164: Anxiety about the Holy Land and the "Spirit Threat Theory"

The almost savage, yet quiet and efficient, growth pattern of the adjacent Artifact Spirit Collective acted like a mirror, reflecting the current state of the many cultivation Holy Lands attached to the Cloud Court, sparking an indescribable anxiety.

These Holy Lands, whether established ones like the Heavenly Secret Martial Arts Pavilion and the Myriad Grass Everlasting Spring Valley, or newer ones that made the list through unique modifications like the Fierce Beast Star Domain and the Mind Realm, all attached themselves to the Cloud Court. They paid high "maintenance fees," managed painstakingly, and strived to imitate, seeking nothing more than to approach the Dao, gain greater power, or secure a longer Legacy.

Yet, after striving for so long, investing massive resources, and even changing the social structure of entire planes, did their gains truly fall short compared to that group of "Spirit Artifacts" that evolved from cold lumps of iron?

Those Spirit Artifacts did not need to do anything; they simply stayed quietly outside the Cloud Court's boundaries and could passively absorb Dao Rhyme and evolve autonomously. Their structural stability and energy utilization efficiency improved at a speed visible to the naked eye! In contrast, Holy Land Disciples needed to cultivate diligently, comprehend their mental state, and compete for resources, progressing slowly and frequently running into a Bottleneck.

This comparison left many Holy Land Leaders feeling deeply uneasy.

"We have cultivated bitterly for ten thousand years, yet we understand 'closeness' to the Dao less than a pile of iron scraps?" An Elder from the Heavenly Secret Martial Arts Pavilion said with a bitter tone, looking at the images transmitted back by the monitoring Magical Artifact, which showed the steady increase in the Artifact Spirit Collective's energy level.

"They are devoid of desire, knowing only absorption and evolution—does this secretly align with the true meaning of 'Dao follows nature'?" The Valley Master of the Myriad Grass Everlasting Spring Valley looked at the Spirit Medicine in his own garden that required meticulous care to grow, then thought of the Spirit Artifacts optimizing their structures in the Chaos Qi Flow, his expression complex.

What made them even more uneasy was the "purity" of these Spirit Artifacts. They had no complex desires, no School prejudices, and no internal friction from resource competition. Their sole instinct was to evolve towards a direction that was more "perfect" and more aligned with the Dao Rhyme. This mode of evolution was startlingly efficient.

A subtle "Spirit Artifact Threat Theory" began circulating among the high-ranking Holy Land officials.

"If we allow these Spirit Artifacts to develop unchecked, will they, given enough time, evolve to a level comparable to, or even surpassing, ours?"

"Their relationship with the Cloud Court is ambiguous. What if the Yunting Master favors this kind of 'pure' creation more..."

"At that time, what status will our Holy Lands hold in the eyes of the Cloud Court?"

Anxiety breeds suspicion, and suspicion spurs action.

Some Holy Lands secretly began increasing their "tributes" to the Cloud Court, attempting to solidify their "value" in the Cloud Court's mind with more precious resources and more attentive attitudes. The Xuanhuang Great World offered a batch of "Xuanhuang Mother Qi" containing the aura from the dawn of creation; the Fierce Beast Star Domain sent ancient Vicious Beast cubs that had been reared for tens of thousands of years and had already gained sentience; the Mind Realm even selected a group of Disciples with the best Aptitude, declaring their willingness to "be permanently stationed in the Cloud Court, awaiting orders."

Other Holy Lands turned their attention to the Logic Federation. They believed that the current situation was caused by the creations tinkered with by these "iron shells." Representatives of some Holy Lands privately contacted scientists from the Eye of Logic, proposing, in a subtle but clearly intended manner: could they "restrict" or "guide" the developmental direction of those Spirit Artifacts? They even hinted that if the technology related to the Spirit Artifacts could be "shared," the Holy Lands would be willing to pay a huge price.

The scientists of the Logic Federation found this both amusing and frustrating. They hadn't fully figured out the operational mechanisms of these Spirit Artifacts themselves, let alone controlling or guiding them. Dr. Li could only helplessly state: "The adjacent Artifact Spirit Collective is the result of autonomous evolution, and its interaction with GOD-001 is beyond our control. The Federation's principle is observation and learning; we will not intervene actively."

