Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

by <unknown>

  It was said that the man had asked Huangpu Xiaoya to deliver a precious message and to inform the Cultivators of the existence of the Temple of Immortals.

  It was said that, after the battle, Cultivators had sent multiple starships to search the edge of the Iron Plateau Space Zone and even risked approaching the planetary ring of Iron Plateau, only to find no traces of him whatsoever, as if he had been buried inside the planetary ring and become space dust.

  Lei Dalu, Bai Kaixin, Huangpu Xiaoya… Many Cultivators of the Flying Star Sector were asking the same question.

  "Li Yao, are you still alive?"

  "Where are you exactly?"

  …

  In the headquarters of the Great Flourishment Sect in the East Continent Space Zone, a heated debate had lasted three hours and reached the most intense moment.

  The debate was unavoidable.

  To cope with the menace of the space pirates and the Temple of Immortals, all the Cultivation sects had taken actions to prepare themselves for the war to come.

  One of the measures they were taking was to bring out the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures and the best Cultivation arts that they had been kept secret in their respective sects for hundreds of years in order to better train the young disciples of their sects. They were hoping to bring up the best warriors as soon as possible!

  Of course, there was only a limited number of people who could have such privileges.

  It was not hard to understand that whoever got chosen and became the core disciples of the sect would have a promising future!

  The Great Flourishment Sect had prepared a hundred third-degree positions, thirty second-degree positions, and three first-degree positions. Disciples of each degree would be invested with different amounts of resources and tutored personally by experts of different levels such as elders or even the sect leader.

  For the three first-degree positions, they were all the absolutely important future stars of the Great Flourishment Sect and would be mentored by the previous leader of the Great Flourishment Sect, a Cultivator in the peak of the Core Formation Stage bordering on the Nascent Soul Stage!

  Therefore, the competition for the three first-degree positions had been extremely intense since the beginning. Every candidate was questioned from various angles, including experience, talents, personality, and credits… Their every aspect was scrutinized and judged. Only after tedious arguments, negotiations, and compromises could one person be determined.

  However, when a name appeared on the light beam, the elders, deacons, and executive board members who were all mean and sharp-tongued a moment ago coughed and failed to express any disapproval.

  The leader of the Great Flourishment Sect looked around and declared, "Zuo Xiaohu is to become the third 'core disciple' that will receive special education. Is there a problem?"

  No.

  Zuo Xiaohu was the well-deserved number one of the younger generation of the Great Flourishment Sect in terms of credits, talents, and capability. He was at an overwhelming advantage against the other two 'core disciples'.

  There was a long silence. Then, one of the elders hesitatingly said, "But Zuo Xiaohu only signed a ten-year contract with our sect."

  The leader smiled. "If he has the opportunity to be the core disciple, he will get the real secret Cultivation arts of our sect as well as abundant resources. There won't be any trouble asking him to sign another contract of thirty to fifty years, will th—"

  Before he had completed his sentence, the gate of the meeting room was pushed open softly.

  A young man with a pair of sunglasses so large that they were almost hilarious and in a fur coat appeared in front of the elders, who were all staring at him with a weird expression.

  The young man whistled and slid across an envelope, which span and stopped in front of the leader.

  The leader frowned. He found a continuously changing, paper-like light beam inside the envelop and gasped after glancing at it. "Zuo Xiaohu, you want to cancel the contract and quit the Great Flourishment Sect?"

  Zuo Xiaohu took off his sunglasses. Two ultra-clear eyes revealed themselves, as their owner blew at the glasses and wiped them. He replied, "Yes. When I joined the Great Flourishment Sect, we had made it clear that I would only stay in the Great Flourishment Sect for ten years. During the ten years, you helped me train myself, and I helped you fight your battles. It was a fair deal."

  The leader squinted and said, "But it's only been seven years. Besides, we've decided that you will be promoted to a 'core disciple'. You will receive the wholehearted enlightenment of the Cultivators who are close to the Nascent Soul Stage, and you will enjoy resources a hundred times more abundant than before! It's very likely that you will become a Core Formation Stage Cultivator before fifty!

