Chapter 631: Reincarnation Group
“Do you believe in reincarnation?”
This was the first question Kuang Tianqing asked Dao Qiankun after their meeting that night.
Dao Qiankun simply smiled, offering no direct answer. Instead, he asked curiously, “Oh? Asking me this on the eve of the competition? Have you encountered someone who’s been reincarnated?”
Kuang Tianqing crossed her arms, her long hair swaying in the wind as she casually replied, “I was just wondering… if the legends about rebirth and reincarnation are true, what impact would the widespread adoption of life-extension technology have?”
Dao Qiankun walked to the window, gazing at the moon in the sky. He said calmly, “In this world, even if reincarnation exists, it would inevitably be controlled by the Immortals.”
“If the Immortals control it, then how everyone reincarnates, how long their lifespans are… it all becomes a matter of profit, a question of governance for Kunxu.”
“Under this assumption, the longer one’s lifespan, the fewer reincarnations they would have, and conversely, the shorter the lifespan, the more frequent the reincarnations. From the extreme of universal immortality to the opposite extreme of universal mortality, the different paths of development all stem from the setting of the average lifespan.”
“How long one lives and how often one reincarnates will determine the interests of all parties and, more importantly, the direction of Kunxu’s development in Immortal Dao Technology…”
As Dao Qiankun spoke, Kuang Tianqing’s gaze sharpened slightly. She said coldly, “You’re right. So if reincarnation exists, there must be a Reincarnation Group.”
“And the Reincarnation Group would never allow the average lifespan of society to increase easily.”
Kuang Tianqing stepped closer to Dao Qiankun, her eyes fixed intently on him, as if trying to see through his very soul.
“If the Reincarnation Group exists,” she continued, “they would undoubtedly suppress the promotion of life-extension technologies in every possible way.”
Dao Qiankun met her gaze calmly. “Perhaps.”
Kuang Tianqing continued to stare at him. “The Spirit Transformation cultivators of the four Myriad Laws schools have yet to approve the acquisition and promotion of life-extension technologies. Could this be because they’re considering the existence of Reincarnation?”
Dao Qiankun met her gaze directly. “You want to ask if the Reincarnation Group is backing me, don’t you?”
“Kuang Tianqing, you’re taking this too seriously. We were just speculating. Whether Reincarnation exists… who can truly say?”
“You can trace the origins of my wealth. You should know exactly who supports me.”
Kuang Tianqing sneered. “Reincarnation is a taboo topic. Even if the Reincarnation Group truly exists, they wouldn’t openly advertise it. If they were to interfere in the world, they would never act openly, always operating in the shadows, existing only in rumors and whispers.”
Instead of directly addressing Kuang Tianqing’s skepticism, Dao Qiankun suddenly asked, “Do you know which Immortal Sect Technique the three Spirit Transformation cultivators of Myriad Laws want me to choose?”
“Which technique?” Kuang Tianqing asked.
“The Divine Creation Chapter of the Dharma Realm,” Dao Qiankun replied.
Kuang Tianqing’s body stiffened in shock. “The Dharma Realm?”
“Is this the choice of Myriad Laws University? Or…”
“The Myriad Laws Sect?”
Inside the mourning hall, Kuang Tianqing snapped out of her reverie, her gaze returning to Dao Qiankun’s corpse, which sat cross-legged before her.
“Dao Qiankun, you bastard,” she thought bitterly, “if you’re really dead, you’ve finally found peace. You don’t have to suffer like I do now.”
“Do you even realize that since your death, I’ve become the target of everyone’s ire? One wrong move, and I’ll be doomed for eternity.”
Though the entire world seemed to support her, hoping she would win the championship and choose the Immortal Sect Technique to guide the future of cultivation, and though this intense scrutiny had brought her unprecedented support and security, Kuang Tianqing felt like she was sitting on a powder keg. Any misstep could shatter her into oblivion.
Rubbing her throbbing temples, she muttered inwardly, “Damn it… I need to make those old geezers pay more.”
Lost in thought, Kuang Tianqing began pacing around Dao Qiankun’s corpse, as if examining something.
Zhang Yu, standing nearby, asked, “What are you looking for?”
Kuang Tianqing glanced back at Zhang Yu and asked, “Do you really think Dao Qiankun is dead?”
Zhang Yu blinked in surprise. “Huh?”
Kuang Tianqing didn’t miss a single flicker of expression on Zhang Yu’s face. She said, her voice measured, “Do you really believe he would choose to commit suicide before the competition, abandoning his chance to participate?”
Zhang Yu frowned. “What are you implying? You think Brother Dao isn’t dead? Either way, his absence from the competition benefits you, doesn’t it? At least you can now safely extend the lifespan of everyone in the world.”
Kuang Tianqing snorted coldly, her gaze fixed on Zhang Yu. “So you’re one of those who oppose universal lifespan extension? Do you think I’m unaware of its drawbacks? Stagnant population growth, stifled innovation, a world growing increasingly stagnant… But it’s still far better than Myriad Laws’ choice.”
Zhang Yu’s eyes narrowed. “Myriad Laws’ choice? Do you know what it is?”
Kuang Tianqing smiled. “You don’t? Dao Qiankun never told you?”
Curiosity surged within Zhang Yu. To coax the answer from Kuang Tianqing, he deliberately said, “Whatever Myriad Laws’ choice is, it’s still better than lifespan extension, right?”
But Kuang Tianqing didn’t reveal Myriad Laws’ choice. Instead, she shifted the topic. “The older generation of Spirit Transformation cultivators live a few extra years, and you all complain about this and that.”
