A World Worth Protecting

1

“Hao-er, these fruits will be ripe soon.”

Looking at the fruits on the old tree, Lin You smiled. He had always been handsome, and with such a smile, it seemed that old tree had gained an abundance of vitality.

Lin Tianhao looked at his father. His expression was still depressed, and he did not speak.

“Do you still not understand?” Lin You turned, his eyes shining as he looked at his only son, who was also the successor whom he had placed the most hope in. However, with high hopes, there was also great disappointment. He knew that his son’s greatest weakness was in making arrangements!

Hearing his father’s words, Lin Tianhao could not stand it anymore and let out all the thoughts that he had suppressed.

“Father, I still don’t understand why you don’t let me return to the Dao College. With your standing, even if I did do those things, there’s no problem with returning to the Dao College!

“And it’s also because you didn’t let me go back that I couldn’t take part in this opening of Spirit Breath Village’s mystic realm! That damned Wang Baole already went, and I received news that he actually has an eight-inch Spirit Root!”

As Lin Tianhao said that, he clenched his fist. This was what made him the most frustrated.

Looking at Lin Tianhao, Lin You’s expression was calm. Under his gaze, Lin Tianhao’s breathing grew faster, and he bent his head.

“Hao-er, as my successor, Ethereal Dao College is only an interlude, just to let you go through the motions, and yet you’re treating it as something serious,” Lin You said blandly. Although he did not raise his voice, there was a strange threatening force that covered the area, causing Lin Tianhao’s heart to shudder. He bent his head even further.

“Such a small character actually made you so preoccupied. Hao-er, I’m disappointed in you.” Lin You’s gaze was still calm, but his words made Lin Tianhao shudder. He looked up with anxiety, wanting to explain.

Lin You’s previously calm gaze turned fierce as though there was a sudden burst of lightning landing on Lin Tianhao. Lin Tianhao could not even explain himself, swallowing his words with a shudder.

Seeing this, Lin You’s gaze revealed his disappointment, unseen by Lin Tianhao. He gradually dissipated his ferocity and raised his head to look at the sky. After a long time, Lin You spoke, his voice weary.

“Hao-er, this world is big, mysterious, and unpredictable. The Federation has the four Dao Colleges and the senate—we balance each other, but we also can’t rely on each other. At the same time, there are the Trilunaris Corporation, Five Generation Sky Clan, and the other two major sects watching, much less the sea of beasts outside.

“The Trilunaris Corporation is rich enough to compete with any country and is unfathomable. The Five Generation Sky Clan is rumored to have the most orthodox ancient sword legacy, and there is some evidence that the two major sects seem to have a sleeping ancient sword cultivator!

“The four Dao Colleges can choose to open up and accept any powerful people to join, but the Senate can’t!”

“All this is only in terms of the Federation. There’s still the moon, the other planets, and that seemingly endless territory on the ancient greenish-bronze sword.

“Even further, there are things that I don’t even dare to believe, things that nobodies can only shudder at as they dream of them,” Lin You muttered. It seemed like he was speaking to Lin Tianhao but also as though he was speaking to himself.

“With such a magnificent universe, can’t you have more foresight? As your father, I hope that you can quickly grow up. Don’t expend energy on these nobodies. Because of my existence, your life is completely different. Can you… understand this?”

Nervous, Lin Tianhao was even more shaken by his father’s words. As his brain buzzed, he felt that he could vaguely understand the hidden meaning in his father’s words, so he quickly nodded.

“Father, I… I understand!”

“You don’t understand!” Lin You shook his head. He raised his right hand and waved it. In an instant, there was a resplendent light exploding from his hand. In the blink of an eye, there were actually… eight figures!

These eight figures’ eyes were closed, and they floated motionlessly in midair as though they were restrained. However, their appearance caused Lin Tianhao’s eyes to widen suddenly, and his breathing became rapid.

These eight figures… seven of them were identical to Lin Tianhao, and they had Spirit Roots in their bodies, ranging from one inch to seven inches. As for the last faceless Spirit Root, it was eight inches long!

Other people needed to struggle hard and have great luck in order to get their Spirit Roots. But right now, in front of Lin Tianhao, from one to eight inches, they were all there!