The various reactions of the Holy Lands naturally did not escape Long Qianyuan's notice. He felt that these Leaders were truly overthinking things.

"Is it really necessary? Why compete with a bunch of iron scraps?" He lay on the Chaos Flying Boat, legs propped up, chewing on dried Vicious Beast meat contributed by the Fierce Beast Star Domain, mumbling complaints. "They leech off their network, you cultivate your immortality. It's best when the well water doesn't mix with the river water. Why insist on feeling that your status is threatened? Truly bored."

He felt it necessary to cool down these anxious Holy Lands.

On this day, Long Qianyuan issued a brief notice in the name of the Cloud Court's Outer Management Office:

[We have recently observed unnecessary anxiety among some affiliated forces. We reiterate: The Cloud Court upholds the principle of 'Dao follows nature, teaching without discrimination.' All things exist for a reason, and all have their own path. The rise of the Spirit Artifacts is their Opportunity; the existence of the Holy Lands is their foundation. There is no need for comparison or self-deprecation. Focus on your own affairs, and accept your destiny. Should anyone cause trouble or interfere with neighbors without reason, they will be severely punished.]

As soon as the notice was released, the major Holy Lands immediately fell silent.

Long Qianyuan's words were very direct: Stop overthinking, stop causing trouble, and just manage yourselves. Anyone who dared to stir up trouble again because of the Spirit Artifacts should not blame him for being impolite.

The Holy Masters and Realm Masters looked at the notice, exchanged glances, and finally suppressed their inner unease and began to reflect. They realized that their anxiety might truly be a "delusion," deviating from the "peace of mind" and "naturalness" advocated by the Cloud Court.

At the same time, Long Qianyuan quietly sent a private message to the Eye of Logic:

[Old Li, control your 'little darlings.' It's fine for them to leech off the network, but don't let them run around everywhere, and especially don't let them block our doorstep. Otherwise, be careful, or I'll melt them down and recast them into toilet seats.]

Dr. Li received this message, which was full of Long Qianyuan's personal style, and felt both amused and helpless. He could only reply stating that monitoring would be strengthened to ensure that the activity range of the Artifact Spirit Collective would not cause any interference to the Cloud Court.

A disturbance hidden among the Holy Lands, triggered by the rise of the Spirit Artifacts, was thus suppressed by Long Qianyuan in a simple and crude manner.

Inside the Star Gazing Hall, Yun Feng remained seemingly oblivious to these minor outside disturbances. His attention appeared to be drawn by a subtle new change in the pond.

That Golden Koi had recently developed a strong interest in the "memory crystal" containing various complex technological information, which was presented as tribute by the Logic Federation. It no longer just swallowed the crystal for fun; instead, it would wrap the crystal in bubbles and "observe" it for long periods. The golden spot on its forehead flickered with the flow of information inside the crystal, as if undergoing some kind of... incomprehensible "learning" or "analysis."

Yun Feng watched this scene, a faint, elusive smile flashing in his eyes.

"Interesting. The end of technology is metaphysics. Is the end of metaphysics, perhaps... also starting to engage in scientific research?"

He flicked his finger, and a wisp of imperceptible Chaos Dao Rhyme merged into the memory crystal the Koi was observing. The stream of information inside the crystal, which concerned the "Tenth-Dimensional Oscillation Model of Superstring Theory," instantly became more vibrant, as if coming alive.

The Golden Koi trembled all over, the radiance flowing across its scales suddenly becoming rapid. It seemed to have "seen" something unprecedented.

Subtle changes, seemingly unrelated yet faintly interconnected, always seemed to be taking place both inside and outside the Cloud Court. The evolution of the Spirit Artifacts, the anxiety of the Holy Lands, the confusion of technology, the "learning" of the Koi... all these were like ripples spreading in a pond, intertwining to jointly form a grand yet marvelous scroll painting named "Cloud Court."

And this scroll painting was far from being fully unfurled.