Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

”Li Yao’s Demon Beast Detector is truly good. It identifies demon beasts quickly and precisely. Today, I came across a Fiery Sparrow Rabbit in the wilderness which I would’ve mistaken for a Fiery Sparrow without the Demon Beast Detector. Thankfully, I was wearing one and I’ve made a fortune!”

”Yes. The demon beasts that I hunted down on this field trip are ten percent more than usual. No wonder Li Yao’s credits were soaring last semester. This piece of magical equipment must’ve been a lot of help!”

”Haha. Did you notice that you are embraced by an aura of mystery when you put on a Demon Beast Detector? I’m going to stroll around the Medical Department and the Liberal Arts Department tomorrow with my Demon Beast Detector. I bet a lot of girls will find me very attractive!”

”Man, you’re embarrassing yourself. The Demon Beast Detector is a piece of marvelous magical equipment designed to help you improve your hunting efficiency, and all you’re thinking about is hitting on girls with it? I have but four words to comment on such irresponsible and selfish behavior—Bring me with you!”

”I have but three words for you two scumbags—Let’s go together!”

A lot of such observations were appearing on the BBS of the Wasteland Battle Network.

Over the next couple of days, many students of the Combat Department were indeed wandering in the floating mountains of the Medical Department and the Liberal Arts Department wearing their Demon Beast Detectors.

As it turned out, students who were wearing their Demon Beast Detectors truly looked sharp and confident.

One of the students, who had been in an ambiguous relationship with a girl of the Medical Department although they were in love with each other, decided to tell her his true feelings with the Demon Beast Detector boosting his confidence.

Not that the Demon Beast Detector should take the credit. It was just a natural development of their relationship.

However, half a day later, the news that some ugly guy of the Combat Department stole the heart of a girl of the Medical Department had become a heated topic on the Wasteland Battle Network.

For the Combat Department which was almost exclusively dudes, such a by-effect of the Demon Beast Detector was even more important than the improvement of hunting efficiency. Their demand for the Demon Beast Detector soared overnight. The Mountain Sea Sect failed to satisfy them although it tried to ship more Demon Beast Detectors to the campus.

The students who got a Demon Beast Detector took selfies and posted them on the Nexus, inviting admiration and jealousy from their friends.

Those who didn’t were not content with the situation. They asked for more and nearly caused a riot.

The fashion quickly spread across the entire Grand Desolate Plateau from the Grand Desolate War Institution.

Many combats sects were cooperating with the Grand Desolate War Institution. The military had sent many soldiers to study there, too.

The candidates received a lot of Demon Beast Detectors from various channels.

Compared with the frenzy of students, the Cultivation sects were more cautious about the new magical equipment.

Many of them compared the Demon Beast Detector with the probe magical equipment that was popular in the market.

A lot of differential analysis was posted on professional forums written by experienced Cultivators, who, although might not be magical equipment experts, were quite believable because of their expertise.

Their conclusions varied.

Some of them had got used to the probe magical equipment that was worn on the wrist and already built up a set of tactics based on that position. It was not easy for them to switch to something new.

Even so, they had to admit that the Demon Beast Detector had a groundbreaking design which entailed the possibility that it might stand up to the on-the-wrist probe magical equipment as an equal someday.

As a piece of brand new magical equipment refined by a fledgling, the Demon Beast Detector had won enough praises, which were disseminated at an exponential speed like a contagious virus in the Cultivation world.

Qiu Guanyu, the ’shark’ of the Zephyr Guild, noticed the trend and immediately fought back.

He poured countless resources and promised many benefits to the dealers and the crystal camera suppliers in order to asphyxiate the Mountain Sea Sect, to the extent that it seemed that he was willing to perish together with his opponent.

If he had the dealers under control, the marketing network for the Demon Beast Detector wouldn’t be able to develop.

If he had the crystal camera suppliers under control, the productivity of the Demon Beast Detector would be kept at minimum.

The high praises alone were not enough to be transformed into sales and profit.

As time went by, the Mountain Sea Sect’s cash flow would run dry, which would be the harbinger of its doom.

This was Qiu Guanyu’s plan.

However, there was one thing that was beyond his expectations.

…

Ten days later, in Ding Lingdang’s home…

Li Yao and Ding Lingdang were sitting in the living room, their eyes focused on a vivid, life-like 3D advertisement that was being played in the Hologram Projector.

The first scene of the advertisement was the raging black clouds with lightning and thunder. The astonishing picture and music indicated that this advertisement had been made possible by large investment and that it boasted extraordinary ambitions.

The camera ripped through the clouds. Inside the picture was now a series of grand and marvelous mountains looming in darkness that was covered by glaring lightning bolts.

