Chapter 517 - 500: Grand Strategy
Three of the Small Thousand Realm’s four great experts were present, and their expressions were quite relaxed. If the Extreme Dao Immortal Venerable, Yellow Springs, had also arrived, the gathering would have been truly complete.
The grudges and romances between these four great experts were likely the stuff of legend, but they had long since been buried by the sands of time.
"Vast Sea, Qingqiu, you’ve certainly made quite a stir this time. Are you truly that confident in Mingren and Lin Jinghao?"
The Dragon Emperor chuckled. A reunion of old friends was a rare occasion for them.
"It’s not a matter of confidence. The order has already been established. It makes no difference who ultimately stands in that position."
Vast Sea’s face held a composure unique to Human Cultivators—a return to simplicity born from experiencing the vicissitudes of life.
At that moment, the sound of soft footsteps echoed as the Saintess walked in. She quietly sat to one side and prepared tea for the three of them.
"Little Zhen, your Ninefold Heaven Saint Body has already reached Great Success. What are your thoughts on this Battle of the Other Shore? Will we three old-timers be able to achieve our desires?"
Vast Sea asked.
The Saintess smiled faintly. "Just as you said earlier, some things are preordained. The order is in place; destiny will make its choice."
"It seems you’ve all grown quite united after spending so much time together. The Dragon Race doesn’t believe in such things. That old fellow from the Extreme Dao has certainly made his move already. What will you do if his chosen one ultimately succeeds?"
Vast Sea and Liao Qingqiu both smiled. "Little Zhen, you tell him."
The Saintess placed the three freshly prepared cups of tea before them. Here in the Pure Land, a place that gathered the essence of heaven and earth, under the warm sunlight, these peerless experts discussed the fate of the Small Thousand Realm. For them, it was a quaint diversion, yet it was the ultimate aspiration for countless other Cultivators.
"The Star Lord and Sect Leader’s thoughts are very clear. No matter who ultimately sits in that position, nothing will truly change. Besides, Mingren and Lin Jinghao are the undisputed strongest of this generation, and even the next. The two of them should be able to replicate the legend of this generation."
The Saintess’s voice was gentle and soft. As the possessor of the Ninefold Heaven Saint Body, Little Zhen wielded a special power, one that even the four great experts could not fathom. But her Heart Spirit was so strong that it rendered her body exceedingly fragile. She could only remain in a place like the Pure Land, which was rich in Elemental Power, as she could not withstand turmoil or impact.
The Dragon Emperor smiled, but an imperious aura radiated from him. "Little Zhen, you’re not being entirely sincere. You’re clearly holding something back. The order is static, but people are dynamic. You humans are indeed skilled at creating, but don’t forget, you are also the most skilled at destroying. Building is hard, but destruction is easy."
Little Zhen smiled. "Senior Dragon Emperor, the truth is, some people are fated to never see the light of day."
Though spoken casually, her words were filled with confidence. It was a blatant show of contempt for the Extreme Dao Immortal Venerable—one of the four great experts—and the rest of the Extreme Dao Alliance.
"Haha, Little Zhen, that one sentence of yours is enough to make that old fellow Yellow Springs fly into a rage."
Vast Sea laughed. The Extreme Dao Alliance was also growing, but for the Star Alliance, this was inevitable. In truth, even if the Extreme Dao Alliance hadn’t appeared, various other organizations would have. It was a natural law. However, given the Star Alliance’s current situation, no one could disrupt this great order.
"The Star Alliance’s order is currently in a flourishing new phase of vigorous growth; it has yet to reach its peak. As long as the order itself has not entered its period of decline, mortal power cannot reverse it. Moreover, destiny will always give rise to people who drive it forward, just as we did back in our day. Someone from this generation will also step up."
Liao Qingqiu said. She had chosen Mingren, and it was absolutely the correct choice. Although she was also a supporter of the current order, she had to consider the interests of the Demon Race, which was why she chose Mingren.
