Chapter 478: Chapter 461: Advancement
It wasn’t that Hu Jing hadn’t considered coming to the Great Yuan Realm, to the Cultivation Academy. But she never knew when it might happen, and she had steeled herself for a bitter struggle. To arrive now, in such a dominant fashion, was something she’d never dreamed of.
A month after the great battle, it felt like even the participants were living in a dream. Sometimes, they would wake up with a lingering fear, afraid that it had all been a fantasy.
Because of the Holy Hall’s powerful performance, Yang Jian had also been quite accommodating. He provided assistance for Hu Jing and the others to travel to the Cultivation Academy and didn’t assign the Holy Hall any particularly heavy responsibilities. After all, although Hu Jing and her group had shown potential, they weren’t suited to bear too much responsibility. Their level was what it was, and while a harsh environment could temper a person, it could also destroy them. A being like Yang Jian naturally understood this very well.
Zhang Xiaojiang, however, couldn’t care less about any of that. First on his list was a day tour of Starlight Academy. Starlight City was a must-see, and the First-Grade Drunken Immortal Tower was definitely not to be missed.
Of course, with a kindred spirit like Fan Hong, getting into mischief together was no problem at all.
Wang Meng’s visit to Lv Yuantian this time was for a rather important matter. The emergence of Holy Statues and Life Artifacts was thanks to the discoveries of the Star Alliance, which had turned once-ignored concepts into the main path of Cultivation. This meant there had to be ways to strengthen and excavate a Holy Statue’s abilities.
However, the Old Demon Dean wasn’t so easy to fool. Moreover, Lv Yuantian had always been curious as to why the Holy Hall could repeatedly produce Holy Statues. He didn’t seem to think it was a coincidence, but he couldn’t find anything wrong with it, either.
"Legend has it that God created the world, followed by the Giant Dragons and the Dragon Race, who were God’s assistants. After them, the demons and the Demon Race were born—an extension of God’s imagination, full of fantastic and even grotesque ideas. Finally came humans."
Lv Yuantian spoke eloquently, his eyes shining with a strange light.
Wang Meng was a bit dazed. "That’s just a legend, right?"
"Hehe, for Human Cultivators, ascending to become an Immortal is only the first step, because only as an Immortal is it possible to seek out the vanished God. But I’m getting ahead of myself," Lv Yuantian said. "The human form is similar to that of the Dragon and Demon Races. But unlike them, who possess powerful Innate strength, humans were granted creativity. That’s not the whole story, however. The Origin Power of humanity is still linked to dragons and demons. God wasn’t omnipotent; during creation, he couldn’t escape his own established patterns. In order to highlight creativity, he suppressed their Origin Power. But if humans can excavate this Origin Power and combine it with their creativity, they can advance even further. In other words, in essence, only humans have the potential to approach God."
Lv Yuantian’s unique and heretical explanation seemed to open up a new perspective for Wang Meng.
Gazing at Lv Yuantian’s strange yet profound eyes, Wang Meng felt a peculiar sense of resonance. He wasn’t an ordinary person, either. He knew that beyond the Small Thousand Realms, there were also the Middle Thousand Worlds and the Grand Thousand World. His memories from the Godhood were blank regarding the Middle Thousand Worlds, but there were fragments about the Grand Thousand World. The Cultivators there were called Immortals, and only Moo Shan and Wangtian were called Demigods. Just as Lv Yuantian said, Human Cultivators had the potential to become the beings closest to God. This and the Star Alliance’s nearly legendary theories seemed to corroborate each other.
Seeing Wang Meng lost in dazed contemplation, Lv Yuantian smiled. "Don’t overthink it. Just treat it as a legend and move on. For you, right now, what’s important is strengthening the Holy Hall and raising your Cultivation. To get back on track, the essence of Holy Statues and Life Artifacts is actually Origin Power. Take your Dragon Emperor Holy Statue, for example. You’re the same as Lin Jinghao in this regard, which means you share an origin with the Dragon Race. This is a decent advantage, but don’t get complacent. Having a Holy Statue still depends on how much of its power you can unleash. Holy Statues can be promoted."
"Promoted?" Wang Meng asked.
Lv Yuantian just smiled. "You don’t need to consider that for now. First, focus on properly merging with your Holy Statue. The Holy Statue is just the origin; you still need your own body to unleash its power. Moreover, the most important thing is how you integrate the Holy Statue’s power with the Magic you’ve already cultivated and become stronger."
Wang Meng didn’t press the issue. There was no point in asking about things Lv Yuantian didn’t want to discuss in depth.
"What’s the situation with Mingren’s and Hu Jing’s Holy Statues?"
"The only ones on par with the Dragon Race are the Great Demons of the Demon Race; they are all Controllers of some ability. Mingren is a prime example, and the fusion between his Holy Statue and body is naturally perfect. Hu Jing is also this type, but the integration between her Holy Statue and body is worlds apart from his. Hehe, still, for her current level, it’s already quite good."
"Can she become a member of the Star Alliance?" Master Wang asked, seizing the opportunity. This was the real point of his visit today, seeing as Hu Jing’s Holy Statue was of such a high level.
Lv Yuantian shot Wang Meng a glare. "You brat, you really know how to ask for the moon. Are Star Alliance members just some roadside goods? While Hu Jing has the foundation, we still need to see what she’s capable of. At the same time, the strength of her Sect is also an important factor. You were a special case. At most, one person from a sect’s younger generation can join."
"Dean, you can’t put it like that. I’m a Sect Leader now, after all. You can have them count me as one of the old guys. I need a capable pillar of support, don’t I? Can’t we discuss it?"
Master Wang didn’t want to let this chance slip by. As the one now in charge, he was all too aware of the costs involved, and one more Star Alliance member would be a tremendous help to the Holy Hall.
