Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)

“T-Traveling?!” Captain Zhan Po thought he had misheard. His mind struggled to keep up.

Lu Yang pointed at the wupeng boat. “See, that’s my boat.”

The salvation squad members’ eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when they saw the boat. When they heard Lu Yang mention having a boat, they had pictured a spacecraft with gleaming metallic surfaces and futuristic technology.

Never in their wildest dreams had they expected it to be just an ordinary boat. A boat like this would appear only in the earliest chapters of their history books.

“By the way, you said this big tiger is the King of Aberrant Beasts and can control all aberrant beasts. Now that it’s dead, what happens to the other aberrant beasts? Will they just die off?”

Zhan Po shook his head, and then his face brimmed with hope and anticipation as he spoke with an iron resolve, “The trickiest thing about the aberrant beasts is how organized they are. Now that the King of Aberrant Beasts is dead, humanity will have the chance to pick them off one by one.

"Ten years—ten years at most—we humans will reclaim Heavensea Planet, which rightfully belongs to us!”

As the salvation squad envisioned that future, they couldn’t help but smile.

Lu Yang smiled along with them. “Ten years is too long. Let me help you.”

Before the salvation squad could react, Lu Yang rose and drew the Qingfeng Sword. Under their stunned gazes, he lifted off the ground and soared into the sky.

Even Yuan Xing, who loved to talk, was rendered speechless.

“Captain, can humans actually fly?” Shi Lingyun nudged Zhan Po. I have already evolved to my peak, yet I still can’t fly. Besides, he doesn’t even have wings. How is he flying?

“Don’t ask me. I have no idea either.”

Lu Yang traversed the clouds and spread his spiritual consciousness across the entire planet, locking onto all aberrant beasts. Every aberrant beast on the planet was laid bare before him. He saw the beast tide attacking the city, the soldiers fighting to their last breath, and the generals vowing to live or die with their city.

The other three of humanity’s Ten Great Experts were within the city, holding the line against the beast tide. Although the tiger was dead and the aberrant beasts had lost their commander, their bloodlust had been awakened through the fighting. Even without their king’s control, they continued their siege.

The aberrant beasts were present not only on land but also in the oceans. Several creatures rivaled the tiger in power, with one even surpassing it. Perhaps the one dwelling in the ocean was the true King of Aberrant Beasts, just that humanity’s leadership and the salvation squad never knew of its existence.

“One Sword into Ten Thousand Swords[1].”

The Qingfeng Sword traced an arc, leaving behind an indelible sword shadow wherever it passed. Those shadows spread like wildfire, proliferating at an inconceivable speed. If one stood in outer space, they would see Heavensea Planet gilded in a layer of golden light. That was the radiance of countless Qingfeng Swords shimmering.

Lu Yang pressed his index and middle fingers together, his vast spiritual consciousness locking onto every aberrant beast. Above each beast’s head, a sword shadow hung suspended.

He softly uttered a single word. “Fall.”

Light shimmered as sword shadows cascaded like rain. They descended like divine judgment, piercing every bloodthirsty aberrant beast indiscriminately. Whether they were ordinary aberrant beasts on land or the true King of Beasts lurking in the ocean, a single sword shadow sufficed to kill each one.

The King of Aberrant Beasts in the ocean seemed to have sensed the threat to its life and fled desperately. The golden sword shadow descended from the heavens and plunged into the sea, and rather than slowing down, it accelerated.

The King of Aberrant Beasts swung its tentacles wildly in an attempt to block the strike.

Boom!

A cloud of blood mist bloomed beneath the water. The King of Aberrant Beasts had yet to show itself to the human world, yet it had met its demise in the depths of the ocean where no one had ever reached.

The salvation squad had no idea what Lu Yang was trying to accomplish by flying into the sky. They were in the tiger’s territory, with no aberrant beasts nearby. All they could see was an expanse of gold light descending in the distance.

Immediately afterward, their comm channels crackled with static. Three of the Ten Great Experts responsible for defending the city had contacted them.

“Zhan Po, you all succeeded?! The King of Aberrant Beasts is dead! How did you do it? Swords—so many golden swords fell from the sky and killed all the aberrant beasts!”

The experts guarding the city were overcome with emotion, their words tumbling over one another. They knew the salvation squad had gone to slay the King of Aberrant Beasts, so they naturally assumed the two events were connected.

The salvation squad exchanged glances, a mix of shock and awe flickering across their visages. What kind of power was that?!

Lu Yang smiled as he sheathed the Qingfeng Sword and landed. “Settled.”

“Mr. Lu...”

Lu Yang raised a hand to cut Shi Lingyun off. “We can talk on the way. You can tell me your stories as we walk. Take me to your city for a look, and if I could meet your president, that would be wonderful.”

“Of course, of course,” Shi Lingyun said hurriedly. Even if Mr. Lu hadn’t asked, the president would have come to see him.

Noticing Zhan Po’s hesitance and the way his gaze kept drifting to the tiger’s carcass, Lu Yang understood his intention. He used his identity jade tablet to stow the tiger’s corpse away. The hill-sized carcass shrank and vanished, once again shocking the salvation squad.

Along the way, Lu Yang had each member of the salvation squad recount their pasts. He mainly listened, occasionally interjecting with a question or two, then let them continue once his doubts were cleared up.

When the last story concluded, Lu Yang smiled, seemingly wistful. “Each of you came from different places and had different experiences, then came together to form the salvation squad.

"Even before the final battle, you were learning to work together and become one. After that, Shi Lingyun, you broke through in the middle of battle and vanquished the King of Aberrant Beasts, becoming humanity’s great hero. Fascinating, truly spectacular.”

He applauded, as though celebrating the tapestries of their lives. However, Zhan Po and the others were befuddled. It feels like Mr. Lu is praising us, yet something about his tone suggests otherwise.

Before they reached the city, Lu Yang took out the tiger’s corpse and had the salvation squad carry it as their trophy, letting them bask in the glory before the public.

At the city gates, the walls were stained with blood, a testament to the numerous bloody battles they had witnessed. By now, word that the salvation squad had defeated the King of Aberrant Beasts had reached the city. The gates were wide open, and the citizens excitedly welcomed their triumphant heroes home.

The president personally came out to greet them. He was a man in his sixties and the foremost of the former Ten Great Experts. He embraced Zhan Po and the others warmly. “Zhan Po, Shi Lingyun, and all of you, I knew you would succeed!”

When he walked over to Lu Yang, he met those pitch-black eyes and felt as though every secret he carried had been seen through. After a moment’s hesitation, he stepped forward and extended his hand. “You must be Mr. Lu, the alien. We can’t thank you enough for saving us. This is not the place to talk. Let’s continue in my office.”

He invited the salvation squad and the alien Mr. Lu to the city’s central region.

~~~

In his office, the president personally poured tea and water for everyone, appearing very down-to-earth.

Lu Yang accepted the teacup from the president and thanked him politely before casually asking, “By the way, Mr. President, what are our ratings?”

1. Veela: Qingxiao resonance liberation?! ☜