Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

At first, Meng Lichuan was so angry that he almost cursed the experts.

But after reading so many posts posted by ordinary people, he was somewhat embarrassed. Many of them were too angry, too heated, and even too extreme.

Of course, the discussions on the Spiritual Nexus were always more heated and idiotic than those in the real world.

However, the citizens of the federation in reality were indeed infuriated. Judging from the news released by the regular media, it was also a fact.

“since three days ago, the polls have taken a 180-degree turn. It is like an unprecedented counterattack.

Jiang Baitao said, “When the peak confrontation between Team Moon Fiend and Team Blood Shadow came to an end, it was the moment when the polls were at their lowest and the public least supported sending troops.

“But as the ‘Dark Invasion’ game gradually spread among the people, and countless experts and scholars concluded that it was reckless and frivolous, the public was completely infuriated. Instead, they supported sending troops to fight to the death.

“I’s hard to say what caused the change. There are at least three reasons.

“Firstly, the rules and combat ability of the summit match were too unfair and biased toward the Sanctuary Alliance, which significantly undermined the capability of the federation. The audience was greatly frustrated.

“Secondly, the boastful words of some of the experts and scholars triggered a strong ‘rebel mentality’ among the people. You know, since the victory over the Black Wind Fleet three years ago, the people of the federation have always been very confident. Even if they don’t think that they are invincible,

they should at least think that they are ‘worthy of a fight, right? As it turned out, after such a huge blow, the experts and scholars were still sneering at them. How could the people stand it? Of course, they were infuriated and did not care about anything else!

“Thirdly, maybe it was also because of the ‘infiltration of darkness’. Since they were going to die anyway, they might as well take their chances. Just like what many viewers and netizens said, the federal soldiers and Cultivators are not scared of death. The only thing they are scared of is dying miserably.

“The change of mind is indeed unpredictable. When billions of people are united, they are more like unpredictable tides that nobody knows where they are going to go.

“If the peak confrontation between Team Moon Fiend and Team Blood Shadow is not a one-sided failure but a protracted stalemate, the public might hesitate, hesitate, weigh the pros and cons, and haggle over petty benefits. In short, the authorities will be asked to reconsider and consider carefully. If

they are prudent, they will not be able to mobilize the troops in three to five years!

“But such a miserable failure, on the other hand, gives people the courage to burst into fury. I call such an attitude ‘a broken pot that has nothing to lose’. What else can I do when my head is as big as a bowl?

“A broken pot?”

Meng Lichuan couldn’t help but smile when he heard Jiang Baitao’s casual, even hilarious, analysis of the situation. He thought for a moment and realized that it was true. “Sister Tao, you are too talented. I think so, too. Other people might not know, but I find such a failure unacceptable from the bottom

of my heart. I’m looking forward to gathering all my courage and wisdom and competing with you again. No. Such strategical deductions based on unknown data are of limited reference value. I’d rather go to the real battlefield and face the real members of the Star Glory Federation. I’ll let all the stars in

the universe witness which of the Star Glory Federation, the Star Glory Federation, and the Star Glory Federation represents the best of human civilization!

“After all, this is how the federation overcame all the difficulties in the past six hundred years. We cannot disgrace our ancestors and the Rising Dragon of the Nine Stars Flag!”

Jiang Baitao smiled and did not respond.

“But, wait. Something is not right.

Meng Lichuan’s eyes were rolling fast as he browsed through the light beam at a speed more than ten times higher than that of ordinary people. He also selected hundreds of comments and read them. Then he suddenly said, “The comments of the experts and scholars are too mean. No wonder the public

was infuriated when they saw them. But why are the reviews so one-sided?”

“Sister Tao, take a look, take a look. This guy named ‘Blademaster in the Clouds’ wrote such an outrageous article. The sentence ‘cleaning his neck and waiting for death’ was written by him. He was also the one who was scolded the most by the public. The next day, he had to hold a press conference to

apologize to the public. He was even removed from the list of the top 500 sects of the federation and resigned. I’m afraid that no other sect would dare to take him in. He could only become an unaffiliated cultivator with no one to rely on. It could be said that trouble comes from the mouth. He would be

condemned by everyone. His life would be ruined. His future would be bleak!

“But I clearly remember that the guy was a data analyst of the Dark Moon Foundation before he joined a sect and enjoyed the preferential treatment.

“Why do you remember it so clearly? It’s because this ‘Blademaster in the Clouds’ came to the newbie training base of Team Moon Fiend two years ago and gave us a tutorial on strategical thinking! Although he didn’t reveal his real identity in the class, my performance attracted his attention. After class,

he talked to me alone for a long time and even played two tutorial games with me, which benefited me a lot. I also learned his previous identity during our chitchat.

