A World Worth Protecting

1

“What tricks are you playing?” Wang Baole froze, then snorted as he turned and glared at the giant tree.

“Are you trying to tempt me with women? I’m the Grand Supreme Elder of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace. How can I… hmm?” Wang Baole frowned. He was about to unleash righteous fury on the giant tree and reprimand him when he suddenly paused, blinked, and fell into a deep, contemplative silence.

The giant tree observed Wang Baole’s intense reaction and secretly sighed. He seemed to have overstepped his boundaries. He had acted too hastily and exposed his intentions.

<em>Wang Baole isn’t a simple person to deal with… </em>the giant tree thought to himself. He realized he should have used another approach to gain Wang Baole’s favor. Wang Baole had managed to hone both his wit and means, and it was as if the giant tree was dealing with someone his own age.

While the giant tree was deep in his own thoughts, Wang Baole’s breathing gradually quickened. His eyes began to burn with a fierce light as the gears in his head started to spin furiously. The giant tree’s words had given him an idea!

<em>If I have a goddaughter too, who then becomes Li Wuchen’s Dao partner, Li Wuchen would have to treat me with respect and call me his father-in-law whenever he sees me…</em>

<em>Even if he regains his memories and becomes the Dao Disciple, he’ll have to treat me with respect when he sees me… </em>Wang Baole became excited at that thought. His safety would be guaranteed if he managed to get this done. Regardless of how amazing Li Wuchen became, Wang Baole would always be his senior.

This was a fact!

Wang Baole’s breathing quickened. His emotions were shown on his face and caught by the giant tree, causing the giant tree to freeze. He was beginning to suspect something was going on when Wang Baole suddenly burst out into laughter. He patted the giant tree on the shoulder heavily, eyes filled with approval.

“Fellow Daoist Osmanthus, you are indeed experienced and observant. Good, good, I have high hopes for you!” Wang Baole laughed out loud. With his hands behind his back, he walked away in obvious high spirits, leaving the giant tree behind blinking at him. The giant tree’s suspicions began to grow. He pondered for a while and wondered if Wang Baole was trying to hint at something…

Wang Baole ignored the giant tree, who was making wild guesses behind him. He continued walking while perfecting his plans in his head. The more he thought about it, the more reasonable he found his idea. In his excitement, he began to run through potential candidates to be his goddaughter. This first person he thought of was Li Yi.

<em>No way. She has big breasts but no brains. If I claim her as my goddaughter and matchmake her with Li Wuchen, it wouldn’t matter if I were her biological father, she would definitely coerce Li Wuchen into getting rid of me!</em>

Wang Baole shook his head. He thought for a bit and then remembered the hot-tempered girl from the Plume Manifestation Connate Sect, the one with a towering, muscular build and a straightforward character. She seemed like a great match for Li Wuchen.

<em>She won’t do either. Li Wuchen’s aesthetics seem to skew towards the conventional. If I try to force them together… that’ll probably make him dislike me more. </em>Wang Baole’s head began to throb. He really wasn’t skilled at such politicking. He glanced sideways, his eyes flashing as they fell on the giant tree.

<em>This old fellow seems full of devious ideas. I should get him to do this. He should be able to do a great job. </em>Wang Baole smiled at that thought. He looked at the giant tree and said in a friendly tone.

“Fellow Daoist Osmanthus.”

The giant tree had been deep in thought while watching Wang Baole carefully the entire time. A thought flashed across his mind when he saw the smile on Wang Baole’s face. His breathing paused, and he quickly cupped his fists.

“Calling me ‘Fellow Daoist’ is simply too much. I’m not worthy of such a title. Elder, please just call me ‘Little Osmanthus’.”

Wang Baole was pleased with the giant tree’s attitude. The giant tree really wasn’t so bad after all. He did what he was told and knew his boundaries, which caused Wang Baole to smile again, gently.

“Okay. Little Osmanthus, I have a task for you.”

“Your wish is my command!” The giant tree trembled, then replied solemnly and with the utmost respect.

“It’s really a small matter. I have a friend who’s in the third batch of Federation cultivators. You should’ve heard of him, he’s the disciple of the Ethereal Dao College’s Grand Supreme Elder, Li Wuchen.” Wang Baole spoke very slowly. He was watching the giant tree casually as he spoke.

The giant tree dared not guess wildly, and the expression on his face remained unchanged. He wasn’t going to ask any questions or ponder the relationship between Wang Baole and Li Wuchen. He only knew one thing, and that was, if he wanted to ensure his safety, he had to ask no questions and make no wild assumptions. He simply had to carry out Wang Baole’s instructions.

