Chapter 213: Direction
The military award ceremony was scheduled for the next day. What had originally circulated as a rumor was directly released as official news in the Void Psychic World. All major media outlets of the Nine Cauldrons Sect competed to report on it, and a massive wave quickly swept through the sect.
There was solid evidence, and the Public Relations Hall personally confirmed the entire course of the battle. Anyone who read the report felt their blood surge with excitement.
At the Longxiang Imperial Academy, every student who saw the coverage erupted in cheers. Especially after the Public Relations Hall confirmed that the destruction of the Spring Rain warship was true, the students’ emotions surged to their peak. A thousand thoughts ran through their heads, yet in the end they were distilled into the simplest, most unfiltered outbursts.
"I only have one word to say: Awesome!"
"It’s actually real?! I saw the news earlier, but I thought it couldn’t be true! And now it turns out that we really wiped out an elite battle institute of the Great Sun Sword Sect and even destroyed one of their Sky Patrol Warships!"
"Has the sect been secretly growing this strong behind our backs? Are there any other good surprises you haven’t told us? If so, just say them all at once. Don’t worry, I'm mentally strong enough to handle it."
Amid the fervor filling both the sect and the public, the journalism department of Longxiang Imperial Academy was equally busy. They needed to rush out articles covering events worthy of being recorded in the history of the Nine Cauldrons Sect.
Everyone was trying to contact those who had participated in the East Sea battle. Su Yaoshuang was no exception. She and her peers had founded the Dragon Abyss Society and launched their Void Psychic World column, Listen to the Dragon’s Roar.
When they established the column, they had received strong support from the academy. Not only were they given an interface in the Void Psychic World with tens of thousands of daily users, but they were also allocated hundreds of thousands in local currency as operating funds. As a result, everyone in Dragon Abyss Society had been brimming with motivation, determined to achieve something substantial.
***
"Hurry, hurry! Mo Yu, you’ve already cultivated psychic consciousness. Quickly browse all the information about this battle in the Void Psychic World. We need to extract the key points and present them to the audience in the clearest and most direct way possible."
"Shao Li, search for all material you can find on the Spring Rain warship. Compile everything and release it so the audience understands just how difficult it was for the Sea Guardian Institute to destroy that vessel."
"Gao Longfei, see if you can obtain background information on the senior members of the Sea Guardian Institute. Even rough profiles will do."
"And Su Yaoshuang, don’t just stand there. Go conduct a round of street interviews. Ask people what they think about this glorious victory. Everyone, let’s move." As society president, Long Yuwu rapidly assigned tasks.
"President, I’ve seen that many Void Psychic World columns are already reporting on the Spring Rain, the Sea Guardian Institute, and the Sword-Wielding Institute personnel. If we just compile and repost materials like that, we won’t get any attention. The sect’s Void Psychic World central control center won’t give us any exposure either," Gao Longfei said.
"Our Listen to the Dragon’s Roar column isn’t first-tier like personal top-level columns. We’re only a second-tier academy column, and we aren't even comparable to the lower-tier media of Longxiang City. We can’t secure effective interviews. It's likely that even the mainstream media in Longxiang City can't reach the heroes of the Sea Guardian Institute. We can only imitate other columns for now and post compiled materials to fill space," Long Yuwu replied.
"What I mean is, we should do something special. Approach this from another angle. For example... The key force behind the Sea Guardian Institute, the Purple Firmament Institute!" Gao Longfei said.
Of course Long Yuwu knew of the Purple Firmament Institute. With its repeated expansions, it had already become one of the largest artifact refinement institutes in the entire Nine Cauldrons Sect. It was a point of pride not only for Longxiang City, but for the entire Nine Heavens Domain.
The Sea Guardian Institute was stationed in Longxiang City for two reasons. First, the Nine Heavens Domain bordered the sea and required a strong reserve force. Second, it was said that their main goal was to protect the Purple Firmament Institute.
"But you’re not suggesting we go interview the Purple Firmament Institute directly, are you? With the strict security they have, we wouldn’t even get through the gates!" Long Yuwu said.
"We can’t enter the Purple Firmament Institute itself, but our academy has artifact refiners from there. Professor Lin Sen and Professor Qin Yadong are both members of the Purple Firmament Institute. We can interview them and learn exclusive information. Perhaps they even know something about the Sea Guardian Institute!" Gao Longfei was visibly excited.
At his words, everyone's eyes lit up.
"That’s right. Start with Professor Lin Sen and Professor Qin Yadong!"
"The Purple Firmament Institute also has huge popularity in the Void Psychic World. If we can get inside information from those two professors, our column will absolutely explode!"
"A skyscraper rises from level ground. This might be the opportunity to turn 'Listen to the Dragon’s Roar' into the number one war column in the Void Psychic World!" Everyone chimed in enthusiastically.
Long Yuwu clapped her hands decisively. "What are we waiting for? Let's go."
"Yes!" Spirits ran high, and the entire group quickly became busy.
Watching the enthusiasm within the society, Su Yaoshuang hesitated for a moment and glanced at the communication wristband in her hand. There was a contact on it. If she reached out to him, they could obtain any explosive headline they wanted.
