Chapter 179: Ninth-Rank Myth?

After listening.

On the meditation cushion, Lu Yuan's expression was calm, and he nodded slightly:

"Very good. It seems this Council Meeting can be held on time; there is no need to postpone it."

Originally, after the great upheaval in Tianjing, turmoil and chaos spread throughout Shenzhou, with the flames of war rising everywhere. Not only were there countless Golden Clan people in the Coastal areas putting up desperate resistance with the support of foreign powers, but various ambitious individuals and warlords also emerged one after another, throwing the world into a state of total chaos.

Under normal circumstances, even if the Han people of the world worked together and supported one another, it would have taken at least three to five months and a huge price to pacify such a situation.

However, after Lu Yuan single-handedly annihilated the Rizhao Fleet half a month ago, such earth-shattering combat results crushed the courage of all rebels and ambitious individuals. Most of the Jin People Cities in various provinces that had been putting up desperate resistance chose to surrender; thus, it could be said that the world was now settled.

"I never imagined that in our lifetime, we would actually be able to see the day when the Han dynasty's territory is completely recovered."

Among those who came to report were more than ten Han officials who had originally held high positions. The leader, an old man with graying hair and a resolute face, stepped forward in excitement and spoke:

"May I ask the Immortal Master, once the world is pacified and the new dynasty is re-established, can those humiliating treaties we signed under the armed coercion of foreign powers all be abolished?

The Jin Dynasty previously allowed foreign powers to establish Concessions in Jinjin, Shangdu, and other places, and to control the ports; furthermore, Rizhao occupied Dawan and the Ryukyu islands, while Sha'e occupied vast swathes of our land in Ximo and Liaodong. All these are eternal shames for our Han people, and it is time to demand their return. Although I am old, I am willing to lead the troops to die on the battlefield before I am buried, to recover our Han homeland!"

After the old official finished speaking, the other Han officials responded one after another.

The old official was named Zuo Guanglie, who had served as the Governor of Hedong and Xijiang. He was a rare capable official before the fall of the Jin Dynasty. Not only did he govern with benevolence and order while in local office, but he also had the great achievements of managing the Yellow River floods and recovering parts of the border territories, enjoying extremely high prestige in the imperial court and among the people.

Lu Yuan smiled:

"Do not be anxious; the road must be walked one step at a time."

"The primary task now is to establish the national system, then reorganize the military and government, and restore the people's livelihood in all regions. Only after everything is on the right track will it be time to settle old scores."

"Regarding the national system, how have your discussions gone?"

Although it was a matter of summoning representatives from all provinces to the capital for discussion, in reality, such a major event could not possibly be left to hundreds of people to argue about noisily for half a day without any guaranteed result. Zuo Guanglie glanced at disciples like Chen Zhantang and said slowly:

"We have discussed it many times with the Immortal Master's disciples. We have a rough outline for abolishing the imperial system and implementing elections. It is tentatively decided to let each province elect representatives to form a Council, which will have the power to enact laws and supervise the Cabinet, and will also be able to vote to elect or impeach Cabinet ministers and the head of state."

As the old official Zuo Guanglie expounded on the results of the discussions held over these days, Lu Yuan listened with a smile on his face.

In the current world, whether it be the foreign powers or other nations, they are either constitutional monarchies or feudal imperial dictatorships.

Yet, under his will, disciples like Chen Zhantang and Zhao Shuhua, along with these Han officials, had actually proposed the prototype of a republic, which was truly interesting.

In a world with a touch of the extraordinary, where the common people were still in a state of numbness and their minds were uncultivated, coming up with such a system was clearly somewhat ahead of its time. However, as a cultivator, Lu Yuan had plenty of time and means to slowly observe and adjust.

After Zuo Guanglie finished speaking, he could not help but nod:

"Very good. You have all worked hard. Let it be as you have planned. Being able to reshape the universe, stabilize the world, and allow hundreds of millions of people to live and work in peace depends on all of you."

Zuo Guanglie and the other officials hurriedly bowed:

"We dare not."

With that, the report ended, and the group respectfully took their leave.

After these people left, Lu Yuan sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion, gazing at the blue sky outside the great hall, his thoughts stirring:

【Qi Luck】: 49,339 units

In the half month since the annihilation of the Rizhao fleet, the Qi Luck had continued to soar like a rocket, and now it was approaching the 50,000 mark!

As a cultivator, he had labored and traveled, and even personally entered the fray to deal with the Rizhao fleet; it was, after all, not in vain.