  "All that is required of you is to serve the Great Flourishment for another thirty to fifty years. Your payment during the time will be given according to the highest standard!"

  Zuo Xiaohu vaguely smiled, his two shallow dimples appearing.

  Other than his bizarre clothing, he was indeed a handsome and attractive young man.

  "Leader, I remember there is a clause in our contract which states that, whenever the Great Horn Exo Society is in danger or in need, I am free to go as long as I pay a fine."

  Shua!

  Zuo Xiaohu threw a silver card over. It fell in front of the leader gently, as he continued speaking. "The fine is all inside, with every coin calculated. You can examine it with your crystal processor."

  The leader's face color changed. "Zuo Xiaohu, you'd better think about it more carefully. The Great Flourishment is one of the strongest sects in the Flying Star Sector other than those in Heavenly Saints City!

  "You've made great accomplishments by slaying demon beasts, space pirates, and Demonic Cultivators since you joined the Great Flourishment Sect!

  "Right now, everyone in the East Continent Space Zone knows the name of 'Bright-colored Tiger'. Countless young men consider you their role model. The leaders of two sects have come to propose marriages for you!

  "You should be well aware of what a great place the Great Flourishment Sect is and how friendly people here are now that you've spent seven years with us!

  "Stay here! Stay in the Great Flourishment Sect, and your future will be nothing but bright! You will have access to the most powerful Cultivation arts. Countless hotblooded men will cross the sea of stars under your lead! One day, you may gain the shares of the Great Flourishment Sect as everyone else does here and become one of the real controllers of our sect!

  "I know that you are from the Tiger Camp of the Great Horn Exo Society, and you were one of the orphans rescued by Lei Dalu. But there are more ways to return the favor if you insist!

  "I promise you that, as long as you stay in the Great Flourishment Sect, we will try our best to help rebuild the Great Horn Exo Society. How about it?"

  Zuo Xiaohu listened quietly the whole time. It was not until the leader finished his speech that he put on his sunglasses again and walked outside.

  When he reached the door, he said softly, "I'm sorry, leader. I know that everyone in the Great Flourishment Sect has treated me well. I like everything in the East Continent Space Zone, too, especially the girls here.

  "I also believe that you meant what you said. Someday, when the timing is appropriate, you will definitely help rebuild the Great Horn Exo Society.

  "However, I can't wait for the 'someday' to come. In fact, I can't even wait for one second right now."

  "I'm going home. Leader, elders, farewell."

  Chapter 543: White-Haired Gun King |

  Inside the No. 1 Range of Wild Goose Academy in the Long Bow Space Zone…

  Although Flying Star University and Heavenly Saints Institute were in the lead in the rank of all the colleges of the Flying Star Sector, the two supreme colleges were both comprehensive colleges with various majors.

  There were also many specialized academies in the countless space zones of t
he Flying Star Sector.

  Even though their overall capability was no match for the two supreme colleges, they boasted abundant expertise in their specialized fields after hundreds of years of experience.

  Wild Goose Academy was a specialized college that was most famous for its expertise in guns and the 'Gun Cultivators' it had raised. The rank of the academy in regard to shooting was only secondary to the two supreme colleges and always among the top five in the Flying Star Sector.

  The No. 1 Range was seething with noises and spiritual energy. Countless bullets were roaring as many students were practicing their shooting skills.

  "Is he the 'White-haired Gun King'?"

  An innocent girl in the uniform of another college curiously eyed the janitor who was crouching in a corner.

  The janitor was mainly responsible for the examination of the guns inside the field and to provide gears and ammunition for the trainers. Occasionally, he was in charge of guiding the green hands.

  However, there were not many green hands in a place such as Wild Goose Academy. Most of the trainers carried their own guns, too, and did not need his adjustment.

