A World Worth Protecting

1

The Federation had a strict and rigid classification system for its cities. The eighteen cities on Earth were all classified as special regions administratively. Only the capital city on Earth and the main Martian Colony City were considered main cities.

A class below the special regions were countless other identical cities. They were generally affiliated and reported to special regions. These cities were of the same class as Wang Baole’s new city.

Once a new city was promoted to a special region though, it was completely transformed. It was the difference between heaven and earth. After all, the Federation had only eighteen special regions as of now, and all were on Earth.

The implications of promoting Wang Baole’s city to a special region were vast. The Martian Colony Governor would definitely support this push as this was a good thing for Mars.

However, while this might not destroy his career, it would be a waste of all the effort that Wang Baole had put into the city. Even if he wasn’t kicked off of Mars, he would be relegated to a secondary deputy position. His experience and cultivation were insufficient for him to become the City Lord of a special regional city.

Because… according to the laws of the Federation, only a Secondary Rank Two Noble could become the City Lord of a special regional city. In addition, such a city lord might receive an invitation to join the Senate and become one of the senators!

This was a complete transformation of one’s status and class. The Federation laws had strict requirements for a Secondary Rank Two Noble. They were set in stone and couldn’t be changed. Even if one had made an extraordinary contribution to the Federation, the best he could hope for was a Primary Rank Three Noble. To become a Secondary Rank Two Noble, one needed to have a Core Formation realm cultivation!

That was an essential requirement!

Wang Baole was only at the perfected Foundation Establishment realm. If they managed to implement this plan soon enough, before Wang Baole reached the Core Formation realm, based on the laws of the Federation, the Federation would have to appoint a Core Formation realm cultivator to become the City Lord. Wang Baole might not be transferred away, but he would be demoted to a deputy city lord position—it would be unavoidable.

When that time came, he would be the deputy city lord. He might rank above Li Wan’er, but that would only be in name and only by a slight margin. This wasn’t only a demotion, but was more damaging than an actual demotion!

Even if everyone knew what was going on, there was nothing they could do about it. Even if Wang Baole knew about this, there was nothing he could do about it either. On the surface, this had nothing to do with Wang Baole. It was an initiative promoting the development of the new city. They were volunteering their resources and contributing to the Federation and to Mars.

Once this plan began to unfold, even the Federation President and the Martian Colony Governor would find it difficult to reject the proposal. This… was what an open conspiracy looked like!

The old foxes in the Five Generation Sky Clan were skilled at such ploys. They knew that while the various political forces were friendly with Wang Baole currently, they wouldn’t object to any plans pushing for the new city to become a special region. They would simply stand at the sidelines. To not help would be a show of consent.

After all… with the promotion of the new city to a special region, it would mean a new round of competition and renegotiation of profit and power for the various political forces. There was much to be gained for everyone.

Even if the Five Generation Sky Clan should fail in their endeavor, the others wouldn’t suffer any losses. This plan began to unfold like a hurricane. It gradually gained traction, and news began to spread on Earth and within the main Martian city.

They talked about the important role the new city played to Mars and to the Federation. They didn’t remove Wang Baole from the conversation, but he was mentioned only briefly. The focus was placed on the leadership of the new city and their accomplishments.

Such discussions spread like wildfire in the Federation. Within the new city, Li Wan’er and the others could all sense the malicious intentions brewing in this open conspiracy!

Despite their anxiety, they were unable to reach Wang Baole. It was because Wang Baole was presently in seclusion with his mind wandering. He was trying to guide the will of a god to him, and trying to refine his first seventh-grade Dharmic Armament.

He had attempted this mental wandering repeatedly, but all his efforts at guiding the god’s will had failed. However, he had grown familiar with the entire process. Besides, he had already set his sights on the god of a particular fire tiger and was prepared to guide it towards him.

To ensure his success, Wang Baole had read up on a lot of materials. He understood that this guidance involved a lot of baiting and temptation. He had to identify what the god liked.

After many tries, he finally discovered the fire tiger’s preferences. This fellow… was a perverted tiger. It liked the spirits of female tigers… Wang Baole had made multiple attempts and read up intensively before he had been able to identify it in the legends and find the answer to his question. Prior to seclusion, he got Lin Tianhao to prepare vast quantities of monster spirits.

Even though these monster spirits weren’t suited to become Artifact Spirits, and they only possessed True Breath realm cultivation, the sheer number of them meant they cost quite a bit as well. However, in order to successfully lure the fire tiger, Wang Baole could care less about the money spent.

<em>This time, I’m going to succeed! </em>Wang Baole set his mind wandering. He had with him great quantities of monster spirits. In this illusory, indistinct space between heaven and earth, he easily found the will of the fire tiger. He eyed it from afar. It was like a tiny sun in this blurry space between the heavens and earth. It was wandering within a specific, fixed area.

