Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

Li Yao’s deafening voice echoed in the town for a long time, almost ripping apart the mist that surrounded all the locals.

Dwelling in the amazing “oxygen intoxication” state, the locals felt unprecedented vigor despite their dizziness. Even the tranquil faces of the old were spreading out the redness of excitement.

Although nobody had the courage to say anything back to Li Yao, the eyes of many of them were apparently much more emotional, and they were not as docile and lifeless as a moment ago.

“Let’s go!”

Finishing what he did, Li Yao patted his hands and grinned at Li Jialing. “Now, we may set off and find Long Yangjun!”

Frowning, Li Jialing looked at the people around who had subtle changes and then at the air circulation magical equipment that Li Yao had just repaired. He said thoughtfully, “Even if you can temporarily fix the air circulation magical equipment, Brother Yao, so what? The catalysts that you left will run out sooner or later, the cartridges will eventually be dusted and stained, and all the chips and rune arrays will be worn out one piece after another. Eventually, the magical equipment will be damaged again, and the oxygen percentage that you just raised will drop. This place will become suffocating and stinky just like before. You can only save them for the time being, but you can’t save them forever.

“Even if you can save the 10,084th district forever, there are still thousands of sunless towns like the 10,084th district deep below the ground of the capital, and there are probably millions of more miserable towns and villages in the hundreds of Sectors under the control of the Imperium! Even if you can save one of them, it is impossible for you to save them all. Then, what’s the point?”

Li Yao slowly retrieved all the maintenance tools into his Cosmos Rings before he slapped his forehead and said, “That’s very reasonable. I can save them for the time being, but I can’t save them forever; I can save one of them, but I can’t save them all. So, everything I did is utterly meaningless. But in such a case, I have a minor question for you.”

Slightly dazed, Li Jialing asked, “What is it, Brother Yao?”

“You know that hundreds of thousands of people must be receiving excruciating refinements and experiments in laboratories, prisons, and dungeons exactly at this moment, right? It seems unlikely for me to rescue all of them. Then, why did I rescue you from Li Lingfeng and Wuying Lan at great risks? If it were utterly meaningless, I could’ve hidden in a corner, bulged my eyes, and blown whistles while I watched Li Lingfeng and Wuying Lan rub and knead you into a real slaughter machine. Wouldn’t that have been great?”

Li Jialing’s golden face was immediately frozen, unable to say anything for a long time.

“Answer me, do you really think that it was meaningless that I saved you? After all, I saved you, but I couldn’t save everybody else!”

Staring at Li Jialing in the eyes, Li Yao said, “If you really think so, I have ten thousand ways for you to relive the sufferings of the past. I’ll respect you as a good man if you agree to that!

“But if you have accepted my help gladly, only to feel that me helping other people is utterly meaningless, how can you justify yourself? Because you are more handsome and more worthwhile to be saved, and the despicable people here are not as great as you?”

Li Jialing was rendered speechless and blushed. But thanks to the clusters of golden fur on his face, it was barely possible to tell his embarrassment.

Li Yao curled his middle finger and his index finger and knocked Li Jialing’s forehead, causing a huge noise.

“Wow! It hurts!”

Not expecting that Li Yao would attack him abruptly, Li Jialing covered his head and jumped to his feet.

“Damn right it hurts.”

Li Yao said, “Why are you playing sophisticated as if you have seen through the darkness of humanity and the cruelty of society when you are at such a young age? For a young man like you, you should be more sunny, hotblooded, and recalcitrant. If you really want to see through everything, you can wait until you are two hundred years ago. Right now, your wings haven’t grown tough yet, and you’d better watch and learn after Brother Yao!

“Furthermore…

“Saving them for the time being and saving them forever, saving one of them and saving them all—these are not in contradiction at all! A journey of a thousand kilometers has to begin with a most insignificant first step, doesn’t it?

“Come on, widen your eyes. No, that’s not wide enough. Keep bulging them until your eyeballs are jumping out. Yes. That’s right. Keep it. Now, use your egg-like eyes to look at Brother Yao’s solemn face, and tell me if I am joking. Do you think that I was teasing you when I said that I was going to save the world?

“Let me tell you again. Brother Yao is best known for his truthfulness. I never tell any lies. I will save them both for the time being and forever, and I will save one of them and all of them!”

Li Jialing was completely overwhelmed by Li Yao’s dominance.

For a moment, he had forgotten Long Yangjun’s words about Li Yao’s “brain disability due to wounds”. In a trance, he seemed to see Li Yao’s magnificent performance when he challenged Wuying Lan and Li Lingfeng with one crystal suit and one Colossus in “Manjusaka, the City in the Sky” again!

“Brother Yao…”

Li Jialing felt that Li Yao’s heavily-wounded soul was expanding into a giant that was ripping apart the crust almost ten thousand meters deep, letting the sunlight on the surface of the planet into the place.