Vast Sea’s choice of Lin Jinghao was also very wise. He had the support of the largest human Sect, and crucially, he was an interesting person himself—one with the heart of a Demon yet the foundation of the Dao. Although his style might vary slightly, the essence was the same.
As for personal strength, he was naturally powerful, at least no weaker than Mingren. Otherwise, Vast Sea wouldn’t be Vast Sea.
Listening to the two of them speak so eloquently, the Dragon Emperor remained unfazed. He suddenly said, "Believe it or not, everything the two of you are doing is just paving the way for me."
Liao Qingqiu and Vast Sea exchanged a glance and both smiled. Vast Sea shook his head slightly. "Old Tu, when it comes to personal ability, I do admire you. But in this regard, hehe, you’re not even in the same league as me."
Even though the three of them had reached such a supreme level, they still possessed a childlike stubbornness.
"Old Tu, we’ve been preparing for decades. Don’t tell me you plan to waltz in and take the lion’s share?"
Liao Qingqiu laughed as well, her charm truly endless. In truth, with the Demon Race’s abilities, appearance could be altered, but time passed was time passed. Allowing for some change was a state of mind. But without a doubt, Liao Qingqiu’s allure was unquestionable. It was a pity that those who could appreciate it were peerless experts, all individuals of astounding self-control.
An arrogant smile touched the corner of Tu Mu’s lips. "My Dragon Race either doesn’t act, or we never fail when we do."
His voice was calm. He was facing two of the most powerful people in the Small Thousand Realm, yet the Dragon Emperor was as domineering as ever.
"Hehe, the results of the first stage will be out soon. I’m also very curious to see what you have up your sleeve."
Vast Sea laughed. It was obvious Wang Meng had received help from the Dragon Race. But when it came to the path of strength, especially one’s foundation, that was something even the Dragon Race couldn’t just grant. And from what he understood, the Dragon Emperor didn’t seem to have intervened much, merely showing his favor.
Because with Tu Mu’s pride, it was highly unlikely he would do too much. Otherwise, even if his candidate won, it would have nothing to do with his foresight, and that was something the Dragon Race could not bear.
The Dragon Race was powerful, but their "flaws" in character were also too obvious. They themselves knew it, yet they would never change their ways. Otherwise, the Dragon Race wouldn’t be the Dragon Race.
The Saintess, meanwhile, was a good listener, keeping the tea warm for the three of them.
’Wang Meng... he actually led four Holy Hall Disciples into the final top fifty. That’s something even I didn’t expect. On the Ninefold Heaven’s Destiny Star Map, Mingren and Lin Jinghao are clearly the well-deserved Ziwei Stars. The twin Ziwei brilliance is also a good sign for the destiny of this order. But Wang Meng... he is a variable.’
’Most importantly, even with my Great Success stage Ninefold Heaven Holy Statue, I still can’t fathom what he is. I can’t even tell if his influence on destiny is good or bad.’
’This confusion and contradiction was something I clearly had to understand. That was why I acted during the Extreme Dao Alliance’s attack.’
’In truth, injuries that severe couldn’t have been healed even with the Pure Land’s resources. Yet, this person miraculously healed himself.’
’Even now, after so much has happened, I still want to know. Because this is the first thing I have ever been ignorant of.’
The top fifty masters had been determined. In between, there was a rest period for the various Sects, which was also a time for them to promote themselves.
The Ten Great Sects undoubtedly launched a frantic PR offensive in the Great Yuan Realm, aiming to boost their prestige among the various Small Thousand Realms. In the future, the Star Alliance would establish Grand Teleportation Arrays in all major Small Thousand Realms to enhance resource exchange. The top one hundred Sects of the Star Alliance would be the first movers, and they were keenly aware of the benefits. To gain an edge and advantage in these future exchanges, a Sect’s strength and reputation were clearly paramount.