Savage roars of demon beasts reverberated with the earsplitting thunders.

Caption appeared in the bottom of the picture that read: ’Thunderous Sound Mountain, a land of perils and dominated by strong demon beasts.’

”Swoosh!”

An eagle-type demon beast with sharp feathers cut in the picture on the top right corner and dove down at the Thunderous Sound Mountain.

The camera followed. After a thrilling freefall, it entered the forest.

Then, the picture went black. Rustling noises came from the background, which were the sound of demon beasts fighting, chewing, and screaming.

Suddenly, the noises vanished. Heavy breathing filled the background, which sounded as if something appalling was happening behind the audience.

Captions showed up again on the black screen: ’A weak Refinement Stage Cultivator has lost his way in the Thunderous Sound Mountain. He is about to become the dinner of a demon beast.’

The picture blinked. A foot stepped into a pit of water, splattering the mud out.

A panicked man was running desperately in the forest.

Half a second later, a maddened boar rushed into the picture and charged at the man.

The next few scenes were switched very quickly, alternating between three or four perspectives every second. The full face of the man was never revealed. But one could feel the intense atmosphere by his anxious expression, his seeping wounds, his puffing chest, and the bloody tusks of the boar.

After a few scenes of running, it seemed that the man had gotten rid of the boar. Hiding in a bush, he unsheathed his saber and took out a Demon Beast Detector from his pocket.

The caption read: ’A saber and a Demon Beast Detector.’

The man put the Demon Beast Detector on his ear.

There was still not his full face in the picture. But his pressed lips indicated that he had recovered from panic and was ready to fight at his full strength.

Then, the camera was kept from the perspective of the Demon Beast Detector. All kinds of information was displayed in the Demon Beast Detector, showing its professionalism.

It seemed that the man turned from a fleeing prey into a predator that had everything under his control.

”Beep! Beep!”

Through the dark forest, the Demon Beast Detector easily discovered the boar that was hiding in the bush and displayed detailed information about it.

”Red Copper Boar, a middle-level demon soldier, had solid bone plates all around its body. The gap between the bone plates near its eyes is its only weakness. Meanwhile, just like all the other boar-type demon beasts, it cannot raise its head, which limits its view of above. It is recommended to attack from above!”

The camera descended. The man squatted, ready for the critical attack.

One second later, he dashed out like an arrow and jumped up. His saber slashed down like a lightning bolt.

”Shua!”

The picture turned crimson. The screams of the boar could be heard.

The caption appeared again: ’Bathing in blood.’

The picture blinked. More than ten different kinds of demon beasts appeared in the forest, which were all identified by the Demon Beast Detector. Data poured down like a waterfall, elaborating the specialty and weakness of the newcomers.

Then, the camera zoomed in. A few slaughter scenes where the saber flashed up and down proceeded.

The caption read: ’Ten days later.’

It was the darkness before dawn. Everything was unclear. But the Demon Beast Detector was still working dutifully and discovered many snake-type Demon Beasts and insect-type Demon Beasts which were all avoided by the man.

Then the caption read: ’Escaped!’

Outside of the forest, a ragged Cultivator full of bruises and scratches knelt down, raised his arms, and screamed at the sky with joyful tears.

An armed shuttle cut in from the top right corner of the picture and flew towards him, a long train of exhaust smoke trailing behind.

The Cultivator had not been featured from the beginning to the end.

To this moment, his face was still obscure.

Only the Demon Beast Detector was glittering very distinctively.

In the end, the picture dimmed and turned to black.

The red light of the Demon Beast Detector kept shining, which became a red spot in the middle of the picture.

Then there were two lines of captions:

’This is a true story. Learn more by scanning the rune in below.

’Demon Beast Detector, guardian of your life.’

”Pfff—”

Li Yao finally let out a long breath when it was finished.

There were no lines in the entire advertisement except for the captions.

Few scenes were shot from the third person perspective. Most of the story was told in the first-person narrative.

With the enhancement of the 3D manifestation, the audience would feel that it was themselves who were trapped in the Thunderous Sound Mountain and had to fight the demon beasts.

The performance of the Demon Beast Detector was well presented in the advertisement.

Although Li Yao had been in the Thunderous Sound Mountain in person, he still felt that his heart was beating fast as he watched the advertisement.

He turned around and asked Ding Lingdang in a smile, ”How was it?”

”I feel that my blood is boiling, and I want to go to Thunderous Sound Mountain right now.”

Ding Lingdang licked her lips and said.

Three days later, the advertisement was released all over the federation.

The real battle of the Demon Beast Detector had finally begun.