“You don’t have to fight with other people in the first half of your life. I have already prepared everything for you.

“This is the difference between you and those nobodies, Hao-er. I have already arranged your life for you. If you just keep walking this path, you… will definitely reach the peak. In the future, when you become Ethereal City’s lord, when you become the new senator, that time… that is when you will need to start working hard. If you truly understand this, then go to Ethereal Dao College’s Upper Academy Island to study.”

Lin Tianhao was shaken. This was the first time that his father had spoken so clearly about his future. He stayed silent for a long time, as though his entire person in deep thought. Then he spoke lowly.

“I understand.”

At that moment, the returning cruiser from Spirit Breath Village had already landed in the Dao College’s aerial port. Before they left, these students had still been in Ancient Martial Arts realm, but when they returned, most of them were True Breath experts. As they walked out, none of them could hide their emotions.

They were even more excited when they noticed that all the faculty’s teachers and a large number of students had come out to welcome them. The Chancellor understood everyone’s feelings, so he waved his hand and dismissed everyone. In that moment, all the True Breath students immediately dispersed. Soon, the aerial port was filled with the noisy sound of chatter.

There were also quite a number of people welcoming Wang Baole. Naturally, Liu Daobin and the others led the group, wearing the Inspector robes and enveloping Wang Baole. They laughed and congratulated Wang Baole the entire way, and Wang Baole returned to the Dharmic Armament faculty in high spirits.

“I, Wang Baole, have returned!”

As he stepped on the peak of the Dharmic Armament faculty, Wang Baole laughed at the sky.

After some small talk, Liu Daobin prepared a feast in honor of Wang Baole. Only when the moon was high in the sky did the drunk Wang Baole return to his cave abode. After burping, Wang Baole drank a mouthful of some Ice Spirit Water to sober himself up. He took out his voice transmission ring and sent a voice transmission to his parents, informing them that he was already a True Breath expert and that he had entered Upper Academy Island.

“Aren’t I amazing, Old Wang?” Wang Baole said, pleased with himself.

His parents’ delighted voices soon traveled out from the voice transmission ring. After talking to his parents for a long time, Wang Baole saw that it was getting late, so he stopped the voice transmission. Sitting on the veranda of the cave abode, Wang Baole looked at his surroundings, appreciating the silence. His feeling of not wanting to leave grew stronger.

<em>How time flies. One year ago, I’d just stepped into the Dao College, and now… I’m going to enter Upper Academy Island! </em>Wang Baole sighed, but after thinking of his gains in the Spirit Breath Village, his mood improved.

<em>Let’s not speak about turning over the treasures to the Dao College first. When the Dao College is done recording everything and gives me their tabulation, I can take a portion of the items back or to exchange them for something valuable. Even if it’s just that blue bead, it will be a huge gain! </em>Wang Baole thought, his heart starting to beat fast.

At this point, his right hand reached into his pocket. When he pulled his hand out, he drew out a gray bead. This bead had originally been blue, but after dimming, it had become gray.

When he held it in his hand, there did not seem to be anything special. However, Wang Baole knew its origins, and the fire in his eyes blazed.

<em>If I’m not wrong, this object is the long, blue spear that I condensed with my devouring seed… That means that there is only one of these in the entire Federation, right? Even though I currently don’t know how to use this, this treasure is definitely special!</em>

After some research, Wang Baole wondered if he should ask the Little Missy in the mask. After all, if it was just what he had discovered in the Five Peaks, it was not important. But the clues from the Spirit Breath Village were also related to the mask. Wang Baole felt that he should sound her out.

As he thought this, Wang Baole immediately took out the Hallucination Pillow to enter the hallucination realm. After a while, when he returned, his gaze held some doubts. In the hallucination realm, that mysterious Little Missy had actually held her silence on this matter. No matter how he asked, there was no response.

<em>Not telling me? </em>Wang Baole rubbed the area between his brows. This Little Missy was too mischievous. He had a conjecture about the bead, however, and he planned to test it out when he reached Upper Academy Island.

