38: Chapter 38 A Thousand Years of Abstinence? A Meal of Braised Pork Makes Even a Cultivation Master's Eyes Green!

Under Jiang Chen's smooth talking, the cultivation masters were a bit bewildered.

Elder Huoyun scratched his messy hair, his old face slightly flushed: "This... Son-in-law, is this true? Is this thing really used to practice micromanagement?"

"Do you think I have any reason to lie to you?"

Jiang Chen looked sincere: "Think about it, why was that devil Qiu Qianren taken out by my gun in one shot? Was it because my spiritual power was stronger than his? No! It was because my energy efficiency was a million times higher than his! I used energy at the Foundation Establishment Stage to deal damage at the Soul Transformation Stage! This is what we call science!"

"And this spirit locking ring is the shortcut to help you achieve this feat!"

"Wearing it, you will feel stifled and oppressed. But once you adapt to this oppression and learn to perform miracles in a confined space, the moment you return to the Taichu Realm and break the seal..."

Jiang Chen paused and made an explosion gesture.

"Boom!"

"Your cultivation will definitely undergo a qualitative leap! Breaking through your bottlenecks won't just be a dream anymore!"

This final promise was painted so big and round that it struck right at the hearts of the elders.

Breaking through bottlenecks!

This was a temptation that these old fogies, who had been stuck at the Nascent Soul Stage for hundreds of years, could not refuse.

Elder Huoyun's breathing quickened. He looked at the ring that he had previously found annoying, and now, he felt it radiating a holy light called 'opportunity'.

"I'll do it!"

Elder Huoyun roared, grabbed a spirit locking ring, and put it around his neck without a second thought.

"It's just suppressing cultivation, right? I've been refining artifacts for hundreds of years, and the last thing I fear is hardship! For the sake of the path of science, for the sake of breaking through to the Nascent Soul Stage, I will endure this hardship!"

"Click."

The spirit locking ring locked shut.

The terrifying pressure on Elder Huoyun vanished instantly, turning him into a slightly robust, red-faced old man.

He shook his head, feeling his body much heavier, but his eyes were brighter than ever.

"Good! There is indeed pressure! I feel the spiritual power in my body being compressed and purified! Wonderful!"

In reality, it was just the discomfort of being sealed, but he had already convinced himself otherwise.

With a leader, the rest was easy.

"Since this is cultivation, I shall not be left behind," said Daoist Qingxu with a righteous expression as he grabbed one and put it on. "Micromanagement... hmm, this term has quite a bit of Daoist charm."

"I'll wear it too, I'll wear it too," Elder Qing Rou whispered, obediently putting on the ring. "As long as I can go see the flowers and plants over there, it's fine."

In less than five minutes, the ten top experts of the Taichu Realm had all completed their self-sealing.

Watching the row of old men and women on the screen wearing the rings with expressions of "I am sacrificing myself for science," Lei Keming secretly gave Jiang Chen a thumbs-up from behind.

This ability to smooth-talk was already beyond Earthly limits.

"Good! You seniors truly have great perseverance!"

Jiang Chen suppressed his laughter and said solemnly: "Since everyone has passed the entry security check, let's prepare to set off. Blue Star has prepared the highest-spec welcoming banquet. We'll see you there!"

The video call ended.

Jiang Chen slumped in his chair and let out a long sigh.

"Finally managed to coax them. These old children are more exhausting to handle than university students."

Lei Keming handed him a cigarette, his expression still grave: "You've coaxed them, but our security work here cannot be relaxed. After all, even at the Foundation Establishment Stage, they are at the level of human tanks. If some blind person provokes them..."

"Don't worry."

Jiang Chen took the cigarette and tapped it on the table: "I've prepared a 'Blue Star Survival Guide' for them. The first rule is: if you encounter provocation, call the police first, do not take action. If you really can't help it, you can only spank them, no hitting the face."

"I hope it works."

Taichu Realm, in front of the teleportation array.

A massive spatial vortex was slowly forming.

This time, it was not a violent tearing, but a stable channel formed by the precise alignment of coordinates from both sides.

The ten exchange students stood in front of the formation with their big bags and small luggage, actually feeling a bit nervous.

Ji Linglong stood to the side to see them off.

Looking at these elders, who were usually incomparably dignified but now acted like elementary school students going on a spring outing, she felt a complex mix of emotions.

"Dear uncles."

