399: The hope of blue planet independence and self-government

"A concert? No, it's not a concert. Even if data usage increases during a concert, it couldn't possibly reach this magnitude—hundreds of times over! And with such overloaded traffic, the network actually hasn't crashed? What is going on?!" Hu Lu was completely bewildered.

Zeng Xuejun, however, perked up, saying excitedly, "Could it be that the node for this intrusion incident is also in Southern Yue? If the opponent modified our System modules to allow them to recognize Spiritual Qi, the amount of data they would need would be astronomical. But how on earth did they manage to keep the network from crashing?"

"Check it! Check it now! Check the other nodes too! If you don't drag this person out, none of you are going home!" Qian Li said fiercely.

"Uh, this..." Everyone froze, but feeling helpless, they had to turn around and lead their respective engineering teams to search frantically...

At this moment, the culprit being pursued by the Cloud Department, Long Yuan, was sitting with Tianbao in a luxury "Unicorn" car, following the team led by Zhu Nan as they traveled through the rugged mountains...

Without Liu Rushi and Ran Yiyi, those two beauties, by his side, Tianbao was clearly much more relaxed, his 15-year-old boyish curiosity returning. Seeing the convoy moving through the mountains, he couldn't help but ask, "Ninth Young Master, is the super-martial base you mentioned hidden in these mountains?"

"You could say that, or you could say it isn't! It's still a bit far..." Long Yuan said with a smile.

"Far? With our speed, wouldn't it be better to just go directly? Actually, we don't need to take a car..." Tianbao said.

"On one hand, going directly would be too conspicuous; there are eyes from various factions everywhere in Southern Yue right now, and it's easy to attract their attention. On the other hand, it's to protect the immortal seedlings in front!" Long Yuan said.

"immortal seedlings?"

"Yes, seedlings for Cultivation! They are candidates we've discovered who can Cultivate and possess superior Aptitude. They must not meet with any accidents!" Long Yuan said.

"This... may This Humble Monk understand it this way: not only do they possess the Aptitude for Cultivation, but they are also the best among them?"

"Exactly!"

"Shouldn't these people be discovered through the test points of Xuanji Tower and then potentially join the Xuanji Tower faction?" Tianbao asked curiously.

"It seems you are already quite knowledgeable about the current situation in the Great Ming!" Long Yuan said with a smile.

Tianbao nodded and said, "Indeed, I have some understanding! The current wave of Cultivation in the Great Ming is unstoppable. The authorities are collaborating with Xuanji Tower to conduct testing and selection; the outstanding ones are very likely to be taken directly by Xuanji Tower, while others join the official Cultivation academies. For these immortal seedlings, both paths should be quite good!"

"Do you know the background of Xuanji Tower?" Long Yuan asked.

"I have heard some things from my Master; they are supposed to be a massive force from beyond the heavens, called 'Tianji Pavilion'!" Tianbao blurted out.

Long Yuan looked at him in surprise and asked, "What else did your Master say?"

"Well... he said that Blue Star is just one civilization in this starry sky. Beyond Blue Star, there are countless life-bearing planets and regions, and the strength of extraterrestrial life is extremely powerful. For example, the Cultivation Technique that Xuanji Tower practices is extremely formidable. If they hadn't come to Blue Star hundreds of years ago to help the Human Race repel the Beast Race, I fear the Human Race civilization on Blue Star would have already perished!" Tianbao said, his expression somewhat grave.

"It seems Great Master Zhishen is truly knowledgeable and experienced!" Long Yuan praised.

"My Master participated in that great decisive battle between the Human Race and the Beast Race hundreds of years ago and once had contact with the Master of Xuanji Tower, learning quite a bit about extra-planetary knowledge from him..." Tianbao said.

"I see! Then, do you know that Blue Star is actually a subsidiary colony planet of Tianji Pavilion?" Long Yuan asked.

"What? A colony planet?!" Tianbao froze.

"You heard me right, it is a colony planet!"

"You mean Tianji Pavilion is colonizing our Blue Star? But from all indications, it doesn't seem like Blue Star is being colonized?" Tianbao said in surprise.

Long Yuan nodded and said, "That's because Blue Star's value in the past wasn't high; it was just a planet in the Profound Qi Era. But now, Blue Star has gradually entered the Lingqi Era, and its potential value is immense—it has reached the period where it can be truly developed! Additionally, this interstellar force, Tianji Pavilion, acts relatively gently. They seem to prefer managing subsidiary life-bearing planets through business rather than draining the pond to catch the fish like some others, but..."

"But what?"

"When it comes to things that are truly valuable on a subsidiary planet, I believe Tianji Pavilion will not easily let them go!" Long Yuan said.

"What is truly valuable? Could it be those spiritual items?" Tianbao asked.

"Spiritual items are certainly a part of it, but in my opinion, the truly valuable thing is people!"

"People? You mean... immortal seedlings?!" Tianbao realized, saying.

"Correct! immortal seedlings, especially high-quality immortal seedlings—once discovered, Xuanji Tower will definitely move to seize them! There is a rule in the Star Domain: if a powerful Cultivator at or above the Mahayana Realm appears on a life-bearing planet, that planet can apply to the Star Domain Alliance for autonomy, and in general cases, it can be approved..." Long Yuan said.

"I see! This Humble Monk understands. If Xuanji Tower snatches away those high-quality immortal seedlings, then Blue Star will never be able to produce a powerful Cultivator at the Mahayana Realm, and Tianji Pavilion will be able to colonize Blue Star forever!" Tianbao realized.

Long Yuan looked at Tianbao with admiration; talking to smart people is just easier. He nodded and said, "So, during this time, I have been having Zhu Nan and the others step up the search for high-quality immortal seedlings and bring them to the base, so they won't be snatched away by Xuanji Tower! Also, I need to tell you specifically that you are also a particularly high-quality immortal seedling I have discovered. Becoming a Mahayana Cultivator in the future will be a given, so I absolutely cannot let you fall into the hands of Xuanji Tower. This is the reason why, after meeting you, I tried every possible way to bring you here. I believe Fahua Temple cannot protect you; only by coming to my base can you be protected by Blue Star, and you are all the hope for Blue Star's independence and autonomy!"

"Ah, this... should we tell This Humble Monk's Master about this? And... our Fahua Temple is very strong; we have many hidden experts. How could we not be able to protect This Humble Monk?" Tianbao thought of his Master immediately.

"Oh? Even if the Master of Xuanji Tower, Sabado, really couldn't defeat the hidden experts of Fahua Temple, do you think he wouldn't call for reinforcements from Tianji Pavilion? As long as they send one more expert, you will be a turtle in a jar with nowhere to escape! Furthermore, if Fahua Temple insists on protecting you, the result will very likely lead to the entire Fahua Temple being reduced to ashes. Are you willing to see such a situation happen?" Long Yuan said.