Chapter 708: The Sword of Ah Qing

The authorities had agreed to all of Li Xiaofei’s demands. Moreover, they had granted him the position of the Dragon Group’s First Leader.

"As for selecting suitable apprentices, Team Leader Yan wanted to ask if there should be any restrictions on the number?" Zhang Hongjing’s voice over the phone was respectful.

Li Xiaofei responded, "The more, the better."

He wanted to spread the Great Xia Martial Lineage throughout this world so that humanity could learn to protect itself when the inevitable crisis arrived.

A military officer from Chongque City’s Military Guard Bureau had once mentioned that Base Planet No. 1818 was a reserve base. It was still largely untouched but there was a high possibility that it would be activated as a recruitment source for the Star Battlefield.

At first, Li Xiaofei suspected that the sudden emergence of so many superhumans was the result of Eden's secret manipulations. However, he later realized another possibility, this reserve base planet might have already been activated by Chongque City.

That was not a good sign. Therefore, he wanted to do everything he could to strengthen Earth's ability to defend itself before that day truly arrived. However, he was puzzled why Eden had yet to make any moves.

Miss Fan has been back for quite some time now. Are they really not curious about her return?

With these thoughts lingering in his mind, Li Xiaofei returned to his room and began his cultivation.

To his surprise, Huang Xu's physique was exceptionally strong. The feedback he received from her through Yin-Yang Resonance of Great Sorrow dual cultivation was even greater than that from Miss Fan. It seemed she possessed a special constitution.

Outside the window, the sound of bamboo slicing through the air could be heard echoing across the mansion's lawn. Ah Qing was practicing her sword techniques. She held an ordinary bamboo stick in her hands and moved her sword slowly.

Thrust, lift, slash, sweep, chop, coil, vibrate... Each movement was simple and her motions were unhurried. The bamboo stick’s speed was just as slow.

At first glance, it looked more like a dancer rehearsing a choreographed routine rather than someone practicing a deadly art. Moonlight spilled across the ground and the faint hum of insects filled the air. It was a beautiful night.

***

The Dragon Group acted swiftly. It only took them three days to select and gather one hundred suitable boys and girls. They also finalized the location for the cultivation school and completed a series of preparatory tasks.

Li Xiaofei personally visited the secret school, assessed the children's innate potential, and accepted all of them as his students.

He had considerable experience in teaching disciples. The first technique he introduced was the Inner Qi Breathing Method, which was essential for cultivating internal energy. Alongside this, he set up a formation within the school and used celestial jade as the core array node to activate it. This transformed the school into a spiritual land rich in energy. This kind of environment would make the children's cultivation yield tangible results.

Additionally, Li Xiaofei devoted significant time and effort with the Dragon Group to study the global status of superhumans.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and nothing unexpected happened. Eden’s people remained completely absent. Li Xiaofei was not particularly disappointed; he had already anticipated this possibility.

As his mission duration had reached its limit, he had also made a temporary trip back to Chongque City to report on his progress. As he had expected, since the ‘luring the snake out of its hole’ mission involving Miss Fan had failed, he was reassigned back to Base Planet No. 1818 to continue his task.

All signs indicated that the higher-ups in Chongque City were indeed preparing to activate Base Planet No. 1818 as a military recruitment ground as the situation in the Star Battlefield grew increasingly dire.

Li Xiaofei confirmed this theory through Hu Shuo, who revealed that the rising number of awakened superhumans on Earth No. 1818 was indeed the result of Chongque City’s intervention.

The process sounded deceptively simple. It involved secretly scattering fragments of fundamental laws across the world. Individuals with an innate affinity for these laws would unknowingly merge with these fragments. Then, through certain special encounters, they would awaken their superpowers.

This gave Li Xiaofei a strong sense of déjà vu. It reminded him of what had happened on his own Earth, when certain ancient martial artists had gained bloodline powers, allowing them to transcend natural limitations, during the Night of Blood.

So, was this how Chongque City initiated Base Planet activation? They would inject supernatural power into an otherwise normal world, thereby guiding humanity toward various forms of martial civilization evolution? If that were the case, would Base Planet No. 1818 one day face an invasion by star beasts?

From what Li Xiaofei knew, after guiding humanity’s supernatural evolution, the second step of this process was to introduce an external threat capable of endangering human survival. This would force the newly evolving humans into a state of accelerated growth.

On his own Earth, it had taken only five hundred years for humanity to reach the Transcendence Realm. Now, Chongque City had chosen the path of superpower evolution for Earth No. 1818. How far would this evolutionary path take them?

Since his mission to investigate Eden was still incomplete, Li Xiaofei did not make a public appearance in Chongque City. After a brief stay, he immediately returned to Earth No. 1818.

The upper echelons of Chongque City had made a firm decision. They would completely eradicate the Eden organization before fully activating Earth No. 1818. Li Xiaofei would remain stationed on Earth No. 1818 for an extended period as bait.

This also aligned with his own plans. Moreover, his activities on Earth No. 1818 had been officially approved after his report. The higher-ups deemed his actions to be a legitimate strategy for luring out Eden’s members.

This arrangement worked well. It saved Li Xiaofei the trouble of having to conceal his actions.

After returning to Earth No. 1818, he focused most of his energy on his own cultivation and on training the children of the Dragon Group. Whenever he had free time, he would visit Balitai University and meet up with Li Guorui. He mingled with Li Guorui’s roommates and quickly became good friends with them.

Before long, word spread among their department that Li Guorui had an outgoing and generous cousin who was doing quite well in Jinshi City. A few female classmates even added Li Xiaofei’s contact information. Even Han Lu, the beautiful counselor of Li Guorui’s 2008 Chinese Department, saved Li Xiaofei’s number.

Initially, Li Xiaofei was concerned that Ah Qing might struggle with her sword cultivation in Earth No. 1818’s environment. After all, this world lacked natural laws and spiritual energy tides. Solely relying on celestial jade as a supply source might not be as effective as cultivating in the outer universe. But Ah Qing found joy in it.

"I feel like this place is an even better cultivation environment for me. My swordsmanship is improving rapidly here," She said with clear excitement.

She went to Lake Park every morning, practicing swordsmanship alongside a group of elderly men and women.

At first, she simply followed along, practicing Tai Chi sword techniques at a slow and deliberate pace with the seniors. She was focused and fully engaged in the movements. But before long, the roles reversed. The elderly practitioners began following her lead instead.

Ah Qing patiently guided them, correcting their postures and helping them reduce strain on their muscles and joints. Eventually, she even created a new sword technique of her own and began leading the group through the routines.