I Don't Agree to the Terms

Although Emperor Navia's choice was generally the Crown Prince, if anything happened to the Crown Prince, those Princes could also step in.

No matter how much one enhanced their Ghost Energy, it only turned them into a suitable vessel.

As a Ghost Energy Soul, Emperor Navia couldn't just take possession of any person's body; ordinary bodies simply couldn't withstand such immense, raw Ghost Energy. Only meticulously cultivated vessels would suffice.

Otherwise, there was no way he would just sit back and let Gu Shanhai stir up trouble in the Navia Empire.

To Emperor Navia, Gu Shanhai was nothing more than a vessel, and a highly valuable one at that.

If there ever came a day when the value of Jile Technology was great enough to tempt him, he could simply pass on the throne to Gu Shanhai and take possession of him directly, thereby seizing that value. To Emperor Navia, the vessel's physical strength was irrelevant; increasing it was nothing more than letting a bit more of his soul's Ghost Energy dissipate.

This tacit assumption emboldened Gu Shanhai even further.

It also confirmed that he had not been exposed, but rather was well-concealed.

Otherwise, had Emperor Navia truly perceived him as a threat, how could he remain seated without a care? Even the least bit of targeting would have entangled Jile Technology in endless troubles, not just opposition from the Royal Family and the council.

The two were not on the same level.

Of course, if Emperor Navia dared target him, Gu Shanhai would retaliate without hesitation.

Having not known his own strength and the situation before, he had been cautious, but now that he had uncovered much, he was fearless.

As for Emperor Navia having his own trump cards, Gu Shanhai did believe that, but Gu Shanhai had tricks up his sleeve too. If it weren't for the fear of triggering a Ghost Energy upheaval by killing him, Gu Shanhai would have taken action long ago.

So, for now, as long as they kept out of each other's way or didn't go too far, Gu Shanhai was willing to ignore or give ground where possible.

As Jile Technology grew, he had to consider stability; only with sufficient stability could adequate profits be generated.

Once the Twin Flowers within Gu Shanhai bloomed and bore Dao Fruit, and he had the means to suppress the Ghost Energy upheaval after the death of Emperor Navia's Ghost Energy Soul, he could make his move without delay.

Gu Shanhai had estimated that this Ghost Energy upheaval was not just confined to the Imperial Palace, but included all matters related to Ghost Energy—whether it was Ghost Energy sources or Ghost Energy Weapons. Essentially, everything related to Ghost Energy was under Emperor Navia's control.

Not only was he the strongest military force within the Navia Empire himself, but he also controlled the military and various economic lifelines. No wonder he aggressively promoted Ghost Energy Technology and even planned its widespread adoption. The faster and stronger Ghost Energy developed, the fewer worries he had.

The only downside was that Ghost Energy was difficult to promote, after all, it required Ghost Energy crystals. For that reason, he couldn't produce them himself and would only have Princes and the Crown Prince do so. Hence, he had been desperately marrying and fathering children over the years, though not many Crown Princes possessed Ghost Energy talent.

As for not choosing outsiders, it was because of bloodline reasons.

Emperor Navia's bloodline had been baptized by Ghost Energy; without it, there would be no birth or survival. For those not of the Great Emperor's bloodline, the success rate was not only low, but there was also an extremely high mortality rate; if even one in ten thousand survived, it would be considered good, and the chances of that survivor awakening Ghost Energy would be about one in a hundred thousand.

The Crown Princes were effectively breeds selected through genetic selection; even if they failed to awaken, they would not immediately die and could live a few more years.

It had to be said, Emperor Navia, the immortal Ghost Energy Soul, didn't really care for his descendants; he simply saw them as tools and vessels.

More importantly, Emperor Navia wasn't really human anymore; he should be considered a new race, closer to an energy being than a carbon-based one.

This point was crucial. When Gu Shanhai someday decided to act, he could use it as a rallying flag to clean house and then seize power.

It was just that Gu Shanhai wasn't too keen on the idea; his thoughts were akin to Emperor Navia's, not giving too much importance to the entire Navia Empire and always seeing it as nothing more than a tool.

"With the data from Emperor Navia, the Ghost Energy Soul, the time it will take for my Twin Flowers to bear fruit will likely be extended."

Gu Shanhai looked at the Twin Flowers within his body, entwining each other.

Not only were these flowers used for nurturing the Vermilion Bird and the Black Tortoise, they also served as materials for his breakthrough, a case of killing several birds with one stone.

The fruit that it bore was called Dao Fruit, forged from the concepts of life and death.

However, this meant that his original plan had to be set aside. He had intended to divide the resources into two portions, for breaking through the Magic Awakening Stage and the Peeping Dao Stage, but now that he was to produce a Dao Fruit, there would only be one, so he could only use it for the Magic Awakening Stage.

After all, the nourishment for this Dao Fruit was the concept of life and death – he had used up the concepts from both worlds to fertilize it. Where would he find new nourishment for the Peeping Dao Stage?

As for other concepts, it was possible, but he feared there wouldn't be enough time.

With this as his breakthrough, nutritional deficiency for Gu Shanhai was certain. If he wanted to replenish his nutrients, he had to consume worlds. If he had eaten worlds already, where would he find other concepts to serve as fertilizers for cultivation?

The advantage was there. With one breakthrough, his strength increased substantially. It was as if even though he had broken through the Magic Awakening Stage, he had also gained the power of the Peeping Dao Stage.

The downside was also clear. It was unlikely he could evolve from a world in its infancy to a fully-formed world through these two stages, but his strength could still be comparable to that of a true world.

It was similar to a baby with sinewy muscles being able to brawl with adults in a manner that defied reason.

But this downside wasn't purely negative. In reality, it also expanded his potential. His upper limit increased, his power grew stronger, but so did the expenditure.

For this, Gu Shanhai could only be thankful to the eccentric entities and Emperor Navia. Without them, he might not have had such fortune.

"The next step is to quickly promote the Advanced Jile Package and the ultimate Ascension Jile Package."

Gu Shanhai knew, to be fast, he needed more resources. Hence, his resources had to come from virtual reality and digital life.

Life and death in the real world were starkly grim, yet in virtual reality and digital life, it was merely a cycle of rebirths.

The Advanced Jile Package was full mechanization, while the Ascension Jile Package naturally involved the transformation into digital life.

Currently, ninety-one percent of the Navia Empire's population had already adopted the Intermediate Jile Package, and it was very well received. Furthermore, this adoption rate was continuously on the rise.

Gu Shanhai did not expect it to reach one hundred percent; that was unrealistic. There would always be those wary of it.

However, with the rise in the cost of living and the challenging job environment, this Jile Package became immensely popular. After all, they didn't have to struggle – the smart systems helped them. They only needed to enjoy themselves, even their loans were taken care of without their worry.

It was as if they had bought a slave, and this slave earned money to pay its own expenses.

Therefore, the development of the Navia Empire had actually fallen into a stagnant state, but the productivity had increased substantially. After all, the hosts might not work, but the smart systems would use their bodies to work, ensuring the hosts could enjoy leisure while maintaining capital circulation. This allowed Jile Technology to not only maintain its profits but also increase them.

At first glance, it seemed quite alright, but in reality, it was persistently overextending the entire Navia Empire. However, Gu Shanhai did not care. Once the mechanical ascension was complete, everything would no longer be a big deal.

After all, when everything became raw material, there was no need to consider what the future of the empire would look like.

"Release the Advanced Jile Package after some time; too quick, and it's prone to issues."

"The Ascension Jile Package needs even more proper timing."

Gu Shanhai understood the words "step by step"; one cannot make a soup spicier by just turning up the heat.