“Have you ever considered what will happen when the older generation of Spirit Transformation cultivators die and a new generation rises?”
Seeing Zhang Yu’s blank expression, Kuang Tianqing pursed her lips and said, “You should read the Nascent Soul theses from the Four Heavenly Demon Schools, especially those by candidates for Spirit Transformation.”
“If I were in their position, I’d probably make the same choices. After all, only the most radical, profit-driven, and growth-obsessed candidates can secure the Heavenly Demon Sect’s support and become the next generation of Spirit Transformation cultivators at Heavenly Demon University.”
Kuang Tianqing sighed. “But from a student’s perspective, if I had to choose a Spirit Transformation cultivator, I’d rather the older generation lived longer. At least they weren’t so radical.”
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Wait… you transformed into a woman and had eight Spirit Transformation cultivators tutor you! How is that not radical? Just how radical can the Spirit Transformation candidates from the Four Heavenly Demon Schools possibly be?”
As Kuang Tianqing observed Zhang Yu’s changing expressions, posture, and fluctuations in magic power and aura, her Bionic Eye continuously processed analytical data. She thought, “This kid really doesn’t know anything.”
As Zhang Yu watched Kuang Tianqing begin circling Dao Qiankun’s body, examining it from all angles, he quickly warned, “What are you doing? If you mess around any more, I’ll call for help!”
While speaking, Zhang Yu seized the opportunity to slip behind Dao Qiankun’s corpse, hoping to check for any hidden anomalies.
“Nothing seems wrong,” Zhang Yu thought, standing nervously behind the body. “Well, if it were that easy to trigger something, the autopsy would have revealed it already.”
Just then, Kuang Tianqing’s hand pressed down on Dao Qiankun’s shoulder.
In the next instant, a figure abruptly emerged from the corpse, its voice cold as it demanded, “Who dares disturb my slumber?”
Zhang Yu’s heart jolted as he recognized the figure. “Brother Dao?” he exclaimed.
Kuang Tianqing frowned at the apparition. “This doesn’t seem like the real Dao Qiankun.”
The figure glared at her. “If I’m not Dao Qiankun, then who am I?”
After a brief exchange and further examination, Kuang Tianqing scoffed, “Hmph, just an artifact spirit with fragmented memories. It probably manifests whenever the corpse is touched. What a pointless thing.”
After a thorough inspection revealed no clues, Kuang Tianqing left the mourning hall, leaving Zhang Yu alone with the artifact spirit, the two staring at each other in silence.
Zhang Yu tried speaking to the artifact spirit, but quickly realized it only repeated the same phrases endlessly. Finding the interaction pointless, he resumed his cultivation.
In the blink of an eye, the night passed. The Monster Blood within Zhang Yu’s body had been completely refined, and his Monster Saint’s Myriad Transformations Divine Scripture had advanced to a higher level.
Although no secrets were discovered on Dao Qiankun’s corpse, the “Immortal Descendant” Dao Seed reappeared, solidifying Zhang Yu’s resolve to continue cultivating here.
For the next few days, Zhang Yu spent his time in the mourning hall, cultivating the Monster Saint’s Myriad Transformations Divine Scripture while keeping vigil over Dao Qiankun’s corpse, all while continuing to purchase Monster Blood.
During this period, the “Immortal Descendant” Dao Seed on the corpse began to manifest with increasing frequency, from once a day to multiple times daily.
Zhang Yu had a strong intuition that if he continued his vigil, he would eventually gain the opportunity to replicate the Spirit Root.
However, with the ongoing purchases of Monster Blood and the maintenance of his magical artifacts and Bionics, Zhang Yu’s Spirit Coin balance dwindled rapidly, soon dropping to just over 260 Spirit Coins.
“Next, I need to cultivate the daoist art to Level 20 and continue purchasing Monster Blood. I also need to maintain my magical artifacts and Bionics for the upcoming matches. If replicating the Dao Seed costs money, and if I need to modify my magical artifacts later…”
Zhang Yu mentally calculated his expenses and realized that while the Spirit Coins he currently possessed seemed substantial, they still wouldn’t be enough.
Especially if his goal was to win the championship, no amount of Spirit Coins would be too much.
However, with the announcement of the finals’ format and rules, the advertising fees he could earn also changed significantly.
Although he would receive advertising fees for each subsequent battle, the one-on-one format, uneven distribution of audience attention, and shorter match durations all contributed to a reduction in his earnings.
In the one-on-one combat competition, viewers were more focused on the powerhouse contestants like Kuang Tianqing, Yan Xiang, Tian Shengong, and Cang Shenyu — the top-ranked students from their respective schools.
If Zhang Yu hadn’t capitalized on the buzz from his previous battle against Ling Pojun, which had drawn considerable attention from Extreme Tiger fans, his advertising fees would have plummeted even further.
“We’ve negotiated about 70 Spirit Coins for the next advertisement.”
“It would be great if we could get more.”
Just as Zhang Yu was pondering this, Ye Xingli sent him a message.
Ye Xingli: “Junior Brother, aren’t you planning to stream?”
Zhang Yu: “What’s up?”
Ye Xingli: “The number of Extreme Tiger fans criticizing you has been growing these past few days. This is the perfect opportunity to make money streaming.”
Zhang Yu: “But I’m cultivating.”
Ye Xingli: “Isn’t making money the best form of cultivation? What cultivation method could possibly be more effective than earning Spirit Coins through streaming?”