Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

Those Cave Heaven Blessed Lands, deeply threatened by him, even if they have come to an "agreement" now, still felt like carrying a thorn in their side, restless day and night.

To resolve this issue, one way was to get to the root and eliminate him, the threat.

But that was unrealistic, so the only other option was to indirectly gather merits to reduce the calamity.

Therefore, Xu Yang believed that after the live broadcast, they would definitely invest themselves in the work of sealing the Heavenly Demon nodes.

...

Just like that, time hurried on, and in the blink of an eye, several years passed by.

Several years later, at Longhai University, a group of people strolled about.

"Sigh!"

"Back again?"

"The air at school is still so fresh."

"I miss those days!"

"Only after entering society do you realize how carefree school life was."

"Alas, we can't go back!"

"Come on, stop living in the past and lamenting. We have a class reunion today; can't we have some fun?"

"Exactly, Class Three next door is also having a reunion today, and I've arranged with their class leader for our classes to have a joint get-together, just to have fun."

"That's great, Class Three is infamous for being the 'nunnery class,' and with our 'monastery class' of more boys than girls, it's the perfect yin and yang balance."

"Balance my foot, it's been years since graduation, and you're still this thirsty. Their kids could probably already walk and talk."

"Poor me, still a single dog..."

A group of alumni, neither looking like students nor quite like adults, ambled through the campus, reminiscing about that youthful, naive period.

Zhou Xuan trailed a step behind the crowd, speaking to his good friend and former dormitory head, "So this is the surprise you mentioned? I only have a few days off each month, and you drag me to this class reunion?"

"Hey!"

His friend Li Mu waved his hand and chuckled, "I saw you pushing yourself so hard in cultivation, and Chen Yan got sent out, no one to ease your stress. So, I pulled you out to relax a bit. Don't you think the air here feels better?"

"I don't!"

Zhou Xuan shook his head, his expression unchanged, "Judging by the density of the Yuan Spirit, the Academy's air is obviously better than here."

"You're such a stick in the mud!"

Li Mu shook his head, lowering his voice, "I've found out that Longhai University now belongs to the Dean. If all goes well, it should develop significantly. We're here to check it out, to prepare for the future."

"Check out what, prepare for what?"

Zhou Xuan gave him a sideways glance, "You and I are just minor agents in the Security Bureau, not department or bureau chiefs. What does it matter to us how Longhai University fares? We'll just do as the Dean says."

"That's easy to say..."

"Hey, what secretive stuff are you two whispering about back there?"

As Li Mu was about to speak, someone from ahead interrupted. He could only lower his voice further, giving Zhou Xuan a knowing look.

Zhou Xuan shook his head and caught up with Li Mu, rejoining the midst of their classmates.

"Sigh, the world is changing faster and faster these days. It's really hard to understand."

"Exactly, when I went for a job interview, that crazy company even asked what my cultivation is!"

"I'm a graduate from a prestigious school; they don't ask about my degree but what realm my body refinement is at?"

"To be a security guard, they demand one to have cultivated inner strength."

"Who the hell would cultivate inner strength to be a security guard? Wouldn't hauling bricks on a construction site pay more?"

"It's tough when a single penny stumps a hero. Qianjin that guy didn't show a shred of classmate camaraderie, not joining the reunion this time."

"Times have changed; he's now a top online celebrity, a billionaire, Dean of the Martial Arts Academy as well as a Pharmaceutical Group Chairman. His worth fluctuates by millions every minute; of course, he doesn't have time for a casual meet-up with us ordinary folks."

"Back then, he didn't seem like the studious type; how come he became so formidable once he started practicing martial arts, and even learned such a terrifying medical technique that even the Martial Frenzied Rascal started making connections with him?"

"Could it be that heartbreak really spurs progress? That a 'licked dog' awakening could defy fate!"

"Shush, keep it down. I've heard that guy is petty; better not to carelessly mention past affairs."

"What's there to fear? Right, isn't Lu Xuemei from Class Three? What's her current situation, is she coming to the reunion?"

"She probably won't come. Jiang Tao broke up with her even before graduation, avoiding her like the Plague God. The campus was rife with rumors; it would be a miracle if she even managed to graduate, let alone returning to this place of heartbreak."

"She's to be pitied; she was duped by that bastard, Jiang Tao. Had it not been for that mess, she could've been a chairman's wife by now."

