Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

Li Yao was deeply astounded by the river of time that flowed from the primeval age to all eternity.

He had thought that the so-called Monument Plan or Tinder Plan was merely the most insignificant one of the thousands of whimsical plans that were raised in the federation a hundred years ago in a hurry under the dual pressure of the Imperium and the Covenant Alliance.

At the very least, it did appear to be the case before he left.

The Monument Plan was a ‘flee solution’ that was derived from ‘absolute pessimism’, which was destined to be unfavorable in the federation that was determined to fight a bloody battle of resistance until the end.

Although the Glorious Sunlight Group, of which Li Yao was a major shareholder, invested in the Monument Plant at the beginning for Gui Suishou’s sake, it soon left the plan to develop on its own.

Gui Suishou, the old demon emperor and the initial leader of the Monument Plan, was not a guy that was good at real-life operations, either.

He was a historian and sociologist, or in the more fashionable theory of the federation, he was a ‘civilization specialist’.

He could propose a set of groundless and yet astounding theories that could shock everyone who heard them, but as for exactly how theories could be put into practice, it was not really what the old tortoise was best at.

Therefore, until Li Yao left the federation, the Monument Plan had never made much progress and probably would not have achieved any substantial results in the next decades by his estimation. It was just a plan on paper.

It had never occurred to Li Yao that the Monument Plan, after being changed into the Tinder Plan, would already reach the point where the first batch of ‘tinder’ could be sent after a hundred years!

The time channel constructed by the 3D light beams alone was enough for the visitors to see the ambitions hidden deep inside the ‘tinder’. The researchers were truly trying to condense the origins, development, peak, and future of mankind into one short moment and pass it on to the brand-new species that would appear in billions of years!

Moreover, in the ‘time channel’, the ancient fungi were replaced by red algae, the green algae were replaced by trilobites, and then Devonian fish, dinosaurs, apes, and human beings… They replaced, or rather, eliminated, their predecessors.

In the last scene, human beings were replaced and eliminated by silver balls. What did it mean exactly?

Li Yao was deep in thought. He had a vague uncomfortable feeling.

Then he was amused, wondering if he was being too sensitive.

If there was really some clandestine arrangement off the table, it would not be displayed openly just like that!

Right then, Long Yangjun spoke to Ling Xiaole with a smile. “I’m told that in the age of ancient Cultivators forty thousand years ago, a lot of ancient sects would set up illusionary arrays in front of their headquarters so that the guests would be inevitably awed and impressed by the sect after witnessing the splendid and intimidating illusions.

“At that time, the illusionary arrays in front of the headquarters represented the capabilities of a sect!

“Many ancient classics described the illusionary arrays of the most renowned sects to be so grotesque and gaudy that a new world seemed to have been established in front of the headquarters.

“I thought that it was merely the ancient people’s exaggeration, but after seeing the modern illusionary array in front of the Tinder Base, I finally realize that the ancient people were not lying at all!

“The decorations of the modern illusionary array alone are indicative enough that the Tinder Plan is meant for great purposes. But it is rather strange that I barely heard about such a magnificent plan that crossed billions of years before. Tomorrow, the first tinder is going to be launched. Why are there so few reports in the media outside? This is too low-key, isn’t it?”

“The Tinder Plan is indeed very low-key and mysterious,” Ling Xiaole said. “Even I don’t know the inside information about the project. Honestly speaking, if it weren’t for you, a Secret Sword Agent of my level wouldn’t be qualified to enter the base at all.

“Even the Speaker is not free to visit the base, because the ‘Tinder Plan’ is not entirely a government project in principle. Professor Mo Xuan has the absolute majority of shares. Most of the investment comes from him, too. This base is essentially his private property. So, it is only with Professor Mo Xuan’s consent that you are allowed to visit this place.”

“Oh?” Long Yangjun blinked. “Is there anything in this place that must be kept confidential?”

“Not exactly confidential.” Ling Xiaole thought for a moment and said, “How should I put it? The Tinder Plan was previously known as the Monument Plan, and ‘monument’ sounded too ominous. In fact, that was the truth, too. It was a plan of the pessimists and escapers. It could barely be called a flee but equaled to a declaration, stating that ‘since we are all going to die, we might as well make a beautiful monument and launch it out in memory of us, then we can all rest in peace’. Think about it. The federation is vigorous and rising unstoppably in its golden years right now. Who would be interested in learning about such a plan?”

Long Yangjun pondered for a moment and was amused. “It does make sense. Nobody likes a jinx.”

Ling Xiaole nodded and said, “Yes. The general public prefer blood-boiling, inspirational plans. The government does not want the Monument Plan to be exposed too much, too, in case the morale of the people is struck. The theory that mankind is destined to be destroyed in billions of years sounds too nihilistic. Nobody likes to hear that.