Its majestic appearance and overpowering aura excited Wang Baole. He didn’t approach though. He quickly flung out the monster spirit of a female tiger. As soon as the monster spirit appeared, the wandering fire tiger immediately turned its head. Its body instantly vanished, and it appeared beside the monster spirit and swallowed it in a single mouthful!

Wang Baole grew merry when he saw how effective his tactic had been. He took a few hasty steps back and threw out another monster spirit, his heart brimming with anticipation.

<em>Come on, my precious!</em>

Under Wang Baole’s hopeful eyes, the fire tiger lunged again. It swallowed the second monster spirit and was just about to leave. But Wang Baole had already taken another few steps back and had thrown the third monster spirit out.

He continued to step back while throwing out monster spirits. The fire tiger was rather silly as well. It continued to be lured forward. It swallowed monster spirit after monster spirit, following Wang Baole as the latter fell back and traveling a long distance with Wang Baole. They weren’t far from where Wang Baole had gone into seclusion.

Within the room where he had secluded himself, the megaphone that he had made was already in place. It lacked only the spirit of the fire tiger.

<em>This is too easy. I’ll be able to refine a seventh-grade Dharmic Armament today! </em>Wang Baole said excitedly. He threw out another monster spirit. He moved and was about to withdraw from his state of mental wandering back into his body. He intended to draw the fire tiger’s attention to the Artifact Spirit inside his Dharmic Armament and guide it towards the Dharmic Armament.

It was then that fire tiger swallowed the last monster spirit Wang Baole had thrown at it and paused in its steps. Its listless eyes revealed a tinge of self-satisfaction and mockery for the first time. It shifted and stopped following Wang Baole. Instead, the fire tiger turned and went away.

Wang Baole’s eyes almost popped out at the sight, and he panicked.

<em>What’s going on? This is different from what the books said. I thought the spirits only possessed animal instincts. How is it capable of mocking me? I… I’ve been deceived by the remnant of a spirit that died eons ago?</em>

<em>It’s… it’s eaten so many of my spirits! </em>Wang Baole’s eyes widened. He immediately got angry. He ached at his loss and became furious at the insult to his intelligence. In his rage, he hollered.

“Come right back!” Wang Baole was still in the fugue state. In his anger, he cast aside the prudence and care he had possessed in his previous sessions. This was the first time he had shown anger while in the fugue state. As soon as his anger erupted, three Dark Fires instantly formed inside his illusory body. It was as if his words held power!

The Dark Fires were clearly inside his physical body. However, he could see them appear while in his fugue state. They appeared and erupted into being, turning this indistinct, illusory world chilly all of a sudden. The mocking tiger suddenly shuddered as shock and fear appeared in its eyes. It wanted to retreat, but it was too late. The three Dark Fires flew out and overpowered it.

Overpowered, the will of the fire tiger roared but to no avail. Its body shuddered, and it was unable to fight back. The sight stunned Wang Baole.

<em>You mean that works too? </em>Emotions surged inside Wang Baole. He tried to exert control over the Dark Fires, and the flames instantly grew stronger. The fire tiger cried out. It was about to be flattened under the Dark Fires.

Wang Baole’s spirits soared. He puffed his chest out, pointed at the will of the fire tiger, and said coolly.

“I wanted to coexist peacefully with you, without creating a scene. But since things have turned out this way, I’m not going to keep my head down any longer. Either you quickly enter my Dharmic Artifact of your own accord, or I destroy you!” Wang Baole yelled. The fire tiger trembled. Powerless, its eyes shone with resentment and fear. It seemed to realize that it couldn’t escape. After a moment, it stirred and transformed into a glowing flame, shooting into the seventh-grade Dharmic Armament megaphone that was resting in the location of Wang Baole’s seclusion. It fused with the Artifact Spirit and permeated the entire megaphone!

The megaphone seemed to go up in flames instead. It turned red as vast quantities of inscriptions appeared on it. The inscriptions were immensely complex, and both the inside and outside of the megaphone transformed in that instant. Soon, the immense power that belonged to a seventh-grade Dharmic Armament erupted from within this Dharmic Armament. As it erupted, a fearsome red tiger appeared outside the megaphone. It lifted its head skywards and roared. Its majestic appearance was stunning!

<em>The records lied. There’s no need to lure them. The best way is to simply overpower them! </em>Wang Baole ended his fugue state excitedly. He returned to his body and opened his eyes. He stared at the red megaphone before him, able to feel a power within it that surpassed his self-destructed saber. He couldn’t control the pleased laughter that burst out from him.

<em>I’m indeed a child of Lady Fortune!</em>