Chapter 259 - 220: Qingcang Sect

Chapter 259: Chapter 220: Qingcang Sect

The Ship of Hope traversed the void. Accompanying Zhang Ji was another Starship.

It was the newly constructed Starship, World No. 4.

They estimated that over seven Starships could be built using World Tree materials, but that was still far from enough for Origin Star to fully expand its operations. Later, they could consider using Spiritual Qi to nurture and strengthen the ships, as well as using the Shennong Cauldron to synthesize and refine high-grade materials for building new Starships.

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Qunxu Continent.

The Southern Realm.

Above a river in Qingrui Prefecture, in the eastern part of the Yin Country, the Ship of Hope and World No. 4 emerged together.

Immediately, World No. 4 halted and began large-scale infrastructure construction, preparing to build a World Gate and related structures to first secure the area.

Meanwhile, Zhang Ji fully activated his Prajna Form, extending his Spirit in all directions to gather information.

In less than a few minutes, Zhang Ji had gathered a massive amount of information.

This territory was the domain of a nation called the Yin Country.

Its level of civilizational development was quite low.

Productivity was still based primarily on animal and human labor; they hadn’t even achieved full mechanization.

In this world, this was quite normal.

Most regions were extremely backward.

Industrial progress was often not an inevitability.

This was especially true in an Extraordinary world with individuals who possessed abilities beyond the norm.

Once a certain mindset took hold, even a large population couldn’t guarantee the development of a powerful industrial base.

Furthermore, these extraordinary individuals were quite destructive toward the lower strata of intelligent life.

They were essentially treated like livestock, raised only to be exploited for profit. Only occasionally were elites selected from their midst to become one of the powerful and replenish their numbers.

The prerequisite for industrial progress was a long-term, stable living environment; otherwise, it was nearly impossible to achieve.

Origin Star was a classic example.

Its ancient history could be traced back one hundred to two hundred thousand years, but its mechanical industrial revolution had only occurred within the last one or two hundred years.

Returning to the subject at hand.

The current state of the Yin Country was not good. The nation was in the final stages of turmoil, struck by natural disasters that led to food shortages and widespread uprisings. Internally, severe corruption had caused a governance crisis. Though it was still hanging on by a thread, it was essentially just waiting to die.

Qingrui Prefecture, where Zhang Ji and the others were currently located, was one of the disaster-stricken regions.

A great migration of refugees was currently underway, and the roads were littered with the bodies of the starved.

But even so, the Yin Country still barely maintained its rule.

This point was different from the plot Zhang Ji had experienced in the game.

In the game, the Yin Country had been a spent force. Its orders could no longer be disseminated, and although it had B-rank experts at its disposal, it could no longer command them.

When players arrived, they could choose either the rebellion route or the restoration route.

The outcome was the same regardless of the path chosen.

To the entire Qunxu Continent, the Yin Country was just a tiny, insignificant part.

After all, according to the official data, this world had a diameter of three light-years.

An astronomical figure.

Even in the Origin Universe, this was a distance that many Surface Level civilizations would find difficult to cross.

Even with Zhang Ji’s current movement speed, he couldn’t explore very far.

The area where the Yin Country was located was just a relatively barren little corner of the Qunxu Continent’s Southern Realm.

And it was a small place that many of its inhabitants would never leave in their entire lives.

Just as the people of Origin Star could only gaze up at the starry sky, with no one having ever truly set foot in space.

Next to the Yin Country were two other nations, the Ning Country and the Liu Country, both in a similar state.

Further out lay a mountain range, with peaks soaring tens of thousands of meters high.

This continuous mountain range practically encircled the three nations, forming a basin with an area roughly equivalent to six Roman Countries—over fifty million square kilometers.

Ninety-nine percent of the people living in this basin were unaware that a world existed outside of it. Some had never even left their own country, let alone their home prefecture.

"It’s so primitive and backward," Zhang Ji couldn’t help but remark.

Despite his words, he was actually quite satisfied with this territory.

’This is a natural starter zone. It’s shielded from outside prying eyes and perfect for development.’

Zhang Ji planned to first conquer all three countries, establish a new regime, and then begin reconstruction and reform before gradually expanding outward.

’The strongest are only B-rank, and their skills are average. Hmm, I’ll let Gu Jie and Hudson handle this.’

Zhang Ji decided to have his two disciples come over to conduct this war of conquest.

Hudson had also reached the Grandmaster level. As long as they wore their battle armor, they would be more than capable of fighting the local B-rank experts.

The two of them could bring some promising prospects over for training, which would also serve as a good military exercise.

They wouldn’t need to worry about logistics at all; food and supplies would be more than sufficient. Conquered territories would be handed over to the council for development. It was practically a cushy assignment.

After making a few arrangements, Zhang Ji summoned Hudson and Gu Jie.

Hudson’s innate talent was rather average compared to Gu Jie’s now, but with an abundance of resources poured into him, his growth rate wasn’t slow. He had reached C-rank long ago, and in terms of combat power, he was more or less on par with Gu Jie.

In the operations room, Zhang Ji projected a simple overview of the three backward countries and explained the situation before giving them their mission.