"Do you think I’m the Star Lord?!" Lv Yuantian said with a stern face.
"My dear Dean, you’re known for supporting your juniors. And I think this is a great opportunity from the Star Alliance’s perspective, too. First, Hu Jing already has the qualifications. Growth takes time and encouragement, right? Besides, all the Small Thousand Realms are watching the Star Alliance right now. This is a critical moment for the Alliance to extend its reach over all the Small Thousand Realms. And lately, the Holy Hall has undoubtedly been the center of attention. Making Hu Jing a member of the Star Alliance now would showcase the Alliance’s magnanimity and encourage more Small Thousand Realms to participate. Don’t you think there are too many people watching from the sidelines and not enough taking action?"
Wang Meng deployed his ultimate bullshitting technique. In this day and age, you really couldn’t be a Sect Leader without a silver tongue.
Surprisingly, Lv Yuantian actually fell into deep thought. ’The Star Alliance’s expansion into the various Small Thousand Realms isn’t going very smoothly. The five great academies claim to lead thousands of Small Thousand Realms and so on, but in reality, the majority are just watching from the sidelines. The strength of the Star Alliance’s Ten Great Sects is beyond question, but are there really no others at that level?’
’Not necessarily. There are always capable people out there, as well as powerful sects that remain deeply hidden. And they are quite stubborn. Meanwhile, the smaller sects are hesitant. Changing traditions and breaking old methods is always the hardest part, and in the Cultivation World, it’s even more difficult.’
’What they need now is a breakthrough, and an example.’
Lv Yuantian looked at Wang Meng. ’It isn’t particularly strange that the Star Alliance needs an example like this. The question is, how did Wang Meng think of it, and why is he thinking along these lines?’
"Dean, I know I’ve gotten a little more handsome lately, but you don’t have to admire me so openly."
Wang Meng joked. Lv Yuantian couldn’t help but laugh. "You little rascal. You’ve become a Sect Leader, but you’re still so unreliable. This matter isn’t up to me. I’ll have to consider it. Your priority right now should be to increase their strength. Let’s put it this way: the battle for the Other Shore is your opportunity. If you can perform well, your path in the Star Alliance will be smooth sailing from now on. Otherwise... well, you know."
"Dean, you’re absolutely right! I really want to focus on my Cultivation! Look how comfortable Mingren has it. He’s in the Pure Land, eating the best food, living in the best place, getting whatever he wants, with a whole bunch of masters serving him. From time to time, they even send some knight or another to ’greet’ me. My life is so much harder in comparison! If you don’t help lighten my burden, by the time the battle for the Other Shore comes, he’ll definitely wipe the floor with me. That wouldn’t reflect well on you either, would it?"
Lv Yuantian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. This was clearly Wang Meng’s problem, yet he had managed to drag him into it. But it had to be said, thanks to Wang Meng, Starlight Academy’s reputation had soared. He had gained a lot of face in front of his four old friends and felt quite proud. As for Mingren, once he went to the Pure Land, he had nothing to do with Lv Yuantian anymore.
’With Mingren’s constitution, he was destined to soar no matter where he went; it wouldn’t demonstrate the academy’s achievements at all. The Holy Hall is an example for the Star Alliance’s expansion, so why can’t it also be an example for Starlight Academy?’
Lv Yuantian wasn’t unaware of Wang Meng’s difficulties, but he wouldn’t verbally concede.
"I’ll do my best on this matter. If you want to secure your footing, you still need to achieve more in the Slaughter Space. As for things on the academy’s side, you can rest assured."
"Thank you, Dean! I will definitely educate them well and make sure they remember to follow in your footsteps, marching boldly forward!"
Disciples from the great sects generally didn’t have Wang Meng’s eloquence. Master Wang’s verbal skills were honed by haggling at street stalls.
To celebrate the new members’ arrival, and also to celebrate the Holy Hall’s survival of its recent calamity, Ling Fei booked out the Drunken Immortal Tower.
It was quite a grand gesture from Ling Fei. The "Empress" had been "ruling" Starlight Academy for some time now. Although Ling Fei herself didn’t care about the title at all—the rumors were just because of her Peacock Ming King Statue—anyone who knew Ling Fei would know her true personality.
But everyone was always curious about her relationship with Wang Meng.
But times had changed. The Wang Meng of today was no longer the greenhorn Cultivator who had just arrived.
A Sect Leader, a two-star member of the Star Alliance, possessor of the Dragon Emperor Sacred Body—these titles were enough to leave all of Starlight Academy stunned.
Although Wang Meng had effectively withdrawn from the school factions, as a Sect Leader, it was clearly no longer appropriate for him to stay here. Moreover, in many cases, even if the Little Holy Hall faced a problem, he could no longer intervene directly.
Because he was a Sect Leader, his status was different. If he intervened over every little thing, his rivals wouldn’t tolerate it. Besides, for the sect’s development, its members truly needed to face challenges on their own.
If this were in the past, Hex Zui would have worried his hair white. But now, Senior Brother Hex wasn’t worried in the least. With four Holy Statue wielders, led by Hu Jing, descending upon the Little Holy Hall... Damn, any opponent was just a fleeting cloud.
It was indeed explosively awesome. Besides the Holy Statues, they also had Life Artifacts; it’s just that most people didn’t know it yet.
Celestial King Ji Rushan also came. Of course, he was too embarrassed to call himself a Celestial King here. Ji Rushan was from the Celestial Rainbow Sect. If before he felt he was on the same level as Wang Meng, in the blink of an eye, Wang Meng was truly no longer on his "level."
It was just that there were still a great many people who were curious about what Wang Meng’s actual level of power was now.
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