Cultivation: Being Immortal Chapter 786

In the year 7005 of the Xia calendar, within Huaxia.

With the space program decelerating, Huaxia turned its attention once more to economic growth. The Spiritual Energy Research Institute revealed a host of technologies for everyday use, designed to better the quality of life for citizens.

Simultaneously, Huaxia freely released a vast array of civilian technology patents to various nations. They also pledged aid to numerous underdeveloped and impoverished regions, rolling out poverty alleviation initiatives that included distributing countless solar batteries capable of holding one hundred million degrees of electricity.

Through these extensive initiatives, Huaxia's global reputation underwent a transformation, substantially reducing international strains and averting numerous potential disputes. Indeed, impoverished nations might hesitate to clash with Huaxia, yet targeting weaker foes is commonplace—it's the law of the jungle in action.

The most eased circumstances exist on Ying Continent. Even though Huaxia had eased its control to avoid further economic decline, their progress remains sluggish, and tensions persist.

Voices within Ying Continent have increasingly called for Li Qing to ignite a war as a distraction from domestic woes. If they can't overcome Huaxia, surely they can confront other nations or even the demon race?

"Master, here are the technologies Huaxia has released for free. Our experts have assessed them, and they're remarkably advanced, way beyond what we possess in Ying Continent."

"Any that we can apply?"

"All of them, actually. Take this ultra-high voltage power transmission tech—it's leaps ahead of ours. Ours manages over five thousand kilometers but wastes more than fifty percent of the power. Huaxia's version covers over fifty thousand kilometers with losses under twenty percent."

"Plus, there's the maglev train advancement. We're stuck at six hundred kilometers per hour, but Huaxia's hit three thousand five hundred, nearly ten times the speed of sound…"

Zheng Yi detailed several crucial technologies. Previously, these had been top-secret in Huaxia. Now, nearly everything is offered gratis. Such generosity will profoundly boost their industrial capabilities.

"Can we grasp these technologies completely?"

"Indeed, though it'll require time. Our pool of experts has been severely depleted after Huaxia's repeated talent grabs."

"We mustn't delay further. The more time passes, the wider the divide with Huaxia becomes. What they've shared can't be their latest; it might even be obsolete."

"True, Huaxia's forefront tech outpaces us by generations. Master, we ought to abandon dreams of overtaking Huaxia. I'm utterly despondent; even in cultivation, we stand no chance against them."

Zheng Yi voiced his deep despair. He recognized their tech inferiority. He'd once pinned hopes on cultivation, but Huaxia's scheme forced a plaza agreement that drained centuries of wealth. This crippled their cultivator training for decades, extinguishing all prospects.

"Yet I refuse to yield!"

"Master, maybe it's time to embrace reality. We can't match Huaxia; their base is overwhelmingly solid."

"Enough, I need silence."

Li Qing shook her head. She felt not just Zheng Yi's hopelessness, but the entire leadership's despair. No drive remained to eclipse Huaxia.

Ying Continent holds zero edges over Huaxia. Their lag spans every domain, not just slightly—it's epochs apart.

While others might find alternatives, Li Qing faces none. As leader for centuries, commanding multitudes with none above, she relished her authority and couldn't kneel in submission.

This mirrors ancient rulers. Officials can capitulate and retain posts under new lords. But an emperor surrendering? How could they stoop to mere advisor?

······

In the Blue Star Xia calendar's year 7035, the Genesis II Space Mother Ship reached Jiang Star.

The Genesis II Space Mother Ship delivered plentiful energy to Lin Guobin and his Genesis I team, plus fifty doomsday-grade nuclear weapons and tens of thousands of robots and spare components of all sorts.

Buoyed by this aid, Lin Guobin's operations grew audacious as he relentlessly shelled Jiang Star, triggering myriad quakes and eruptions. Swiftly, the planet's temperature climbed rather than dropped.

"Curse it, I should've deployed an atomic bomb over a hydrogen one; that'd spark a nuclear winter and chill things fast."

"Lord Lin, a nuclear winter would shatter our millennium-long scheme instantly. Cooling isn't our sole aim; we seek a habitable world. All that fallout—we can't predict the years needed to cleanse it."

"What about radiation-absorbing moss?"

Lin Guobin declared confidently. He'd read reports on enhanced moss varieties, now numbering dozens.

"Valid point, but that's suited to Blue Star, not Jiang Star. We're set to adapt and grow it in the Space Mother Ship lab."

"Then hurry up!"

"Staff shortages persist; robots falter at innovative research."

The speaker noted that despite AI and robot sophistication, they lag humans in creativity—perhaps a deliberate constraint.

"What's our move?"

"Proceed steadily. In fifty years, the initial immigrant vessel arrives with three thousand engineers and scientists, including the Spiritual Energy Research Institute's top specialist. Their expertise dwarfs ours."

"Fine, no more jests. Everyone, back to work."

Lin Guobin agreed. He'd learned the pioneer immigrant ship launched 150 years prior, due in fifty more. Their arrival would propel local tech forward, allowing him to retire with accolades and lighter duties—a welcome prospect.

At that moment, in Huaxia's Haigang City, Lin Jiang encountered Xia Qingshan again, via watch projection.

"I figured you'd appear."

"I provided ample data, so deducing it was easy for you."

"Correct, the Jiang Star initiative thrives. We've claimed the continent on Jiang Star, and the cooling strategy advances well. In fifty years, a Space Mother Ship bearing thousands of scientists arrives, heightening odds of relocation within a millennium. You're preparing in advance, aren't you?"

Lin Jiang observed. Xia Qingshan prized Jiang Star immensely, and with the project at a pivotal stage, his absence would be odd.

"Indeed, I trust your prowess to fully remake Jiang Star—that's why I'm here."

"I'm eager to dispatch my clone to Jiang Star."

"Yes."

"No false modesty from you."

"Partners demand candor among allies."

"Very well, what's your plan now?"

"I'll impart a formation to you. Place it at the grand spirit vein's heart. Roughly a century from now, collect the Five Elements Bead. Then, implant the Five Elements Bead deeply into Jiang Star via a unique technique. Within twenty years, it'll birth a spirit vein. At that juncture, I'll station my clone on Jiang Star, enabling my presence. I'll wield Heaven and Earth laws, allowing cultivators to advance there. Without this, arrivals on Jiang Star could only sustain their cultivation level, not progress."

"Your strategy for claiming Jiang Star?"

"Precisely, though it's the optimal approach. Disagree, and I have alternatives."

"Agree? Of course— we're allies, after all."

Lin Jiang consented swiftly; refusal wasn't viable.

"That was quick. It can't be so straightforward. Speak—what's your true aim?"

"Perceptive, I have conditions."

"Name them."

"One, I'm your sole partner. I know of your other contacts. Whatever your schemes, avoid jeopardizing our bond. I might not slay you, but dispatching others is simple. Two, elevate Blue Star's civilization, particularly Immortal Language research."

"The first I accept—you're Blue Star's mightiest, so I ally with power. The second, though, I'm limited in aiding."

"Why? Blue Star's cultivation lineage stems from you, correct?"

"Exactly. Blue Star's path derives from me, capping at my former realm. I've transmitted everything I know. Further breakthroughs demand gradual discovery or conquest."

"Conquest— you seek interstellar conflict for us."

"Why not? It's mutual gain. Don't undervalue your might. A tech-cultivation hybrid planet wields immense power. Against pure cultivation worlds, you hold vast superiority. Trust in your capabilities."

Xia Qingshan affirmed, having gauged Blue Star's potency. At times, he pondered if it outshone his old cultivation realm. He even mulled sending Blue Star cultivators to seize that world and avenge his past.