Ji Linglong straightened Elder Huoyun's crooked collar: "When you get there, listen to my husband. Don't cause him trouble. If anyone dares to throw a tantrum on Blue Star and ruin the reputation of the Taichu Holy Land..."

She narrowed her eyes, toying with the golden embroidery needle she hadn't had time to put away.

"When you come back, I'll have him confined in the back mountain for three hundred years."

Elder Huoyun shrank his neck: "Got it, got it! Don't worry, Holy Maiden. We are going there to study, not to fight. As long as the people there are polite, I promise to be as obedient as a cat."

"It had better be."

"The time has come! Activate the grand formation!" With a loud shout from the disciple in charge of the formation, ten pillars of light shot into the sky.

Elder Huoyun took a deep breath, looked back at the familiar mountain gate of the Holy Land, and then waved his hand, with a sense of heroism. "Fellow Daoists! For science! Let's go!"

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" Ten figures turned into streams of light and vanished into the vortex.

Meanwhile. Blue Star. Taklamakan Desert base.

This place had been converted into a temporary [Planar Customs].

Thousands of heavily armed special forces were standing by, and dozens of attack helicopters were circling in the sky. But this was not for war, but for escort.

"Attention all units! Energy fluctuations have reached their peak! The targets are about to land!" Lei Keming held the walkie-talkie, his palms sweating.

"Medical team, get ready! Although they are cultivators, the dizziness of crossing dimensions might make them vomit. Get the strong anti-nausea injections ready!"

"Translation team... oh wait, they can use divine sense transmission, no translation needed. Get the welcoming speech ready!"

"Where is the head chef of the cafeteria? Is the braised pork stewed? It needs to be fatty but not greasy! This is the first meal, we must win over their stomachs!"

In the midst of this tense busyness, the space in mid-air suddenly rippled like the surface of water.

"Thump!"

The first one to fall out was Elder Huoyun.

Because of the difference in gravity (Blue Star's gravity is lower than Taichu Realm's), he didn't control his force well upon landing, bounced three meters high, flailed his arms and legs in the air, and finally landed in an extremely undignified position—face-first on the red carpet.

"Ouch, what the f*ck!" Elder Huoyun climbed up from the carpet, rubbing his nose, and cursed using the national essence he had just learned from Jiang Chen.

"Why is this ground so soft? It's like stepping on cotton!"

Immediately after, the others fell down one after another like dumplings into a pot. Some bumped into each other, some hung on the nearby lamp posts. The most ridiculous was Elder Qing Rou; she landed lightly and stepped right on Elder Huoyun's back, pushing his head, which had just been lifted, back into the dirt.

The scene was chaotic for a moment.

Lei Keming looked at these extraterrestrial visitors, who should have been immortal and transcendent but were now in such a disheveled state. His mouth twitched, but then he took a deep breath, put on his brightest, most enthusiastic, and most professional fake smile, and strode forward to greet them.

"Welcome! A warm welcome to the Taichu Holy Land delegation for visiting Blue Star to provide guidance! I am the director of the reception office, Lei Keming!"

Elder Huoyun finally pulled his face out of the dirt.

He looked at this middle-aged mortal in front of him, wearing strange green clothes (military uniform), with no spiritual power fluctuations at all, but with an exceptionally determined gaze.

He sniffed again and smelled the air, a mixture of car exhaust, industrial oil, and the scent of braised pork drifting from the cafeteria in the distance.

On that old face, a look called "moved" actually appeared.

"Good! What a good place!"

Elder Huoyun patted Lei Keming's shoulder with such force that he almost knocked him down.

"The air is full of the scent of truth!"

Lei Keming endured the sharp pain in his shoulder and kept smiling: "Elder is too kind, this is mainly the scent of a sandstorm. The car is ready, shall we go eat first?"

"Eating is good! Eating is good!" As soon as they heard about eating, the eyes of this group of old men and women who had been fasting for hundreds of years turned green.

In the Taichu Realm, fasting is cultivation. But on Blue Star, eating is the greatest respect for life.

Just like that, a study abroad journey that would completely change the fate of two worlds officially kicked off amidst the aroma of braised pork.

And at the back of the crowd, Elder Qing Rou, who looked the most inconspicuous and had been keeping her head down, fidgeting with her skirt, suddenly looked up.

She looked at the J-20 fighter jet taking off and landing in the distance. In those eyes that looked as gentle as water, a subtle, wild red light flashed.

"Is this the mortal's magic treasure?" She licked her lips, her voice so soft that only she could hear it. "It looks like it can take a beating."