"Fifty thousand Qi Luck, half has already been saved. I wonder how much more can be added when the world is completely changed and the new nation is re-established..."

Lu Yuan appreciated the numbers fed back by the Heavenly Book and smiled:

"Come to think of it, if I were to become this Emperor myself, the Qi Luck might increase even more; or perhaps I could sweep across the whole world, beating the Tsar and the Pope until they kneel in submission—then 100,000 Qi Luck should be gathered very quickly."

Of course, this thought was just a passing fancy.

Although he now stood at the absolute peak of this world, with no rivals in Shenzhou or any other continent or country, his Refining Essence into Qi cultivation was still not enough to cross the ocean, penetrate the heart of every country, and beat up their strongest experts; that would be too arrogant and somewhat risky.

Moreover, since the International Martial Arts Tournament, various miscellaneous matters had been a distraction, and these past two months had seriously delayed his cultivation. Therefore, he planned to go into closed-door meditation for a while after the national system was established and the world was pacified, before considering anything else.

At this thought.

Lu Yuan closed his eyes slightly, and under a gust of wind, the great hall doors slowly closed, and he once again fell into a state of silent meditation.

At the same time.

On Dawan Island, occupied by the Rizhao people.

In a heavily guarded military camp, an extraordinary emergency meeting was being held.

"Gentlemen, we do not have much time left to waste."

At the three-party meeting table, the contemporary Great Priest Ueda Masaaki said coldly:

"The Jin Dynasty has already fallen, and our plan to foster puppets has completely failed. According to intelligence, in half a month they will hold a Council Meeting and are highly likely to completely overturn all previously signed treaties, causing our three parties' interests to suffer great damage. Have you still not made a decision?"

After the translation was conveyed, opposite him, Alexeyevich of Sha'e Country said expressionlessly:

"What is the rush? I know your Rizhao fleet lost a quarter of its strength, so you are impatient to retaliate, but your plan is too risky and has not received the approval of His Majesty the Tsar."

"Not received approval?"

Ueda Masaaki's expression was stern: "That Lu Yuan has now become an unprecedented threat. If he unifies the country, he will cause the sleeping dragon of Shenzhou to wake up completely. How much territory have you and I occupied in Shenzhou? If we do not want to spit it out, we must go to war with them. In that case, it is better to strike first and crush them completely with overwhelming force while their internal situation is not yet fully stabilized!"

Alexeyevich sneered:

"So you want our Majesty Alexander I, and the contemporary Pope of the Shenluo Holy See, such noble figures, to personally go to Shenzhou to surround and kill that Lu Yuan?

Do not indulge in wishful thinking. According to our domestic assessment, that monster must have already surpassed the eighth-realm cultivation level. Even with your Shrine Master, the chance of victory is at most around fifty percent.

There is absolutely no need to implement such odds. It is fine if you like to take risks, but do you want to drag the other two noble lords to risk their lives with you? We Sha'e people do not have such a gambling nature as you!"

Ueda Masaaki was silent for a moment, then took a deep breath and said:

"Are you content to watch them rise and then spit out all the benefits that are already in your mouths? Are you not curious about how that monster broke through the human limit to reach such an inconceivable level?

We have always believed that no matter how strong that monster is, he is only one person, and we have enough weapons, warriors who do not fear death, and experts. As long as we are ruthless enough to use one thousand, ten thousand, or even one hundred thousand lives to pile up, it is not certain that we cannot kill him!"

At this argument, even Alexeyevich's expression changed:

"You lunatics, do you think that monster is a wooden stake that doesn't move, just standing there waiting for you to kill him? With his methods, he can silently infiltrate the army to carry out decapitation strikes, easily causing the majority of the army to collapse. What is there to talk about piling up lives?"

Ueda Masaaki could not refute this and could only look at Abraham from the Shenluo Holy See:

"Shenluo is the world's number one power, and the Pope has long been called a Human Saint and the strongest in the world. Do you have no thoughts on this, and will you just watch that monster grow?"

Abraham said indifferently:

"It is a pity that His Majesty the Pope does not approve of your plan either, but that monster is about to rule Shenzhou, preventing the gospel of the Lord of Heaven from continuing to spread, which is also something he does not wish to see."

"Oh?"

Ueda Masaaki's gaze shifted:

"Then what does your side's Pope intend to do?"

"His Majesty the Pope means that it is indeed necessary for our three parties to unite to deal with that monster, but not now."

