170: Chapter 170: Unification of the Stars and Seas

The morning bell of Yongning City rang out once more, and a full ten years had already passed since Guardian Lin Jingyun succeeded as the Guardian Patriarch.

Over these past ten years, earth-shaking changes had taken place in the Star Sea Alliance.

The very first thing Guardian Lin Jingyun did after taking office was to push forward the "Star Sea Integration" policy.

He summoned representatives from various realms, deliberating within the Alliance Grand Hall for seven days and seven nights, and finally drafted a detailed 《Development Outline for Star Sea Integration》.

The core of the outline was to break down the barriers between various realms, achieving resource sharing, talent circulation, and defensive linkage.

When the news spread, the reactions of various realms varied.

The territories in the core region supported it one after another, having long anticipated this day.

The remote minor realms, however, harbored doubts, worried that they would be marginalized and that their resources would be encroached upon by the core territories.

Guardian Lin Jingyun did not force the policy through; instead, he personally traveled to those minor realms harboring doubts, explaining and pacifying them one by one.

He boarded the most ordinary star skiff, bringing no guards and traveling entirely alone.

His first stop was the Meteor Minor Realm at the very edge of the Star Sea.

The realm master of the Meteor Minor Realm was an elderly Cultivator over a thousand years old. Back when the Void Clan invaded, he had fought side by side with the Realm Guardian Army, witnessing firsthand the sacrifice of countless soldiers.

Toward Guardian Lin Jingyun's arrival, he was both welcoming and wary.

"Patriarch Lin, for you to come personally, this old man is flattered." The old realm master personally greeted him outside the realm boundary with a respectful attitude, yet the doubt in his eyes could not be concealed.

Guardian Lin Jingyun smiled slightly and followed him into the Realm Master's Estate.

The two sat facing each other as wisps of tea fragrance curled upward.

"Old Realm Master, what concerns do you have regarding the integration policy?"

The old realm master was silent for a moment before speaking slowly.

"Patriarch Lin, this old man dares to speak bluntly. The Meteor Minor Realm is located in a remote area, lacking in resources, and the strength of our Cultivators is far inferior to the core territories. After integration, will minor realms like ours be bullied by the core territories? Will we become their vassals?"

Guardian Lin Jingyun did not answer immediately; instead, he picked up his teacup and took a gentle sip.

"Old Realm Master, when you fought side by side with the Realm Guardian Army back then, did you ever think that you would be bullied by the core territories?"

The old realm master was stunned.

Guardian Lin Jingyun continued.

"Back when the Void Clan invaded, the Meteor Minor Realm bore the brunt of it. It was the Realm Guardian Army fighting to the death to protect it, and the reinforcements from various realms arriving in time, that managed to hold this land. At that time, no one asked what the Meteor Minor Realm could give them; they only came to help, only came to protect."

"The integration policy is not meant to turn minor realms into vassals, but to allow minor realms to receive better protection. The resources of the core territories can flow to the minor realms to help them develop. The specialty products of the minor realms can flow to the core territories to supply each other's needs. The talent of various realms can flow freely, playing their roles in the places most suited to them."

"Old Realm Master, tell me, is this not a good thing?"

The old realm master fell silent.

After a long while, he raised his head and looked at Patriarch Lin.

"Patriarch Lin, this old man understands what you have said. But what this old man worries about is that people's hearts are unpredictable. Once the policy is implemented, inevitably there will be greedy people taking advantage of the opportunity for personal gain."

Guardian Lin Jingyun nodded.

"What Patriarch Lin says is correct; people's hearts are indeed unpredictable. Therefore, integration cannot be accomplished overnight, but must be advanced step by step. The first step is to establish the star vein network to achieve rapid transit between various realms. The second step is to set up a resource sharing platform, with the Guardian Academy uniformly allocating resources. The third step is comprehensive talent circulation."

"Every step has detailed rules and a supervision mechanism. If there are any violators, the Law Enforcement Hall will severely punish them without leniency."

The old realm master looked at him, a complex light flashing in his eyes.

"Patriarch Lin, you are so much like the old Alliance Master."

Guardian Lin Jingyun was stunned.

"Senior Ling Shuang?"

The old realm master nodded.

"Back then, when Alliance Master Ling Shuang promoted the policy of branch Guardian Academies, she also personally came to the Meteor Minor Realm to explain. She also came alone, with just a cup of tea and a few words, dispelling this old man's doubts."

Guardian Lin Jingyun smiled slightly.

"Senior Ling Shuang is my teacher; everything I know was taught by her."

The old realm master stood up and bowed deeply toward Patriarch Lin.

