National Guardian's Gone and We're Done-Chapter 80: Why Would You Think This Is Human Progress?
A while back, Chu He had secretly left a hidden Primordial Spirit inside Xiao Cangqing, turning him into another set of eyes for Chu He and, more importantly, an invaluable source of intelligence between the New World Organization and the Great Jing Empire.
Xiao Cangqing’s existence was like a fish swimming in treacherous undercurrents, constantly reeling in precious information for Chu He.
During this time, the information he had gathered was diverse and priceless, proving just how wise Chu He’s decision to spare his life had been.
Not even the Great Xia Empire had learned about the treaty between the Lighthouse Empire and the Great Jing Empire in time, yet the New World Organization was already aware of it.
This forced Chu He to see the mysterious organization in a new light. It was far more formidable than he had ever imagined.
According to the intelligence from Xiao Cangqing, the news had spread quickly, right after the Lighthouse Empire’s envoy left Ji Shengyue.
Either the New World Organization’s spies had infiltrated the very core of the Lighthouse Empire, or there was a mole from the New World Organization among Ji Shengyue’s inner circle.
Chu He, sitting in his secret chamber, gave his head a slight shake, trying to clear the tangled web of thoughts.
At this moment, his attention was focused on the Golden Core floating before him.
This Golden Core was dense and reserved, looking like an ordinary piece of jade, but Chu He could clearly sense the terrifying fluctuations of power contained within.
It was like a miniature black hole, constantly devouring the surrounding Heaven and Earth Energy, then refining it into the purest, most flawless energy.
Chu He gazed at the Golden Core, his heart filled with anticipation.
He opened his mouth and slowly swallowed the Golden Core.
Instantly, a faint golden light appeared on the surface of his body, and his eyes erupted with a brilliant radiance.
His black hair danced in the air of the secret chamber, making him look like an Immortal in the middle of cultivation.
Chu He had this secret chamber specially built beneath his manor. The walls were made of a special material, so even if an explosion occurred inside, it wouldn’t have much of an impact on the outside world.
As the Golden Core entered his body, the Elemental Power within him began to surge wildly.
Drawn by an invisible force, it all rushed toward the Golden Core’s location.
The Golden Core mercilessly devoured this Elemental Power, rapidly refining it into an even purer form of energy.
This new energy coursed through Chu He’s body, bringing with it an unprecedented sensation.
He could clearly feel his strength rapidly increasing, as if he was about to break through some kind of bottleneck.
When Chu He opened his eyes again, his aura had undergone a world-shaking transformation.
He sat there cross-legged, appearing to be just an ordinary young man, yet his every subtle movement contained some profound, natural law of the universe.
He closed his eyes slightly, sensing the power surging within him.
An indescribable joy welled up in his heart.
"Compared to the Land Immortal realm, the Golden Core Realm is the true transformation."
Chu He remarked softly.
He stood up, and with a flicker of his form, vanished from the underground chamber, reappearing on the manor’s lawn.
"Mr. Chu, where did you just come from?"
Liu Yuzhu’s voice broke the surrounding silence.
She had appeared at just that moment and was startled to see Chu He materialize out of nowhere.
Chu He turned to Liu Yuzhu. "Is something the matter?"
Liu Yuzhu explained, "Mr. Chu, have you forgotten? Today is the inauguration day for the new dean of the National Road Academy. The ceremony starts in a little over half an hour. I’ve been looking all over the manor for you, but I didn’t see you leave."
Realization dawned on Chu He, and he nodded. "Oh, right. That’s today."
He checked the time; he really couldn’t delay any longer.
"If you’re ready, let’s get in the car."
Liu Yuzhu pointed to a luxury sedan parked inside the manor.
Chu He nodded and walked toward the car with her.
...
The National Road Academy was located in the heart of the Great Xia Empire’s Royal City, a bustling area with heavy traffic and endless streams of people.
Today, it was especially lively, because Chu He was about to become the new dean of the National Road Academy.
Thanks to a deliberate promotional campaign by the Great Xia Empire’s officials, the news had already spread throughout the entire Empire.
The students of the National Road Academy, in particular, were ecstatic.
They had long since heard of Chu He’s great name—the man hailed as Blue Star’s strongest expert.
His appointment as dean of the National Road Academy would undoubtedly boost the academy’s reputation and status immensely.
Ever since the Lighthouse Empire published its authoritative ranking of Blue Star’s Martial Arts Academies, all the various Martial Artist Academies had been striving to improve their positions.
A higher ranking meant the academy could attract higher-quality students and would also receive more resources and favor from the Empire.
A series of bombshell announcements from the Lighthouse Empire a while back, along with the new form of warfare they had waged against the Date Palm Empire using bizarre devices, had made one thing clear to all the empires: the development of Martial Artists was the future of human empires.
Therefore, the inauguration ceremony for the National Road Academy’s new dean was not just a major event for the academy itself, but also a symbol of the Great Xia Empire’s great emphasis on and expectations for the future development of Martial Artists.
When the sedan carrying Chu He slowly drove into the National Road Academy, it came to a steady stop in the designated spot. The door opened, and he stepped out calmly.
Reporters who had been waiting on both sides of the road began frantically snapping pictures. The flashes of their cameras were like a starfield, dazzling even under the bright sunlight.
Unfazed, Chu He walked forward calmly.
To better assist Chu He in handling the academy’s affairs, Liu Yuzhu had also taken a position at the institution.
Under Liu Yuzhu’s guidance, Chu He was introduced to the academy’s leadership one by one before slowly walking up to the podium.
Seated below were the four thousand students of the National Road Academy. Their gazes, a mixture of excitement, curiosity, and anticipation, were all fixed on Chu He.
This Martial Artist Academy was actually converted from a university that existed before the Evil Spirit invasion, and it still retained the freshman to senior year structure.
Chu He stood at the podium, his gaze sweeping across the audience. "Hello, everyone.
I trust you are all familiar with my name, so I won’t waste time with a long-winded introduction.
I know you all have a lot of questions, so feel free to ask anything now."
The moment he finished speaking, a staff member with a microphone began selecting students who had their hands raised to ask questions.
A male student stood up, holding the microphone, and seemed somewhat agitated. "Respected Dean Chu, the Lighthouse Empire just released a research report today claiming that humanity’s hope lies in fusing with Evil Spirits.
They also claim to have relatively mature fusion technology and are encouraging its global adoption.
I was wondering if our National Road Academy will be promoting it?"
Chu He shook his head, his expression firm. "We will not.
I believe humanity’s future lies in pursuing the pinnacle of Martial Arts.
Fusing humans with Evil Spirits, while it may grant immense power and increase efficiency in the short term, and though no significant drawbacks have yet been discovered, I do not believe this fusion is flawless."
The male student seemed unwilling to let it go and pressed on, "Dean Chu, are you worried that if humans stop pursuing Martial Arts Power, academies like the National Road Academy will no longer have a reason to exist?
Ever since the Evil Spirit invasion, humanity has been stuck at the King-level realm for a very, very long time.
But the Lighthouse Empire, by developing this human-Evil Spirit fusion technology, has successfully unlocked the potential for humans to break past the King-level.
Shouldn’t we embrace this form of human progress?"
Chu He retorted, "And why do you believe this is human progress?"
Among the academy’s leaders, a bald man was sneering to himself.
The student, of course, was one he had specifically arranged. He couldn’t wait to see Chu He’s answer stir up even more controversy and debate.
