A World Worth Protecting

As vice dean of the Dao Mountain Mist Academy, he had plenty of things to busy himself with if he wanted to. However, he could carve out chunks of free time for himself if he wanted to as well.

The latter was what Wang Baole was doing. He returned early to his pavilion and continued running through the upgrades of his Numinous Treasures in his head. He finally completed the organization of all his Numinous Treasures late in the night. That was when he commenced the actual crafting and refinement.

After he reached the Foundation Establishment realm, Wang Baole realized that the bottleneck he had encountered in the past during his attempts at crafting fourth-grade Numinous Treasures had disappeared with the advance in his cultivation. That was why he had begun to upgrade and enhance his Numinous Treasures.

This grand project required a substantial expenditure. Fortunately, Wang Baole had adequate savings. He disregarded the cost of the materials and started refining his Numinous Treasures.

He didn’t stop his cultivation either. He continued practicing the Lightning Dao: First Volume and could feel the lightning tattoo within his right leg growing stronger. It was ready to release a bolt of lightning with the kick of his leg.

This seemed to have something to do with the lightning mystic techniques he had acquired in the Lightning Domain. He had made some progress with the Lightning Dao: First Volume, but his progress with the Dark Art was slow, which made him anxious. Every time he forced himself to go through practicing the latter, he would feel an agonizing pain in his entire body. It felt as if his blood and flesh were being torn apart. Wang Baole had no choice but to stop.

Why is this Dark Art so difficult to master? Wang Baole could feel a headache coming. He could only set the Dark Art aside and concentrate on the Lightning Dao: First Volume. That was how he spent the next three days.

Wang Baole completed his cultivation three days later. He had perfected the first level of the Lightning Dao: First Volume. He had also exhausted the materials he had on refining his Numinous Treasures and needed to buy more.

Wang Baole went on the Spirit Intranet and did a detailed search on the Martian City. He wanted to locate a store that had a more comprehensive range of materials for sale, then purchase them in one go. The focus of his purchase was to obtain materials for refining his scabbard.

I need a lot more Spirit Stones to refine Armament Sand. Wang Baole’s head started pulsing with pain when he thought about how much Armament Sand was required to upgrade his scabbard. It was something he had to do, however. His encounters in the Mystic Luna Realm had taught him how extraordinary his scabbard truly was. He wasn’t just referring to the gray mosquito inside the scabbard; he was also thinking about the black and purple mosquitoes. He could almost imagine the extent of power he would have once he could control them.

I have to speed up the refinement process of the scabbard! Wang Baole took a deep breath. He continued his search on the Spirit Intranet, and, after locating a store that fulfilled his requirements, he immediately took out his cruiser and left the academy. He headed for the store.

There were no restrictions on flying in the Martian Colony, meaning many cruisers were dashing about in the city. Wang Baole’s cruiser was actually of quite a good make. However, it appeared common in the crowd of cruisers. He lamented at how rich the Martian Colony was again before he caught sight of the store he was heading towards. Suddenly, in the skies ahead, a wave of inscriptions expanded in the air.

Everyone watched as the wave rippled outward. All cruisers caught within the wave malfunctioned instantly. Control of the cruisers seemed to be wrested from the drivers, and they paused and hovered in mid-air.

Wang Baole’s cruiser did the same. He froze in surprise and stared ahead cautiously. The people in the cruisers around him seemed unfazed as if this was a normal occurrence. A few did step out of their cruisers, but most simply waited patiently inside.

Sounds of hushed discussions rose in the air.

“What’s going on these few days? The Colony Disciplinary Order seems to be conducting more random searches.”

“Guess something must have happened again. I heard a heretic cultivator appeared a while back…”

Wang Baole heard the discussions when he stepped outside. The mention of the Colony Disciplinary Order drew his attention. He soon saw seven to eight pitch-black cruisers dashing past. They exuded a foreboding air, and the pitch-black color had a somber, murderous feel to it. They seemed to be searching for something as they approached. They left after some time.

The wave of inscriptions vanished with the departure of the pitch-black cruisers, and all cruisers regained function. As Wang Baole continued his journey, his eyes fell on the distant pitch-black cruisers; they were glowing with envy.

The Colony Disciplinary Order? That’s one of the three key departments on Mars.Wang Baole sighed. It was the department he had looked forward to joining the most. He had done thorough research on the Martian government structure before his trip and knew that Mars had three key departments—the Military Council, the City Administrative Department, and the Colony Disciplinary Order.

