73: Even mayflies have the ambition to shake the heavens!

"All below Soul Transformation are but ants..."

Su Ling murmured to himself, his heart trembling slightly.

In his view, Core Formation and Nascent Soul Cultivators were already extremely powerful beings.

Yet, the implication in Zheng Cheng's words was that they were still nothing more than ants.

"That's right, we are all ants."

Zheng Cheng laughed self-mockingly, "Even a Nascent Soul Cultivator is just a slightly stronger ant."

A moment of silence fell over the private room.

The Treasure Pavilion was founded by a True Immortal, and many branch managers were overseen by Body Integration Cultivators.

Thousand Star City was considered a relatively remote small city in the entire Canglang Plane, so it was only overseen by a Soul Transformation Cultivator.

Originally, with Zheng Cheng's status, he wouldn't have been able to access much information regarding the upper echelons.

However, after his Breakthrough to the Peak Core Formation Stage, while receiving praise from the Nascent Soul Chief Manager, some information was also revealed to him.

"The National War is merely a trial for the Upper Sects to screen for seeds."

After pondering for a long while, Zheng Cheng said slowly, "In this starry sky, there are endless planes and stars. Only those great Sects have the strength to open Plane Battlefields and plunder resources to supplement themselves..."

As Zheng Cheng explained, Su Ling felt as if a vast and boundless scroll of the starry sky was slowly unfolding before his eyes.

Those who could participate in the Plane Battlefields were, at the very least, Nascent Soul Cultivators who could briefly travel through the Void Realm.

But with Nascent Soul as the starting point, it meant that Nascent Soul Cultivators were merely the basic foot soldiers on the battlefield.

Cannon fodder!

A Soul Transformation Cultivator was, at most, a minor squad leader.

The true main force were those great Body Integration Cultivators.

Only True Immortal powerhouses could be called generals and commanders.

One could imagine how low the survival rate of a Nascent Soul Cultivator was in a Plane Battlefield.

Even a Body Integration Cultivator could not guarantee they would survive every time a Plane Battlefield concluded.

If Nascent Soul Cultivators were cannon fodder, then what were Core Formation and Foundation Establishment if not ants?

"All below Soul Transformation are but ants!"

This sentence was truly beyond cruel.

"So, those great Sects screen Core Formation Cultivators just to Cultivate Nascent Soul cannon fodder?"

Su Ling swallowed hard and asked with some difficulty.

"No, what they screen for are seeds that might become Soul Transformation or even Body Integration experts."

Zheng Cheng shook his head and said helplessly, "How could cannon fodder be worth cultivating... Even with a Low Grade Spiritual Root, as long as one's luck isn't too bad, there's a high probability of breaking through to the Nascent Soul Stage; it's just that their Lifespan is shorter. Once a Plane Battlefield opens, there are plenty of Nascent Soul Cultivators with little Lifespan left who are willing to take a gamble."

"That's true."

Su Ling nodded slightly.

Since his Transmigration to the cultivation world, he had also learned a lot of information.

The Underground World, Cuiye Plane, and Canglang Plane he had experienced all had relatively abundant Spiritual Qi concentrations.

Advancing through Realms was actually quite easy.

It wasn't like many novels from his past life where one had to take pills just to break through to Foundation Establishment.

If the cultivation worlds in those novels were in a Dharma-Ending Age, then the cultivation world Su Ling was in could be considered a Golden Age.

With an ordinary Aptitude like his three-element Spiritual Root, as long as the supply of cultivation resources kept up and he followed the steps, there was a high probability of breaking through to the Nascent Soul Stage.

He would enjoy a Lifespan of two thousand years.

If his luck was better, perhaps he could even advance to Soul Transformation and enjoy five thousand years of life.

Of course, the premise was that the Cultivation Technique wasn't too poor.

Li Xiuyuan was the most typical example.

A Low Grade five-element Spiritual Root, using a Loose Cultivator technique, he wasted hundreds of years and almost exhausted his Lifespan to death.

But he made a stunning display in the National War, received a profound technique from an Upper Sect, and broke through to the Nascent Soul and Soul Transformation Stages in succession.

Now, Body Integration was within sight, and he could even glimpse the True Immortal Realm.

"So, why would the Seniors of the Upper Sects care about a fight between a group of cannon fodder ants?"