“The general public do not like it, and the government is unwilling to promote it. It is only natural that the project has been kept low profile.

“More importantly, as a plan of the pessimists, the ultimate success or failure of the project will forever be a mystery to us. By ‘us’, I am not just saying people of our generation but everyone in the civilization of mankind from the past to the future.”

Long Yangjun frowned. “I don’t understand…”

“They are going to launch the first ‘tinder’ tomorrow. Of course, our deep-sky cruise technology is quite mature right now, and the launch of the tinder can’t go wrong,” Ling Xiaole said. “But the tinder is set to drift in the sea of stars for millions of years in search of brand-new species. Then, can the tinder remain undamaged after a voyage of millions of years in the universe? Will everything contained inside the tinder, including Wei Qingqing herself, be completely shattered? Can she locate a suitable planet and discover a new life, or will she float in the desolate and boundless universe forever?

“Also, even if she does find a new life, will the new life be a carbon-based species made of flesh and blood that can comprehend our civilization, or will it be something… terribly bizarre?

“Assuming that a certain life is born in the metal lakes on a planet with a diurnal temperature variation of more than five hundred degrees, I find it hard to believe that such a life will be able to understand and accept the legacy of the civilization of mankind.

“All the questions that we are faced with right now cannot be answered immediately. They probably won’t be found out for a million years, a billion years, or even a trillion years.

“Now, do you think that the ‘Tinder Plan’, which is utterly meaningless to ‘here and now’, can attract the interest of the general public and the media?

“Also, Professor Mo Xuan is an unsocial man who prefers to keep a low profile. He never promoted the project on a large scale or invited any media to introduce it. In fact, the requests for interviews and visits from a few major media outlets were all declined by him. Only the federal army, the parliament, and the Secret Sword Bureau sent a few guests to attend the ceremony. To be honest, I was quite surprised that he agreed to your request to visit the base.”

Long Yangjun smiled. “Is there anything special about us?”

“According to Professor Mo Xuan, the Tinder Plan is a plan of the escapers, and the refu—rightful government of the Star Ocean Republic has fled for a thousand years,” Ling Xiaole said. “Since you and he are all refugees in a certain sense, he thinks that you will perhaps appreciate the Tinder Plan and understand him better than other people. Therefore, he is willing to meet the honorable guests from Firefly and have a good conversation with you.”

Looking at Li Yao, Long Yangjun said, “Then, we will be greatly honored. Professor Mo Xuan sounds like a weird guy. I once watched a debate between him and Professor Xie Wufeng on the grand-unified Spiritual Nexus and the virtual life. It left quite a deep impression on me.

“How come Professor Mo Xuan gave up the more promising projects such as the grand-unified Spiritual Nexus and the studies on virtual life and chose to manage the Tinder Plan instead?”

Ling Xiaole shook her head and replied, “I don’t know about the details. It seems that Professor Mo Xuan simply transferred all his passion and his lifelong efforts into the Tinder Plan for some reason after the major frustration he suffered in the project of the Spiritual Nexus and virtual life.

“In fact, before Professor Mo Xuan participated, the previous Monument Plan was in a half-paralyzed state. The initial capital invested by the Glorious Sunlight Group had already been spent. The project manager Gui Suishou was a pure theorist who was not good at pushing forward such an enormous, complicated project of many different levels, either. Also, because his connections among humans were not very extensive, and because of the ominous nature of the project, few experts were willing to join him.

“After all, the federation was prospering in all aspects back then. There were too many thrilling projects and programs to count. As long you were a talent, you would certainly find a suitable place to work. Why would you dedicate your entire life to such a pessimistic, unpromising plan?

“When the Monument Plan was about to die of natural course, Professor Mo Xuan joined the game aggressively and acquired the project from Gui Suishou. He also renamed it the Tinder Plan.

“In the past hundred years, Professor Mo Xuan has worked as the president of the Grand Desolate War Institution, the Refiners’ Association, the Association of Spectral Cultivators, and many other organizations. He has put dozens of major projects into practice and pushed them forward. His experience and his connections in the circle are incomparable to Gui Suishou’s.

“Besides, Professor Mo Xuan also invested his lifelong savings into the project. He even raised a large sum of funds by selling his shares in the Glorious Sunlight Group and the authorization of all the magical equipment that he designed and produced in his entire life, including the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit. The funds were all invested into the Tinder Project.

“With the participation of such a powerful leader and the investment of incessant capital, a team of experienced specialists was soon gathered. The base was constructed later, too. The Tinder Plan was revived and rushed forward at an astonishing speed. After only decades, there are already products!”