24: Chapter 24 The brothers discuss matters, the miners?

"Senior Brother, there's no need to worry. Absolutely no dangerous situations will occur! It's just that the rewards we might get will be slightly less," Ye Qingxuan said, looking at Qingling's furrowed brow with a relaxed expression as he offered words of comfort.

Upon hearing this, Qingling let out two humphs, indicating that she did not believe his words, but she still very naturally reached out to stroke Xiaojiu's head, by the way picking up a large chunk of meat and placing it into its cat bowl.

Then, with a beaming smile, she began petting the cute cat, seemingly completely forgetting about what had just happened.

Facing such a scene, Ye Qingxuan could only helplessly shake his head, muttering inwardly: This Senior Sister Qingling is really as tsundere as ever…

Just at this moment, the Second Senior Brother, who had remained silent all along, suddenly asked, "That's right, after implementing universal Cultivate this time, Junior Brother, how many truly good saplings do you think we can unearth from it?"

Hearing this, Ye Qingxuan was stunned for a moment, then replied, "How would I know? After all, my Heavenly Secrets Technique is still a half-baked effort; I can't compare to those Immortals who can foresee the future. However, our country's population size is quite massive, so there should be more or less a few Cultivation prodigies with extraordinary Aptitude!"

Speaking up to this point, Ye Qingxuan's voice noticeably grew a bit hesitant—

You must know that often, those seemingly ordinary and unremarkable Mortals, once they step into the realm of true cultivation, might just display astonishing potential and Comprehension Ability; whereas those who usually look quite outstanding might end up accomplishing nothing and living mediocre lives due to various reasons.

Think back to the past, even a Golden Core Immortal Master like the Eldest Senior Brother was previously just an obscure schoolteacher. As for Ye Qingxuan himself, he was even more of an unremarkable child. Therefore, regarding how this matter will eventually develop, I'm afraid it's truly hard for anyone to accurately predict!

"The time is almost up, those Chosen Ones from foreign countries should be coming out soon…" the Fourth Senior Brother suddenly broke the silence, saying thoughtfully.

Hearing this, Ye Qingxuan was slightly taken aback, only then realizing that time had quietly slipped away: "Oh? Is it that fast? A whole day has already passed!" He couldn't help but sigh at how time flies.

During this period, the Senior Brothers and Junior Brother either teased the cute cat or leisurely chatted, spending their time relaxed and comfortably. However, they had not forgotten the reason they could be so relaxed—the National Destiny Space.

Qingling closely stared at the images within the National Destiny Space, carefully observing the situation of various countries.

She softly analyzed, "Deducting the cost of resurrection and the rewards obtained from completing tasks, the benefits these countries can actually get into their hands are not really much. Hmm… But that vampire is quite smart; instead of acting recklessly like the other guys, she successfully avoided a disaster."

"These past few tasks, understood through online games, are the easy mode. We will definitely encounter those Chosen Ones in the future," Senior Brother Qingmo said pointedly.

???? The Second Senior Brother wore a blank expression.

"Have you forgotten the few questions Junior Brother initially asked the National Destiny Space?" Qingling looked at this reckless Senior Brother with a disgusted expression, then explained to him.

"As the National Destiny tasks proceed, newcomers will be added, meaning every country will have new Chosen Ones joining."

"They might not necessarily be people from our world; they could be people from parallel worlds, and there will definitely be team battles later on, meaning Chosen Ones from multiple countries will enter the same game space and can attack each other," Ye Qingxuan added.

"In other words, Junior Brother might be opponents with her in the future? But she's so weak, I could slap her to death with a casual wave of my hand, what's there to worry about?" Second Senior Brother Qingyun said unconcernedly.

"There will also be newly joined people, possibly from parallel space-times, for example, those superheroes in foreign movies," the Fourth Senior Brother reminded, looking at Ye Qingxuan with some worry.

Senior Brother Qingmo was a post-90s kid, usually studying movies and games, so it wasn't strange that he could think of this. He had studied those film and television characters, and his conclusion was: a bit troublesome for himself, but for Uncle-Master Qingxuan, as long as it wasn't too outrageous of an existence, he could handle it.

