This is what an immortal should be like

Chapter 257 The Awakening of Mortals

The day after the excavation of an "antique" was completed, Xiong Xuguang and the soldiers of the reconnaissance platoon also came out of Yinxian Valley.

They submitted a large amount of written records and simple drawings, and personally participated in the subsequent excavation work.

During their ten-plus-day journey through ancient sites, the three groups each buried a total of twelve relics based on the places they visited and the urgency of the time. The excavation work also targeted these relics.

A week later, at the Kyoto Bureau of Investigation headquarters, Li Kai reported the situation to relevant personnel who were concerned about the matter via conference and video signal.

Although the excavation work is still ongoing, the basic framework has already been established.

"With no expense spared, after nearly a week of excavation, a total of five antique artifacts were unearthed."

The remaining seven sites have remained undiscovered due to changes in the terrain and some possible human factors.

But even these five instances are enough to illustrate a great deal.

The meeting room has been equipped with a new electronic screen, instead of the projection screen that was used before.

As they spoke, Li Kai asked the staff to switch the images on the screen.

"They are, respectively, the emblem of the Great Yan state, a 9mm bullet casing, a plastic button, a stone slab with a casual inscription, and a grenade pull ring. These are comparison pictures of them before and after they were unearthed."

On the screen, the most prominent thing is the national emblem. When it was first unearthed, the paint on it was still brightly colored, but it began to oxidize and fade in a short time. Now, only the color of the copper alloy blended with the years remains.

Everyone in the meeting, and even those watching the screen outside the meeting, maintained a considerable degree of restraint and silence at this moment.

It's not that these bigwigs are really that rational, but rather that everyone already knew these facts before the report was even given.

"Besides verifying previous spacetime conjectures, this process also verified something that had been overlooked before!"

Li Kai's voice involuntarily rose a few decibels; for someone as known for his rationality as him, this was a rare loss of composure.

Many experts and scholars from the Bureau of Investigation were also sitting upright at this moment.

Li Kai took a deep breath before speaking.

"Based on the information provided by Xiong Xuguang and the soldiers of the reconnaissance platoon, there are significant differences in the terrain and land area between ancient and modern times!"

This information was not known to everyone; some people present were hearing it for the first time, so they were surprised and even somewhat confused about the specific meaning of the statement.

However, everyone knew that Li Kai would explain himself, but he didn't continue immediately. Instead, he took another deep breath to calm himself down.

"The furthest point from Hidden Immortal Valley where we excavated the artifacts was about 500 kilometers away. But according to Xiong Xuguang and others, the actual distance they trekked was quite far. Even though the transportation conditions were poor, they still had a basic sense of the road and calculated the distance relatively accurately every day."

"According to them, with the help of magical arts, the furthest distance they could reach was over two thousand kilometers, and without the help of magical arts, it was eight hundred kilometers."

"Gentlemen, this is not an isolated case, but a common occurrence. Every time a group buries a token, they record the distance to the ground, the response time, and the surrounding environment."

"The measured distances for almost every token differ significantly between modern and ancient methods, by at least double, and in some cases by nearly double."

Upon hearing the words "leave," many people in the conference room and behind the screen changed their expressions. Scholars with deep historical knowledge, such as Kuang Wenlan, who were around him, showed signs of excitement and even some difficulty in controlling themselves.

Li Kai also tried his best to remain calm.

"This experiment is important and accurate because it not only verifies the tokens but also verifies historical records!"

"Dear colleagues, leaders, and comrades!"

Li Kai's voice rose several octaves once again.

“Everyone here has received higher education, and I think everyone is aware of the current state of historiography. Every colleague who studies history has probably encountered some kind of predicament. Ms. Kuang, what do you think?”

Kuang Wenlan, standing beside him, was not intimidated at all and stood up to utter the term.

"That's right, this is an unavoidable problem in contemporary historiography, known as the 'mystery of historical paths.' Specifically, it can be explained that the distances between places represented by some geographical terms in history are often quite different from those in modern times. We often use changes in units of measurement to explain this, but there are still many things that cannot be explained!"

"Now, the truth seems to have been revealed in our experiment. Historical changes in weights and measures certainly exist, but they are not as exaggerated as some have suggested. The mystery of the path exists because the world has been shrinking from ancient times to the present!"

The world is shrinking!

These words caused an uproar, and many bigwigs listening behind their screens also took a deep breath.

Everyone here is intelligent, and almost all of them have figured out the key point.

The connection between heaven and earth is severed, all life withers and dies, and the world reaches its end!
"Thank you, Ms. Kuang. This verification is neither complicated nor difficult. It can almost match up with many historical mysteries. Many of those disappeared places and cities can be explained by this!"

"I believe that the historical beacons planted by Comrade Xiong Xuguang and his colleagues may not all be lost; some may have been submerged in the collapse of the world!"

"Of course, I'm a physicist, and collapse is a term I like to use, but everyone knows what it means!"

Li Kai paused before continuing.

