Chapter 039: Xuantian

In short, this was an era where everyone pursued martial prowess. Technology served merely as an aid; the treatment of researchers could never compare to that of martial artists. On Earthstar, martial artists were not entertainers like Earth's celebrities. The latter merely amused the masses, while the former were the foundation, pillar, and bulwark of a nation. Any country without a first-rank martial artist to preside would be utterly incapable of self-preservation and swiftly annexed.

Recently, Su Jingxing had browsed online and come across a video—a viral clip showcasing the combat strength and destructive power of a first-rank martial artist. Good heavens, such a figure was hardly human, more like a walking missile! Wherever they charged, ruins remained in their wake. Even a city like Qinghe, with a population exceeding ten million, would stand no chance against such an onslaught and would end up as mere rubble.

And that wasn’t even counting the greatest utility of martial artists—decapitation missions. Thus, on Earthstar, only those with extremely poor martial aptitude or those already obsessed with the internet, technology, and the like would forsake the martial path for other professions.

In such an environment, Su Jingxing’s hacking skills, though not enough to dominate the online world, placed him among the very best. Hacking into lottery centers, social forums, corporate systems—none posed much challenge. The only troublesome part was that the “Sword Immortal Jinghong” conducted her lottery with no discernible pattern; before she made her choice, no one knew which social forum she’d select.

This required Su Jingxing to infiltrate every major forum. Yuguo had three major forums, as well as local forums for each prefecture. He needed to install relevant software on all these platforms to guard against being overlooked. Then, he’d add profiles for himself and Wei Jiajia to these forums. Finally, he’d set up alerts and wait for the “Sword Immortal Jinghong” to appear.

No matter which forum this third-rank grandmaster picked, between Su Jingxing and Wei Jiajia, the probability of one being selected would reach ninety-nine point nine percent. Yes, the condition Wei Jiajia proposed had reminded Su Jingxing of himself—he needed guidance from a senior expert. If he could receive instruction from the “Sword Immortal Jinghong,” he’d surely avoid countless detours!

He was by no means the first to think of this shortcut. Why, then, had no one acted on it? In Su Jingxing’s view, some lacked the skill despite having the desire; others had the skill but not the intention. Or, more simply, many skilled hackers didn’t know how to leverage their abilities. Such cases abounded.

One never knows their true potential until pushed to the brink. Had Su Jingxing not come from Earth and experienced the explosion of the digital world, he would never have conceived this approach.

Therefore, Su Jingxing had already reserved the next meeting invitation from “Sword Immortal Jinghong” in advance. Whether Wei Jiajia or himself were chosen, it mattered little—either way, Su Jingxing stood to gain. Even if, by some infinitesimal chance, they missed out, there was always next time. If not this year, then next; if not next year, then the year after. Within three attempts, one of them would surely win!

As for the “Muyan Flower”—it was a rare and valuable herb, an essential ingredient in many elixirs. Wei Jiajia desired it because its sap, when applied to the face, could delay skin aging. The fresher the flower, the longer the effect, up to thirty years! In other words, if Wei Jiajia applied the sap of a newly picked “Muyan Flower” now, her appearance would remain youthful until nearly fifty, her skin as delicate and fair as an eighteen-year-old, her face full of collagen.

Such results mattered little to men, but for women, it was irresistible. This had driven the price of the “Muyan Flower” ever higher—from tens of thousands to millions, and even then, supply couldn’t meet demand.

Su Jingxing had agreed because, during an online search, he’d stumbled upon a deleted post revealing the location where “Muyan Flowers” grew—on the western side of Qinghe City, atop Mount Qingyun.

Mount Qingyun, though a small mountain range, was renowned throughout Yuguo. Its steep peaks teemed with rare treasures and medicinal herbs. The “Muyan Flower” was but one among many. The location revealed online was hidden and extremely perilous, known to few.

Out of curiosity, Su Jingxing had assessed the risks and found his current strength sufficient to handle them. Conveniently, the crematorium’s workload had diminished lately, so leaving for a few days wouldn’t be a loss.

He immediately applied for two days off, and combined with a rest day, he had three days to search the mountain for “Muyan Flowers.” Of course, since he’d be climbing the mountain, he might as well gather some precious herbs along the way. To this end, he had bought a large backpack, filling it with supplies for the expedition.

The next morning, he took the bus to the nearest logging town at the foot of Mount Qingyun. Many such towns nestled against the mountain range. Su Jingxing picked the closest, and upon arrival, wasted no time in town, heading straight into the mountains.

This was his first time entering the great mountains of Earthstar. The last time, during the corpse puppet Mei Jinjü incident, Su Jingxing had merely circled the foothills. Unlike the forests near the logging sites, Mount Qingyun was wild and untouched, almost entirely undeveloped. He did not concern himself with the reasons—perhaps too many wild beasts or deliberate protection. After all, the mountain’s abundant energy made it the best place for seventh-rank martial artists to break through to sixth-rank. Excessive development would be counterproductive and invite suppression from all sides. As a result, Mount Qingyun had been preserved intact to this day.

With a clear destination, Su Jingxing headed straight for the “Muyan Flower” site once in the mountain. To his surprise, after crossing two ridges, he encountered a group on a hillside—a collection of young men and women, most in their prime.

After inquiring, he learned their identities—students of Xuantian University! Xuantian University was Yuguo’s premier institution, formerly Xuantian Academy, an ancient school with thousands of years of history, surviving countless dynasties to this day.

The group Su Jingxing met belonged to the Qinghe City branch. Even as a branch, it remained one of the city’s top two universities, offering both liberal arts and martial arts programs.

These students had entered Mount Qingyun to conduct field research on rare medicinal herbs. Indeed, they were not martial arts majors, but liberal arts students—specifically, in botany. Their leader was a professor named Lin Xiurun, his hair half white, a pure ordinary man.

Their confidence in venturing into the mountains stemmed from Xuantian University’s own security team. This time, the security team leader was an eighth-rank peak martial artist, with five ninth-rank martial artists under him. Alongside these six, the university had also hired a six-member external security squad, whose captain was a seventh-rank martial artist.

A seventh-rank martial artist was nothing special, but the key was that this security team came from “Glory Security”—and “Glory Security” was precisely Wanrong’s faction.