Since the destruction of the Akhan world, Chen Xu's perspective had undergone a significant shift.
Following that hellish disaster, the entire transcendent civilization of the Akhan world had adopted an extremely conservative outlook.
Any hint of radical thought was suppressed by the Mage Council.
The entire civilization could only refine and cultivate within a limited scope, constantly re-studying the fertile grounds broken by their predecessors.
While this period produced many valuable and meaningful studies, and the works of several archmages were no less impressive than those of their forebears, it was ultimately stagnant.
But living beings are always driven by desire, and transcendents even more so. For mages, the journey in pursuit of truth does not become more rational as it progresses; it becomes more mad.
As your transcendent knowledge accumulates and your realm rises, the more you can do, and the more you want to obtain.
When the current state of the world can no longer satisfy a transcendent's desires, they choose to change the world.
Take Aaron, for example. A mage born in the conservative era of Akhan, he committed the most radical act just to verify the truth he pursued.
In the end, Aaron did achieve his goal, but the price of his madness was paid by the entire world.
Chen Xu felt that Blue Star was no longer the Blue Star of old. The mundane era before the dungeon era was a thing of the past; transcendent power was the theme of today.
After the class change ceremony, those who obtained transcendent power embarked on a point of no return in pursuit of strength.
After working painstakingly and risking their lives to finally reach the epic-tier, they had no time to catch their breath, for only the mythic-tier offered immortality and longevity.
And after exhausting the fortune of several generations of ancestors and seeing the smoke of luck rise for forty-nine days, they might finally break through to the mythic-tier, only to find the eternal-tier looming above.
Everything is void; only the Dao is eternal. Just as the fear of death faded, the pursuit of the Dao began.
But with the ancestral luck exhausted, they had to burn other things—consuming world treasures, exploring world wonders, and comprehending creation to fight for a sliver of opportunity amidst the myriad mortal affairs.
Finally, after enduring untold hardships, their efforts would pay off. They would enter the Dao, knock on the door of the eternal-tier, and become a powerhouse capable of ruling any corner of the myriad worlds.
But above the eternal-tier lay the unique-tier. The end of the Dao was even more distant, seemingly without limit.
So, they would grit their teeth and keep pushing to reach the unique-tier.
But once they reached the unique-tier, could they finally be free? Could they rest? No. The unique-tier was only the end of the realm, not the end of one's strength.
Even among those at the unique-tier, some held one Dao principle, while others held three, five, or even ten. There were still grades and ranks among them.
The path of transcendent advancement was an endless race.
And the fuel that burned for this race was the most authentic desire found in the deepest part of every creature's soul.
This was why Chen Xu suggested to Xia Qiming that there was no need to worry too much about safety.
“Teacher Xia, did the World Will say what the rewards are? If it wants Daxia to be the vanguard and set an example, it has to offer something worthwhile.”
“It did, and the rewards are quite substantial. You can open the Expedition points mall.”
Hearing this, everyone present opened the mall and found that the Expedition points mall actually operated on a VIP membership system.
The mall pages were divided according to merit ranks. There were five ranks in total: Soldier, Officer, General, Commander, and King.
Everyone started at the Soldier-rank. The Soldier-rank mall mainly sold skill books, equipment, and practical items like healing potions and mental potions.
However, the quality was decent. Even the Soldier-rank mall featured mythic-tier items. Although only a few skills and pieces of equipment reached the mythic-tier, it was still incredibly enticing.
For example, there were mythic-tier skills like 【Sword of the Vast Sea】, 【Burning the Heavens and Boiling the Seas】, and 【Nether Tyrant】. The mythic-tier equipment included various weapons, and the pills were of the explosive power or instant-healing variety.
It was clearly designed to encourage Blue Star job-holders to sustain themselves through battle, urging them to participate in the Expedition System to earn points.
It was a very healthy cycle: job-holders would fight to earn points, then use those points in the mall to exchange for high-tier skills, equipment, and pills to prepare for the next battle.
As their expedition rank increased, the job-holders' own strength would naturally rise along with it.
Of course, that was assuming they survived and didn't die on the battlefield.
Chen Xu scrolled through the subsequent Officer, General, Commander, and King-rank malls and found that there were indeed many good things. If used correctly, this mall could truly cultivate someone to the eternal-tier.
A being like a 'world' was truly mysterious—by nurturing the species within itself to work for it, it could achieve its own advancement.
“The World Will said that any Daxia job-holder willing to join the vanguard will immediately unlock General-rank permissions.”
“Furthermore, the points earned from the first expedition will be doubled. The rewards from the leaderboard settlement will also be doubled.”
“And if the expedition is successful and we complete the objective, the spirit qi within Daxia's borders can be increased even further.”
Xia Qiming added the World Will's promises at the appropriate time.
Some were aimed at individuals, while others were for the nation of Daxia as a whole. This two-pronged approach was undeniably effective.
“Now that you've seen the content and I've introduced the rewards, let's vote. There are seventy-eight people here; each gets one vote, and no one can abstain.”
Xia Qiming swiped his smart tablet, and a massive holographic projection appeared at the top of the meeting room.
The left side was for joining the vanguard, and the right side was against it.
Ye Bufan was the first to cast a vote for the left side. “Dungeons are becoming scarce, and ultra-tier dungeons must be prioritized for training newcomers.”
“In Daxia, I can't find a suitable opponent to sharpen my sword. This spirit sword of mine hasn't been unsheathed in a long time.”
