In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 238 Master-Disciple Conflict
The Mongol Empire and the Yuan Dynasty are easily confused.

The academic community generally does not classify the two together because the Eternal Heaven and the Yuan Dynasty's ancient god circle are separate, and the Federation uses the ancient gods as the basis for the change of dynasties.

Meanwhile, in academic circles, the ancient mythology is divided into two categories.

One exists naturally, not arising from changes in national units, but primarily from regions and cultures.

The most representative example is the Eternal Heaven, which was continuously worshipped and offered sacrifices to by nomadic peoples for thousands of years.

The power of the Eternal Heaven Ancient God Circle also provides a theoretical basis for certain extremists. They believe that if there is no dynastic change in China, an ancient god even more powerful than the Eternal Heaven will emerge.

The reason why the ancient god circle of Shenzhou is not as strong as Changshengtian is entirely because every dynasty has been trying to govern the ancient god circle and suppress the ancient gods.

As long as there is no more unified dynasty in China, and no more dynastic changes, then naturally an ancient god will emerge that can rival all ancient god circles.

This idea carries an extremely self-destructive tendency and is not accepted by the federal government. Those who promote it will be labeled as separatists and, if caught, will be sentenced to more than ten years in prison or even executed.

Secondly, there are dynasties that repeatedly appear within a region.

China is a prime example, where dynasties rise and fall, and ancient gods appear only to be wiped out.

The old Taoist priest further explained, "The Yuan Dynasty's rule over the Central Plains was too short, so the power of the ancient gods was not particularly strong compared to the ancient gods of the Jin Dynasty."

"Generally speaking, it would disappear after two hundred years, so the fact that a portion of its power still exists is somewhat surprising to me."

Lu Zhao could understand this.

The conditions for the birth of ancient gods have not yet been fully understood, but one thing is certain: their reigns lasted at least a century.

For example, during the 170 years from the end of the Jin Dynasty to the Southern and Northern Dynasties, including the Liu Song, Xiao Qi, Xiao Liang, and Southern Chen dynasties, there are no definite records of the birth of ancient gods.

There were also some short-lived separatist regimes that did not give rise to ancient gods.

As for the more distant Shang and Zhou dynasties, there are no records in historical materials. Historians can only speculate that in an era when spiritual practice was not so advanced, ancient gods may have been worshipped as totems.

Furthermore, the large-scale environmental alterations by the Ancient Gods only occurred after the Great Cataclysm. Even if Ancient Gods from previous dynasties appeared, they would not have caused such widespread ecological impacts across thousands of miles.

Lu Zhao asked curiously, "Master, do you know how the Great Cataclysm occurred?"

"This is an age-old mystery."

The old Taoist priest shook his head slightly and said, "However, after I became an immortal, I was able to observe the universe and confirmed one thing."

Do you believe that Qi (vital energy) exists in the universe itself?

In the modern context, this is a higher level of energy, something that only second-order transcendents can perceive.

Extraordinary beings need to metabolize to generate Qi. Heat is digested and metabolized in the body, and a portion of it is converted into Qi.

If life supplements are used as an energy source, then the conversion efficiency will be even higher.

To give an example, when refining one million calories into vital energy, life supplements can achieve a 90% conversion rate, while ordinary food may yield less than 10%.

This is why, even with modern productivity and abundant resources, extraordinary individuals still need to take life-enhancing supplements to develop their vitality, rather than choosing cheaper food.

Food can only serve as a basic metabolic aid.

Lu Zhao shook his head and said, "This disciple cannot detect the presence of Qi in heaven and earth."

"I couldn't sense it before, nor did I believe that Qi existed in the universe."

The old Taoist priest concluded, "Qi does exist in heaven and earth, but ordinary people can't touch or use it. However, through certain means, the Qi of heaven and earth can be manifested. For example, the supernatural powers of the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends, ancient gods, various divine medicines, and even the life supplements you are currently taking."