After putting the bead away, Wang Baole closed his eyes and revisited his memories of fighting and using Dharmic Artifacts in the Spirit Breath Village. This was a habit that he had cultivated after reading the high officials’ autobiographies, a way of concluding.

After a while, Wang Baole opened his eyes. He touched his chin and started to think.

<em>Learning how to create Spirit Qi waves is only one of the gains, but my Dharmic Artifacts are too monotonous. Other than exploding… they only explode. Other than injuring the physical body and eliminating enemies, perhaps Dharmic Artifacts could be used for greater effect on mental states!</em>

Deep in thought, Wang Baole thought of how Li Yi and the others had looked like they were about to break down when the puppets escorted them away.

<em>Hmm, this is a topic that I can research. Next time, I need to find a chance to experiment and create a Dharmic Artifact that can affect people’s mental state. It will strike fear into people’s hearts the moment they look at it, and they will surrender without fighting! Perhaps with this Dharmic Artifact, the weak can defeat the strong!</em>

Wang Baole’s eyes lit up. He felt that he had truly gained too much from this trip to the Spirit Breath Village.

As he pondered, Wang Baole was happily cultivating himself. Gradually, the sky grew bright. When it was morning, he had just finished his meditation and discovered a crowd right outside the door of his cave abode. Visitors came and left in an endless stream, especially those True Breath students from the Dharmic Armament faculty who had just returned. Previously, the journey had been too rushed, so they did not have time to build friendly relations with Wang Baole. Now that they had returned, they immediately came to visit.

These visits continued for five days. Only when Wang Baole received the entrance letter from Upper Academy Island from the Chancellor did it become peaceful. Thus, he packed his bags and looked at the cave abode that he had lived in for a year, his anticipation growing.

At dawn on the sixth day, a gong resounded throughout the Lower Academy Island. This gong could be heard all over, and the sound continued for a full five minutes. No matter what they were doing, every student could hear the sound, and all of them walked out of their rooms. As the sound continued, they saw various True Breath figures from each faculty sprinting toward the Chancellor’s peak.

“They are going to Upper Academy Island…”

“I wonder when we can also enter Upper Academy Island!”

Liu Daobin stood outside the accommodation for the Dharmic Armament faculty. Vaguely, he could see Wang Baole’s figure from among the figures sprinting toward the Chancellor’s peak. Although he looked normal on the outside, his heart was feeling melancholic.

“I have to work hard so that the distance between the Head Prefect and I won’t be too large. If not, I won’t be able to catch up to him!”

On the mountaintop behind him, Goatee had also walked out. He was also looking at the distant figure of Wang Baole, his gaze showing his encouragement and satisfaction. He could still picture Wang Baole’s blood-covered image during the Hallucination exam.

On Alchemy faculty peak, Zhou Xiaoya also silently walked out of her accommodation and gazed at the Chancellor’s peak. After a long time, her expression showed determination and longing. She tightened her small fist and muttered softly under her breath.

“Brother Baole, the alchemic recipe that I handed over has already gone for inspection. As long as it passes the inspection, I have the possibility of entering Upper Academy Island!”

Under the gazes of countless students from the Lower Academy Island, these few hundred students from various faculties who had ascended to the True Breath realm in the Spirit Breath Village gathered at the Chancellor’s peak. Very soon they reached the square on the Chancellor’s peak.

They were the people who had returned from Spirit Breath Village and the first group who would enter Upper Academy Island. There would be the second group later filled with people who took the make-up exams and those who had ascended in each Dao College’s own mystic realm. They would subsequently be sent to Upper Academy Island.

Right now, at this square, the few hundred people stood without a sound. Their anticipatory looks were all directed in front at… the Chancellor!

“Upper Academy Island, please open the mountain gates!” The Chancellor turned and swung his sleeve. His voice was like thunder, traveling toward Upper Academy Island, which was shrouded in fog.

In an instant, the sky changed, the winds reversed, and a loud roar echoed in the firmament. The fog around Upper Academy Island parted. A stream of pure light, like a bridge, suddenly shot out from within Upper Academy Island’s fog and connected to Lower Academy Island’s Chancellor peak, forming a light path!

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