Chapter 313: Global Reputation

They had just finished a fierce battle and hadn't yet had time to rest, yet under the arrangements of his master, Wang Sheng was to escort several senior scientists to Sakura Island for an academic exchange.

Wang Sheng thought for a moment. This task did not necessarily require his personal involvement, but it seemed his master intended for him to avoid mundane matters for the time being.

It wasn't such a bad thing, though. Even if he didn't check his friend circle, which had been around for thirteen years, Wang Sheng could already imagine the flood of interviews, greetings, and opportunistic approaches that awaited him.

Based on the Special Investigation Unit's usual practice, they would certainly use the recent incident as a model for propaganda. Going away for a few days would grant him some peace and quiet. Although it would not stop the video of him controlling a lightning tribulation from spreading wildly through the cultivation world, it would at least spare him the noise and disturbance.

Unfortunately, although Wang Sheng had correctly predicted that the investigation unit would make a great deal out of this video, he had severely underestimated the scope and influence of the aftermath. The incident not only deterred external forces from attacking the Hua Republic but also served as a strong dose of encouragement for cultivators everywhere.

With Wang Sheng ranked twelfth on the Heavenly Rankings, the cultivation environment for the wider community unsurprisingly remained stable and secure.

After concluding a meeting, Chi Ling revealed that the next phase of propaganda would focus on five key phrases: countless cultivator casualties, undying heroic souls, heavenly tribulation sieging a city, the slain prince, and temporary ceasefire.

The aim was to rouse every cultivator's sense of shared enmity, unite the Daoist sects and their various heritages, and inspire the oldest, middle, and youngest generations to cultivate diligently. The propaganda would also show them the true potential of the younger generation and send a clear message that the vampire prince, who had been rumored to be invincible for years, was not undefeatable.

A temporary ceasefire did not mean that there would be no future battles. If they did not strive to cultivate now and prepare for war, the foreign corrupt cultivators could certainly launch a full-scale invasion one day.

While the propaganda was being spread, Wang Sheng would inevitably be pushed into the spotlight. After all, three of those five key phrases revolved around him. The Special Investigation Unit had even taken the initiative to negotiate with the Saros Empire just to obtain a series of valuable video recordings, which they then edited into a "promotional film."

As long as Wang Sheng did not pay attention to such matters, he naturally wouldn't be bothered.

While wandering idly around the base, he saw rescue team members being escorted back one after another. The over seventy corpses that had been found were laid out in the open space at the center of the camp. Most were missing body parts, and some were covered in a layer of snow and ice. They had clearly suffered an extremely agonizing death.

Wang Sheng stood before the deceased soldiers and cultivators. As he sighed softly and slowly closed his eyes, countless thoughts filled his mind. His mentality subtly changed.

Life and death have little to no value. Why do we even walk the path of cultivation?

Standing before the fallen with the sword case on his back, Wang Sheng's once restless Dao Heart gradually grew still.

The path of cultivation is long; there is no need to look back. There will always be a higher peak. Even immortals can soar higher and go further beyond eternal life. The Grand Dao Realm may not even be the final destination of cultivation.

Power is necessary for me to keep living, for those around me to avoid such tragic fates, for mortals to at least meet a good end, and for immortals to truly be able to live forever. Without power, even these thoughts would mean nothing.

Wang Sheng could now faintly understand why Haotian had stubbornly sought to coexist with the Great Dao.

After Haotian's fall, the Heavenly Court immediately suffered calamity. Internal and external troubles had likely been brewing for some time, but without standing in Haotian's position, no one could have noticed them.

Wang Sheng wished to grow stronger because he was still far from strong enough.

Once his Dao Heart settled, Wang Sheng decided that he would break through to the Nascent Soul Realm.

The Golden Core and Nascent Soul Realms allowed a cultivator's strength to leap forward. However, they were also two of the three great barriers that one had to face before becoming an immortal.

After the Nascent Soul Realm came the most perilous realm: the Tribulation Realm.

Even though Earth was now rich in primal qi and the Daoist sects had inherited the legacies of the Heavenly Court immortals, two-thirds of cultivators of Wang Sheng's generation still hadn't managed to break through to the Golden Core Realm. Aptitude, comprehension, talent, and fated opportunity could all be bottlenecks to forming a Golden Core.

In the future, many would be stuck at the Nascent Soul Realm as well. Still, unlike those who couldn't get past the peak of the Illusory Core Realm, cultivators who failed to reach the Nascent Soul Realm would at least have a lifespan of a thousand years. On the other hand, facing a bottleneck for two hundred years was far less tormenting than a thousand years.

For the fallen cultivators before Wang Sheng, though, such considerations no longer mattered. He clasped his hands toward the dead, then turned to leave.

At some point, soldiers of the Special Warfare Unit had gathered behind him. When they saw him about to depart, they quickly stepped aside to form a clear path, their eyes burning with respect, gratitude, and expectation.

***

After informing his master, Wang Sheng left the temporary base. His phone had already received a message with the time and assembly venue by then.

Fortunately, he still had enough time to spend a day at home. He would not have to keep running about without seeing his family first, at least.

However, he had forgotten that the social climate had changed greatly. News from the cultivation world could easily become the focus of national discussion.

The moment Wang Sheng stepped into the house, Wang Xiaomiao ran over holding up a virtual screen. Looking shocked and amazed, she pointed to the 3D projection of a young Daoist priest surrounded by lightning.