But it was a bit difficult for the Second Senior Brother, a post-60s kid. That's right, Senior Brother Qingyun looked like a handsome man in his twenties, less than thirty, but in fact, he was already over sixty years old.

"It's only possible they are people from parallel space-times, or they could be extraordinary beings of this world," Qingling comforted.

"Where are there any foreign extraordinary personnel left in our world? Weren't they all killed into extinction by our Grandmaster?" Senior Brother Qingyun thought of past events, directly rendering Qingling silent.

"Then do we have a chance to enter the National Destiny Space? Is there a chance to fight side by side with Junior Brother?" Qingling looked at Ye Qingxuan, her tone exceptionally earnest.

"Third Senior Brother, there's no chance. Even if there are new teammates, it's impossible for them to be Cultivators, unless you or I switch our cultivation methods, then you guys might have a chance to enter the National Destiny Space," Ye Qingxuan's affirmative words left the three of them baffled.

"Still remember the National Destiny Space? Back then, I once asked it: What is the purpose of this National Destiny Game? However, the reply I received was 'Insufficient clearance'."

"Even so, I can still boldly guess the reason behind it—that is evolution!"

When Ye Qingxuan said these words, the Second Senior Brother and Third Senior Brother were obviously increasingly perplexed, but Senior Brother Qingmo on the side seemed to begin sinking into deep thought.

Ye Qingxuan immediately explained, "Precisely because there are huge cultural differences between various countries, this National Destiny Space takes a 'country' as the basic unit and selects so-called 'Chosen Ones' from them to execute specific tasks. By using these chosen people as templates, it leads all citizens to evolve together."

He further illustrated with examples: "I looked at the Chosen Ones of other countries: the ninjas over in Japan; the Holy Knights of the Holy See; the vampires of Britain; as for a major power like the United States, lacking sufficient cultural heritage, they nurtured gene warriors. It can be said that the Chosen Ones of each country represent unique characteristics."

"China's most prominent features are martial arts and Cultivation, which is full of fantasy colors. Cultivation is an evolution of life levels, which can make people achieve a qualitative leap. However, wanting to step onto this Immortal path is no easy task."

"Not only does it require possessing outstanding Aptitude, extraordinary Comprehension Ability, unyielding perseverance, and a rare-to-encounter Opportunity, but it also has to satisfy a series of harsh requirements such as wealth, companions, methods, and land. Because of this, Cultivation is destined to never become a field that the general public can set foot in."

Hearing Ye Qingxuan's explanation, Qingling's mind also suddenly cleared up.

"In Cultivation, just the hurdle of Aptitude alone is enough to eliminate ninety-nine percent of people. Then how should these people without Aptitude evolve? So if Junior Brother has new teammates, they won't be Cultivators, but people from other evolutionary systems, like martial arts?"

"So, if new Chosen Ones join, Junior Brother's teammate might be a martial arts practitioner?"

The Second Senior Brother finally caught up with the thinking of his Junior Brothers. Actually, the Second Senior Brother was not stupid at all; an idiot could never Cultivate to Foundation Establishment in the Age of Law Ending, otherwise Comprehension Ability alone would get them stuck at the Qi Refinement Stage. It was mainly that he was too lazy to use his brain.

"If your deduction is correct, then the foreign new Chosen Ones can only be people from parallel space-times, for example, Japan's Onmyoji, the Ladyboy Country's sorcerers, Britain's magicians. As for the United States, because their country lacks heritage, it's possible they are those superheroes from their movies," the Second Senior Brother added.

"Correct, these are just guesses, but the probability is as high as ninety percent," Senior Brother Qingmo said in an affirmative tone.

...

This round of Feethe National Destiny Game came to an end amidst the conversation of the senior and Junior Brothers. All countries obtained rewards; although not much, for a country, the enhancement of national destiny was more important than anything else.

The senior and Junior Brothers were sitting around a giant boulder in the back mountain chatting idly when suddenly, a crisp and urgent cry came from afar: "Uncle-Master—"

Ye Qingxuan's heart stirred, and he quickly extended his Divine Sense, instantly capturing the source of the voice.

