Chapter 404 - 381: Northern Boundary Dilemma, War God Jiang Qiu

However, the most talented were those from the tribes. Inspired by the young prodigy Tian Ming of the original North Snow Tribe, they spontaneously merged to form a tribal faction. With "Hill" as their object of faith, Tian Ming took charge of all the tribes, nurturing their young prodigies.

Perhaps due to a special heritage, the people from the tribes were exceptionally gifted. In just a few years, at least ten of them had already broken through to the Peeping Dao Realm, putting their top-tier combat strength on par with the Human Race from Blue Star. Their population was also growing rapidly; by now, those with their bloodline numbered in the hundreds of thousands.

The most remarkable peerless prodigy, Tian Ming, had gone to Dragon Lake to pursue his cultivation and had not emerged from his long seclusion. He was currently attempting to break through to the Peak of Dao Entry Realm. It was a true case of the new generation surpassing the old, as he was, after all, only in his twenties.

But Lin Yu also felt considerable pressure. He worried that the prodigies from the tribes wouldn’t get along well with the people from Blue Star. After all, though both sides belonged to the Human Race, there were still differences between them.

Overall, the situation was still good. The tribes and the people of Blue Star had already established a decent relationship, having lived together for several hundred years, calculated by the Northern Boundary’s flow of time.

In other words, when walking down the street, it was now impossible to tell who came from the tribes and who was from Blue Star. In essence, they were all of the Human Race, and their daily customs had undergone a great assimilation. Peace was primarily maintained through "Hill," who served as the linchpin of their faith.

Moreover, the Northern Boundary was still home to a large population of the Demon Race. The territory within the South Mountain Range was vast and boundless, and even now, no one had managed to venture deep inside.

Because of the initial influx of Spirit Charm and the revival of the Dragon Vein, the concentration of Spirit Charm in the Northern Boundary now actually surpassed that of Blue Star. The Demon Race there cultivated at a rocket-like pace. Some were even more monstrously talented than the tribal prodigies, to the point where they had even produced a Great Demon Marshal who had reached the Dao Entry Realm!

Under these circumstances, the South Mountain Range was designated a Restricted Area. Apart from Jiang Qiu, who had gone inside, no one else had been able to enter. Lin Yu had originally wanted to go in to find Jiang Qiu, but with the Human Race in a state of disarray and its revival incomplete, it was too risky.

Tian Ming also felt his own strength was insufficient and had never attempted to venture in. For a long time now, the Human Race and the Demon Race had been cautiously probing one another. With this common enemy, relations between the tribes and the Blue Star Human Race remained fairly harmonious, but the potential for future trouble could not be ignored.

Once the Demon Race was eliminated, the conflict between the two factions would surely surface. If Jiang Qiu had not returned by then, a "war of faith"—with each side championing their own beliefs—was likely to erupt.

His thoughts had drifted far away. When he snapped back to the present, the various figures in the virtual meeting were sitting upright in their formal attire. They were either requesting to state their opinions or listening attentively, their postures impeccable and their eyes shining with sharp clarity.

After hearing the previous speech, most of them expressed their support: "I’m in favor. We are currently facing a shortage of native talent. In an entire major city, you can’t find a single person with the potential to advance to the Dharma Realm. Even across a whole province, prodigies who might one day break through to the Peeping Dao Realm are exceedingly rare—one in a million. They are incredibly difficult to nurture. We must protect our prodigies; we cannot allow them to be left unprotected.

Far too many prodigies were swept away by Zuo Xuan in the past, causing a massive drain of our native talent. We cannot allow our remaining potential prodigies to face Zuo Xuan’s threat again. We should send them into the Northern Boundary for training, where they can receive the protection of the Northern Boundary Secret Realm. With the barrier provided by the Secret Realm, Zuo Xuan won’t be able to find them.

Since the revival of Spirit Charm in the Northern Boundary, the Dragon Vein has also gradually awakened. A massive amount of Spirit Charm is being generated, and a number of Grotto Heaven Blessed Lands have appeared in pristine areas. Furthermore, there are many legacies from the previous era. We will surely be able to cultivate more Grandmasters, and perhaps even some at the very top tier.