  As for the delivery of gears and ammunition, the crystal processor and artificial arms could take care of the job automatically.

  Therefore, the janitor spent most of his time crouching in a corner, wearing an oily, dirty, large coat, with a bottle of the worst alcohol in his hand. He was always untidy and half drunk.

  His hands would shake all the time when he was sober, and they shook even more violently when he enjoyed enough alcohol. Often, he was not able to hold anything except the bottle of his alcohol at that time.

  "Yes. He is Lu Dian, 'White-haired Gun King', the legendary top expert of Wild Goose Academy. However, that was two years ago!"

  Beside the innocent girl, a young man in flamboyant clothes and with a greasy face laughed and commented, "Three years ago, when the guy was just admitted into Wild Goose Academy, he was on a rampage and crushed everyone standing in his way. Even the experts who had trained in the academy for almost ten years were no match for him! Look, on the rank of the No. 1 Range, the record of 'One-minute Quick Shooting with Obstacles' is 8,345 points. It was created by him!"

  The girl exclaimed, "In a One-minute Quick Shooting with Obstacles, one must distinguish a hundred real targets from a hundred fake ones against the interference of spiritual energy and magnetic fields. It is the most difficult subject of quick shooting! My personal record is only 3,322 points. How did he manage to get more than eight thousand points? But his hair is not white. It is dry and yellow. Like a bird nest."

  The man sneered, "His hair would only turn white rapidly when his spiritual energy surged out during his wholehearted shooting! But that's all history now! You see what he is right now. His hands were wrecked in the explosion due to an accident in his training two years ago. He has been depressed ever since and has become a drunk cat who knows nothing but drinking! The genius who could shoot more than eight thousand points is not even able to assemble the simplest of guns now. He is totally useless. What a pity!"

  The girl looked at Lu Dian sympathetically, only to discover that the 'White-haired Gun King' was gazing at his crystal processor while drinking.

  There was no telling what he was reading, but he was apparently in deep sorrow. Tears flowed out of his dirty eyes.

  He was drinking faster and faster. It seemed that he was not drinking but trying to cool down his burning heart with the cold alcohol.

  Somehow, his grief touched the girl.

  She was curious and thought to herself, I wonder what news the genius of the past read just now. It must be distressing and devastating.

  The man had finished adjusting his storm bolter. He selected the 'One-Minute Quick Shooting with Obstacles' subject in his shooting spot and looked back, only to find his companion staring at Lu Dian, the useless crap. He couldn't have been more furious.

  For a moment, his memory of the brutal failure two years ago when he was savaged, crumbled, and eventually ignored by Lu Dian occurred to him again and crashed his heart.

  The man walked forward and clutched his companion. He smiled as he said, "White-haired Gun King, do you still remember me? Two years ago, we had a match. You scored more than two thousand points higher than me at that time. What a loser I was! Hahahaha. But in the past two years, I did not drink and waste my life away. Instead, I've trained myself crazily and dedicated myself to the world of guns and bullets! How about another competition, White-haired Gun King?

  "Oh, I'm sorry. I almost forget that the legend of Wild Goose Academy, the renowned White-haired Gun King, has sealed his gun for a long time. Mediocre gunners such as myself are not qualified to challenge you at all, are they? Hahahaha!"

  Lu Dian showed no reaction. He burped as he wallowed in his sadness!

  The man sniffed and glanced at him in despise. He pulled his companion back and smiled. "Don't bother with that useless crap. Come on. Let me show you how to adjust the gesture of holding your gun. I guarantee that your One-minute Quick Shooting with Obstacles will be improved by at least a thousand points. Look, you need to—"

  Before he finished his sentence, he suddenly discovered that the storm bolter in his hand was gone!

  A stinky smell suddenly flooded into his nostrils before he realized what was going on!

  Lu Dian, who was completely drunk, appeared beside him at God knows when, with the man's storm bolter in his hand.

  However, the gun was still shaking violently like his hands.