"I'll ask you another question. Do you think cultivators in the pre-Qin era were stronger, or those now? Do you think supernatural powers were stronger in the past, or those now? Just state your intuition and answer based on your intuition."

Without hesitation, Lu Zhao replied, "That would naturally be an even more ancient era, after all, there were so many sages there."

The old Taoist priest shook his head and gave the answer: "Actually, the closer we are to modern times, the stronger we become. The Qi of Heaven and Earth is constantly increasing, and the number of cultivators is also increasing."

"During the Hongwu era, the total number of cultivation lineages was no more than ten thousand, partly due to the continuous wars. But by the Jiajing era, the number of registered cultivators in the country had reached seventy thousand."

Lu Zhao immediately understood what his master wanted to express.

He guessed, "You mean the great catastrophe occurred because the Qi of heaven and earth reached a certain critical value?"

"Yes."

The old Taoist priest stroked his beard and said with rare humility, "My attainment of immortality may also have involved a bit of luck. I found the right path at the right time."

The ever-increasing Qi of Heaven and Earth led to the outbreak of a great catastrophe. Based on this, many things can indeed be connected.

Lu Zhao returned to the main topic and asked, "Master, what exactly is the function of the giant beasts in the factory?"

“There is a limit to how much one can predict; I cannot predict everything.”

The old Taoist priest changed the subject, saying, "But based on what you've told me so far, it shouldn't be hard to deduce that it might be able to produce life-sustaining supplements."

"Or use one part of the materials to produce two parts of the supplement. There will always be losses and residues in alchemy and medicine making, but the power of the ancient gods can be completely undamaged."

Lu Zhao thought so too.

Given that the raw materials for advanced life supplements are known to be strictly controlled, the fact that Wuliangye can still produce surplus advanced life supplements suggests that this is the only explanation.

Producing more life-sustaining potions with fewer raw materials is a huge step forward. Every year, a vast amount of food is consumed to produce life-sustaining potions. If the production process could be optimized to produce the same quantity using half the materials, the Federation would be in a much better position.

He said, “Master, if it is as you expect, then this method should be promoted. There must be a problem with keeping it covered up.”

The old Taoist priest nodded and said, "Every medicine has some degree of toxicity. Many medicinal herbs need to be refined before they can be used. If there is no residue at all, then the toxicity will be more than just three parts."

"The poison of the Yuan Dynasty appeared as early as the Hongwu period."

Lu Zhao asked, "Please answer, Master." The old Taoist priest said, "In the sixth year of Hongwu, a kind of white Tai Sui appeared in Ning County, Jizhou. It was as white as mutton fat, and when eaten, it tasted like lamb meat. It could cure all diseases."

"When the imperial court found out, hundreds of thousands of people were already consuming Tai Sui every day. The court tried to stop it but to no avail. Those who had consumed Tai Sui were like people under a spell, wanting nothing more than to eat Tai Sui all day long. After consuming Tai Sui for a hundred days, they would see everyone as Tai Sui."

"In the seventh year of Hongwu's reign, the imperial court dispatched troops to eradicate the Yuan Tai Sui and destroyed the Tai Sui in a concentrated manner. For the next ten years, Tai Sui continued to grow in Ning County, and the Taizu Emperor had to summon all the lineages in the country and spend ten years to resolve the issue."

This is the norm in most ancient god communities.

Ancient god circles, which can easily spread over thousands of miles and influence thousands of miles in modern times, were never seen before.

Otherwise, given the productivity of ancient dynasties, it would have been impossible to achieve long-term rule.

Unless a new dynasty completely ignores the legacy of the previous dynasty and allows it to develop for decades, it is unlikely to become like the modern era.

"With the current strength of the new dynasty, dealing with the poison of the Yuan dynasty should not be difficult."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhao's mood did not ease.

The federal government can resolve it, but it cannot resolve it without causing harm.

If left unchecked, it could cause a disaster affecting millions of people; given the population density of Cangwu City, the number could easily reach tens of millions.

Perhaps in the master's eyes it's just a number, as long as the dynasty isn't too affected.