“I’ve known Junior Brother Li Wuchen for some time, and he’s been without a partner for many years. I can’t bear to see him so lonely. Why don’t you make some arrangements and get him to know more female disciples… Do you know what I’m getting at?” According to the high officials’ autobiographies, there was no need to explicitly verbalize everything. This was a test of a subordinate’s capabilities as well as a way to protect oneself.

This was what Wang Baole was doing presently as he spoke to the giant tree.

The giant tree was the deputy governor of the Martian Colony. He might not be a native human from the Federation, but he had served many years in his office. He was also very intelligent and fully aware of how things worked in the Federation. After hearing what Wang Baole had said, and putting some thought to it, he immediately understood what Wang Baole was trying to say. He cupped his fists and agreed to do as Wang Baole had said.

“Elder, your sincere concern for Li Wuchen touches my heart. I am newly arrived in the Dao Palace and am unfamiliar with Li Wuchen and his preferences. I may have to trouble you on many occasions, so I seek your approval and forgiveness.”

Wang Baole’s eyes flashed when he heard what the giant tree had said. The explicit meaning of the giant tree’s words wasn’t important, it was the implicit meaning that mattered. The giant tree was telling Wang Baole clearly that he knew what Wang Baole was trying to do and would keep a close eye on Li Wuchen, reporting on his every move and which female disciple the latter was intimate with.

“A safe and stable environment is very important for cultivators of my rank. Do not disturb my cultivation too frequently,” Wang Baole said casually, then turned and left.

The giant tree agreed. He had already translated what Wang Baole had just said in his head. What Wang Baole meant was… he should keep a close eye on Li Wuchen. There was no need to worry about disturbing Wang Baole. In fact, he better make sure he got the job done, else, the giant tree was going to be the one suffering from an unsafe and unstable cultivation environment.

The pair traveled speedily for two weeks and finally reached the Vast Expanse Dao Palace. The giant tree immediately started carrying out Wang Baole’s wishes upon their return. He had mapped out a detailed plan during their trip back. He had a Grand Supreme Elder’s backing, which made things easier for him.

His level of cultivation ensured that he was the most powerful cultivator in the Federation faction after Wang Baole and Sect Lord Xu. The Vast Expanse Dao Palace had done their homework on the giant tree as well. He wasn’t human and didn’t possess a body made of flesh and blood. He had originally been a tree that had then risen to become a cultivator, and he possessed many strange qualities.

In the upcoming days, Wang Baole set aside this matter and began his cultivation. He wanted to familiarize himself with the Dao Disciple’s right hand that had just been fused with his Flame Snatch Thearch Armor. He tried using it multiple times in order to test the limits of the arm’s power as well as his ability to withstand its power.

After multiple attempts, Wang Baole concluded that he could unleash the arm’s power three times. Each attack was both a terrifying and exhilarating experience. Each attack was imbued with the power… to utterly destroy Sun Hai!

Wang Baole’s mastery of the final level of the Lightning Immortal Transformation, Lightning Immortal Point, had increased as well. In addition, the fusion of the broken arm and his Thearch Armor also gave him quite a bit of inspiration. He pulled out the two corpses of the Spirit Immortal realm Star Fang Beasts that he had recovered from the Star Fang Beasts’ resident star and tried fusing the corpses with his armor. The fusion failed.

<em>Maybe I only succeeded the first time because the broken arm is a Divine Armament? </em>Wang Baole thought. Despite his unwillingness to do so, he had no choice but to give up. He made use of his elder’s status to search for some information on the refinement of puppets. He obtained some information, but he still needed to do more research and experimentation in order to succeed.

The most important thing Wang Baole was left with now was to prepare for his breakthrough from the perfected Core Formation realm to the Nascent Soul realm!

Wang Baole’s rights as a Grand Supreme Elder allowed him to access many records regarding the many ways one might ascend to the Nascent Soul realm, as well as the many different types of Nascent Souls in existence. There were more than three hundred types of Nascent Souls. They were all different in minute ways, and one’s decision to settle on one type of Nascent Soul would determine his or her future.

Wang Baole studied up on the various types while trying to determine which type he was to pick. He also tried asking Little Missy, and she threw out a few options. Then, she said with the voice of the experienced, that as long as Wang Baole successfully formed one of those dozen Nascent Souls, that she would have a way of bringing up the quality of his Nascent Soul. This would greatly aid Wang Baole’s future!