In comparison, his own soul was as insignificant as a grain of dust.

The young man considered it for a long time and hesitated before he said, “However, what exactly are you going to do, Brother Yao? You are not helping them repair the air circulation magical equipment one town after another, are you?”

“Of course, that’s impossible. The efficiency will be too low.”

Li Yao said carefully, “The source of all the problems is the dark, corrupted system of the Imperium of True Human Beings. Whatever scheme your mother and Wuying Qi have, they are at least right about one thing. The Imperium today has been corrupted to the point that a world-shifting reform is necessary. Without a reform, everybody from top to bottom will be suffocated in the stinky and dirty air while the oxygen percentage drops exactly like the locals of this place!

“However, there are different approaches for reforms. I have my own ways, which are entirely different from Li Linghai and Wuying Qi’s and absolutely incompatible with Long Yangjun’s!”

Li Jialing sighed and said, “After spending time with you for such a long time, I have finally discovered that no matter how casual Brother Yao appears, you are always an unwavering Cultivator deep down your bones. Even the flames of ten thousand stars cannot burn your beliefs.

“About the path of the Cultivators… Truth be told, Brother Yao, I’ve been considering the differences in the paths recently. The path of the Cultivators, the true path of immortality, and the Path of Ultimate Benevolence, which represses feelings and desires to reduce resource consumption and maintain the harmony of the universe.

“To be honest, the future lying in front of the path of the Cultivators is indeed beautiful. Who doesn’t want to live in a world which is peaceful, open, prosperous, and where everybody helps each other kindly?

“It is a pity that resources are limited and humans are born evil. So, it is most difficult of all to transform the ideas of the Cultivators into reality. I’m afraid that it will only be a dream however hard you work!”

Li Yao nodded his head and said, “I admit that, compared to the true path of immortality which takes advantage of the weaknesses of humanity, and the ‘Path of Ultimate Benevolence’ that completely abandons humanity, it is indeed most difficult to carry out the philosophies of the Cultivators and build a harmonious, beautiful world.

“However, that is not the reason why we shouldn’t work on it. Let me give you an example that young people of your age can understand. Let’s say that you are studying in a school where there are more boys than girls, and there is a cheerleader in your class who can be rated ten in every aspect. Not only is she uncriticizable in look, body figure, charm, and whatever, but she is also good at cooking, sewing, and other home skills. Furthermore, she is kindhearted and helps a grandma to cross the street every day. Most importantly of all, her interests and hobbies are exactly what you like too. Whenever the two of you start talking, you can never stop. All in all, she is a goddess of goddesses.

“Naturally, such a girl certainly has a bunch of pursuers, and it is terribly difficult to get her. Several brawny men surround her like sharks every day and glare at whoever approaches her.

“Then let me ask you, as a passionate, ambitious young man, should you just abandon her and pursue another girl that you don’t really like because it is too difficult to pursue the cheerleader?”

Li Jialing slowly bulged his eyes and thought for a long time. Then he shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

“What do you mean by ‘I don’t think so’? Be specific!”

Li Yao frowned and said, “If you pursue a girl that you are actually not satisfied with and don’t even like, just because the odds of winning the love of the cheerleader is too difficult, isn’t such an action cowardly and shameless?”

“It truly is!” Li Jialing nodded his head heavily.

“On the other hand—”

Li Yao carefully guided him. “If you are truly going to be a shameless coward, shouldn’t you at least try your best to pursue her first and wait until you are cruelly refused by her or beaten up by her brawny bodyguards before you pursue somebody else?

“What if she is blind and just like your tiger—no, lion appearance? What if those brawn bodyguards are actually her brothers who are testing her pursuers for her? What if no one else has the courage to pursue her, and she has hungered for a long time? In that case, wouldn’t you suffer a heavy loss if you don’t even dare to try?”

Li Jialing was greatly enlightened, but then he was confused again. “Brother Yao, you do have a point, but what are you trying to say exactly?”

“It’s very simple. The cheerleader is exactly the path of the Cultivators.”

Li Yao said, “Although I am your brother, I’m not forcing you to embark on the path of the Cultivators at all. However, if you feel that the world depicted by the Cultivators is beautiful albeit it is difficult to put the ideas into practice, it is all the more reason why you should work on it so that you wouldn’t waste your youth! If it doesn’t work out when you have burnt up your hot blood, you can always shift to a different rail! In the early years of the Imperium of True Human Beings, too many Cultivators were transformed into Immortal Cultivators. If you are defeated by the dark reality in the end after trying your best, and you become an Immortal Cultivator again because you do not have an option, you will not regret it, and Brother Yao will not berate you either. But if you run back like a coward without even having the courage to pursue the cheerleader, don’t blame Brother Yao for criticizing you. Doesn’t it make perfect sense?”