A World Worth Protecting

After the alert was issued, the respective political forces conducted investigations and searches within their domains. They exterminated potential threats while keeping a look out for such threats other than monsters.

Fortunately, plant life mutations seemed to be extremely rare. Following the issuance of the alert, until the end of the selection round, the other political forces had not found a second mutated plant life. That lessened the urgency of the crisis.

The selection in the Federation capital also came to its end then. A total of ninety-eight people, the cream of the crop, were selected. They would become the seedlings in Operation Sword Sun and receive comparably more resources from the Federation in the future.

Two names were missing from the list, which soon caught the attention of everyone in the Federation. That persisted until the two missing names were announced.

One was Kong Dao, and the other—Wang Baole!

The Federation had also released selective information on their achievements on the battlefield. The details revealed, to a limited extent, the treasures Wang Baole had harvested from Spirit Breath Village, his exploits during the Beast Tide, and the Baole Cannon he had invented.

The Federation used the opportunity to build Wang Baole’s reputation as well as let the entire world know that Wang Baole had earned the right to have a reserved placement!

All of a sudden, Wang Baole’s name spread across the entire Federation. He caught the attention of countless political forces. At the same time, news also traveled to Phoenix City. When his parents saw his name on the news, they were instantly stunned. After watching the introduction and finding out about the terrible things that he had been put through, they immediately started to panic.

They called Wang Baole’s voice transmission ring immediately. Wang Baole heard the anxiety and concern in his parents’ scolding voices and took a very long time to reassure them. He promised to be careful in the future. Finally, the elderly pair, worried about and proud of their child, ended the call.

There were many things that Wang Baole had not told his parents. After he had enrolled in the Ethereal Dao College and started on the journey of cultivation, he had slowly come to know how harsh and brutal the journey was. He did not wish for his parents to worry.

His conversation with his parents had sent his emotions into slight disarray. He very quickly composed himself, then logged into the Spirit Intranet and searched for information on Kong Dao, the other person who had a confirmed placement like himself.

Wang Baole’s eyes widened as he read through the other’s profile. He drew a breath in.

Kong Dao did not hail from any of the human political entities in the Federation but was actually from the Sea of Beasts. He had been adopted by the current Federation President nine years ago and had been groomed intensively since becoming the president’s foster son.

He had not stayed on earth but had instead been sent to the colony on Mars to train. He survived for five years on his own in the strange environment of the Martian colony. During his cultivation, he had collected numerous fragments for the Federation, and the number was astounding.

However, all that would still not have been enough to reserve him a spot amongst the hundred seedlings. What had convinced the Federation and made them acknowledge his status as a confirmed seedling was a piece of news he had reported a month ago.

On Mars, he had found a location… which seemed to hold the remains of a Divine Armament!

The numerous political forces in the Federation had confirmed that there was an extremely high chance of that being true. However, due to many reasons, they were unable to conduct further, more intensive explorations and found it difficult to retrieve the Divine Armament.

Despite that, such a great contribution was enough to ensure his placement as one of the hundred seedlings.

Divine Armament! Upon reading that, Wang Baole’s eyes almost popped out. The gears in his head started spinning. He realized immediately that something must have gone wrong when the report was submitted to the Federation which resulted in the various political forces finding out about the matter. The Federation could not keep it under wraps and hence simply joined forces with the rest for the exploration.

Wang Baole felt his guess was highly probable. He looked through the list of names and saw a few familiar names. Amongst them were Zhuo Yifan and Zhao Yameng, who were both amongst the hundred selected.

Besides the three of them, there were another two people from the Ethereal Dao College who had also made the list. Except for White Deer Dao College, there were not many from the other Dao colleges. The White Deer Dao College had the highest number make the list—nine people.

Li Yi—who had threatened to strip him naked—and most of the few other possessors of eight-inch Spirit Roots at that battle in Spirit Breath Village, were also in the list.

Besides them, there was also Zhuo Yixian’s name, which Wang Baole did not see in the list. However, a few unfamiliar names from the Five Generation Sky Clan appeared. There were also quite a few people from the two ever-mysterious major sects.

The senators’ heirs took up a few spots as well. However, Wang Baole did not see any names from the legendary Trilunaris Corporation, whose wealth rivaled a country’s.

After the Federation’s hundred seedlings had been confirmed and the news had taken the entire Federation by storm—followed by the departure of those who had not made the cut—the hundred selected people, including Wang Baole, soon received a notification from the President’s office.

