Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

Li Yao was about to ask more when the shuttle slowly descended. Ling Xiaole turned around and smiled. “We have arrived at the largest ‘Civilization’ center in the Uranian Ring Sector!”

As far as one’s eyes could see, the entire world up ahead was occupied by a glittering silver ball. The surface of the silver ball was dissected into hundreds of light beams that were displaying a breathtaking, blood-boiling picture. On the picture, thousands of starships were fighting, burning, exploding, running, and chasing in space.

The aggressive sounds and visual effects covered the dozens of square kilometers nearby. Before they entered the center, they had already found themselves placed in the middle of a burning universe. The glittering silver ball almost turned a tiny black hole that was swallowing the world nearby as well as Li Yao and the rest of them!

There was a small logo in the top right corner of every enormous light beam. It looked somewhat similar to the ‘trident lightning’ emblem of the Imperium of True Human Beings, but it was much more hideous and terrifying than the flag of the Imperium and mixed with the air of dominance and destruction.

Ling Xiaole told Li Yao that they had come at the perfect time. ‘The Imperium’s Frustration’, the latest version of the war DLC of ‘Civilization’, was to be released in the seven Sectors at the same time. Today, a rather huge release conference would be held in this place. The game experts from other places and even the core worlds had gathered there. The tourists from the resource planets nearby had come to enjoy the event, too. It was rather lively.

As she said, Li Yao could see that the shuttles there were five times denser than even in the downtown area, and there were even now-uncommon traffic jams. A lot of young people wearing colorful ‘flying fins’ were also moving swiftly among the lines of vehicles. Decorations had been set up both in midair and on the ground. Loudspeakers that had been carved with anti-gravity rune arrays and broadcast rune arrays were rolling nonstop. Countless passionate, vigorous sounds were mixed with each other, making the place even more obstreperous than the battles on the light beams!

Li Yao was aware that ‘The Imperium’s Frustration’ was a war DLC that they had already began devising a hundred years ago. It focused on the military side and expounded on the content of how to resist the Imperium’s invasion.

According to Ling Xiaole’s description, after a hundred years of rapid development and countless updates, especially after more precise data support was activated ten years ago through the soldiers and even warships of the Imperium captured in the battle to rescue Firefly, the brand-new ‘The Imperium’s Frustration’ had been developed into a highly professional war simulation game. As a perfect simulation, it was not a ‘game’ at all but a war system that could be directly adopted by the military.

So far, ‘Civilization’ had offered tens of thousands of different DLCs and quest packages, including the more realistic ones such as ‘Farm Simulator’, ‘Sim City’, ‘Carrier Commander’ and the more visionary ones such as ‘Campaign for Speaker’ or ‘Future Millennium’. The interests of every player could be satisfied.

However, war was the primary factor for the development of a civilization after all. ‘The Imperium’s Frustration’, which focused on military, was the most popular one of all the DLCs that had been released.

It was said that the federal government had disclosed tremendous data about the claw fleet of the Imperium captured ten years ago, and more than ten perfectly simulated starships and crystal suits of the Imperium were provided in the latest patch for the players to manipulate freely. It was one of the most critical updates in the recent years. No wonder it had become a carnival!

“This is really…”

Li Yao, Heiye Lan, and Ling Xiaole got off the shuttle. Looking at the ocean of people shouting and laughing in their fancy clothes in front of them, both the dominator of the three Sectors from the ‘Old Federation’ and the elite female warrior from the Imperium of True Human Beings felt dazzled and overwhelmed.

They were well aware that the ‘world’ they were in was merely one ‘floor’ of the circular ring. Above the sky and below the ground, there would be the same oceans of passion!

“The Secret Sword Bureau has already arranged a special channel for the two VIPs. Also, a thousand Secret Sword Agents nearby are protecting you. There’s no need to worry,” Ling Xiaole said with a smile. It was apparently not the first time that she had seen a shocked guest.

“I’m not worried about safety.” Taking a breath, Li Yao mumbled, “It just never occurred to me that so many people will come here simply for… a game.”

“In fact, most households in the federation have immersive game cabins, and usually more than one of them. Right. In the federation, we do not call them ‘game cabins’ anymore. They are now known as ‘future cabin’, a piece of furniture that is as popular as ‘beds’ were.

“Although they can play the game at home, a lot of people still prefer to gather in the ‘game centers’ that have been established in every city and every community. Well, it is more about their social needs. Human beings are gregarious creatures after all! For the people of the new federation, the game center is like the ‘city square’ or the old ‘saloons’. It is where most socialization takes place nowadays.

“In game centers large and small, not only are there mainframe crystal processors of a higher computational ability and ‘future cabins’ of the latest models, which grant a better game experience and a higher connection speed, many fan meets and book-signings are also held in such places. The experts of ‘Civilization’ today are like combinations of superstars and heroes in the past. They are very popular!”