"Big Brother, is this you?"

The video was a full 360-degree, high-definition close-up. There was not a single blind spot.

"

Uh...

yes, that's me." Wang Sheng frowned slightly. "Where did you find that footage?"

Strangely, he actually felt a bit embarrassed.

Before Wang Xiaomiao could answer, they heard their parents arguing in the living room.

"Honey, listen to me. I really don't have anything to do with Zeus... Wait, no, isn't Zeus a man? He's Athena's father, right? Honey, there's something very wrong with your accusation."

"You've got some nerve! How could you still think about Athena at your age!"

"Isn't that from the anime we watched when we were young? The one with Pegasus Comet Punch or something."

"I don't care. You must be up to something!"

"Yes, yes, yes,

Your Majesty

, please don't be angry.

Tsk

, I thought increased lifespan meant menopause would be delayed?"

"

Mm?

"

A terrifying killing intent filled the air.

"Dad, Mom, I'm back," Wang Sheng quickly interjected, preventing the family conflict from escalating into a bloody incident.

"Ah, Little Sheng! Come take a look quickly, you're all over my feed!"

His parents' excited faces made it impossible to refuse. Wang Sheng walked over and watched his own video with them, which felt rather strange.

"You're that strong now, Little Sheng?!" Practically buzzing with excitement, his father pulled up a stool. His eyes shone as he stared at Wang Sheng.

Smiling, Wang Sheng removed the sword case from his back and placed it on the coffee table. "It's just some technique. I can't really control lightning."

His mother chuckled. "I knew my son was cool!"

Wang Xiaomiao ran over. "Big Brother, is that technique hard to learn?"

Wang Sheng smiled. "This could be considered my personal secret technique. Why? Are you interested in lightning techniques?"

Wang Xiaomiao nodded repeatedly. "

Mm! Mm!

Big brother, you were soooo cool! You killed a vampire prince, drove back an ancient prince from a thousand years ago, and caused such a huge stir above a city in Saros!"

Wang Sheng frowned. "All of those already spread around?"

"No, that video's the only one circulating internationally. I got the rest from the social feed of a Daoist master named Shi Qianzhang!"

"Let me see."

"Here!" Wang Xiaomiao sat beside Wang Sheng and tapped the virtual screen twice, revealing her friend list.

Wang Sheng glanced at the posts, spotting familiar avatars—Huai Jing, Shi Qianzhang, Liu Yunzhi, Hao Ling, Zhou Yinglong, and Mou Yue. All of his close friends seemed to be on Wang Xiaomiao's friend list, which wasn't really that surprising. They likely always treated her as a younger sister after Wang Sheng's supposed heroic death.

Currently, her feed was filled with discussions of what had happened a few hours ago, one of which was Huai Jing's post.

These foreign corrupt cultivators have gone too far! I haven't had any good games to play recently. How about we gather a few friends and take a trip to foreign lands?

It had over a hundred likes and several visible replies.

Li Yunzhi had also joined the discussion.

Fei Yu will break through to the Nascent Soul Realm soon, while those of us in the same generation have barely formed a Golden Core. It's truly humiliating.

└

Shi Qianzhang: What? When did you break through? Damn it! I'm going into seclusion!

Liu Yunzhi's post had over a thousand likes. Wang Sheng could not help but be envious of his connections.

After scrolling for a while, he finally found Shi Qianzhang's post.

Glory to the great Hua Republic! The corrupt have no place here! No matter how many times foreign enemies try to invade, our sword will always protect and guide the way!

Link Attached: Righteous-Qi Alliance News: Daoist Master Fei Yu Slays a Blood Race Prince, Repels an Ancient Prince, and Cuts Down Hundreds of Vampires, Bringing Honor to Hua!

Several comments followed.

└

Zhou Yinglong: Little Brother, your rhyme works, but it's not polished.

└

Liu Yunzhi: That's what we call complete nonsense.

└

Fei Lianzi: Why not look at the mantra I composed instead?

└Chi Wen: Daoist Master Qianzhang, what about that disguise talisman you promised to make?

Seeing Shi Qianzhang's meager number of likes, Wang Sheng also tapped the "like" button, but then remembered that he was using his sister's account. He immediately went to Shi Qianzhang's profile, clicked his avatar, brought up the options, and pressed the red "Remove Friend" button.

"Big Brother, did you have a falling out with Daoist Master Qianzhang?"

Wang Sheng smirked. "Falling out, my foot. Choose your friends carefully, okay? Don't worry, I'll keep that bad influence on my own list."

Wang Xiaomiao blinked. She then looked at her brother meaningfully. Blushing, she waved her hands. "Don't misunderstand, Big Brother. I know how to judge certain things."

Wang Sheng was speechless.

Is she really just a middle school student?

"Oh, right. Where's Little Xuan?" their mother asked with concern.

Wang Sheng smiled at her. "She went out with Big Sister Xi Lian. With Big Sister around, they shouldn't face any problems. Well, apart from possibly getting lost."

He then opened his phone. After thinking for a moment, he looked for the group chat he had with six other people.

Wang Sheng: I'm heading to Sakura Island tomorrow for a mission. Anyone free to tag along?

Ten or so seconds later, his phone began to vibrate nonstop; messages flooded it.