Chapter 342: Chapter 340: With My Current Strength, I Can Split a Mountain with a Wave of My Hand (Part 1)
In the days that followed, a military helicopter would come to pick up Celeste Grant every few days.
After a few trips, Celeste Grant began to think it was unnecessary. ’I can get there in an instant.’ Not only was the helicopter a waste of national resources and manpower, but it was also slower than her going by herself.
So she decided it was best to tell them she would go on her own from now on and that they no longer needed to pick her up.
「Early one morning.」
It was just like any other day.
The person who came to pick her up was the captain of Special Ops Team One.
"Expert Grant, we are here to pick you up under orders from our superiors."
"Alright, let’s go."
Celeste Grant nodded slightly and boarded the helicopter.
Her hair was very long, so for convenience, she had braided it into a long plait, then coiled it up and secured it with a single hairpin. She wore the combat uniform issued by the military; this had been her standard attire recently.
The outfit was neat, practical, and very convenient.
Perhaps even Celeste Grant herself had never imagined that one day she would be wearing such an outfit.
Sitting in the helicopter, Celeste Grant glanced at the captain beside her, who remained constantly vigilant in his duty to protect her. "Captain Linden," she said, "you don’t need to come pick me up anymore."
’No need to pick her up!’
’No need to pick her up!’
’This is a direct order from my superiors. If I fail to pick her up, it’ll be a dereliction of duty.’
Celeste Grant’s opening words had startled him. Before she could finish, the captain said with a serious expression, "Expert Grant, is it because we have done something wrong? If so, I will report to my superiors and have someone else assigned to you."
Knowing they might have misunderstood, Celeste Grant smiled and waved her hand. "No, no, you’ve misunderstood. What I mean is that I can go by myself in the future. With my Cultivation, I can use a Space Transmission Technique and arrive in an instant. So there’s no need to waste the country’s resources and manpower."
With Celeste Grant’s current Cultivation, she really could go anywhere on Earth. And she didn’t have to worry about getting stuck in a spatial rift.
The captain was stunned.
’A Space Transmission Technique?’
’Arriving in an instant!’
’This...’ He was at a loss for words.
"Yes, Expert Grant. I will report this to my superiors."
If someone had told him this in the past, Captain Linden would have thought they were delusional, that something was wrong with their head. Or perhaps that they had read too many fantasy novels and developed a hero complex. But now, Cultivation had become a reality.
Even he himself, after some Cultivation, was already able to perform Energy Introduction and had reached the First Level of Energy Refining.
Captain Linden could now feel his body overflowing with inexhaustible power, as if he could kill several bulls with a single punch.
Cultivation started with the leaders of the country’s various high-level departments. Then, the state itself took charge of vetting and selecting talented individuals after a comprehensive evaluation.
This first batch of people to begin Cultivation numbered over 800. Although this was a very small number for the country, it was an excellent start.
At first, those who were selected through the state’s rigorous screening process didn’t know what was happening. They only guessed that something major had occurred. It wasn’t until the very end that they learned the era had changed! It was time to begin Cultivation. The knowledge that they were to be the very first group to cultivate made them ecstatic.
In Celeste Grant’s view, once the Spiritual Energy Revival began and the world entered an age of cultivation, most men who gained immense power would surely start seeing themselves as Skyfire Dragons. To prevent the future status of women from being undermined, she had only one requirement for this first group: an equal number of men and women. That was the only way to be fair.
This way, after the Spiritual Energy Revival, when this batch of Cultivators appeared before the public, it wouldn’t give the impression that only men, or only women, could cultivate. Instead, it would show that anyone could, that everyone was equal.
Of course, there was more to it than that. Among these people, depending on their individual constitutions, some were suited for the path of Cultivation, while others were suited for the path of a Demon Cultivator.
This wasn’t an issue. So, they would just have to cultivate accordingly! The existence of both the Immortal and Demonic Paths was a natural balance. After the Spiritual Energy Revival, the world wouldn’t contain only Spiritual Energy; Demonic Qi and impure energy would also be present. If no one practiced Devil Cultivation, it would be detrimental in the long run, as the world’s impure energy and Demonic Qi would quickly overwhelm the Spiritual Energy.
Providence Conservation. It’s a fundamental rule.
Besides, what Celeste Grant provided were orthodox Demon Techniques, which cultivated Fiendish Miasma & Karmic Flame. There were no crooked or evil methods of cultivation. Those harmful Cultivation Methods would never have appeared on her list to begin with. As for whether people might reverse-engineer and develop them in the future, that was no longer her concern.
Even if Evil Cultivators did appear, it wasn’t as if the country would just sit by and do nothing.
For this first batch of cultivators selected by the country, Celeste Grant used a Spirit Testing Stone to test their Spirit Root aptitude.
Because everyone’s Spirit Root was different, after testing their aptitude, Celeste Grant divided them into groups to save time. Those with the same Spirit Root would form a group to cultivate together, which was faster and more convenient.
Celeste Grant had cultivation experience.
Even if the Spirit Root aptitudes and Cultivation Techniques were different, the direction of cultivation was the same. So when it came to cultivation methods, key insights, and general knowledge, there was probably no one in this world more professional than her. Therefore, although she had never taught a disciple, she was still capable of guiding them through Energy Introduction. At the very least, she could help them avoid many pitfalls.
Generally speaking, the most common were the Five Elements Spirit Roots, and this world was no exception. Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—those with these Spirit Root aptitudes made up sixty percent of the group. Another thirty percent possessed a Demon Spirit Root, a constitution that prevented them from traditional Cultivation and only allowed them to practice Devil Cultivation. The few who remained, accounting for the final ten percent, had Mutated Spiritual Roots or other Rare Spirit Roots.
The Cultivation Methods Celeste Grant had previously submitted to the state had already been mass-printed under the supervision of government departments.
They discovered that the content was identical and the cultivation effects were the same. So, the state returned the original copies of the Cultivation Methods to Celeste Grant.
She accepted them and put them away. ’Even though I don’t need them now, it’s always good to keep them. I might have a use for them someday; after all, you never know.’
「At a military base.」
In a central area surrounded by mountains, countless soldiers in combat uniforms and several national leaders were currently meditating and cultivating on a vast plaza.
They held Spirit Stones in their hands, and faint Spiritual Energy of varying intensity radiated from their bodies. At a glance, the formation was neat and orderly. There were also some who were practicing Devil Cultivation, their auras dark and oppressive, but their combat uniforms truly suppressed the typical aura of a Demon Cultivator. So what did it matter if one chose Cultivation or Devil Cultivation? As long as the heart is righteous, the path is righteous.
One thought to become a god, one thought to become a demon.
This also meant that even a Demon Cultivator, if they cultivated The Righteous Path, could achieve godhood. In the same vein, a cultivator of the immortal path who went astray could also become evil.
While some meditated, others were engaged in combat practice.