"The connection between heaven and earth is severed, all spirits wither and die, and the world reaches its limit! The contents of the Xuan Turtle Shell have been further verified at this moment. The course of history is not only recorded in history books, but also the process in which spiritual energy begins to thin and dissipate. The withering and die of all spirits is not just a problem for mortals like us and some animals who are unable to cultivate!"

“In metaphysics, it is said that all things have a spirit, and heaven and earth have a spirit. I think at this moment, it should be very clear that heaven and earth are dying.” The words “heaven and earth are dying” struck everyone’s heart like a heavy hammer.

It's a very peculiar feeling, not just psychological, but more like a kind of sympathy that comes from the depths of the soul knowing this reality.

"And there is reason to believe that in this era where spiritual energy is almost dissipated, the rate of death will accelerate at some point!"

"Yes, it's not linear! Although it may appear to be linear historically, believe me, it is absolutely not linear!"

Li Kai pushed up his glasses, unaware that his voice was trembling slightly.

"Just like some common occurrences in physics, our world has a limit! When that limit is exceeded, it collapses."

"The collapse will quickly turn into a breakdown!"

It doesn't use any mystical or esoteric terms; everyone can understand it.

"This process will be much faster and more terrifying than we imagine. I can't predict exactly when it will happen, but personally, I don't want it to."

At this point, the first interruption signal came on – a big shot who wasn't present at the meeting was quickly shown on the big screen.

"Dr. Li, you said it's impossible to make an accurate prediction, so is it possible to make a rough estimate?"

Li Kai thought for a moment and nodded, then said.

"I believe this event will likely occur at a crucial juncture, most likely around the time the Confucian immortal ascends to immortality."

After a slight pause in his ambiguous statement, Li Kai continued to add.

"If he fails to ascend."

"That will be a huge gamble. If it succeeds, the world will be reopened and the spiritual energy will be reversed, which will also bring about the revival of all living beings in our world. If it fails, it will lead to utter annihilation, the collapse will come prematurely, and the world will be destroyed!"

At this point, Li Kai smiled.

"So I probably understand why Confucian scholars aren't really willing to interact with us."

"He knew all too well the cowardice, desires, and weaknesses of mortals after thousands of years. Once we know the truth, do we, who are in high positions of power and enjoy wealth, really have the courage to gamble?"

"I'm afraid that forget about offering any help; there's a good chance that someone will try every possible way to sabotage us!"

"Let's ask ourselves honestly, how many people like this are there in the world?"

Li Kai's words at this moment had a questioning and deafening quality, startling everyone.

"If we choose to prolong our existence, I predict the world will inevitably face destruction in the end, but at least it can continue for many years, perhaps hundreds or even thousands of years, enough for some to enjoy themselves and for others to place their hopes on interstellar technology."

"There is reason to believe that the Confucian Immortal and many cultivators know about these things. Do not doubt this point. Just as Comrade Xiong Xuguang said, the Confucian Immortal is just living in seclusion. He is not a real old-fashioned person. In fact, he has been watching the development of the world all along!"

Duan Kang suddenly spoke up and asked a question.

"So, is that why you asked Xiong Xuguang not to attend this meeting?"

Li Kai readily admitted it.

"Indeed, I believe in Comrade Xiong Xuguang's loyalty, but from a purely rational perspective, he is also a reincarnated immortal cultivator with two sets of memories, and his emotions are too close to those of an immortal cultivator!"

"The above summarizes the main points."

After Li Kai finished speaking, he sat down, and the meeting room fell into a long silence.

Even Zhuang Lin didn't realize that as things had progressed to this point, a subtle and strange reaction was occurring.

The meeting room remained silent.

It was just a simple experiment, but everything seemed to have been revealed.

Everyone understood the aloof attitude of the cultivators. Rather than saying that the Confucian immortals didn't care about the modern court, it was more like they distrusted them, and the reasons were quite valid.

Ascension is a moment of desperate gamble, a moment that determines the fate of all living beings in the world. Logically speaking, at such a moment, all things in the world should work together.

But humans are complex. Among them are brilliant individuals, as well as a considerable number of dark corners. Human nature is sometimes beyond the accurate comprehension of even immortals, so it is best to stay away.
Suddenly, the screen cut to a different scene, showing an old man. Many people instinctively sat up straighter.

"I don't know how the immortals truly view us, and I'm also aware of the dark side of human nature. We've always been complex. Whether we're crowned the spirit of all things or consider ourselves extraordinary and the rulers of the blue planet, it's our pride and arrogance."

"However, while cowardice has greatly helped humanity survive from ancient times to the present, we have never lacked courage. We cannot trust foreign countries, but at least our Great Yan, at least our generation, should not have lost our courage!"

The old man paused slightly, a smile appearing on his face.

"No need to hesitate or be timid anymore. Let's directly express our attitude to the Confucian Immortal. The Great Yan will do everything in its power to support his ascension and let the immortal understand our awareness as mortals!"

(End of this chapter)