Chapter 845: An Opportunity for the Survivors
“We were supposed to have only six months to prepare. But now, because of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, the entrance exam has been postponed indefinitely. I don't know when it'll happen, but I'm already raring to go.”
“Ahem.” He Zhenghao cleared his throat, his face radiating an unshakeable confidence.
“It’s a blessing in disguise, a true blessing in disguise!” the others chimed in, sighing with emotion.
“Even though you've all had two rounds of the specialized treatment, you can't let your guard down when it comes to the Immortal-Mortal Miasma,” Ji Shaoli cautioned, his voice low and serious.
“Something sensational happened recently. Here in the Cong Yun Sea, a cultivator named Wen Yue thought he was immune because he'd already contracted and recovered from the miasma. He wanted to test if the miasma still present in the bodies of mortals could affect him.”
“So, in front of a crowd of cultivators, he doused himself with mortal blood.”
“He dropped dead on the spot, his body withering to a pile of bones in seconds. It was a gruesome sight,” Ji Shaoli said with a sigh.
He Zhenghao and the others were stunned. “How could anyone be so foolish? To gamble with his own life like that?”
A wave of shock followed. “Does that mean our supposed immunity is just an illusion?”
“So in the end, nothing has really changed? All those cultivators just died for nothing?” He Zhenghao asked, a look of bewilderment on his face.
Pei Tuo spat with resentment, “Damn it all! If I ever reach the Dao Integration stage, I swear I'll overturn this wretched law!”
“A noble ambition, Brother Pei!”
A wave of complex emotions washed over the group.
After a moment, Ji Shaoli raised a hand, cutting through their murmurs.
“It's fine to vent. But all we can do is endure and survive.”
“In fact, for those of us who survived, this outbreak of the mutated miasma might not be a bad thing,” Ji Shaoli murmured.
“Oh? What do you mean by that?” The group's attention immediately fixed on him.
“Do you have any idea how many cultivators holding official posts in the Cong Yun Sea alone were lost during this calamity?” Ji Shaoli asked, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.
Seeing their eyes suddenly brighten with understanding, Ji Shaoli conveyed a number to them through voice transmission.
“More than five hundred?”
They gasped in unison.
“Indeed. And if it's this bad in the Cong Yun Sea, you can only imagine the state of the rest of the world.”
“All these positions, left vacant by the fallen, are opportunities for us—the survivors,” Ji Shaoli said, his tone low and significant.
“While most cultivators are still reeling from the pain of this disaster, those with foresight have already started making their moves in the shadows.”
His words sent a jolt of excitement through everyone present.
“Daoist Ji, in that case, should we still take the entrance exam?”
“Yes, we've prepared thoroughly, but the competition is bound to be even fiercer this time...”
Seeing their varied expressions, Ji Shaoli declared in a low, firm voice, “If I'm not mistaken, the scale of this exam will likely be far greater than anticipated. Not just in the number of recruits, but in the quality of the positions available!”
“Positions that would have taken decades to climb to in the past could be given directly to top performers this time around!”
“So my advice is to go for it. Take a shot at the exam!”
“You might just leap the dragon gate and completely change your destiny!”
At this, everyone's eyes, especially He Zhenghao's, lit up with a brilliant gleam.
“And there's more. Besides official positions, it's highly likely they'll release access to scarce resources like cultivation techniques and grotto-heavens. In short, the Alliance's top priority right now is to recover to its pre-disaster strength, no matter the cost,” Ji Shaoli added.
“Are you saying the Alliance is afraid the Five Elders Council will strike while we're in this weakened state?” someone asked immediately.
“It is strange, though. When the Alliance was at its weakest, the Five Elders Council didn't take advantage of the situation.”
“What's so hard to figure out? The miasma broke out here, but how could they have escaped unscathed? I'll bet the Five Elders Council suffered heavy losses too. Now it's a race to see who can recover faster. The winner will have the advantage.”
“Whatever the case, this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for ordinary cultivators like us.”
...
Ji Shaoli listened silently to their discussion, offering no further explanation.
The truth was, he had previously sent Lin Ling to make contact with the Five Elders Council.
He had used the Alliance's entrance exam question bank to make another tidy profit from them.
At the same time, he had secretly gathered intelligence on how the Five Elders Council was faring in the miasma outbreak.
Compared to the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, which was at the epicenter, their losses were significantly smaller.
The spread of the miasma had a certain delay, so by the time it reached the Five Elders Council's territory, they had already received news of the outbreak in the Alliance.
They had already taken precautions.
Moreover, the Five Elders Council was ruled by five Venerables.
Orders were issued, and the cultivators obediently remained in their homes, which greatly slowed the miasma's spread.
Most critically, when it came to dealing with the Immortal-Mortal Miasma...
...the Five Elders Council actually possessed far more detailed records than the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. R=an_oBЕs
After all, back in the ancient era of cultivation, it was the various immortal sects that had faced the miasma head-on.
They hadn't revealed the specific measures they took, of course.
But it was true that the Five Elders Council had not been hit hard by the disaster.
The only thing that puzzled the Five Elders Council was that their Heavenly Sovereign had personally issued a decree, vetoing the plan to attack the Alliance during the chaos.
The word of the Heavenly Sovereign was law.
So they could only bide their time, building up strength for a decisive strike against the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
...
Beast Seed Realm.
Lin Ling and Tianyang held back their true power.
Suppressing their combat strength to the Soul Transformation realm, they fought against the tide of beasts surging toward them.
This, of course, was under Li Fan's orders.
It wasn't just to collect beast cores as fuel for the Immortal Spirit Tower's spiritual energy conversion.
More importantly, it was for Lin Ling and Tianyang to hone their combat skills through battle.
Tianyang was already a capable fighter.
But in their previous battle against Ink Death, Lin Ling, as a nascent tree spirit, had displayed a near-complete lack of combat sense, relying entirely on instinct. It was a poor showing for someone at the Dao Integration stage.
So Li Fan had instructed Tianyang to take her to the Beast Seed Realm and use this rare moment of peace for training.
They had already slaughtered an untold number of beasts.
Baptized in endless blood, Lin Ling's once-innocent face had taken on a sharp, fierce edge.
Her movements grew more fluid, and at times, images would spontaneously flash through her mind, teaching her how to fight with greater efficiency.
Her combat prowess was increasing by leaps and bounds.
They looked toward the tall tower in the distance.
Once they reached it, Li Fan's orders would be complete.
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