Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

Four days later, a ‘humpback-level’ carrier gradually appeared in the boundless sea of stars and sailed slowly to the central area of the Cross Wind Space Zone.

Such long-distance carriers often shortened the time of sailing by performing multiple space jumps.

Most of the time during the journey, the passengers stayed in tiny deep sleep capsules with their bodies soaked in special protective liquids. Their consciousness would stay within the Grand Illusionary Land for entertainment.

In such a way, the ordinary people, whose bodies were relatively weak, could also withstand the tearing force during space jumps.

Right now, the long journey had almost come to an end. Most of the passengers had left their sleep capsules and entered the open area to warm up their bodies.

Sitting in a corner of the dining room, Li Yao placed seven mechanical watches of different brands and structures on the table before him. He tapped his fingers on the table.

Suddenly, he flipped his hands, and invisible spiritual energy flooded toward the seven mechanical watches like tides.

CRACK! CRACK!

After a series of tiny cracking sounds, the seven watches were dismantled into the most fundamental components. The clutch wheel, the tourbillon, the decompression lever… More than 8,400 components were mixed together in midair under the guidance of Li Yao’s fingers in a variety of different shapes, at one moment a lozenge, the next a cube.

Shua!

A deep blue color suddenly flashed. All the components were parted from each other and reassembled into seven watches.

Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

Six watches were running precisely without the slightest fault. But the second hand of the last watch was shivering and only moved forward every two seconds or so.

My technique of remote manipulation is not good enough yet. I can only dismantle and assemble six watches simultaneously at best right now.

It will be something if I can control nine watches and ten thousand components at my will.

By then, ordinary crystal suits will not be able to withstand my touch however smooth and seamless they seem.

Li Yao half closed his eyes and extended his spiritual threads into the seven watches, while he sensed the tiniest changes in the components and located the source of the malfunction of the last watch.

He suddenly felt something and opened his eyes, only to discover that a plump girl was staring at him in bewilderment with two glasses of soybean milk, two boiled eggs, and a plate of steamed buns.

It was possible that the little girl had seen his performance just now.

Since he was about to reach his destination, Li Yao was in a quite good mood. He smiled at the little girl and waved his hands.

The little girl hesitated. Seeing that the dining room was full of people, she finally could not hold her curiosity and summoned her courage to go to the stranger and said, “Big brother, was that a magic trick?”

Li Yao thought for a while and snapped his fingers, retrieving a cluster of red metal the size of a baby’s fist.

The metal was named ‘Red Bright Gold’. It could ease the mind and calm people down. It was particularly helpful to prevent the children from crying at night and improve their sleep quality.

Li Yao smiled and said, “I’m going to do another magic trick for you.”

He folded his hands and covered the Red Bright Gold, which was extremely hard, inside his palms. His hands were gradually enveloped by orange brilliance.

The little girl bulged her eyes. “It’s so hot. Your hands seem to be on fire, big brother!”

Li Yao laughed. “It’s alright. Come here, little sister. Blow at my hands.”

The little took a long breath and blew at Li Yao’s hands hard while holding her belly. She then looked at Li Yao in expectation.

Li Yao whispered spells, and his eyes were flickering fast. A moment later, he opened his hands again.

The sharp-edged Red Bright Gold was now shaped like a vivid deer by his spiritual gas.

The red deer had the slightest details and was elegantly shaped.

If somebody else saw it, they would definitely think that it was a masterpiece from an expert sculptor.

“Wow!”

The little girl opened her mouth in disbelief. Her big blinking eyes were full of admiration.

Li Yao smiled. “Here, this deer is my gift for you. But do not tell anyone about my magic trick. Otherwise, they might come to me for deer, too. I don’t have so many deer with me.”

“Sure. I won’t tell anybody!”

The little girl was completely hooked by the red deer. She held it carefully and appreciated it with great interest, while she mumbled to herself, “Such a beautiful deer. She seems to be drinking water with her head lowered. It’s so marvelous. Thank you, big brother. I’m going to show it to my father!”

The little girl did not have time to bother with her tray. She simply left it on the table and jumped into the crowd clutching the red deer.

Li Yao planned to have a rest in the cabin. But since the little girl’s food was still there, it didn’t seem right to leave immediately.

A moment later, a slightly-fat, middle-aged man in plain clothes came to him, followed by the little girl.

There was a unique feeling of shrewdness and honesty in the middle-aged man, suggesting that he might be a merchant travelling about. He apologized to Li Yao sincerely, “I’m terribly sorry, mister. My daughter likes to snatch good items when she sees one. That’s very bad of her. Such a delicate handcraft is definitely very expensive. How can you take it?

“Hurry up.” He touched his daughter and said, “What did I tell you before we set off? You behaved quite well all the way here, and now you are naughty again because we are almost home! Return it to your big brother!”

“Okay!”

The little girl pouted her lips and handed over the red deer unwillingly.