Abraham said proudly:

"His Majesty the Pope has already found a way to deal with that monster, but it still requires a long time to prepare. Before that, our three parties must endure for the time being, until His Majesty the Pope's preparations are complete."

Ueda Masaaki immediately pressed:

"Preparation? May I ask what kind of preparation?"

Abraham smiled slightly: "It is nothing, just a power sufficient to make the ocean tremble and the sky wail. Possessing this power, one can slay that monster."

Hmm?

Hearing this, Alexeyevich's eyes suddenly narrowed, and he asked in shock:

"What do you mean? Has your Pope found a way to break through the Eighth Rank life limit?"

Once these words were spoken, Ueda Masaaki was also terrified:

"Cultivating the Ninth Stage? Isn't that an existence that only appeared in the early Middle Ages? It has been extinct for over five thousand years now. How could your Pope..."

Abraham laughed aloud and said dismissively: "What is impossible? You do not need to guess. I cannot reveal too much right now; you will know when the time comes."

Alexeyevich and Ueda Masaaki exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with unconcealable shock and suspicion.

At their status, they naturally knew that nine is the limit of numbers; in recorded human history, the true peak of cultivation is actually not the Eighth Rank, but the Ninth Stage.

But unlike the Eighth Rank, where strong individuals have truly appeared in the history of various countries, the Ninth Stage is more like an incredibly distant, illusory legend and myth. Their top experts have studied it and believe that in the current environment of heaven and earth, it is impossible for humans to reach that level.

Unable to suppress the shock in his heart, Alexeyevich could not help but ask:

"How long does your Pope need to prepare?"

Very satisfied with the effect he had created, Abraham said proudly:

"Not long, just about a year. When His Majesty the Pope finishes his preparations, he will notify you all. That will be the time to completely eliminate that monster. Of course, the assistance of the strongest from your two countries will also be indispensable then. I hope the two of you can inform them in advance."

Alexeyevich and Ueda Masaaki could only suppress the shock and suspicion in their hearts:

"Fine."

No one knew of the secret meeting of the three parties on such an island.

Time passed day by day.

By now, the vast majority of provinces in Shenzhou had been basically pacified, and they had obediently followed Lu Yuan's requirements, selecting representatives from military, political, and civilian circles to set off together for Tianjing.

The day of the conference drew near.

Hundreds of representatives from various provinces arrived in Tianjing one after another, checked into the relay stations, and waited for the official opening of the conference.

In Tianjing City, which had already undergone a baptism, the thousands of commoners were all full of joy. In the streets, alleys, teahouses, and wine shops, everyone was discussing:

"Hey, have you heard? Word has come out from the palace that although this political conference hasn't opened yet, it has already been decided to completely abolish the imperial system. From now on, there will be no more Emperor in this world!"

"If there is no Emperor, how will the government rule the world? Why didn't that Immortal take the Emperor's place?"

"What nonsense are you spouting? Sitting in the Hall of Supreme Harmony to rule the world is just something mortals dream of; to an Immortal, that's worth nothing!"

"Exactly, exactly! I heard that the Immortal looks like he's only in his early twenties, but he has actually lived for over a thousand years. He only walked out of his deep mountain cave this year, and upon seeing Shenzhou under the rule of the Jin Dynasty become such a ghost of a place, he waved his sleeve and directly made the Jin Dynasty vanish into dust!"

"The Immortal has descended to save the common people of the world from fire and water. How fortunate we are..."

"That's right. I also heard from the Immortal's disciples that in the future Shenzhou, not only will there be no Emperor, but there will be no more masters or servants. The goal of the political conference is not just to let the people of the world have enough to eat and wear, but also to let children have books to read. From then on, generation after generation, everyone will be reasonable and everyone will have dignity!"

"Enough to eat and wear, reading books and being reasonable, having dignity—this is a world like a dream. Perhaps the Immortal ruling the world can really achieve it...?"

After experiencing the bloody turmoil of over a month ago, the commoners of the entire Tianjing City, from peddlers to laborers, all felt as if their bodies and minds had been baptized, having a sense of pride and relief like serfs standing up to become masters.

After all, most of the commoners had released years of forbearance and humiliation during that turmoil, and with Lu Yuan, a true human Immortal, as their faith, the shackles in their hearts had been completely broken, and they quickly accepted the new ideas widely spread among the people by Chen Zhantang and other disciples.

Nowadays, even the homeless beggars on the streets have begun to look forward to the opening of the political conference, and to the birth of a brand-new world.