However, Lu Zhao was neither an emperor nor a leader of the federation; his family lived in Cangwu.

"Thank you, Master."

Lu Zhao stood up, clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, and then turned and walked outside.

He still has a lot to do.

"Disciple, I told you you would face nine death calamities, do you remember?"

The old Taoist priest's voice came from behind.

Lu Zhao stopped and turned around, asking, "Will this be my second death calamity?"

The old Taoist priest nodded and said, "Not every death is inescapable. On the contrary, you have already accumulated enough luck and fortune. The Lin family can protect you well. As long as you follow the plan, no one will deliberately make things difficult for you."

Lu Zhao replied, "As a federal official, protecting the personal safety and property of the people is my duty."

"But you are just a small squad leader right now. First, you can't explain how you know about the power of the ancient gods in this chaotic realm. Second, the matter of the tonic is too far-reaching and will only bring you trouble."

The old Taoist priest advised, "Your priority now is to improve your strength, refine the Five Elements Pill, and seek perfection. It's not too late to deal with this after you become a Martial Marquis and wield the Heavenly Divine Power."

Lu Zhao countered, "So I should trust that someone else will handle this, and I shouldn't get involved in anything until I've matured?"

The old Taoist priest nodded: "When poor, one should cultivate one's own virtue; when rich, one should benefit all under heaven."

Lu Zhao asked again, "Should I turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the country's crisis and believe that someone will eventually solve it?"

The old Taoist priest nodded again: "One should fulfill one's duties in accordance with the law. The greater one's power, the greater one's thoughts and concerns; otherwise, one will only be worrying about trivial matters."

A teacher's duty is to impart knowledge, teach skills, and resolve doubts.

He naturally wanted to pass on his teachings to his disciples, and as long as Lu Zhao followed his arrangements step by step, there would be no problems.

The apprentice was troubled because the matter was beyond his control.

If he were Marquis Wu, it would be much easier for him to handle.

There's no need to explain the existence of Hunyuan; simply raising reasonable doubts will suffice for the Federation to adopt your opinion.

But given his current power and position, no matter how many questions he raises, they will not be accepted; instead, he will be retaliated against by vested interest groups.

Lu Zhao countered, "If the greater the power, the greater the patriotism, then the Federation should be full of honest and upright officials, and the Ming Dynasty wouldn't have fallen, would it?"

If a person lives a life of self-cultivation, can they ever return to their original path?
He was afraid that if he took this wrong step, he would never be able to go back to the beginning.

As the captain of the Special Counter-Strike Team, my primary responsibility is to safeguard the personal safety and property of the people.

What Master said is simply that the greater the power one has, the more effort one should exert to maintain one's own interests.

"Have you fulfilled your responsibilities in your position?"

The old Taoist priest narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression remained unchanged, but the surroundings inexplicably turned cold.

He quickly revealed a light smile and said, "Since you want to investigate, go ahead, disciple. I'll back you up. If you get bullied, I can help you fight back."

Over the past six months, the master and apprentice have had their share of clashes.

This isn't the first time this rebellious disciple has done this.

The old Taoist priest would feel displeased, but not to the point of losing his temper. On the contrary, the more rebellious Lu Zhao was, the more he wanted to see Lu Zhao become himself.

Lu Zhao said, "Please rest assured, Master, I will definitely not waste your two chances to save my life."

After saying that, he turned and walked away without stopping.

Financial supplements, the Life Supplement Committee, Chen Yunming, Liu Hanwen, two national policies, the power of the ancient gods of the Yuan Dynasty, and so on, none of these could stop him from moving forward.

This time, Lu Zhao was no longer an unknown soldier trapped on the border, nor was he a reckless man who only knew how to kill the enemy.

He was a recipient of the Federal First Class Merit Award, a representative of soldiers in the Great Patriotic War, and a hero recognized by the Federation.

He will surely explore and seek answers, exercise his rights, and fulfill his responsibilities.

(End of this chapter)