They were to undergo a week-long group cultivation in seclusion three days later. Someone designated by the Federation would be teaching them a mystic technique!

The mystic technique was known to many and ranked tenth in all the mystic techniques discovered throughout the Federation since the Spirit Inception Era!

The technique was carefully guarded, and before that, only the Federation had access to it. Even the two powerful sects and the Five Generation Sky Clan had coveted it for a very long time. That was because the mystic technique relied not on Spirit Qi, but was… a physical combat technique!

Such a physical combat technique was rare for both the Federation as well as other political forces.

Its name was… Supernova!

Before the group cultivation, they were to gather to the Presidential Pavilion in the capital where they would receive a commendation from the Federation President!

When Wang Baole received the notification, he was overcome with excitement. His breathing became excited, and his eyes started shining brightly. He paced in his room, unable to calm down.

Supernova? By the sounds of it, it seemed to be really powerful. Not only that, but there’s also the president’s personal commendation!

This could potentially be something that countless people will recount in the future, about how the two presidents from different terms met for the first time! Wang Baole grabbed an orange-flavored spirit beverage and guzzled it down. His spirits rose.

When I see him, should I tell him that his position will be mine when I grow up?Wang Baole thought happily, then realized how inappropriate that would be. He worried about his chances to grow up should he really say that out loud…

In his excitement, a flurry of thoughts crowded his head. He deliberated what he should wear, agonizing over the matter. He was not given more time to consider the matter though. Three days later, just before he was about to head off for the ceremony, someone from the Federation sent over a uniform that had been customized for the hundred seedlings of the Federation.

The uniform was purple in color and seemed to shimmer. It was clearly not just an ordinary piece of clothing. He looked slimmer after putting it on… it made him look shaper, like a sword prepared to be unsheathed, a sword that was not as fat as it used to be.

Such a trim figure, such good looks! Wang Baole studied himself in the mirror; the distorting filters came built-in with his eyes. He admired himself for some time before swaggering out of his room and stepping onto the private cruiser that would be transporting him to the Presidential Pavilion and had been waiting outside since a while ago. The cruiser sped towards the Presidential Pavilion in the city center.

At the same time, countless cruisers from all four corners of the capital city were dashing towards the Presidential Pavilion. Besides the hundred seedlings, there were also media and various important figures who would be observing the ceremony.

Wang Baole soon reached the city center. As he stepped into the Presidential Pavilion and saw the large pavilion that looked almost like a palace, he could no longer control the excitement and eagerness in his heart. One day, he thought, that place would be where he would live, train, and work.

In his excitement, he didn’t pay much attention to the people around him. He didn’t notice that there were a few amongst the hundred seedlings who, upon seeing him, had snorted. Li Yi, especially, showed her displeasure.

There was another youth who almost rivaled Zhuo Yifan’s good looks. He stood, poised and dashing in the room, a flicker of arrogance hidden deep within his eyes. It seemed that he had not planned to interact with anyone. However, when he saw Zhao Yameng, his entire body shivered. There was a strange light in his eyes, and he seemed shocked beyond words.

There were thousands of people surrounding the area, many in a hushed discussion. There were also plenty of reporters who had started recording, as well as a great number of guards. Every single guard was at the Foundation Establishment realm.

There were also those who suppressed their Qi. Those were often the Core Formation realm experts from the Federation!

Every arrangement and placement of every brick had been the result of careful planning. The entire place came together in harmony. Everyone entering it was stepping into an array formation.

It was amidst the crowd’s discussion, Wang Baole’s uncontrollable excitement, and the varying emotional states of the others that, from the entrance, came the sounds of many footsteps. A few black-robed men walked in and were followed by a dozen other people.

Amongst them, in the middle of the group, was a tall man in his middle age. He wore simple, white clothing. In the crowd of black-robed men, he was particularly striking.

The man had short hair as well as a formidable and imposing aura that commanded respect effortlessly. He exuded an aura that was astonishing. It seemed to resonate with the place. Every step he took stirred the crowd and made them light-headed, and the Spirit Qi within their bodies tossed about uncontrollably. It was as if they were gazing upon a god when they looked at him!

He… was the current wielder of the Federation’s only Divine Armament, the current Federation President who had hailed from the White Deer Dao College!

The most powerful person in the Federation—Duan Muque!