“Here comes the question!

“Team Moon Fiend was established by the resources and teachers provided by the Dark Moon Foundation. Many of our teammates and coaches used to be data analysts and intelligence officers of the Dark Moon Foundation.

“And this ‘Blademaster in the Cloud’ is also a former data analyst of the Dark Moon Foundation. He just left the foundation a few years ago and joined a civilian sect. We have a deep relationship and are simply fellow disciples.

“Why is it that right after our match ended, this ‘senior brother of the same sect’ could not wait to publish such a caustic, sharp-tongued, and inappropriate review, belittling us as well as the federal army, causing himself to be cursed by the public to the point of having his reputation ruined and his future

ruined?

“As I recall, this ‘Blademaster in the Cloud’ shouldn’t be such a sharp-tongued person. He gave me a very good impression. He was a gentle and modest gentleman. It can’t be that someone stole his name and published an article, right? That can’t be right. He did apologize to the public in the press.

conference and resign from all his posts in the sect. He was reduced to an unaffiliated Cultivator. What’s going on?”

Meng Lichuan looked at Jiang Baitao in confusion.

Jiang Baitao coughed and moved his eyes to the side. He did not answer Li Yao’s question but asked, “Although the two incidents have raised a lot of speculation and backlash, it is not enough to reverse the public opinion and the polls. What is going to happen next is the final decision.”

“More?”

Meng Lichuan had just recovered from a serious illness after all. His brain was not as sharp as before. His attention was indeed distracted. He pricked up his ears and asked eagerly, “Sister Tao, what else happened?”

“I’s the press conference of ‘Dark Invasion’. It was released at the same time as ‘Peak Showdown, Glorious Expedition’ a few days ago. It’s just the beta version of the game. Since the public response is so enthusiastic, it’s quite normal that the official version is released and a press conference is held to

boost the hype.”

Jiang Baitao said, “The official announcement has been made in advance. The production team of ‘Dark Invasion’ will be introduced in the press conference, as well as the source of the initial data collection. Several mysterious spokespersons of the game will be introduced to the federation, too.

“After several days of fermenting and building momentum, the public of the federation has been hooked by the ‘Dark Invasion’. Even those who rarely play games have heard the name of the game and know how ‘perverted, ‘evil’, and ‘despair’ it is. Everybody is eagerly waiting to see how the game is

produced and what kind of celebrities or experts are willing to endorse such a depressing game. As it turns out, the number of spectators watching the ‘Dark Invasion’ release conference is even higher than the audience watching the ‘Peak Showdown, Glorious Expedition’!”

Meng Lichuan took a deep breath. It was not strange when he thought about it. Although the ‘Glorious Expedition’ was a sensational event, it was still a professional, complicated, and boring strategical deduction after all. Most people were only concerned about the outcome. It was impossible for them to

observe the deduction process day and night. They wouldn’t understand it even if they did.

On the other hand, ‘Darkness Assault’ was a virus-level game that everybody could play. Besides, everybody had been greatly frustrated by it. After a series of promotional campaigns, everybody could not help but wonder how marvelous the team and the spokesperson of the game were.

While talking, Jiang Baitao took back all the light beams and replaced them with the video of the game press conference from different angles.

From the dozens of light beams, one could clearly see that the press conference was packed with people. It did not look like a press conference of a new game at all. It was more like a meeting of super experts—the kind where the super experts would teach their ultimate techniques on the spot.

However, the star of the press conference at the center of the swirl was not any expert of the federation that Meng Lichuan was familiar with.

Although Meng Lichuan did see a familiar figure in the corner of the podium, who was Jin Xinyue, one of the most famous experts and executives of the federation, as well as the big boss behind Team Blue Moon and the former president of the Dark Moon Foundation, it was obvious that she was not the

star of the show but a guest.

The real protagonist was a timid girl who seemed to be less than twenty years old.

Her appearance was very strange. Her skin was translucent, as if it were made of milky white jade.

Faced with the crowds and the heated atmosphere, she was at a loss like a frightened deer.

Even through the video, Meng Lichuan was certain that the girl was just an ordinary person with nothing special about her.

“Who is she?”

Meng Lichuan asked curiously.

“Her name is Bingbing, She is the spokesperson for ‘Darkness Invasion’,

Jiang Baitao said, “She is from the Imperium of True Human Beings, the Empyrean Terminus Sector, and the depths of Empyrean Terminus. She is approximately twenty to thirty thousand meters below the ground. For the past ten thousand years, her family has been living in that dark, sunless hell. Most

of the data in the main plot of the ‘Dark Invasion’ is based on the living conditions of the ‘underground natives’ such as Bing Bing. Everything is real.. What happened to them is a living invasion of darkness!”