"Patriarch Lin, this old man yields. The Meteor Minor Realm is willing to join the integration."

Guardian Lin Jingyun quickly helped him up.

"Old Realm Master, you flatter me. Star Sea integration is inherently a shared matter for all realms. The support of the Meteor Minor Realm is my greatest driving force."

After leaving the Meteor Minor Realm, Guardian Lin Jingyun successively visited the Cangwu Minor Realm, Biluo Minor Realm, Hanshuang Minor Realm... To every place, he came personally, explained personally, and listened personally.

For a full year, his footprints spread across all the realms of the Star Sea.

A year later, when he obtained the support of the final realm during his last visit to a territory, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The Star Sea Integration was officially launched.

The next three years were the busiest period in the entire Star Sea.

Various realms commenced construction simultaneously, building star vein teleportation arrays.

Powered by the energy of the star veins, these teleportation arrays could instantly transport Cultivators and supplies to any connected teleportation array. Theoretically, from the most peripheral Meteor Minor Realm to the core Yongning City, it only took half an hour.

Guardian Lin Jingyun personally supervised the construction of Yongning City's core teleportation array. This teleportation array was the largest in scale, connecting all the sub-arrays, and served as the hub of the entire star vein network.

The Disciples of the Array Hall of the Guardian Academy rushed the work day and night, the Disciples of the Artifact Hall refined the required spiritual materials, and the Disciples of the Pill Hall provided Medicinal Pills to maintain the Disciples' physical strength. The entire Yongning City was immersed in a bustling and enthusiastic construction.

Ling Shuang occasionally came to the construction site to take a look. She stood in the distance, watching Guardian Lin Jingyun's busy figure, her eyes filled with gratification.

When Zhou Zhiting returned from Qingmang Mountain, she also came to take a look once.

"This brat is even more driven than his teacher was back then," she said with a smile.

Song Xinghe also came; his memoirs were already half-written, and he happened to need some material.

"Ling Shuang, when you established the branch Guardian Academies back then, did you also run all over the various realms like this?"

Ling Shuang nodded.

"More or less. But back then, with the Patriarch holding the line ahead, my pressure was much less."

The three looked at each other and smiled, their eyes full of memories.

Three years later, the star vein network was officially completed.

On the day of the launch ceremony, before the core teleportation array of Yongning City, it was a sea of people.

Representatives from various realms gathered together, and the commoners came spontaneously to watch. In the sky, countless streaks of light shuttled back and forth; those were Cultivators who had rushed over from everywhere to witness the ceremony.

Guardian Lin Jingyun stood before the teleportation array, with the three Seniors Ling Shuang, Zhou Zhiting, and Song Xinghe behind him.

He raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet.

"Everyone, today is a day worth remembering."

His voice was not loud, yet it clearly spread across the entire venue.

"Three years. From when I began promoting the integration policy to today when the star vein network is completed, it has been a full three years. In these three years, I have walked through every corner of the Star Sea, seen the commoners of various realms, and heard their inner voices."

"Some say that integration will cause minor realms to suffer losses. Some say that integration will destroy the independence of various realms. But I tell them that integration is not meant to annex anyone, but to allow everyone to live together better."

"Today, the star vein network has been completed. From now on, from the Meteor Minor Realm to Yongning City, it will only take half an hour. From the Cangwu Minor Realm to Qingmang Mountain, it will only take a quarter of an hour. The distance between various realms will no longer be a problem."

"From now on, the specialty products of the Meteor Minor Realm can be delivered to the market of Yongning City on the same day. The Medicinal Pills of Yongning City can be delivered to the hands of the Yao Race in Qingmang Mountain on the same day. The resources of various realms have truly achieved sharing."

He raised his hand, and a stream of spiritual power was injected into the teleportation array.

The teleportation array lit up abruptly, and a dazzling light soared into the sky.

Within that light, countless runes flickered, connecting to the sub-arrays of various realms across the Star Sea.

The light lasted for a full quarter of an hour and then slowly dissipated.

In the center of the teleportation array, a faint screen of light appeared.

Within the light screen, the sights of various realms could be faintly seen—the fissure ruins of the Meteor Minor Realm, the Yao Race villages of Qingmang Mountain, the Spiritual Vein spring of the Lingxi Realm, the Liuli minefields of the Liuli Realm...

At this very moment, all territories were connected together.

The entire venue erupted with earth-shattering cheers.

"The star vein network! The star vein network!"

The commoners cheered and leaped with joy, and the Cultivators were extremely excited.

Representatives from various realms stepped forward one after another to congratulate Guardian Lin Jingyun.

Guardian Lin Jingyun returned the courtesy one by one, a modest smile on his face.