I saw a little girl around twelve or thirteen years old stepping on a dainty, exquisite Flying Sword, flying towards this side in a wobbly, zigzagging manner.

Looking at her disheveled appearance, her technique in controlling the Flying Sword was obviously still somewhat unfamiliar. However, Ye Qingxuan recognized this little brat at a glance—she was none other than the Disciple taken in by Senior Brother Qingcang, which meant she was their niece among Uncle-Masters—Disciple Xiyue.

The corners of Ye Qingxuan's mouth slightly rose, and with a gentle wave of his arm, a powerful surge of mana instantly swept out like a whirlwind.

Disciple Xiyue only felt her vision blur, as if the entire world had turned upside down. When she came to her senses again, she found herself pinched by the back of her neck by Ye Qingxuan's fingers like a pitiful little chick, then hoisted into mid-air like holding a chick.

Immediately following that, Ye Qingxuan flicked his wrist and steadily placed her back on the ground.

"Oh my goodness…" Disciple Xiyue patted her chest, still shaken, and a mouthful of Northeastern dialect slipped out. After steadying her nerves, she finally raised her head to look at Ye Qingxuan and the other Uncle-Masters, saying timidly, "Uncle-Master, you scared me to death!"

Seeing this, Qingling on the side couldn't help laughing and scolding, "What a good-for-nothing little thing! So old already and you still can't properly control a Flying Sword, how can you become a qualified Cultivator in the future? Speak, what business do you have finding us?"

"Master sent me to invite the three Uncle-Masters to go to the main hall to discuss matters," Disciple Xiyue replied timidly.

"Three? Which three? What on earth is Senior Brother Qingcang looking for me so suddenly for?"

Ye Qingxuan asked with a face full of suspicion. At this very moment, the entire Mount Mao could be described as deserted, because almost all Disciples and Elders with a Foundation Establishment Stage and above cultivation base had already left the mountain one after another. Now, only Senior Martial Uncle Yuanhui's eldest Disciple—Senior Brother Qingcang—remained here, responsible for managing the affairs within the Mount Mao Sect.

"According to Master, Uncle-Master Qingxuan previously obtained a Spiritual Vein and a mineral vein, but the exact locations of these two have always been a mystery. Now their traces have finally been found, but wanting to mine them requires someone possessing the Foundation Establishment realm to do it. However, Uncle-Master Qingxuan bears a heavy responsibility and needs to fully prepare for the upcoming National Destiny Game, so he had no choice but to dispatch the other three Uncle-Masters to go look for Great-Uncle-Master Yuanxing for assistance."

Disciple Xiyue spoke at an extremely fast pace, as if she was afraid that speaking too slowly would delay important matters.

Hearing this, the Second Senior Brother's expression on the side instantly turned extremely gloomy, blue veins bulging on his forehead, and he said through gritted teeth, "Fine! So that guy Qingcang is actually treating us like coolies to be ordered around?"

His words not only had a rigid tone, but the anger contained within them also made Disciple Xiyue tremble all over, almost scaring her to tears.

"Senior Brother, don't scare her," Qingling gave the reckless Senior Brother a blank look.

"All right, little Xiyue, we know. We'll go over in a moment, you go back first to report back to your Master," Ye Qingxuan said to Disciple Xiyue.

"Alright, Uncle-Master Qingxuan, Xiyue will head back first."

"In that case, this Daoist will give you a ride," Ye Qingxuan smiled and waved his hand, a surge of mana emerged, directly wrapping around Disciple Xiyue and soaring straight into the sky.

"Ah? Give me a… Ahhhhhhhh Uncle-Master, I hate you—" Disciple Xiyue's screams echoed resoundingly.

"Hahaha," Qingling laughed until she was out of breath.

"You really got it in you, Junior Brother." Qingyun also couldn't help giving a thumbs up.

"Treating my Senior Brother as a miner, can't I even tease his Disciple?" Ye Qingxuan said with displeasure.

"Well done," the three of them gave a thumbs up simultaneously.