Li Yao thought for a moment and asked, “I can understand how they are superstars, but why are they called ‘heroes’?”

“It’s simple. Every wise decision the experts make in the virtual world can be applied to reality. A lot of creative tactics and operational ideas are actually created first in the virtual world but eventually used to save the lives of countless people in reality,” Ling Xiaole said. “Are the contributors of the decisions not worthy of being called ‘heroes’?”

“It makes sense.” Li Yao knew that Ling Xiaole was right. However, he still found it difficult to accept the highly overwhelming picture in front of his eyes. Suddenly, a question occurred to him. “Right. If everybody is submerged in the world of ‘Civilization’, won’t there be fewer people who actually train themselves hard?”

“How is it possible? Triggering wisdom and brainpower in ‘Civilization’ is itself a training. Not just any training but a most advanced kind!” Ling Xiaole smiled again. “In the Old Federation a hundred years ago, our ancestors at that time already had the technology to improve the Spiritual Actualization Quotient through the Grand Illusionary Land. I believe that Firefly must have similar technology, right? ‘Civilization’, as a grand-unified platform, will only develop the brains of ordinary people faster and improve the odds of their spiritual root awakening!

“According to our statistics, ever since ‘Civilization’ went popular, the ratio of people in the federation whose spiritual root has awakened has been augmented by more than five times. Of course, the various kinds of ‘strengthening plans’ played their part, but the contribution of ‘Civilization’ is obvious.

“By the analysis of many doctors, Meditation Healers, and specialists on communication, it is a mechanism similar to reverberation. The process of dwelling in ‘Civilization’ is a process to integrate one’s brainwaves into the Spiritual Nexus and colliding with other people’s brainwaves. When the brainwaves of billions of people are vibrating with each other, it forms the best training!

“Such a training method is something that even a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator a hundred years ago couldn’t have enjoyed. Think about it. Even the most awesome Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator couldn’t be extravagant enough to train with the brainwaves of billions of people, right?

“During the training, new technology is induced, and the new technology reshapes the old patterns of training and even living. This is the ever-changing grand era of the Spiritual Nexus!

“In fact, many people raised a lot of concerns about ‘Civilization’ as you did. Many diehards even completely deny the obvious advantages of ‘Civilization’. They insist that human beings must not completely integrate themselves into the unpredictable Spiritual Nexus. They claim that the technology will eventually drag the Star Glory Federation and even the whole of mankind to destruction. The most extreme objectors even compare ‘Civilization’ to a hidden problem that is even more dreadful than the Imperium and the Covenant Alliance!

“However, no matter how they deny and try to stop it, ‘Civilization’ has been developing beyond their control. The grand era of the Spiritual Nexus has come. Nobody can stop it. Like it or not, we are never going back to the age without the network.”

Li Yao smiled. “You seem to be a firm supporter of the ‘grand era of the Spiritual Nexus’.”

“Of course. Without ‘Civilization’, and without the grand-unified Spiritual Nexus, there wouldn’t have been the New Federation today!” Ling Xiaole grimaced at Li Yao and said, “Let’s go. Didn’t you say that you would like to experience the life of a normal person in the federation. I’m going to walk you through the most important ceremony that the normal people have before they play ‘Civilization’!”

Jumping merrily, Ling Xiaole led Li Yao into the crowd.

Li Yao’s visit was prearranged, not improvised. Therefore, the special agents of the Secret Sword Bureau in the crowd who were responsible for his safety had already cleared a channel for them so that they could move forward without meeting any hindrance until they reached a magnificent bronze statue about five meters tall in front of the ‘Civilization Center’.

The statue was a man wearing a portable helmet who was playing the game wholeheartedly. Glamorous, ever-changing mystic rays painted crowded cities, blood-boiling wars, enormous fleets, and dozens of different scenes around him.

It was not very strange that a statue had been established in front of the center. What was strange was that countless people around the statue had their hands together and were mumbling prayers solemnly to the statue. It was apparently some kind of ritual!

How bizarre!

Li Yao knew that the federation was a country of atheists. When Cultivators went mad, they would kill all the gods and buddhas in their way. Who would be stupid enough to worship the groundless deities when everybody was training hard to be a Cultivator?

What was so special about the guy playing the game over there that so many people were worshipping him? Judging from their solemn expressions, they were rather pious!

Is it possible that some cult has risen in the federation and this guy is the deceptive leader of the evil cult? Li Yao thought to himself. Something wrong would always happen wherever he went. It appeared that this trip was not an exception!

“Do you want to offer your tribute? It is always efficacious!” Ling Xiaole put her hands together and mumbled something to the statue. Then, she turned around and smiled. “This is the creator of ‘Civilization’ and the real ‘father’ of the New Federation in the eyes of many avid players of ‘Civilization’ including myself, Li Yao!”