At the same time, they could attract outstanding talent from other Small Thousand Realms. In the future, the recruitment of new disciples for each Sect would no longer be limited to their own Small Thousand Realm, but would span all of them. That would be a truly grand spectacle.
If, at this stage of the game, any Sect Leader had not yet realized this, they were truly ready to be eliminated.
The Ten Great Sects had their own aggressive promotional methods, while Sects with distinct characteristics like the Heart Sword Sect, the Ten Thousand Talisman Sect, and the Power Sect would also capitalize on their unique strengths.
Every Sect was pulling out all the stops, and the five Star Alliance cities were, of course, bustling with extraordinary excitement.
Although the battles were about to move to the Pure Land, the number of Cultivators traveling to the Small Thousand Realm was still increasing. This was because even though the fights would take place in the Pure Land, enormous video Teleportation Arrays would be set up in the central squares of the five major cities, allowing everyone to watch the final showdown in the Pure Land even more clearly.
The first-ever "Number One Under Heaven" was about to be born. Who would want to miss such an event?
Moreover, the credibility of this title was beyond question. The strongest Human Cultivators, the strongest Demon Race cultivators, and even the Dragon Race had participated. Anyone who fought their way through such a lineup, even if by luck, possessed an invincible sort of luck.
But in reality, the Star Alliance was ruthless and would basically not allow luck to be the deciding factor.
One Sect, in particular, had gained astounding popularity, in no way inferior to the Ten Great Sects. It was, without a doubt, the Holy Hall! Hex Zui was absolutely swamped. It wasn’t that he was unprepared; it was that there were too many visiting Cultivators. They were truly working the Holy Hall Disciples to the bone. They had to urgently call in reinforcements, and the Old Demon Dean even arranged for a larger residence for the Holy Hall Faction.
Many Cultivators came to inquire about the Holy Hall’s situation and potential avenues for cooperation. Of course, more were considering their own children and nephews, trying to learn about the Holy Hall’s entrance test. After all, who wouldn’t want to join such a miraculous Sect?
The truth about the Holy Hall’s situation did leave many people stunned. The entry requirements were pitifully low. However, the Holy Hall now operated on a policy of "easy entry, strict graduation." The competition within the Jiufen Hall would clearly become even more intense.
Zhou Luodan and the others did a rough calculation: the number of prospective members from other Small Thousand Realms already exceeded that from the Four Directions Small Thousand World itself. It was truly shocking. It seemed they would have to make some changes to the entry requirements, or the Holy Hall would really be overwhelmed.
As for how to get to the Pure Land, the Star Alliance’s notice had yet to arrive. The Cultivators were all busy, some visiting friends and family. People like Zhang Xiaojiang were taken by Hu Jing to promote the Holy Hall. After all, they couldn’t afford to relax either.
Wang Meng wasn’t idle either. To be precise, it was impossible for him to be idle. There were too many visitors. He turned away all those he could. Many other contestants had chosen to refuse all guests and prepare for the Pure Land, but things at the Holy Hall were proceeding as usual.
"Brother Wang, I’m not intruding, am I?"
Song Yifan had also fought his way into the top fifty. This Sect Leader’s Disciple from the Jiuling Sect had also used his own Holy Statue in the final round, and it was already at a considerable level of mastery.
Seeing his old friend, Wang Meng smiled and shrugged. "I’m definitely happy to see you. These past two days have been killing me."
Song Yifan couldn’t help but chuckle. "You’re keeping your doors open to visitors, of course people are going to flock to you. Ah, I guess that includes me. But you all seem so relaxed. Aren’t you worried at all about the final battle in the Pure Land? You know, quite a few people are raring to take you down."
"There’s no use sharpening your spear right before a battle; a shiny blade is useless. Besides, I also bear the responsibility of a Sect Leader, so I can’t just hide away," Wang Meng said with a smile. "By the way, how is Brother Hann?"