Deliberations

To the very end, Wei Yuan was unable to determine whether any change had truly come over Ji Liuli. If even Immortal Monarch Yanshi could detect nothing, the skill of the mastermind behind the scheme was truly rare in this world. Yet Yanshi had also made it clear that whether Ji Liuli achieved perfection in the future or not, either outcome could be seen as the general trend of destiny—and he did not believe her falling short of perfection was necessarily a bad thing. Yanshi's words carried a strange undertone: he seemed unwilling to see Ji Liuli continue living such an arduous life, which ran entirely contrary to the cultivator's creed of defying heaven and pressing bravely forward. Having seen Immortal Monarch Yanshi, Wei Yuan set his heart at ease somewhat. At least Ji Liuli would come to no harm in the near term, and unraveling the enigma behind all these secrets would still require time and fortune. However, neither the little monk nor the Buddhist grandmaster behind the scheme had anticipated slipping up this time. As a result, a severed sliver of history had been laid bare before Wei Yuan, arousing his suspicions and prompting him to prepare targeted investigations. Upon his return, Wei Yuan headed straight to Qingming. He handed over the Umbrella Corporation research data he had acquired to the Qingming Academy of Sciences for study, while also making a copy in the Splendor of the Many Realms for mortals to utilize. The cultivators of the Palace of Grand Beginning took a mere half day to fully grasp the immense value of this research data and its framework. One after another, they set aside their current projects and threw themselves entirely into examining and exploring the new material. Owing to his work at the clinic, Sun Yu was the most familiar with the physical anatomy of both humans and alien races. He immediately resolved to tackle the foundational groundwork first: analyzing the physical structures of various races and species and sequencing their genetic codes. Yu Zhizhuo spent half an hour constructing Qingming's first high-performance microscope. With the aid of array formations, this microscope enabled Dao Foundation cultivators to observe the internal structure of genes. Yu Zhizhuo then designed and manufactured batches of tools required for biological genetic research. He could forge all kinds of laboratory equipment with effortless ease, and soon a facility that would be considered advanced even by Umbrella Corporation standards was brought into being. As for the servers and central mainframe, the cultivators of the Palace of Grand Beginning generally deemed them of little worth. This system was similar to the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World, but its performance fell far short. Moreover, the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World's capacity to process tasks grew continually with the expansion of sentient beings and the advancement of mortal cultivation, having no ceiling whatsoever. In Yu Zhizhuo's view, even when pooled together, the peak computing power of Umbrella's mainframe system barely brushed against the threshold of an immortal, while its terminals were only on par with the Dao Foundation level. Now that the cultivators all had access to the Splendor of the Many Realms, which was vastly more convenient and efficient, there was no need at all to rely on such a backward, rigid, and soulless system. Feng Tingyu divided the data into dozens of potential disciplines and distributed them, allowing each academician to select areas of interest for in-depth research. As for the two superviruses, only True Monarch Chuhe showed any interest, dedicating a fraction of his time and energy to investigating them. A supervirus was terrifying to mortals, but beneath notice in the eyes of cultivators. Spiritual insects at the Dharma Idol and Scenery Command realms were far more lethal and insidious, to say nothing of immortal creatures and insects. Even if infected, a cultivator at the peak of the Dao Foundation need only circulate dharmic power throughout their body to eradicate such microscopic organisms. Once the research arrangements in Qingming were settled, Wei Yuan received a message: Sun Chao'en was once again serving as an envoy to Yizhou, and his diplomatic mission had already entered controlled territory. Why was Sun Chao'en back again? Wei Yuan set off immediately, returning to Yizhou. After several months of reconstruction, Guantun County had regained much of its vitality. Construction sites were everywhere, clearing rubble and erecting new buildings. A central administrative building had been the first to undergo reconstruction and the first to be completed. Wei Yuan usually conducted