Ling Shuang walked to his side and gently patted his shoulder.

"Jingyun, you have done very well."

Guardian Lin Jingyun turned around, looking at this teacher who had instructed him for three hundred years, his eyes filled with gratitude.

"Teacher, without the things you taught me, I could not have done this."

Ling Shuang shook her head.

"No, you achieved it yourself. I am merely a guide; you walked the path yourself."

Zhou Zhiting also stepped forward.

"Brat, what plans do you have next?"

Guardian Lin Jingyun looked into the distance, a look of contemplation flashing in his eyes.

"The star vein network is only the first step. Next, I want to establish a resource sharing platform across various realms to make the allocation of resources more efficient. I also want to promote the circulation of talent, allowing young people from various realms to go to the places most suited to them to study and Cultivate."

"Most importantly, we must improve the supervision mechanism to prevent anyone from using integration for personal gain."

Ling Shuang nodded.

"Thought out very thoroughly. Go ahead, I support you."

Guardian Lin Jingyun nodded solemnly, turned around, and continued to be busy.

Over the next few years, the pace of Star Sea Integration became faster and faster.

After the resource sharing platform was built, the flow of supplies between various realms became smoother. The spiritual spring water of the Lingxi Realm was continuously transported to various realms, nourishing countless spiritual fields. The Liuli ore of the Liuli Realm was forged into various Magical Artifacts, arming the soldiers of the Realm Guardian Army.

After the talent circulation policy was implemented, young Cultivators from various realms headed off to study in the places they yearned for. Cultivators from the Meteor Minor Realm could go to Yongning City to learn the most profound methods of defending the Dao. The Yao Race youths of Qingmang Mountain could travel to various realms to broaden their horizons and knowledge.

The connections between various realms became increasingly close and harmonious.

Those former estrangements and suspicions gradually melted away in the frequent interactions.

On this day, Guardian Lin Jingyun was processing official business within the Alliance Grand Hall when a young Disciple hurriedly walked in.

"Patriarch, word has come from the Meteor Minor Realm that their Spiritual Veins have experienced abnormal fluctuations, suspected to be the emergence of a new Spiritual Vein mineral deposit."

Joy flashed in Guardian Lin Jingyun's eyes.

"Immediately send people to investigate. If it truly is a new mineral deposit, notify the resource sharing platform to prioritize the allocation of mining resources."

The young Disciple acknowledged the order and left.

Guardian Lin Jingyun stood up, walked to the window, and looked toward the distant Monument of Heroes.

The Chaos-colored light at the top of the monument was still bright.

He smiled slightly.

"Patriarch, do you see this? The Star Sea is becoming better and better."

That beam of light gently leaped, as if responding.

In the distance, within Ling Shuang's small courtyard.

Ling Shuang was sitting on a stone stool in the courtyard, looking at a letter in her hand.

The letter was sent by Zhou Zhiting, saying that she was now settled in Qingmang Mountain, drinking tea and chatting with those old Yao Race companions every day, living a leisurely and carefree life.

At the end of the letter, she wrote—

"Ling Shuang, tell me, was this life of ours worth it?"

Ling Shuang looked at these words and fell into deep thought.

She recalled those years following the Patriarch to fight on the battlefield, escaping death time and time again.

She recalled those years holding charge over the Guardian Alliance, exhausting her efforts and not daring to slack off even a fraction.

She recalled those years watching generation after generation of Disciples grow, watching the Star Sea become better day by day.

She smiled, picked up her brush, and wrote a reply—

"It was worth it."

"Because what we protect is a world that will become better and better."

"Because what we leave behind are people generation after generation who will continue to protect it."

"That is enough."

She folded the letter well and handed it to a Disciple to send off.

Then, she stood up, walked to the courtyard entrance, and looked toward the distant Monument of Heroes.

The afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled upon the monument, reflecting the Chaos-colored light to be even more dazzling.

She said softly.

"Patriarch, you must also feel it was worth it, right?"

That light leaped gently.

Ling Shuang smiled, turned around, and walked back into the courtyard.

Night fell, and the lights of Yongning City lit up.

The light at the top of the Monument of Heroes was exceptionally eye-catching in the night sky.

It was like an eternal beacon, illuminating this land and lighting up the heart of every Guardian.

In the distance, the light of the star vein network flickered among various realms, like a huge light net connecting the entire Star Sea into one.

That was Guardian Lin Jingyun's masterpiece, the realization of the dreams of generations of Guardians.

Ling Shuang stood in the courtyard, looking at those lights, her eyes filled with tranquility.

She said softly.

"Star Sea as one, Myriad Realms of one heart."

"Patriarch, your wish has been realized."