, so their sects continued to pay their disciple allowances and would also calculate their monthly spirit stones and contribution points for this mission. But by working here, they could also earn spirit stones and contribution points from the project team. It was like one job, two salaries! Occasionally, they even received pointers from Chu Ci. Just thinking about it, how could they not feel like they’d struck gold?!
Those old foxes were also incredibly cunning. Most of the disciples they sent were sword cultivators who also practiced other skills; only a small number were pure technicians.
They had spent the money and sent the people, so they had to at least fleece Chu Ci in return!
Chu Ci didn’t mind. Herding one sheep was the same as herding a flock. Since she was already training her own junior brothers and sisters, she might as well do it all at once.
Her sword intent was complete, and her Dao heart was perfect. All she lacked was the accumulation of spiritual energy and the tempering of her meridians; breakthroughs were a matter of course. She had been in seclusion for over six thousand years already, so there was no need to retreat for further enlightenment!
Moreover, she had returned from her trip with more than just a full wallet. She had also successfully completed the second step of their future plans by bringing back a joint research and development agreement signed by the Seven Realms of Cultivation.
The agreement stipulated how much capital and personnel each realm was willing to contribute for the first phase, tentatively set for a hundred years, to assist the Blue Star-based project in jointly building a cultivation-technology research program with the Alliance’s ABO system. It also extended a welcome to all other power and cultivation systems to join.
One could learn from others. Since they were at the forefront and had reaped the early benefits, they might as well go big. One had to think long-term and have a grander vision. Since the people from the Alliance’s ABO system Academy of Sciences could figure out how to increase the concentration and activity of spiritual energy, they might be able to do the same for other systems too!
By investing first, if any progress was made in combining cultivation and technology, it could naturally be applied to other systems as well! At that point, they could happily fleece the other systems!
Winning by doing nothing was truly the greatest joy!
When Major General Xie'er received the complete project proposal from Yu Zhiyao, she also received the agreement signed by the Seven Realms Cultivation Alliance.
“You’re really something else!” she said with a laugh, admiring the agreement. It was truly a sight to behold. She wondered what immense benefits could have driven this group of aloof cultivators to lower themselves like this, offering money, people, and resources so willingly.
In the past, people in the Alliance’s ABO system wouldn’t have dared to dream of something so wonderful!
“Weren’t we forced into it?” Yu Zhiyao gestured vaguely at the documents in Xie'er's hand. “When you get back, remember to tell Teacher Sith about my situation. With him backing it and you co-signing, things will go much smoother.”
“Why do I feel like ever since we discovered Blue Star and met you guys, my life has been on easy mode?!” Major General Xie'er exclaimed dramatically. Although she would get a share of the credit whether she was involved or not, the way these people kept shoving merits into her mouth, regardless of whether she could swallow them, was a bit much!
The response to her pretentious act was a merciless scoff from Yu Zhiyao. Xie'er immediately sensed trouble, and sure enough, Yu Zhiyao’s next words were sharp. “Isn’t that because Claire always manages to smooth things over for you?”
“That’s because we have great synergy!” Major General Xie'er declared, feeling proud rather than ashamed.
Despite the teasing, when she thought of the lead that still needed to be investigated, Major General Xie'er’s expression turned serious. She reminded Yu Zhiyao, “Something’s not quite right on Blue Star. Even if the project proposal is approved, you all need to be careful. It’s best to wait until we’ve cleaned up these people.”
“You mean the people on Blue Star stirring up emotions and creating a covert opposition to the Alliance?” Yu Zhiyao wasn’t surprised at all. Blue Star was home to all sorts of bizarre ideologies and factions. To consolidate power and protect their class interests, they could cook up the most illogical, hole-ridden theories.
When she was abducted from the secret project site, her captors had assumed she was unconscious the whole time, so they hadn’t been discreet in their conversations. After listening for a few days, she had pieced together a general idea of the situation.
It was a bit like historical attempts to restore a fallen dynasty. A group of old guards, left behind by the times, found that their old ways no longer worked in this new life, so they were always stirring up foolish and bizarre troubles.
Whether it was due to the loss of power or because they were genuinely stupid enough to believe everyone wanted to return to the fiery pits of the old days, in their eyes, they were the world. If I think this way, you should too. If you don’t, there’s something wrong with your thinking and you need to be re-educated!
They saw sacrificing others for their own private gain as a great gift bestowed upon those being sacrificed.
“Many of the people involved in your incident were from Blue Star. After their arrest, those organizations claimed they were framed and incited public opinion, saying the Alliance wants to colonize Blue Star. Otherwise, they argued, the planet’s highest governing authority should be handed over to the people of Blue Star.”
Such foolish talk was indeed systematic, though utterly illogical. The very reason these people had been forcibly removed from power was that their actions perpetually contradicted the Alliance’s laws on freedom and equality, all while they insisted on “respecting their traditional culture.”
As Yu Zhiyao listened, she began to feel something was off. Why was Xie'er telling her all this in such detail?!
As expected, Major General Xie'er never failed to disappoint. She jutted her chin in Ji Changqing’s direction, a deeply suggestive smile playing on her lips. “Aren’t you planning to stir things up on Blue Star? Not going to bring Ji Changqing along?”
“What are you planning for her now?”
Major General Xie'er cried foul. “What do you mean, ‘now’?! I’ve never had any designs on your Ji Changqing!”
Yu Zhiyao let out a long, meaningful “Hmm?” The threat was self-evident.
A threat from the Academy of Sciences was still quite potent. Major General Xie'er immediately passed the buck. “Claire said it! She said if you two hadn’t disappeared, they could have given Ji Changqing a special promotion. After some training, she could have become the supreme military commander of the Alliance garrison on Blue Star. A perfect solution!”
Yu Zhiyao scoffed at her. What kind of person used Claire as a shield for everything?
Major General Xie'er wasn’t the least bit embarrassed. It was true, Claire really had said it, and at the time, she had even said it was the best solution. After all, among the military personnel from Blue Star, who had a higher rank and a more upright character than Ji Changqing?
What she didn’t mention was that she herself had thought it unlikely at the time. The military merit Ji Changqing had accumulated before her disappearance was more than enough for a promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, but she was still a long way from Colonel. The military command wouldn’t just skip an entire rank to promote her simply to resolve a dispute.
And if they had to wait for her to earn enough merit on her own to be promoted to Major General, it would take decades. By then, it would be too late. How could that be considered the best solution?
However, things were different now. With the immense merit of establishing Blue Star as a pilot planet for the cultivation-technology research project and promoting the integration of the two systems, a special promotion for her was a real possibility. Although Yu Zhiyao was the one leading it, Ji Changqing had also contributed, not to mention she had the support of Chu Ci and the others. Given how much importance the Alliance placed on this matter, she might actually be in line for an exceptional promotion.
Major General Xie'er did her best to persuade Yu Zhiyao, trying her utmost to win her over. “What do you think? This way, you two could work together instead of only seeing each other once every two or three years like before.” At this point, she couldn’t help but gossip a little. “You could even take the opportunity to get married or something. How convenient!”
This situation was special. If Ji Changqing could really receive a special promotion to become the supreme military commander on Blue Star, her unique identity—a native of Blue Star with intricate ties to the cultivation world, being a recognized direct disciple of Lingyun Peak by Chu Ci—would be perfect.
It would kill two birds with one stone: appeasing Blue Star while also coordinating relations with the cultivation world, deepening the connection between both and the Alliance. She might even be stationed on Blue Star for a hundred years. That would be enough time to get married, have children, and even raise them to adulthood!
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