"It's her own fault for mistaking people for dogs; she's getting what she deserves, what's there to say? The unlucky one is Jiang Tao, even before graduation his family company collapsed; his parents, uncles, the whole family were packed off to prison. I wonder if they'll ever see the light of day again in this lifetime, going from a rich young master to hitting rock bottom instantly."

"Tragic!"

"That's why I say Qianjin is a petty guy. This matter very likely has something to do with him."

"..."

The crowd chattered about every topic under the sun, with gossip burning brightly.

Zhou Xuan and Li Mu stood at the back, not interrupting, just exchanging glances.

"I told you, class reunions are so boring!"

"We're already here..."

"What if we bump into the dean later, I wonder what you'll do."

"It can't be that coincidental, can it?"

"What do you think, have you seen the dean at the academy these past few days?"

"Well..."

"What's that over there?"

Before they could finish whispering to each other, they heard an exclamation of surprise, and looking up, they saw everyone stopping and examining a giant building under construction.

"A new teaching building?"

"No, it's the newly-built Martial Arts Gymnasium!"

"I heard that now, across the whole area, no, the entire Federation, all universities offer martial arts courses."

"That must be the new Martial Arts Gymnasium, ah, why didn't we have that when we were studying?"

"Why do these damn schools always like to upgrade their facilities after people graduate?"

"I heard that universities in the Eastern District have established cooperation with major pharmaceutical companies, with special allocations of medicines supplied at prices lower than the market, making many people go back to reapply for university."

"My sister got into Longhai University last year, and she told me that the cafeteria now supplies medicinal meals, just like Qianjin's Martial Arts Academy, and it's cheaper too, much more affordable than those Martial Arts Gymnasiums."

"It's better to spend less time at Martial Arts Gymnasiums, those things are purely commercial marketing. I have insider information that the Martial Arts Academy's medicinal meal and medicinal bath formulas, even the Ten-Ingredient Qi-Tonifying Pills formula, will soon be made public.

Buying from the Martial Arts Gymnasium now is simply not worth it, it's better to stock up on some medicinal ingredients and make your own later."

"You kid, everyone knows you own a medicinal herb shop in the market, is that why you're advertising at the reunion?"

"Let's forget about that, today's gathering is about having fun, True Dragon Hotel, my treat!"

"It's always Boss Meng..."

After a round of flattery, everyone changed direction and headed to the hotel for a meal.

However, no one noticed, not too far away, by the lakeside of the academy's mirror-like lake, someone sat alone with a bamboo fishing rod, leisurely fishing.

Time flies, in the blink of an eye, several years passed, everything progressed methodically, entering rapid development.

The Martial Arts Academy, pharmaceutical companies, and their cooperation with the Federation, franchising, production, distribution...

Live streaming was effective, the dissemination of techniques successful, and the masses began to see a surge of martial artists, with superhuman powers no longer being a secret, forming a new environment, order, and structure.

This world was transitioning, leaping forward!

Though it was just a transitional phase, with no tangible results yet manifested, the hardest part is always the beginning. Crack that, and many things will fall into place.
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But such changes, such leaps, also caused a series of chain reactions.

For instance...

At night, amidst the neon lights and busy streets:

"Let... let go of me!"

"I, I'm not drunk!"

"Zhong Qin, I like you, I really, really like you!"

"Hei hei hei, drink up, drink up, we won't return tonight until we're drunk."

"That's enough, I have to work tomorrow, I took time off just for today."

"Boss Meng, you too, knowing full well these guys have weak martial arts and low tolerance, you still let them open a bottle of medicinal wine, now look at them."

"Hey, no worries, the hotel next door has rooms, I'll cover the expenses to send them there."

"Burp!!"

A group of people reeked of alcohol, staggering out of the hotel, the world spinning, unable to tell man from beast.

Zhou Xuan and Li Mu followed behind, watching their classmates in their debauched state, helpless but silently escorting them.

Just then...

"Hey, you, look, the moon, it's turning red!"

"Where, where?"

"You must be drunk."

Hearing what everyone said, Zhou Xuan and Li Mu's pupils shrank, and they quickly looked up at the sky.

They saw above the high sky, the bright moon suddenly showing an abnormal hue.

Threads of crimson bled through, sinisterly staining, slowly creeping across the moon.

Elsewhere...

At Longhai University, by the lakeside, the fisherman held his rod sitting alone, staring at the moon's reflection on the water, silent and wordless.