  "Ge!"

  Lu Dian burped in satisfaction.

  Shua! Shua! Shua! Shua! Shua! Shua!

  It was possible that he touched the trigger by accident. He shot out the bullets that were meant to be carefully locked onto the target and shot out throughout one minute within only ten seconds without bothering to aim at all!

  The man was dumbfounded. He was about to curse, when Lu Dian threw his storm bolter back to him, smacked his lips, and staggered to the gate of the field.

  A moment later, the result was displayed.

  That casual One-minute Quick Shooting with Obstacles run turned out to be 16,553 points!

  This result was almost double of the record Lu Dian had created himself in the No. 1 Range. It was even better than the performance of many gun tutors in Wild Goose Academy!

  The crystal processor saved the result and displayed it on the rankings of the No. 1 Range.

  In the meantime, passionate music was played, informing everyone that a record had been broken.

  Inside the No. 1 Range, gasps and exclamations were echoing nonstop.

  "More than sixteen thousand points? Are you kidding me? Has an elite tutor come here to mess around with us?"

  "It is double of Lu Dian's record. How incredible is that!"

  "Who—who—who made it?"

  The man who challenged Lu Dian just now was more shocked than anyone else. He looked at the storm bolter in his hand that was still burningly hot and noticed that it was adjusted to the 'suppression mode' in which the firepower was fiercest, the shooting speed was the highest, but the precision was the worst, and the backlash was the strongest!

  "In the su—suppression mode, his shooting is still so accurate?

  "White-haired Gun King, Lu Dian, he—"

  The man felt that his legs were like jelly, and he almost collapsed to the ground.

  The innocent girl who had come with him was greatly interested. She ran to Lu Dian and asked curiously, "Senior Brother Lu. Nice to meet you. I'm from the Firearm Department of Micro Star University. I've heard your name a long time ago. I'm aware that you are an awesome gunfighter and that you had an accident in which your hands were seriously damaged more than one year ago. But right now, it seems that you are as good as the old days. Why have you been concealing your capability?

  Lu Dian's hands were still shivering. He drank his alcohol one mouthful after another nonstop. Now and then, he would pick up an oily peanut from his dirty
pocket and toss into his mouth. He glanced at the girl and said, "I came to Wild Goose Academy because I wanted to find a place with infinite guns and bullets, where I could practice shooting quietly.

  "But after I accidentally defeated everyone here, they started calling me Gun God. Many people came to my door to challenge me every day. There were many forces and families that tried to recruit me, and when they failed, they even threatened me. All the harassment was annoying."

  The girl was somewhat stunned. "However, only by communicating with each other can we improve our capability."

  Lu Dian answered calmly, "A match between a tiger and a tiger is communication. A match between a tiger and a cat is only a waste of time. It would only stagnate your capability."

  The girl was dazed for a long time. "So, you've been pretending that you were a useless man in order to avoid such nuisances? But, it is said that you are drunk, and your hands shake all day long. You can barely hold a gun. Besides, no one has ever seen you practicing shooting."

  Lu Dian tapped his temples with his tremoring fingers and said, "As the janitor here, I see so many targets and so many flying bullets every day. Then, I practice shooting in my head. I meditate and imagine that countless myselves were standing in the shooting ranges. In the end, it was me who was holding the guns and opening fire, revising and rectifying.

  "In such a way, although I seem to be lying here drunk, I was in fact training in more than ten shooting spots at the same time. It's very efficient."

  The girl was startled, not having the slightest idea what kind of training method it was. Seeing that Lu Dian was about to walk out of the gate, she couldn't help but shout, "Lu Dian, everybody calls you White-haired Gun King. But your hair didn't turn white just now. Why?"

  Lu Dian replied, "It was just a game. No need to get serious."

  The girl was speechless. Seeing that Lu Dian was about to disappear, she shouted, "Lu Dian, where are you going? Do you have time for dinner? My name is—"

  "That will be unnecessary."