novelraw Chapter 84: Controlling The Truth Society
Chapter 84: Controlling The Truth Society
Su Yuan sat cross-legged beside the pool.
He carefully experienced every little change in his body.
The frequency of his heartbeat, the speed of his blood flow, the slight peristalsis of his internal organs, and his body's connection to the outside world.
'My absorption rate of external energy has increased by ten percent,'
Su Yuan thought to himself. 'To be precise, it is the amount of energy my body can absorb and digest that has improved.'
'Previously, my body absorbed and consumed ten points of energy per minute.'
'Now, it digests eleven points of energy per minute...'
Su Yuan mused silently in his heart, 'As a result, within the same timeframe, my cultivation speed has naturally increased.'
A look of sudden realization dawned on his face.
Although he had long obtained the detailed effects of absorbing and refining the external dragon blood from the gray mirror,knowing it was one thing, while experiencing it firsthand was another. Feeling the detailed changes in every part of his body was a hundred times more intense than simply knowing about it.
'As I am now, I no longer need fifty cultivation sessions to complete the Level 3 Lifeform stage; forty-five sessions will be enough.'
Su Yuan thought to himself. A ten percent increase in cultivation speed provided a massive boost to his overall cultivation rhythm.
'What a pity. Treasures like this that raise the upper limit of cultivation speed are only effective the first time they are used.'
Su Yuan shook his head slightly. If it were not for that, he would never have directly killed the Mutant Dragonfish.
Instead, he would have chosen to capture it alive, whether to clone it later or breed it.
In any case, with Su Yuan's methods, as long as he spent a bit more time, he would never lack dragon blood in the future.
Stepping out of the room, Su Yuan found Gao Dehai, the head of Lab No. 3, and instructed him on how to handle the remains of the dragonfish.
"Rest assured, Boss. I will definitely do exactly as you instructed."
Gao Dehai's expression was filled with excitement. Being able to study a creature like the Mutant Dragonfish up close was an absolute joy for him.
"Mm."
Deep within his sea of consciousness, Su Yuan consulted the gray mirror. After confirming that Gao Dehai would not make any mistakes, he left Lab No. 3.
Villa No. 66.
Inside the quiet room, Su Yuan sat cross-legged.
'I have successfully cultivated the Sacred Method, Mind Brand. It is time to practice other Sacred Methods.'
After a brief moment of contemplation, Su Yuan made his decision. 'I will cultivate a Life-Preserving Sacred Method first.'
No matter the circumstances, life-saving techniques were always the most important.
Even though Su Yuan possessed the Omniscient Mirror and knew the dangers he would encounter in the future.
However, the stronger his life-saving techniques, the less dangerous those predetermined threats would become, allowing the Omniscient Mirror to provide even more options.
At all times, strength determined everything.
For example, if the current Su Yuan wanted to resist extraterrestrial forces, the Omniscient Mirror would offer numerous methods, but all of them would inevitably be convoluted and require various external aids.
This was inevitable. How could one win while fighting far above their weight class without relying on external power?
But what if Su Yuan was a Saint? He would not need to fight the extraterrestrial forces at all. Once they knew a Saint resided on Blue Star, they would obediently come over and bow their heads.
This was how different levels of strength brought about completely different outcomes.
Even a clever housewife could not cook a meal without rice.
'Come to think of it, since I started cultivating, I have never practiced a single offensive or life-saving technique. Being ranked among the top on Blue Star has completely relied on absolute strength overwhelming all tricks...'
Su Yuan muttered in his heart.
As for the combat experience gained from watching battle videos, that did not count as an offensive or life-saving technique; at most, it was just a set of fighting skills.
On Blue Star, even a Great Sorcerer had mastered various spells, curses, and other methods.
Inside the quiet room, Su Yuan sat cross-legged. Deep within his sea of consciousness, he asked the gray mirror about the numerous details and cultivation methods of the Life-Preserving Sacred Method, Yin-Yang Robe.
The gray mirror's surface rippled hazily, and text began to emerge.
"By utilizing the Power of Ultimate Yin and the Power of Ultimate Yang of the universe... fusing and combining them in a specific way to condense the Yin-Yang Robe... Once the robe is formed, it becomes impervious to all evil and unaffected by all spells... It cannot be broken by anything less than the Power of a Great Sage."
Su Yuan stared at it for half an hour, lost in thought.
He could not understand it at all.
Indeed. Unlike an Auxiliary Sacred Method like Mind Brand, which required no deep comprehension and only needed him to follow the steps to condense it...
The concepts and essence involved in the Sacred Method, Yin-Yang Robe, were completely beyond Su Yuan's scope of understanding.
After thinking for a moment, Su Yuan continued to question the gray mirror. "What is the Power of Ultimate Yang of the universe, and how can I comprehend and control it?"
The gray mirror's surface rippled hazily and provided a response.
"The Power of Ultimate Yang of the universe is the perfection of Ultimate Yang..."
A moment later, Su Yuan asked again, "What does the perfection of Ultimate Yang mean? How do I comprehend and master it?"
The gray mirror's hazy surface rippled, and characters emerged once more.
