Chapter 278

The brightly lit conference hall was packed with people, yet there was no noisy sound—it seemed empty; in fact, everyone was stunned by the recent news and orders, unable to recover.

Their brains momentarily glitched, their expressions turned dazed, and they still hadn't figured out what was going on.

If it weren't for the many senior leaders present—some even their direct superiors—the discussion would have been loud enough to overturn the entire hall!

Only those who knew the truth saw their faces darken further, instinctively glancing toward Hua Tiancheng, Qi Hai, and Zhao En.

After seeing their affirmative gaze, as if grasping something, they felt their head spin—still holding onto a slim hope, thinking perhaps things weren't yet at their worst and there might still be room to maneuver.

But now, seeing the situation, everything is self-evident.

Such a grand move must have been approved by the senior leaders; the authorities have already confirmed that the earlier reports about the Longyuan Mountain monsters were all true!

Thinking of this, the senior leaders felt breathless, as if a heavenly and earthly catastrophe were imminent, and all humanity would suffer.

Someone's face turned pale as they slowly clenched their fists; from exerting too much force, their fingers became deformed.

By this point, even the mid-level leaders in the hall who were unaware also sensed something amiss; after a brief moment of thought, they quickly reacted.

To hold such a position, one must certainly have some wit and connections.

After all, recently there have been incessant actions from above and various strange orders, enough to arouse their suspicion; although the news was blocked, someone still keenly sensed something.

Seeing their usually placid direct superiors now pale-faced, they vaguely guessed something, and their expressions showed a hint of shock.

The elder on stage had no intention of giving a detailed explanation; he continued speaking.

"The upcoming plan is also the most important plan of this meeting; the earlier ones were merely groundwork for it."

His eyes were full of resolve, his words carrying an unprecedented vigor: "After this meeting, our nation will establish a special department named the Non-Natural Cultivation Bureau!"

"The Non-Natural Cultivation Bureau holds the highest command authority of Great Xia, can adjust and deploy all national forces; here we appoint Hua Tiancheng as director, Qi Hai and Zhao En as deputy directors."

"They will search nationwide and recruit those who can cultivate; next they will establish a Cultivation Academy in Wu Du, with Hua Tiancheng as its president."

"This academy will invite many monsters from the Longyuan Mountain range to enter and teach courses."

"The examinees who showed various abnormalities in the previous college entrance exam will become the academy's first batch of students."

One after another, orders came from the old man's mouth; hearing them, even the slowest to react grasped what was happening, trying hard to digest the huge amount of information.

Faced with the doubtful responsibility, the old man didn't offer much explanation; instead, Hua Tiancheng stepped forward, holding a document that detailed many matters, including the full account of the Longyuan Mountain monsters.

He spoke in great detail, from the various anomalies that first appeared in the Longyuan Mountain range, to the eventual nationwide radiation, plus the later mountain‑city meeting, as well as the Earth‑Heaven Catastrophe plan, the college entrance exam trial, and so on.

Each matter was recounted by him; the listeners below stared agape, while the informed senior leaders were fine, but the mid‑level officials opened their mouths so wide they could almost fit an egg inside.

These things were simply more shocking than anything they had heard before, leaving them unable to believe it all.

Had it not been for the familiar surroundings of the Supreme Council Hall and many familiar senior leaders present, they would almost have suspected they were dreaming.

No one could any longer doubt the truth of Hua Tiancheng's words; since the authorities had laid bare the facts, everything was out in the open and the truth was self‑evident.

After they came to their senses, they couldn't help but shudder.

The information contained was immense; various shocks flooded their minds—the cultivation civilization, the establishment of the Signal Tower, the arrival of the Earth's catastrophe!

No wonder such a massive move was required!

All the previous strange measures now have a reasonable explanation!

Faced with this shocking news, even those who usually had seen many storms couldn't help but show flustered expressions.

Looking at the expressions of the crowd below, Hua Tiancheng was not surprised; after all, learning such explosive news, if one weren't shocked, that would be strange.

"As for the Earth‑Heaven Catastrophe, for now we cannot let the public know; if we disclosed it now, it would surely trigger unimaginable turmoil."

"What we need is a subtle, gradual change, to prepare the public psychologically, step by step, letting them slowly accept it; when the time is ripe, announcing everything will not be too late."

Hua Tiancheng, holding the document, spoke solemnly: "So I hope everyone will keep the contents of this meeting firmly in mind and never leak them; this plan concerns the whole of Daxia, even the safety of human civilization, and allows no slip‑up whatsoever."

The other mid‑ and senior leaders looked grave; such matters indeed cannot be disclosed directly to the masses; we must first do psychological groundwork, otherwise we are destined to cause unimaginable turmoil.

After all, they themselves felt an unprecedented despair and oppression upon hearing this, let alone the ordinary populace.

Changes in Earth's orbit, sudden drastic shifts in weather, followed by a cascade of disasters—just these alone are enough to drive people to drink.