Ye Bufan's tone was indifferent, but his eyes were full of anticipation and fighting spirit.
He did not cultivate to be a serene immortal, but a combat immortal. A peaceful life did not suit him.
Holding a spirit sword to chase the stars and moon and fighting against heaven and earth was what truly resonated with his heart.
Xiang Longwu followed immediately after, casting a vote in favor and letting out a hearty laugh.
“Hahaha! Everyone, the path of martial arts is about competition. It's like rowing against the current—if you don't advance, you retreat. Besides, Old Ye voted yes. As his brother, I have to give him a hand.”
No one present was surprised by Xiang Longwu's vote.
With no suitable dungeons to clear or battles to fight, Xiang Longwu spent most of his time in the Taikun world when he wasn't fulfilling his martial arts instruction duties for Daxia.
The Taikun world had a flourishing martial arts culture, which could satisfy his need for combat.
Although the resources there couldn't compare to dungeons—they weren't even in the same league—he could still steadily improve his cultivation through frequent battles.
After Xiang Longwu, Chen Xu also cast a vote in favor.
His Necrotic Archmage Tower was still waiting for Blue Star job-holders to provide various types of transcendent knowledge; isolationism simply wouldn't do.
With the three of them leading the way, the others quickly cast their votes. In the end, seventy-seven people voted in favor, and one voted against.
The lone dissenting vote was cast by Xia Qiming. He had no choice; he had to maintain his persona.
Once the results were out, Xia Qiming was very direct. He had the smart AI Fuxi generate an announcement along with a registration link.
Any Daxia job-holder who had undergone their class change more than two years ago could apply to join the vanguard.
For those who had been job-holders for less than two years, an exception could be made if they had reached the epic-tier.
Fuxi quickly generated the announcement and sent it to Xia Qiming, who copied and pasted it onto the Job-Holder Forum.
A wave of discussion immediately erupted among the Daxia populace.
“Daxia Expeditionary Vanguard? Holy crap, they're making us Daxia citizens the first ones to test the waters.”
“I suspect the World Will has bad intentions. Is it trying to suppress us because Daxia is developing too well?”
“Oh my god, double points and General-rank permissions? Doesn't that mean I can step into the mythic-tier in an instant?”
“Dammit, why do you need to have been a job-holder for over two years to sign up? I want to go too!”
“Students who just changed classes should stay in school. Leave the fighting and killing to us veterans. Hehe, mythic-tier skills, here I come!”
...
After the meeting, Chen Xu bid farewell to Ye Bufan and the others, then pulled Xia Qiming out of the base.
“You kid, what's with all the mystery? What is it now? Space fragments? Those are in the Heavenly Crafts Academy's warehouse. You can just go get them yourself.”
Hearing this, Chen Xu immediately looked displeased.
“Teacher Xia, what kind of talk is that? I am the Lord of the Undead who rules the entire Land of the Undead. Do you think I'd covet your measly space fragments?”
“Then what are you doing? Aside from space fragments, Daxia doesn't have anything else to offer you. That's the only thing I could think of that you'd find useful.”
Before he could finish, Chen Xu manifested a gray-white mage tower in his palm.
“What is this?”
“The Necrotic Archmage Tower. Well, accurately speaking, it's a projection. I plan to place it outside Xinwang City.”
“Outside Xinwang City? Daxia has no development plans for that area. It's all wasteland, and there are very few people. Don't you want to put it somewhere more populated?”
Xia Qiming didn't ask about the tower's function. Out of trust for Chen Xu, he even suggested placing it in a more central location.
Chen Xu shook his head. The target audience for this tower wasn't just Daxia job-holders, but job-holders from all of Blue Star.
Placing it outside Xinwang City was perfect, as it would prevent job-holders from other countries from entering Daxia and disrupting order.
“This tower contains all the transcendent knowledge of the Akhan world. People can enter to learn and take on challenges immediately.”
“Reaching the top even offers a chance at the eternal-tier.”
“What! A chance at the eternal-tier?!”
Xia Qiming's voice trembled; he was almost shouting.
Through his interactions with the Heavenly Allied Forces on the outerworld battlefield, he had learned many of the hidden rules of the myriad worlds.
The eternal-tier was a watershed. It was like nuclear weapons in the old era—whether a civilization possessed them or not made a world of difference in how they were treated.
“Does this mage tower of yours really offer a chance at the eternal-tier?”
Xia Qiming was in disbelief and asked Chen Xu for confirmation once more.
Chen Xu nodded and simply threw the mage tower out.
Under the intervention of Chen Xu's great power, the mage tower crossed through space and arrived directly outside Xinwang City, manifesting its true form.
A massive structure a thousand floors high appeared, radiating a mysterious aura.
Then, Chen Xu channeled his mana and spoke to the entire Blue Star.
“Job-holders of Blue Star, I, Chen Xu, the Lord of the Undead, have descended a miracle upon Blue Star. This Necrotic Archmage Tower contains vast transcendent knowledge.”
“Those who clear the first 333 floors can become epic-tier. Those who clear 666 floors shall become legendary-tier. Those who reach the 999th floor will see the mythic-tier reveal itself.”
“And the job-holder who can reach the final floor will have the opportunity to seize a chance at the eternal-tier!”
“Job-holders of Blue Star, the hope of achieving the eternal-tier is at the top of the tower. Go challenge it, go climb it!”
Rate on N.U.