"The extremity of intense heat is fire, the extremity of fire is Yang, and the extremity of Yang is Ultimate Yang. If you wish to comprehend Ultimate Yang, you only need to fully grasp the spearmanship detailed below..."
Words quickly poured across the gray mirror's surface, forming a complete set of spearmanship.
The spearmanship had no name, but it exuded an extreme, searing heat, as if it could incinerate everything in existence.
Su Yuan spent three hours memorizing all thirty-six forms of the spearmanship. Immediately after, he grasped the jet-black long spear resting beside him.
This jet-black long spear was the exact same one Su Yuan had used to pierce the skull of the Mutant Dragonfish. After delivering the fish's carcass to Lab No. 3, he had brought the spear back with him.
Whoosh!
As a Level 3 Lifeform, Su Yuan possessed an exceptional memory. He immediately began to practice the spear forms exactly as the gray mirror had displayed them.
The thirty-six forms of spearmanship—every single thrust and sweep felt like roaring flames.
Burn, burn, burn!
Let the world turn into flames!
Twenty minutes later, Su Yuan stopped.
"How did I do?" Su Yuan asked the gray mirror.
An answer surfaced on the gray mirror.
"Terrible."
"Terrible?" Su Yuan raised an eyebrow. He felt he had practiced it perfectly. He even believed that the lethal power of this spearmanship already surpassed any offensive technique on Blue Star.
"What was terrible about it?"
Su Yuan humbly asked for guidance.
"The downward sweep in the first form was far too deliberate..."
The gray mirror accurately pointed out Su Yuan's mistakes.
Su Yuan pondered for a moment before immediately correcting himself, once again practicing the spearmanship that resembled burning flames.
Time passed.
In the blink of an eye, a week went by.
During this week, aside from his normal cultivation routine, Su Yuan poured all his energy into practicing that blazing spearmanship.
'I still underestimated the Sacred Methods. Every true Sacred Method was created by a Saint pouring in countless amounts of blood, sweat, and tears. To fully comprehend it? To understand its essence? To master it? It is simply too difficult.'
Su Yuan wore a somewhat emotional expression.
Let alone the complete Sacred Method, even this spearmanship—which was merely a minuscule fraction separated from the main technique—remained beyond Su Yuan's full comprehension.
'I will take it slow. I have plenty of time.'
Su Yuan composed himself. Compared to other cultivators attempting to practice a Sacred Method, he was already extremely fortunate.
With the cultivation plan formulated by the gray mirror, as long as he followed it step by step, he was destined to master the Sacred Method. It was merely a matter of time.
Ending his spearmanship practice, Su Yuan headed down to the basement.
"Xiaolan, contact Kaido,"
Su Yuan instructed.
"Right away, Master,"
Xiaolan replied.
A moment later.
Kaido's face appeared on the ultra-large screen in front of Su Yuan.
Kaido was an Eight-Eyed Rank member of The Truth Society, and the head of the android manufacturing factory over in Europe.
Slightly over two weeks ago, Su Yuan had personally traveled to Europe. He used the Sacred Method, Mind Brand, to control Kaido along with two Seven-Eyed Rank members, smoothly taking over all the androids in the factory in the process.
"Master!"
Upon seeing Su Yuan, a fanatical light gleamed in Kaido's eyes.
"Later, follow my instructions and contact Bruce. Tell him you are in Modu. Then, use the longevity potion as an excuse to lure him here," Su Yuan commanded.
Bruce was another Eight-Eyed Rank member of The Truth Society and happened to be Kaido's closest associate.
"Have Bruce come to Modu..."
Kaido looked slightly hesitant.
It was not that his loyalty to Su Yuan was wavering.
But rather...
"Master, I know Bruce very well. He might not agree."
Kaido spoke truthfully.
The Truth Society Founder had long decreed a strict rule forbidding Eight-Eyed Rank members from meeting privately.
Furthermore, without explicit permission, high-ranking members were strictly prohibited from entering Xia Nation's borders.
Under such circumstances, no matter how tight his relationship with Bruce was, the man might still refuse to come.
"He will agree,"
Su Yuan stated in a calm tone.
This was exactly why he had waited until now to have Kaido reach out to Bruce.
"Understood."
Kaido believed in Su Yuan unconditionally and immediately initiated contact with Bruce.
On the other side of the ocean.
Bruce had just finished attending his mother's funeral.
His mother's death had taken a tremendous toll on him.
'If only I had a longevity potion on hand, Mother would not have died,' Bruce thought to himself.
As an Eight-Eyed Rank member of The Truth Society, Bruce seemed incredibly glorious on the surface. He wielded immense authority within the organization and could laugh and chat leisurely with the heads of major global superpowers.
But in reality, The Truth Society's most critical power—the authority to distribute longevity potions—was firmly locked in the hands of the Founder.
The manufacturing process for the longevity potion was extraordinarily difficult. Even an Eight-Eyed Rank member was only allotted a quota of two vials every decade. And each vial could only extend a person's life by ten years.
Bruce had given one vial of the longevity potion to his wife and consumed the other one himself.