It's hard to guarantee what chaos would erupt if the populace knew; if exploited by ill‑intentioned people, it could spark greater panic, disrupt social order, create a vicious cycle, and with internal and external troubles it would truly be difficult to handle.

All kinds of disasters befalling Earth; thinking of this, the atmosphere in the hall grew heavy and oppressive.

Everyone felt a sword hanging over their heads, ready to fall at any moment, but clearly this was not the time for panic or tension.

Anyone able to sit in this position is no ordinary person; they quickly adjusted their mindset.

In the ensuing proceedings, Hua Tiancheng raised many questions, and the various regional representatives present also spoke up, one after another finalizing or supplementing various decisions.

"I think that besides universities, elementary and middle schools could also incorporate the cultivation methods; as the old saying goes, 'Start training the young while they're still children.'"

"The cultivation methods of the Longyuan Mountain monsters surely aren't limited to this; perhaps they have techniques suited for the young, and we could communicate more with them."

"As long as it can be cultivated, even the most basic is fine; ideally we should popularize it among all the people, and for promotion we could use the pretext of strengthening the body."

This proposal won the approval of many senior officials; an old man in a dark‑blue Tang suit slowly spoke:

"Earlier, the research team had surveyed Longyuan Mountain and seen animals with strange postures; now it seems they were practicing basic cultivation methods—if animals can cultivate, there's no reason humans couldn't learn it."

"Since the Longyuan Mountain range possesses such a simple cultivation method, we ought to be able to obtain it; if we can't get it, we should trade for it, sparing no expense."

"Not bad; this way we can not only strengthen self‑defense but also screen suitable talents to send to the Cultivation Academy for further study."

"The over‑100 people selected earlier by the college entrance exam should have good talent; in that case, let Wu Du University issue them admission notices with full scholarships to enroll, then transfer them to the Cultivation Academy."

"Besides that, our overseas students and many scientific researchers should also be urgently summoned back."

After several plans and schemes were finalized, by the time the many meeting participants emerged, it was already late afternoon, half the day gone.

Yet they did not rest a moment; they all sprang into action.

The Supernatural Cultivation Bureau was also quickly established; Hua Tiancheng, Qi Hai, Zhao En and others selected some politically clean officers from the various military districts and transferred them into the bureau.

Moreover, personnel from the 749 Bureau were also incorporated; the 749 Bureau specializes in handling special incidents, and having previously dealt with Longyuan Mountain on multiple occasions, they are quite experienced.

Once these appointed personnel took office, Hua Tiancheng instructed them to issue a proclamation calling on overseas students and talented individuals worldwide to return to the motherland.

"You are responsible for contacting the relevant departments and releasing the news; our country will launch a plan urging all Daxia citizens to return home."

Just that one sentence caused many faces to shift slightly; it's hard to imagine the international reaction once this news is released.

It should be known that summoning the people of Great Xia to return home only occurred during the most difficult early days of the nation's founding.

And now it is actually being issued again!

But they quickly realized that a major global catastrophe was imminent, and summoning the people to return home was merely to better protect them.

"Understood!"

The 749 Bureau holds all dispatching authority; this order, from issuance to implementation, even the very establishment of the 749 Bureau itself, took only half a day.

But the capability it demonstrated was confirmed immediately.

In just half an hour, all social media across Great Xia couldn't post a single latest news item.

【Great Xia Official】

【In response to the bureau's order, our country begins planning to enter a new era; Bureau Chief Hua Tiancheng comrade instructs that the people of Great Xia are an inseparable part of Great Xia, and all overseas Great Xia personnel should return home as soon as possible.】

【For overseas personnel returning home, our country provides compensation and treatment according to relevant policies.】

As soon as this news was posted, it quickly topped the hot lists on all of Great Xia's social media; in a short time it garnered many reposts and comments, exceeding ten thousand instantly!

"What's going on, calling overseas personnel back? To enter a new era, the official's words are so mysterious."

"The person upstairs is a bit overreacting; our country is developing so rapidly—what are those people doing abroad? Of course it's best to return to one's hometown; what's wrong with contributing to the construction of our own country?"

"This explanation is spot-on, the demeanor of a great nation—no need for more words; brothers and sisters overseas, come back, this land has long since changed beyond recognition."

"But I always feel it's rather sudden; I recall Hua Tiancheng was one of the several regional heads, right? When did he become bureau chief? Yet he can actually issue such a large-scale order."

"Maybe he got promoted, but I'm more curious—what exactly does the official intend to do? Enter a new era?"

Countless comments are still growing wildly, but most are optimistic and supportive of this policy.

At the same time, Great Xia embassies distributed worldwide swiftly began acting, sending this news via text message to the phones of all overseas students and personnel.

Upon seeing this message, many overseas students and personnel were somewhat dumbfounded.

A large-scale summoning from the motherland?

Such a thing has never happened before!

Countless people looked astonished, not knowing what had happened, and hurriedly called to inquire; that day, the phones of Great Xia embassies in various countries were almost blown up.