But both her second sister, Su Yaoxue, and her eldest sister, Su Yaoyu, had repeatedly warned her not to disturb him unless it was something truly important. Moreover, the difference in their current status was like the difference between heaven and earth. She did not have the courage to trouble him over something so minor. Even if this was a career she treated with utmost seriousness.
After a moment, she suppressed the thought. Yet while she let it go, Shao Li approached President Long Yuwu. "Speaking of people connected to the Purple Firmament Institute, isn’t there also a student in our academy who seems closely tied to them? Maybe we can try getting information from her."
"Oh? Who?" Long Yuwu asked.
"A student named Su Yaoqin. I’ve even added her as a friend." As she spoke, Shao Li operated her device and projected the student’s profile.
Based on the daily photos she had posted, she was indeed based within the Purple Firmament Institute. Seeing that, Su Yaoshuang frowned. Can images and footage from the Purple Firmament Institute be posted so casually? What if certain details in those images end up leaking confidential information?
She quietly opened Su Yaoqin’s daily posts and scrolled through them for a while. Only then did she relax. Su Yaoqin had exercised excellent discretion in her photos. Each one clearly proved that she was inside the Purple Firmament Institute, yet none revealed any useful or sensitive information.
Ever since the Purple Firmament Institute had been elevated to a higher level, those who lived there had all undergone extra training to make sure they'd never leak anything confidential. However, when she carefully examined Su Yaoqin’s activity feed, she noticed that its popularity was astonishingly high.
Every single post received hundreds, even thousands, of comments. The sight stirred something in her heart. As second- or even third-tier members of the Su family, people with no promising future to speak of, neither she nor Su Yaoqin had ever mentioned their connection to Yaoguang to anyone. They were unwilling to inconvenience him. Su Yaoyu and the others had also strictly forbidden them from speaking carelessly.
Yet the fact that they could freely enter and leave the heavily guarded Purple Firmament Institute was already something special. Right now, she needed firsthand information. If the Purple Firmament Institute happened to have materials that they did not mind making public, why shouldn’t she obtain them and release them first in the column she worked for?
She vaguely remembered that the external-sale version of the improved Purple Firmament Type 12 flying sword had once been deliberately publicized. With that thought, she searched and quickly found Qin Yi’s contact information.
Qin Yi was responsible for security at the Purple Firmament Institute. Whenever Su Yaoshuang wanted to visit, she had to coordinate with the guards both to enter and leave, and she had added him as a contact before. She immediately sent him her proposal.
Then she quickly added another line. "If this involves confidential material, then forget it."
Qin Yi did not dare treat the message lightly. Although Yaoguang had largely taken a hands-off approach toward Su Yaoshuang and Su Yaoqin, they were still his relatives. As a great cultivator, Qin Yi treated the matter with due seriousness.
"I’ll ask for you," he replied briefly and soon contacted the Purple Firmament Institute’s steward, Yun Lai.
Soon, Yun Lai granted permission. Without delay, Qin Yi forwarded the message to Su Yaoshuang. When she saw his reply, she let out a breath. "As expected, it’s feasible."
She immediately hurried after Long Yuwu. "President, I think... I’ve found a way for Listen to the Dragon’s Roar to destroy all competition. We’ll create a special feature. While the Sea Guardian Institute and the Purple Firmament Institute are trending, we’ll launch a dedicated column on the production of flying swords at the Purple Firmament Institute."
"Is that possible?" Long Yuwu looked surprised. "Materials like that must be hard to obtain. And it could easily involve confidential information. If we make a mistake, our column might be shut down."
"But if we do it well, we can ride the momentum of the Sea Guardian Institute’s popularity and establish our reputation in one stroke." Su Yaoshuang’s eyes shone. "Once we build a name and gain influence, it’ll be much easier to secure interviews or obtain exclusive news. Maybe one day our column could become the number-one information portal. Whenever the sect makes a move, people would come to us first."
She had always enjoyed being in the spotlight. At Longxiang Academy, however, there were too many dazzling figures. No matter how carefully she maintained her looks and public persona, she had always remained mediocre. Compared to those things, the academy valued actual skills far more. But now, she saw hope.
"The number one information portal..." Long Yuwu imagined such a scene and felt her thoughts drift toward it.
If they truly achieved that, entering the Nine Cauldrons Sect in the future and even joining the Public Relations Hall would not be out of reach.
"Then let’s give it a try! As long as you can secure the materials, the Dragon Abyss Society will fully support you!" Long Yuwu said firmly.
"Alright." Su Yaoshuang nodded. "For our career, let’s give it everything."
For the matters concerning Su Yaoshuang and Su Yaoqin, Yaoguang had indeed stopped paying much attention to them. But if they could demonstrate ability and ambition, he wouldn't mind offering some support. He had just proven that when replying to the message Yun Lai had sent him.
After giving a positive reply, Yaoguang stepped out. He headed toward the Spring Rain Sky Patrol Warship, now shrouded in layers of arrays. Around the warship, numerous refiners and array casters had already gathered.
Yaoguang glanced at the many professionals whose eyes carried doubt, yet his expression remained calm. It's time to demonstrate some real skills.
