Chapter 616 - 55: This Vibe Where I’m the Only One Who’s Inadequate

And once that time came, once a path was chosen, there would be no turning back. Just as he had said before, whether one supported or opposed it, only with understanding could one move forward with greater conviction.

Yara nodded slightly at Su Zhou’s answer. It even chuckled, showing no anger at being questioned, only amusement.

"Yes, that is precisely the kind of doubt."

The serpent said, "That is as it should be."

"But do not forget, you are not me, nor do you need to be. Just as you said, I am your teacher, and you are my student."

"Of course."

It was a short, firm response.

Shao Qiming, who had been watching everything from the side, finished the tea in the pot. A massive question mark formed in his mind.

’What’s going on? Why do I feel like I’m the only one completely lost...’

September 25th, 2016. Su Zhou’s birthday passed peacefully.

Late that night, a post from a prominent social media influencer, along with a joint press release from the Zhengguo Aerospace Administration, shattered the night’s peace.

"Have you ever looked up at the sea of twinkling stars on a clear night and felt the disappointment of their unattainable beauty? Are we truly so pitiful? No, absolutely not! We must conquer the Cosmos."

When Su Zhou’s officially verified social media account posted this quote from a renowned founder of the Zhengguo Aviation Industry, everyone was baffled. They couldn’t understand why this recently active "world policeman," renowned judge, and hunter of illegal underground Transcendents would post such a cryptic message.

But soon, the Aerospace Administration announced the "Transcendent Moon Landing Program" and the subsequent "Five-Year Moon Base Construction Plan." This immediately revealed the purpose behind Su Zhou’s earlier post. At the same time, people astutely noticed that this exploration initiative was not being run by the Aviation Administration Bureau. Instead, it was being handled by a strange, new department called the New World Exploration Department.

And the head of this new department was none other than Su Zhou himself.

In an instant, public discourse exploded. All eyes were drawn to the news, and a ceaseless storm of fervent discussion and debate erupted.

"Are you fine with this?"

Within the digital world, the Artifice Sage’s data form sent a message to his distant friend. "The Military Saint, the Daoist Saint, and the Agricultural Saint—the three major factions—have joined forces to prop up Su Zhou. They’re throwing their full support behind his moon landing program, even that flashy, impractical Moon Base project. Yet they refuse to approve your research funding, let alone sanction your human trials... How does it feel, being so deliberately ignored?"

"I’m used to it. Besides, it’s not all bad. We do need the data from the alien ships on the Moon. After all, not all of them are mechanical; many are made of biological materials."

A data stream soon flowed back from a hidden base, carrying the Life Saint’s calm reply. "Aren’t you in the same boat? Your Electronic Netherworld got its funding, but they’ve given you zero publicity and forbidden you from conducting any activities. Hasn’t every reform our Technology Faction has called for been ruthlessly suppressed, only to be approved after endless deliberation?"

"Because we have always been a challenge to the existing Order. The very existence of our technology is an affront to every ethic, every rule, and every pillar of modern human society’s order. Both my project and your research, if made public, would trigger a massive social revolution. And we don’t know if that revolution would be for the better or for the worse—only that it would inevitably cause tremendous upheaval."

The Electronic Netherworld required the complete digitization of a person’s memories and information. This would allow the deceased to live forever as a Ghost in a digital Netherworld. They could even return to the Human World and be "resurrected" in the mortal realm by using mechanical or artificial flesh-and-blood bodies.

But the Artifice Sage wanted more than that. No one could be sure if pure information could still be considered a person. His goal was to ensure those Ghosts also possessed a Soul. In other words, he wanted to find a way for people to have their Soul directly digitized and uploaded to a server after death, without any need for Cultivation.

In a sense, it was a way to conquer death.

And this, without a doubt, required a large number of human Souls for experimentation—just like the human trials the Life Saint presided over. The Artifice Sage couldn’t use himself as a test subject. He had been focusing his Cultivation in this area for so long that his own data was useless as a baseline.

The Thirty-Six Saints Committee had approved the Artifice Sage’s project and funding, but they forbade him from seeking out test subjects who didn’t meet their strict criteria. It was their subtle way of slowing his progress.

Ultimately... the recording of memories, the manipulation of Souls, experiments on life, and even the defiance of death—all of it posed a tremendous challenge to modern human ethics.

After all, human society is built upon the fundamental premise that all people must one day die. The Electronic Netherworld, however, challenges the very Majesty of death.

Therefore, the Artifice Sage could understand and tolerate the other Saints’ caution.

"So, I am in no hurry. I am already an immortal body of data—or, to be more precise, an electronic Ghost. And with your Bai Ze bloodline, as long as there’s Spiritual Qi, living for a few thousand, or even tens of thousands of years, shouldn’t be a problem for you, right?"

"That’s right," the Life Saint said nonchalantly. "That’s why I’m rarely in a rush. Unless, of course, they withhold my funding for several years in a row."

The Artifice Sage’s data form sent a laughing emoticon as he observed the firestorm erupting online over the space exploration program and the heated discussions surrounding Su Zhou and his new department. "Besides, Brother Lunzhe, you and I are different. Humans may be attached to their fleshly bodies, but when faced with death, very few can ignore it, no matter how strong their morals and ethics are."

"I don’t need any publicity. In a world where everyone can practice Cultivation and achieve Longevity... no, *precisely because* it’s such a world, what lies beyond death—the hope, the phenomena, the fear—is more important than ever before."

"What do you mean?"

The Life Saint was taken aback. "Don’t tell me you’ve already found your first test subject? Don’t forget, when someone dies of natural causes, the nature of their Soul Body changes drastically. It can only store pure information. The ’Electronic Heroic Spirit’ you want to create requires a vibrant Soul!"

"But a vibrant Soul means the person is still young, with years of life ahead of them. Without that fear of death, why would they ever agree to your modifications? It had better not be through coercion or deceit. If the Committee finds out, the consequences will be severe!"

The Artifice Sage knew this was just his friend’s earnest advice, a well-intentioned warning.

So, he projected the image of shaking his head. "The subject is completely willing, of course. After all, the true meaning of death isn’t just about a flesh-and-blood shell losing its vitality."

"One day, people will accept my work just as they accepted Cultivation, computers, cars, the internet, and running water. They will accept the coming of an age where ’death is not the End.’"

"They will finally understand that death is merely the beginning."