Li Yao smiled and pushed it back into the little girl’s hands. “It’s alright. It is just a gift that I gave to the little sister. Just consider it as a toy.”

“That is very kind of you!”

Seeing the delight on his daughter’s face, the middle-aged man sat in front of Li Yao and pushed the tray over. “Here. Have you eaten anything, mister? Do you want some?”

The middle-aged man was quite warm, and the little girl was innocent, too. Li Yao found it hard to say no to them.

Over the past half year, he had been training crazily in Flying Star University and had almost forgotten what a normal life should be like. It did not seem like a bad idea to take a brief rest during the journey.

The middle-aged man’s family name was Tong, and he was a native of the Cross Wind Space Zone, running a small business there.

Naturally, Li Yao did not reveal his real identity. He only said that his family name was Sand, and he had just graduated from a college in Heavenly Saints City and come to the Cross Wind Space Zone to try his luck since it was developing quite well.

“Little Sand, it is a wise decision to come to the Cross Wind Space Zone! The Cross Wind Space Zone had not been developing well over the past year; it has been soaring and putting on a new appearance every day!”

Old Tong shelled the eggs and said proudly, “Other than anything else, the very humpback-level carrier that we are in right now is the first clue.

“The Cross Wind Space Zone was only an unknown small space zone in the past and absolutely no match for the top three prosperous space zones of the Flying Star Sector. The transportation routes to and from Heavenly Saints City were few, and the carriers were ragged. One space jump would require three days and three nights of preparation!

“At that time, it would take me at least two weeks to go to Heavenly Saints City!

“But right now, with the most advanced carrier of the Flying Star Sector, three to five hours are enough to prepare a space jump. Besides, our transportation routes have been given the highest priority. When we reach a jumping point, however many carriers are waiting in line, we will perform the space jump in priority.

“After only three days, we’ve completed twenty-two short-distance space jumps across more than ten space zones and arrived in the Cross Wind Space Zone from Heavenly Saints City. This is indeed rushing speed!

“Do you know the reason for the Cross Wind Space Zone’s dramatic change?”

Li Yao smiled. “What is it?”

“The Glorious Sunlight Group, of course!” exclaimed Old Tong as he slapped his thigh, his face flushed. “Little Sand, you are a college student in Heavenly Saints City, and you must’ve heard about the Glorious Sunlight Group before. But only the natives of the Cross Wind Space Zone have experienced the changes that the Glorious Sunlight Group has brought for us!

“Since it was established in the beginning of this year, the Glorious Sunlight Group has been expanding exponentially. It has been setting up fleets of carriers, acquiring Cultivation sects, monopolizing the minerals and resources on Iron Plateau, producing new magical equipment… The momentum has never halted, and there were big movements almost on a monthly basis!

“Right now, the Glorious Sunlight Group’ child companies, branches, and affiliated sects are scattered in every world fragment and space town of the Cross Wind Space Zone. It has, in effect, become the dominator of the Cross Wind Space Zone and made our hometown a place of business that almost equals the top three space zones!

“The Cross Wind Space Zone is never short of opportunities today. There’s gold everywhere. Young people from Heavenly Saints City such as you are likely to soar into the sky if you are diligent and smart enough to seize the opportunities that the Glorious Sunlight Group offers!”

“Is that so?”

Li Yao thought of something and was interested in the opinion of the ordinary people about the Glorious Sunlight Group and Iron Plateau. He then asked, “Brother Tong, I’m told that the Glorious Sunlight Group is deeply connected to Iron Plateau?”

“What’s wrong about Iron Plateau?” Old Tong frowned and said, “Currently, many files about Iron Plateau are gradually being declassified. Everybody knows that the six sects of Heavenly Saints City and the Iron Plateau natives do not see eye to eye with each other because of the competition for rightfulness. But for countryfolk doing business such as us, the events five thousand years ago are too far away, are they not?

“It’s clear that the Glorious Sunlight Group is backed by the Iron Plateau natives. But so what?

“Right now, since the Glorious Sunlight Group is headquartered in the Cross Wind Space Zone, this place has become an important transfer base for the communication between Iron Plateau and the outside world. Just think about it. How many business opportunities are out there and how many benefits will the Cross Wind Space Zone earn from the endeavor?

“Isn’t it perfect that everyone’s making money?

“Before, we thought that the Iron Plateau natives were primitive barbarians and were rather worried. But later, as we got in touch with them as some of the Iron Plateau natives arrived in the Cross Wind Space Zone through the Glorious Sunlight Group, we discovered that, although they can be a bit uncivilized, they have one nose and two eyes and looked exactly like us!”

Li Yao pondered for a moment and asked again, “Brother Tong, the rise of the Glorious Sunlight Group is definitely beneficial for ordinary people. But what about Cultivation sects? I don’t think they would welcome the arrival of such a conglomerate, would they?”