Chapter 848: The Immortal-Chosen Saviors
"A person's energy is finite. When you focus your attention on one thing, you inevitably pay less attention to others."
"Besides, the high-quality art albums that truly carried Senior Sister Zhao's power were quickly buried under a flood of crude, mass-produced imitations by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. As a result, the spread and influence of the [One Heart Heavenly Venerate] were curtailed to the greatest extent possible."
"A brilliant move! I'll have to remember that," Ji Shaoli mused, having observed the Alliance's various operations with perfect clarity.
A moment later, however, his brow furrowed slightly. "But doing this only mitigates the damage. It can't completely eliminate Senior Sister Zhao's influence..."
"The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance must have another move up its sleeve."
Just as Ji Shaoli predicted.
While the vast majority of Alliance cultivators were engrossed in this deliberately manufactured storm of discussion, there remained a small group of people who found no satisfaction in the imitations. They continued to tirelessly seek out more exquisite art albums.
Little did they know, every copy circulating on the market was already being closely monitored by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. The net simply hadn't been drawn in yet.
When they finally, after much painstaking effort, found a seller willing to part with an original, they were all captured in a single sweep the moment the transaction was complete.
Against the backdrop of the roaring tide of public discussion, all of this happened in near silence. If Ji Shaoli hadn't already been paying attention to these particular cultivators, he likely wouldn't have noticed that they had simply vanished from the world.
Muddying the waters on one hand, and conducting a sting operation on the other.
With this two-pronged approach, it took a full three months before the influence from Senior Sister Zhao's initial probe was finally neutralized by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
"Although the Alliance seems to have won this confrontation, in reality, they have lost."
Ji Shaoli shook his head inwardly. "From the perspective of the Five Elders Council, what was their cost in this commotion? Merely some mass-producible art books. But the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance was forced to expend a great deal of time and energy to quell the matter."
"They've suppressed it this time. But the Five Elders Council can regroup at any moment with very little cost. The Alliance, on the other hand, must remain constantly vigilant. This is the overwhelming power of a Heavenly Venerate."
"The decline of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance is on full display..."
"Still, I hope it can offer me a few surprises in what's to come."
...
No topic remains popular forever.
As time passed, the cultivators' interest in the released secret albums gradually waned.
Taking its place was the imminent start of the Alliance's grand entrance examination.
The reason this examination was garnering so much attention, aside from its unprecedented scale, was a bombshell announcement the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance had just released.
To counter the menacing Five Elders Council, the Alliance would use this grand examination to select thirty-three [Immortal-Chosen].
Entrusted with the hope of resisting the Five Elders Council, once an individual became an [Immortal-Chosen], they would be cultivated by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance at any cost.
Everything required for advancement—pills, techniques, grotto-heavens, World-Birthing Transformations, and even Spirits of Heaven and Earth...
The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance would provide it all for free!
Regardless of their original cultivation level, they were guaranteed to reach the Dao Integration realm within ten years!
For this selection of the [Immortal-Chosen], family background, and even cultivation talent, were not the main points of consideration.
The only thing that mattered was a cultivator's individual ability—whether they could play a unique role in the coming confrontation with the Five Elders Council!
When the news spread, the cultivators of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance were thrown into a frenzy.
Most cultivators possess a certain degree of self-importance.
Even if their cultivation has stagnated, they are unlikely to blame themselves.
They tend to attribute the cause to external factors such as techniques and resources.
"If *I* were a Dao Integration expert, I'd be far stronger than those who only made it with their family's backing! We wouldn't be retreating step by step against the Five Elders Council's attacks..."
Countless cultivators were struck by this exact thought the moment they heard the announcement.
Swept up in the heat of the moment, they swarmed the registration centers for the grand examination, heedless of all else.
For a brief moment, even Ji Shaoli felt a flicker of temptation.
But it was just a fleeting impulse.
Everything has a price. The cost of being force-grown into a Dao Integration expert was likely one he could not afford to pay.
His clone was tied to the secrets of his true self; he would never take such a risk.
Besides, even if he wanted to, he wouldn't necessarily be chosen.
The number of cultivators under the rule of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance was immense. To select only thirty-three from among them...
Even if some didn't fit the traditional definition of a prodigy, he believed that each of them must possess their own unique advantage.
Some who had fallen on hard times were by no means weaker than others. All they lacked was an opportunity.
Once they caught a favorable wind, they could soar among the nine heavens!
Ji Shaoli had no doubt that among these thirty-three, some previously unknown figures would emerge, shining with spectacular brilliance and shaking the Xuanhuang Realm to its core.
Yet, a sliver of doubt remained in his heart.
To pin the hope of defeating the Five Elders Council on these [Immortal-Chosen]—wasn't that an admission that the current leadership was not up to the task?
Why would the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance do something so self-deprecating?
Not to mention the mysterious Dharma Transmitters. Even the souls of prodigies selected from past eras had yet to enter the fray.
The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance couldn't possibly be that incompetent.
"Unless... these thirty-three Dao Integration cultivators, these so-called stars of hope..."
"...are just a distraction."
"They serve another purpose."
Ji Shaoli's eyes glinted.
Under the watchful eyes of the masses, the Alliance Grand Examination officially began.
Its scale far surpassed all previous ones.
Lasting for a full month, all participating cultivators would travel to the examination grounds through the regional Heavenly Profound Mirrors in their respective provinces.
Until the examination concluded, the venue would be completely sealed and isolated from the outside world.
Because the number of cultivators participating was so enormous, the various provinces throughout the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance became somewhat deserted.
During this month, the Alliance's interior would be left vulnerable.
To prevent a sneak attack from the Five Elders Council, the Alliance not only stationed heavy troops along the border to fortify its defenses, but also quietly launched a counter-attack.
Within the Spirit Wood Realm.
Li Fan, who had temporarily paused the process of devouring the Five Elements Great Cave-Heaven, stared at a sphere that shone like a diamond, presented to him by Lin Ling. His expression was somewhat grave.
This item had been sent over by the Five Elders Council.
For them, a "business partner" with whom he had successfully traded several times, to proactively seek his help...
...was frankly quite a surprise to Li Fan.
Apparently, this shimmering sphere had caused considerable trouble for the Five Elders Council.
And for the time being, they had found no way to deal with it.
So, in desperation, they decided to try their luck and see if the [Federation of All Worlds] possessed any intelligence regarding this object.
(End of Chapter)
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