Therefore, he could only watch helplessly as his mother died of old age.
"Father..."
Bruce looked at his father, who was standing a short distance away looking utterly despondent, and fell into a prolonged silence.
Barring any miracles, given his father's deteriorating condition, the old man would also pass away from old age within the next few years.
"If only I could get my hands on just one more longevity potion..." Bruce sighed heavily, knowing deep down that it was an impossible pipe dream.
The fact that The Truth Society issued two longevity potions every decade was already exceptionally generous.
There was absolutely no way they would distribute any more than that.
As for buying one from someone else who had a longevity potion? Also impossible. Who would ever sell an item capable of extending their own life?
Just as Bruce was silently sighing, his phone suddenly rang.
"Kaido?"
Bruce glanced at the caller ID and picked up.
He and Kaido were both Eight-Eyed Rank members. They had a fairly solid relationship and kept in touch regularly.
"Bruce, guess where I am?"
Kaido asked, his voice brimming with excitement.
"Where?"
Bruce inquired.
"Modu! I'm in Modu!"
Kaido declared immediately.
"Modu?"
Bruce's expression shifted slightly. "Xia Nation's Modu?"
"Kaido, be careful. The Founder has long stated that without his express orders, we are not to enter Xia Nation lightly."
"Bruce, the Founder is just too old." Kaido chuckled and shook his head over the line. "With the current strength of our Truth Society, why shouldn't we step into Xia Nation?"
Hearing this,
Bruce found himself speechless.
It was true.
The Founder's attitude toward Xia Nation was still stuck in the era from a century ago.
In reality, over a hundred years of development, the number of Level 4 Androids within The Truth Society had multiplied several times over. If another War of Nations were to break out today, Xia Nation would absolutely not be able to halt The Truth Society's advance.
"Regardless, we still must obey the Founder's orders,"
Bruce replied, shaking his head.
However, he did not press the issue any further.
Just as Kaido had said, Bruce did not believe Xia Nation posed any real threat either.
But at the very least, they should not blatantly defy the Founder's direct commands.
"By the way, Bruce, what are you doing right now?"
Kaido asked casually.
"I'm at my mother's funeral," Bruce answered, his voice turning somber.
"Your mother..." Kaido paused for a moment before suddenly slapping his thigh. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? I still have an extra longevity potion on me..."
Given Bruce's lofty status, his mother definitely could not have died from some treatable disease or an accident; she could only have passed away from reaching the absolute limit of her natural lifespan.
"You have an extra longevity potion?!" Bruce realized the implication instantly.
Unlike him, who had to support an entire family, Kaido's parents had died when he was young. The man had never married, and while he did have a few children, they were still very far from the end of their lifespans.
"Yeah, I'm carrying it on me right now," Kaido said nonchalantly.
"Is that so..." Bruce threw a glance at his aging father not far away and tentatively asked, "Kaido, is there any chance you could lend me that longevity potion?"
Even though Kaido had hinted at 'lending' it a second ago, Bruce could not be entirely sure if the man was just being polite.
After all, an item like a longevity potion was simply far too precious. Even if one had no immediate use for it, they wouldn't lend it out so easily.
"Sure."
Kaido agreed smoothly without a second thought. "But I'm in Modu right now, and I won't be heading back anytime soon..."
"I'll have someone..." Bruce paused to consider it before quickly changing his mind. "I'll personally come to Modu to find you."
A treasure as invaluable as a longevity potion was not something Bruce felt comfortable entrusting to a subordinate.
If any accidents occurred along the way, not only would he be permanently indebted to Kaido for the lost potion, but his father would still be doomed to die of old age.
As for sending an absolutely loyal android to retrieve it? The highest authority over every single android in The Truth Society rested with the Founder. Wherever an android went and whatever it did, the Founder would know instantly.
Dispatching an android to Modu without authorization was not only against the rules, but it would also expose the fact that Kaido was secretly hiding there.
After taking all these factors into careful consideration, Bruce decided it was best if he went in person.
Sharing a similar mindset to Kaido, Bruce also believed there was no longer any need to fear Xia Nation like they did a century ago.
With his status as an Eight-Eyed Rank member of The Truth Society, forging visa information and slipping quietly into Modu would be child's play. Who would ever figure it out?
And even if Xia Nation did find out, what could they do? Would they dare lay a hand on an esteemed Eight-Eyed Rank member of The Truth Society?
"You're coming in person? Great. I rented a villa in the suburbs of Modu. The scenery here is fantastic, perfect for a vacation."
Kaido continued, "The place is Villa No. 66 in the Jinshan Villa District. When you arrive, just walk right in."
"Alright, I'll set off tonight."
Bruce nodded, indicating he had memorized the address.
One month later.
Modu, Jinshan Villa District, Villa No. 66.
Every single Eight-Eyed Rank member of The Truth Society, along with twenty-two core Seven-Eyed Rank members, stood there with utter reverence.
The gazes they directed toward Su Yuan were brimming with deep, unadulterated fanaticism.
Their faces screamed of one thing: Absolute loyalty!