I Can Control Resources

A soldier’s highest duty is to obey orders.

Shen Fei had brought an order from the Military Department. This was a testament to his determination.

Wu Qingjing remained silent for a long time.

In his heart, no one wanted to abandon the nearly twenty million people of the Northern District. But as the Speaker of the Supreme Council, he needed to be rational above all else.

Over the past month, the Human Alliance’s situation had taken a dramatic turn.

The Celestial King Group began selling Attribute Elixirs at a tenth of the market price—and with an unlimited supply. This allowed many who had been stuck at the Tier Six Late Stage to find their chance for a breakthrough.

It was safe to say that this past month had seen the fastest increase in high-tier individuals in the Alliance’s history.

Most importantly, it wasn’t just mid-tiers breaking through to the high tiers. There was also a significant increase in those advancing from Tier Seven to Tier Eight, and from Tier Eight to Tier Nine.

It was just as Gao Neng had said a month ago.

He had actually done it. He had completely reshuffled the elixir industry, forced the sects and noble families to submit, and centralized all of the Alliance’s resources.

It was a monumental turning point for reform!

But unfortunately, this turning point had come a little too late.

Winter had officially arrived.

The North District Alien Race’s attacks grew fiercer. Furthermore, since this was the final winter before the great war, the alien races in the other districts also hoped to achieve more victories before it began.

Thus, alien races from the Eastern, Southern, and Western Districts poured into the Northern District Battlefield. It was finally overwhelmed, unable to resist any longer.

Sacrificing twenty million people to buy time and save the remaining five hundred million—this was a decision the Federation Government’s Supreme Council had been forced to make.

Wu Qingjing’s heart was heavy...

But now, he discovered he wouldn’t just be sacrificing twenty million civilians. He might also have to throw in a Tier Eight Late Stage commander and an entire group of soldiers. The thought made his heart ache even more.

But he couldn’t stop any of it.

Because Shen Fei’s stance was resolute.

Humanity’s greatest strength and greatest weakness have always been one and the same: there are always those who refuse to abandon the innocent.

History was full of such instances.

To cover the retreat of a hundred people, an army of several hundred would be left behind to hold off the enemy. In the end, all several hundred of them would be wiped out.

Wu Qingjing now faced the same kind of choice.

If he ordered the Northern District garrison to hold out for four days, buying Shen Fei just one more day, then Shen Fei could very likely complete his mission.

But if that happened...

How many of the Northern District’s one hundred thousand garrisoned troops would have to die?

The cost would be far more than just a single group...

"Go, Commander Shen. Carry out your orders!" Wu Qingjing gritted his teeth. In the end, he issued no further commands. He was, after all, the Speaker of the Supreme Council.

"Yes, sir!" Shen Fei turned and left.

The other council members glanced silently at Wu Qingjing. After all, everyone present knew that Shen Fei’s identity was far from ordinary.

Shen Fei was Shen Changsheng’s only surviving son.

He was Shen Ning’Er’s second uncle.

So, what would be the consequences when news of Shen Fei entering the Northern District Battlefield got out?

"This matter must absolutely not reach Gao Neng!" Wu Qingjing glanced around. He naturally knew what the other council members were thinking.

"..." None of the surrounding council members spoke.

"I can only hope that Shen Ning’Er doesn’t... *sigh*..." Wu Qingjing let out a long breath.

He could block news from the council from reaching the Underground City, but he couldn’t stop it from spreading within the Military Department. After all, the Shen Ning’Er of today was not the same person she was a month ago.

A month ago, Shen Ning’Er had been the first to emerge from the Underground City.

At the time, no one knew what she planned to do.

But they soon found out. Carrying a spear, Shen Ning’Er challenged twenty Tier Six Late Stage masters from the nine great sects and the Thirteen Noble Families in the span of just five days.

That was four battles a day!

That level of insanity was even more intense than when Gao Neng used to accept two challenges in a single day.

And most importantly, Shen Ning’Er had won all twenty of her battles.

After that...

Shen Ning’Er issued no more challenges.

Because she had already broken through, reaching Tier Seven in a single stroke.

Wu Qingjing had assumed Shen Ning’Er would return to the Underground City to continue cultivating after her breakthrough, but that wasn’t what happened.

After breaking through to the high tiers, Shen Ning’Er went straight to the Eastern District Battlefield. With the rank of Colonel, she took command of the First Group of the Third Division in the Second Corps.

A month went by...

She was promoted from Group Commander to Deputy Division Commander.

Now, Shen Ning’Er was the Deputy Division Commander of the Second Corps’ Third Division, as well as the commander of the 7th Independent Brigade. Furthermore, she held the rank of Major General.

An eighteen-year-old Major General—the first in the history of the Alliance Military Department!

And it was a position with real authority.

’Shen Fei is the commander of the Second Corps, and Shen Ning’Er is its Deputy Division Commander... *Sigh*. It’s going to be incredibly difficult to keep this from her!’ Wu Qingjing felt mentally exhausted.

There was simply no hiding something like this.

His only hope, then, was that Shen Ning’Er would be rational and not do anything impulsive over Shen Fei.

