On the seabed, the construction crew for the All-Races Life Support Apparatus was hard at work.
Zhang Yubao was the foreman of the construction crew, with one hundred and fifty years of experience installing All-Races Life Support Apparatuses in Crescent Bay.
Compared to Star Towers, which were easy to outfit, installing an All-Races Life Support Apparatus on a planet was slightly trickier. The apparatuses typically had only two emission surfaces; while that was just right for a Star Tower, deploying one on Earth left several directions uncovered.
Naturally, this was no obstacle for Zhang Yubao. He had previously led teams to install All-Races Life Support Apparatuses on various planets. It was precisely because of this expertise that the higher-ups had assigned him to Yu Xian to set up the apparatus for Earth.
"Everyone be thorough! Whatever you do, make sure there isn't the slightest mistake," Zhang Yubao instructed his workers as he inspected the construction site.
Ordinary people might not realize it, but Zhang Yubao knew very well that Yu Xian had likely become the true uncrowned king of Crescent Bay. From the attitude of the big shots above him, he had pieced together quite a lot.
This time, he had to complete the entire project flawlessly and satisfy Yu Xian beyond measure—ideally earning his favor and recognition.
Unfortunately, Yu Xian had no interest in the construction site; otherwise, Zhang Yubao would have loved to get acquainted with him.
Crescent Bay had never seen such a legendary prodigy. Who knew what kind of environment could produce someone like him? Zhang Yubao wondered whether Yu Xian was secretly cultivating with relentless effort right now, which would explain how he had achieved such awe-inspiring prominence today.
***
A few days slipped by in the blink of an eye.
The temperature was rising rapidly. Until the All-Races Life Support Apparatus was fully installed, the climate would suffer all manner of anomalies—growing pains Earth simply had to endure.
However, humanity was currently very busy.
Some were busy holding funerals for those who had died in the disaster, while others were busy throwing celebrations. The joys and sorrows of humanity truly were never shared.
After dealing with Thales, Yu Xian had called Yu Lie to let him know the issue was resolved. He had also explained that installing the All-Races Life Support Apparatus would take time, preventing Earth from falling into chaos again over environmental issues.
Once people fell into despair, they would commit countless irrational acts. If they believed Earth was doomed and humanity was going extinct, a vast number of lives could be lost in just a matter of days.
Many of the celebrations across Earth right now were, in fact, festivals of gratitude for Yu Xian. Huge crowds gathered around statues of him, singing and dancing.
Yu Xian once again dominated the trending searches, and a sea of fans had gathered outside his front door.
Fortunately, no one dared trespass onto Yu Xian's property, and the surrounding walls were protected by a barrier anyway, so anyone trying to force their way in would be kept out.
In Zhang Yubao's imagination, Yu Xian was surely cultivating diligently, pushing himself to the limit behind closed doors. In reality, Yu Xian was sprawled on the sofa with Zhang Buyao, watching television.
Both wore lazy expressions, each holding a bag of potato chips in their left hand, with soda sitting on the coffee table. They even munched at roughly the same pace, filling the living room with the occasional crunch, crunch of chewing.
"Don't you need to cultivate?" Yu Xian had been observing Zhang Buyao for days and was certain she hadn't cultivated a single day.
Zhang Buyao kept her eyes on the TV and answered, "Didn't I tell you already? I don't need to cultivate. What about you? Aren't you going to cultivate?"
"Nah. Cultivation is exhausting. Why bother?" Yu Xian shook his head immediately.
Cultivating was nowhere near as fast as cheating.
Besides, ninety-nine percent of living beings in the world were no match for him now. Even if a Mighty One arrived, he had Auntie Number Two to fight them.
The evolved Auntie Number Two possessed strength on par with Zhenwo Changjing. In her Violent Auntie form, she was remarkably formidable in combat—currently Yu Xian's greatest trump card.
Once he figured out the functions of the various treasures in his possession, he could grow even stronger. So cultivation truly didn't mean much to him; after all, he was already plenty strong.
Even if he simply lay still, as long as he absorbed energy, he would steadily grow stronger. Until the experience from practicing his punches in the sea of flowers and the experience from the Everlasting Silence Prison-Suppressing Art were exhausted, his level would keep climbing.
Most importantly of all, he had a way out. If he truly encountered an enemy he couldn't defeat, he could hide inside the Everlasting Silence Prison Tower. One hundred percent security.
When humans felt completely secure, they honestly lacked much desire to strive.
Yu Xian wasn't a cultivation fanatic; he was just an ordinary guy. If he could spend a day in comfort, why make things hard on himself?
"Oh, right. Where did Niman and the others go?" Zhang Buyao asked, thinking of the rest of the group.
She truly considered Yu Xian and the others her friends. After all, they had fought shoulder to shoulder and braved life and death together; during that year in Feng Laixian's memory world, they had become intimately familiar with one another.
"Niman's in Crescent Bay—she has a shop there. Nora is keeping her mother company. Little Nora is livestreaming aboard the Aska. Little Huangquan is learning to cook. Shui Yuetian went home." Yu Xian listed everyone's whereabouts one by one.
After listening, Zhang Buyao said wistfully, "That's nice. Everyone has something to do."
"You could always go home and study properly," Yu Xian teased, knowing full well she had played truant and run away from home.
Hearing that, Zhang Buyao shook her head vigorously. "No way. If I keep studying, my brain will break, and then I won't be me anymore."
"Is it really that serious?" Yu Xian said skeptically.
He didn't believe for a second that her parents would let her break down; she was definitely exaggerating.
"Yes! Absolutely!" Zhang Buyao said in all seriousness. "My dream is to be a giant dummy. No one is going to make me smart!"
"..."
Yu Xian was struck speechless.
That really was an unusual aspiration.
Then again, he didn't want to use his brain either. Especially after mastering the Everlasting Silence Prison-Suppressing Art, all he wanted was to lie around for a while. What even was a brain? He didn't care to know.
Put that way, he could almost relate to her.
Yu Xian popped a chip into his mouth and nodded. "Great minds think alike. I want to be a giant dummy too."
"Recently, citizens around the world have been celebrating the suppression of yet another disaster. Our national treasure hero, Yu Xian, has received gratitude from nations across the globe. Please tune in for our detailed report..."
The variety show had just ended, and as Zhang Buyao was about to change the channel, the next station happened to be broadcasting the news.
Her finger was about to press the button, but the moment she saw the news, her eyes widened slightly. A "national treasure hero"—what kind of legendary gold title was that? It sounded even more dazzling than her dad's "great hero" title!
"No way. I can't keep lying around. I'm going to become a planet treasure hero!" Zhang Buyao bolted upright and announced solemnly.
Yu Xian glanced at her and gave a perfunctory reply. "Oh. Well, work hard at it, then."
"Just in time! I pinched my fingers and divined that the ocean's disaster isn't over yet. This time it's my turn to step up! Yu Xian... help me film a promo video! You have to capture my heroic posture so people all over the world worship me!" Zhang Buyao counted on her fingers and declared.
Yu Xian eyed her suspiciously. "You didn't cause this disaster yourself, did you? Directing and starring in your own crisis is against the rules."
"I didn't! If you don't believe me, come to the ocean with me and see!" Zhang Buyao protested immediately.
"Fine, let's go take a look."
Yu Xian sat up, stretched, and decided to accompany her after all.
After all, Zhang Buyao was stronger than him. Since she had made that prediction, the trouble in the ocean likely wasn't over yet; there had to be more to follow.
Chapter 361