Zheng Cheng spread his hands and mocked himself with a hint of bitterness.

"We Cultivators go against the heavens, seeking longevity and hoping for freedom."

Su Ling pondered for a few seconds before saying slowly, "So what if our bodies are like ants? One must know that even a mayfly has the ambition to shake the heavens!"

In his past life, he was kidnapped into a Dark Walker base in the West when he was only ten or so. He went through countless life-and-death situations until he fought his way out at eighteen to become an Elementary Dark Walker.

Another ten years passed, and he stepped over the bones of many peers to become one of the top ten Dark Walkers in the dark world.

There were plenty of seeds in the base with better talent than him.

But in the end, he was the only one who achieved fame and deterred the entire dark world.

If not for his extremely resilient will and his belief in finding life through death, Su Ling would have died in the training camp like the other seeds.

No matter which world or what industry, those standing at the top were always a small handful of people.

The underlying logic was still the law of the jungle.

Only the strong could be free and unfettered.

In his past life, Su Ling died unexpectedly before he had enjoyed enough freedom.

Having finally gained a second life in this kind of cultivation world where longevity could be sought.

Su Ling naturally hoped to live as long as possible; only with longevity would there be enough time to see all the magnificent splendor of the sea of stars.

"Haha, well said! 'Even a mayfly has the ambition to shake the heavens'!"

Hearing this, Zheng Cheng's somewhat dim eyes gradually brightened with light, and he laughed heartily, "Brother Han, getting to know you is truly a great fortune in my immortal path! We must drink to our heart's content!"

"Big Brother Zheng, the feeling is mutual!"

The two of them cupped their hands in unison and smiled at each other.

"Say no more, let's go!"

Zheng Cheng immediately stood up and pulled Su Ling outside, "To the Drunken Immortal Tower, it's on me. Today we won't return until we're drunk!"

"Hey, I haven't bought my talisman paper and yao blood yet!"

"No matter, just give Qing Ming an order and have him deliver it directly to your residence!"

"This... alright then."

It was hard to refuse such hospitality, so Su Ling had to comply.

The Drunken Immortal Tower was the very same tavern where Su Ling had parted ways with Senior Wu Haiya and Lu Tao when he first entered Thousand Star City.

The two of them truly drank from the afternoon until late at night before the gathering ended.

Fortunately, both Su Ling and Zheng Cheng were relatively restrained people; despite drinking a lot of spiritual wine, they still maintained a bit of sobriety... The next day, Qing Ming indeed arrived with the yao blood and knocked on the Immortal Cave's formation.

"Senior, here are the essence bloods of five types of Third-tier Demon Beasts: Gold, Fire, Ice, Thunder, and Wind, totaling fifty catties."

Placing five jade jars on the table, Qing Ming said respectfully.

"We are both Foundation Establishment Cultivators; don't call me Senior anymore in the future."

Su Ling waved his hand and opened a jade jar with a light smile.

Having only learned yesterday that all below Soul Transformation are but ants, Su Ling was even less inclined to put on airs in front of Qing Ming.

"That I could advance to Foundation Establishment is largely thanks to Senior's help."

Qing Ming shook his head and insisted, "I have always been grateful. You will always be Qing Ming's Senior."

For two years, Su Ling had never behaved superiorly toward Qing Ming, and all his purchases at the Treasure Pavilion were handled through him.

From commissions alone, Qing Ming had earned several hundred Spirit Stones.

Coupled with the ten Low Grade spirit gathering pills gifted by Su Ling, he had managed to break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage in one go.

For a Loose Cultivator with no background, this kind of kindness was truly rare and precious.

"You are very thoughtful."

Su Ling nodded slightly, then smiled, "But in the future, just call me Big Brother Han. The title of Senior is indeed a bit much."

Qing Ming had a four-element Spiritual Root Aptitude and had been making a living as a handyman at the Treasure Pavilion.

His cultivation resources were even worse than Su Ling's back in the Underground World.

He only barely reached Foundation Establishment in his thirties.

In terms of age alone, he was ten years older than Su Ling.

However, counting his past life, Su Ling was definitely older.

"This... alright, greetings, Big Brother Han!"

Qing Ming was stunned for a moment, then his face filled with pleasant surprise.

'Big Brother Han' felt much closer than 'Senior'!