Chapter 950: Preparing to Leave P10

Jina looked at the crowd and continued.

"As for those who don’t know, the Eternal Sea is said to be an endless land of opportunities that lie even beyond the reaches of the Shinayin Empire.

"In fact, the reason the Shinayin Empire exists is because of the Shinayin Boundary that separates this part of the Dadangar World from the Eternal Sea.

"It is said that crossing the Shinayin Boundary is not easy. Even a lot of Spirit cultivators from the empire can only dream of entering the Eternal Sea one day in their lives.

"If such imperial cultivators were given an option to experience a paradise-like environment for Spirit cultivators without having to cross the Shinayin Boundary, naturally they’ll take that option in a heartbeat.

"What the imperials are doing is only an early investment. The native royal faction doesn’t know or understand what it is dealing with. Even if they did, they are not capable of changing the course at this point.

"Sooner or later, the imperials would replace the native royal faction of the subcontinent and come to rule it entirely."

Silence.

That comparison alone was enough to make several cultivators understand the seriousness of the matter.

But Jina wasn’t finished.

"You may think this is still far away."

She raised one finger.

"You may think the mainland has to deal with these changes first."

A second finger rose.

"You may even think that the sea is too remote to be affected anytime soon."

Jina lowered her hand.

"But what if I tell you that the sea will adapt to these Winds of Change before the mainland?"

A wave of unease spread through the hall.

Jina let them absorb her words before continuing.

"Emerald Cove Island itself is proof."

Everyone’s attention immediately focused on her.

"When Lord Aksai first took control of this island, it possessed only a 1st Order Spirit Vein."

She paused.

"Almost half a century ago, that changed."

"The 1st Order Spirit Vein transformed into a late-stage 2nd Order Spirit Vein. It was said that this change was due to the reemergence of the Holy Land Torel that had appeared in the Wild Devil Lands at the time.

"Anyway... Whatever the case maybe, it highlighted the fact that this island’s Spirit Vein had so much potential just waiting to be tapped by an external factor."

Several cultivators looked at one another.

Some of them had lived on Emerald Cove Island for decades.

They knew the island’s Spirit Essence had become increasingly rich.

But they had never imagined that it was part of something much larger.

Jina continued.

"Even before the Dao Paths were released, that late-stage 2nd Order Spirit Vein was already rich enough to support a Core Formation cultivator’s cultivation."

She glanced toward Aksai.

"By using the island’s protective formation to regulate the concentration of Spirit Essence in different regions, even Lord Aksai could cultivate here peacefully without worrying about the island’s foundation being insufficient for him."

That fact was already impressive.

But what came next was far more frightening.

"However, after the Dao Paths were released..."

Jina paused.

"The Spirit Vein began advancing at an astonishing rate."

The hall became completely silent.

"In a few years..."

She looked around.

"Emerald Cove Island will possess a 3rd Order Spirit Vein even without the use of extremely precious treasures or volumes of rare Spirit resources."

Someone’s breathing became noticeably heavier.

But Jina raised another finger.

"And it won’t stop there."

Her next words fell like a stone into still water.

"In a century or two, Emerald Cove Island could develop a 4th Order Spirit Vein."

Nobody spoke but their expressions became even stranger at this point.

Jina’s expression remained grim.

"Do you understand what that means?"

She didn’t wait for an answer.

"This island will eventually become an ideal place for Nascent Soul Kings to establish themselves."

A cultivator’s face went pale.

Another instinctively glanced toward the floor, as though the island itself had suddenly become something dangerous.

Jina continued.

"To us, a century might seem like an eternity."

Her gaze hardened.

"But to those old monsters?"

She shook her head.

"A century isn’t particularly long."

The implications finally began sinking in.

This wasn’t a problem that might appear after thousands of years.

This island was becoming a treasure.

And the stronger it became... the more people would come for it.

Jina then said something that made the connection painfully obvious.

"Now, perhaps you understand why that true sword cultivator was so desperate to break through our protective formation."

Several expressions changed.

"He wasn’t merely trying to conquer Emerald Cove Island."

Jina’s voice lowered.

"He had discovered the secret of our Spirit Vein just by being here once. That too for a very short time."

The hall remained deathly silent.

"Of course, neither we nor Lord Aksai knew about this before. Or rather, we weren’t aware of the extent at which the Winds of Change were changing the subcontinent."

Jina glanced toward Aksai.

"It was only after Lord Aksai asked us to secretly conduct several experiments around the island’s territory, immediately after we dealt with those imperial cultivators, that we discovered the truth."

She paused.

"And once we understood these Winds of Change and their true meanings for all of us..."

Her expression became grim.

"We finally understood the true motive behind the imperial cultivators. And we also understood what kind of danger Emerald Cove Island would soon face."

No one interrupted her.

"If it weren’t for the imperial invasion, this transformation would have been something worth celebrating."

Jina let out a quiet sigh.

"For everyone living here, it would have been a blessing."

Her eyes moved across the hall.

"Unfortunately..."

She shook her head.

"We aren’t strong enough to protect such a treasure land from people who are far stronger than us."

The words struck everyone heavily.

"Birds die for food and humans die for wealth."

Jina’s expression became bitter.

"Emerald Cove Island is turning into a kind of wealth we are not ready to possess yet."