Time...

Time was what they needed most right now!

Wu Qingjing stood up and walked out of the council chamber.

The Human Alliance had reached a critical moment, a matter of life and death. At a time like this, as the Speaker of the Supreme Council, he had to endure the unendurable.

’One year. If they just had one more year, the Human Alliance could definitely grow strong.’

’The great war a year from now!’

’They could very possibly hold out!’

’If they could just hold out one more time!’

’Then, in the war twenty years after that, humanity would surely turn the tables. They would no longer be cowering in the single City of Hope as they were now.’

’And the most important condition to achieve all this was...’

’To ensure Gao Neng stays alive!’

"Secretary Zhang, get me Governor Yutian in the Underground City. Tell him that under no circumstances can news from the Northern District Battlefield reach Gao Neng’s ears!"

"Yes, sir!"

...

「Underground City.」

At the entrance of the Elixir Research Laboratory, Yi Qinglian, dressed in a form-fitting miniskirt, stood before Gao Neng. She wore an apologetic expression, her lips parting and closing as if she found it difficult to speak.

"What, you’re leaving too?" Gao Neng looked at Yi Qinglian, a wry smile touching his lips.

"Yes, I need to make a trip to my sect," Yi Qinglian nodded.

"Then go." Gao Neng waved his hand. In truth, many Dragon List Geniuses had already left the Elixir Research Laboratory recently.

More importantly, once they left, they almost never came back.

"I... I’ll be back. I’m not like them!" Yi Qinglian said, looking at Gao Neng and gritting her teeth.

"Alright. I’ll be waiting," Gao Neng said with a smile.

’Swift breakthroughs led to swift partings.’

Over the past month, the Dragon List Geniuses had flocked to the research center. With a steady supply of elixirs, almost all of them had reached their breakthrough bottlenecks.

Shaximo had broken through.

Wei Ye had broken through.

Zhou Jin had broken through as well.

Even Yi Qingge had broken through.

It was one thing for them to break through; after all, they were already at the Tier Six Late Stage when they entered the Dragon List.

But now, even Yi Qinglian was about to break through.

’Why can’t I break through yet?’ Gao Neng tilted his head back. ’For this kind of bullshit to happen to me... it’s really fucking embarrassing.’

After seeing Yi Qinglian off, Gao Neng headed toward his living quarters.

Fang Tangtang, wearing a princess dress, had already prepared all the necessary tools. She had even spritzed on a bit of perfume for the occasion.

"Hey, Gao Neng, you’re back!" Seeing him from a distance, Fang Tangtang skipped to the doorway, her face wreathed in smiles.

"Duh," Gao Neng replied, long accustomed to this routine.

’Damn it. This girl Fang Tangtang had already broken through to the Tier Six Mid Stage this month, all thanks to their dual cultivation every night.’

’Of course she was smiling.’

’The problem was, Gao Neng himself seemed to have stagnated.’

’Of course, it wasn’t true stagnation. He had actually broken through to the Tier Six Late Stage twenty days ago.’

’Essentially, that meant he should be at his bottleneck now, too.’

His body had already been completely magnetized, so his cultivation with Fang Tangtang now consisted of constantly accumulating and circulating energy.

’Do I really have to pick a fight with someone to break through from Tier Six to Tier Seven?’ Gao Neng had been so busy in the research lab that he naturally hadn’t had time for any brawls.

But fundamentally, he didn’t quite agree with that philosophy.

’Why should you have to fight to level up?’

’It’s not scientific!’

’Can’t you just make a breakthrough after a long period of accumulation?’

’Once the energy in your body accumulates to its peak, you should naturally break through.’

This was Gao Neng’s philosophy.

So, he chose to continue cultivating.

But twenty days had passed. One by one, the people around him had left, and one by one, news of their breakthroughs had arrived. It was starting to get depressing.

’This plotline is all wrong. I, Gao Neng, am clearly the number one genius. How could I possibly be stuck at a bottleneck? I, Gao Neng, absolutely cannot be stuck at a bottleneck, because I don’t have bottlenecks!’ Gao Neng shook his head. He decided to give it one last try tonight.

’Gotta be hard, gotta be fierce, gotta go all out!’

"Hurry up and go take a bathy-bath! After your bathy-bath, we can start dual cultivating!" Fang Tangtang wasn’t the least bit angry at Gao Neng’s mood.

’The feeling of leveling up as fast as a rocket...’

’It was just so amazing!’

Completely ignoring Gao Neng’s gloom, Fang Tangtang pulled off his outer jacket and pushed him toward the second-floor bathroom.

"SHHHHHH!"

Warm water cascaded over his body.

After a quick rinse, Gao Neng sat down in the medicinal barrel that had been prepared for him, beginning his requisite daily herbal bath.

On a stand next to the barrel, there was also a cup of warm herbal tea.

Fang Tangtang had prepared all of this for him.

Too lazy to do it himself, Gao Neng simply drank the tea while he soaked.

「Thirty minutes later.」

Fang Tangtang came running up right on time.

"Herbal bath time is up!"