Starting from that day, the news of Great Xia summoning numerous overseas personnel to return almost also topped global hot searches.

What is Great Xia up to? Suddenly summoning overseas citizens to return?

Many countries felt puzzled, after all, such a scale was unprecedented, having occurred only during Great Xia's early founding.

Faced with these doubts and surprised voices, the Great Xia foreign affairs department had no intention of explaining or paying heed.

Now Great Xia wants to gather overseas citizens to return—whose consent is still needed?

At this moment, inside the 749 Bureau, Hua Tiancheng is still coordinating everything.

"Never mind the various countries' probing and inquiries; next we will open Great Xia's rare resources to exchange for food, steel, fuel, and many other basic materials!"

Although Great Xia's grain reserves are now ample, and it is a major grain exporter, even if grain were cut off now, it would still be enough to feed over a billion people for more than a year.

But since food is heaven to the people, who would complain about having too much?

When heavenly and earthly catastrophe descends, we don't know how the environment will worsen; various disasters will come one after another, and grain yields will surely be greatly reduced.

Food is absolutely paramount; as for cotton, steel, etc., they are even more important.

The former can keep out the cold, the latter can build shelters; they are the simplest and most sturdy means of defense against disaster!

This will surely cause a great stir worldwide.

Great Xia announces that in the coming time it will export rare resources without restriction, but requires exchange for food, steel, cotton, etc.

As expected, almost the moment the notice was issued, relevant departments of countries worldwide were stunned!

They rubbed their eyes, hardly believing what they saw.

"Good God, what is Great Xia doing? Exchanging rare earth for grain! Today really isn't April Fools' Day, is it?"

Many global diplomatic personnel carefully examined the message released by the Great Xia embassy, showing astonished expressions, even doubting whether they had woken up today.

When they took a closer look, their hearts almost skipped a beat.

It's actually true!

Great Xia exports rare resources without limit, but requires exchange for food, steel, fuel, coal, etc.; this is practically a surefire profit!

Seeing this, many countries worldwide are thrilled to the point of going crazy!

You should know that Great Xia possesses countless rare resources, such as rare earth and black gold, each of which is vital and indispensable for global industrial development.

Previously, Great Xia strictly controlled these materials, after all they are non-renewable resources, each small piece requiring stringent screening; yet now it has completely opened trade.

Most importantly, one only needs to exchange using these commonplace items—food and steel!

It's not that these things aren't important; it's just that compared to those rare resources, they seem rather ordinary.

Upon seeing the news, all countries immediately began acting; even out of worry that Great Xia might renege, countries like Miguo specially had their foreign affairs spokespeople speak, meeting with Great Xia in front of all nations.

Once they confirmed that this was all true and that they had indeed obtained rare resources in exchange for grain, over half of the world's countries sprang into action, frantically gathering grain, steel, etc. domestically to trade for Great Xia's rare resources.

Vast amounts of grain and steel poured into Great Xia.

Faced with the frenzied exchanges of countries worldwide, the many rare resources already mined by Great Xia were sold out in a short time.

"We have no inventory left; everything has been exchanged, and we are now intensifying mining."

Great Xia's foreign affairs department hastily issued an emergency notice.

Even so, many countries paid no heed; countless giant cargo ships crossed the ocean, laden with innumerable grain and steel.

"No problem, we can pre-order—half a year, no, as long as we pay within a year it's fine!"

"Exactly, our Shenzhao country is also doing so, using three thousand tons of grain to pre-order the rare earth resources mined by Great Xia."

"I too have pre-ordered! We have already received this grain, which can no longer be replanted; Great Xia must conduct honest trade!"

Although we don't know what's up with Great Xia, not taking advantage of a bargain would be foolish.

Being able to exchange these common resources for rare ones is absolutely a huge gain for them.

Countries vied with each other to make reservations; facing all this, the Greater Xia diplomatic staff could only reluctantly agree, "Alright, then I'll draft a reservation contract."

The diplomatic officials in charge from various countries carefully examined the agreement, confirmed there were no problems, happily signed their names, and then left satisfied.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the Greater Xia diplomatic staff, who wore worried faces, almost burst with joy in their hearts.

Even if rare resources are precious, the heavenly and earthly catastrophe is imminent; no matter how precious, they would be useless, so it's better to exchange these essential living resources.

In fact, the Greater Xia High Officials had considered informing other countries of the heavenly and earthly disaster, but ultimately they still gave up.

They are not saints; facing such a huge disaster, they can only prioritize protecting their own country.

If the news were to leak worldwide, it would cause unimaginable upheaval; should any serious consequences arise, affecting Greater Xia's internal stability, they would surely regret it deeply.

Worse still, it could be exploited by terrorists, or an extreme regime could emerge.

Greater Xia dare not gamble; at this critical juncture, they cannot afford any mishap—they are barely managing themselves, where would they find the leisure to attend to other countries?

(End of chapter)