his business here, and it was in this very building that he received Sun Chao'en. Wei Yuan met Sun Chao'en in the study. Once seated, Sun Chao'en said, "The King instructed me to ask a single question: exactly how do you intend to deal with Li Zhi?" Wei Yuan parried with a question of his own. "What are the King's intentions?" Sun Chao'en replied, "His Majesty did not say. He merely said he wishes to invite you to the royal capital for a meeting." Wei Yuan chuckled. "I still hold my life rather dear and have no desire to walk into danger." Sun Chao'en said, "The King hasn't lived enough either. Thus, within three li lies danger, but within three zhang, it ceases to be dangerous." "And what if someone intends to use my hand to assassinate the King of Ji?" Sun Chao'en answered, "There is no need to worry about that. As long as the King of Ji remains within the palace, even an immortal would find it hard to strike at him. These are arrangements left behind by his ancestors." Wei Yuan's thoughts stirred. The ancestral arrangements Sun Chao'en spoke of might not have been left by the founding monarch of the State of Ji; they could very well be the work of the Martial Ancestor. It was just that Sun Chao'en knew little of such secret immortal histories, so he merely passed on whatever the King of Ji had told him. Therefore, what the King of Ji truly meant was very likely an invitation for Wei Yuan to behold the Martial Ancestor's handiwork! Wei Yuan first glanced at his 120,000,000 mortal karmic luck, then said, "Very well. Let us go see the King of Ji at once." Wei Yuan brought Sun Chao'en along and departed secretly from Qingming. Once past the border, he switched into high-speed mode, his velocity surging as he vanished into the distance, leaving countless border scouts slack-jawed. By late night, Wei Yuan and Sun Chao'en had stepped into the royal palace and were heading toward the imperial study. Sun Chao'en had brought along two waist tokens specifically for moving through the palace. Bearing these tokens, the array formations would identify Wei Yuan and Sun Chao'en as their own and refrain from launching an attack. Inside the imperial study, the King of Ji lay slumped over his desk, fast asleep. Before him spread a map of the southern regions of the State of Ji, and towering stacks of military memorials sat upon the desk, barely a fraction of them reviewed. On the map, the four southern commanderies had been stained crimson, making for a startling sight. The vanguards of several rebel armies pointed straight at formidable mountain passes. And within rebel-controlled territory, four or five such passes had already been marked with the word "Ruined." Sun Chao'en pushed open the door of the study. The King of Ji woke with a start, raising his head to look at Sun Chao'en and Wei Yuan, appearing somewhat dazed for a moment. Only with great effort did he shake off his grogginess, casting a deep gaze at Wei Yuan before asking, "Is this Beloved Minister Wei?" Wei Yuan cupped his hands in greeting. "Greetings, Your Majesty." Wei Yuan did not kneel, nor did the King of Ji take offense. He simply pointed to a chair and said, "Sit and speak." Wei Yuan felt not the slightest restraint, taking his seat composedly, while Sun Chao'en stood attentively behind the King, exceedingly deferential and meek. The King of Ji spoke slowly. "We had Beloved Minister Sun seek you out and specifically dismissed the guards outside, yet We never expected you to arrive so quickly." "Since Your Majesty summoned me, I naturally dared not delay," Wei Yuan said politely while appraising the King of Ji. The King's eyes were bloodshot, his cheeks sunken, and dark circles hung heavily beneath his eyes. He already showed obvious signs of aging—clearly the toll of overwork coupled with deep-seated anxiety. The King of Ji scrutinized Wei Yuan just as closely. Only after a pause did he speak: "We have heard that the rebel forces in the south possess fearsome weaponry capable of blasting down fortified mountain passes. Such devastating weapons are said to exist nowhere in the world except Qingming. We wonder if there is truth to this?" Wei Yuan replied serenely, "Qingming's weaponry is widely counterfeited across the world, so it is hardly surprising that some would appear. Even if some are indeed arms used by Qingming, that would merely be due to corruption in the ranks—someone covertly selling off stockpile goods. As for whose hands those weapons end up in after they are sold, that is beyond my knowledge." The King of Ji nodded, accepting this explanation for what it was. He suddenly waved his hand, signaling Sun Chao'en to withdraw from the study. Wei Yuan's heart stirred. He knew the main act had begun.