If we’re fortunate, you yourself might even break through your bottleneck and advance to the Fusion Realm!"

"That’s absolutely right. What we lack most right now are prodigies. We must protect the few that remain and send them all to the Northern Boundary for training. Once they’ve grown strong and capable, they can return. At the very least, they won’t be swept away by Zuo Xuan again."

But there were also voices of opposition: "I don’t support this plan. We have at least forty more years until Zuo Xuan’s next sweep. If we pour massive resources into cultivating prodigies now, can we really raise experts strong enough to contend with Zuo Xuan? We’re the equivalent of a small town, while they’re at least a great nation. The gap is just too wide!

Back then, even several of our strongest Grandmasters were taken away by force. Take Zhu Weiyi, who guarded North Border City, and Luo Beixing, once the top expert in the Northwest. They were contemporaries, yet they were taken away without being able to put up a fight.

In other words, the Peak of Dao Entry Realm is completely unable to contend with Zuo Xuan’s fleet. I even suspect that the legendary Fusion Realm might not be effective. In that case, even if a miracle happens in the next forty years and we manage to cultivate a prodigy who surpasses our entire generation, how could he possibly stand against Zuo Xuan?"

"When did we ever say we were going to fight Zuo Xuan? The current policy is ’Revival,’ not picking a fight! No matter what, nurturing prodigies is a crucial long-term plan! If we don’t cultivate our own supreme experts, we’ll forever be a crop for the Nine Venerable Great Realm to harvest at their whim.

Besides, the prodigies we cultivate certainly won’t be sticking their necks out when Zuo Xuan comes again. They’ll hide in the Northern Boundary, avoid the sweep, and only after it’s safe will they continue to carry on the torch of human civilization..."

"Heh, you make it sound so noble. Moving so many prodigies from our homeland to the Northern Boundary... whose side are you on, the Northern Boundary’s or Blue Star’s?!

If we’re going to invest so many prodigies in the Northern Boundary, then we might as well all just move there! Let’s build our cities in the Northern Boundary, let’s all just relocate to the Northern Boundary!"

"Is this a question of building cities? We’re discussing how to preserve the legacy of the Human Race! Only in the seclusion of the Northern Boundary Secret Realm do we have the time and resources to cultivate a supreme expert who can serve as a deterrent!"

"You’re twisting my words! Do you think Martial Arts experts can just be wished into existence? Do you think peerless prodigies are the result of some research project? In the hundred-plus years since the Secret Realm’s revival, only one War God Jiang Qiu has appeared! He’s the only true super-prodigy capable of shouldering the great responsibility of our revival, and he’s the one who repeatedly saved our homeland from disaster. You tell me, how are you going to ’research’ the next War God?"

Even though it was just a virtual meeting, once the dispute started, everyone was soon red-faced from arguing. Some even slammed their tables and shouted, completely abandoning their decorum.

After all, during the last great calamity, everyone had had enough of the humiliation brought by this outsider, Zuo Xuan. The troubles that followed were also infuriating, and everyone hoped to revive the Human Race through their own methods.

As for Jiang Qiu, he had been granted the title of National Guardian War God and could be called a hero to all of Blue Star. He made his name in various major events, and later came to be worshipped by the common people after single-handedly annihilating the lairs of the Sang Island Demon Clan and the Kunlun Demon Clan.

Even Lin Yu had declared that Jiang Qiu had traveled to an Other Realm to save the abducted members of the Human Race. The admiration for him reached an initial peak, and he gained a large number of supporters even in other nations, all of whom yearned for a Jiang Qiu to appear in their own country to resist the rampaging Demon Race.

And it wasn’t just his reputation. In terms of talent, Jiang Qiu was also an unprecedented, monstrous prodigy. He reached Dao Entry in less than a year and had high achievements in other fields as well. How could a prodigy like that be produced through research?

Even if the nation were at peace, it might take tens of thousands of years for another one like him to be born...

And just as the argument in the meeting reached an impasse, the highest-level alert suddenly blared. Spacetime fluctuations swept across the globe like a storm.