The Military Council was the Martian military, the City Administrative Department served a similar function as the Federation government and was responsible for the running of the Martian Colony City, and the Colony Disciplinary Order was responsible for policing and upholding the city laws.

The three key departments branched out further into many smaller departments and teams. Above the key departments sat the Deputy Governor and the Governor.

It seemed like a straightforward and simple structure, but there were many complicated political structures and networks nested within. They came together and formed an intricate interweb that supervised the entire Martian Colony.

The Martian Colony’s Governor wasn’t well known by the Federation public, but Wang Baole was able to dig up some information in the Ethereal Dao College database. He had been blown away then. The Governor of the Martian Colony was a legendary figure.

The Governor wasn’t a man but a female cultivator. She had a natural spirit body and had attained a perfected Core Formation realm cultivation. She stood at the top of the power structure in the entire Federation and held a Secondary Rank One Noble. There was quite an extensive profile on the Martian Colony Governor in the Ethereal Dao College database.

One particular section caught Wang Baole’s eye. Besides her position as the Martian Colony Governor… she was also one of the potential candidates in the running for the next Federation President!

The Holy River Dao College graduate had a high chance of becoming the next Federation President. She not only came from an impressive background, but she was also the Governor presiding over the Martian Colony. She had the right qualifications, the right level of cultivation, as well as the right network.

Her partner was also a prominent figure. He headed the Spirit Science Section in a few key departments in the Federation. He wasn’t only a Primary Rank Three Noble, he was also the person in charge of the grand initiative to merge Spirit Qi and science.

With such an impressive background and power, Wang Baole couldn’t help but feel stressed after absorbing all the information. He viewed her as his future competitor. After some deliberation, he decided that he would fight for his chances after her presidential term ended.

He felt a weight off his shoulders at that thought. His thoughts had strayed down that particular path at the sight of the Colony Disciplinary Order cruisers, and he remained lost in thought as he arrived at the store. He purchased all the materials he needed and was about to return to the academy when he realized the hotel he had gotten in exchange for a puppet was in the vicinity.

Let’s go take a look at my hotel. Wang Baole was tempted by the sudden thought and steered his cruiser away. He pulled out the deed and confirmed the hotel’s location to be opposite the other elites’ academy, the Fire Spirit Academy.

Battle-axe Hotel? Wang Baole glanced at the name of the hotel and found it a cool name. He thought about how this was the first property under his name. Spirits high, he quickened his pace towards the hotel.

He soon saw a towering pavilion over forty stories tall ahead of him in the distance. It took up quite a bit of land and had an air of majesty to it. An enormous battle-axe stood before the grand pavilion—it looked very impressive.

There were numerous cruisers parked beneath. Crowds of people, both male and female, entered and left the hotel. It was bustling with business.

Wang Baole was stunned by the sight. The scale of the hotel and the impressive display of the battle-axe blew him away. He could hardly believe his eyes. This was what he had gotten in exchange for his puppet.

This is why I like being friends with prodigals. Wang Baole’s mood improved immensely. He quickly parked his cruiser and got out. He was about to step into his hotel and take a look at how the business was coming along when he felt someone staring at him in the distance. He turned around and saw an expressionless bald person looking back at him…

I was wondering where the reflective light was coming from. It’s that baldy… Wang Baole was surprised when he saw the baldy. It was a familiar face.

The baldy was the disciple of the Ethereal Dao College’s Grand Supreme Elder, Li Wuchen!

Li Wuchen had fought against Wang Baole in the Combat Pavilion tournament and lost a few years ago. He didn’t expect to see Wang Baole here. He wasn’t pleased at all. The sight of Wang Baole reminded him of how he had lost his precious Spirit Blood… he glanced away and pretended he didn’t see Wang Baole.

“Baldy Chen, this is like meeting a familiar face in a foreign land. Why have you come to Mars?” Wang Baole didn’t expect to meet Li Wuchen here. He laughed and waved in greeting.

“Why, is the entire planet your home? Why should I have to let you know if I’m visiting?” Li Wuchen said coolly. It had been a while since he had left the college, and while he didn’t know why Wang Baole was on Mars, he had heard about what had happened in the Mystic Luna Realm. He remembered his current status then, and a flash of arrogance flickered in his eyes. He ignored Wang Baole and strolled into the Battle-axe Hotel.

Is he looking down on me? Wang Baole glared. He watched the young man step into his hotel and raised an eyebrow.