"Gu Jie, Hudson, this mission is simple. Each of you will lead fifty professional martial artists and wage a war of liberation to rescue the common people. The council will not provide additional combat forces or firearms; you will have to organize a resistance army from the local populace. However, you don’t need to worry about logistics. Food, medical supplies, and daily necessities will be unlimited, and you can return to resupply at any time. Once you capture a town, you can send a message for the council to come and take over its development. Also, Hudson, if you can conquer one of the countries within the time limit, I promise to make you my official disciple. I hope you won’t disappoint me."

Gu Jie and Hudson both grew excited upon hearing this.

Gu Jie was motivated by the reward points and the chance to prove himself to Zhang Ji.

Hudson was a different story. He had the chance to be promoted from a probationary disciple to an official one—an opportunity that countless genius martial artists on Origin Star couldn’t even dream of, to be frank.

His acceptance as a probationary disciple had been a stroke of luck to begin with.

It had already brought him countless benefits. If he could become an official disciple now, it would be a blessing of immense fortune.

"I will not fail to live up to your high hopes, Master!" Gu Jie said with a bow.

"Please rest assured, Teacher. I will not bring you shame!" said Hudson.

Immediately, they each took their martial artists and set out.

These martial artists had been selected through a previous fighting tournament; they were the most outstanding group of D-rank martial artists in the world at present.

They were still young. While they might not be able to keep up with Gu Jie and Hudson, as long as resources were plentiful, they would surely become capable administrators and an excellent part of their subordinates’ forces in the future.

There was a subtle air of competition between the two martial brothers.

Although Hudson was being caught up to by Gu Jie, and was even on the verge of being surpassed, he had never been discouraged by the gap in their innate talent.

’That’s something that can be compensated for.’

’Especially with the abundant resources of Origin Star backing me.’

Therefore, he didn’t just want to achieve Zhang Ji’s objective; he also wanted to win.

Zhang Ji didn’t use his Aura of Destiny to predict the possible future, choosing instead to leave some suspense.

However, he already had a good idea of the likely outcome.

’Hudson might be more mature and has considerable management experience, which could give him a good start.’

’But, Gu Jie’s luck is frankly ridiculous. He also has a number of trump cards, like Xiaolan, a fairy, and some other things he obtained from other Saint Kings.’

’If Hudson wins this competition, it would be a truly heaven-defying outcome.’

’But the future holds countless possibilities. Who knows?’

Both teams were equipped with modern facilities. Surveillance equipment was already deployed in the sky, providing them with a complete topographic map of the basin. Although they weren’t given flying vehicles, they each had a basic all-terrain vehicle to start with.

One or two months would be enough for them to finish the job.

While Gu Jie and Hudson went off to conquer territory, Zhang Ji didn’t remain idle. He flew high into the sky, crossed the towering mountain peaks, and left the massive basin behind.

The outside was a much vaster world. There were some scattered small countries and organizations, as well as numerous wild beasts, but the strongest among them were only B-rank, so their power was limited.

The surrounding area was encircled by the sea.

The basin and its vast landmass were merely an island here.

The boundless ocean made even Zhang Ji raise an eyebrow.

"It’s truly massive."

That was the impression this world gave him.

The Origin Universe was vast, but without flying off-world, it was hard to get a tangible sense of its scale.

But it was different here. These were all lands he could physically touch.

Even his Spiritual Power couldn’t probe to its edges.

Zhang Ji recalled the strategy guide from the game, chose a direction, and flew straight out over the sea.

In less than a minute, the sea had vanished. Land appeared before Zhang Ji, and further on, he found traces of humans and even many other types of intelligent life.

Then came vast stretches of desert. After crossing the desert, Zhang Ji finally reached his destination.

He saw range after range of giant mountain peaks, countless buildings nestled among them, and cultivators flying to and fro.

"The Qingcang Sect! I’ve finally arrived!"

There were four top-tier Sects in the Southern Realm: the Sky Sect, Beast Roar Valley, the Purple Smoke Sect, and the Qingcang Sect.

Each of these four Sects was presided over by a super S-rank expert of the Profound Heart Realm, and their influence radiated far and wide.

They had abundant internal resources and a massive number of disciples, numbering at least in the hundreds of millions.

Zhang Ji had come here intending to acquire a skill from the Qingcang Sect.

A Myth-grade skill that had once been used by a Celestial Monarch Level expert.

However, he couldn’t just go and take it directly; there was a trick to it. If he were to start a fight on the spot, he might not even win, as the Sect possessed a hidden foundation left behind by a Void Realm expert who had once achieved the Broken Void.

Therefore, he couldn’t just trade for it or seize it through battle like he did in the Lan’er World. He had to do a bit of role-playing and infiltrate the Sect, just as he had in the Celestial Essence Realm.

Zhang Ji flew down to the ground. After retracting his aura to the absolute minimum, his appearance shifted slightly. His Extraordinary temperament vanished, replaced by a much more ordinary air. He arrived at the foot of one of the Qingcang Sect’s mountain peaks, preparing to participate in this month’s disciple selection trial.