Cultivation: Being Immortal Chapter 768

Year 6566 of the Xia calendar

Construction kicks off for the newest spaceship model. It displays the pinnacle of Huaxia's technological prowess. Lin Jiang supplies Cao Wang with top-tier technical aid, channeling cutting-edge advancements from every sector into this vital initiative.

"Here's the blueprint for our Founder Two spaceship. Aside from the forward and rear sections, the remainder stays concealed within spatial folds. It appears merely sixteen meters in length, yet its true span surpasses eight hundred meters…"

"Founder Two weighs twenty-five tons on Blue Star. Far beyond a mere scout vessel, it serves as a full-fledged exploration craft, equipped with no armaments whatsoever…"

"My blueprint achieves a top velocity of thirty thousand Mach, while cruising at two point five Mach on average. Still, thanks to our trajectory planning, we'll swing past seven heavenly bodies. By harnessing their gravitational pull, we can surge beyond…"

Cao Wang shares key scientific specs of the innovative spacecraft with Lin Jiang and the group. Despite his plain language, Lin Jiang and companions grasp only fragments. As tech advances, the expertise needed swells. Not even cultivators can grasp it all.

Lin Jiang realizes this vessel stands as the supreme and swiftest of its kind. In cosmic ventures, velocity reigns supreme. Lacking it renders all else pointless.

"From where will they launch the spacecraft?"

"Cape VII, our freshest orbital outpost, which trims billions of kilometers off versus blasting from Blue Star."

"Is the Interstellar Teleportation Array operational at Cape VII yet?"

"Finished just a few years back. The array lets us arrive at Cape VII within a single day."

"Can we push construction even farther? For star-hopping colonies, ships fall short; a one-way trip drags on for centuries, regardless of passenger capacity."

Lin Jiang mentions that he and Cao Ying visited Cape III ages ago, though that's ancient history now. The stellar survey dubbed the fresh world Cape VII.

"Not yet. Funds are scarce. Interstellar jaunts stretch beyond our present capabilities, and erecting something like an orbital hub would skyrocket expenses."

"I'm tapped out financially. Presently, Huaxia allocates twenty-six percent of its annual budget to space endeavors, dwarfing military outlays at a mere seven percent. My personal reserves have vanished."

Lin Jiang shakes his head, noting how alarming it is to funnel over a quarter of funds into space pursuits. Even crucial defense budgets sit at just seven percent these days.

"Grandfather, I'd suggest drawing in overseas capital. Qingyun, Zhou Liao, and Ying Continent all chase space tech. The five alliance states collaborate, yet their progress lags centuries behind ours. Better to pull in their cash."

"How do we safeguard tech secrets in joint efforts?"

"Grandfather, you're overestimating their expertise. Seriously, even handing over every Founder Two schematic and base material formula gratis, they couldn't fabricate it."

"Truly? Such a vast disparity?"

"Space tech spans countless domains, not a single niche. Consider this basic instance: a spaceship's hull sheathing. Imagine the industries that must align for it? Roughly speaking: no fewer than a hundred. That piece alone would occupy them for years."

"Once aware, they'd eagerly partner and hand over funds for free."

"Absolutely. Across the decades, we've dominated this arena completely. Promotion plays the same tune. Through centuries of fervent advocacy, nations now agree: space alone marks a superpower. In essence, claim great power status—what proof? A handful of cultivators won't cut it; you need stellar travel too."

"Among today's powerhouses, just Qingyun and Zhou Liao touch the moon. Their robotic outpost there is over twentyfold tinier than ours, and crews endure only about three years. Ying Continent? Without their Tao Achieving Ancestor venturing personally, they've barely begun spacewalks lately."

"The divide is enormous."

Lin Jiang states, "The Lunar Base harks from centuries past. Huaxia boasts nearly double-digit Space Bases, with some astronauts dwelling in orbit for more than thirty years."

"Exactly, so we can bolster them via public sentiment. With almost two hundred nations worldwide, let them taste superpower status and the thrill of influence. If required, toss in minor tech shares."

Cao Wang adds, "Blue Star hosts plenty of countries, though most fade into obscurity. In folks' minds, only a dozen or so names ring bells."

"What's the yield from space ventures?"

"Under a thousand billion Huaxia coins yearly, barely scratching needs."

"Weren't we hauling back dozens of exotic minerals, shipment after shipment?"

"Ancestor, that was mere smokescreen for outsiders. How could you take it at face value? Sure, we retrieve minerals, but they must be practical. Blue Star's market is tiny. Take a metal for electronics: demand's one or two grams. We haul tens of thousands of tons—utterly unusable surplus. Dumping cheap would undercut our gains."

"Got it. Like farmers dumping milk instead of slashing prices, eh?"

"Precisely, though we're the dumpers, not the drinkers."

Cao Wang chuckles, openly admitting how advanced goods let Huaxia reap global riches. No rivals means no price cuts. Easy profits rule. When others catch up, then adjust rates.

"Fine, if you've got folks managing the finances, keep it straightforward: Huaxia leads supreme. Within that, flex as needed."

Lin Jiang nods, ceasing meddling. He's genuinely broke. He claimed Lu Xuan’s holdings in Penglai Continent and plunged them straight into ventures, so solutions fall to them.

Past efforts commercialized aerospace too, yet profits stayed dismal. Annual hauls might hit a few hundred billion Huaxia coins, but against investments, it's trivial—mostly hype value.

········

"Liang Long"

"Yes, Director."

At the Huaxia Spiritual Energy Research Institute's Yun River Branch, a youthful researcher rises from his chair.

"Step into my office briefly."

"Yes, Director."

Liang Long heads to the Director’s office, where a document is handed to him.

"Complete this form; you're heading to Haigang City for advanced training next month. Our Haigang branch leads in Spiritual Energy Research strength. Spend a year training there, and upon return, I'll push for your deputy director role."

"Director, I worry my credentials fall short. Is this alright?"

Liang Long rubs his hands, eyes fixed on the form as he speaks.

"Credentials are a tangled matter. Young as you are, you've shone as our Yun River Branch's top researcher these years. Your publications rival even mine, as director."

"Above all, your Liang lineage boasts four generations of martyrs—a rarity across Huaxia…"

The director speaks measuredly, praising Liang Long as a standout at the branch. He holds a degree from Huaxia Jingdu University, among the nation's elite institutions, and counts as one of its top alumni.

His record could land him anywhere in Huaxia's research scene. The Spiritual Energy Research Institute's headquarters even extended an offer, but Liang Long chose Yun River to repay his roots.

Since returning, he's excelled, yearly issuing several high-impact papers that eclipse peers in scholarly circles.

His political roots impress further: forebears numbered among Huaxia's inaugural cultivators, reaching Foundation Establishment. They perished battling dark powers, followed by three more generations lost in duty. Four martyr generations forge an ironclad legacy.

"Thanks, director. I grasp the path forward. I'll honor the Yun River Branch without fail."

"Carry on, dive into work. Mind, in Haigang City, learning matters, but forging ties counts more. Our Yun River Branch lags, needing your drive to rise."

"Yes, director."

Liang Long appears thankful and swiftly exits the office.

At his workstation, peers in the chat group offer congrats, news evidently spread. Liang Long responds modestly.

"Lu Xuan turns Liang Long, savoring ordinary mortal days—it proves rather captivating."

Liang Long scans about him inwardly, lost in the sensation like inhabiting a role-playing tale, where he embodies the protagonist without question.